U.S. infant formula needs an overhaul, but progress has been slow

More than half of U.S. babies rely on formula for 
nutrition for at least the first 6 months of life.

U.S. baby formula is currently under review by the Food and Drug Administration, an examination considered long overdue by many health professionals, nutrition experts and parents. The FDA plans to "release [its] study results in April examining contaminants in formula and suggested the current list of required nutrients is outdated," reports Sabrina Siddiqui of The Wall Street Journal. 

It's estimated that more than half of babies born in the U.S. rely on infant formula as their primary form of nutrition, with families that are lower income, of color, or rural more likely to use formula. 

 

Through the "Operation Stork Speed” initiative, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said he's making a U.S. baby formula overhaul a priority; however, supporters of formula changes believe the promised overhaul has been slow getting off the ground. Siddiqui writes, "Industry representatives and pediatric experts who have consulted. . . on the initiative say communication has slowed and visibility into the process has been limited."

Formulas fed to American babies today have come under scrutiny for containing seed oils, sugar, corn syrup, arsenic and heavy metals. Parent advocacy groups have often pushed for formula recipes to mirror those used in Europe.

But U.S. formula manufacturers defend their use of seed oils "because they provide key fats babies need to grow, including linoleic acid — a nutrient that is also found in breast milk and required in all formulas," Siddiqui explains. Many scientists and physicians contend that it would be difficult to replace seed oils, which are also used in European formulas, and have long been regarded as safe.

Quick hits: Mail riders of the past; the future of meat; child care solution; Thoreau's cabin; PFAS-free water

A mail rider makes his way through a creek bed near
Jackson, Ky., in 1940. (Library of Congress photo)

Over hill and dale and on all kinds of trails, horseback postal routes required mail riders to face treacherous paths, wild weather, unpredictable wildlife and inaccurate maps. "Routes they took were originally Native American and traders’ paths and roads carved through the forests, river valleys and mountains," writes Todd Kozak for Lancaster Farming. "Post riders and their horses worked in all weather and on set schedules. . . . A map of post routes published by the post office in 1897 shows a myriad of routes and offices. By the early 1920s, most of them had vanished."

Human diets of the future might not be about going vegan, quitting bacon or eschewing beef. Instead, Bruce Friedrich, author of Meat: How the Next Agricultural Revolution Will Transform Humanity’s Favorite Food and Our Future, presents "alternative meat" as the planet's best answer. "And to be clear, he’s not talking about gardenburgers or tofurkey," writes Sarah Isgur of The Dispatch. "We now have the ability to take real meat cells from an animal and replicate them. The product is actually meat, but it’s not from a dead animal. . . . Alternative meat can’t compete by being better for the environment or nicer for animals. For most people, he acknowledges, food is not an ethical decision. It has to taste as good and be as cheap. . . ."

At Little Break, parents can be on-site with their 
children and still get their work done. (Little Break photo)

For parents struggling to find affordable child care, a new model being used in Michigan offers a solution that combines parental work spaces with a child care center. "Users say its prices are a fraction of what other daycare centers charge," reports Anna Patton of Reasons to be Cheerful. "Little Break" is a nonprofit, non-licensed child care facility where "parents must remain on-site, and take care of feeding and diaper changes. Otherwise, they get on with work in an adjoining room, while paid staff. . . watch the children." An added perk of the model is that parents can be there to witness childhood milestones they would otherwise miss.

Tired of their current work lives, some mid-career professionals have left their jobs and trained in a trade. "At 27, Lauren O’Connor was living paycheck to paycheck as a Montessori teacher, making $29 an hour with no benefits," report Allison Pohle and Te-Ping Chen of The Wall Street Journal. "Today, the 33-year-old earns $45 an hour — brazing, welding and soldering pipes for a local contractor. Though she sees more women on job sites these days, it wasn’t that way at first. Proving herself to the guys was stressful, she says." Other trades career-changers took up were airline pilot, electrical apprentice and cardiovascular sonographer.

 Original title page of Walden featuring a 
picture drawn by Thoreau's sister Sophia.

