When it comes to managing election interference, 'think local.' Elections are run by neighbors, not 'overlords.'

Building community trust in election officials can
help voter confidence. (Adobe Stock photo)

Establishing community trust in election officials and reminding voters how the democratic process happens in their neck of the woods can help counties counter election deniers, conspiracy theorists and overall election intrusions, reports Chris Teale of Route Fifty. "To fight election misinformation, think local. That was the advice from state elections officials and legislators during a panel discussion at the National Conference of State Legislatures’ Legislative Summit."

Election advocates and officials can begin by consistently explaining who runs local elections. Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams told Teale, "It's important to focus on the locality of this because when you see conspiracy theorists, they point to these grand designs of these overlords. . . . But those people don't really run the election. It's your neighbors. It's people that you literally know. It's important to get away from the top-level view of the system and focus on the ground level.”

Chatbots and other AI tools can spread inaccurate candidate and voting information, which states are working to correct; however, local engagement might be the best way to get voters the most current voting dates and information. "It’s crucial for officials to ensure that they are 'trusted voices' in the community disseminating information, said Arkansas State Rep. Carlton Wing," Teale adds. "Showing that the election process is fair is better than telling people it is, Adams said."

Recruiting and training poll workers is another way to protect elections from interference. "Jurisdictions of all sizes need to recruit poll workers, who have left in the face of a variety of obstacles. . . . One way to help prevent any politically motivated attacks on election procedures and build public trust could be to have politicians work the polls, in states where that practice is allowed."

A small town in Texas addresses domestic violence with combined efforts from police, courts and local businesses

The End Domestic Violence Task Force was recognized by the
Rural Justice Collaborative in 2023. (Photo via RHIhub)

The rural community of Kingsville, Texas, developed a task force of combined support from law enforcement, courts and local businesses to help domestic violence victims safely ask for and receive help. The initiative began when "pastors in the Kingsville Ministerial Alliance realized that there were gaps in services and a lack of support for agencies working with victims of abuse," reports Gretel Kaufman for Rural Health Information Hub. "The nearest shelter, operated by regional domestic violence organization The Purple Door, was 50 miles from Kingsville — a distance that proved prohibitive for people without transportation, or whose jobs or school-aged children required them to stay closer to home."

Although domestic violence isn't necessarily an urban or rural problem, rural victims face more challenges in accessing immediate help and ongoing support. "Rates of emergency department visits due to abuse tend to be higher in rural areas — perhaps, experts suggest, because rural survivors tend to have fewer resources available to them to prevent or escape an abusive situation," Kaufman explains. "In some cases, violence escalates beyond hospitalization: homicide due to intimate partner violence is also more prevalent in rural areas, studies have shown."

Once the Kingsville Ministerial Alliance identified the town's resource gaps, it contacted community partners for additional support, "local agencies including The Purple Door, law enforcement, and the county attorney's office came together to form the End Domestic Violence Task Force," Kaufman reports. "A community-wide initiative that provides enhanced support for domestic violence survivors and spreads public awareness of the issue." Kathy Kimball, who serves as President of the task force, told Kaufman, "We are not immune [from domestic violence] being in a small Texas town."

The Task Force also has small business partners, which provide a place for victims to ask for help. "An estimated 15 to 20 businesses and organizations in the community have been designated as 'Trusted Locations' — places where a person experiencing domestic violence can go to confide in someone and learn about their options," Kaufman writes. "To signal that they are a Trusted Location, businesses will typically display a small sticker on their door or in a more discreet location inside."

Additional supportive measures the community's task force has developed include hotel vouchers and court accompaniment options. The task force "asks that anybody who utilizes the hotel voucher program then gets in touch with an advocate at the Purple Door for an explanation of available services," Kaufman reports. "Any person who opts into the court accompaniment program can have a group of task force members sit behind them, on their side of the courtroom, during protective order hearings."

A true fish story: Bringing the brook trout back to a New Hampshire stream took time and collaboration to succeed

Handsome brook trout (Adobe Stock photo)

Bringing brook trout back to a New Hampshire stream took planning, patience and lots of collaboration by Michael and Kathy Nerrie, reports Caroline Tremblay for The Daily Yonder. 

