New Medicaid work rules go into effect no later than Jan. 1, 2027. Federal guidance outlines exemptions.

CMS announced exemption guidance for Medicaid's 
new work requirements.

As the "One Big Beautiful Bill" continues to remake American safety net programs, guidance from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, released earlier this week, outlines "how states should carry out the work rules, including who would be exempt," reports Berkeley Lovelace Jr. of NBC News.

While the federal government will require states to roll out the new Medicaid work rules no later than Jan. 1, 2027, until now, states didn't know who could be considered for exemptions. Lovelace explains, "Pregnant women, parents of young children, veterans with disabilities and several other groups will be exempt from Medicaid’s new work requirements," according to CMS rules. "States will have discretion to determine which medical conditions qualify for exemptions."

The work rules do not require recipients to work full-time; instead, most adult Medicaid recipients must "work, attend school or volunteer for at least 80 hours a month to keep their coverage," Lovelace reports.

CMS will also allow exemptions for individuals who are considered too "medically frail" to work. The guidance also allows exemptions for people with "conditions that significantly limit their ability to work, such as cancer or substance use disorder," NBC reports. "The guidance doesn’t include an exemption for people who are homeless."

Before this week's announcement, Medicaid supporters worried that enrollees would lose their coverage while trying to prove their eligibility for an exemption; however, the guidance allows for that possibility. Lovelace reports, "During the first year, people will be allowed to attest — on their Medicaid applications or renewal forms — that they qualify for one of the exemptions rather than provide documentation."

The main thrust behind the work rules is to get more Americans to work. The National Bureau of Economic Research, a nonpartisan research group, found that Americans are working fewer hours than they did in previous decades, NBC reports. "The officials argued that government benefits reduce incentives to seek employment."

Texas lawmakers juggle angry voters, data center developers, Trump's AI push and a tech-first governor

65% of Americans don't want a data center built
in their community. (Photo by G. Moffet, Unsplash)

With its sprawling land and business-friendly politics, data center developers decided Texas was an ideal place to build AI infrastructure. They began having their proposals quietly approved, and construction started, with little input from communities near their builds.

Fast forward to today. As data center projects proliferate throughout the state, many Texas communities are pushing back on AI and calling on their political representatives to put up guardrails, reports Liz Carey for The Daily Yonder. But when it comes to putting limits on AI development, Texas lawmakers face competing interests.

"Data center construction is unpopular among locals, and a majority of the facilities are being proposed in red, rural counties," Carey explains. Republican state lawmakers now find themselves "caught between a zealous president, a governor bent on Texas becoming the next global data center hub, and outraged constituents."

According to a Texas Tribune analysis, at least "82 data centers, or nearly 60% of those that are either planned or under construction, are in state House districts that voted for President Donald Trump and elected a Republican state representative in 2024," Carey reports. "A March Quinnipiac poll found that 65% of Americans oppose the building of an AI data center in their community."

Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who leads the Texas Senate, have made data center development a priority. The Yonder reports, "Both directed their chambers to balance the economic development benefits of the facilities with their potential impact on Texas communities and their water and power infrastructure."

Meanwhile, Texas county officials, who have no power over where AI centers end up, spend their days trying to manage angry, frustrated residents. Republican county executive Matt Sebesta told Carey, "When folks look at me and say, ‘We don’t want this,’ I point them to our state reps and say, ‘Go talk to your state rep. Go talk to your senator,’ because they don’t trust us to make those decisions."

State legislators have even started to divide along rural-urban lines, with "rural lawmakers tending to raise more concerns about data centers while those from urban areas have generally been more supportive — or at least quieter," Carey adds.

In response, AI companies have begun running ad campaigns across the Lone Star State that "tout the benefits of the facilities," Carey explains. "Meanwhile, the tech industry is already lavishing donations across the capitol."

Gas prices are high, and inflation has continued to climb. How do Trump voters feel about his performance so far?

Many Americans say that gas prices may impact their
midterm election choices. (Photo by GG, Unsplash)

Campaigning for his second term in the White House, President Donald Trump pledged "no new wars" while he worked to "make America affordable again." A year and a half into his presidency, U.S. consumers face high inflation, hefty tariffs on imported food and goods, and bloated gas prices due to the war with Iran.

So how do those voters feel now? Tim Balk, Rachel Richardson and Sam Easter of The New York Times asked some Trump voters how they feel about their vote now and how their opinion of his leadership so far might influence their midterm election choices. Some edited selections of their opinions are shared below.

Adele Wilson, 30, of Ada Township, Mich., population 14,400
When asked about gas prices, Wilson told the Times, "Last time I filled up I was like, ‘Oh, this hurts.’" Wilson, a dental assistant, believes "Trump’s second term has been unsuccessful," the Times reports. "She called the war a 'horrible idea.' She was unsure how she would vote in the midterms, she said, but she had already ruled out voting for JD Vance or Marco Rubio in the 2028 presidential race."

Matt Yerkes, 74, of New Richmond, Ohio, population 2,730
Yerkes, who is retired, told the Times he thinks Americans' current economic strain is "temporary and needed.” Overall, he agrees with the war with Iran. The Times reports, "He said he disliked the president’s personality, but added, 'I agree with essentially everything he does from a policy standpoint.'"

Luke Stanley, 28, of Hermon, Maine, population 6,500
"Stanley, who owns a metal fabrication company, said he did not 'necessarily' support the war, and suggested he would like the president to change his approach," the Times reports. "But he said that business had been good for him overall during the president’s second term." He told the Times that continued high gas prices might sway his choice in the midterm elections.

Many farmers have a second job, and some have cashed in by sharing farm life across social media channels

                 Zoe Kent posts her farm life films on medial platforms like Instagram and YouTube.

As farm income has dipped over the last two decades, some farmers have built a second income by posting about their "life and times" on the farm, reports Amira McKee of The Wall Street Journal.

When the Welker family from Montana was facing some lean years, Nick Welker, his brother Scott, and their father, Bob, decided to share their ag adventures through short films and reels posted to social media. 

The three men started their online careers with "viral videos in the mid-2010s, followed by the restoration of a Big Bud tractor — a hulking machine with a cult following among tractor enthusiasts," McKee writes. The three Welkers have joined "a growing class of 'aginfluencers' monetizing farm life."

