Pennsylvania's state farm bill could serve as a blueprint for other states

Streams flow through farmland on their way to the Susquehanna River, in Union County, Pennsylvania. 
(Photo by Will Parson, Chesapeake Bay Program)

Pennsylvania hasn't been waiting for Washington lawmakers to move the stalled federal farm bill forward. In 2019, the Pennsylvania legislature passed a state farm bill that "provides farm-to-school grants, business development for farms looking to produce higher-value products, and farm workforce development," reports Lisa Held of Civil Eats. "It has been continually funded with bipartisan support — and it could serve as a model for other states."

Instead of passing a new farm bill in 2023, U.S. lawmakers have only reached agreement on repeated extensions of the expired 2018 Farm Bill; then punting, delaying, or otherwise putting the more contentious parts of a new Farm Bill on hold.

Additionally, under the Trump administration, the Department of Agriculture "has also proven willing to cancel contracts with farmers enrolled in programs funded by the federal bill," Held explains. In some cases, farmers enrolled in USDA programs were left on the hook to pay for improvements or farming changes that the USDA committed to covering through grants.

Because of its independent farm bill, Pennsylvania "is building stronger agricultural economies and communities, the kind of work a federal farm bill was designed for," Held reports. "Several other states are considering similar packages or are investing in agriculture one small bill at a time."

Even when a new federal Farm Bill is passed, it may not be what many farmers need. Pennsylvania is a state with highly diversified crops that are often left out of the national farm bill. Pennsylvania's farm bill goes further to address the unique needs of its farming communities.

“Pennsylvania has been trying really hard to create policies that broaden the reach of ag policy and include producers that have traditionally been ignored or left out," Lindsey Shapiro, a vegetable farmer and federal policy organizer for a sustainable farming company, told Held.

Many Pennsylvanians "attribute a good portion of that focus to the state’s secretary of Agriculture, Russell Redding, who has had the job for 13 (non-contiguous) years under three different governors," Held reports. "In Redding’s mind, states should start to think about their own laws as the central tool for agricultural policies, with complementary federal laws— not the other way around." 

Opinion: Bear camp illuminates wildlife and wild politics in this purple state

The American black bear is one of the largest and most
elusive animals in Pennsylvania. (Pennsylvania Game photo)

In Potter County, Pennsylvania, the resurgence of the state's black bear population and the legal means to hunt them helped build the region's reputation as a hunting mecca since the 1980s. The county became home to "bear camp," which serves to tell a deeper story about politics and life in this wildly purple state," writes Salena Zito in her opinion for The Washington Post.

"Bear camp is about much more than hunting, and for anyone trying to understand Pennsylvania politics, it’s essential," Zito explains. "It sits at the crossroads of rural and urban, illuminating Pennsylvanians’ sense of place and their traditions that transcend profession and party."

Bear camp is emblematic of how Pennsylvania folk see themselves — it isn't predictable, and "the core principles animating bear camp are not political," Zito writes. "Democrats, Republicans and independents can all gather at one camp — and not only get along but also work toward a common goal."

Bear camp participants come from a wide range of ages, professions and educational backgrounds. "When they arrive, they bond as a community to hunt the American black bear," Zito explains. "Keeping the camp thriving and attracting younger hunters is a testament to their unwillingness to let this tradition slide as so many others have in the digital age. For 40 years, this camp has not only survived, it has grown and prospered."

David Cunningham, one of Bear camp's founders, told Zito, "A lot of times, we don’t realize that our traditions — like the bonds that are formed here — shape us more than what is consuming the rest of the world in politics."

Collaboration, camaraderie and adaptation are hallmarks of Bear camp. When a bear is harvested, it is processed from "nose to tail," Zito writes. Little goes to waste, and family pantries are filled.

Pennsylvanians' resourcefulness and ability to shift to meet shared goals and uphold traditions are alive at bear camp. The state's swing-vote history speaks to a region and a people that aren't predictable — just like an election and just like a hunt.

'On the Front Porch' discussions return on Aug. 21. Pipa and Orrell begin with big change in northern Appalachia.

Tony Pipa (left) and Brent Orrell return on Aug. 21

After a summer of traveling to rural destinations, Tony Pipa from Reimagine Rural and Brent Orrell of the American Enterprise Institute are back 'on the front porch,' discussing the trials, successes and ongoing challenges of rural communities across the United States.

The new season dives in with Pennsylvania activist and author Tataboline Enos, who discusses her latest book, “Proudly Made: A Story of Reinvention in the Big Woods and Small Towns of the Pennsylvania Wilds.”

Set in northern Appalachia, Enos' memoir recounts the story of a region rich in public lands that was struggling to survive decades of depopulation and business decline. Through hard work, planning and collaboration, the community forged a new and brighter path forward by harnessing the spirit of the land and the people.

Enos will share details of how this community created change.

The group will share a blueprint for other rural communities looking to leverage outdoor recreation opportunities for economic development. Virtual participants can submit questions before the event via email to events@brookings.edu

Register here for the online event on Thursday, Aug. 21, at 3 p.m. E.T.

