Exit poll show Christians helped Democrats win during 2026's 'blue wave'

A recently unlikely group helped Democrats ride the "blue wave" into elected office during the 2026 midterm: Christians. Preliminary exit polls show the Democrats gained ground with Christian voters by 3 percentage points among Protestants and 11 percentage points in Catholics, Christopher Kuo and Anvee Bhutani report for The Wall Street Journal. 

"For a Democratic Party long wary of mixing Christianity and politics, the victories of unapologetically faith-based candidates in hotly contested races marked a turn," Kuo and Bhutani write. "In podcast interviews, stump speeches and campaign ads, the contenders articulated a vision of progressive or center-left politics rooted in theological principles."

Perhaps most notable among the Democratic midterm winners is Texas Senator-elect James Talarico, who regularly quoted scripture at campaign stops. But other Democratic clergy and seminarians won seats in the House and Senate, including megachurch pastor Adam Hamilton from Kansas, and Lutheran minister Sarah Trone Garriott from Iowa. 

Even though evangelical Christians still voted "overwhelmingly" for Republicans, Kuo and Bhutani report that "some on the left hope their success will prompt the party to engage religious voters more directly and pave the way for other outspoken Christians to run as Democrats."

Rural voters helped elect Democrats in South Carolina and Texas; The Daily Yonder has the details

The Daily Yonder published two stories this week investigating how rural voters in two key states helped Democrats win on Election Day. In South Carolina, rural voters helped send a democrat to the U.S. Senate for the first time in 30 years, and in Texas, rural folks voted early more and helped break a midterm record while they were at it. 

"Historically deep-red rural counties flipped blue this cycle" in South Carolina, Sarah Alexander Melotte reports. Nearly 140,000 rural voters supported Democrat Annie Andrews, and without them, she would have only gotten 44% of the popular vote. The margin was tight, and "every type of county, from the cities to the countryside, contributed to Andrews' win," Melotte writes. Fifteen previously red counties out of the state's 46 flipped blue. 

More than 35% of registered rural voters participated in Texas' midterm elections, helping to break the previous early voting record for a midterm in the state by nearly two percentage points, reports Madeline de Figueiredo. The state has registered 9.5% new rural voters since 2022, and rural early voting this election was up by seven percentage points. 

"Rural voter participation [in Texas] has remained elevated throughout the 2026 election cycle," Figueiredo writes. "In March, rural Texas voters had the highest primary turnout rate of any geographic group in the state, with approximately 26% of registered rural voters casting ballots, compared with 24% in major metropolitan counties."

(Map screenshot from The Daily Yonder. Blue shaded counties flipped from red. See the full interactive map, here, and another of Texas, here)

Almost 1.2 million could be insured if Texas democrats expand Medicaid

After historic election-night wins for Democrats in Texas, nearly 1.2 million people in the state could become eligible for Medicaid if Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa can follow-through on her promise to pursue expansion of the program, reports Dylan Scott for Vox. 

"Texas has the highest uninsured rate of any state in the country," Scott writes, and statistically, the majority of those uninsured live in rural areas. 

"Democrats are in the strongest negotiating position they’ve ever had in the Lone Star State," Scott writes. They have the governor's office for the first time in 30 years, and control the house for the first time in 20 years. "You should expect to see Medicaid expansion bills filed on November 9, which is our first day for early bill filing," Bee Moorhead, executive director of Texas Impact told Scott. "Absolutely, it will be on the table."

Scott writes that Texans have been waiting for Medicaid expansion for decades, but Republican leaders "refused to budge." Now, even though there's no guarantee that Democrats will be able to make it happen because Texas' senate remains Republican-controlled, "for the first time, there is real reason hope." 

How rural Texas is trying to preserve a unique German-speaking dialect

Laughter of elders from all walks of life filled a small room in the historic Pioneer Museum of Fredericksburg, Texas. They shared childhood stories, life updates, recipes and jokes — all in a unique German dialect.

In Texas Hill Country, gatherings like these keep German on the tongues of those who grew up speaking it, Paul Holm reports for The Daily Yonder, especially as fewer and fewer pass it down to their families. According to Hans Boas, director of the Texas German Dialect Project at the University of Texas at Austin, the language developed from the German dialects brought to the state in the 19th century.

 

As people from different regions of Germany settled together in Texas, their dialect blended. Texas German developed independently and has its own unique words. For instance, an airplane is called a "Luftschiff," or airship, in Texas German, but a "Flugzeug" in modern German.

"There are a bunch of words that didn’t exist 175 years ago, so we don’t use them here," said John Bakke, a Fredericksburg native. For speakers like Bakke, who didn’t pass down German or marry into a German-speaking family, gatherings help him connect with his family memories and those who share them.

Researchers like Boas are working to record interviews preserving the dialect as it threatens to fade away with age. University of Texas-Austin estimates roughly 5,000 speakers remain, all mostly 70 or older. Boas said speakers were discouraged from passing down the language due to anti-German sentiments during the world wars, but he doesn't think the disappearance of Texas German would mean "the extinction of German culture in rural Texas." Boas expects music, food, dancing and social clubs to endure.

What a historic 'blue wave' means for rural communities and the climate

Voters across party lines were particularly concerned with gas prices, the Iran war and food and energy costs leading up to the 2026 midterm elections. Such issues hit rural communities hard, with farmers unable to afford diesel, data centers being built in small towns and SNAP reductions.

 

Democratic candidates won the midterms in a sweeping number of states, reports Grist staff, including in typically red states like Ohio and South Carolina. “The sweep will have profound consequences for climate action in the United States, even with President Donald Trump still in the White House,” Grist staff writes. “Flipping control of Congress will allow the Democrats to hinder Trump’s numerous attempts to roll back federal climate policy.”

