Federal plan to provide internet access to more rural areas might include satellite service, which has fans and critics

A new bill would allow satellite internet in rural
areas. (Adobe Stock photo)

Despite bipartisan congressional support for all Americans to have access to speedy internet, discussions on how to get the job done have fallen along party lines, with many Republicans bemoaning the $42 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program as too slow and overly attached to using fiber technology. "New legislation looks to address those complaints," reports Chris Teale of Route Fifty. "The legislation would amend the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law and loosen several requirements."

Rep. Richard Hudson, a North Carolina Republican, "introduced the Streamlining Program Efficiency and Expanding Deployment for BEAD Act, known as the SPEED for BEAD Act," Teale explains. The bill "would clarify that any technology, including satellite internet, can be used to help close the digital divide, and would eliminate what Hudson called 'burdensome' regulations."

While several trade groups "expressed their support for the bill. . . . not [everyone is] convinced that changing BEAD at this stage is the right course of action," Teale reports. "With every state and territory having had their deployment plans approved by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and several states ready to distribute grant funding and deploy infrastructure, some warned that a change now could delay the program further."

Others insist that spending federal dollars on satellite internet will enrich satellite owners while providing only sub-standard internet access. When Evan Feinman, who had directed BEAD for the past three years, quit, he sent "a blistering email to his former colleagues on his way out the door warning that the Trump administration is poised to unduly enrich Elon Musk’s satellite internet company with money for rural broadband," reports John Hendel of Politico.

Feinman’s "lengthy email, totaling more than 1,100 words is a sign of deep discomfort about the changes underway that will likely transform BEAD," Hendel writes. Feinman warned, "'Stranding all or part of rural America with worse internet so that we can make the world’s richest man even richer is yet another in a long line of betrayals by Washington.'"

High beef prices could spike further if agricultural tariffs go into effect. Imports are holding beef costs in check.

The price for an all-American beef burger has
continued to climb. (Adobe Stock photo)

Got milk? Yes. Got beef? Well, that depends on how much you want to spend. American "beef has been rising in price for years now . . . And [with] proposed tariffs, it may be about to get much worse," reports The Economist. "Since January 2020, the average price of a pound of beef mince has risen from $3.90 to $5.60. That is a 45% increase, almost double the general inflation rate."

Rising beef prices stem from Americans' high demand for beef and a shrinking domestic supply. U.S. livestock herds are smaller than they were a decade ago, but American beef consumption has remained steady or, in some cases, increased. The imbalance has led suppliers to import beef to meet demand without further price escalation. The Economist reports, "Last year imports totaled 2 million head of live cattle. . .a record high."

While imports helped put the price brake on current beef costs, the Trump administration's tariffs could cause prices to rise again. The Economist explains, "On April 2nd, [Trump said] he will be imposing hefty new tariffs on agricultural imports. That will probably include beef. Farmers, he said, should 'get ready' to grow food to sell to Americans, and 'have fun.'"

If hefty import tariffs are levied on beef, the cost of meat is expected to spike, leaving U.S. farmers more likely to "sell down their stocks" rather than grow their herds, the Economist reports. Steve Sunderman, a rancher in northeast Nebraska, told the Economist, “We’re trying to be in a rebuilding phase for the herd. So it’d be a great thing for price, but probably a horrible thing for the industry."

Opinion: New USDA leader says she has plans to trim the department and refocus it to help U.S. farmers and families

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said she
aims to 'get back to basics.' (USDA photo)

The Department of Agriculture traces its humble beginnings back to 1862, when it opened with a commissioner and nine employees. Since then, it has grown into "29 sub-agencies with nearly 100,000 employees, and it reported its total outlays last year at $228.3 billion," writes Sierra Dawn McClain in her opinion for The Wall Street Journal. "Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins aims to get back to basics."

At the time the USDA was created, "more than half of all Americans worked on farms," McClain explains. Since the 1860s, the number of U.S. citizens who "work in agriculture has shrunk to less than 2%, but the USDA reaches into every farm, national forest, rural town, grocery store and school cafeteria."

Secretary Rollins sees herself as a bureaucracy trimmer and "says her broader mission is the 'restoration of rural America,'" McClain writes. "The government tends to ignore farmers, she says, except to impose 'burdensome and costly regulations that hamper innovation.'. . . She wants to ease off, and her plan to lower egg prices, announced in these pages, exemplifies her approach — offering services to farmers without rushing to add new requirements."

Rollins also plans to remake the Forest Service, a "USDA sub-agency that manages 193 million acres of land. The service faces a fiscal crisis that Rollins attributes to unprofitable forest-management practices and Biden-era wage and workforce increases," McClain writes. Rollins told her, “This is the classic case of government gone awry." 

As far as entitlements such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Rollins aims to "reduce fraud, establish stricter work requirements for SNAP recipients and re-evaluate the Thrifty Food Planants," McClain adds. "She wants to make sure the program continues 'serving the families that need it the most,' and she says she grew up in such a family: She and her two sisters were raised by a single mother making $5 an hour." She told McClain: “I will do everything I can to make sure that the people that truly need that will get it."

To read more about USDA plans for bird flu management, tariff responses and Rollins' approach to working with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., secretary at Health and Human Services, click here.

Job cuts at USDA reduced staff dedicated to stopping noxious plants and invasive species from entering U.S.

Sniffing dog at work.
(USDA photo)

The federal "Department of Government Efficiency" has eliminated agricultural jobs it considers unnecessary, but the cuts could allow noxious plants and invasive bugs from foreign countries to gain a foothold in the United States. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Dog Detection Training Center is one area that received significant cuts, which could prove troublesome.