The couple had always sought to improve and share their land known as Distant Hill Gardens and Nature Trail, but reviving the brook trout was a unique challenge. Michael noticed that trout visited the stream at times, but heavy rains interfered. Tremblay explains, "Observing the region’s increasingly extreme weather events, he contacted the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the national non-profit Trout Unlimited. . . . What he discovered was that his plan would only be effective if conducted along a larger section of brook."

Getting access to that larger section took years. Tremblay reports, "Logistical barriers stood in the way. For instance, one abutting parcel had been donated to the Boy Scouts of America, and questions about who in the organization could approve the project hindered progress. Another lot had been passed down by a grandfather and none of the owners lived locally. Nerrie eventually had to track them down on Facebook."

Pool formed by in-stream wood addition
(Photo by John Magee, NHF&G via The Daily Yonder)

Once the land permissions were granted, the "trout welcoming" stream structures were installed. Tremblay writes, "The actual execution entails the strategic placement of logs and debris to slow the stream in key places. 'The whole idea is to create lots of pools and eddies for fish and aquatic life, Michael said. . . . During restoration, Distant Hill held a workshop with the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department for people interested in the project."

The trout tale is one of many emerging stories of "people having a positive impact on nature," Tremblay adds. "Whether focused on environmental impacts, land value, or sheer personal enjoyment, rural landowners like the Nerries are recognizing the myriad benefits of preserving their land’s unique natural qualities. And an increasing number have realized the greatest impact comes from collaboration."

As dairy cows enter the U.S. food chain, many will be tested for the bird flu virus, aka, H5N1

Dairy cows will be the focus of new slaughterhouse
testing for bird flu by the USDA. (Adobe Stock photo)

The Department of Agriculture will boost its bird flu or H5N1 response to U.S. dairy and beef livestock infections by "expanding bird-flu testing of beef entering the food supply," reports Leah Douglas of Reuters. In May, the agency tested 109 beef samples from "dairy cows sent to slaughter and found bird flu virus particles in one cow's tissue sample. Older dairy cattle are often slaughtered for ground beef."

Dairy cows will be the focus of most slaughterhouse testing. "Nearly 200 herds in 13 U.S. states have contracted bird flu since March after the virus jumped from wild birds to cows, according to USDA data," Douglas explains. "Eric Deeble, deputy undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs, said the USDA is confident with the current level of bird-flu testing conducted by the nation's dairy farmers."

Meanwhile, dairy operators and workers are at increased risk of contracting H5N1. To date, 13 poultry and dairy workers have contracted bird flu since April, and workers who might be exposed to infected animals need to wear personal protective equipment.

To further address the virus' presence across the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration is "talking with states about the plausibility of additional nationwide raw milk testing," Douglas reports. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is "working on expanding its surveillance wastewater testing to H5 viruses in advance of the fall and winter flu season."

According to the USDA, U.S. beef and dairy products are safe to consume.

Rural lands are cooler than urban spaces; a study suggests a new way to reduce sizzling urban temperatures

Strategic use of rural land and water bodies could
help cool cities. (Adobe Stock photo)

The heat is on cities to do something about sweltering and unhealthy urban temperatures. Researchers looked at the problem and said, "Rural can cool," and began work on configurations where city heat could be mitigated by country cool, reports Erin Blakemore of The Washington Post. "Rural land surrounding urban areas could reduce city temperatures by up to half a degree Celsius, an analysis in Nature Cities suggests, hinting at a way to cool increasingly scorching urban areas."

Scientists studied 30 cities in China "to understand how rural land cover affects urban heat islands — a phenomenon in which cities become significantly warmer than the areas surrounding them." Blakemore explains. "Researchers concluded neighboring rural land cover can explain about 30 percent of such regions’ effect on urban heat. . . . Air warms in cities, leaving a low-pressure zone near the ground that then helps transport cooler air from surrounding rural areas. The rural areas then go on to absorb the heat."

