In rural Leeds, Alabama, a family hanger business continues to fight foreign competition and 'unfair' international trade

Milton Magnus and his son, Mack, share their family
business story. (M&B Hangers photo)

With their super-cheap product prices and ubiquitous presence in U.S. chain stores, Chinese companies began wiping out small U.S. business manufacturers beginning in the 1990s. But not every business decided closing was the only option. Milton Magnus, an American steel wire hanger maker from rural Leeds, Alabama, decided fighting back was the only way his family business, M&B Hangers, might survive, reports Chao Deng of The Wall Street Journal. "Magnus [has been] waging a 22-year war against what he sees as unfair trade by firms on the other side of the world."

Deng explains, "He helped persuade the Commerce Department in 2008 to impose duties of up to 187% on imports of Chinese hangers, after arguing that China was selling its products at unfairly cheap prices. He has alleged U.S. tariff evasion in cases involving several American importers. . . "

His efforts have also led to investigations and suits against other Asian countries, which were often entangled with Chinese businesses. "Magnus and his lawyers filed trade cases in 2011 against Taiwan and Vietnam. The Commerce Department imposed tariffs," Deng reports. "Then, hangers from Thailand, Malaysia, India and Sri Lanka started popping up."

Despite his participation in legislative wins, such as the Enforce and Protect Act, "which ultimately passed in 2016, [and] allowed Magnus to file claims of tariff evasion with U.S. Customs and Border Protection against a host of American hanger importers," Deng writes, "the overall effect was like a Band-Aid on a bigger problem." Magnus told Deng, "It’s like a roller coaster. We file a trade case, demand for us goes way up, then there’s a new way of circumvention and demand goes down."

Magnus' fight is not over. He "feels that Washington has finally come around to his view that China is the U.S.’s largest economic threat, although he thinks more protection for businesses like his is needed," Deng reports. "Magnus says he spends about a third of his time on his own legal battles. He sees tariffs as worth the trouble if they help save his Alabama factory, which now employs 50 people. . . . M&B Hangers is one of the last remaining U.S.-based manufacturers of its type."

High school students help to run this rural grocery store in Nebraska; 'It's a symbol of small-town grit'

Student Ariel Shields doing work-based learning class
at Circle C. (Courtesy photo via Flatwater Free Press)

Small-town grocery stores have closed at an alarming rate over the past two decades. "Teachers in Cody-Kilgore, a small district nestled in the Nebraska Sandhills, were determined not to let that be their town's story," reports Heidi Beguin of the Flatwater Free Press. They wondered if a student-run grocery store could be the answer.

If necessity is indeed the mother of invention, teachers, administrators, parents and the project's workhorses -- students -- all got on board to support the idea. "Nearly two decades after the idea first surfaced, the Circle C Market – a student-run grocery store . . . continues to serve Cody and the nearby areas," Beguin writes. The store is open six days a week and "represents far more than groceries. It’s a symbol of small-town grit, of neighbors helping neighbors."

Community tenacity is great, but so are the hands-on labor and management skills students learn running the market. And the village "gets a local option in what would otherwise be a grocery desert, with the nearest option being a 40-mile drive down U.S. Highway 20 to Valentine," Beguin explains. "Enrollment in the district has ticked up slightly from 140 students in the 2013-14 school year to 156 currently. Earlier this summer, voters approved a bond to build a new school."

Stacey Adamson was one of the original teachers who floated the idea of a student-run grocery, and she has watched the people and students grow through the project's development. She "believes the learning experience for the students, some of whom come from hard home lives, is worth the challenge. 'By the end of their time there … they will look you in the eye. They’ll say ‘good afternoon.’ They’ll say, ‘thank you. Can I carry your groceries to the car? It’s a game changer for a lot of kids.' Circle C has persisted during a tough time for Nebraska’s rural grocery stores."

Extreme weather is causing U.S. bridges to age prematurely, and there's no simple answer to the problem.

In Lewiston, Maine, a bridge was closed when
pavement started to buckle. (WMTM, Maine photo)

Climate change and extreme weather are destroying U.S. bridges in what is quickly becoming a national crisis. "America’s bridges, a quarter of which were built before 1960, were already in need of repair," reports Coral Davenport of The New York Times. "But now, extreme heat and increased flooding linked to climate change are accelerating the disintegration of the nation’s bridges."