For more rural inspiration, Pipa's Reimagine Rural podcast returns for its third season beginning on Aug. 19. The podcast's first two stops are in western North Carolina, where residents and businesses are navigating post-Hurricane Helene recovery.

Season 3, Episode 1 focuses on a community working to restore outdoor recreation in Old Fort, N.C. Episode 2 explores how Canton, N.C., is maintaining its identity and resilience after multiple disasters.

New Reimagine Rural podcast episodes are released every three weeks throughout the fall and can be accessed on platforms such as Spotify and Apple.

Opinion: Growing up in Appalachia made navigating college tough. 'I felt compelled to abandon my background.'

Piper Slinka-Petka

An Appalachian student from West Virginia heads off to college at the University of Pennsylvania, dubbed "Penn" by most students, and encounters a community where she doesn't know how or when she will ever fit in and keep up with her urban counterparts. A lightly edited version of Piper Slinka-Petka's story from The Daily Pennsylvanian is shared below.

"During the same conversation, all first-year students find themselves in, state follows directly after name. Penn’s student body, while diverse, leaves many geographical regions underrepresented in their class. . . . When I reveal I am from West Virginia, home to Penn students few and far between, I get one of a few responses:

I haven’t heard that one yet. Are you the only one? (No, I am not.)

Like from the song? (Yes, the very state described by John Denver’s 1971 song, “Take Me Home, Country Roads.”)

I have family from Virginia, same thing, right? (Two different states, separated in 1863.)

"Growing up in Appalachia is an identity I spent my adolescence running away from. Portrayal in the media, such as by vice presidential candidate JD Vance’s "Hillbilly Elegy," paints Appalachia as a place for the uneducated, poverty-stricken, and lazy. The misinterpretation of rural America creates a narrative that all people inside of it are 'white, conservative, and dumb.' In conversations with other Penn students, I would explain my rural upbringing, and end with 'but at least I made it out.' I felt compelled to abandon my background to find my new place at Penn.

"It wasn’t the light pollution, lack of nature, or noise that made Penn so different — it was the culture. I found myself struggling to find an anchor with my urban peers. . . . I was always a step behind. My differences were possibly the most apparent at the dining hall. I grew up on simple, hearty foods like pepperoni rolls and baked mac & cheese — nothing like the diverse and unique food options my peers raved about. Penn’s food options felt like an entirely new language.

"The education I received, too, lacked greatly in comparison to my peers. In 2024, West Virginia was ranked the worst state for education. Approximately only 20% of West Virginians over 25 have a bachelor's degree or higher. While I’d been admitted to Penn, I was still the product of a struggling academic system. Even though I already knew my education put me at a disadvantage, I underestimated how much I would feel out of place at Penn. . . . Perhaps even more than educationally, I was lacking socially.

"Coming from a geographically underrepresented area meant I was at a disadvantage in navigating Penn. While my classmates seemed to effortlessly adjust to this new world, I felt lost grappling with new social dynamics, cuisine, and academics. The culture shock was not just locational; it was a reminder of how deeply our backgrounds influence our future. Although I felt the need to abandon my old life for Penn’s new offerings, I couldn't just put West Virginia behind me. I would have to actively work to bridge the gap between my unique upbringing and my new life at Penn. . ."

Quick hits: Small-town murder mysteries; slower mail for rural residents; a new hearing aid; Halloween night skies

Rossif Sutherland and Kristin Kreuk star in the new Global/FOX series 'Murder in a Small Town.' (Global TVvia IMDb photo/The Daily Yonder)

There's nothing quite like small-town murder tales to get people glued to their television screens week after week. "The latest TV series on FOX puts its own spin on a genre that has stood the test of time," reports Keith Roysdon of The Daily Yonder. "We haven’t yet reached the point where it’s become obvious that something is very, very wrong in the town of Gibsons . . . . 'Murder in a Small Town' is good, dependable murder-of-the-week television, probably not dissimilar to how 'Murder, She Wrote' was perceived for most of its run."

In Lancaster County, Penn., Democrats see an opportunity even though the county typically votes Republican, "the demographics are shifting here and throughout the state," report Campbell Robertson and Robert Gebeloff of The New York Times. "Pennsylvania is arguably the most pivotal state in the election, carrying 19 electoral votes, the most of the so-called swing states. After voting for the Democrat in every presidential election going back to 1992, the state went for Donald J. Trump in 2016 by less than a percentage point. Joe Biden won in 2020, by a little over a percentage point."

Jim and Sharon Erwin enjoy the natural beauty of
 Gunnison, Colo. (Photo by Jim Erwin via WSJ)

As baby boomers head into retirement, some choose to resettle in rural places for reasons that range from cutting costs to living closer to natural attractions. "The move to remote mountain and lake areas is helping reverse a long decline in the rural population. From April 2020 to July 2023, the rural counties retirees flocked to grew 4% versus less than 1% for rural America as a whole," report Anne Tergesen and Veronica Dagher of The Wall Street Journal. 