The study's analysis concluded with specific recommendations on how to "use less dense, less expensive rural land to increase cities’ cooling capacities," Blakemore reports. "Planting woodland around cities and consolidating bodies of water in rural areas are potential ways to cool cities. . . . By better regulating rural land, the researchers suggest, it could be possible to both maintain rural landscapes and boost rural economies while making urban areas cooler and more sustainable."

Postponed: Report for America's information session that was scheduled for today will be held at a later date

Report for America has matched more than 650 corps members with hundreds of local newspapers, public radio stations, digital platforms and television outlets. (RFA photo)

The Report for America information session that was scheduled for 3 p.m. today has been postponed. A make-up date and time will be announced soon. 

Here is information about Report for America's program for journalists interested in participating. 

Report for America is a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms. The organization is adding 50 positions for next year and is encouraging rural and community news organizations to apply for the opportunity to get additional help for their newsrooms.

The Report for America program is designed to help newsrooms report on under-covered issues and communities. As part of the program, RFA pays half of a journalist’s salary the first year, a third of the salary the second year and 20% the optional third year.

According to Report for America, host newsrooms also will receive:
-- Diverse, talented slate of candidates to choose from
-- Local fundraising coaching and resources to help with the news organization’s share of the costs, including the opportunity for no-cost fiscal sponsorship to accept donations
-- Extra training and mentoring for journalists

“We recognize the difficulties modern newsrooms encounter, from recruiting skilled journalists to offering the necessary mentorship and support,” said Earl Johnson, vice president of recruitment and alumni engagement at Report for America. “Partnering with Report for America enables local newsrooms to address critical news gaps, diversify their staff, and foster sustainable local backing within their communities.”

Report for America has matched more than 650 corps members with hundreds of local newspapers, public radio stations, digital platforms and television outlets since its launch in 2017. Nearly $30 million has been raised by local newsrooms with Report for America’s assistance.

The application deadline is Sept. 13. To learn more, visit www.reportforamerica.org.

After its hospital closed, N.C. county works to be the first in the nation to reopen its hospital under ER-only designation

Martin General closed in 2023. (WITN TV photo)

After serving rural Martin County, N.C., for 73 years, Martin General hospital closed its doors, leaving the community's 22,000 residents without a medical care center. Like many rural hospitals across the United States, Martin General had faced shrinking profits and bankruptcy before it closed. But that's not the end of Martin General's story, reports Jaymie Baxley of NC HealthNews. "The county [is working] on a complex plan to resurrect Martin General — a plan that, if successful, could become a blueprint for other rural communities where hospitals have closed."

To make reopening possible, Martin County and hospital officials applied to change Martin General's designation from a full-service hospital to a 'rural emergency hospital,' which means the hospital would offer 24/7 emergency care but give up its inpatient services. Baxley explains, "In exchange, the hospital would receive millions in annual funding from the federal government. . . and be eligible for increased reimbursement rates for some outpatient services covered by Medicare."

But Martin General faced an unusual hurdle to becoming a rural emergency hospital -- it had already closed. Hospitals that had successfully made the switch did so while they were still open, Baxley reports. "Officials in Martin County, however, believe the hospital [could be] reopened using the rural emergency model — something that had not been attempted anywhere else in the nation. . . . Earlier this year, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services confirmed that Martin General could reopen as a rural emergency hospital, clearing the first and arguably most important hurdle in the county’s path."

Martin General's status as a "closed hospital" also means state laws present reopening obstacles. Ben Eisner, interim Martin County manager, told Baxley, “As far as we can tell, this is really the first such situation in the country. Trying to navigate that has certainly been tricky. It’s taken us a number of months to work through some of the regulatory issues of opening a closed hospital as a rural emergency hospital.”

At present, Martin General's resurrection remains a work in progress. "In addition to being the first hospital in the nation to reopen as a rural emergency hospital, Martin General would be the first hospital in the state to receive the designation," Baxley writes. "Because the program is not open to facilities that closed before 2023, it cannot be used to bring back the state’s other shuttered hospitals. . . . But Martin County’s experience could provide a road map for other rural communities facing a similar situation in the future."

