Quick hits: fires spark conspiracy theories, threaten Oregon timber economy; lack of students hurts college towns

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.

Small college towns feel the financial pain from the lack of students. Read more here.

Montana officials struggle to get rural residents counted in the census. Read more here.

The decision to shorten the census schedule came from outside the Census Bureau, according to the Commerce Department's inspector general. Read more here.

Conspiracy theories about Western wildfires, including claims that some were started by antifa arsonists, are making things harder for emergency responders. A Facebook official discusses the company's efforts to remove misinformation about the fires and their broader attempts to quell the spread of misinformation online. Read more here.

Oregon's timber economy faces an uncertain future after record wildfires. Read more here.

In slumping energy states, plugging abandoned wells could provide an economic boost. Read more here.