Derek Copeland, who lost his job during DOGE's cuts, worked to "prepare beagles and Labrador retrievers to sniff out plants and animals that are invasive or vectors for zoonotic diseases, like swine fever," reports Kate Knibbs for Wired. "Copeland estimates the NDDTC lost about a fifth of its trainers and a number of other support staff when 6,000 employees were let go."

Before his termination notice, "Copeland had just spent several months training the only dog stationed in Florida capable of detecting the Giant African land snail, an invasive mollusk that poses a significant threat to Florida agriculture," Knibbs writes. He told her, “We have dogs for spotted and lantern flies, Asian longhorn beetles. I don’t think the American people realize how much [stuff] people bring into the United States.”

The staffing cuts translate into years of lost education and training to protect American crops from invasive pests. Mike Lahar, the regulatory affairs manager at U.S. customs broker Deringer, told Knibbs, “These aren’t your average people. These were highly trained individuals — inspectors, entomologists, taxonomists.”

Allowing potentially harmful bugs and plants into the U.S. could be one harmful after-effect of DOGE's massive staffing cuts, and ports teaming with rotting food could soon be another. "Supply chain experts warn that the losses could cause food to go rotten while waiting in ports and could lead to even higher grocery prices," Knibbs explains. U.S. grocery supply chains are already suffering from tariff whiplash and persistent food inflation woes.

Kit Johnson, the director of trade compliance at the U.S. customs broker John S. James, "predicts prices and waste to increase. But what raises the most alarms for him is the increased likelihood of invasive species slipping through inspection cracks," Knibbs reports "He says the price of missing a threatening pest is 'wiping out an entire agricultural commodity,' an event that could have 'not just economic but national security impacts.'"

Quick hits: Medical flights increase; inflation navigation; rethinking grass-fed meat; NASA astronauts splash home

When every minute matters, a medical helicopter
can be a rural patient's best option. (WSAZ photo)

As more rural hospitals close, medical helicopter services are more likely to be called for emergency medical treatment. "Over the past decade, demand for air ambulance services has grown more than 50%. One factor experts say is a rising number of rural hospitals shutting their doors," reports Blair Miller of WSAZ in West Virginia. "As rural hospitals close and demand for medical flights grows, the healthcare industry faces another hurdle, a shortage of medical pilots."

Since late January, measles infections have spread from Texas to New Mexico to Oklahoma. As of late March, 321 people have contracted the disease, including a child who died from the infection. Even though most infections occur in unvaccinated people, it's still prudent to understand how the disease spreads and who may need a measles, MMR, vaccination, or vaccination booster, reports The Conversation. "In a Q&A, Daniel Pastula, a neurologist and medical epidemiologist, explained how and when you should take action." MedPage Today also offers measles vaccination guidance.

Some Americans skip the expensive
snacks. (Adobe Stock photo)

Amid increasing food costs and health care worries, many U.S. consumers are dropping some of their expensive habits, leaving convenience store sales feeling the pinch. "Convenience-store sales fell 4.3% by volume in the year ended Feb. 23, as consumers cut back on snacks and cigarettes due to rising prices and health concerns," report Jesse Newman and Laura Cooper of The Wall Street Journal. "The change in behavior is hurting U.S. sales of Doritos, Twinkies, Heath bars and Newports. . . . Lottery ticket sales remain strong."

At the time Isaac Newton pondered the idea that "what is up, must come down," he was observing an apple fall from a tree branch. Had he been watching U.S. food costs, he might have come to a completely different conclusion. "The USDA states that food costs have climbed over the past few years and will continue to do so in 2025," reports CaLea Johnson of Mental Floss. "More specifically, food-at-home prices (grocery store or supermarket food purchases) are expected to increase by 1.3%." To see which states people spend the most on groceries, click here.

After years of touting grass-fed burgers as healthier for the planet, some ranchers and conservationists may want to rethink their sales pitch. "A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences challenges found that cattle raised only on pastures do not have a smaller carbon footprint than feedlot cattle, which are quickly fattened on corn and other grains," reports Anna Phillips of The Washington Post. "This held even when the researchers took into account that healthy pastureland can help capture more carbon by pulling it out of the air and storing it in roots and other plant tissues."

NASA astronauts return home to Earth after an extended stay in outer space. (NASA photo)

Steven Speilberg's alien darling, E.T., was famously stranded on Earth and couldn't stop begging to phone home. NASA astronauts had a similar, but opposite problem. They were stuck in space wanting to get back home to Earth. "Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore set off to spend eight days at the space station. The trip lasted nine months," report Kenneth Chang and Thomas Fuller of The New York Times. SpaceX and the Coast Guard members met the astronauts as they "splashed down in calm, azure waters off the coast of the Florida Panhandle. . . . A pod of curious dolphins also greeted the astronauts."

Mexican produce suppliers and U.S. grocers tap dance around tariffs to keep aisles stocked and prices steady

Trade with Mexico keeps fresh produce on American
grocery store shelves. (Adobe Stock photo)

Supermarket produce aisles are suffering from a bad case of tariff whiplash, leaving suppliers juggling orders to avoid levies and grocers searching for ways to hold costs down. "Companies that import and distribute tomatoes, broccoli and other fruits and vegetables are canceling orders and sometimes replacing them within days," reports Patrick Thomas of The Wall Street Journal. "Supermarkets and retailers are monitoring consumers’ tolerance for higher prices. . . and considering bigger changes in their supply chains."

The Trump administration's see-saw approach to tariffs is "becoming a day-to-day factor for businesses that rely on cross-border commerce," Thomas writes. "American consumers expect to see fresh produce in stores year-round, and for avocados, broccoli, peppers and mangos, that means buying from Mexico and South American countries."

Despite the scale of Mexican produce sales to the United States -- worth roughly $20 billion annually -- suppliers operate with razor-thin profits, which leaves "little room for sellers to absorb higher costs without passing them along to customers," Thomas explains. "That leaves retailers and suppliers to determine whether consumers can stomach still-higher prices after inflation fatigue has eroded sales at supermarkets and restaurants over the past year."

