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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Bird flu continues to infect cattle, but national testing for humans is stymied; only about 45 people have been tested

More Americans are opting out of Covid-19 vaccinations; survey shows the choice can be based on political views

Should you stay or should you go? How sick is too sick?

Hospital industry analysis: Problems that triggered 136 rural hospital closures in 2010-21 appear to be getting worse

GAO: USDA pandemic farmer-assistance program lacked anti-fraud safeties; over 1/2 of audited claims lacked backup

Rural Covid-19 death rate was over 1/3 higher than metros' last week, but rural infection rate fell about same as metros'

Quick hits: How the nation's most extreme anti-vaccine law hurt a Montana hospital; learning to live with beavers; housing market cools; gaps found in pesticide regulation

Rural Covid-19 infection rate keeps climbing above metro rate; now 27% higher; deaths up 10% after 2-week decline

The remote work revolution is already reshaping America, but mainly in cities; remote and rural are not synonymous

New coronavirus infection rate fell just 0.5% in rural counties last week as metropolitan-county rates were falling 7.6%

Rural Covid-19 infection rate above metro for first time since March, as rural cases fall more slowly than metro cases

Pandemic influx of city-dwellers triggered housing shortages in many resort towns, pricing out the locals

New rural coronavirus infections down last week; deaths up

New rural coronavirus infections, deaths up for fourth week

Rural coronavirus infection rate up for third straight week; two-thirds of rural counties now in the red zone

Rural Americans are hit hardest by inflation, especially because of higher fuel costs, Iowa State study indicates

Two-thirds of rural counties and three-fourths of metropolitan counties were in the Covid-19 red zone last week

Pandemic roundup: Publix won't vaccinate kids under 5; even asymptomatic coronavirus infection can hurt a fetus

New rural Covid cases steady last week; metro death rate may be higher than rural for first time in over a year

Rate of new rural coronavirus infections remain steady; rural death rate higher than metro for 60th week straight