The 2022 session of the Virginia General Assembly convenes today with lawmakers intent on passing a biennial budget and examining such issues as  parental involvement in education, mental health and Interstate 81 traffic.

Northern Shenandoah Valley residents will now have one voice speaking for them in Congress as the result of new redistricting maps approved by the Supreme Court of Virginia on Tuesday that redraw the boundary lines for the U.S. Congress and both house of the General Assembly.

Between a quarter to a half of Northern Shenandoah Valley residents age 5 and older has not received even one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

MIDDLETOWN — Middletown Mayor Charles Harbaugh IV and Middletown resident Jake Wharton, facility manager at NW Works, are seeking donated relief items to help tornado victims in Mayfield, Kentucky.

The town of New Market’s creative spin on its annual Christmas parade, which drew hundreds of visitors to the community park last year, is returning for an encore this weekend.

WOODSTOCK — A string of crashes — one involving multiple tractor-trailers — shut down Interstate 81 on Friday for hours after over an inch of rain fell in the northern Shenandoah Valley.

MIDDLETOWN — A history buff, Patrick Elliot, 48, and his 10-year-old son Hayden have seen World War II reenactments in the area of Manassas, where they live.

STRASBURG – A local woman is facing several fire- and obstruction-related charges following a fire at her residence on Sunday.

WOODSTOCK — An appeal challenging the name change of Lord Fairfax Community College has been filed in Shenandoah County Circuit Court by its required deadline.

MIDDLETOWN — Middletown’s 6th annual Farm to Table Dinner on Sunday afternoon raised nearly $25,000 for NW Works.

MIDDLETOWN – Being a Frederick County resident and having represented the Norfolk area in the House of Delegates, Winsome Sears says she understands rural and urban life.

STRASBURG — A boiler explosion early Friday morning blew out a wall at the Valley Milk Products plant in downtown Strasburg creating a hazardous ammonia leak. 

MIDDLETOWN — The Cedar Creek Battlefield Foundation Museum and Visitor Center is open and ready to welcome visitors to learn about the Battle of Cedar Creek.

FRONT ROYAL — As the country emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Rappahannock-Shenandoah-Warren Regional Jail is moving forward with some operational changes including the return of onsite visitation.

WOODSTOCK — A second legal attempt to stop the decision to rename two Shenandoah County public schools was dismissed with prejudice Friday morning.

MIDDLETOWN — Thousands of people flocked to Middletown Sunday for the town’s Fourth of July parade that kicked off at 5 p.m. at Lord Fairfax Community College.

Years after Bertha Von Hillern had ended her career as a world-class endurance walker and hotel muralist, becoming instead a successful baker, a reporter from The Winchester Star recognized her on the street.

Lord Fairfax Community College held its final COVID-19 vaccination clinic on Wednesday, fully vaccinating another 700 patients.

MIDDLETOWN — After deciding not to let the COVID-19 pandemic dampen her spirits, Terry Dabrowski opened her own boutique.

MIDDLETOWN — Hoping to build on tradition and history, Rich and Angie Orndorff see their opportunity at taking over the Wayside Inn as a strong move.

MIDDLETOWN — Travis Ross said he has always dreamed of being an executive chef. Now, at the Wayside Inn 1797, he’s made that dream come true.

A diesel fuel leak from a tanker truck closed about 20 miles of northbound Interstate 81 between Woodstock and Middletown for a few hours on Wednesday morning.

A Middletown woman connected to a 2018 North Carolina murder case will be heading back to that state to face a violation of probation charge there.

MIDDLETOWN — Mayor Charles Harbaugh IV, who ran unopposed in Tuesday’s election, was elected to his third four-year term. He received 582 votes.

MIDDLETOWN — A 41-year-old Front Royal man has been identified as the victim of a homicide on Tuesday.

MIDDLETOWN — A homicide victim was seen on surveillance video being chased by a pickup truck before being gunned down early Tuesday morning, according to police.

MIDDLETOWN — Farming is a way of life for Billie Clifton, and she handles business the same way.