The Rural Blog

A digest of events, trends, issues, ideas and journalism from and about rural America, by the Institute for Rural Journalism, based at the University of Kentucky. Links may expire, require subscription or go behind pay walls. Please send news and knowledge you think would be useful to benjy.hamm@uky.edu.

The Rural Blog

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The bourbon bubble has burst

The 'quintessential institution,' the American tavern, makes a comeback

Reporting on addiction resources helps journalists approach alcohol use disorder with more accuracy and empathy

Young heavy drinkers are more likely to carry handguns

Monday quick hits: Cowboys and cows; Kingsolver interview; beer brewing and NASA; travel in the U.S.A. . . .

White women in rural America are dying at accelerated rates; new memoir explores why this group 'feels forgotten'

'Given the critical mass that we have,' single-malt whiskey to get official definition in U.S.; it has more stills than Scotland

Idea of making vehicular-homicide convicts pay child support for surviving children spreads 'like wildfire' in states

Moonshine goes legal, but daughter of famous moonshiner says illegal form of the beverage still exists in Appalachia

From the food to the turf and maybe even the pizza guy's tip, this year's Super Bowl was brought to you by farmers

Don White, who published mug shots of convicted drunk drivers and did much more as a weekly editor, dies at 74

James Fallows returns to smaller towns: 'The rest of the country is in trouble. In my town, we are working things out.'

Drug roundup: Law enforcement warns about 'rainbow fentanyl'; young adults using pot and hallucinogens at record rates; needle exchange project in rural Nevada

Bourbon boom has downsides for neighbors who don't want aging whiskey feeding unsightly fungus and posing risks

'Dry' territory is becoming harder in find in rural Kentucky

Fentanyl drove record number of drug-related deaths in 2020; teens often score the pills on social media

Study: Alcohol-related problems jumped during pandemic

Some states and counties are yanking Russian-made liquor from stores; what about your local bars and stores?

Study details how myths surrounding alcohol and addiction can hurt indigenous Americans

Next week is National Forest Products Week; bourbon's one