To hold prices steady, grocers are reworking their supply chains. "Grocery giant Kroger said it is attempting to shift its purchasing of produce and other products to avoid the Trump administration’s tariffs, and ward off further price increases in its stores," Thomas reports. California grocer, Dynasty Farms is "considering moving its broccoli production to the U.S., where the company operates farms from California’s Salinas Valley to Scottsdale, Ariz."

As measles spread in west Texas, the state's 'lackluster investment' in rural health care systems is exposed

Measles is a highly contagious disease
caused by a virus. (Adobe Stock photo)

As the number of diagnosed cases of measles continues to climb, the outbreak in rural west Texas has exposed a health care system that is unprepared to handle even a smaller-scale contagion, reports Pooja Salhotra of The Texas Tribune. "Aging infrastructure, a dearth of primary care providers and long distances between testing sites and laboratories plague much of rural Texas, where the measles outbreak has concentrated."

A few years back, rural Texas was ravaged by Covid infections. Like Covid, the recent measles outbreak is "revealing how a lack of public health resources leaves rural communities vulnerable," Salhotra explains. "What’s left are local leaders forced to scrape together the few tools they have to respond to an emergency, contending with years of lackluster investment from the state and federal level to proactively prevent emerging public health threats."

A lack of hospitals, physicians and dilapidated facilities are just some of rural Texas' health care woes. "Some 64 Texas counties don’t have a hospital, and 25 lack primary care physicians," Salhotra reports. "Swaths of Texas have scant resources for public awareness campaigns. And they lack sufficient medical staff with expertise to provide the one-on-one education needed to encourage vaccination and regular visits to the doctor."

To slow the spread of measles, "rural health care teams have cordoned off spaces to conduct measles testing," Salhotra writes. They've "used social media to blast residents with information about vaccination efficacy and schlepped throat swabs across counties to ship them to a state lab in Austin — the only public state facility that was conducting measles testing until the Texas Tech University Bioterrorism Response Laboratory, part of a national network of CDC-funded labs, began measles testing" recently.

The primary goal of public health is prevention; however, "it’s emergencies that spur the most action, particularly in rural communities," Salhotra explains. "It was only after a school-aged child died from measles that state and federal support intensified."

Currently, Texas "spends less on public health per person than the vast majority of other states, according to the State Health Access Data Assistance Center, whose analysis shows Texas spent $17 per person on public health in 2023. A decade earlier, the spend was $19," Salhotra reports. "The low levels of state funding particularly hurt rural communities that have higher rates of uninsured Texans and more senior citizens with greater health needs."

Scientists and technical staff who inspect imported items for invasive pests have been fired from USDA

The firing of plant protection workers can lead to economic
 consequences. (Photo by Ante Hamersmit, Unsplash)

Nearly 6,000 workers were recently cut from the USDA, including highly trained scientists and technical staff who screen imported items.

According to Suzy Khimm’s article for NBC News, “the firings have dealt a serious blow to the federal inspection process required for imported food, plants and other organic matter — a program that the agency calls “essential” to preventing infestations and disease outbreaks from crippling America’s trillion-dollar agricultural economy.”

Jonah Ulmer, who was the “government's foremost authority on tiny invasive pests,” was among the 145 people fired from plant protection.

Ulmer told NBC News about the importance of the job. “The one that you identify as a nonquarantine pest, and it comes in the country and wreaks havoc? The impacts of that could be millions or billions of dollars in economic damage.”

Khimm wrote that this effort could lead to economic consequences for farmers and consumers.
To read more about the potential impacts visit NBC News.

Retelling the history of land-grant universities and sharing their contributions is key to their survival

Gary Steinhardt taught and researched soil science issues
at Purdue and Purdue Extension. (Farm Progress photo)

Land-grant universities sit at the heart of farming research and Extension Services, but to keep them alive, their history and contribution need retelling, writes Tom J. Bechman of Farm Progress. "Education at a land-grant university helped make Gary Steinhardt who he is today. . . . He spent roughly half of his final Purdue Agronomy Department seminar explaining the history and mission of land-grant colleges and the Extension Service."

Steinhardt explained to Bechman why he felt driven to retell the land-grant success story: “We are at a point in the history of the land-grant system where we need to be careful. Some in the academic world don’t appreciate what it can accomplish. There is still a tremendous need to tell the public about research done through land-grant universities. Otherwise, education does not get passed along.”

Funding may always be a challenge for Extension Services, and "current upheaval due to efforts to cut federal spending may only intensify the fight for Extension dollars," Bechman explains. "But the threat Steinhardt refers to is within university systems. Is there still support among university leaders for practical, applied research that can be passed along to farmers and families, and to youth through 4-H? When an Extension person like Steinhardt retires, will that position be replaced?"

Steinhardt's seminar showcased the creation of land-grant universities and reviewed why they were established. A few of his highlighted events are shared below:

Land Ordinance of 1785. "Money from the sale of Section 16 in each township was reserved to fund schools," Bechman writes. "Money from land sales also helped start universities, including Miami University in Ohio, Indiana University, the University of Michigan and the University of Wisconsin."

Northwest Ordinance of 1787 and Industrial universities. "This act of the Confederation Congress declared 'schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged,'" Bechman adds. "In the mid-1800s, Jonathan Baldwin Turner promoted 'industrial universities' that could teach working-class people, like those in agriculture."

Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862. Bechman explains, "In the middle of the Civil War, this act of Congress specified how public lands could be donated to 'provide for colleges for the benefit of agriculture and the mechanic arts, including military tactics.'"

To read more about land-grant development in the United States, click here.