If slower is cheaper, is that OK? That depends. "The U.S. Postal Service is moving forward with a plan to slow down delivery for a relatively small portion of mail, telling its regulator the changes would save nearly $4 billion annually and better reflect the evolving nature of mail usage," reports Eric Katz of Route Fifty. Advocates for rural residents say the change will disproportionately affect mail delivery and pickup in more remote areas. Liz Carey of The Daily Yonder reports, "The plan would eliminate evening mail pickup in rural and remote areas, which could affect delivery times for areas that are more than 50 miles from a large USPS regional processing facility."

Apple's AirPods Pro 2 with hearing aid feature
(Apple photo via Wired)

Over-the-counter hearing aids seemed like a "cheaper and more accessible [solution] for people with mild to moderate hearing loss. Instead, people are returning them at high rates," reports Julie Jargon of The Wall Street Journal. "Doctors lauded the move as a solution for over 20 million American adults who have hearing loss that isn’t severe enough to warrant expensive prescription devices. In reality, many go for $1,500 to $2,000 . . . . The struggles come as Apple prepares to release a potential game-changer — a software update that will turn its popular, $249 AirPods Pro 2 into hearing aids."

This year's spooky season will be topped off by rarely-seen cosmic visitors. "In the days leading up to Halloween, Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, also known as Comet C/2023 A3, will be at its brightest, and likely visible to the naked eye. . . just look to the western sky shortly after sunset. As the days pass, the comet will get fainter and move to a higher part of the sky," reports James Wray for The Conversation. "The second comet, C/2024 S1 (ATLAS), should be visible around the end of October. The comet will pass closest to Earth on Oct. 24 – look low in the eastern sky just before sunrise. Then, after swinging around the Sun, the comet may reappear in the western night sky right around Halloween."

Penn State researchers estimate opioid epidemic costs states $6-10 billion a year, at least $130 billion so far

Twenty researchers at Penn State say they have produced the country’s first “comprehensive tally of state opioid costs,” with an aim to better understand the financial burden to state governments in four areas: Medicaid, tax revenue, criminal justice and child care.

“Our studies tallied about $85 billion in estimated financial costs to state budgets during the periods identified in each one. After extrapolating that to cover costs through 2018, we think the total comes to at least about $130 billion, with an ongoing bill of $6 billion to $10 billion every year,” the team’s five lead researchers wrote in a summary on The Conversation. “Our estimates also provide a benchmark states can use in litigation as they seek to recoup these costs to help cover the ongoing expenses associated with containing and ending the epidemic – and hint at why so many opioid manufacturers are mulling bankruptcy.”

By far, the largest expense to state governments is through Medicaid: “Our team crunched the data from 17 states’ Medicaid claims databases and then extrapolated the data to make national-level estimates. We estimate that overall, state Medicaid programs spent at least $72 billion due to opioid misuse from 1999 to 2013, the most recent year with available data. Based on an estimate of Medicaid costs of $8.4 billion in 2013, we estimate states likely spent an additional $40 billion since then, bringing the total bill to at least $112 billion.”

States also take a hit in reduced revenue, the researchers write: “We estimate that states may have lost nearly $12 billion in tax revenue from 2000 to 2016 due to the effect of opioid misuse on individuals’ ability to work. Ongoing costs are about $700 million a year, bringing an estimated total through 2018 to over $13 billion.”

Costs associated with criminal justice were more difficult to determine, they write: “Due to the difficulty of obtaining reliable data, our team focused on Pennsylvania. We estimate that, from 2007 to 2016, the opioid crisis cost the criminal justice system in the state $526 million.”

The researchers estimated opioid misuse “may be associated with $2.8 billion in costs to the child welfare system across all states from 2011 to 2016.” They said there is also a huge cost to child welfare systems and special education programs from babies born to mothers using opioids: “A very rough estimate of the nationwide costs would be in the ballpark of at least $50 million per year.”

Natural gas is booming in Pennsylvania, but state isn't reaping the rewards

Most states charge natural-gas drilling companies fees or taxes based on how much gas comes out of wells, but not Pennsylvania, which charges an impact fee. That is causing problems in a state where the Marcellus shale gas production has soared, but revenue to local and state governments isn't keeping pace, reports The Associated Press.

The impact fee in 2011 brought in about $204 million, with production about 1 trillion cubic feet of gas, reports AP. In 2012, production doubled to 2 trillion, but the impact fee was $199 million. One billion cubic feet of gas is the energy equivalent of about 180,000 barrels of oil.

"Over 20 or 30 years, that means the current impact fee here may generate $10 billion or $15 billion less than a flat tax on production," Michael Wood, research director for the Pennsylvania Budget & Policy Center, told AP. "That gap is going to get bigger and bigger."

