Rural residents may become 'unintended victims' of end to PBS, NPR funding

Many smaller stations don't have enough private
funders to survive without federal support. (Adobe photo)

Update: In a narrow vote largely split along party lines, the House voted 214 to 212 to rescind $1.1 billion "allocated to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which distributes nearly all of the funds to local television and radio stations, for the next two fiscal years," report Deirdre Walsh and David Folkenflikof NPR. "Two key Republican lawmakers switched their votes from 'no' to 'yes' to push it over the finish line."

Federal Corporation for Public Broadcasting funding remains on the chopping block as U.S. lawmakers continue wrangling the pros and cons of yanking back the $535 million already approved by Congress for 2026 and 2027. In late May, President Donald Trump issued an executive order calling for an end to any future support for NPR and PBS because he believes "taxpayer funding of NPR’s and PBS’s biased content is a waste."

As the political battle continues, smaller stations are worried they will become the "unintended victims of national culture wars," reports Andrew Mercein for Columbia Journalism Review. The cuts would likely end radio stations in places such as Wrangell, Alaska, where many of the borough's 2,127 residents rely on its local radio station, KSTK, “for emergency information, rescue coordination, updates from local officials, and advice on accessing essential services."

KSTK’s general manager, Cindy Sweat, told Mercein, "If CPB funding disappears, I don’t know how we’d survive."

Should lawmakers approve the cuts, they are "unlikely to do the most damage to the networks they are aimed at," Mercein explains. "The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is legally required to distribute nearly 70% of government funds directly to local stations, and each station retains full editorial control. …Local stations rely on the federal government for as much as 50% of their annual budgets."

Some lawmakers are pushing against the cuts. Earlier this week, Rep. Mark Amodei (R-Nev.) and Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.), who co-chair the Public Broadcasting Caucus, issued "a joint statement saying, 'Rescinding this funding would also isolate rural communities, jeopardizing their access to vital resources they depend on. [While public broadcasting] represents less than 0.01% of the federal budget, its impact reaches every congressional district,'" reports Aris Folley of The Hill.

Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) also voiced his support for CPB. He told Folley, "You go to rural America, public television is how you get emergency broadcasting and all that kind of stuff. I look at Idaho Public Television, they’re a great organization, and we don’t see the politics that some states do in them." Folley reports, "Simpson added that he still intended to support the package if it comes to the floor."

Amodei and Goldman pointed out that rural broadcasting stations face more private fundraising challenges than stations in more populated areas. Folley reports, "Amodei and Goldman said in the new statement that “of the 544 radio and television stations that receive federal funding, 245 serve rural communities and collectively support more than 5,950 local jobs.'”

Some public media advocates and stations believe the House will vote on the "claw back bill" that includes cutting PBS and NPR funding as early as tomorrow. 

OPINION: Veterans should not have to prove poverty to 'qualify' for disability payments

Carroll Davis Jr. is a U.S. Marine Corp veteran and adjutant with the Disabled American Veterans Department of Mississippi. A new budget might change his benefits. (Photo by R. Solis, AP Via DY) 

As Congress searches for ways to pay for the massive tax cuts included in the One Big Beautiful Bill, the Congressional Budget Office has proposed cutting disability payments to U.S. Veterans who make too much money. "America is inching toward means-testing for disabled veterans benefits," writes Christy White in her opinion for The Daily Yonder. "We shouldn’t treat our honorably discharged military personnel like beggars."

Current VA guidelines for disability benefits do not consider a veteran's finances. "Benefits are a direct result of a service-related illness or injury," White writes. Means-testing would examine a veteran's "wages and other income to be considered eligible. … If the government determines they have the 'means' to pay for necessities … they don’t get the benefit."

She believes changes to disability payments could upend veteran income and trickle down to economic difficulties for rural regions. White explains, "There are almost five million disabled U.S. military veterans, and roughly two million of them are Appalachian residents. … How many of our kin folk may be affected by harmful means-testing? Encouraging financial success among veterans should be the goal, not penalizing them for achieving it."

White says asking veterans to prove a "lack of means" to receive military disability payments fails to honor the relationship the U.S. government has with its servicemen and women. She writes, "The suggestion that 'wealthier' veterans should not receive full compensation fails to acknowledge the contractual obligation between them and the U.S. Government; that when they sign up to serve, they are told they’ll be taken care of."

Even as the CBO argues that means-testing veterans’ benefits saves taxpayer dollars, it "ignores the fundamental nature of disability compensation — that it is a payment for service-related injuries, not a poverty relief measure," White writes. "Russell Vought is the director of the OMB. . . . [He] believes that disabled veterans should not be compensated for negative health effects caused by exposure to burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan."

