Small Business Saturday in the Shenandoah Valley is bigger than one day

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - Chesterfield state Senator Amanda Chase is facing a possible censure in the Senate following her involvement in last week’s rally-turned-insurrection at the United States Capitol. A handful of Democrats signed a resolution accusing her of “fomenting insurrection.” There have been growing calls for Chase to resign following the violence. Chase says she left DC before the riots broke out. [ Virginia Senate Democrats call for Sen. Amanda Chase’s resignation ] Her false claims about the election and the riots also prompted Facebook to suspend her official page. Chase says she won’t step down.

HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) — A Baltimore man accused of leading police on a high-speed chase throughout the Valley after shooting his fiance was indicted by a Grand Jury on several new charges. 50-year-old Umar Burley was arrested in December for allegedly shooting his fiance at the Motel 6 on South Main Street in Harrisonburg. Police said after the shooting, he led law enforcement on a high-speed chase on I-81 in a U-Haul truck. Officials say as a trooper pulled up to the suspect’s vehicle, the driver of the box truck shot out the back window of the trooper’s patrol vehicle and sped away. Police said the shots took out the back window of the cruiser and Burley continued to ram other police cruisers until he was stopped near the town of Woodstock. On Tuesday, a Grand Jury found there was enough evidence to charge Burley who appeared in court via video, with two counts of attempted capital murder of a police officer, one count of shooting an emergency vehicle and one county of the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. These charges will be added to Burley’s malicious wounding and attempted murder charges. In court, Burley’s attorney, Aaron Cook, said they will likely set for a jury trial and the case was continued to March 15 at 1:30 p.m.

HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) — Along with name changes, comes a new mascot. The Shenandoah County Public School Board voted last week to conduct a survey to help decide the mascot for Mountain View High School and North Fork Middle School. Students, staff and members of the community have the option of voting for the Generals or the Rattlers. Dennis Atwood advocated for the school names to be changed over the summer and initially voted for the Rattlers. But he tells us there is controversy surrounding that name because of biblical and historical context. “I wasn’t enthusiastic about rattlers but I knew it was different, and frankly at this point, I think if the community decides on generals, that that’d be okay because there are many fine generals,” Atwood said. One community member mentions the negative history associated with the snake symbol that Nazis used as propaganda. “It’s a piece of anti-Semitic propaganda,” said Michael Scheibe. “If this is gonna be an all-inclusive school, and we want to be, you know, have names that don’t offend anyone, you know I just don’t think rattler is the way to go.” The survey is open to the Shenandoah county community until January 31st. Survey results will be presented to the school board on February 11.

HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) - Across the nation on January 19, towns and cities including Harrisonburg honored the lives lost to COVID-19. The bell tower at James Madison University’s Wilson Hall tolled 50 times for the 50 COVID-19 related deaths in the city. The Forbes Center was lit up in amber, too. “It’s really important that we come together, regardless of our political beliefs or backgrounds, as a country in a moment of unity,” Emily Becher-McKeever, an associate professor of lighting design in JMU’s School of Theatre and Dance, said. JMU tolled the bells and light up the Forbes Center at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. “It’s hard not to have been touched by this. It’s hard not to know someone who has been affected in some way, shape or form by this pandemic,” Becher-McKeever said.

SHENANDOAH VALLEY, Va. (WVIR) - Getting free tax preparation might be more important than ever this year for many impacted by the pandemic. Valley VITA is back to provide that service for low-income households, but it’s going to look a little bit different this year due to COVID-19. In just two weeks, the United Way SAW program kicks off its free tax prep. This year, they’re doing scheduled drop-offs and virtual preparation, hoping to safely control the flow. Valley VITA, with its IRS certified specialists, serves households making less than $57,000 a year. The Program Manager, Sara Hubbell, says the biggest challenge this year will be communicating with taxpayers since they won’t be sitting side-by-side, instead, they’ll be talking curb-side, on the phone, and through Zoom. “This has been a tough year for a lot of folks, and you know, for each return that we prepare we’re able to save that community member an average of $200. And you know, every dollar counts right now,” said Hubbell. United Way is starting now to schedule appointments for a February 2 start date at its four different locations - United Way SAW in Fishersville, Stuarts Draft High School, Rosenwald Community Center in Waynesboro, and Booker T. Washington Community Center in Staunton. Valley VITA still needs volunteers who can help with scheduling, intake, and more, including some willing to work on-site and others who can work remotely. More information is available on the United Way SAW Facebook page and Valley VITA’s landing page where folks can schedule their appointments.