As the United States works to install broadband for everyone, challenges in states such as Kentucky and West Virginia are particularly tough as build-out contractors juggle reaching high percentages of rural residents and rugged topography.
Writer Bradyn Strawser discusses the good, the bad and the ugly roots of 'rural rage' and how he interprets some national research on the topic. An edited version of some of his thoughts is below.
American Heart Association offers travel stipends for journalists and freelance writers to attend scientific meetings.
Covert Township, Michigan, has a way to make more green electricity than most small towns could ever dream up. The quiet community of 2,510 people is home to the Palisades Nuclear Generating Plant, which was closed in 2022, but has been given the green light to reopen.
Helping rural communities thrive requires resources from multiple places, but reinforcing the depth and accessibility of rural education is one of the most basic ways to support rural America. Some of that foundation is being built through research.
The Boar's Head deli-meat listeria outbreak that left nine people dead and many others sick may have been surprising to some; however, as Zeynep Tufekci points out in her opinion for The New York Times, perhaps "Americans should also pause to ask, 'How does this not happen all the time?
In a dramatic shift, many Americans have decided that relocating isn't as doable or desirable. "The share of Americans moving has reached its lowest point in history — and doesn't look like it's climbing back up anytime soon.
As many newsroom staffs shrink across the nation, some independent rural newspaper owners are working almost every job in the shop to maintain local news coverage with integrity and avoid the possible pitfalls of outside ownership. Reporter Chase McCleary from Rocky Mountain PBS met with Betsy Barnett, the owner, publisher, editor, ad-sales rep, designer and only full-time reporter of the Kiowa County Independent newspaper in Eads, Colorado.
The folks at Ambrook Research wanted to know who farmers are voting for this November. The publication boasts some 80,000+ subscribers who are either farmers or individuals working in the U.S. food industry. To find out "how food producers are feeling on the eve of a historically monumental election," writes Ambrook's editor, Jesse Hirsch, "Ambrook put out a call" for its readers to complete a "wholly unscientific survey."