For the Welker family, their "social-media business now provides a six-figure annual income stream, generating about $5 for every $1 invested in equipment, cameras, and a video editor," McKee writes.

“It blows my mind how much they eat it up," Nick Welker told the Journal. "They just really like seeing us work.”

The group has amassed over a million social media followers, and their YouTube channel produces ad revenue, as does their equipment sponsorships. McKee adds, "Tractor brands like Case IH pay handsomely to have their machinery featured on the Welkers’ channel."

Zoe Kent is another successful aginfluencer. After she took over her family's farm in 2021, she began posting online about her life as an Ohio soy and corn farmer. McKee adds, "Last year, her social-media income was five times higher than her farm profits."

The Journal reports, "Eighty-six percent of family farms earned a majority of their household income from off-farm sources in 2024, according to the most recent U.S. Agriculture Department data."

Quick hits: Tick app; Northeast rice crops; health benefits of dancing; moon farms; meteorologists get to Hollywood

As spring turns into summer, more ticks are hitching rides on socks, shoes, pant legs and hairdos. The tiny vectors bite thousands of people each year and spread diseases such as alpha-gal syndrome, Lyme disease, babesiosis and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. But there is hope. Researchers are asking people to share their tick bites and discoveries on The Tick App so that their habits can be better understood and more effective preventive practices can be developed. The Tick App also gives tips for identifying and removing ticks.

The Northeast isn't known as a rice-growing mecca, but as the region's climate changes, some farmers are giving the crop a try. "Around New York and beyond, weather has shifted to become more extreme, bringing intense rainfall and hailstorms that could damage crops," reports Alice Sun for Offrange. Rice paddies are flood-resistant, able to withstand extreme weather, and the crop fetches a good price. Researchers at Cornell University, along with some "pioneering farmers are working to make it a more common crop in the Northeast, as a buffer for farmers to adapt to increasingly unpredictable weather."

Maria isn't sure about Elmo's reasoning. (Sesame Street photo)

Fans of "Sesame Street," past or present, may want to watch the new documentary tracing the life and career of actress Sonia Manzan, better known as the character "Maria." As Maria, Manzan became the first Latina to appear on a regular TV series, reports Greg Toppo of The74. The film travels back to Manzan's difficult upbringing in the South Bronx during the 1950s, follows her big break with the musical Godspell, and includes her adventures with Oscar the Grouch and Elmo on Sesame Street. The film is currently touring at film festivals throughout the spring and summer.

Even dancing from a sitting position is considered
healthy movement. (Photo by E. Marritz,Dance for PD)

What activity can be done while sitting or standing, creates joy and is healthy? If you thought dancing, you're correct. "Modern research is now catching up to the fact that dance is medicine, a deeply effective intervention for physical, cognitive and emotional health," reports Michaela Haas for Reasons to be Cheerful. "In a longitudinal study, seniors who took part in regular dance training fell less often and were 'physically better off and mentally fitter' than those in the control group."

It's not going to be science fiction for much longer: NASA is learning how to farm on the moon. "As we get ready to feed astronauts on the Moon and Mars, NASA scientists are figuring out how to build soil from scratch," reports Lela Nargi for Offrange. "Ralph Fritsch, a NASA retiree and lead subject matter expert for the Mars to Table challenge, which seeks to identify plausible 'surface habitat food systems,' believes space ag will probably start with hydroponics. . . . Although Fritsch believes dirt-based space greenhouses are years from fruition, there’s still been heavy investment in research."

Everyone asks about, talks about and complains about the weather -- it's a shared human experience. With the exception of farmers, who are also weather obsessed, few people might glamorize meteorologists. Until now. "Meteorologists are rarely the heroes of major Hollywood movies. Never say never," writes Rebecca Hersher of NPR. "The new film 'Pressure' is a lightly fictionalized version of the actual lead-up to the D-Day invasion of France by Allied troops during World War II, and the crucial role of meteorologists in deciding when that battle would happen." 

Cash-strapped Montana will be the second state to implement new federal Medicaid work rules

Montana will be the second state to implement Medicaid
work rules. (Photo by John Kakuk, Unsplash)

Despite depleted coffers, Montana is moving forward with its rollout of Medicaid's new work rules beginning on July 1. 

The state will be the second, after Nebraska, to require its residents to "prove they’re working to keep their coverage," reports Katheryn Houghton of KFF Health News. "That’s six months ahead of the federal deadline for states to implement Medicaid work rules for millions of enrollees."

The new work requirements are part of President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which Congress passed in 2025, but the onus of implementation falls on state health departments. Houghton explains, "The federal spending law requires states to check every six months whether millions of Medicaid enrollees work, go to school, or volunteer at least 80 hours a month, or qualify for an exemption."

Adding new staff and technology infrastructure to prepare for and execute work checks "takes time and money," Houghton writes. "Health policy analysts say that Montana’s budget crunch is a hint of the challenges to come nationwide."

The OBBBA also cut federal Medicaid dollars flowing to states by around $1 trillion over 10 years. The lopped-off funds represent the "largest pool of federal funding for states," Houghton explains. Joan Alker, a researcher focused on health coverage, told KFF, "States are the ones that are gonna have to do the dirty work of implementing cuts."

To address its shortfall, Montana plans to "stall rate increases for healthcare providers that were due July 1," KFF reports. However, clinicians say they need the rate bump to address staffing shortages and growing patient waitlists, which they attribute to already low Medicaid reimbursement rates.

Montana residents currently face long wait times to "access public assistance," Houghton adds. "And many can lose coverage at renewal time because of paperwork issues. … All these problems reflect a national challenge to connect people to care through strained public assistance programs."

Trump plan takes second shot at ending rural schools program Congress created to address resource gaps

Classroom at Velva Public Schools, which educates 
roughly 450 students. (Velva Public Schools photo)

The Trump administration is pushing to end the Rural Education Achievement Program by rolling the money into a $2 billion block grant. But rural schools rely on REAP to fill the funding gaps for "tutoring, afterschool and technology needs," reports Linda Jacobson for The74. Smaller school district leaders say the funding "is vital."

REAP was created by Congress to help rural schools meet the same educational standards that bigger public schools must adhere to, even though rural areas have fewer services and resources for helping students reach those strict benchmarks.