Despite progress toward universal affordable, high-speed broadband, the rules change again

Photo by S. Dhage

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) on June 6 announced changes to the federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program. Stakeholders have "expressed both outrage and optimism as states search for answers on a path forward," reports Chris Teale of Route Fifty.

Teale writes that the NTIA says its changes aim to "remove regulatory burdens, lower costs and make it technologically neutral."

The government "gave states 90 days to comply," Teale writes. "During that time, they will also have to conduct what NTIA called an additional 'Benefit of the Bargain Round' of subgrantee selection that it said would permit all applicants to compete on a level playing field." 

The latest reforms for the $42.5 billion program work to shift its focus away from restricting state options. "NTIA said it would adopt a 'tech-neutral approach to BEAD, having previously expressed a preference for fiber," Teale explains. "Rules around workforce development, climate and environmental impacts have also been rescinded, as has the approval for Delaware, Louisiana and Nevada’s final plans."

Among the trio of states that already had fully approved plans, Delaware's state broadband office reported it was "reviewing" the new guidance, while Nevada's U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen said "she would block the nominations of any Commerce Department appointees that oversee or deal with broadband until the state gets its funding," Teale reports. Louisiana's broadband offices have yet to respond. Several states are taking Delaware's lead and say they are in the process of reform review.

Sen. Jacky Rosen

While some politicians and the Internet & Television Association have hailed the changes as a better path forward, "many outside groups have criticized the new BEAD rules," Teale reports. "Jessica Dine, a policy analyst at New America’s Open Technology Institute, said in a statement the new guidance from NTIA 'creates a confusing, last-minute mess of changes. By forcing a rebidding process on an incredibly short timeline, the new policy notice is, in effect, undoing all of the states’ work on their bidding processes so far.'"

The statement by Nevada's Rosen was by far the most outspoken. She said, "I’m beyond outraged that the Trump Administration has moved the goal post yet again. This decision will put Nevada’s broadband funding in jeopardy, and it’s a slap in the face to rural communities that need access to high-speed internet.”

Marfa, Texas, may be small, but it has a big newspaper success story

Co-owner Max Kabat keeps the cafe stocked with Big Bend 
Sentinel newspapers. (CBS video clip)

Like many rural newspapers in towns off the beaten path, The Big Bend Sentinel didn't make a lot of money. But that didn't make it any less important. The paper had been serving up local news for tiny Marfa, Texas, in far west Presidio County, for nearly a century. 

When the Sentinel's owners decided to sell the paper, they were lucky and smart. "Maisie Crow and Max Kabat had moved to Marfa from New York City in 2016 in search of community," reports Janet Shamlian of CBS News. "Then, in 2019, the paper's owners approached them about buying it. They said they had never considered it before." Kabat told her, "A newspaper found us. We didn't go and search out to find the newspaper."

Crow had worked with local news outlets as a documentary filmmaker, and both she and Kabat knew how unforgiving the newspaper business could be. Shamlian reports, "The couple knew it would be tough to keep the paper afloat without another source of revenue. That's when they became unlikely restaurateurs."

Location of Presidio County, TX
(Wikipedia map)

The couple opened a cafe to add revenue to support their newspaper's bottom line. Crow openly admits that the coffee shop is the biggest money maker. She told Shamlian, "I don't think it would surprise anyone that the large majority of the revenue comes from the coffee shop, the restaurant, and the home goods that we sell."

When Crow and Kabat took over the Sentinel, it had four employees. It now has nearly 20. Shamlian adds, "It's one of Marfa's biggest employers."

Despite its small size, the town is a tourist location, which helps the business, but it's the local support that keeps the paper going. Presidio County Attorney Blair Park told CBS News, "The other news outlets [are] not really concerned about what's going on in Marfa. So if it wasn't for this newspaper, we wouldn't be seeing our local, community news anywhere."

A vodcast and story about The Big Bend Sentinel appears in Editor & Publisher. Watch it here.

The perseverance of Opal Lee: The 'grandmother' of Juneteenth shares a lesson for today

At 98 years old, Opal Lee is still spreading a message of 
patience and love. (Photo by Shayan Asgharnia, TX Monthly)

As a child, she went to school and spent her summers working near Texarkana. Her first job was taking care of the slop jars. As an adult, she raised four children, paid for her college education, and became a teacher.

But at age 89, she set a goal. That goal would send her walking and talking to all sorts of people. She even met with U.S. presidents. And in 2021, she became the "grandmother of Juneteenth," reports Hanif Abdurraqib for Texas Monthly. But Opal Lee isn't finished. At 98 years old, she still believes she has work to do.