Some inflated costs may be going down, but weary Americans can't control the prices of many necessities

When U.S. families sit down to do the budget, some costs
aren't negotiable. (Adobe Stock photo)

As U.S. inflation slowly tracks downward, some painful increases remain difficult for Americans to afford. "Prices for many of the things that are hard to do without are still posting eye-watering increases. Rent and electricity bills are up 10% or more over the past two years, and car-insurance costs are up nearly 40%, according to the Labor Department’s index," report Hariett Torry and Terell Wright of The Wall Street Journal. "Shoppers might be able to trade down from prime steak to cheaper cuts of meat at the supermarket, but they can’t really do the same thing with the water bill."

While some citizens have made grocery store swaps, some have cut "luxuries" such as eating out or trimming kids' extracurricular activities. Still, Americans have costs such as housing, insurance and child care that are at historical highs but are also necessities. "In the Consumer Price Index, shelter costs — a measure of rent and the equivalent cost to homeowners, as well as lodging away from home and household insurance — have risen more than 13% in two years," Torry and Wright explain. "Child care costs have risen 6.4% over the past two years. . . . Because daycare bills can be as big as rent or a mortgage, even a relatively small increase can feel like a lot."

Getting to work to make money often means car ownership and the overhead that goes with it. "The cost of transportation services, which includes vehicle insurance and repair, has jumped more than 18% in the past two years, according to the CPI," the Journal reports. "An increasing number of cash-strapped Americans are choosing to drive without car insurance."

Single mom Jasmine Moore's experiences mirror that of many American workers. "Moore missed a payment on her auto insurance about six months ago. Now her monthly bill has doubled," Torry and Wright add. "She canceled her son’s math tutoring sessions and instead tutors him herself. Instead of Publix, she opts for discount grocery stores and food pantries." Moore told the Journal, "I have middle-class pay, but I feel like I’m lower income.”

Election officials face a sea of stresses and threats; many have retired and left new officials to face the fray

AI and deepfake election intrusions add another layer
to election officials' work. (Adobe Stock image)

In the not-so-distant past, county election officials could expect to register voters and repair voting machines. But in more recent election years, including 2024, their jobs have become overwhelming and at times, dangerous, reports Tiffany Hsu of The New York Times. "Elections officials must multitask as defenders against disinformation. They have been flooded with inane demands for details about their employees, faced harassment campaigns targeted at their female family members, received intimidating letters laced with fentanyl and been subjected to fake threats of bombings and break-ins."

For many long-time officials, the pressure cooker environment pushed them into retirement. The gap retirees left has been filled by officials new to the process at a time when the position is exponentially more complex. Hsu explains, "In Wisconsin alone, the state association of county clerks found that 31 of its 72 members had never administered a presidential election. . . .The remaining officials, many of them overwhelmed and very tired, are once again marshaling their limited resources . . ."

Jazmin Wingert

Despite ongoing struggles that range from budget cuts to poll worker shortages, "elections officials are doing what they can this year to shore up voter trust, setting up fact-checking websites (like in Pennsylvania) and posting refutations on social media (like a Mythbuster Mondays series in North Carolina)," the Times reports. "Jazmin Wingert, the Republican county clerk for Stephenson County in Illinois, took an elections certification course with lessons on combating false narratives and meets nearly monthly with other county clerks to share security resources."

Managing AI and deepfakes is also on election officials' to-do lists. "The technology could also supercharge harassment campaigns," Hsu adds. "Last week, a bipartisan group of secretaries of state wrote to the tech billionaire Elon Musk to urge him to fix his A.I.-powered search assistant, Grok chatbot, saying it provided inaccurate information about ballot deadlines and then failed to correct the mistake for 10 days."

Fracking wastewater is blowing out of old oilwells; the water can mean contaminated groundwater and unusable land

A Permian wellhead surrounded by fracking
equipment. (Adobe Stock photo)

Taking fracking wastewater and injecting it miles underground is the cheapest and most common way to get rid of Texas oilfield used or "produced water," but a new study from Southern Methodist University found that the toxic water may not be staying underground. The study showed "a significant link between wastewater injection and oil well blowouts in the Permian Basin," report Dylan Baddour of Inside Climate News and Carlos Nogueras Ramos of the Texas Tribune. "It’s the first scientific proof of a phenomenon local landowners have long warned was occurring."

