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Dark Forest: A Look Inside Controversial Wilderness Therapy Camps
In 2007, 17-year-old Sarah Stusek woke up at 4 a.m. The lights were mysteriously turned on. Her phone was gone. She looked up to see a man and a woman hovering over her on either side of the bed. They told her to get dressed and that they were taking her somewhere. They didn’t explain where.
Q&A: Tapping the ‘Dormant Energy in Rural Organizing’
A progressive state legislator who won upset elections in rural Maine has left the statehouse to create a nonprofit to help other candidates win campaigns in rural areas. Chloe Maxmin, who co-wrote the book Dirt Road Revival about her experience campaigning in rural Maine, has formed Dirtroad Organizing with her co-author and former campaign manager, Canyon Woodward.
Experience with Domestic Violence Prompts Nurse to Train to Care for Rural Trauma Victims
Leslie Copp, a nurse who grew up in a family with domestic violence, hopes to use a scholarship from the Pat Tillman Foundation to help provide more services to victims of trauma in rural Indiana. Copp is an online graduate student at Frontier Nursing University located in Versailles, Kentucky. Her...
Wells Are Running Dry in Rural Communities of Color. Is a Fix in Sight?
This story was originally published by Ambrook Research and Nexus Media News. For years, Michael Prado has provided bottled water to his neighbors in Sultana, a town of about 785 people in California’s Central Valley. That’s because most wells in town have been contaminated by runoff from agriculture, said Prado, who is president of the Sultana Community Services District. Only one meets state standards for safe drinking water — he’s glad they have it, but it’s not enough.
45 Degrees North: The D Word
In the field across the road from my house, the corn hit knee-high by the 4th of July, but barely. It’s dry here in rural northern Wisconsin. We had enough rain for that corn to germinate and start growing. July brought leaves curled to conserve moisture by reducing the exposed surface area. The plants are stressed, and farmers are stressed. Town folk concerned about how watering lawns increases their municipal water bills may not think much about crop yields and livestock management. But what affects farmers affects the rest of us, too. So here are some things you should know about drought.
Q&A: This Small-Town Fairytale Movie Centers Rural Queer Voices
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.
Commentary: Debates over ‘Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn’ Sow Conflict and Division, not Protection
Grayson County is a beautiful, rural place in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Southwest Virginia. Formed in 1793, Grayson is home to winding two-lane roads, farms, and a handful of small towns. The New River bisects an eastern section of Grayson on its way north toward West Virginia. In March...
Looking Back on the Rich Rural Backdrop of TV’s ‘Justified’
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.
A Rural Calling: ‘Whenever I Meet a Person Doing Good Things, I Want Them to Know Renee’
When Renee Boughman arrived in the Blue Ridge Mountain town of Boone, North Carolina, 41 years ago, it was a somewhat different place. Its population today is around 20,000, almost double what it was when Boughman settled in. Boone is home to Appalachian State University (ASU), which likewise has experienced steady growth.
Rural Residents Five Times More Likely to Live Far from Ambulance Stations
When health researcher Yvonne Jonk lived in North Dakota, she got a piece of information from the state’s emergency medical service director that shaped her work for years to come. Then director Tom Nehring told her there were parts of the state where it was more dangerous to have...
Recovery Cafes Offer Support, Healing in Rural Communities
Jessica Perusse says when she heard about Recovery Cafes, she was struck by the welcoming spirit of the places. “I think the biggest things that stood out to me when learning about the Recovery Cafe were normalizing statements of ‘everybody is in recovery from something’ and the goal is to address ‘anything that keeps you from being your best self,’” she said.
Rise and Relevance of Rural Coworking Spaces
With remote work gaining and maintaining in popularity, coworking spaces are increasingly found in rural America. Alison Denbigh, the owner of two coworking spaces – Staunton Hub and soon, Harrisonburg Innovation Hub, in Virginia, believes in the power of coworking in rural communities. . “All of those concepts have...
New Rule Aims to Limit Miners’ Silica Dust Exposure But Still Relies on Coal Company Self-Oversight
This story originally appeared in the Kentucky Lantern. Gary Harriston, 69, compares what it feels like to have coal workers’ pneumoconiosis, known commonly as black lung, to running out of air or not being able to “catch my wind.”. He remembers working as a coal miner decades ago...
Walking the ‘Fine Line’ of Rural Development and Gentrification
The Tucker, Barbour, and Randolph County pocket of central West Virginia is a beautiful part of the state. Embraced by the million-acre Monongahela National Forest, the region has become a prized location for well-appointed second homes and retirement tranquility. There’s lots to do: ski resorts, both downhill and cross country; vast miles of hiking and biking trails; campgrounds galore – an outdoor recreation mecca.
Commentary: Trampled by Instagram Tourists
This article was originally published by Writers on the Range. A spectacular picture recently appeared on social media of a young lady in Arizona. She was poised on the edge of a cliff emblazoned with sunset colors. Immediately her online followers clamored to know where the picture was taken, so “I can get one just like it.”
Hal Rogers’ Attempted Glide Path for Federal Prison in East Kentucky Draws Flak
Opponents of a long-debated federal prison in Letcher County in rural Eastern Kentucky are criticizing U.S. Representative Hal Rogers for using what they call a “strongman tactic” to “fast track” the project without public comment or an environmental review. Even the courts, opponents say, would be...
Commentary: ‘Try That in a Small Town’ Is the Antithesis of a Rural Anthem
There is not a more romantic song, at least to my ears, than Jason Aldean’s “Night Train.” About a man who wants to take his paramour on a picnic to listen to the train go by, it reminds me of growing up in rural Kentucky. The clanging of steel, the rumbling of the freight cars, and the blaring of a horn were the soundtrack of my youth. And yes, we really did sit outside just to listen to the night train.
45 Degrees North: A Numbers Game
Ever try to get the highway department to straighten a bad curve or put flashers at an intersection? They’re going to want data on motor vehicle accidents at those locations. Think your homeowners insurance premium should be reduced? That’s based on data about your area’s 911 system, your fire department’s readiness, and the availability of water to fight a fire. Data influences the allocation of scarce resources. The squeaky wheel may get some grease, but people holding pursestrings love clear, concise abstracts of data analysis – preferably with pie charts. When you pull back the curtain on how data is collected in rural areas, though, there’s room for improvement.
Q&A: The Water Steward Protecting Alabama’s Black Warrior River
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.
Commentary: Book Refutes the ‘Angry Rural Voter’ Thesis, but Its Economic Analysis Isn’t Convincing
In her book The Overlooked Americans, Elizabeth Currid-Halkett tries to explain why rural America isn’t doing as badly as we think it is, but her data doesn’t sell the story of rural prosperity the way she hoped it would. Currid-Halkett’s 2023 book grew out of her response to...
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