Former President and Noble Peace Prize Winner Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter will receive the Mahatma Gandhi Global Nonviolence Award on the International Day of Peace, Sept. 21, 2009.  This is the same award that brought Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu to Harrisonburg in 2007.

The City of Harrisonburg and the central Shenandoah Valley are home to a rich tradition of cultures, religions, organizations, and projects that focus on peace-building and democratic values.  Honoring leaders who promote these values is always appropriate, and a local government recognizing and supporting the visit of a former president is particularly appropriate.

This visit will require logistical support from the city staff (police, transit, etc), and the council voted 5-0 in favor of covering those expenses without asking for reimbursement.

» Learn more about the Carters’ visit
» Get your tickets

It’s been a while since I’ve blogged on this site.  If there’s a specific decision about which you would like my thinking on since my last post, feel free to ask about it in the comments.

One of the decisions council made recently was to move forward with a new program aimed at paying for ambulance rides.  The program centers around billing the insurance companies of people who receive an ambulance ride whose health insurance policies cover this expense.  This “compassionate billing” strategy is meant to recuperate funds from insurance companies who offer ambulance as a benefit paying customers, while not asking those who can’t afford it to pay.

At first glance, this is a no brainer: Read Full Post