This summer's debacles include flooding that caused a Midwestern bridge to collapse into the Big Sioux River and a bridge's closure in Lewiston, Maine when the "pavement buckled from fluctuating temperatures," Davenport writes. Urban areas aren't exempt from bridge problems either. During scorching heat, "New York City’s Third Avenue Bridge, connecting the Bronx and Manhattan, got stuck in the open position for hours."

In most cases, bridges age slowly. But Paul Chinowsky, a professor of civil engineering at the University of Colorado, who researches the effects of climate change on infrastructure, told Davenport, "We have a bridge crisis that is specifically tied to extreme weather events. . . . It’s getting so hot that the pieces that hold the concrete and steel, those bridges can literally fall apart like Tinkertoys."

When U.S. bridges become unsafe or worse, collapse, and require closure, a supply chain domino effect begins. "In 2022, a 30-foot section of the bridge on the California-Arizona border of Interstate 10, along a major trucking route from Phoenix to the port of Los Angeles, was swept away during record rainfall," Davenport reports. "That washout followed a 2015 collapse of another Interstate 10 span. . . . Each closure added an estimated $2.5 million per day to trucking costs because of delays and additional fuel."

Many states have started planning climate-resilient bridges, but they are already running behind schedule. Jim Tymon, executive director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, told Davenport, "We’re learning from the events that are being thrown at us, and trying to change and build for what climate change throws next, but it’s a moving target."

Plenty of stories can be found when local journalists dig into their community's lawn-care practices

Examining community lawn-care habits can yield
rich stories. (Adobe Stock photo)

If you're a local environmental journalist, you need to go no further than examining your community's lawn care for possible stories. "Let’s be real: Green lawns are anything but natural," writes Joseph A. Davis for the Society of Environmental Journalists. "Not only does the perfect green lawn require laborious mowing — and watering, and fertilizer, and weed killers and bug killers. But a lot of those chemicals may run off the lawn and into water bodies where they may do harm."

The more manicured the lawn, the greater the chances of heavy, inorganic treatment. Some residents have little choice but to use chemicals because homeowner associations and zoning laws dictate lawn care. Still, other individuals rebel against their local “lawn police," Davis adds, "That might be a story. Can you keep bees or raise chickens? What does that mean for the turf? . . . Sometimes the streetward side of a yard may be a municipal easement, rather than the owner’s property. This can sometimes spark conflict, too."

For community reporters, if there's land and people around you, there's likely some nature-center story to be found. Some of Davis' reporting resources are shared below. For his full list of ideas, click here.

• National Wildlife Federation: A national membership organization for wildlife conservation. It has local chapters. And it is the one to certify home yard wildlife habitats.
• Xerces Society: A broad group whose membership includes scientists and landscape managers, and is devoted to invertebrate conservation. It has pollinator-friendly plant lists by region.
• Local nurseries: Gardeners visit these local treasures often. Talk to senior staff.
• County extension: All-purpose helpers with expertise. Here is a good directory.
• Ecological Landscape Alliance: A professional organization whose members include landscape architects and others. Its directory is a gold mine.
• Planning and zoning boards: They usually have lots of staff. They can help you find out what’s legal in your area.
• Garden clubs: There is likely one in your neighborhood. Go to a meeting. And bring cookies.

A rural town in Virginia highlights the economic stress and uncertainty that unfolds when its biggest employer closes

The CornerStone Crossroads mart used to serve about 100
Boar's Head employees a day. (CornerStone ad photo)

Update: On Sept. 13, the Boar's Head website announced the indefinite closure of its Jarratt, Virginia plant. The company also included their decision to permanently discontinue making liverwurst. Christina Jewett and Teddy Rosenbluth of The New York Times report, "Union officials said the plant’s 500 workers would be given severance and offered relocation."

The Boar's Head plant in rural Jarratt, Virginia, remains closed after a national listeria outbreak, including nine deaths, was linked to the facility. "For years, the plant was seen as a stable, albeit difficult, place to make a living in the town of roughly 600," reports Eduardo Medina of The New York Times. Jennifer Blake of WWBT News in Virginia reports, "The Boar’s Head production facility [was] the largest and most common source of income for [Jarratt] residents."

The financial domino effect isn't limited to Boar's Head employees. "CornerStone Crossroads, a convenience store and restaurant, has had a drastic decline in customers," Medina reports. "When the plant was fully operating, CornerStone Crossroads would serve. . . about 100 plant workers every day. . . Now, it’s mostly just a handful of construction workers who stop by."

