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The Daily Yonder
Commentary: Setting Up a Successful Comeback
Over the course of my career, I have had the privilege of traveling thousands of miles on the beautiful backroads of Appalachia, as well as Middle and West Tennessee. I have visited schools, participated in town halls, worked booths at state fairs and met with local employers to discuss workforce needs.
Commentary: Access to Justice Is More Than a Punch Line in Rural Areas
How much do you know about the rural access-to-justice gap? You may not know the term, but you know what it means if you’ve heard or seen even small amounts of pop-culture media. Think, for example, of “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia,” a song that was...
Commentary: Carl Albert Didn’t Fall for the ‘White, Rural Rage’ Stereotype. We Shouldn’t Either.
Carl Albert always fretted; But in 1968 the chronic worrywart had every reason for concern. A 22-year veteran of Congress, Albert represented Oklahoma’s rural third district. Nestled in the state’s southeast corner perpendicular to Arkansas and parallel to Texas, “Little Dixie,” as it was called, was restless. Vietnam, inflation, crime, and riots had riled voters. And Albert was not only a Democrat, he was the very liberal House Majority Leader responsible for the Great Society and Civil Rights.
Oklahoma State University Program to Boost Online Retail Opportunities in Rural Areas
A new program from Oklahoma State University aims to offer support to rural retailers as they transition to more online sales, and an expert in the field and fellow e-commerce owner say they believe the program is a step in the right direction. The Oklahoma Rural E-Commerce Academy is a...
Misplaced Trust
This story was originally published on Grist. Alina Sierra needs $6,405. In 2022, the 19-year-old Tohono O’odham student was accepted to the University of Arizona, her dream school. She would be the first in her family to go to college. Her godfather used to take her to the university’s...
In S.C., Trump Draws Largest Support from Rural Areas and Suburbs
In his South Carolina primary victory Saturday, former President Donald Trump racked up his biggest margins in rural and suburban areas, a Daily Yonder analysis shows. Trump won the statewide Republican contest by a 20-point margin over Nikki Haley, South Carolina’s former governor and former ambassador to the United Nations.
45 Degrees North: Garden Fever
Last year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture updated its plant hardiness zone maps. Zone maps are tools to help gardeners select plants that can survive and thrive in a particular location. Or to put it another way, zone maps are tools to help gardeners avoid the expense and heartbreak of planting things that really don’t stand a chance.
Q&A: What Was the Hillbilly Highway?
Editor’s Note: This interview first appeared in Path Finders, an email newsletter from the Daily Yonder. Each week, Path Finders features a Q&A with a rural thinker, creator, or doer. Like what you see here? You can join the mailing list at the bottom of this article and receive more conversations like this in your inbox each week.
Don’t Fly Over, Fly in for Ohio Comfort Food
Perhaps the most unique thing about the Plaza Inn Family Restaurant & Catering in Mt. Victory, Ohio, pop. 641, is the ways non-local customers arrive for a meal. While the town is more than 30 miles from the nearest interstate highway, the two-lane road it sits on, State Route 31, is the fastest way to get from Columbus to Detroit. A popular transportation route, truckers often park their rigs in a 3-acre lot on the way through town.
For Good or Bad, Norman Lear Helped Erase Rural America from TV
Editor’s Note: A version of this story first appeared in The Good, the Bad, and the Elegy, a newsletter from the Daily Yonder focused on the best, and worst, in rural media, entertainment, and culture. Every other Thursday, it features reviews, retrospectives, recommendations, and more. You can join the mailing list at the bottom of this article to receive future editions in your inbox.
Project Tests Drones for Rural Health Care
A new project in West Texas will test if drones can help deliver health care to rural communities. Working with Matador UAS Consortium, academic and industry partners accelerating the use of drones in rural health care, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) is testing drone delivery of medical supplies to Presidio, Texas.
How Do You Figure Out Who to Vote For?
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Keep It Rural, an email newsletter from the Daily Yonder. Like what you see? Join the mailing list for more rural news, thoughts, and analysis in your inbox each week. When I was a kid, my dad would take me to...
Carbon Offsets Bring New Investment to Appalachia’s Coal Fields, But Most Appalachians Aren’t Benefitting
This story was originally published by The Conversation. Central Appalachia is home to the third-largest concentration of forest carbon offsets traded on the California carbon market. But while these projects bring new investments to Appalachia, most people in Appalachia are not benefiting. The effect of this new economic activity is...
USDA Funded Program Works With Wool, Cotton Producers on Climate Smart Practices
A new initiative aims to help wool and cotton producers practice better climate smart land practices that build drought resilience, improve soil health, and can increase profitability of family ranches and farms. The program, funded through the Partnership for Climate-Smart Commodities in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, provides for $30...
Bitcoin Mining Uses a Lot of Energy. The US Government Is About to Find Out How Much
This story was originally published by Grist. In 2021, when China banned bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, crypto miners flocked to the United States in search of cheap electricity and looser regulations. In a few short years, the U.S.’s share of global crypto mining operations grew from 3.5 percent to 38 percent, forming the world’s largest crypto mining industry.
Iowa Researcher Proposes Subsidies to Bring Cardiac Care to Rural Areas
Luring cardiologists to rural parts of Iowa may mean subsidizing their salaries, a new study has found. Tom Gruca, a marketing professor at the University of Iowa’s Tippie College of Business, looked at data from more than 40 years of public health in his state. His study, Bringing the Doctor to the Patients: Cardiology Outreach to Rural Areas, found that paying doctors to participate in traveling practice models could help alleviate the coming cardiologist shortage in his state.
In Small-Town Nebraska, With Suicide Rates High, One Family Delivers Hope for Thousands
Content warning: This story discusses suicide. Call the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline if you or a loved one needs help. This story was originally published by Flatwater Free Press. Jeremy Koch drove down a country road in the darkness, carting his 14-year-old son to 5:30 a.m. basketball practice. He...
45 Degrees North: Syncing With The Seasons
When I lived in the city, I always felt out of sync with the seasons. I guess when you can buy fresh strawberries year-round, people are more used to scheduled activities than dropping everything to pick berries before the birds get them. Some seasons are more ephemeral than spring wildflowers. You have to (literally) make hay while the sun shines.
Q&A: Why Do Small-Scale Farmers Persist in Place?
Editor’s Note: This interview first appeared in Path Finders, an email newsletter from the Daily Yonder. Each week, Path Finders features a Q&A with a rural thinker, creator, or doer. Like what you see here? You can join the mailing list at the bottom of this article and receive more conversations like this in your inbox each week.
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