In Trump’s first two terms, Democrats could not curtail Republican climate proposals or the hollowing out of agencies, such as the United States Forest Service and FEMA. With Congress flipped, though, the party will be able to issue subpoenas, potentially impeach members of Trump's administration, and control must-pass funding bills like the Farm Bill. Grist staff writes that Trump will have to negotiate with the party to avoid a government shutdown.

Listed below are some highlights of the "blue wave" that will help rural areas the most:

• Asheville — devastated by Hurricane Helene and a lack of federal assistance — flipped the house blue. “In a rally held on the eve of the election, President Trump promised to deliver more hurricane aid money, but only if North Carolina elected Republicans.”

• House Democrats could make the administration spend money on climate by unfreezing President Biden’s 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.

• Texas elected a Democratic senator for the first time in nearly 40 years; he supports renewable energy while maintaining oil and gas jobs.

• Montana voted for a Democratic house seat. The candidate is anti-data center, pro-renewables.

• Democrats flipped Georgia’s utility commission, which will determine "how the state’s largest utility makes energy and how much customers pay for it."

• Statewide Democratic wins in transportation expect to raise money for public transport.

• Voters rejected adding a "right to natural gas" clause in Colorado’s constitution.

Voters restricted data centers in communities across the country this Election Day

Voters across the country made one thing clear on Election Day 2026: They don't want data centers in their communities. Data centers can be built anywhere, but in recent months, there has been a big  push to build them largely in rural areas.

Alex Brown reports for Stateline (republished and linked here from Next City) that 35 "ballot measures to restrict data centers were passed by voters or were leading in ongoing vote counts" as of Wednesday morning. In Ohio alone, Brown reports that voters in 21 municipalities "overwhelmingly backed new restrictions or declined to approve measures that affirmed the buildout" of data centers. 

Ballot measures on Tuesday "included outright prohibitions, temporary moratoriums, limitations on energy use, mandating voter approval before construction and advisory measures urging local officials to restrict data centers," Brown reports, adding that an NBC exit poll found that 56 percent of voters said data centers were a major issue for them.

Rural voters helped Democrats win on Election Day 2026, Washington Post data shows

Rural voters were a significant part of the Democrats' overwhelming victories on Election Day 2026, according to data compiled by The Washington Post on Wednesday morning. 

"Rural areas, suburbs and major cities all moved toward Democratic candidates by double digits compared with the 2024 election," report Clara Ence Morse, Eric Lau and Ted Armus for the Post. 

They write that voters from a range of demographics "backed Democrats by overwhelming numbers" this midterm election, catapulting Democrats into control of the U.S. House and Senate. Midterm turnout is historically and consistently low and almost always favors the sitting president, "but these results included new high-water marks for Democrats, who won in multiple states for the first time in decades — and in nearly a century in the case of Kansas," where rural voters swung Democrat by 20 points. 

Read more about historical races and wins, and see some compelling visuals of the Democratic pendulum swing, here. 

Trump Administration's proposed recension of Roadless Rule could threaten protected lands with future development

The Trump Administration filed a proposed rule and draft environmental impact statement (EIS) in August to rescind the Roadless Rule that protects inventoried land without roads from further development, reports Ilana Newman for The Daily Yonder. Many in rural communities say the Roadless Rule protects their economy and way of life.

The ruling applies to 59 million acres of public land, spanning the Western U.S. and Alaska to New England and Appalachia. Established in 2001, the Roadless Rule protects lands without roads, but “there are plenty of primitive roads in what is known as inventoried roadless areas, or the land that is protected by the Roadless Rule,” Newman writes. “What the Roadless Rule does is prevent any additional development, road building, or logging in those areas.”

As of Aug. 18, the filing of the proposed rule opened a 30-day public comment period. Rescinding the ruling would allow local hands to better manage forests for wildfire risk, according to Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins. Rural commenters from Alaska, Appalachia, Montana, New Mexico and Washington disagree:

• Washington: Those touched by some of the state’s biggest wildfires think roads would add to risk. While roads are a critical firefighting tool, most wildfires are caused by humans — ignited adjacent to roads. Arguments for the rescission say roads allow for better forest management before and during fires, but locals say there isn’t enough evidence, especially with low-maintenance on current roads.
• New Mexico: In the mining town of Silver Springs, “even those who work in mining, [are] opposed to proposed new mines that overlap with inventoried roadless areas in the Gila National Forest.”
• Montana: Inventoried Kootenai National Forest in Montana is used as a conservation site for grizzly bears, with forests designated for growing bear foods such as salmonberries and thimbleberries. New roads in the area could threaten those efforts. 
• Alaska: In Alaska's Tongass National Forest — the largest in the U.S. — locals believe rescinding the Roadless Rule would allow for the return of a bygone logging era that would threaten the forest. 
• Appalachia: Rural communities in parts of the region rely on drinking water that comes from land protected by the Roadless Rule. Forested areas in the south are important to keep water treatment costs down.

Replacing birds with rockets: SpaceX promises to answer concerns of Louisiana residents but has not made solid plans

SpaceX announced plans to build a $100 billion spaceport on the coast of Pecan Island, Louisiana this summer. Plans include a launchpad that would cover 400 acres of marsh to account for 10,000 launches a year — or 30 rocket launches a day, reports Delaney Nolan for The Daily Yonder.

Pecan Island is home to around 300 permanent residents who live only about six miles from the planned launchpads, Nolan writes. SpaceX hosted a forum to engage with the community, who were primarily concerned with environmental damage, property access, bird migration and flood risks. To many of their questions, SpaceX did not have an answer, and in two instances, representatives backtracked.