Patrick Henderson, Gov. Tom Corbett's energy executive, told AP oil and gas operators have paid more than $1.7 billion in corporate state taxes since 2007. He said Corbett “was proud to partner with the General Assembly in crafting a fair impact fee intended to encourage development in Pennsylvania.” (Read more) The graphic is by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

Resistance to hydraulic fracturing in gas drilling continues in Marcellus Shale states

As Democratic Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania introduced legislation for federal regulation of hydraulic fracturing in natural-gas drilling last week, there was action in other states underlain by the deep, dense, gas-rich Marcellus Shale (map), a prime target of the frackers.

Maryland’s House of Delegates "advanced a plan calling for a two-year study of Marcellus Shale drilling, overriding the objections of Western Maryland lawmakers who want to see the potentially lucrative activity sooner, " writes Julie Bykowicz of the Baltimore Sun. Delegate Maggie McIntosh said "the state needs time to study hydraulic fracturing and that proceeding quickly could prove harmful to Maryland's waterways," Bykowicz reports.

In West Virginia, after the legislature declined to establish new regulations for Marcellus drilling, “Lawmakers and surface-owner groups met to announce the signing of a letter urging Randy Huffman, secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection, to use his emergency authority to halt the issuance of new horizontal drilling permits in the Marcellus Shale,” reports Taylor Kuykendall of the Register-Herald in Beckley.

Supporters of the moratorium in West Virginia include the Lewisburg City Council, which Peggy Mackenzie of the Mountain Messenger reports “may well be the first municipality in the state to declare the prohibition of locating, drilling, equipping, operating or producing any oil and gas wells within the city limits.” The council approved a resolution expressing “concerns about the lack of protection afforded the state’s water resources, particularly the Greenbrier River watershed, which is the source of water for Lewisburg’s regional system, serving 4,732 customers,” writes Tina Alvey of the Register-Herald.

New York state is enforcing a moratorium on Marcellus drilling until at least July 2011, reports the Associated Press.

Andrew Wyeth, painter of rural America, passes

Andrew Wyeth, perhaps the greatest modern painter of rural America, died at his home in Chadd's Ford, Pa., this morning at 91. (Photo by Peter Ralston)

"Wyeth was also born in Chadd's Ford, and except for the time he spent at his family's summer home in Maine, he lived his whole life there," National Public Radio reports. "His entire body of work is drawn from these two places: images of rural America and the people who lived there, realistic but often imbued with hidden meaning." (Read more) Below is Cider Barrel.

2008 saw record low number of miners killed

"The number of miners killed on the job in the United States fell to 51 in 2008, the fewest number of deaths since officials began keeping records nearly a century ago, according to preliminary data released by federal regulators Thursday," writes Roger Alford of The Associated Press. The historic low follows two years in which the number of mining fatalities rose, largely because of coal-mine disasters. Coal mines accounted for 29 of last year's deaths, compared to 34 in 2007. The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration reported that 22 deaths occured in other types of mines, down from 33 in 2007.

As beefed-up mine safety regulations helped bring down the number of mining deaths in 2008, it was also the first year that mine safety inspectors were able to complete all mandated mine reviews. MSHA added 360 inspectors and paid $10 million in overtime to complete the task. "Inspectors issued nearly 167,000 citations for safety violations in 2008, up from 130,000 the year before," writes Alford. "The federal agency fined mine operators $194 million in 2008 for safety violations. That was the largest amount of fines in the agency's history, up from $130 million in 2007."(Read more)

Obama opens a lead in Ohio but not in its hills; he gains in Pa., where McCain banks on character

UPDATES, Oct. 7: A Washington Post-ABC News poll taken in Ohio Oct. 3-5 shows Obama leading McCain 51 percent to 45 percent among likely voters, with an error margin of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. (Read more) A CNN-Time-Opinion Research Corp. poll, taken in the state Oct. 3-6, gave Obama a lead of 50-47, plus or minus 3.5 for each figure.

Barack Obama has opened up a lead over John McCain in Ohio, a battleground state that has proven decisive in many presidential elections, but still appears to trail McCain in rural Appalachian Ohio, according to a Columbus Dispatch Poll taken Sept. 24 through Oct. 3 and published yesterday.

Obama led McCain statewide, 49 percent to 42 percent, plus or minus 2 percentage points. McCain lead Obama in Southeast Ohio 47 percent to 39 percent, probably within the error margin for that smaller sample, but the Dispatch didn't give subsample margins. McCain led in Southwest Ohio 50 to 45 percent and in west-central 50 to 39. Central Ohio was virtually even, with McCain leading 47-45, while Obama led in the northeast 57-35 and the northwest 45-41.

McCain "is scheduled to appear in Cleveland on Wednesday, while Obama plans a two-day bus trip across Ohio this week," the Dispatch's Darrel Rowland writes. (Read more) To help sign up more young voters on today's registration deadline, Obama's campaign had Bruce Springsteen play at a free concert at Ohio State yesterday.

