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Editor’s Note: A version of this story about Walla Walla Community College first appeared in Mile Markers, a twice monthly newsletter from Open Campus about the role of colleges in rural America. You can join the mailing list at the bottom of this article to receive future editions in your inbox.
Agrovoltaics Offer Dual Use on Land Used for Solar Energy Development
Rural communities are a necessary element of renewable energy development, but across the United States denizens of small communities protest solar farms cropping up across large swaths of land. Developing agrivoltaics, technologies combining solar and agriculture, could help reduce community pushback towards solar development. Solar and wind farms need space,...
Radically Rural Summit Returns to Keene, N.H., in September
Autumn in New England brings cooler temperatures, brilliant foliage, and — almost as predictably — the Radically Rural conference. For the sixth year, the conference will convene in the public spaces and businesses of downtown Keene, New Hampshire, a city of about 23,000 located in the southwest portion of the state. Conference dates are September 27-28.
A Rural Western North Carolina County Will Keep Its Public Library in the Regional System, but Not Without Debate
In rural Yancey County, North Carolina, a heated public debate about withdrawing from the regional library system reveals how political divisions can threaten public services in rural communities that need them the most. The high elevation usually keeps things cool here in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, but...
Eagles on a Web Cam Make a Small Town Take Off
“Oh, my gosh, that sound! When is that adult bald eagle going to bring another fish and quiet that young one down? Poor little thing is going to starve to death!”. These lines of internal monologue have been part of my daily repertoire for two months now. That’s when I became one of thousands of daily viewers from around the world hooked on the live stream feed from the Decorah Eagle Cam.
‘East Kentucky Flood,’ Some More of the Stories: Help Our Fellow Man
Editor’s Note: The Daily Yonder premiered “East Kentucky Flood,” a half-hour documentary about the historic 2022 flood that killed 45 people and displaced thousands, in February. The documentary was a production of the Center for Rural Strategies, which publishes the Yonder. This video is a continuation of that reporting and features Greg Wilson, chief of the Rousseau Volunteer Fire Department.
Census: Rural Americans Have Higher Rates of Disabilities Than Urban Dwellers
U.S. Census numbers show that higher rates of rural Americans have a disability than urban Americans. In 2021, nearly 15% of rural residents reported having a disability, compared to 12.6% of urban people, according to the U.S. Census. “It really doesn’t surprise me,” said Dan Kessler, interim executive director of...
Video: The Epic Adventure of Bishop Castle
Ever driven by a roadside attraction and wondered, “how did that happen?” Who had the time and the interest to dedicate their lives to the world’s largest ball of twine that sits in rural Kansas? That’s what we’re here to do: examine the attraction. Get its origin story. Of all the attractions, it’s plausible that the citadel we’re about to investigate took the most effort. Not even small-town Nebraska’s Carhenge, a Stonehenge replica made of cars, stands up to this as far as sheer force of will from one person.
Q&A: Amy Rowland’s New Book Faces Rural Gun Violence Head On
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.
Jeremy Gulban Owns More Former Gannett Papers Than Anyone; He Says Success Is up to Communities
This article is republished from The Rural Blog, which is published by the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues at the University of Kentucky. The owner of dozens of “ghost newspapers” bought from Gannett Co. says he is trying to revive them by returning editorial decision-making to local people while still taking advantage of the economies of scale that have led to consolidation of newspaper ownership. But he says his new chain’s fate is not in its own hands.
Midwestern Comfort Food Fit for Rural Minnesotans — and the Food Network
Bernie’s, in East Grand Forks, Minnesota, opened last September as an ode to locally-influenced Scandinavian cuisine. The restaurant has garnered a loyal local following, and also gets a fair amount of out-of-town visitors from across the country. They are on a pilgrimage of sorts, fans of owner Molly Yeh’s (pronounced yay) Food Network show “Girl Meets Farm,” who want to experience her food on her home turf.
A Tiny Desert Town Gets the Full Wes Anderson Treatment in ‘Asteroid City’
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.
The World’s Small Farms Need More Support to Confront Climate Change
The World Meteorological Organization announced recently that global temperatures are likely to overtake a critical 1.5° Celsius warming threshold within the next five years. Small-scale farmers in nations with developing economies are especially at risk and need to invest in infrastructure and agricultural practices that can withstand worsening climate impacts. But they receive less than 2% of global climate financing.
Once-Resistant Rural Court Officials Begin to Embrace Medications to Treat Addiction
This story was originally published by KFF Health News. Rachel Solomon and judges hadn’t been on the best of terms. Then Judge O. Duane Slone “dumbfounded” her. Solomon was given her first Percocet at age 12 by a family member with a medicine cabinet full. It made her feel numb, she said. “Nothing hurt.” By 17, she was taking 80-milligram OxyContins. A decade later, she was introduced to heroin.
For Decades, the Top Rural Health Issue Has Been Access to Basic Care; Now It’s Mental Health and Addiction
For the first time in 20 years, mental health and addiction are more pressing health concerns than getting access to basic healthcare, according to a survey of rural stakeholders. Rural Healthy People 2030, released by the Southwest Rural Health Resource Center, surveyed a national sample of people “working to improve...
‘Prove It or Lose It.’ How Tribes are Forced to Fight to Secure Senior Water Rights.
This story was originally published by Sierra Nevada Ally. The Colorado River is a vital water resource for millions of people across the American West. States, municipalities and industry all rely on water from this basin. With required cuts being negotiated among the seven states within the Basin, there is one group whose concerns are seemingly being washed away: tribes.
N.C.’s Border Belt Independent Provides a New Approach to Rural Journalism
There are news stories that make headlines only after they survive never being told at all. Sometimes news outlets consciously avoid doing stories. But other times it’s a matter of being strapped for reporters and resources. Those gaps in coverage can be harder to fill in rural areas. “I...
California Is Spending Millions to Compensate Ranchers for Living Near Wolves
This story was originally published by Ambrook Research. Ranchers in Western states have had a predictably rocky relationship with predators like wolves and grizzly bears. In particular, livestock owners in wolf territory have to remain on high alert to protect their herds and their livelihood. In some states, like Montana,...
Louisville Orchestra Takes on a Mammoth Musical Project
April 29, 2023 was a monumental day at Mammoth Cave National Park. A years-in-the-making collaboration between Louisville Orchestra Music Director Teddy Abrams, world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma, and the national park staff brought the world premiere of Abrams’ composition, “Mammoth,” to life. Two performances took place in a cave room called Rafinesque Hall, a short descent from the entrance.
Radically Rural: Striking a Sustainable and Profitable Balance in Outdoor Economies
In North Carolina, outdoor recreation adds more than $11.8 billion to the state’s gross domestic product. It also supports 130,000 jobs and results in more than $5.9 billion in compensation for those working in the sector. The numbers show outdoor recreation is a powerful economic driver for the state, which has inspired a new program for Creating Outdoor Recreation Economies (CORE).
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