"Lil Mark" Broussard, a resident of the island, owns a strip of land between the shoreline and the southern border of SpaceX’s property. He asked if he would be able to access this land. Mark Soltys, the principal launch engineer, originally said SpaceX would not deny him access to his land, but he changed his answer during the hearing to "Access is blocked." This is because the expulsion zone as rockets launch would be too large to allow safe, unrestricted access — especially if there are 30 launches daily. 

The expanse of this expulsion area would impact Pecan’s coastline fishing access and its status as a hub for the Mississippi River Flyaway. Katy Groom, SpaceX’s director of environmental regulatory affairs, said native birds will momentarily flush, but will return, but could only tell residents the company would "figure it out" when asked how birds would return between 30 launches a day. 

With marsh land depleted, SpaceX would also have to build a levee/barrier to protect the island, but the question is whether it will surround the community, too. The answer is unclear: A state permit was bought, but has not been used to address flood protection plans. Many are worried about the noise from the launches or possible home damage, but a new Louisiana law means residents can’t sue. "SpaceX cannot be held liable for ‘noise, sonic booms, overflight, vibration, light, heat, exhaust, smoke, odor, visual intrusion, temporary access restrictions, or any other disturbance.'"

Dolores Huerta, co-founder of United Farm Workers, dies at 96

Dolores Huerta, co-founder of United Farm Workers, and lifelong workers' rights advocate, died from cancer on Oct. 28 at 96, reports Robert D. McFadden for The New York Times. Huerta led strikes and boycotts that would change the lives of thousands of migrant laborers. 

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Huerta protested with the nonviolent tactics promoted by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. "She was arrested 22 times, roughed up by strikebreakers and once severely beaten by a police officer, suffering broken ribs and a ruptured spleen that left her disabled for months." She was also mother to 14 children, who were young during the time of her peak advocacy. 

She advocated for immigrants’ and women’s rights, and was an ally to U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, whose assassination she witnessed. In 1962, she and Caesar Chavez founded the National Farm Workers Association, which would become the UFW, and protested low wages and abuses like toxic pesticide exposure by California grape growers. Their protests and boycotts amid police harassment culminated in the industry providing first-time benefits to laborers in 1970. 

The groups' efforts led to passage of the 1975 Agricultural Labor Relations Act in California, the first major farm reform outside of Hawaii, which guaranteed the right to organize a union. Though Huerta continued her activism, she was forced out of the UFW by her male coworkers. 

The NYT investigated Chavez for his abuse of underage girls in 2026. Huerta revealed during an interview with the Times that Chavez had raped her, and that two of her children were the product of his abuse. By her arrangement, the two children were raised by others. Other women at the UFW claimed Huerta rebuffed their complaints of sexism in the workplace. Huerta, fearing nobody would believe her allegations, said, "I never talked about it to anybody, and the reason I didn’t is because I just didn’t want to hurt the movement."

Huerta "was showered with awards, including 15 honorary degrees, and at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, she formally placed Hillary Clinton’s name in nomination for president," McFadden writes. "Her life was extolled in 'Dolores,' a 2017 documentary by Peter Bratt. In 2019, Gov. Gavin Newsom of California proclaimed an annual Dolores Huerta Day to commemorate her 'lifelong pursuit of justice.'"

The backyard blight of black walnuts finds a new identity in the kitchen

The large yellow, greenish nuts from the black walnut tree fall throughout summer and fall, often tripping runners, chipping mower blades and staining sidewalks black. Many collect them by the bucket to remove them from yards, sometimes opting to cut down the trees entirely, Jed Portman reports for The New York Times. This is the relationship for many Americans and the eastern black walnut, which has been known to produce about 3,789 nuts in a single season.

While cleaning up after this nut may seem like a chore, it is a "blessing" for many chefs. Nashville chef Sean Brock is known for his southern cuisine, and he has taken to serving his grandmother’s black walnut fudge at Diners, his Los Angeles-based restaurant. 

Brock said the typical, store-bought walnuts are bred to be much softer and more subtle than the black walnut, which provides a blast of wine-like flavor to his dishes. Chef John Shields of Smyth in Chicago said wild-harvested black walnut has "a very strong flavor that stands up to a seared scallop or a piece of lamb in a way other nuts don’t." Describing the flavor can be difficult, but Shields said it’s damp-tasting and young with hints of citrus. 

Others have described the black walnut’s taste as somewhere between menthol and mold. Either way, the two words to remember are bold and wild — at least that’s the opinion of the American Black Walnut Marketing Board and its main benefactor, Brian Hammons of Stockton, Missouri's Hammons Products Co.

"The company is the only remaining large-scale black walnut processor in the world, collecting millions of pounds of wild black walnuts at more than 160 strategically located processing facilities — called 'hulling stations' — across the Midwest and the South. Amateur foragers drop off truckloads of nuts collected from backyards, family farms and suburban side streets, receiving $14 per 100 pounds after hulling," Portman writes. "Hammons then sells them to major retailers, including Kroger, Publix and Walmart."

Black walnuts remain a cultural cache despite their "divisive appeal." For many, their thoughts on the black walnut can be found in the memory of their grandma's fruitcake and walnut cookies, or perhaps they are yet to be cultivated in a world of black walnut, ales, beers, sauces and pastries.

Number of local journalists continues to drop, leaving gaps in coverage of local civic issues

The latest "Local Journalism Index" study from Muck Rack and Rebuild Local News finds that local journalism capacity has continued to drop in 2026. Local journalism equivalents (LJEs) are down by 81 percent since 2002, and about 70 percent of counties in the United States have less than 7.8 LJEs per 100,000 residents, which leaves most Americans "in communities that are, by any reasonable measure, severely undercovered," a release about the report states. 