Though McCain gave up on another Great Lakes state, Michigan, last week, and fell far behind in the most recent public poll in Pennsylvania, the latter state will stay in his sights, Chuck Todd and Mark Murray write on NBC News' First Read: "If there is one blue state the McCain campaign may never give up on, it's the Keystone State. Of all the Kerry blue states, it's the most competitive -- even right now at a time that appears to be Obama's high-water mark. Of the remaining blue states in play, Pennsylvania may be the most culturally sensitive and may explain why the McCain folks want to shift the debate a bit to character. Shifting the campaign to character isn't about changing the national narrative; it's about keeping the undecided column larger in Pennsylvania. Now, the character strategy could backfire in a Florida or even a Nevada or Colorado. But Pennsylvania, by the numbers, is worth it to McCain."

Obama led McCain 54 percent to 39 percent in Pennsylvania Sept. 27-29, according to a Qunnipiac University poll. Other battleground-state polls by QU's Polling Institute found Obama leading in Ohio 50 to 42 percent and in Florida 51 to 43. All the surveys had error margins of just under 3 percentage points. For details, click here.

Pennsylvania veterinarians target vet shortage

With the average veterinary student graduating $120,000 in debt, the temptation to work in higher-paying fields after graduation is often irresistible, leaving certain lower-income regions and non-traditional veterinary fields critically understaffed. Also, many states are running short of large-animal vets. A new initiative in Pennsylvania seeks to address the shortage in critical areas of the Keystone State.

The Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association recently launched Project Pennsylvania, an initiative to increase the number of graduates with a targeted loan forgiveness program, which would eliminate a portion of the debt for every year served in one of the eligible areas. The initiative also focuses on actively recruiting students interested in these areas, and providing on-the-job mentoring.

"Pennsylvania has a shortage of large-animal veterinarians in certain geographic regions, as well as a shortage of practitioners in less traditional areas such as biomedical research, public health, regulatory medicine and academia," said Robert D. Fetterman, VMD, a large-animal practitioner and PVMA president, in an article written for PR Newswire. "Using loan forgiveness as an incentive to fill these voids is an investment in the state's agricultural industry, as well as in food safety and even national security." (Read more)

Rising energy prices spur gas leasing among landowners who don't know how to get best deal

Here's a story that could be done by lots of rural journalists, and probably needs to be done by many, to keep their readers, viewers or listeners from getting taken. The Associated Press reports, "Unsuspecting property owners around the country are getting trampled in an old-fashioned land rush by natural gas companies and speculators trying to lock up long-ignored drilling rights quickly and cheaply. Stories of fast-talking industry representatives using scare tactics to strong-arm people into signing lowball leases are popping up in rural areas and suburbs from New York to West Virginia to parts of Indiana and Texas."

This is an old story in places familiar with oil and gas drilling, but rising energy prices have prompted leasing activity in many areas that are unfamiliar with it, or among landowners who haven't seen it in many years and lack working knowledge of the process -- knowledge that can help them get better deals and avoid unnecessary damage to their property if it is drilled. We first reported this April 8 in an item about gas leasing in Appalachia; the AP story (for which we could not find a reporter's byline or newspaper's credit line) also mentions the Illinois Basin, which extends into Indiana and Kentucky.

The story tells the cautionary tale of Brad Castle, a farmer and convenience-store owner in Rowlesburg, W.Va. Castle thought he had cut a good deal when he leased 800 acres for $5 an acre and the standard royalty of one-eighth of production, until more land agents showed up offering as much as $350 an acre. "There's got to be a law broke[n] somewhere," he told the reporter. We doubt it, though Castle does report a possible fraud, saying the leasing agent told him that drillers could get his gas without paying him anything. That may be true, but it certainly would be illegal.

In most states, landowners can form a pool that companies find more attractive for development and for which they are willing to pay higher prices. The story mentions a group of farmers in New York's Broome and Delaware counties that got $2,411 an acre and a 15 percent royalty for a five-year lease. Typically, such leases are renewable; they also can be renegotiable, if the landowner gets that right up front.

West Virginia lawyer David McMahon and the West Virginia Surface Owners' Rights Organization advise landowners to "take their time and refuse to be rushed into signing leases," AP reports. McMahon "also suggests rejecting standard leases in favor of documents containing protections against roads, potential pollutants such as saltwater injections, and use of depleted wells for gas storage. Herschel McDivitt, director of Indiana's Division of Oil and Gas, offers similar advice. "There just aren't a lot of savvy landowners out there," McDivitt said.

In Pennsylvania, Penn State horticulture specialist Thomas Murphy has organized a program to help landowners get the best deals. One session recently attracted a standing-room-only crowd of 1,200. For a report on his work, from Deborah Benedetti of Penn State Outreach magazine, click here. For Penn State's Web site on the subject, click here.