Some Jarratt residents "expressed remorse that a major employer in town had sickened so many people in several states," Medina writes. Russell Lewis, whose mother worked for Boar’s Head decades ago, told Medina, "I’m surprised, I’m disappointed, I’m sad so many people died from it . . . . From what I know from people who have worked there, it’s hard work. You’re basically in a refrigerator."

Other residents are simply anxious for the plant to reopen. Blake reports, "Despite the unhealthy findings, one resident says having that plant open is necessary." He told Blake, "People depend on Boar’s Head. I wish they could get it together and find out (what) the situation is that created the problem because a lot of people depend on it. I mean look around, there are only farmlands. It’s the only productive place in Jarratt as far as employment wise.”

In total, Boar's Head recalled seven million pounds of product and "says it won't reopen until they are 'confident that it meets the standards our customers expect and deserve,'" reports Cameron Thompson of WTVR News in Virginia. "It added employees are undergoing additional training and they are partnering with global food safety experts." Meanwhile, the residents of Jarratt await the plant's reopening and hopefully, a return to lines at the CornerStone Crossroads eatery.

Some U.S. lawmakers want to change methadone treatment availability, but their plan's success seems unlikely

When it comes to substance abuse disorder, perhaps
there is 'no cure.' (Adobe Stock photo)

Solving the U.S. fentanyl overdose crisis has led to political discussions about decreasing methadone treatment restrictions. A recent proposal by a bipartisan group of U.S. senators seeks to save lives by "allowing addiction specialists to prescribe [methadone] outside of the clinics now permitted to dispense it," reports Carmen Paun of Politico. But the bill faces opposition from methadone clinic directors who maintain "that allowing prescribing outside of clinics is risky without their strict safeguards. Methadone is an addictive opioid that’s deadly if abused."

If passed, the bill "would reshape not only how methadone is prescribed but also dispensed — patients could pick up their prescription at the pharmacy," Paun explains. "Now, most have to go in person every day to a clinic to receive their dose under supervision." The additional time and expense of daily travel to and from treatment clinics can make recovery more difficult.

Conflicts over methadone are like a catch-22: "Proponents of making methadone easier to get say that [fentanly's death] toll is ample reason to rethink treatment rules that are now decades old," Paun reports. "The clinics fear it’s a bad idea that could make the overdose problem worse. Thus far, they’re winning the debate in the only forum that matters: Congress."

As the legislation stands now, it is not likely to become law, but the opioid problem remains. "The clinics have succeeded in convincing enough Republicans that expanded access comes with significant risks," Paun writes. "Advocates of broader prescribing say the clinics are more interested in protecting their turf than in saving lives. . . "

Even if methadone could be dispensed through the pharmacy model, the drug isn't a panacea. "Many of those who start methadone treatment drop out within the first year," Paun reports. "Only 34% of a sample of 39,000 patients at BayMark Health Services, one of the nation’s largest methadone treatment providers, were still in treatment one year after they started . . .The reality of opioid use disorder is that, for many, there is no cure, experts in the condition say. Rather, it’s a chronic condition needing lifelong medication and management."

As seasons change, mosquitoes will still be busy spreading deadly diseases. Awareness and precautions can help.

Aedes aegypti, aka  'tiger mosquitos' bite
during the daytime. (Wikipedia photo)

During an average day, many people never think about mosquitoes, but perhaps the tiny arthropod deserves more consideration. Weighing in at a mere 2.5 milligrams (about 180,000 mosquitoes equal a pound), a female mosquito is considered the most deadly animal on earth. Lacking venom or any toxin, mosquitos kill by spreading diseases with alarming effectiveness -- around a million people die a year from illnesses caused by mosquito bites.

"Mosquitoes carry malaria, dengue, yellow fever, chikungunya, West Nile virus and eastern equine encephalitis," reports Alice Park of Time magazine. "Different species of mosquitoes are adept at spreading different viruses." This summer, mosquitoes along the East Coast have been making news. "Towns in Massachusetts are shutting down public parks and other outdoor areas after officials learned that mosquitoes in the region are carrying eastern equine encephalitis, a rare but deadly virus."