Six months after Hurricane Helene, North Carolina is still trying to measure the loss while pushing recovery efforts

Flooding from Hurricane Helene wiped out homes and roads.
 (Adobe Stock photo)

North Carolina lawmakers are pushing Hurricane Helene recovery efforts forward despite not knowing the extent of Helene's damage or how much and when federal aid will be available. Brady Dennis of The Washington Post reports, "Officials seem determined to move quicker after Helene and avoid the mistakes of the past, even as North Carolina faces the most massive disaster recovery in its history."

Hurricane Helene hit western North Carolina six months ago, leaving a swath of decimation caused by extreme rain, flooding and mudslides. More than 100 people died and thousands of homes were damaged or destroyed. Flooding "wiped out bridges, roads, businesses and farms," Dennis reports. The storm left "an estimated $60 billion of economic ruin in its wake."

State officials still don't know how much federal aid will "ultimately arrive and in what quantity, even amid President Trump’s promises to speed help to the region," Dennis adds. "FEMA has helped more than 157,000 families and distributed $402.5 million to storm victims in North Carolina. . . . But the larger sums of funding meant to fuel long-term rebuilding that often follow large-scale disasters, historically takes months, if not years, to be fully implemented." 

The storm's scope of catastrophic damage explains why recovery has been slow. "Disaster recovery is almost always frustrating, tedious and too costly for most states and localities to bear without a significant assist from the federal government," Dennis explains. "Lawmakers continue to hash out the final details of the state’s most recent — though almost certainly not its last — Helene aid package. If passed, it will include more than $500 million to help struggling farmers, jump-start a home building program and repair private roads and bridges."

Even with that progress, the state will need billions to get back on its feet. Gov. Josh Stein’s deputies admit "that serious hurdles remain," Dennis reports. "Among them: the staggering damage Helene inflicted, the lack of data in some counties about the actual number of damaged and destroyed homes and the difficulties posed by rebuilding amid mountainous terrain."

Flora & Fauna: Bald eagle vs. Canadian goose; ping! It's a whale; a woolly devil; feathered roommates; bird hitchhikers

A Canada goose and a bald eagle battled in Burlington, Ont.
The goose survived. (Photo by Mervyn Sequiera via CBC)

A bald eagle swooped down on a Canadian goose that looked like an easy meal. A battle ensued. "Mervyn Sequeira — who watched and photographed a 20-minute battle between the two birds — the goose held its own," reports Aura Carreño Rosas of CBC News. "Sequeira and his family witnessed a rare event — a fight between the national bird of the U.S. and the iconic Canadian animal. Sequeira told Rosas, "When we thought that it was really over for the goose, strangely, the bald eagle just gave up and left."

A marine AI tool is doing something humans can't do. "This is WhaleSpotter, an artificial intelligence-powered whale detection system that aims to transmit real-time alerts to ships to prevent them from colliding with whales — a threat that leads to the injury or death of thousands of whales each year," reports Ashley Braun of bioGraphic. "While the AI system is designed to filter out false alarms — such as signals from birds, breaking waves, and boats—the aim is for ship captains to receive zero false alerts, so that every ping truly requires their attention."

The first photo of the woolly devil made a stir among
botanists. (Photo by Deb Manley via Atlas Obscura)

Big Bend National Park has bragging rights to a "devilish" discovery. "This tiny, fuzzy sunflower relative has been hiding in plain sight — it represents the first new genus identified in a U.S. national park in nearly 50 years," reports Andrew Coletti of Atlas Obscura. "The Big Bend species has been given the scientific name Ovicula biradiata. Informally, it’s become known as 'the woolly devil,' for its fur and the 'devil horn'-like rays protruding from its flowers."

Maple seeds are made to get around -- even if that means flying in the rain. "When wind or other disturbances detach winged maple seeds called samaras from their parent tree, they spin through the air – and can even spin when it’s raining," reports Andrew Dickerson for The Conversation. "The samaras’ spinning movement, called autorotation, keeps them in the air for longer so they travel farther. My colleagues and I filmed raindrops as they crashed into autorotating samaras. The samaras shed drops by shattering them, flinging the drops off, or rolling out of the way – like they’re turning away from a punch."

Spike is a 'small but mighty' Eastern Screech Owl.
(Fontenelle Forest photo via M. Stewart)

It's hard to match the curious cuteness of screech owls -- especially when they have heart-tugging stories. Meet Spike and George. "Spike was found trapped in a train car, during which he sustained brain damage that made it impossible for him to survive in the wild. But since finding his new home at Fontenelle Forest, one of Nebraska's oldest conservation organizations, Spike has been thriving," reports Sydney Wingfield for Martha Stewart magazine. "Spike is an excellent roommate to George, another owl who arrived at the conservation 12 years ago after his nest tree was mistakenly cut down. While George is notorious for being a picky roommate, he and Spike have proven to be a perfect match."

Flower mites hitch rides on hummingbirds. (Pixabay public domain photo via Physics.org)

Hummingbirds may seem like an odd choice for a taxi, but tiny bugs can hop on for a ride. "Flower mites spend their lives slurping nectar and nibbling pollen in flowers throughout the tropics. To travel from one blossom to another, these tiny, eight-legged creatures hitch rides on the beaks of hummingbirds, taking shelter in the birds’ nostrils during flight," reports Douglas Main of The New York Times. "When a speedy hummingbird arrives at a flower to drink nectar, mites run toward its beak to get onboard before eventually transferring to another blossom." The mini stowaways are blind and can't jump. Main explains how they "hummingbird hitchhike" here.

USDA says Covid era is 'over' and cuts $1 billion program connecting schools, food banks and local farmers

Awarded USDA LFS funds for 2025 were canceled.
(Adobe Stock photo)

The Department of Agriculture has cut $1 billion in pandemic-era funding that helped schools and food banks purchase fresh food from local farmers. "About $660 million went to schools and childcare centers to buy food for meals through the Local Foods for Schools program," reports Annie Ma of The Associated Press. "A separate program provided money to food banks."