Monty Mayer, the superintendent of the Velva Public Schools in North Dakota, which serves nearly 450 students across two schools, told The74, "Money rolled into a block grant would be swallowed up by the bigger schools as their needs are much greater than ours. [That would leave] “small rural schools looking to find answers in different places without a clear picture as to where those resources would come from.”

When Education Secretary Linda McMahon gave her testimony to the Senate appropriations committee in late April, she "faced several questions from both Democrats and Republicans about the future of the program. She suggested that REAP was underutilized," Jacobson writes. McMahon testified that rural schools don't apply for REAP dollars because they lack grant writers and grant writing expertise.

Rural education experts don't agree with McMahon. They claim Congress designed REAP to be flexible because rural schools lack grant writing staff and expertise. "States or districts don’t write grant proposals for the funding, said Steven Johnson, superintendent of the Fort Ransom Public School District, which operates one elementary school in southeast North Dakota," Jacobson reports. "Districts eligible for the funds, based on size and location, receive an invitation to apply. And most do, Johnson said."

During her testimony, McMahon also said that REAP funds weren't "giving the returns that we hope to see for rural schools." McMahon did not cite the evidence or measurement standards that informed her statement.

This is the second time the administration has pitched the block grant proposal. Last year, "Congress ultimately rejected it." Jacobson reports. "With the appropriations process likely to drag out for months, it’s unclear whether lawmakers will be more receptive this year."

Rural law enforcement officers often receive little or no support for frequent on-the-job mental trauma

Police answer calls to tragic events such as school shootings, family annihilation, severe child abuse cases and domestic violence crimes. During those calls, victim care is a primary focus but little attention is given to the psychological trauma law enforcement officers may experience as they manage crime scenes, reports Susan Szuch for the Springfield News-Leader, which covers Ozark news.

It's often hard for police to ask for help, particularly in rural communities where suicide rates are higher, but reaching out for care is stigmatized, according to Szuch. If officers ask for mental support or have psychological struggles, they can be deemed unfit for duty.

Michael Mason

The experiences of Michael Mason, a rural police officer and later Police Chief in Humansville, Missouri, a town with roughly 900 residents, serve as an example. Mason had a hard time processing many of the difficult scenes he had to work. In 2023, he attempted suicide. Afterward, he was "given a choice to get help but be fired and lose his Peace Officer Standards and Training certification, or to resign and keep his credentials," Szuch writes. "Mason chose to resign."

Although Mason moved on from his job loss and landed the police chief position in Humansville, he faced similar challenges and had learned not to ask for help. "He took his own life on Dec. 14, 2025," Szuch reports. "He was one of at least 27 law enforcement officers who died by suicide last year."

While laws and attitudes toward psychological care for law enforcement officers have been slow to shift, some changes have been made. "In 2020, the Law Enforcement Suicide Data Collection Act established a data collection program to 'help agencies understand and prevent suicides,'" Szuch explains. "In 2022, the federal Public Safety Officer Support Act changed its definition for line-of-duty deaths to include suicide, which can affect not only the way the death is discussed but how honors are conferred and what benefits survivors receive."

For officers who want someone to talk to, law enforcement leaders stress the "importance of talking to someone who understands a law enforcement officer’s unique situation and experiences," Szuch reports. "CopLine, a hotline for law enforcement officers run by retired law enforcement officers, offers a free, confidential way for them to talk with someone who understands the trauma and pressures of the job." The phone number for CopLine is 1-800-267-5463 (1-800-COPLINE).

What's up with tomato prices? The U.S. has collected $4.6 million in tomato tariffs — a 'staggering' 27,879% increase

The price of tomatoes is up 40% over
last year. (Photo by E. Akyurt, Unsplash)

For many Americans, tomatoes are a grocery staple, so heading into a store only to see the price of red sauce or salsa skyrocket serves as a reminder that the country is facing ongoing affordability challenges.

"Prices for those red orbs have soared more than any other food product over the past year to cement a spot as one of the consumer headaches du jour," reports Matt Sedensky of The Associated Press.

In the case of tomatoes, their "prices are up about 40% over a year ago, according to the latest Consumer Price Index," Sedensky explains. In comparison, coffee prices are up 18.5%, beef roasts are up 17.8%, and frozen fish and seafood are up 12%.

The war with Iran and tariffs are the two primary reasons tomatoes are pricier. "The war spiked gas prices and increased shipping costs," Sedensky explains. "Meantime, the U.S. withdrew from a deal allowing duty-free imports of tomatoes from Mexico, which grows most of America’s supply."

While American tomato farmers cheered to see their competition get slapped with a 17% tomato tariff,  Sedensky writes, soaring tomato prices have been another inflation shock for many U.S. consumers and restaurant operators.

Federal data says it best: "U.S. tariffs collected on tomatoes ballooned from just $16,424 in 2024 to nearly $4.6 million," AP reports. "A staggering 27,879% increase."

Some consumers have rushed to plant gardens, but for restaurants that collectively use thousands of tomatoes a day, the cost increase is hard to absorb.

Wayne Humphrey, chief operating officer of Snarf’s Sandwiches, where sliced tomatoes top most sandwiches, told AP, "That single ingredient now costs us more than $1.7 million in additional spend annually. The math is getting harder to ignore.”

Democrats who want rural voters to switch sides need to 'show up' and fight for rural communities

Democrats need to fight harder than Republicans on
issues that impact rural Americans. (Rural Strategies photo)

Building trust with rural Americans by fighting hard for the issues rural voters care about is what Democrats need to do now, reports Mara Liasson of NPR.

While Democrats losing rural voters is not news, what Democrats should do about it is. Liasson explains, "Pollster Celinda Lake, originally from rural Montana, says she's watched as the Republican advantage with rural voters grew from a relatively narrow five-point advantage in 2000 to a whopping 25-point edge for Trump with rural voters in 2024."

Lake recently "conducted a poll of 600 likely general election voters from rural areas in battleground states," Liasson reports. "And what these voters had to say about Democrats is damning."

One polled voter said Democrats were "out of touch with middle America," according to Liasson. Another said Democrats were "lost in space. All they want to do is spend money and give stuff away."