Other key findings of the report are: A severe lack of coverage of education, healthcare and other civic topics; more focus on crime and sports as newsrooms have shrunk; and higher rates of loneliness in states with fewer local journalists. Also, the report states that fewer local journalists means more direct financial harm to communities, and reporting gaps are linked to other civic gaps. 

"Looking at the state-level data, we see a similar picture: Adequate local news coverage is the exception, not the norm," the release states. "It is difficult to determine to what extent new outlets are filling in the gaps." 

The losses are spread across regions and population growth is not a factor. Two of the states with the fewest number of LJE's per 100,000 are growing in population size. The five states with the fewest LJE's per 100,000 are Nevada, New Jersey, Delaware, Texas and Connecticut. The five states with the most LJE's per 100,000 are Vermont, North Dakota, Maine, South Dakota and Wyoming. 

Bird flu cases spike; concerns over spread between humans rise

Bird flu, or H5N1, is rising at poultry farms across the country. The biggest spike of bird flu occurred in 2024, when egg prices soared between $8 and $10 as commercial flocks were depopulated to control the flu. Julia Musto reports for The Independent that 1.32 billion birds have sickened over the past month.

  

Clinton County, Illinois, is facing the biggest outbreak, with 934,600 ill birds and two farms under quarantine. Minnesota, Wisconsin and North Dakota trail behind. 

Humans can be infected if the virus enters the eyes, nose, mouth or is inhaled. It is typically spread through the infected saliva or fecal matter of an ill bird/animal. H5N1 has a 50% mortality rate in humans.

 
The sickness is currently unable to spread from human to human, but scientists say it is only a matter of time. Bird flu can spread to cows from birds, and it is now being tracked in wild birds like geese, mallards, turkeys, pelicans and vultures. It has recently spread to mink and has the ability to spread between minks.

“Mink have similar lungs and airways to people and past research has shown they are susceptible to spreading human viruses, including bird flu.” This could help H5N1 mutate toward human to human spread, which may facilitate a possible pandemic-level spread of bird flu. 

Call for proposals: ISWNE and IRJCI seeking papers about issues affecting community journalism

The International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors and the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues at the University of Kentucky are seeking proposals "for papers that provide insight and guidance on general issues and/or everyday problems that confront community newspapers and their newsrooms ... particularly those with small staffs and circulations under 10,000," according to a joint release from ISWNE and IRJCI. 

One paper will be selected for presentation at the 2027 ISWNE conference is Indianapolis in July 2027. Proposals will be peer-reviewed by faculty "with expertise in community journalism," and final selection will be made by a panel of working and retired community journalists who will evaluate the proposals based on their "potential value to newsrooms." While all proposals are welcome, those from graduate students, with international focus and/or that reflect an international perspective on community newspapers are especially encouraged. 

Examples of successful proposals could include: legal, political or ethical issues; print/digital integration models; and surveys about staff retention. Papers about Sunshine Law violations or how to train young journalists about how to avoid them, or how to reach new audiences are also highly encouraged. 

All proposals should be emailed to ivy.brashear@uky.edu by Nov. 20, and authors will be notified by Dec. 4 about accepted proposals. The winning author will receive a complimentary ISWNE conference registration and $250 toward travel. The conference is July 21-25, 2027 in Indianapolis. 

For more information about proposal guidelines, deadlines and other details, visit the ISWNE site, here. 

Lack of federal Hurricane Helene disaster relief could impact midterm elections in North Carolina

Voters in western North Carolina are overwhelmingly dissatisfied with the federal response to Hurricane Helene, and that could impact the 2026 midterm elections in a big way, reports Katie Myers for Grist. Helene devastated entire communities and caused $60 billion in damage, but as Myers reports, only $10 billion has been provided by the federal government so far. 

"Half of all North Carolinians are dissatisfied with the government’s response, compared to 37 percent who are satisfied, according to a poll commissioned by television stations WRAL and WSOC. In western North Carolina, which bore the brunt of Helene’s fury, just 5 percent said they are 'very satisfied' with how officials are handling things," Myers writes. 

These sentiments are affecting federal elections in North Carolina's U.S. Senate race between former governor Roy Cooper, a Democrat, and President Trump's point person on Helene recovery, Michael Whatley. Trump has "joked that he wouldn't send North Carolina additional aid if Whatley lost," Myers reports, which means "politicians are treating [disaster] recovery as an electoral issue." 

Myers writes that it's unclear whether slow disaster relief is impacting voters. For some, Myers writes, it's more about climate change than recovery. But numbers show a shift is happening. In NC-11, for instance, the largely rural mountain area went for Trump by nearly 10 points in 2024. But now, Republican Jennifer Balkcom is "running even with Democrat Jamie Ager," and a pro-Trump political action committee just canceled more than $1 million in TV advertising for Balkcom in the district. 

Disinformation spreads quickly after disaster, but one news outlet created a media literacy guide to help

A "perfect storm" of factors is leading to vast disinformation after disasters, and more than becoming conspiracy theories about government interference or so-called "weather weapons," such misinformation could harm recovery efforts and threaten lives, reports Jake Bittle of Grist.

"Extreme weather events are always chaotic, and it’s always been easy for rumors to spread during moments of calamity, but the problem has never been as bad as it is now," Bittle writes. He writes that the problem is "as bad as it is now" because of several factors: "... the information landscape has never been more fragmented — major social media companies have given up on any pretense of fact-checking and content moderation; politicians often distort or politicize disasters; government agencies are short-staffed following DOGE cuts; and generative AI models have created an entirely new and little-understood way to source information." 