Among more modern fans of Henry David Thoreau's 1854 book, Walden or Life in the Woods, a group is building "full-scale replicas" of the late transcendentalist's cabin, reports Dorie Chevlen of The New York Times. Thoreau's book, which centers on simple life and self-reliance, recounts how he built his little cabin all on his own, except when neighbors helped him raise the frame. Two brothers, Jasper and Satchel Sieniewicz, who worked together to build a replica, "can’t believe it was a one man job. . . . Even using a sawmill and power tools, it took them three summers of labor ... Thoreau was living in his cabin in under three months." Read how other Thoreau fans fared with their Walden cabins here. 

In the small community of Rothschild, Wis., the water is healthier because it's nearly PFAS free. PFAS, also known as "forever chemicals," can cause devastating health issues for humans. The village used settlement dollars to build a new water treatment facility. "This facility is actively working to decrease the levels of PFAS in the community's drinking water," reports Dylan Eckhart of WAOW. The Rothschild plant "utilizes a granular activated carbon filtration system to remove PFAS. . . .PFAS contamination became a concern for Rothschild residents in 2022 when it was detected in a sample from village wells."

Military doctors try to replace therapy for PTSD with 'combat cocktails.' The practice has been linked to suicide risk.

Veterans are 50% more likely to commit suicide than civilian 
adults. (Medication-Induced Suicide Prevention graphic)

Although there is no data to support the practice, many military doctors prescribe "combat cocktails" to veterans with Post- traumatic stress disorder. "The practice, known as 'polypharmacy,' can tranquilize patients to the point of numbness, cause weight gain and increase suicidal thoughts when it involves pharmaceuticals that target the central nervous system," report Shalini Ramachandran and Betsy McKay of The Wall Street Journal. Because roughly a third of military veterans live in rural areas, the post-combat treatment may have a disproportionate impact on rural families and communities.

Medical guidelines for the Department of Veterans Affairs don't recommend giving patients simultaneous mixes of psychiatric medications, and the Food and Drug Administration warns against the practice. And yet, "prescribing cocktails of such drugs is one of the VA’s most common treatments for veterans with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder)," the Journal reports. "And the number of veterans on multiple psychiatric drugs is a growing concern at the agency."

Polypharmacy definitions vary, but "the VA defines it as taking five or more medications at the same time," Ramachandran and McKay explain. A growing number of VA physicians and researchers believes such dosing can have disastrous results, because powerful drugs can interact with patients' nervous systems and each other in unpredictable ways.

While talk therapy is considered the best PTSD treatment, therapists are often in short supply, so medical providers have turned to medicine to treat PTSD symptoms. "Nearly 60% of VA patients with PTSD were taking two or more central nervous system drugs at the same time in 2019," the Journal reports. "The VA declined requests from The Wall Street Journal to provide more recent polypharmacy numbers for veterans in its care."

Given that suicide rates among veterans are much higher than those of civilian adults, how the VA treats PTSD is under scrutiny from Congress, advocacy groups and veterans. "Studies by VA researchers link the simultaneous use of multiple psychiatric drugs to suicide risk among veterans," Ramachandran and McKay write. "Yet the agency has been slow to mandate changes."

U.S. consumers battle with ongoing high prices by foregoing splurges and focusing on money-saving strategies

Americans are worried about stubbornly high
grocery prices. (Adobe Stock photo)

Frustrated with continuously high food and staple pricing, many U.S. consumers are combating grocery store costs with money-saving tactics and spending reductions. "Consumer spending stagnated in the first half of this year, according to federal data issued last week, and the CEOs of Chipotle Mexican Grill, Kroger and Procter & Gamble, among others, are telling investors that their customers are more strapped — or appear to feel that way," report Katherine Hamilton and Natasha Khan of The Wall Street Journal. 

Eyeing an uncertain job market, ongoing inflation and anticipated tariffs, shoppers are opting to spend their dollars on "essentials and forego the extras," the Journal reports. "P&G, which sells daily-use items such as Tide, Charmin and Pantene, said it is noticing signs of slower spending across essential products, too."