Lake told Liasson, "The Democratic brand is in terrible shape in rural America." Lake pointed out that while most rural voters skew Republican, they are currently very dissatisfied with the economy, and that offers Democrats a window of opportunity.

"Her takeaway from the poll is that Democrats should be running to keep rural hospitals open and insulin prices down," Liasson reports. "In other words, Democrats don't have to change their positions to win rural voters. They just have to fight harder for what they already believe in."

Dee Davis, the president of the Center for Rural Strategies, the group that commissioned the poll, said that Democrats that go all in on rural issues can fight for the same concerns that more urban populations worry about. Liasson adds, "After all, college-educated urban voters also care about healthcare, gas prices and jobs. The strategy Davis thinks Democrats should adopt is not rocket science."

Davis told Liasson, "You got to show up. You got to talk to people. You might not win the first time out, but you got to be there and compete."

Companies and retailers finally cut prices in response to U.S. consumer frustration and lack of cash

U.S. companies are finally taking American consumer frustration over inflation and high prices seriously. "Companies from Clorox to Kraft Heinz are finally realizing that half of American consumers can’t afford what they are selling," report Sarah Nassauer, Heather Haddon and Natasha Khan of The Wall Street Journal. 

Kraft Heinz has lower prices on several popular
grocery items.

For the food industry and retailers, having half of the U.S. population — roughly 180 million Americans — struggle to put food on the table isn't good for business, even when those businesses are making money. The Journal reports, "To appeal to cash-strapped and inflation-weary shoppers, the companies are launching smaller and cheaper products, pitching value packages and, in some cases, reversing price increases."

Companies like Target, Walmart and Coca-Cola are aiming their deals at lower-income Americans who are being squeezed by gas prices, food inflation and wages that aren't keeping up with costs. "Walmart executives said that they had lowered the price tag on 7,200 items and planned to use the company’s tariff refund to fund further price cuts."

Kraft Heinz has reduced prices on several of its staple products, including Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh products and Maxwell House coffee. It plans to "absorb about 80% of its inflation this year," Nassauer adds. The company's CEO, Steve Cahillane, told the Journal, “The consumer can only absorb so much.”

Target's lower toy prices have increased
sales. (Target photo)

Even car companies have gotten the memo. "Jeep maker Stellantis, which also makes Ram trucks and Chrysler minivans, is planning seven new cars 'under the $40,000 range,'" Nassauer writes. It's also planning for two new car models that will retail for under $30,000.

Several companies that voluntarily slashed prices are seeing sales volumes increase. Target’s successful toy department price cuts are an example. In a recent meeting, the company told investors that "it is experiencing 'tremendous growth' in its toy department, where it has introduced offerings priced at $20 or less," the Journal reports.

Why can't states simply share energy to avoid blackouts? Bolstering U.S. grids requires multi-faceted plans.

As power grids across the U.S. face more challenges, including dramatic increases in national energy needs, such as electricity-sapping data centers and extreme weather fluctuations across entire regions, some Americans may be wondering why a regional grid under strain can't just borrow from a neighboring state's grid that has plenty.

There are few links between the U.S. Eastern, Western and ERCOT interconnections. (ERCOT map)

The answer is to that question is simple and complex, energy experts Sufan Jiang and Fangxing Fran Li write for The Conversation. "The U.S. bulk power system is not one seamless national grid, but three major grid regions known as interconnections — the Eastern, Western and ERCOT (Electric Reliability Council of Texas) systems. There are very few transmission lines between them, so if one has too little power, the others may not be able to help much."

In February 2021, Texas was clobbered by a series of brutal winter storms that dumped snow and ice across the state while simultaneously keeping temperatures below zero for days. Because Texas owns its own grid and shares few transmission lines with other states, ERCOT was "forced into the largest deliberate electricity shutoff in U.S. history. Operators cut power to millions of customers to avoid a total grid collapse," Jiang and Li explain. ERCOT's blackout left more than 4.5 million homes and businesses without power.

The Southern Spirit Transmission line will connect Texas to 
the Southeastern grids for power sharing. (Pattern Energy map)

In an effort to give ERCOT more options during another energy crisis, the "Southern Spirit Transmission project was announced by the Department of Energy in 2024," Jiang and Li explain. That addition "would include a 320-mile transmission line connecting Texas with Louisiana and Mississippi."

In its simplest form, a transmission line connects energy providers so they can share power. But when it comes to natural disasters and extreme weather, power lines have to withstand the storm or event. Jiang and Li write, "The answer to bolstering power grids is not just to build more high-voltage transmission lines. It is also important to harden the transmission corridors that already exist so they can withstand extreme weather and be restored more quickly after a disaster."

The federal government also regulates the sharing of grid energy between operators. "Federal standards require transmission providers to have enough electricity available in reserve to serve their own local homes and businesses safely," Jiang and Li explain. "Only excess electricity above that safety threshold can realistically be treated as power available to help neighboring grids during an outage."

Babies delivered at rural hospitals can receive specialized neonatal care through a unique telehealth program

A newborn baby's care team can get live, immediate help
from a neonatologist with TeleICN. (Dartmouth photo)

A pregnancy delivery in a rural hospital far away from specialized care poses significant risks for a baby born with complex needs. In Vermont and New Hampshire, Dartmouth Health created TeleICN, a unique telehealth program that connects rural medical providers to neonatologists who can help manage a baby's health during and after delivery, reports Christopher Cheney for Healthleaders.

As more rural hospitals have cut services to save money, many have shuttered their labor and delivery units. In the case of an emergency delivery, EMS will take a pregnant patient to the nearest emergency department, where a rural care team can "connect to the TeleICN program using an iPad or making a phone call," Cheney explains.

Tapping into TeleICN is similar to using FaceTime. The program allows a neonatologist to "talk with the local teams, look at the baby via video, and work with the mom and their family members to make decisions about the next steps in care for babies," Cheney reports. TeleICN can "connect local care teams to a neonatologist virtually on a 24/7 basis, and it serves 16 rural hospitals in New Hampshire and Vermont."

Katelyn Darling, a director at Dartmouth Health, shared the varying levels of care TeleICN often provides, saying, "Sometimes, they know a mom in labor is on the way to their hospital, and they want us to help them prep the care room. Sometimes, they want us in the background to support them. Sometimes, they want us on the frontline making decisions about care."