The USDA explained the cuts as a move away from pandemic-era programs that "no longer support the agency’s priorities," Ma explains. "A USDA spokesperson said in a statement, 'The Covid era is over — USDA’s approach to nutrition programs will reflect that reality.'"

Regardless of why the funding has been cut, schools, children and farmers will now do with less. "The cuts will hurt school districts with 'chronically underfunded' school meal budgets, said Shannon Gleave, president of the School Nutrition Association," Ma writes. Gleave told Ma, “In addition to losing the benefits for our kids, this loss of funds is a huge blow to community farmers and ranchers."

With student lunch money drastically cut, some school districts will have to scramble to feed hungry students. Beyond that problem, the USDA's new priorities have left some teachers and administrators frustrated and disappointed. Patrick Tutwiler, Massachusetts state’s education secretary, told AP, "There’s a clear misalignment around what is important and what matters. We are seeing this cut of the LFS program as a first step towards deeper cuts.”

Some Washington lawmakers have proposed restricting free school meals. Ma reports, "Proposed spending cuts to fund Republican’s tax bill include raising the poverty level needed for schools to provide universal free meals without an application," Ma adds. "Restricting eligibility for food assistance programs and requiring income verification for free or reduced-price school meals, two proposals for cutting costs, would also likely cut out eligible families from accessing food."

Alaska's rural schools funding requests are often ignored, leaving children in crumbling schools

Some Alaskan schools are only accessible by air, boat
or dog sled. (Photo by Drew Dempsey, Unsplash)

Alaska is the largest state in America, more than twice the size of Texas. Most of Alaska’s school districts are located in hard-to-access places. 

Getting to these schools means travel by air, boat, dog sled or all-terrain vehicles, according to the University of Alaska. Some of these schools have fewer than 25 students.

“Just under half of Alaska’s rural schools are owned by the state, which is required by law to pay for construction and maintenance projects,” wrote Emily Schwing from Alaska’s KYUK in partnership with NPR and ProPublica. She said that every year Alaska’s rural schools put in more than 100 maintenance requests which are largely ignored.

Most of the students in the rural school districts are Alaska Native children. Schwing wrote that these Indigenous children suffer the greatest and are a population that has been “long forced to attend separate and unequal schools.”

Schwing reported that some Alaska Native parents sued the state in 1997. They argued that “the funding system violated Alaska’s constitution and the federal Civil Rights Act. State Superior Court Judge John Reese agreed.”

The judge wrote an order in 1999 saying, “Because of the funding system, rural schools are not getting the money they need to maintain their schools.

“Deficiencies include roofs falling in, no drinkable water, sewage backing up, and enrollment up to 187% of capacity. Some rural schools have been at the top of the priority list for a number of years, yet have received no funding.”

Even though it seemed like changes might be made in 1999, the article's investigation found, “Alaska’s education department has received 1,789 funding proposals from rural school districts since 1998. But only 14% of them have received funding. This year, requests from rural school districts to the state’s construction and maintenance program stand at $478 million.”

A program to expand broadband services in U.S. faces review; many state and local leaders want it to be 'left alone'

Providing every American with broadband access 
is the BEAD program's goal. (Adobe Stock photo)

After Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick committed to a 'rigorous review' of the country's $42 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program, or BEAD, last week, House Republicans lined up at a House subcommittee meeting to complain about the program's failure to provide "internet for all," reports Chris Teale of Route Fifty. Despite those complaints, the program still has solid bipartisan support from those who want BEAD to continue to evolve.

When it comes to congressional calls to scrap the program, state and local leaders have a simple "message for the federal government, Washington, D.C. and Congress: 'Leave it alone; let the states do what they've done,' Missouri State Rep. Louis Riggs, a Republican, told Teale. "'The feds could not do what the states have done. . . . Trying to claw that funding back and stand up a new grant round is the worst idea I've heard in a very long time, and that's saying a lot coming out of D.C.'"

While many Republicans bemoaned the program's red tape and slow roll-outs as failures, others saw opportunities to allow the program to adapt along a learning curve. "In a statement after Lutnick’s announcement, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, a West Virginia Republican, said she favors 'improving the program,' but does 'not want to see West Virginia wait longer than is necessary or have to redo their proposals and application,'" Teale reports. 

Accurate mapping has slowed BEAD disbursements; however, "there has been more movement in several states as Delaware, Louisiana and Nevada have started making grant awards," Teale explains. "Others are hesitant amid the federal uncertainty, however, including Texas, which paused its digital equity program early this month."

Changes at the VA cause chaos and confusion. Some VA officials are scrambling to roll back cuts.

The VA treats 9.1 million veterans, and almost a quarter
live in rural America. (Adobe Stock photo)

A ripple effect from staff firings and hiring freezes at the Department of Veterans Affairs has already impacted veteran care and medical research. Some worry what deeper cuts could bring, report Roni Caryn Rabin and Nicholas Nehamas of The New York Times. The swift changes pushed by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency have "disrupted studies involving patients awaiting experimental treatments, forced some facilities to fire support staff and created uncertainty."

Despite the Trump administration's promise to "preserve core patient services," DOGE fired employees who provide basic services, including "workers who purchase medical supplies, schedule appointments and arrange rides for patients to see their doctors. Many are veterans themselves," the Times reports. "All were 'probationary' employees, meaning they were relatively new on the job and had fewer legal protections."

The promised "much deeper round of cuts — eliminating some 80,000 jobs and reviewing tens of thousands of contracts" has some Republicans worried, Rabin and Nehamas explain. "The V.A. is one of the most politically sensitive departments in the government, serving a constituency courted heavily by Republicans, including Trump." Almost a quarter of the 9.1 million veterans the VA serves live in rural America, a segment of the population that also favored Trump in the 2024 election.