To study wastewater injections and blowouts, researchers "examined a January 2022 blowout in Crane County that gushed almost 15 million gallons of brine before it was capped, according to the paper. That would fill about 23 Olympic-sized swimming pools," Baddour and Ramos report. "The study traced the cause of the blowout to a cluster of nine injection wells about 12 miles to the northeast."

The connection between the Permian Basin's briny sprays and fracking wastewater "raises concerns about the possibility of widespread groundwater contamination in West Texas," Baddour and Ramos write. While the Texas Railroad Commission regulates the oil and gas extraction, it has "refrained from putting forth an explanation. . . . The link between injections and surface blowouts has remained unconfirmed, despite widespread suspicions." This recent study, which was published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, "marks a big step forward in scientific documentation."

Attorney Sarah Stogner told Baddour and Ramos, "It just validates what we’ve been saying." Baddour and Ramos add, "For the last three years, Stogner has represented the Antina Cattle Ranch, where dozens of abandoned oil wells have been spraying back to life. Stogner persistently alleged that nearby wastewater injection was responsible. But she couldn’t prove it. . . . Now a scientific consensus is beginning to fall in behind her."

When old wells gush oil wastewater, the land that absorbs the salty mess is at risk. Baddour and Ramos explain, "West Texas ranchers who own land where contaminated water is seeping from underground are beginning to worry it will soon become uninhabitable. . . . Despite those problems, the Railroad Commission approved 400 new disposal wells in the Permian Basin alone in 2021, according to agency documents, and 480 in 2022."

To learn how fracking wastewater can contaminate groundwater, click here.

Opinion: Walz is a hunter, a former soldier, and a 'rural for real' man on the Democratic ticket

Art Cullen

This opinion piece by Art Cullen, editor of the Storm Lake Times Pilot in Iowa, has been gently edited for Rural Blog brevity.

"Kamala Harris and the Democrats do well to have Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on their national ticket as the vice-presidential nominee. He’s rural, for real. Walz has broad appeal in Upper Midwest battleground states, is well-versed in the you-betcha vernacular, and is well-suited in Carhartt with a camo cap. . . . Somehow Walz figured out a way to win a congressional seat in a red district around Mankato and ultimately the governorship.

"Republicans will have a hard time defining the former master sergeant in the Army National Guard as an out-of-control elite liberal. He is an expert marksman, claims he is a better pheasant shooter than his counterpart JD Vance, and suggests that vegetarians should eat turkey since it is not really meat. He hails from West Point, Neb., from whence you can almost see South Dakota, and once got popped for drunk driving as a young school teacher and coach. [He] gave up on drinking under his wife’s advice.

"Walz subscribes to the standard Democratic orthodoxy — pro-choice, supports gay rights, believes in feeding children at school, champions a living wage and backs labor unions. . . Walz favors some gun controls, as Ronald Reagan did. . . . [He's] pretty much your White Midwestern dad dude who coached Mankato West to a state football title.

"As a congressman, Walz was a staunch advocate for ethanol and biodiesel, which creates immense water quality problems in southern Minnesota and Iowa. As governor, he made way for pipelines supported by union pipefitting brethren. As vice president, he could focus attention on rural areas left behind by the bicoastal economic expansion. He could make a difference in trying to reorient agriculture toward a more diverse production system that is resilient against economic and climatic extremes.

"Rural America is more than resentful people in red caps. It’s the complicated challenge of feeding the hungry while not despoiling the richest land in the world. It’s people with ambition and ideas held down for generations by corporate power with little regard for community. Walz gets it. That could be a powerful antidote to the decline of political choice . . .

"Rural communities struggling to survive need an alternative, something other than simply more tax cuts and lousy roads and rivers choking in toxins. . . . The Harris campaign will task Walz with campaigning in Wisconsin, Michigan and western Pennsylvania. . . . Simply having a candidate on the national ticket who actually baled hay under the Nebraska sun should buck us up."