But when misinformation spreads after a disaster, it "can lead to lost lives, traumatic displacement, or slow recovery," while also straining "the relationship between public authorities and their citizens." So, what can people do about this? Grist has an answer in a new guide about fact-checking during a disaster, that can help those impacted find accurate information about extreme weather from trusted sources. The guide offers a list of sources and helps people understand how to verify those sources and the information they share. It even helps readers identify A.I.-generated content. 

USPS delays, newly proposed legislation could affect voting by mail among Native Americans

Many Native Americans use mail-in ballots to vote in national elections so they won't have to travel long distances to polling places, but USPS delays could mean those ballots don't make it into the final count, reports Kalle Benallie for Indian Country Today.

Recent proposed federal and state changes have increased panic among Native voters, said Triston Black, director of the Young Peoples Project at Arizona Native Voice. He told Benallie that "it's irresponsible to start a panic during the midterm elections about voting by mail." His organization is encouraging Native voters to keep voting by mail, reassuring them that Tribal ID's are valid personal identification to show proof of citizenship. 

Black said that "64 percent of tribal voters living on Navajo, Hopi or White Mountain and Apache lands voted by mail in 2024," and encouraged Native voters who plan to vote by mail to do so as early as possible to avoid mail delays, which can be extreme. 

Benallie reports that ballot rejections for missed deadlines increased by 134 percent "in counties where Native Americans make up more than 25 percent of the population" between 2020 and 2024, according to data from the Native American Rights Fund. The report said there is "strong evidence that USPS network disruptions had a significant impact with Native voters." 

Appalachia prioritized for conservation alongside the Amazon rainforest; major easement is set for sale in 2028

Appalachia has been recognized by The Nature Conservancy as one of four priority areas “with global importance for weathering future changes,” along with the Amazon rainforest, Kenya and Borneo, Kim Kobersmith reports for The Daily Yonder.

The Appalachian region is a conservation priority because it spans nearly 2,000 miles with immense, contiguous habitat biodiversity. It is also a hub for bird migration because there is minimal interference from human-made barriers like roads or walls. Even so, Appalachia is a region devastated by exploitative practices like mining and logging.

But The Nature Conservancy saw what was coming, and in 2018, bought 253,000 acres of Appalachian land to protect in perpetuity. The experimental program was dubbed The Cumberland Forest Project. The project spans three states, and 53,000 acres of land were sold to the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources in 2024 through a conservation easement.

The program operates on a local, regional and national scale, heavily considering, seeking and financially supporting local communities. However, the conservancy only planned to steward the program for 10 to 12 years, and their ownership could be coming to a close in 2028. “While any new owners will be constrained by the easements, the hope is to find buyers who will fully embrace and further the work The Nature Conservancy and its partners began," Kobersmith reports. 

Wilderness rescuers notice an uptick in AI causing people to get lost in wild spaces

Artificial intelligence is quickly becoming a reason why hikers and other outdoor enthusiasts are getting lost or otherwise not following forestry rules in outdoor spaces, reports Christine Peterson of High Country News.

Nick Meyers, U.S. Forest Service program manager at the Mount Shasta Wilderness Climbing and Avalanche Center, told Peterson a story about three 20-somethings who recently got lost on the mountain after making a series of bad decisions they blamed in part on Google's A.I. chatbot, Gemini. "To these guys’ credit, they did try," Meyers said. "But I think they kind of turned their brains off."

That is likely what literally happened, according to Clemson University professor Chris Flathmann, who studies A.I. and search and rescue. He told Peterson that using AI can lead to something called, "cognitive surrender," when one uses AI. "so deep they give up thinking critically for themselves." 

Back at Mount Shasta, "another visitor pitched her tent near a 'No Camping' sign, insisting she had a right to do so because AI told her she could." Meyers said he and his team "also encountered a man wandering around at a trailhead with an AI-generated map that showed prominent features on the wrong side of a nearby mountain." Foresters in Grand Teton National Park have noticed "a marked uptick over the past year in the percentage of visitors who report using AI for travel information," up from 0% in 2025 to 26% in 2026.

Commentary: Farmers fear the 1980s economy is coming back

In 1985, John Mellencamp released his song "Rain on the Scarecrow," which tells the story of farmers forced to foreclose their land amid the 1980s recession. And as bad as farmers hate to admit it, they are facing similar economic peril today, according to Krista Swanson of the National Corn Growers Association.  

Swanson, chief economist for the NCGA, said the parallels of today compared to the 1980s are apparent. High costs for fuel and seeds are squeezing farmers, and since 2022, inflation has been driving profits down.

Lisa Foust Prater reports for Successful Farming that this was also the case between the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s. "Swanson said she's noticing red flags including weakening in terms of loan repayments, farmer debt levels relative to assets, and a cumulative drop in negative net returns between 2023 and 2025 that is the sharpest relative drop back to when that data set began in 1975."

Even though the high prices of the 1980s farm economy are reappearing, Swanson said we are yet to see high interest rates like the 1980s, noting there is more market opportunity than 40 years ago. Swanson said the solution is creating a competitive market for farmers — both domestically and internationally — in hopes of increasing profits and reducing operating costs. 

LISTEN: WKMS produced an hour-long radio special to commemorate 50 years of 'Harlan County: U.S.A'

Image courtesy of WKMS

It has been 50 years since the premiere of the Academy Award-winning documentary, "Harlan County: U.S.A," and to mark the occasion, WKMS in western Kentucky produced an hour-long radio piece about the anniversary. The piece was made in partnership with the Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom out of West Virginia Public Broadcasting. 