Because the TeleICN has been so successful, Dartmouth expanded its virtual obstetrics care with its new TeleMFM program. Cheney explains, "The focus is on high-risk obstetrics care and fetal-maternal medicine services, with the goal of reducing the need for patients to travel long distances. … Patients can go to a clinic associated with a rural hospital and get connected to a TeleMFM provider."

Jessica Clem, TeleICN's medical director, told Healthleaders, "What we are trying to do is provide equitable care in New Hampshire and Vermont, particularly for rural communities."

How a small farming community kept its town from 'fading'

Aledo's renovated Carnegie Library is now a 
co-working tech hub. (Landmark Illinois photo)

The Great Recession left little Aledo, Illinois, hollowed out, but that's not the end of its story. The farming town with roughly 3,600 residents has made a surprising comeback with help from returning residents, a historical designation, the pandemic and a community that wouldn't allow its town to "fade," reports Rhonda Brooks of Farm Journal.

W. J. Albertson grew up in Aledo, which he recalled as a charming town with a bustling downtown. When Albertson and his wife returned to Aledo to help their aging parents in 2016-2017, the changes in the town were dramatic. He told Brooks, "We saw Aledo in a state that, you know, it hurt."

Location of Aledo, Ill.
(Wikipedia map)

After seeing his hometown's downturn, Albertson decided he wanted to help reverse Aledo's fortunes. Sometimes leading and sometimes following, Albertson became part of "a methodical effort … backed by city hall, nonprofit organizations, various companies and other local individuals — to make this little town 30 minutes south of the Quad Cities a vibrant community once again," Brooks explains.

Aledo's luck began to change in 2016 when its downtown was added to the National Park Service’s list of historic districts. Brooks reports, "About 80 buildings fell under the new designation, opening the door to federal and state rehabilitation tax credits."

When the town's historic Carnegie Library came up for auction, "Albertson and his partners moved quickly to acquire the building and lined it up as a tax-credit project," Brooks writes. "The plan was to show, in one visible example, that historic status and incentives could finance a modern use."

The Aledo Opera House has become the town's
'cultural anchor.' (Aledo Opera House photo) 

Once the pandemic hit, the community had fiber access installed in the renovated library, which helped the site evolve into a "job center and co-working hub, while providing a new reason to be downtown," Brooks reports.

As time has gone on, the community has renovated historic and non-historic buildings into apartment housing, quasi-bed-and-breakfast rooms and meeting venues. The Aledo Opera House was also renovated and reopened. Brooks adds, "The facility featured space for a stage, movie showings, and other community activities."

Albertson encourages small-town Americans to get involved in their communities. "He sums up Aledo’s guiding philosophy in a short formula that blends civic pride and faith," Brooks reports. He told her, "We kind of like to say, metaphorically, with our faith, broken things plus love equals restoration."

Too few childcare workers and the extreme cost of childcare are hardest on rural families. Utah is an example.

The childcare shortage is more dire in
rural areas. (Photo by Kracken, Unsplash)

Across the U.S., roughly 51% of American families live in a childcare desert, and 70% of rural parents report struggling to find any licensed caregivers with an opening, according to a new survey from the Center for American Progress. And even when parents are lucky enough to find a provider, they often struggle to afford it.

Both issues — the cost of care and the childcare worker shortage — are particularly acute in Utah, where "licensed providers meet only about 36% of the need, with rural communities facing significant shortages," reports Mark Richardson of UPR, which serves Utah and Southern Idaho.

Casey Peeks, the center's senior director of early childhood policy, told UPR, "You can make childcare free for every family living in a rural community tomorrow, but that's not going to solve the access." Peeks said that while addressing cost is important, developing and supporting childcare workers is equally vital.

Like many other states, the lack of childcare workers hurts Utah's treasury. "The childcare shortage costs Utah an estimated $1.3 billion each year in wages and productivity," UPR reports.

Utah lawmakers have been working to address childcare expenses by "expanding tax credits for employers that provide childcare, increasing the Child Tax Credit, and extending paid maternity leave for state employees," Richardson explains. But none of those changes increase the number of childcare workers.

To increase the number of childcare providers, the profession needs to be reassessed both in terms of importance and wages. Hailey Gibbs, associate director of the center's early-childhood policy team, told UPR that workers are often seen as getting "paid to play." Richardson adds, "The annual cost of childcare in Utah is between $7,000 and $10,000. A childcare worker is paid about $15 an hour on average."

Policymakers and voters need a better understanding "about child development and the needs of young children," Gibbs told Richardson, "and also the returns that children see in their education, in their health outcomes, even in their adult earnings when they have these kinds of really enriching early opportunities.”

Richardson adds, "Gibbs said the data shows the need for comprehensive solutions that address both cost and availability, starting with better wages for childcare professionals."

The cat's out of the bag now: Kentucky is home to one of journalism's rising stars

Grant Gerstner after being presented first place in print reporting 
at the CFINR annual awards ceremony. (Photo via the Era)

Grant Gerstner, the editor of The Oldham Era and the Henry County Local for Paxton Media, won "one of the nation’s most prestigious journalism awards during a May 19 ceremony in Washington, D.C., when he received first place in the print reporting category during the Center for Integrity in News Reporting’s annual awards ceremony," reports the Oldham staff.

Gerstner's award-winning series followed the path of a controversial data center build planned in Oldham County. He succeeded in out-writing competition from "major publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post and others," they add. He is the first Kentucky-based reporter to win the award, which comes with a $25,000 prize.

The CFINR judges praised Gerstner's reporting as remarkably fair and thorough. The Era reports, "The judges singled out the work for what is often hardest in small-market reporting: covering a contested local issue from start to finish without taking a side, and trusting the reader to understand the trade-offs."

Era and Local Publisher Jane Ashley Pace praised Gerstner's work as an example of the important part media can play in a community, saying, "Grant's coverage became a trusted source of information and proves why local newspapers like the Era are so important."

Gerstner graduated from South Oldham High School in 2019,  the Era reports. "He later joined the Era and Local in 2024 after graduating from the University of Louisville."

Gerstner told reporters, "Winning this award is the honor of a lifetime, and it is made all the sweeter by the fact that my reporting followed one of the largest issues in the history of my hometown."