Rural voters in Pennsylvania stick with Clinton

Sen. Hillary Clinton continued her mastery of rural Democratic voters tonight in Pennsylvania. As she rolled up a margin of 9.4 percentage points over Sen. Barack Obama, with 99 percent of precincts reporting, she won rural areas and small towns by about the same margin that President Bush won them nationwide in 2004: 61 to 39 percent, said the exit poll conducted for news organizations by Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International. (Associated Press photo)

Obama won by more than expected in Philadelphia, and carried the state's big cities by 62 to 38 percent, but those places accounted for only 18 percent of the vote, and he lost the balance of the state. "In white, blue-collar, rural Pennsylvania, Sen. Clinton just thumped him," chief political reporter John King said on CNN. Analyst Bill Schneider said the poll indicated that Obama's remarks about bitter small-town voters had no impact, but former presidential adviser David Gergen disagreed, saying his words at least stalled his momentum as he was catching up to Clinton, and may have hurt him. Here is our take on those remarks, and on the reporting of them.

Obama's remarks touched on guns and religion. The following poll results reflect many demographic factors, but Clinton won gun owners, 62 to 38 percent -- those who don't own guns were evenly divided -- and among all churchgoers, even the occasional. Obama won those who said they never attend services, though among Protestants who attend weekly (10 percent of the poll sample) the vote was evenly divided -- probably a function of African American support for Obama (89 percent of the black vote). Among the 19 percent of voters who said a candidate's race was important to them, 59 percent voted for Clinton and 41 percent for Obama. African Americans made up only 14 percent of the poll sample. Ron Fournier of The Associated Press digs deeper into the poll data and reports, "White voters who cited race supported Clinton over Obama by a 3-to-1 margin." (Read more)

The key to Clinton's victory was suburbs, which accounted for about half the vote. She won them 56 to 44 percent. In places the exit poll classified as "small cities," Clinton won 51-49, within the poll's margin of error. In small towns, 8 percent of the poll, she won 59-41, and in rural areas, 14 percent of the poll, she won 62-38. Among other demographics, age continued to be the key. Clinton won voters over 40, Obama those under 40. Among college graduates, who have been one of Obama's most loyal groups, he won only 51-49, inside the error margin. Among those with any college education, Clinton won 51-49. Obama had the same "edge" among the 49 percent of primary voters who identified themselves as liberals. For the poll results, click here.

Columnists: Candidates must realize rural America is more complicated than sound bites suggest

Sen. Barack Obama's campaign is still trying to move beyond Obama's remarks about small-town America, and as part of that effort, the campaign conducted a conference call on Wednesday to discuss the candidate's rural agenda. (Obama's rural platform is here; Hillary Clinton's is here.) The Daily Yonder's Bill Bishop participated in that 45-minute call and came away with this thought: "In a call meant to show that the candidate was knowledgeable about small towns, I learned that the campaign, at least, was stuck with an outdated, cliched view of what's going on in rural communities. It was a baffling experience."

Bishop writes that the call illustrated the fact that rural America equals agriculture for most candidates, an impression that needs to change. "Obama's rural handlers spent 90 percent of a conversation about rural Pennsylvania talking about an economy that provides only 6.5 percent of the rural jobs — a ratio rhetoric to relevance that, unfortunately, has held steady through much of this campaign," Bishop writes. In Pennsylvania, small towns have many concerns beyond agriculture, such as sprawl or the loss of young people to other states. (Read more)

For Bishop and geographer Tim Murphy's look at the declining economic fortunes of both urban and rural Pennsylvania, click here.

In a recent column, The New Republic's Jordan Stancil addresses one of the key problems facing rural towns: a loss of local ownership. Stancil writes that Obama's comments need to be used to further discussion about rural economic issues, not just be part of a debate over "elitism." In recent decades, "Rural Americans have seen their ownership of their communities hollowed out by relentless consolidation in the retail and financial sectors -- to say nothing of agriculture," Stancil writes. "While Obama is right to emphasize the fact that rural areas are hurting financially, the problem is not just cyclical changes in the economy but a deeper crisis of ownership."

Stancil later writes that he believes independence is the key value in small towns, and its loss, especially economically, is the root of any small-town bitterness He explains:

This independence is not threatened by Northeastern "cultural elitism," but it is threatened by economic policies that relentlessly favor bigness. The Democrats, because they are more likely than the Republicans to favor limitations on bigness, might be able to benefit from this truth -- and cut into the Republican lead in rural areas -- if their candidates can understand the real nature of small-town malaise. The challenge is not, as the candidates imply, simply to create jobs, but to help small towns reestablish local control of their economies. (Read more)

Like Bishop, Stancil notes the many problems facing small towns: how to attract and keep good teachers, the need for broadband access, etc. These columns are worth a read, because they begin to address the larger issue of rural needs, not just the controversy over Obama's remarks.

Clinton, Obama and surrogates start final swings through Pa. before primary; here's local coverage

Given the six-week gap between the Mississippi primary and Pennsylvania's primary on Tuesday, the Keystone State has seen plenty of the two Democratic candidates — and their surrogates — on TV, in the newspaper and in person. Still, the campaign has not lost its excitement, especially in the state's small towns. Here is some recent coverage from local sources:

In Williamsport (pop. 30,000), the Sun-Gazette reports that the 2,000 tickets available for Obama's stop today were scooped up in 90 minutes. Obama will speak at Lycoming College's Lamade Gymnasium, where the Clinton campaign has made two stops in the past month: Bill Clinton on March 29, and actor Sean Astin on April 11. Earlier today, Obama spoke in Erie, and The Times-News has full coverage (including video) of that event. He's set to begin a whistle-stop tour from Philadelphia to Harrisburg, after his big event in Philly tonight.