The VA's long history of waste and questionable spending make it an unsurprising DOGE target. "A report by the agency’s inspector general’s office noted 'improper and unknown' payments totaling $3.2 billion in fiscal year 2023," the Times reports."In an initial push, the V.A. tried to cancel roughly 875 contracts [which included] services like sterilizing medical equipment, maintaining boilers and generators, filling prescriptions. . . .V.A. officials were soon making frantic appeals to roll some of [the cuts] back."

Steel and aluminum tariffs may price the Ford F-150, America's No.1-selling vehicle, out of reach for many people

The sticker price for a 2025 Ford F-150 is $38,810.

Ford proclaims its F-150 truck as "The Future of Tough," but newly announced 25% metal tariffs could dent Ford F-150 purchases and profits.

The F-150 is not only the country's number-one selling vehicle, it's also Ford's' main money maker and "one of the industry’s biggest users of aluminum," report Mike Colias and Bob Tita of The Wall Street Journal. "The Trump administration reinstated a blanket 25% tariff on steel imports and boosted the levy on aluminum made outside the U.S."

The sticker price of new vehicles is already a stretch for many Americans and an increase in tariffs could put a new auto purchase out of reach. "The tariffs are the latest Trump administration trade barrier that threatens to inflate already-high car prices," the Journal explains. "The aluminum tax in particular presents a problem for automakers: They are using more of the lightweight metal in cars, but the U.S. has been producing less of it" when measured over the past 30 years. 

Colias and Tita write, "Even though Ford gets most of its aluminum sheet from rolling mills in the U.S., those suppliers rely on smelters in Canada to provide much of the aluminum they roll."

In the past five years, though, domestic investment in aluminum production has increased. Even with that growth, "a Ford spokesman said it would take many years to rewire its supply chains to get more automotive-grade aluminum from the U.S," the Journal reports. "He declined to comment on the potential effect on prices should the tariffs last."

The steel tariff is easier for U.S. automakers to avoid because "companies source most of their steel from U.S. suppliers and have more domestic options," Ford has said it gets 90% of its steel from U.S. sources," Colias and Tita add. 

Even if U.S. tariffs remain in place, new auto purchase prices could remain unchanged for a little while. The Journal reports, "Many automakers have fixed-price metals contracts, and any effect on car prices would likely be delayed for a few months as suppliers and carmakers negotiate over who will absorb the added costs."

Suffering from news overload? This six-step plan outlines how to avoid exhaustion while staying engaged.

Not all news sources are created equal. (Photo by Noah Berger, AP Images via The Conversation)

To avoid information overload, distress, fatigue or even exhaustion, a majority of Americans believe they need to limit their political media consumption. But how, exactly, can U.S. citizens remain engaged without falling into the overwhelming news swamp? "To stay informed while also arming yourself against misinformation, it’s crucial to practice what I call good 'news hygiene' by developing strong news literacy skills," writes Seth Ashley for The Conversation. A lightly edited version of Ashley's six-step plan is shared below.

Take note of algorithms. "Despite the illusion of neutrality, algorithms shape people’s perceptions of reality and are designed to maximize engagement," Ashley shares. Instead of reading "whatever appears in your feed. . . actively seek out a variety of sources to inform you about current events. The news shouldn’t just tell you what you want to hear. . . . People who simply understand that algorithms filter information are more likely to take steps to combat misinformation."

Consider how corporate news makes money. "For-profit newsrooms, which produce the bulk of news consumed in the U.S., rely heavily on advertising revenue, which can reduce the quality of news and create a commercial bias," Ashley explains. "Nonprofit newsrooms and public media provide alternatives that generally prioritize public interest over profit. . . . Countries with better funding for public media tend to have stronger democracies."

Create a habit of checking and verifying news sources. "Particularly with AI-generated content on the rise, source evaluation and verification are essential skills. Be cautious with content that lacks the author’s name, relies heavily on anonymous sources – or uses no sources at all – or is published by outlets with a clear ideological agenda," Ashley advises. "Watch out for news operations that routinely engage in these practices and obscure their motive for doing so."

Remember it's normal to have reactions to news, and it's equally OK to stop consuming or refrain from reposting it. Ashley writes, "When encountering content that sparks an emotional reaction, ask yourself: Who benefits from this narrative? What evidence supports it? Is this information informative or manipulative? If the answers make you suspicious, investigate further before acting or sharing."

Beware of propaganda, aka spin. Ashley explains, "Understanding the mechanics of propaganda – its use of repetition, emotional appeal, scapegoating, scare tactics and unrealistic promises – can help inoculate people against its influence."

Stay in the game, which should include time-outs. "Democracy relies on an informed and active citizenry to hold accountable their government and the officials who work in it as well as other powerful players in society," Ashley adds. "Rather than tuning out – what scholars call 'news avoidance' – you can practice critical consumption of news. . . . Look beyond headlines and short video clips, question the framing of stories. . . . Set goals for your consumption. Some experts say 30 minutes a day is enough."

Sunshine Week runs all this week: Event celebrates open government and offers plenty of free promotional materials.

Sunshine Week, an annual event highlighting the importance of open government and freedom of the press, starts on Sunday.

Now in its 19th year, this year's events run from March 16-22. National Freedom of Information Day is March 16, the birthday of James Madison, the fourth president of the United States and father of the First Amendment.



The Sunshine Week site offers free, promotional materials, including Zoom backdrops in English and Spanish, sample social media posts, op-eds, editorial cartoons, Sunshine Week logos, and a step-by-step Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) graphic. The website also features freedom of information resources with print and video explanations and the legislative history of FOIA.

Sunshine Week is coordinated by the Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project at the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications. It is supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and a growing list of public and private endorsers.