China commits to purchasing at least $17 billion a year in farming products, but other agreements aren't as clear.

China's $17 million farming purchase commitment is 
good news for U.S. producers. (Adobe Stock photo)

In some good news for American farmers, following President Donald Trump's summit last week with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, a White House fact sheet confirmed that China agreed to purchase "at least $17 billion in U.S. agricultural products annually through 2028, in addition to soybean commitments already agreed to," reports Ari Hawkins of Politico. The announcement is among "the few concrete deliverables" from last week's summit.

Beyond its agriculture purchase commitment, the White House said Beijing has "renewed expired registrations for more than 400 U.S. beef facilities and added new listings," Hawkins writes. "A move aimed at widening market access for American farmers." Additionally, China will now accept U.S. poultry imports that the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirms are free of avian influenza.

The summit included agreement on several other issues, but the specific engagement between the two countries on topics such as Iran remained vague. For instance, "Both countries agreed Iran cannot get ahold of a nuclear weapon," Hawkins reports. They also agreed that the "Strait of Hormuz shipping corridor should reopen, and that no country or group should be allowed to charge tolls."

The White House fact sheet didn't include details on how, or even whether, the countries planned to work together to resolve issues with Iran's nuclear capability or its blockage of the Strait of Hormuz.

Although President Trump noted that tariffs were not discussed at the summit, that "appears to contradict a statement from China’s commerce ministry, which said the two sides had reached a preliminary agreement to reduce some tariffs and also confirmed agricultural and aircraft deals, though it did not provide specifics," Hawkins adds. "Trump and Xi are expected to meet as many as four times this year."

Opinion: Rural America needs Congress to require data center developers and the federal government to disclose plans

Nondisclosure agreements leave community members in the dark.
(Photo by Daniel Bernard, Unsplash)

When urban and suburban Americans don't want to live near an institution or business designed to address a larger societal problem, they send it to rural America. Prisons, power plants and landfills are a few examples, writes Rotimi Adeoye in his opinion for The New York Times. "These days, two more intrusions have been added to the list: immigrant detention centers and data centers. … Congress should address this problem."

While it may seem logical to assume the federal government would be required to share information with smaller townships before purchasing large buildings or tracts of land in town, that isn't the case.

In Tremont, Pa., a tiny town with roughly 300 people, the federal government purchased "a 1.3-million-square-foot warehouse that had been a Big Lots distribution center" to repurpose into an immigration center designed to hold 7,500 detainees, Adeoye writes. By the time the township's supervisor learned of the sale, the deed had already been signed.

In other instances, small-town residents learn that a hyperscale data center is being planned in their community only when rezoning paperwork is filed. Nondisclosure agreements between data center developers, landowners and town officials enable companies to keep area residents in the dark.

In both cases, transactions are "intended to be finished long before the people who would have to live with the consequences could ask questions about what was being planned," Adeyoe adds.

To help rural Americans know and have some agency in deciding what gets built in their communities, Adeyoe suggests that Congress "require companies planning large-scale facilities to publicly disclose who they are and what they intend to build before they seek to change how the land is used, and to notify local governments before acquiring property in their communities. … The same principle applies to federal agencies."

Requiring public disclosure does not mean that a detention or data center facility won't eventually be constructed in a rural community, but it "would stop it from being built in secret," Adeyoe adds. "Rural communities are often fighting both kinds of facilities simultaneously, often without knowing who they are fighting or why, because neither the federal government nor private developers are currently required to tell them anything before the decisions are made."

Big Bend residents push against the ongoing border build-up the Trump administration is rushing to install

Reeds and mesquite trees line the banks of the Rio Grande River as it flows through the western Texas region known as Big Bend. Residents of this rural area are deeply worried about the Trump administration's use of eminent domain to proceed with a controversial "border barrier" that will include 30-foot tall steel border walls, Carlos Morales reports for NPR. 

Big Bend's rough terrain makes it a less popular place
to illegally cross into the U.S. (Texas Almanac map)

For Joe Pineda, who ranches along the river in Redford, Texas, that may mean selling or losing land that has been in his family since the late 1800s. Morales writes, "Pineda received a letter from the federal government warning of eminent domain proceedings if they don't agree to sell the land or voluntarily give access for border wall construction."

Pineda is not alone; many Big Bend community members are alarmed by the private property the federal government wants to use and the disruptive elements such as patrol roads, flood lighting and surveillance systems that the government will include in its border barrier project.

Unlike many partisan issues today, the push against a border build-up in Big Bend has "united an unusual coalition of people across the political spectrum who say a wall is not needed here," Morales reports. "They worry about threats to the environment and Indigenous sites, to impact on the region's famously dark skies and on wild animals, like Black bears, bobcats and bighorn sheep."

Big Bend businesses are also worried about what the border barrier will do to the region's growing tourism economy, which brings in roughly $56 million a year, according to Morales.

Sunset at Big Bend National Park in Texas.
(Photo by Caleb Fisher, Unsplash)

Many residents point to the area's rugged terrain as a reason fewer illegal crossings are attempted in the region. In short, a wall isn't needed in Big Bend. Morales adds, "In the first three months of this year, Customs and Border Protection's Big Bend Sector saw 498 apprehensions, which is just over a tenth of the apprehensions made in Texas' busiest sector."

Big Bend residents also say there's a better way to spend taxpayer money. Morales explains, "The price tag for a single mile of border barrier is over $17 million." Brewster County Sheriff Ronny Dodson, who grew up in the region, told Morales, "We agree with border security. We agree there needs to be walls ... but not here. We just need to be monitored, we need the manpower, and I think we'd be very fine."

Meanwhile, some property owners are adamant that the region be left alone. Morales adds, "They say they're willing to do whatever it takes, including filing their own lawsuits against the government, to stop the build-up at the border."

Trump may see high gas prices as 'peanuts,' but they are squeezing lower-income Americans the most

Photo by Yassine Khalfalli, Unsplash

In a frustrated remark, President Donald Trump referred to surging gas prices across the U.S. as "peanuts" compared to the threat of Iran producing a nuclear warhead.

And while many Americans might agree that wallet-draining gas prices are preferable to horrific global outcomes, the war is costing poorer Americans a higher percentage of their income than it is wealthier Americans.

