Quick hits: Loneliness, boredom blamed for addiction; will big new philanthropies help rural America?

Here's a roundup of stories with rural resonance; if you do or see similar work that should be shared on The Rural Blog, email us at heather.chapman@uky.edu.

Paper dolls, magic portals and Twitter: how this rural Colorado teacher connects her kindergarten students to the world: Read more here.

Author says opioid addiction caused by loneliness and boredom: Read more here.

Will these big new philanthropy foundations pay attention to rural America? Read more here.

Rural advocates are concerned about new liver -transplant rules. Read more here.