WKMS News Director Derek Operle "spent months diving into the documentary’s impact and lasting legacy, traveling to Harlan County and other parts of the state." He interviewed many people involved in the making of the documentary, including director Barbara Kopple, and some of the miners and their families. He also talked with others who spoke about the impact the film has had since its release.

The documentary "shined a light on an eastern Kentucky coal mining community and their fight for a union contract," reports WKMS. 

The Daily Yonder's 'Rural Index' offers a 'spooky' map of rural place names for Halloween

The Daily Yonder has gotten spooky with its Rural Index mapping section this Halloween season. Mapper Sarah Melotte spent some time finding all the rural places with Satan, Lucifer, hell or devil in the name and created an interactive map from the results. 

Melotte reports in The Daily Yonder newsletter that "there are 26 swamps named after Satan himself. Thirteen Devil Creeks range from Montana to Tennessee. Seven islands in Maine, Wisconsin, Alaska, Montana, and Iowa contain the word 'Devil.' Twenty-two of these devilish places are towns, from Devil Town, Ohio, to Seven Devils, North Carolina."

Data behind the map comes from the Geographic Names and Information System, "a federal database containing millions of American place names." Melotte "downloaded spreadsheets corresponding to the following search terms – devil, hell, lucifer, satan – then matched their coordinates" to rural counties.

You can see the map — if you dare — here. 

New study shows rural residents use telehealth at consistently lower rates than urban residents

Telehealth usage in rural areas has been consistently lower than in urban areas since 2020, according to a new report from Elevance Health Public Policy Foundation. 

The study found that rural residents with chronic conditions used telehealth at a rate of 4.6% compared to 7.5% of those in urban areas — regardless of insurance type — reports Liz Carey of The Daily Yonder.

Rural people are diagnosed with and experience chronic conditions, like diabetes, COPD and hypertension, at higher rates, but only 13.5% of rural Medicaid patients used telehealth in 2021 compared to 18.5% in non-rural areas. Across the board, rural patients were least likely to use telehealth, meaning in some cases, their care might have been interrupted or incomplete given long travel time to see doctors in person. 

The study didn't investigate the causes of this trend, but Carey reports that "it does show that more needs to be understood in terms of how rural communities use telehealth." Elevance Public Policy Director told Carey that telehealth use by rural residents increased slightly during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and that it "remains part of chronic conditions care," but the lack of usage in rural areas "says to us that there’s still a gap there that does need to be understood and addressed."

Researchers find tick-borne alpha-gal meat allergy may not be a lifelong problem

On a table in a Missouri library lay brochures, plushies, paperbacks, and memorabilia all featuring the same antagonist: the lone star tick. The tick is a common carrier for alpha-gal, Rose LaForest reports for the Mississippi River Basin, a syndrome that causes allergic reactions to red meat, dairy and other mammal products in humans.

Alpha-gal is becoming more and more common, and is most widespread in Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and Missouri. That is why Mary Lynn Cady, who was diagnosed with alpha-gal in 2011, runs a support group at the Daniel Boone Branch of St. Louis County Library.

The diagnosis of alpha-gal can feel lonesome and is unique. Most are diagnosed as adults with no knowledge of EPI Pens or allergies, and they have to learn to adapt their diets quickly. The disease is caused by a sugar called galactose-α-1,3-galactose, which is present in other mammals like cattle, but not in humans. When a tick bites a human, it can transmit this sugar into a person’s bloodstream, causing allergic reactions to mammal products.

Dr. Maya Jerath and her colleague, Dr. Peggy Kendall, are looking for a more accurate way to diagnose and treat alpha-gal. Many patients see less sensitivity over time and can clear the allergy up. Jerath and Peggy "have some interventions that we would like to study to see if we could actually do something to patients that will make it go away," they told LaForest. Of the population in the most affected states, 24% have the antibody, but most don’t have the allergy.

Jerath and Peggy found that cells in symptomatic vs. asymptomatic blood may be the difference, and researchers are testing to see if this discovery could serve as a treatment for alpha-gal.

Invasive species threaten to raze entire forests while scientists rush to find solutions to save the trees

Trees in the United States are sick and dying at exponentially high rates, reports Catrin Einhorn for The New York Times. While scientists rush to keep up with preventative measures to save entire species, they worry about what has already been lost, and what might continue disappearing if they're not fast enough to save the trees that remain. 

"Epidemics are escalating, across numerous species, as more and more pests and pathogens invade forests," Einhorn writes. "Their entryway is global trade — in live plants, and in the countless products that are shipped in wooden pallets, crates and other packaging. As trade has boomed, so have the opportunities for tiny stowaways to wreak havoc."

Those tiny stowaways include the emerald ash borer, which has feasted on ash trees for decades, and the aphid-like wooly adelgid that attacks the Eastern hemlock, chewing on the tender flesh of the tree just under the bark, cutting off the trees' food and water supply in the process. 

"The attackers have killed billions of trees already, with countless more under threat. In some severe cases, forests are transforming into bleak spaces of brambles and vines," Einhorn reports. The impacts aren't contained in the forest, either. "Trees filter water, stabilize the land and clean the air. They absorb and store planet-warming carbon dioxide, fighting climate change. They create the three-dimensional habitat that countless species use for shelter and shade." 

Scientists are racing to find solutions, but they're finding it hard to keep up with the speed at which these tiny invaders are devouring forests. The northeastern U.S. has become the epicenter of the converging epidemics, where six of the most prominent ash tree species have been listed as endangered or critically endangered since 2002. 