"For households in the bottom quarter of the income distribution — those earning roughly $40,000 a year or less — commuting fuel costs now consume an average of about 4% of their income," report Julie Z. Weil and Federica Cocco of The Washington Post. "For households in the top quarter, earning $100,000 or more, the same costs amount to less than 1%."

Lower-income workers get squeezed from all sides when gas prices increase. "They tend to live farther from their jobs, in areas with little or no public transit, and are more likely to drive older, less fuel-efficient vehicles," the Post reports. For most, working from home is not an option, leaving them unable to escape the need to buy gas — no matter the price. The only other option is to skip work, doctor's appointments or social outings that require a car fueled by gas.

The more than 40% increase in gas prices from May 2025 to the present has left some lower-income Americans facing tough choices. Debbie Zambrana, who lives on a fixed disability income, used to help her son out by driving his children to school events. Weil and Cocco write, "For the first time, she recently told him that she could only drive them if he covered the fuel."

With gas prices recently reaching $4.50 a gallon, there is little low-income workers can do to help themselves — even when they budget carefully. "Personal finance experts commonly advise that people shouldn’t spend more than 10% of their after-tax income on commuting expenses," Weil and Cocco add. "Spending 4% of income on gas alone can quickly throw everything out of whack."

Walmart and Amazon are in a neck-and-neck race over online sales and delivery to rural Americans

Adobe Stock photo

America's biggest retail giants, Walmart and Amazon, are going head-to-head in a bid for online sales domination by delivering to rural areas "once deemed too remote or unprofitable," reports Anne d'Innocenzio of the Independent. "These sparsely populated regions, previously overlooked by major retailers, are now recognized as a significant source of untapped sales."

Walmart seems to have the upper hand because of the proximity of its brick-and-mortar stores to rural communities. D'Innocenzio explains, "Nearly half (45%) of its full-service Supercenters are located in towns with populations under 20,000."

Even with Walmart's edge, Amazon is betting speedy and accurate delivery will help it outperform the competition. D'Innocenzio reports, "Amazon last year invested $4 billion to bring same-day or next-day deliveries to 4,000 smaller cities, towns and rural communities."

Analysts at Morgan Stanley estimate the pot of money rural deliveries will generate rings in at $1 trillion in annual sales, d'Innocenzio explains. With that amount of revenue on the table, the race for the rural online consumer has "intensified."

Part of the reason rural and underserved delivery areas are now getting noticed is because of their changing demographics. D'Innocenzio adds, "This surge is partly driven by the increasing number of remote workers relocating to smaller towns and communities on the outskirts of metropolitan areas."

Until recently, delivering to a more remote address generally posed a problem for companies, who in turn relied on the U.S. Postal Service to go "the last mile" to reach the customer.

Now Walmart is using more delivery drones and robotics, paired with a new delivery mapping system to speed package fulfillment. D'Innocenzio reports, "The system replaced traditional service boundaries like ZIP codes, which can leave out small areas at the edges."

Amazon is taking a different approach by "setting up small delivery stations to serve a group of nearby communities based on travel drive time, customer demand, and delivery efficiency," d'Innocenzio adds.

Little guys' coalition successfully halts CO2 pipeline builds in Central Illinois

Page 2 of Navigator's letter explains eminent domain.
(Photo by Kathleen Campbell via the Yonder)

Successful grassroots efforts to stop carbon dioxide pipeline projects across Central Illinois spurred residents to form a state coalition to push for legislation that "would restrict the use of eminent domain for these potentially dangerous pipelines," report Ilana Newman and Julia Tilton of The Daily Yonder.

While the purpose of carbon sequestration is to reduce the amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere by pumping it underground, where it can no longer contribute to global warming, many communities don't want the installations near their homes. Breaks in CO2 pipelines are hazardous, and farmland where pipelines are placed is permanently altered.

In this case, before the coalition was formed, some Illinois farmland owners received letters from a Texas-based company called "Navigator," informing them that it planned to install carbon-sequestration pipelines across thousands of acres of land — including some of theirs. The letter also stated that Navigator agents would be visiting properties to conduct land surveys.

Steve Hess was one of the farmers Navigator representatives came to see. Hess told the Yonder, "The Navigator agent says, ‘if we get approval and you don’t like it, we can just use eminent domain and put the pipe in anyhow.’ And that really struck me the wrong way."

Once landowners like Hess and other area residents got wind of the Navigator's plans, they "formed the Coalition to Stop CO2 Pipelines to fight Navigator and other CO2 pipelines in Illinois," Newman and Tilton explain. The group eventually "succeeded in stopping Navigator in 2023 and later, the proposed Iowa-Illinois Wolf pipeline in 2024."

The group has recently sent their state legislature "a bill that would ban companies from using eminent domain to seize land for CO2 pipelines," Newman adds. "The bill is a bipartisan effort with 22 cosponsors and endorsements from across industries."

Opinion: SNAP program changes may mean fewer retailers offering healthy food in rural and low-income areas

SNAP changes a may further limit access to healthy food. 
(Photo by Maria Lin Kim, Unsplash)

U.S. retailers will face new rules if they want to continue participating in the Department of Agriculture's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps. "Starting on Nov. 4, 2026, any retailers that accept SNAP benefits from their customers will have to stock a wider variety of food, some of it perishable," writes community health expert Benjamin Chrisinger in his opinion for The Conversation.

The USDA is touting its stricter requirements as a way to make healthier food more available to the roughly 38 million Americans who rely on SNAP for groceries but, as Chrisinger explains, the new rules could hurt overall grocery access because the added expense in complying with USDA changes may lead smaller stores to stop accepting SNAP.

Current USDA rules require all SNAP-participating retailers to sell at least three items in each of four staple food categories, which include dairy, produce, grains and protein. "Under the stricter new rules, all retailers accepting SNAP as payment must sell at least seven kinds of food in each of those four categories," Chrisinger writes. "And they need to offer at least one perishable variety in three of the four."

The stricter rules will not require changes from larger retailers because they already sell a wide variety of items across all USDA staple categories. But small shops and convenience stores, which are often found in rural and low-income areas, may find the changes too expensive.

"A big industry group that represents convenience stores and an anti-hunger organization are both warning that instead of making it easier for low-income people to follow a balanced diet, the new USDA rules might lead many small shops to stop accepting SNAP benefits," Chrisinger writes.