Low-income and higher-income shoppers have pulled back on spending sprees to focus on making their budgets stretch further. "Americans are using up the goods in their pantry and seeking value by buying in bulk to economize or purchasing smaller packs to spend less," Hamilton and Khan explain. "At Kroger, shoppers are making more trips to the store but putting less in their carts. They are also clipping coupons again. . ."

The cost of living and worries over being able to afford it has become a common theme for many Americans. "A May poll of consumer sentiment conducted by consulting firm McKinsey found most people planned to adjust their spending in response to tariffs," Hamilton and Khan write. "Rising prices was the top concern of those surveyed, far outweighing issues such as immigration, international conflict and political polarization."

Quick hits: NASA needs farmers; 988 to use geolocation; opioid prescriptions required to have warnings; why child care needs national support

NASA's sub-agency, NASA Acres, would like to meet more farmers. (Graphic by Adam Dixon, Offrange)

If you're a farmer, NASA could use your help. The space agency has a growing sub-agency, known as NASA Acres, that is "designed to use satellite data to help U.S. farmers make sustainable decisions and be more profitable," reports Donavyn Coffey for Offrange. NASA Acres is recruiting farmers to participate in its Farmer Innovation Ambassador Team. The group will "weigh in on the problems that need solving, and to spread the word: NASA can help. The space agency is leveraging 50 years of satellite and data science to help any farmers willing to join in."

A change in location guidance aims to help 988 Suicide & Crisis Hotline counselors route help based on where callers or texters are calling from, instead of their cell's area code. "The Federal Communications Commission voted to require text messages to the 988 suicide and mental health crisis hotline to be georouted to local crisis centers based on where they are sent from," reports Chris Teale for Route Fifty. "Over the past three years, the crisis line service has received 11.1 million calls, 2.9 million texts and 2.4 million chats via instant message."

New labels come with direct warnings about long-term
use of opioids. (Graphic via MedPage Today)

The Food and Drug Administration will require opioid makers to update their labels to include details that "highlight the safety risks of long-term use," reports Nicole Lou of MedPage Today. "Now, opioid drug labels should clarify that patients should undergo periodic checks for signs of addiction, abuse, or misuse of these painkillers." The labels will include less common but possible health complications that longer-term opioid use can cause, such as esophageal dysfunction and negative interactions with other medications. Opioid makers have 30 days to submit their new labeling for FDA review.

Haspel's book launches Aug. 11.

While the national conversation about child care is decades long, few changes have been made to address the dearth of providers, poor wages for child care teachers and the overall cost to families who are lucky enough to secure care. "Researcher Elliot Haspel suggests child care is a lost American value," writes Jackie Mader for The Hechinger Report, which reports on education. "Haspel's new book “Raising a Nation" presents 10 arguments — some of them well known and others less intuitive — for why child care needs to be a more supported part of American society."

In what could be a national first, energy company Holtec International looks to reopen the once-retired Palisades Nuclear Plant in Michigan by the end of this year. "The 800-MW Palisades plant received key federal approvals to open three years after shutting down," reports Eric Wesoff of Canary Media. "If Holtec succeeds, it would be the first nuclear plant in the U.S. to restart after being closed down. Remarkably, it would be just the second or third reactor to come back online in the global history of civilian nuclear power." 

Consumer enthusiasm helped inspire the  
combination. (Hershey/Mondelēz graphic)

Reese's peanut butter cups and Oreo cookies are slated for a mash-up, hitting grocery store shelves this fall. "Snack giants Hershey and Mondelēz are combining two of their top-selling products in a sugary marriage they say consumers have been begging for," reports Jesse Newman for The Wall Street Journal. The dynamic snack duo was partially inspired by "consumers’ own posts of their DIY combinations, such as a Reese’s peanut butter cup sandwiched between two Oreo wafers." 

GOP lawmakers consider snipping SNAP benefits to balance tax cuts. An expert explains SNAP.

The Conversation Chart, from USDA data

Congressional Republicans are eyeing substantial cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; however, lopping off grocery dollars from the more than 41 million low-income Americans who rely on SNAP, which includes 1 in 5 children, could prove tricky and unpopular.

To explain what SNAP benefits are, and why some GOP lawmakers want to cut SNAP spending, The Conversation asked Tracy Roof, a political scientist who has researched government food programs, to explain, "What’s going on?" An edited version of their Q&A is shared below.