The story of why Opal Lee decided to make Juneteenth her life's legacy began in Marshall, Texas, when she was 12 years old. Her family bought a house "on East Annie Street in the Historic Southside neighborhood of Fort Worth," Abdurraqib writes. "On the night of June 19, 1939, a white mob gathered, demanding that the family leave. Lee and her brothers took refuge at a friend’s house a few blocks away while her parents fled under cover of darkness. The mob trashed the home and set it on fire."

When Lee watched President Joe Biden sign Juneteenth into a federal holiday, some might say her work was finished. Abdurraqib explains, "She had actually done the thing she’d set out to do. She’d taken an inciting moment of rage and grief and dedicated her life to healing the wound it had created. … But Lee, who has lived through, endured, and fought for so much … has something unique to offer in an era of renewed crisis."

Lee's tenacity and spirit have led her to change many lives, but her advice is simple: Patience. "The road is long, and you travel on it because the alternative is untenable," Abdurraqib writes. "And you do whatever you can along the way, and you hope some people will maybe join you."

Lee's travels brought her home. She lives in a house built on her family's East Annie Street plot. Abdurraqib adds, "On the front door is a purple wreath. In the center of the wreath is a quote from Lee herself: 'If people can be taught to hate, they can be taught to love.'" 

Lee's background in Texas meant she was introduced to Juneteenth celebrations early in life. It was part of the region's culture. Once the day became a national holiday, its celebrations and somber remembrances joined together to make the day especially meaningful for black Americans. PBS offers a "beginners guide" for Juneteenth here. 

Farm updates: Eradicating screwworms; air detecting for bird flu; John Deere suit continues; Farm Dog of the Year!

Tusk-like mandibles can rasp the flesh of living warm-
blooded animals. (USDA photo via Successful Farming)

Despite its eradication from the U.S. in 1966, the New World Screwworm has returned to Mexico, which means the aggressive, flesh-eating flies could re-enter the U.S. 

While the NWS could prey on any warm-blooded animal, its return would be devastating for the U.S. cattle industry. Angie Stump Denton reports for Farm Journal, "The larvae can kill an animal in just four to seven days if not quickly detected and treated."

Experts believe Texas would be the most likely place for NWS to enter the U.S. from Mexico. In late April, after Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins threatened to suspend cattle imports from Mexico to the U.S. as she did in November 2024, the two countries were able to agree on a strategy to control the NWS. Listen to more details on the NWS and USDA approaches for "complete eradication" here.

New bird flu detection sensors are fast. By testing air from exhaust vents, the systems monitor for
 bird flu 24/7. (ASC Publications graphic)

Bird flu remains a significant concern for egg and poultry industries as well as backyard and small chicken or turkey farms. The virus presents numerous difficulties, one of which is a lack of "any 'early warning' system," reports Alfred Poor for Offrange. "Testing requires a lab and can take days to deliver results. … A new detection technology can produce results in minutes and is designed to be installed on-site, right in the flock housing buildings, to provide continuous monitoring. … The system samples air from the exhaust vents from the animals’ housing. The researchers have described their results in a paper in ACS Sensors."

The new detection technology doesn't require any technical training to run and it's accurate. Poor adds, "According to the team’s own published results, the system’s results showed a 90% correlation with the standard PCR lab results."

Even though U.S. farmers can now legally repair their tractors, a lawsuit addressing John Deere's past repair policies and tactics with farmers will still make its way through the court system. "The Agriculture equipment giant must face a lawsuit by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission accusing the company of forcing farmers to use its authorized dealer network and driving up their costs for parts and repairs," reports Mike Scarcella of Reuters. "U.S. District Judge Iain Johnston in the federal court in Rockford, Illinois, ruled for now to reject Deere’s effort to end the lawsuit."

Deere countered the suit saying that "it does not compete in the market for repair services," Scarella reports. "The company also challenged the lawfulness of the structure of the FTC. … Deere alleged that restrictions against removing FTC commissioners illegally bar the president from exercising lawful oversight."

We don't know how we missed it, but it's our pleasure to introduce "Sirius," the amazing and lovable 2025 Farm Bureau Dog of the Year. "Livestock guardian dog Sirius is a 'hero behind the heroes' – a herd of miniature therapy horses that bring comfort to those who have experienced traumatic events," the American Farm Bureau Federation reports. 