Johnstown (pop. 24,000) on the Allegheny Plateau has seen all of the Clintons — Bill, Chelsea and Hillary — at least once. The Johnstown Tribune-Democrat reported on Chelsea Clinton's appearance there on April 15, and Hillary Clinton has a visit planned for Sunday. Sen. Barack Obama played to a packed house at Greater Johnstown High's gym, the same place Bill Clinton had spoken just two weeks earlier. And the town of 20,000 has even drawn former Bush adviser Karl Rove in recent weeks.

In nearby Altoona (pop. 50,000), Obama's "bitter" comments drew some positive and negative responses, reports the Altoona Mirror. Steelworkers at one of 11 events organized by the Obama campaign said they were bitter about tough economic times, while Clinton supporters demonstrated their anger over the comments by holding signs that read "I'm not bitter," “Hillary will fight for us” and “Obama snubs Pennsylvania.”

In the last week, Hillary Clinton received the endorsement of 100 Pennsylvania mayors. In addition to nods from Philadelphia's and Pittsburgh's mayors, she picked up the support from many small-town mayors, including the one in Sharon (pop. 17,000), where former presidential hopeful Tom Vilsack campaigned on her behalf two weeks ago, reports The Herald.

Here are some other odds and ends from Pennsylvania:

• Sen. Ted Kennedy spoke with the Lancaster New Era about what superdelegates should do.
• The Beaver County Times notes how local volunteers make this national race go.
• The Centre Daily Times asked readers to respond to Obama's rural remarks; they have receive more than 4,000 responses so far.
• The Altoona Mirror found area voters were frustrated by this week's debate.
  
• And for all things related to Tuesday's vote, go to www.thepennsylvaniaprimary.com
  

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Rural residents in W.Va. still critical of power line that would stretch from Pennsylvania to Virginia

Allegheny Energy wants to build a 500-kilovolt power line from its plants in Pennsylvania to the growing cities and towns in northern Virginia. Along the way, the Trans-Allegheny Interstate Line, or TrAIL, must cross West Virginia, and rural residents there "still aren't sold on the project, despite new support for it from the state Public Service Commission's staff and consumer advocate," reports Ken Ward Jr. of The Charleston Gazette. (Above is a Allegheny Energy map of the original route.) A settlement on Tuesday rerouted the line around some communities south of Morgantown, but the project continues to draw "intense opposition from hundreds of West Virginians, who fear it will mar scenic views, lower their property values and continue what they say is an environmentally damaging reliance on coal-fired power."

Power company officials say the line, which would run through six West Virginia counties, is necessary to bring electricity to Eastern cites. Until Tuesday, the PSC remained unconvinced, "saying the company had not shown need for the project, established significant benefits to West Virginians, or selected the less environmentally damaging route," Ward writes. "PSC staff attorneys and experts argued that Allegheny had not fully examined other options, such as building new plants near Eastern population centers or working to cut electricity demand."

The PSC, however, agreed to the TrAIL after Tuesday's settlement redirected the line away from Monongalia and Preston counties, where opposition was well organized. The PSC's consumer advocate had proposed the alternate route. As part of the settlement, Allegheny agreed to move a transmission operations center to West Virginia and save state customers more than $40 million in rate reductions and other incentives. The settlement, however, did not end all opposition to the line. "On Wednesday, the West Virginia chapter of Sierra Club, which intervened to oppose TrAIL, issued a statement that compared the settlement to the sale of Manhattan Island from the Canarsee Indians to the Dutch in 1626," Ward writes. (Read more)

Ward and the Gazette have been following the story for a while, as part of the series "Lines of Power."

Clinton, Obama on both sides of fence regarding moratorium for coal-fired power plant construction

As coal-producing states such as Pennsylvania, Indiana, West Virginia and Kentucky prepare to hold their presidential primaries, Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are treading carefully on coal issues. We reported recently that they equivocated on the issue of mountaintop-removal strip mining, and Scott Finn of West Virginia Public Broadcasting reports that they have been far from clear about a possible moratorium for new coal-fired power plant construction.

At different times, both have suggested they would support such a coal-plant moratorium, and have nevertheless suggested that such a freeze would be impractical in many places. “I am very disappointed and surprised at the comments by both presidential candidates. It leaves you somewhat confused over what kind of energy policy they advocate,” Chris Hamilton, vice president of the West Virginia Coal Association, told Finn.