Mosquito-borne illnesses will keep increasing as climate change continues to warm the planet. Jonathan Oliver, associate professor at the University of Minnesota, told Park, "With climate change, we see the [habitat] ranges for concerning species like Aedes (which transmits most of the world’s malaria, dengue, yellow fever, West Nile and Zika) spreading northward. . . all predictions indicate that they are going to spread throughout the Southeast and up the Eastern Seaboard, and fairly high north in the Midwest." The more mosquitoes there are, the more bites and ranges of diseases they spread.

While working or playing outdoors is more often associated with mosquito encounters, urban populations are more at risk. "Growing urbanization and densely packed cities — with less-than-ideal sewage and sanitation systems — also provide more and fertile environments for mosquitoes to lay eggs and proliferate."

No matter where humans live, respecting mosquitoes and avoiding bites is key to disease prevention. "That means wearing long-sleeved clothing when outdoors and spraying yourself with insect repellent. You can also eliminate mosquito-breeding grounds by getting rid of any standing water around your home, since mosquitoes just need a little bit of water in which to lay their eggs."

Meanwhile, scientists are trying to depopulate mosquitoes with varied approaches. "Another strategy that appears encouraging is infecting mosquitoes with a bacterium that kills the viruses they may carry," Park adds. "This approach has been used in Southeast Asia and Australia to lower the rates of dengue transmission."

In rural towns with shrinking populations, residents can help seniors age at home by teaming together to serve

Kyla Sanders wears many hats serving Glen Ullin's
aging population. (Photo by Tim Evans, NPR)

Glen Ullin, North Dakota, was once a bustling railway town, but as the town aged, its population steadily declined, leaving many older residents in need of extra help from fewer people. "Adults age 65 and older make up a third of Glen Ullin's roughly 700 residents," report Juliana Kim and Tim Evans of NPR. "The town's retired teachers, accountants and health care workers are making every effort to age at home, but one big obstacle for them is the ability to access medical care — without it, they are often forced to move to a larger city."

While rural populations skew older, the number of citizens available to help each other varies. Glen Ullin residents are working together, so the town's seniors get care without moving. Kim and Evans explain, "Each person plays a separate role — from keeping lonely older adults company to springing into action when a health emergency arises. In rural towns experiencing a loss of people, jobs and resources, this network of support can make a big difference."

The state's new pilot program "Aging in Community" is helping Glen Ullin and other towns address seniors' needs. Kyla Sanders is the program coordinator and her job is actually a lot of jobs. NPR reports, "Her list of responsibilities changes every day — from setting up internet at an older person's home to leading a flower arrangement class for a group of seniors to helping an older adult apply for Medicaid."

Location of Glen Ullin, N.D.
(Wikipedia map)

Glen Ullin's local nurse practitioner, Rhonda Schmidt, and EMT volunteers are also dedicated to helping the town's older residents live healthy, full lives at home. "On a regular day, Schmidt sees somewhere between 15 and 20 patients," Kim and Evans write. Lori Kottre "may work 9 to 5 as the office manager at Glen Ullin's nursing home, but she serves around the clock as the town's emergency responder."

For rural areas, having enough medical workers isn't the only barrier to helping seniors thrive at home. "Loneliness can have detrimental effects on physical health, including increased risk of heart disease, stroke and dementia, according to a report from the U.S. surgeon general," NPR reports. In Glen Ullin, the Rev. Gary Benz "spends his weekdays traveling to the homes of his aging parishioners who are too ill or weak to attend services. . . . Initially, the purpose was to bring them Holy Communion, but he quickly learned that they needed something else — connection."

'On the Front Porch' conversation will explore rural clean energy transitions and how communities can benefit

Tony Pipa and Sarah Mills will discuss energy transitions
in rural America. (Brookings photos)

"On the Front Porch" host Tony Pipa will discuss the ways, means and challenges of energy transitions in rural America with Sarah Mills, an energy policy and land-use expert from the University of Michigan. The event is on Sept. 18 at 4 p.m., E.T. Register here to watch online.

To take an "on the ground look" at rural energy decisions in action, Pipa and Mills will examine the benefits and pitfalls of a wind farming venture led by a small group of farmers in rural Michigan. Their conversation also will examine:

• The centrality of rural America in the country's transition to clean energy
• Trade-offs rural communities face when considering energy projects
• How community-centered approaches can help rural places maximize the community and economic development benefits

This event is a part of Election ’24: Issues at Stake, a Brookings initiative aimed to bring public attention to consequential policy issues confronting voters and policymakers in the run-up to the 2024 election.

Earlier conversations from On the Front Porch can be found here.