Explore Sunshine Week here

Medicaid cuts could 'close maternity services and shutter struggling facilities' across rural America

When a rural hospital closes, it hurts the entire
community. (Adobe Stock photo)

The massive federal Medicaid cuts currently under consideration "could devastate America’s teetering rural health care system," reports Lauren Weber of The Washington Post. "Rural hospitals across the United States fear [the cuts] could decimate maternity services or shutter already struggling medical facilities in communities that overwhelmingly voted for Donald Trump."

Any significant cuts to federal Medicaid dollars will end in health care sacrifices for rural Americans. "Rural hospital leaders in Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas warned that the enormous cuts congressional Republicans are weighing could further destroy limited health care access in rural America," Weber explains. Regardless of insurance status, the loss of a rural medical treatment center or clinic hurts all rural residents.

Benjamin Anderson, chief executive of Hutchinson Regional Healthcare System, which runs a rural hospital in Kansas, told Weber, “Every nickel matters. It will cripple and close the health-care delivery systems that serve everyone.”

Medicaid may have the reputation as urban population service, but the reality is that "rural children and non-elderly adults are more likely to rely on Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program than those in metro areas," Weber reports. "Even if rural facilities manage to stay open but are forced to cut Medicaid-heavy services such as nursing homes or obstetrics care, more rural Americans — and Republican voters — will be left to deal with the consequences."

The president has "repeatedly said he will not touch Medicaid," Weber writes, "But he has also endorsed the House’s plan to find ways to cut spending across federal programs, which are expected to come out of the Medicaid program if lawmakers avoid cutting Medicare or Social Security."

Republicans have repeatedly promised Medicaid cuts that will reduce fraud and waste, but those reductions won't come close to the $880 billion in reductions Trump wants. Still, some believe that rural hospitals -- and the jobs they provide small-town economies -- will survive the cuts. Weber adds, "With broad support for rural hospitals, there are likely to be carve-outs to protect them in a Republican reconciliation bill, said Brian Blase, an influential voice in the Medicaid debate." 

China hits U.S. farmers with 15% tariff. When farmers don't make money, it 'directly ripples across the rural economy.'

Tariffs could permanently hurt U.S. farm income.
(Adobe Stock photo)

In the escalating U.S.-China trade dispute, China has issued retaliatory tariffs targeting American farm goods. "Beijing imposed the levies in response to President Trump's extra 10% blanket tariff on Chinese goods," reports Megan Cerullo of CBS News. "Under China's retaliatory action, U.S. farmers now face levies of 15% on chicken, wheat and corn, and 10% on soybeans, pork, beef and fruit."

In the immediate future, the tariffs will cost American farmers money from lost sales. In the long-term, the tariffs could do U.S. farm product sales greater harm because some vendors may decide to permanently purchase meat and fruit from other producers. Cerullo explains, "If prices of foreign-grown goods rise in China, locals will turn to less expensive alternatives either from China or other countries. American farmers that deal in chicken and more will likely lose market share as a result."

Alongside tariffs doled out by both countries, the inconsistent tariff announcements by the Trump administration have left farmers feeling like their livelihoods are on shifting sands. Virginia-based farmer John Boyd Jr., president of the National Black Farmers Association, told Cerullo, "You are really shaking at the root of all the major commodities that we produce in the U.S. because we are a market-driven industry."

Even though U.S. farmers may have "anticipated Trump would impose levies on key U.S. trade partners, there wasn't a whole lot the farmers could do to prepare," Cerullo adds. Nick Levendofsky, executive director of the Kansas Farmers Union, told Cerullo, "This trade war and these tariffs adds to that very stressful time and does not help the farm economy. When farmers aren't making money, they are not spending money, and that directly ripples across the rural economy."

U.S. DOJ begins investigating reasons behind high egg prices, and bird flu may not be the only culprit

The rise and fall of egg prices from 2015 to 2022. (Federal Reserve St. Louis graphic, Bureau of Labor data)

Bird flu may not be the only driver of historically high egg prices throughout the United States. The Department of Justice "has opened an investigation into the cause of soaring egg prices, including whether large producers have conspired to raise prices or hold back supply," report Dave Michaels and Patrick Thomas of The Wall Street Journal. "The probe comes after prices have doubled over the past year and eggs are sometimes entirely absent from grocery store shelves."

High egg prices can mean more than an expensive omelet or a surcharge on a restaurant's border scramble. Eggs are a surprisingly common ingredient in hundreds of grocery items, which can range from baked goods to salad dressings. When egg prices increase, the overall cost of multiple products increases. 

Industry producers have "attributed high egg prices to the worst outbreak of avian flu in American history. It has resulted in the death of more than 150 million U.S. chickens, turkeys and egg-laying hens since 2022," the Journal reports. Egg producers say they have struggled to reestablish their egg-laying flocks "because even young birds, known as pullets, have been killed by the flu."

Despite spiking prices, many Americans still buy eggs, which can leave the supply chain stressed. "On average shoppers are paying about $5 a dozen, according to the Labor Department," Michaels and Thomas add. "Grocers and food distributors are paying about $8 a dozen at wholesale, which makes selling them often a money-loser."

When consumers pay double for a dozen eggs and grocers still lose money, some egg producers' huge profits may appear irregular. Lisa Phelan, an antitrust partner at Morrison Foerster, told the Journal, "Antitrust authorities often open investigations when high prices appear to stem from unusual disruptions to supply chains."

"Egg producers were losers in one recent lawsuit that alleged they restricted the supply of eggs through a trade association program," Michaels and Thomas explain. "A federal jury in Chicago found in late 2023 that Cal-Maine, Rose Acre Farms, United Egg Producers and U.S. Egg Marketers were liable for restricting supply between 2004 and 2008 through measures such as early slaughter and henhouse density restrictions." 

