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News and politics
Harrisonburg Citizen Academy molds future community leaders
Contrary to their label, public officers have jobs that are often unknown to the public. The Harrisonburg Citizen Academy was created to foster an understanding of city government by giving each department a platform to educate community members about how they work. With over a dozen departments within the city of Harrisonburg, the roles and importance of each can be difficult to understand.
The program consists of 13 weekly, two-hour sessions running from the end of August to the middle of November. Each week sees a different department host its own presentation to explain what it does and give insight into what goes on behind the scenes.
Separating art from the artist is dangerous
In October 2016, late rapper Jahseh Onfroy, known as XXXTentacion, was accused of aggravated battery of a pregnant woman, domestic battery by strangulation, false imprisonment and witness tampering. A two-and-a-half-hour testimony by the alleged victim revealed dozens more charges could’ve been pressed.
The full transcript of the victim’s testimony is online. A 27-minute phone call Onfroy made from jail is available as well, one in which he brags about many of the atrocities his partner accused him of. The issue is not that people don’t know about Onfroy’s horrific acts of violence. It’s that they don’t care.
How Donald Trump (and Twitter) killed the media
At every turn, the president attempts to discredit the relevant information the public sphere is responsible supposed to spread. Trump’s mantra-turned-punchline “fake news” is applied not by validity or relevancy, but by what flatters him. He regularly slanders the “mainstream media,” which seemingly includes every major network and publication with the notable exception of Fox News. If the media is truly the gatekeeper in the marketplace of ideas, how did a man who so readily alienates them win the election?
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We are witnessing a dramatic shift in the public sphere. Trump is tapping into a new source of power: social media. While past presidents were forced to rely on the media for radio and television slots, social media eliminates the middleman to create a space where the president can make a statement at any time, for any reason
Eric English announced as new Harrisonburg Chief of Police
Eric English was introduced as the Harrisonburg Police Department’s new chief of police Tuesday. English has served nearly 29 years in the Richmond Police Department and has been deputy chief of their support services department since 2011. HPD chose English from a pool of 85 applicants from across the country.
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While new to the area, English has experience managing large police operations. During his time in the operations division of the Richmond Police Department, he oversaw over 400 patrol officers spread over 4 precincts.
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“Each day I come into work, my goal is to see if we can be better than the day before,” English said. “So to the men and women of the Harrisonburg police department, I am looking forward to working with each of you each and every day and continue to improve on a lot of the success we’ve already had.”