The mini-horses that Sirius and his fellow Maremma sheep dogs help protect from behind the scenes have given people joy during some of their worst experiences. They visited families after the Sandy Hook school shooting and comforted victim families and first responders after the Pulse Nightclub shooting. They make people smile and laugh in children and veteran hospitals wherever they go. 

While Sirius and his fellow canine guardians stay home at the farm, they help owners Jorge and Debbie Garcia-Bengochea know the horses are safe. Jorge told FB, "The Maremma breed is intended to bond with the herd. When these dogs are on alert and watching the herd, I feel like it's a  24/7 security system."

Farmers are encouraged to enter their tremendous farm dog here for the 2026 award.

SNAP cuts, requirements could leave more rural Americans hungry; critics say benefit to taxpayers unclear

Critics of  proposed cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are struggling to find evidence of how they will help U.S. taxpayers. But they say one thing is clear: The changes outlined in the One Big Beautiful Bill could leave thousands of rural Americans hungry.

"Cuts to SNAP would affect residents of every state in all types of communities, but advocates fear the fallout could especially hit rural people, who are more dependent on food stamps, the largest anti-hunger program in the nation," reports Kevin Hardy for The Daily Montanan. The bill "expands work requirements to include people between 55 and 64 years old and those with children aged 7 or older." It contains stiffer rules for counties with higher unemployment numbers.

Government penalties for not working a required number of hours are dramatically tougher on rural residents because more remote places have far fewer business and employment opportunities. Hardy adds, "Rural hunger is already on the rise and grocery stores face an uphill battle to keep going in the most isolated parts of the country."

Residents in southeastern Missouri's Mississippi County, many of whom can scarcely afford a roof over their heads and food on their tables, provide an example of who SNAP cuts will hurt the most. Hardy explains, "Limited job opportunities leave many workers struggling to cover housing and grocery bills. Nearly a quarter of residents live below the poverty line — almost double the state and national averages."

SNAP cuts stand to do irreparable harm to rural grocery stores that already face razor-thin profit margins. "The National Grocers Association has opposed the potential cuts, saying SNAP provides not only critical food, but also meaningful boosts to local employment and economies," Hardy reports. "The organization, which represents retail and wholesale grocers, said cuts will particularly hurt independent and rural stores."

"Deep cuts to SNAP would have an uneven impact on rural stores," Hardy explains. "For Kay Voss, the cuts would be catastrophic at her Stratton Country Market in southwest Nebraska. She estimates 40% of sales are paid for with SNAP." She told Hardy, "“I’d probably close the doors."

Hungry people have fewer places to go in rural America, which adds stress to regional food banks that have already faced an uptick in need because of food inflation. Hardy reports, "Cuts to the SNAP program will drive up demand on food banks, especially in rural areas that have long struggled with access and transportation to secure fresh foods."

Montana small-business owner touts restoration, permanence of 2017 tax laws

Robert Majerus

Tax breaks and job reforms from President Donald Trump's first term helped jump-start and strengthen rural businesses, but many of those provisions already have expired or will end in 2025 unless Congress acts soon, writes Robert Majerus in his opinion for InsideSources. "Many of the 2017 tax law’s most essential cuts and deductions run out at the end of the year, and others already need to be restored."

Provisions that already have been phased out and need restoration include the "20% qualified business income deduction, which many small businesses have benefited from, as well as the immediate expensing of research and development and equipment," Majerus explains. "For farmers, the ability to expense these investments in the same year that they are made and brought online makes a huge difference, supporting innovation in the agricultural economy."

One of the most important changes the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act made was to reduce the "corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%, bringing the tax burden on U.S. businesses more in line with other countries," Majerus points out. "The TCJA provided more incentives for many small businesses to restructure themselves as C-corporations to take advantage of the lower tax rates."

To maintain profits and support continued small business growth, it is "critical for lawmakers to avoid calls to increase the corporate tax rate to help pay for the much-needed extensions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act’s economy-growing tax cuts," Majerus explains. "Reverting to a high corporate tax rate would be akin to raising taxes on Main Street and rural businesses that struggle to keep their doors open after years of high inflation."

Part of President Trump's presidential campaign included promises to "revitalize middle America," Majerus writes. "Now, these small businesses and communities that were helped in 2017 are the ones that will see the most gains wiped out if these tax cuts are not extended and made permanent."

The House has passed its support for reinstating and extending TCJA provisions. Majerus adds, "It’s time for the Senate to move forward while acknowledging the time limit businesses have before these expiring tax cuts go into effect at the end of the year. Time is short."

Robert Majerus is a member of the Community Business Alliance and a small-business owner in Montana.