Recently, Sally Mauk, news director of Montana Public Radio, talked to Clinton about a moratorium. Since cleaner coal technologies could be years away, Mauk asked Clinton, "“In the meantime, would you support a moratorium on new coal fired power plants?” Clinton replied, “It’s doable. We’re just not doing it. So yes, I would like to see us hold off on new coal power plant construction while we push to do the demonstration projects, push to do the energy efficiency. In some places that’s practical, in other places it isn’t. But the longer we wait, the less likely we are going to be to have the right solutions.”

Finn followed up with Clinton's domestic policy director, Catherine Brown, to clarify Clinton's stance on a moratorium, and reported:

“I don’t think there’s any ambiguity in her position. It’s a very bold and realistic position, given where we are with the technology right now,” Brown said.

Brown hangs onto the last part of Clinton’s statement, that in some places, it’s practical, in other places, it isn’t.

“The ultimate goal is to be able to have that technology operating wherever it is possible, but she recognizes that we are a long way from that, given that we don’t have any commercial coal plants that are capturing and storing their carbon,” Brown said.

Obama addressed a possible coal-plant moratorium in a July 2007 interview with environmental magazine Grist.com, “I believe that relying on the ingenuity of the free market, coupled with a strong carbon cap, is the best way to reduce carbon emissions rather than an arbitrary freeze on development,” he said. (Grist.com interviewed Clinton in August 2007 but did not ask directly about a moratorium.) As with Clinton, Finn went to the Obama campaign to find out more about the candidate's position, and reports:

We tried to get Obama’s campaign on tape. They refused. But they did say that Obama’s proposal to cap and trade greenhouse gases would make it nearly impossible to build traditional coal-fired power plants in the future:

“Obama will use whatever policy tools are necessary, including standards that ban new traditional coal facilities, to ensure that we move quickly to commercialize and deploy low carbon coal technology,” the Obama campaign e-mail says.

Finn also looked at Senate records and found that both co-sponsored the Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act of 2007, and that both want to cut total greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050. To listen to his full report, go here.

The energy and environment issue page of the Clinton campaign Web site declares: "Centered on a cap and trade system for carbon emissions, stronger energy and auto efficiency standards and a significant increase in green research funding, Hillary's plan will reduce America's reliance on foreign oil and address the looming climate crisis. Setting ambitious targets, the plan would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent from 1990 levels by 2050 to avoid the worst effects of global warming, and cut foreign oil imports by two-thirds from 2030 projected levels, more than 10 million barrels per day."

The energy and environment issue page of the Obama campaign Web site declares: "Obama will significantly increase the resources devoted to the commercialization and deployment of low-carbon coal technologies. Obama will consider whatever policy tools are necessary, including standards that ban new traditional coal facilities, to ensure that we move quickly to commercialize and deploy low-carbon coal technology."

Obama aides set conference call on rural Pa. plan

Sen. Barack Obama's campaign says it will host a conference call to discuss its rural policy plan for Pennsylvania tonight at 6 p.m. EDT. On the call will be former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota, and Carlos Monje, Obama's deputy policy director. They will speak about the plan and then answer questions.

Josh Bendor of the campaign writes, "We would be delighted to be joined by readers (and writers) of The Rural Blog, especially those in Pennsylvania, which will be the focus of the call. Those who are interested can sign up at and submit questions at http://pa.barackobama.com/policypa." The plan can be found here.

Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton will meet in debate tonight at 8 p.m. on ABC. He heads to Raleigh and Greenville, N.C., tomorrow; she says she plans to campaign in Pennsylvania through April 22, the date of its primary.

Journal Register Co., owner of more than 300 newspapers, sees stock and debt ratings slide

The stock of the Journal Register Co., a Yardley, Pa.-based newspaper chain, has been falling for weeks. On Monday, the stock closed at 22 cents per share, slightly up from the day's low of 19 cents, reports The Associated Press.

As of yesterday afternoon, the stock was trading at 28 cents per share, and Moody Investors Service downgraded the company's debt rating "two notches deeper into junk territory late Thursday on concerns the publisher of the New Haven (Conn.) Register is losing too much top-line revenue to cover its repayment obligations," reports Mark Fitzgerald of Editor & Publisher.

Journal Register stock (NYSE: JRC) has been trading below $1 for the past month and is in danger of being de-listed. The company announced earlier this week that it might put itself for sale and that it had hired Lazard Freres & Co. LLC for financial advice. Fitzgerald writes that there are reports the company is considering filing for bankruptcy. (Read more)

Besides its flagship Register, the company owns 21 other daily newspapers and 310 non-daily publications in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The Hartford Courant's Capitol Watch sees other signs of trouble. "When New Haven Register's longtime Capitol bureau chief, Gregory Hladky, was abruptly laid off exactly one month ago, some Capitol insiders said the already weak finances of the Journal Register Company must be worse than anyone realized," Christopher Keating writes, adding, "Hladky's position had once been considered safe by many because his articles from the Capitol appeared in a wide variety of the JRC's publications, including the weeklies." (Read more)

UPDATE, April 14: Alan Mutter explains in his Reflections of a Newsosaur blog that the company is "highly profitable" but is suffering from too much debt, largely from buying a chain of papers in the Detroit area.