Quick hits: Solutions needed for overdue utility bills; Maine 'hackathon' aims to boost rural economic recovery . . .

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.

Abandoned oil wells are polluting air and groundwater; who's going to clean it up? Read more here.

Maine and six North Atlantic countries are hosting a 48-hour virtual brainstorming competition offering cash and business-development opportunities for big ideas related to rural economic recovery. Read more here.

Medicare Advantage enrollees living in rural areas are more than twice as likely to switch to traditional Medicare as urban dwellers, according to a new study. Read more here.

Commentary: As Americans, especially poor and people of color, struggle to pay water bills, solutions are past due—especially since utility shutoff moratoriums expire soon. Read more here.

A report from a nonprofit discusses how to attract young people to rural upstate New York (and, by extrapolation, many other areas with similar economies). Read more here.

Scientists are testing a novel treatment that could help fight citrus greening. Read more here.

A federal proposal to change how the federal government classifies metropolitan and nonmetropolitan counties could have big economic implications for rural America. Read more here.

Study: people who live near fracking wells are routinely exposed to harmful chemicals. Read more here.

U.S. agriculture faces new international trade challenges. Read more here.

Oregon's logging industry says it can't afford new taxes, but lumber prices and profits are soaring. Read more here.