Iowa's white-tailed deer population declines as hunting season begins

As cooler temperatures settle in across Iowa, deer hunters are already gearing up for hunting season. But they might harvest less this year after Iowa’s Department of Natural Resources determined that deer populations are down across the state, reports Iowa Capital Dispatch for Successful Farming. 

In its 2026 spring survey, DNR scanned for wildlife after sunset along gravel roads throughout the state, and found "the lowest relative abundance of white-tailed deer in over a decade." The DNR reports 2025 saw a 20% decline in abundance — the lowest estimate since 2013 — though there is evidence populations in western Iowa are rebounding. Bowhunters, who are the most active deer hunters, confirm these results with their own observations.

In response to the data, Iowa's DNR implemented a new regional hunting zone, which limits licenses and requires the hunting of only antlered deer with unique quotas in eight western Iowan counties. The reasons for decline, according to DNR’s survey, “remains unclear.”

Deer are often exposed to the sometimes fatal epizootic hemorrhagic disease, but 2025 saw low mortality rates from the illness. Chronic Wasting Disease in deer is managed by the DNR with help from hunters, who report signs of the sickness, but "CWD was not listed as a reason for the population declines across the state."

Instead, the survey found that it's possible climate change and habitat loss are to blame. Unaccounted for landscape or atmospheric conditions, like warmer weather, rain or crop cycles, could have impacted the count. "DNR said the survey also observed very low numbers in 2012, but that numbers shot back up the following year at rates that were 'biologically improbable.'"

Trump executive order ends USDA program meant to fund renewable energy in rural communities

After on-and-off legislation and a series of executive orders, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced changes to a program meant to help farmers and rural small businesses build renewable energy projects, Frida Garza reports for Grist. The change went into effect on Oct. 16

The changes disqualify solar development from funding through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). REAP used to support farmers seeking renewables like solar, which can cost up to tens of thousands of dollars. It allowed for lower utility bills, and farmers and business owners were able to sell excess power back into the grid. REAP’s padding could be a lifeline for those bearing the brunt of high fertilizer and gas prices.

The Iowa Farmers Union is one plaintiff in a case filed against the USDA last month, alleging the agency was already harming rural communities’ access to solar. The case targets the USDA for changing REAP following an executive order by President Trump, which stated taxpayers would no longer subsidize "unreliable" and "foreign" energy sources like wind and solar. A final rule change to REAP makes having renewables on cropland built with "any component made in a country named as a foreign adversary" ineligible for funding. Most solar system parts are manufactured in China.

REAP was created in the 2008 Farm Bill by Congress. Advocates say the changes to REAP defy Congress. "The lawsuit also alleges that these anti-solar moves from the USDA violate the Administrative Procedure Act, which essentially requires agencies to show that regulatory decisions were made through careful consideration."

Crop imports and exports: Soybean harvest trails behind five-year average, beef prices drop

Soybean futures, or contracts that set specific buying or selling dates for soybeans, were down overnight on Thursday, Oct. 15, reports Tony Dreibus for Successful Farming.

The national soybean harvest was only 46% complete as of Sunday, Oct. 11. Though that number is up from the previous Sunday, it still lags behind the five-year average of 50% completion at this time of year. Soybeans were underpinned, or protected from further economic collapse, "after the USDA announced a sale of 470,000 metric tons to China for delivery in the 2026–2027 marketing year that started on Sept. 1."

Outside of these exports, imports are lowering retail beef prices, though pork costs are rising. "Ground beef prices fell to an average of $6.483 a pound last month while ground chuck dropped to $6.792 a pound, the agency said. Those prices are down from $6.774 and $6.923 a pound, respectively." Sliced bacon rose to $6.756 a pound from $6.605 a pound earlier in September. Similar increases are seen in ham and pork chop costs.

Beef prices are down because of President Trump’s August initiative to import 300,000 metric tons of tariff-free beef between September, October and November. Ranchers opposed the plan, believing it would artificially and temporarily depress prices while spurring unnecessary foreign competition.

Rural libraries are expanding access by allowing visitors in during unstaffed hours

Wyoming, Minnesota pastor, Ryan Stigile, doesn't have many options when it comes to "third spaces." But that has changed recently, thanks to the local library. The East Central Regional Library’s “extended access” program, which allows access to a library branch when it is unstaffed, allows Stigile to work in the evening.

Programs like the ECRL’s are popping up in rural areas across the nation, reports H. Jiahong Pan for The Daily Yonder. So far this year, the ERCL’s extended access program has been used over 800 times by 55 registered citizens.

 
Here’s how extended access programs work: One must have a library card and be registered for the program to swipe in during unstaffed hours. Some libraries require guests to sign up in person, and some offer online registration. In-person tours are mandated at many libraries to familiarize guests with safety equipment; some have minimum age requirements of 16 or 18.

However, extended access doesn’t guarantee 24-hour access. Several programs end their extension hours at 8 p.m., or are closed on Sundays. Security concerns posed a challenge for ECRL at first, with many questioning what people would do if left unattended. The ECRL installed security cameras and a card-swipe system and has yet to encounter any problems.

The Wyoming branch — one of 12 in the ECRL system — is the only library with extended access. It has cost around $70,000, and an estimated $12,000 will be needed annually to maintain technology. With budget cuts squeezing libraries, many are more focused on their "ability to continue to provide regularly staffed hours across" than expanded access.

Federal Court stops USDA’s restructuring plans, for now

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a radical restructuring plan in March, which aimed to relocate the U.S. Forest Service to Utah, close all nine forest service regional offices and close 23 research facilities. Thousands of employees were also set to be relocated out of Washington, D.C., reports Emily Gardner for Eos.