Heavy emotional burdens, struggles of American farmers 'need national attention and policy changes'

A worried farmer stares at his crop of wheat and weeds. 
(Adobe Stock photo)

America's farmers have a lot on their minds: Flooding, weeds, bugs, spiking fertilizer prices, bird flu, changes at the USDA, tractor repairs, extreme rain, high winds, crop insurance, tariffs and isolation. Those pressures can leave farmers deeply distressed and depressed to the point of considering suicide.

"This chronic stress puts farmers at a higher risk of developing health conditions including heart disease, hypertension, depression and anxiety disorders," reports Emily Payne of Food Tank. "Thankfully, nonprofit organizations, farmers’ coalitions and other organizations are working to remove the barriers preventing farmers from accessing suicide prevention assistance."

Part of helping farmers reach out for help means working to reduce stigmas that surround mental health that are often found in rural regions. "In 2021, 63% of farmers and farm workers surveyed by the American Farm Bureau Federation said that there is at least some stigma around stress and mental health in the agriculture community," Payne reports. Farmers and farm employees are afraid they will be recognized and shamed for seeking mental health care.

Third-generation Wisconsin farmer Jake Beeler explained why farmers sometimes avoid dealing with any mental health struggles. He told Payne, "I’m sure there are mental health resources, but anybody that I know that ends up going down that road, money is a huge issue. Why go spend money talking to somebody when I could be at work getting stuff done? That’s the mindset that gets bred into you as a farmer.”

Katherine Un of the National Young Farmers Coalition, told Food Tank, "It’s challenging for farmers to find the time to seek or schedule treatment while working long days, or to find health care providers who understand the unique challenges of farming. . . and the inextricable link between their work, their livelihood, and their sense of purpose in the world."

Several farming organizations provide structures so farmers can support each other. "Young Farmers Cultivemos network facilitates farmer cohorts, regular farmer-led and farmer-centered events, newsletters, resource-sharing, and training to improve farmers’ mental health and well-being," Payne reports. "Un says that resources and spaces that truly build community are key in fighting isolation and addressing mental health challenges."

Outreach and counseling that follow different therapy models also are available. "Annie’s Project provides community-based mental health solutions outside of the traditional therapy model," Payne adds. "The nonprofit partners on Cultivating Resiliency Programs, which are anonymous opportunities for farmers to get together virtually and share what’s on their minds with both their peers and licensed counselors."

Along with mental health care, Un says farmers also need health and dental insurance, and that will require national attention and policy changes. Un told Food Tank, "We need to meaningfully address the top challenges facing the new generation of farmers and ranchers: affordable land access, access to capital, climate change, health insurance, student loan debt, affordable housing. . . .Until these barriers are addressed through the Farm Bill, farmers will continue to face high levels of stress, uncertainty, financial risk and a lack of safety nets.”

Find basics on what to do and say to someone experiencing mental health stress here. Find CDC agriculture health and safety tools here. 

E.V. charging stations help fuel mega gas station growth. Not every town wants one.

Sheetz location in Romulus, Mich. 
(Sheetz photo via WXTZ News in Detroit, Mich.)

Despite controversies over their impact, big gas station chains such as Buc-ees and Sheetz are adding locations in small communities and residential spaces across the U.S. The need for more E.V. charging stations, with their longer "fill" times, is part of the reason.

"As battery-powered cars become more common on roadways, more gas stations are installing chargers alongside old-fashioned pumps," reports Kevin Williams of The New York Times. "E.V. charging takes time, so gas station operators are turning their stores into shopping centers where people can spend time — and money — while they wait for cars to charge."

Area residents have a range of reactions when they hear their community is being considered as a mega gas station location. "The sheer size of the businesses has turned off some communities that don’t want the heavy traffic, bright lights and 24/7 activity," Williams explains. "When communities object to Sheetz’s moving in, the company isn’t fazed. . . . It knows there are communities that want its business."

Restaurants in small to mid-sized cities have pushed against mega gas stations because they offer extensive food menus and may even include a drive-thru. Williams reports, "Craig Dunaway, the chief operating officer of Penn Station East Coast Subs, said his restaurant chain was fending off gas station businesses like Sheetz."

The city of Farmington Hills, Mich., which has roughly 86,000 residents, "rejected Sheetz’s proposal this year to take over a space once occupied by Ginopolis, a restaurant that called Elizabeth Taylor and Bob and Delores Hope its customers, after several contentious meetings," Williams writes. But the smaller town of Romulus, Mich., welcomed the development.

Jeremy Taylor, a long-time Romulus resident, enjoys what Sheetz offers. He told Williams, "It’s been a long time since we’ve had something this good in Romulus. There’s nothing out here.”