Quick hits: Electric co-op leader says broadband is key to rural jobs; how do you pronounce Appalachia? 'Apple-atcha!'

The Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday $11 billion in grant and loan opportunities to help rural communities access clean, reliable, affordable electricity, calling it "the single largest investment in rural electrification since the 1936 Rural Electrification Act." One program has $9.7 billion for renewable energy, zero-emission and carbon-capture systems. Another program has $1 billion in partially forgivable loans to renewable-energy developers and electric service providers for wind, solar, hydropower, geothermal, biomass and renewable energy storage projects.

An Illinois rural electric cooperative official told the Senate Agriculture Committee's Subcommittee on Rural Development and Energy Wednesday that broadband is the key to rural economic development. Jesse Shekleton, director of broadband operations at Jo-Carroll Energy, said federal broadband subsidies should flexible and “future-proof. . . . Consumer demands and needs for increased internet speeds continue to grow and are trending toward a need for multi-gigabit service by 2030.” 

How do you pronounce "Appalachia?" In Appalachia, Va., they say "Apple-atcha," and Kentucky teacher Willie Carver not only agrees, he provides a historical and linguistic basis for it: The region was named for the Apalachee, an indigenous people who lived in the Florida panhandle: "The first part of the word, appala, most likely means 'on the side' or 'by the water/river/sea.' . . . The chee part of the word most likely means 'people'." Read more on 100 Days in Appalachia.

Applications are due by June 1 for the Appalachian Regional Commission's Applachian Leadership Institute, a free economic-development training opportunity for Appalachia's public, private, and nonprofit leaders. If you live or work in Appalachia and are passionate about helping Appalachian communities thrive, learn more here.

"In rural areas, many property owners must build and maintain their own systems for drawing from groundwater for household use. Wells are a huge investment we rely on every day. But how much do you know about yours?" asks The Daily Yonder, where Donna Kallner answers.