But on Oct. 13, U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria ruled the USDA can’t continue with its plans through a preliminary injunction, which "asks that the status quo is maintained until a ruling is reached. In this case, it means disallowing major restructuring for the time being."
 

The plans were ruled against because the agency would use funds appropriated by Congress for a purpose (shutting down offices and relocating staff) they did not approve of at the time funds were given.

Agency secretary Brooke Rollins, who was nominated by President Trump, said the restructure did not involve cutting staff, but the USDA’s Reductions in Force and Reorganization Plan "acknowledged that the approach would cut the workforce by 23%, which led some to call the relocation efforts a ‘RIF in disguise.'" Patrick Moran, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) said the agency’s attempt to gut staff would threaten programs like SNAP, hinder wildfire responses and hurt farmers.

The USDA cannot move forward with any restructuring plans until Dec. 11. While Judge Chhabria was able to strike down the plan this month, the statutes used against them will expire in two months, "which means that the agency could convince Congress to appropriate funds toward initiatives like office closure and employee relocation in the future."

The last cottonwood tree along the U.S.-Mexico border in a remote Arizona town has been felled

Contractors bulldozed the last standing cottonwood tree on the Arizona border earlier this month after armed border control agents raided the camp of protestors who were protecting the tree, arresting at least 10 people, Stephanie Casanova reports for High Country News. The protestors had protected the tree for more than 70 days. 

"Dubbed the 'grandmother tree,' the cottonwood cut down Monday was hundreds of years old. It was one of several that lined the edge of private property along Border Road, a dirt road that runs along the U.S.-Mexico border, in a remote area of Arizona in the San Rafael Valley about 25 miles east of Nogales," Casanova reports. 

Activists established a tree-sit in June to protect the grandmother tree, and at least one person slept in the tree at all times. Their efforts delayed construction of the double-border wall along the U.S.-Mexico border near the remote ranching town of Lochiel. 

Douglas Main of The Guardian reports that "the valley, and the Patagonia and Huachuca mountains on either side of it, form one of the most important regional wildlife corridors between the US and Mexico, providing passage to animals including jaguars, ocelots, bears and even beavers and porcupines in recent years." Main writes that while the border wall cuts off this corridor from the animals, the construction sucks up the water from the trees.

The cottonwood trees "depend on a regular supply of water underground," but construction has dried up wells throughout the region, threatening the flora of this unique landscape. Main writes that CPB won't say how much water they're currently using, "but in 2008 it estimated a smaller wall nearby could use up to 710,00 gallons per mile for construction."

American Academy of Pediatrics renews its call for a ban on drinking raw milk

The American Academy of Pediatrics renewed its call for a ban on the sale of raw milk and dairy on Oct. 5 because of the life-threatening illnesses it can cause, especially in babies, children, pregnant women and those who are immunocompromised, reports Ellyn Vohnoutka for U.S. News. The AAP said claims about raw milk’s health benefits are false. Currently, 27 states allow the sale of raw milk, and more are pushing to do the same.

Many at the forefront of U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary RFK Jr.'s Make America Healthy Again campaign tout the benefits of drinking raw milk and are behind efforts to allow the sale of it. Anemona Hartocollis writes for The New York Times that raw milk advocates believe it is healthier than pasteurized milk because it's less processed, and might support the efforts because of that. She added that alignment with the MAHA movement, which favors autonomy over regulated vaccines, often overlaps with this belief.

“Pasteurization heats milk to a set temperature for a minimum amount of time... [and] kills bacteria, viruses and parasites that once made milk a leading source of food poisoning and infant deaths,” Vohnoutka writes. When milk isn't pasteurized, it can carry bacteria like salmonella, listeria and e. coli.

The AAP is also following the trend of drinking raw cow's milk as a possibility for transmitting bird flu. Birds can transmit flu to dairy cows, and so far, it has only infected a few cattle workers. In 2024, it appeared in raw milk samples. While bird flu hasn’t spread to humans through the consumption of raw milk yet, the AAP does regard it as a concern.

There's a new giant pumpkin world record holder; TikTok expands the contests' appeal

As fall festivities kick into full gear across the country, many rural towns are rolling out the scales for their annual pumpkin weigh-offs, and one Rhode Island farmer has reason to celebrate his giant gourd growing efforts, writes Victor Mather of The New York Times. Farmer Ron Wallace's pumpkin just weighed in at 3,156 pounds, smashing the previous record of 2,856 pounds, according to Guinness. 

Pumpkin weighing contests are an American tradition, with contest going back as far as 1900, when the top weights were around 400 pounds, Mather writes. Changes in soil, pruning and pest control, along with genetic changes in seeds, has bulked them up over time. And now, thanks to social media, giant pumpkin farmers have grown in popularity, too. 

One such giant gourd grower, Sarah Whitty in Maine, goes by Pumpkinista on TikTok, and spent the  season this year posting updates about the slow and careful process of growing giant vegetables. Her videos where she details the behind-the-scenes of gourd growing have garnered her nearly 300,000 followers. Her 170-pound giant marrow named Secretariat claimed the North American and U.S. record this year, reports local news station, KTVB7. 

She is one of dozens of giant pumpkin and vegetable growers gaining in popularity on TikTok, including other growers with large followings, GourdFather and bigpumpki. The new giant pumpkin record holder, Farmer Wallace, told Mather the annual pumpkin growing contests captivate for a simple reason: "A giant pumpkin brings a smile to everybody’s face, and it doesn’t matter where you’re from, what nationality you are," he said. "Giant pumpkins don’t care about any of that," and that when someone sees the giant pumpkins, "everybody is just in awe."