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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...
A Classroom in the Vineyard
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...
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