A federal plan to combat avian flu has 5 parts, but scientists disagree on how effective the changes will be

Major poultry and dairy organizations back vaccine
use to control the virus. (Farm Journal photo)

The Department of Agriculture has been hard at work "hatching" a plan to contain and prevent further avian flu, also known as bird flu, outbreaks among chicken flocks. USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins "released a five-pronged strategy and investment of $1 billion to combat avian flu and reduce rising egg prices," reports Dawn Attride of Sentient Media. "The new measures focus largely on fixing on-farm biosecurity gaps as well as push for a new poultry vaccine."

A large chunk of the USDA's investment will shore up farm biosecurity by "ramping up protocols to guard against disease spillover from wildlife — at no cost to farmers," Attride explains. "The Rollins plan is light on concrete details as to what exactly the new biosecurity strategies are," but it appears the rollout will lean on a set of biosecurity protocols created in 2016 as part of the National Poultry Improvement Plan.

In her Wall Street Journal commentary, "Rollins notes that of the 150 sites that followed recommended biosecurity protocols, only one was subsequently affected by avian flu," Attride reports. The USDA plan includes using "smart perimeters" to predict and prevent the disease from infecting flocks.

Not all scientists agree that "smart perimeters" can deliver bird flu prevention. Maurice Pitesky, an associate professor and expert in poultry disease modeling at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, told Attride, "[Smart perimeters] are a pretty crude way of assessing risk." Attride adds, "What works better, according to Pitesky: accurately tracking bird movement and holistically assessing different factors — such as wind or temperature — that might drive birds into this radius."

The USDA also plans to step away from its long-held insistence that infected flocks be culled; however, experts disagree on how that change will play out. Meghan Davis, an associate professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, would like more details on which "strategies will replace depopulation," Attride reports. Davis told her, "These stamping out policies have been in place for quite some time. There’s a reason it exists and one of them is animal welfare issues –– these birds get really sick… and [rarely] recover."

The new plan looks to incorporate vaccinating chickens against the disease. "The USDA has given conditional approval to a Zoetis vaccine H5N2 for chickens, but has yet to give the go ahead for vaccinating commercial poultry flocks against avian flu," Attride adds. But "many countries won’t accept vaccinated chickens. The U.S. is the second-largest exporter of poultry and should a vaccine be rolled out, the federal government would have to negotiate agreements with its trading partners."  

"The plan’s success hinges on industry adoption and global trade acceptance," reports Jim Wiesemeyer of Farm Journal. "Balancing effective disease control with maintaining poultry exports remains a critical challenge."

The 'right-to-repair' movement continues to gain traction. Its coalition runs a know-your-rights program open to all.

Six states have passed right-to-repair laws.

Whether it's fixing a broken cell phone or a car, many Americans have been fighting for their "right-to-repair" purchased products without industry restrictions, reports Iris Kim of NBC News. Historically, manufacturers of items such as computers, cars and tractors have used copyright law to prevent consumers from seeking repairs outside of the manufacturer's "licensed or company" representatives.

As U.S. consumers became more aware of right-to-repair benefits, including cheaper and quicker repairs, more states have passed laws to "protect consumers’ ability to repair or modify their products instead of having to go through the manufacturer," Kim explains. "As of March, right-to-repair bills had been introduced in all 50 states, and 20 state legislatures are currently debating such bills."

State laws differ on right-to-repair products and allowances. "Some narrowly target automobile manufacturers while others are broad enough to cover all consumer electronics," Kim writes. "Though bipartisan federal legislation for automobile repair stalled last year, it was reintroduced last month."

The U.S. right-to-repair movement has faced staunch corporate resistance because manufacturers have capitalized on repair revenue. Kit Walsh, a director at the nonprofit rights group Electronic Frontier Foundation, told Kim, "Manufacturers will always try to figure out another means of restricting independent repair because it’s a very lucrative market for them."

The Right to Repair Coalition "runs a know-your-rights program where people can check what laws are enforced in their state," Kim reports. "If the manufacturer of a product is not in compliance with the law, consumers can fill out a form that sends a direct complaint to the state attorney general’s office."

How much referral traffic to publishers do AI chatbots provide? Practically zero.

'AI presents an existential threat to the news and
media industry.' (AI image by AI)

AI chatbots steal and repost news created and paid for by humans while failing to refer any meaningful traffic to the publications, a new report finds. Chatbot click-through rates, or CTRs, to original content, are abysmal.

"Tollbit, an analytics and licensing platform for publishers and AI companies, has released its first AI User Agent Index, a quarterly report that tracks overall trends in the scraping habits of the AI industry," reports News/Media Alliance. "The report details that the click-through rates for AI chatbots are 95.7% lower than traditional Google search, with a referral rate of just 0.37%." According to industry figures, 3% is considered the average CTR from a Google search, and anything above this is good.

For many publishers and writers, AI content theft is not surprising; however, "Tollbit's data confirms what publishers have known for years — generative AI chatbots are not providing anywhere near the amount of traffic as traditional search," News/Media Alliance CEO Danielle Coffey said in a statement. "By illegally scraping our content, repackaging it and giving it to consumers without adequately directing them to our sites, AI companies are using our own content to undermine our businesses."

When chatbots "redeliver" news via the web without a click-through to the original publication, news and media organizations miss out on subscription and advertising income. In essence, bots steal original content, which costs publications what a consumer may have paid to read it, and they remove to possibility of future income when no click-through traffic is provided.

“With AI click-through rates almost 96% lower than traditional search, which we believe is already at inadequate return rates, the shift to AI presents an existential threat to the news and media industry," Coffey said. "Something has to change. But that doesn’t mean we want to stop the growth of AI. . . .We’re just asking for responsible AI. Artificial intelligence companies must compensate publishers for the content they use, for the long-term health of both of our industries.”