A new program in Oklahoma is using a mobile drug unit to distribute harm reduction and drug safety supplies to rural Cherokee Nation members struggling with addiction, reports Elyse Wild of The Guardian. The traveling service is part of the tribe's overall "Native people taking care of Native people" effort to address the severe risks and lack of access facing Native Americans with substance-use disorders.
While Veteran's Day is in November, the entire month can be a time for Americans to express their appreciation and care for military veterans.
The U.S. opioid epidemic isn't over, but national totals for overdose deaths have declined for 12 months in a row, with current numbers "slowed to the lowest levels since 2020," reports Alexander Tin of CBS News. The decrease in deaths is attributed to several factors; however, experts warn that now is a time to "double down" on current efforts and keep looking for new ways to prevent drug abuse from starting.
U.S. Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez would like Democrats to take a long look in the mirror and reconsider who they're villainizing and how that tactic has alienated voters.
It's small and somewhat weird, but let's protect it. Say what? If day-to-day environmental journalism is difficult, reporting on barely-known species, which often look like sci-fi inventions, can be more challenging.
The holidays can be a source of good family times and celebration, but for many people the season is marked by severe loneliness and depression. With some inspiration from the U.S. Surgeon General's 5-for-5 connection challenge, Dr. Trisha Pasricha gives her 5-step "prescription to combat loneliness during the holidays."
Reliable and fast broadband service can bring revenue and jobs to rural areas struggling with poverty and shrinking populations due to few work opportunities, reports Kristi Eaton of The Daily Yonder. A new report from the Center on Rural Innovation "found that in areas with high adoption rates of broadband, self-employment increased by 10% or more."
What's wrong with American rural voters? Maybe the question is the problem, reports Emma Goldberg for The New York Times.
Many western states apply the "use it or lose it" rule to water rights, which penalizes land owners for using less water. But Utah is working to reward conservation, reports Nina Elkadi of Grist. "Amid climate change, drought, and increased demands for water, Utah is trying to change the system, bucking one of the oldest water rules in the western U.S."