While small stores that now accept SNAP offer convenient options to area residents, getting them to stock healthier food may not happen because grocery items already have razor-thin profit margins and "many smaller retailers are not familiar with how to source and stock healthier food, especially produce," Chrisinger adds. "And many question whether these products will sell."

Survey: Farmers want input costs, tariffs and health care addressed by midterm election candidates

Farm Journal map, from Farm Journal survey

U.S. farmers are getting pummeled by skyrocketing diesel fuel prices and input costs for fertilizers and machinery repairs, while also grappling with trade obstacles, concerns about rural health care and federal policy changes.

A recent Farm Journal poll shows how producers feel about the current agricultural economy as the country heads into the midterm election cycle, reports Tyne Morgan of Farm Journal. 

The survey revealed that "more than half of the farmers say federal policies have negatively impacted their operations over the past year," Morgan writes. "And as input prices, including diesel and fertilizer, continue to climb, one Ohio farmer says these expenses, and the strain they’re having on his farm, haven’t been this bad since the 1980s."

Top concerns for today's farmers and ranchers by state. (Farm Journal map, from Farm Journal survey)

Input costs were the top concern among the roughly 1,000 farmers and ranchers surveyed. Morgan reports, "Fred Yoder of Plain City, Ohio, says when you break it down between the three, fuel costs are particularly burdensome this season." Yoder told Morgan, "Right now fuel is really costing us about $1,500 of cash per day to run two tractors. That’s a lot.”

This year, trade and tariff policies are also causing farmers to worry about their futures and the futures of their communities. Morgan adds, "Kristin Duncanson of Mapleton, Minn., says uncertainty surrounding tariffs and trade policy is weighing heavily on producers and contributing to broader economic concerns across rural America."

Meanwhile, 74% of surveyed producers believe that "elected officials do not fully understand the realities farmers are facing," Morgan reports. "Duncanson says agriculture still has advocates in Washington, but fewer lawmakers have direct ties to farming communities."

The poll also revealed that "about one in four farmers say they are open to changing how they vote in the midterms depending on the issues at stake," Morgan adds. Tariffs are one of those issues. Yoder told Farm Journal, "The majority has got a very, very hard line against tariffs. We hate tariffs. We want markets, and we want market-oriented programs.”

Quick hits: SS Edmund Fitzgerald mystery remains; internet carriers team up; complex beef pricing; what to wear for extreme-weather reporting

At 729-feet, the SS Edmund Fitzgerald was the longest ship traveling through the Great Lakes
before it was 'swallowed' by Lake Superior. (Wikipedia photo) 

It's still a story investigative reporters are exploring: What caused the massive SS Edmund Fitzgerald to sink 17 miles from the safety of Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin? "On November 9, 1975, the ship left Superior, Wisconsin, with more than 26,000 tons of taconite pellets aboard. By the next evening, Lake Superior had swallowed the Edmund Fitzgerald whole," reports Andrew Daniels of Popular Mechanics. "One answer may be the ship’s cargo hatches. Ric Mixter, who visited the Fitzgerald wreck in the 1990s, said that if he could return, he would take photos of every hatch clamp and investigate where the taconite ended up." Read Pop Mech's deep dive on the famous ship's final voyage here. Listen to Gordon Lightfoot's haunting ballad about the fate of the Edmund Fitzgerald and its 29-member crew here. 

It's expensive for U.S. ranchers to increase their herds.
(Photo by Daniel Quiceno M, Unsplash)

Why can't farmers just raise more cattle so the price of beef will come down? "Ranchers say it's not that simple," reports Jack Dura of The Associated Press. "It’s never been so expensive for Americans to buy a steak or hamburger. … The dwindling number of cattle is a key reason the average price of all uncooked ground beef in the U.S. was $6.86 per pound in March." Even with high beef demand and high prices, ranchers still have to consider the cost of adding to their herd. Livestock owners are already paying more for the cattle they do have because drought and wildfires have left ranchers no choice but to pay for additional feed and water to be delivered to herd sites. 

Despite efforts to get the entire country online, many U.S. residents still live in areas without internet access, but that problem could soon change. AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon Communications announced that they are "setting aside their differences and forming a joint venture that will help end wireless dead zones across the U.S., especially in rural and underserved areas," reports Connor Hart of The Wall Street Journal. "The companies said the initiative will help the U.S. extend its global leadership in wireless communications technology … "

Handwritting letters is good for the human brain.
(Photo by T.D. Aran, Unsplash)

Handwriting letters may seem more than a trifle old-fashioned, but revisiting the aged tradition of letter, pen and stamp can reap benefits. Elizabeth Passarella of The New York Times writes, "Research shows that writing by hand lights up multiple parts of your brain — areas that are associated with creativity, memory and your senses — in a way that emailing does not. … Unlike chatting, writing makes you slow down and decide which details of your life are meaningful enough to share." Readers interested in tips to get started with a letter-writing habit can click here.

Whether it's tornado, wildfire or hurricane season, journalists need to be ready to hit the natural disaster beat. But first, preparations need to be made, and extreme-weather reporter Judson Jones is here to help reporters look good no matter what Mother Nature blasts. "Shortly after returning from a trip to chase hailstorms, Jones gave me a rundown of his core outfit packing list that keeps him ready for any assignment," reports Kyle Fitzgerald of Wirecutter. "We talked about why the way he unpacks is as important as the way he packs, as well as the need to bring multiple hats." After years of trial and error, Jones has even found a jacket that keeps him dry during hurricane rain and winds and is stylish enough to wear to dinner post-storm reporting. Read his picks and tips here. 

The world loves American cheese and butterfat products.
(Photo by Edward Howell, Unsplash)

Global cheese and butterfat demand continues to climb, helping American dairy farmers slice off profits even as milk production continues to increase. Cheese exports in March broke records with "over 63,435 metric tons exported, which is an all-time high for single-month exports," reports Sarah Jungman of Dairy Herd Management. The 2026 gain represents a 29% jump in cheese exports over March of 2025. "Butterfat and anhydrous milk fat exports also set a single-month record at 17,074 metric tons shipped, 109.9% higher than March of 2025." During the first quarter of 2026, Mexico exported the largest chunk of American dairy products.