Why does it look like the federal government may cut SNAP spending?
"SNAP critics believe that the U.S. spends too much on the program, which cost the federal government $100 billion in the 2024 fiscal year. . . . Federal spending on SNAP, however, has been falling since it peaked at $119 billion in 2022. Some Republican lawmakers are calling for new changes that would cut spending on the program."

Is there a SNAP budget? How do people qualify for benefits?
No, there is no limit on what the federal government can spend on SNAP. However, persons applying for benefits must meet a complex set of eligibility criteria, which varies by state. "Americans can usually qualify for SNAP benefits if their income is under 130% of the federal poverty line. In 2025, that would be $41,795 for a family of four, and they have limited savings."

Does SNAP have work requirements? If so, what are they? Can unauthorized immigrants receive SNAP benefits?
"Most adults under the age of 60 are subject to work requirements if they are 'able-bodied' and not caring for a child or incapacitated adult. If adults between the ages of 18 and 54 don’t log at least 20 hours of work or another approved activity, their benefits can be cut off. Immigrants without authorization to reside in the U.S. aren’t eligible for SNAP."

How can the federal government try to cut SNAP spending?
There are two likely ways for lawmakers to trim SNAP costs.

"One is through the farm bill, a legislative package Congress typically renews every four or five years that sets policies for SNAP and programs that support farmers’ incomes. . . .The latest [Farm Bill] extension will expire on Sept. 30, 2025.

"The other option is through the so-called budget reconciliation process underway in Congress. Right now, the primary Republican plan calls for extending $4.5 trillion in tax cuts passed in the first Trump administration and making up to $2 trillion in spending cuts over the next decade."

How popular do you think these changes would be?
Cutting SNAP benefits at a time when food inflation and food insecurity are high is unlikely to be popular. "Polls show most Americans support increasing SNAP benefits, not cutting them. . . . Food banks, already struggling to meet demand and facing federal spending cuts, have warned they will not be able to fill gaps caused by reduced SNAP spending or new limits on benefits."

To read what changes or restrictions Republicans might seek to cut SNAP spending or to read more about the political obstacles to SNAP reductions, read the full Q&A here.

Social Security recipients can still use phone to contact SSA; however, no paper checks after Sept. 30

SSA had planned to disallow several types of
customer service phone calls. (Farm Journal photo)

In a quick turnabout, the Social Security Administration changed its "plan to demand more in-office visits from beneficiaries after leaders said they would no longer allow benefit recipients to use telephone services to confirm their identification or change direct-deposit information," reports Chris Clayton of Farm Journal. The changes were planned to begin on March 31, but SSA delayed any changes until April 14. Recipients can still contact SSA customer service by phone.

The reversal is a relief for "elderly and disabled residents in rural America who were about to face hours-long drives to Social Security offices if they don't know how to use the internet or have access to the Social Security Administration's website," Clayton explains. "The changes were set to affect millions of rural residents, including roughly one in five farm households."

Lee Dudek, acting commissioner of Social Security, told Farm Journal, "We are updating our policy to provide better customer service to the country's most vulnerable populations. . . . Medicare, Disability, and SSI applications will be exempt from in-person identity proofing because multiple opportunities exist during the decision process to verify a person's identity."

When the updated policy begins on April 14, "individuals applying for Social Security Disability Insurance, Medicare, or Supplemental Security Income who cannot use a personal my Social Security account can complete their claim entirely over the telephone without the need to come into an office," Clayton adds. "The decision to change requirements for Social Security beneficiaries also comes as the Department of Government Efficiency is pressing to close at least 47 Social Security offices nationally."

"There is little hard data breaking down percentages of rural residents who rely on Social Security," Clayton reports. "A 2011 study by the Center for Rural Strategies showed rural counties rely on Social Security benefits nearly twice as much in terms of total personal income than urban counties."

There is a separate Social Security change that some beneficiaries may need to plan for soon. Clayton adds, "People will have to stop receiving their payments by check and provide some details for electronic payment. The SSA will stop issuing paper checks at the end of September." 

Opinion: People are getting married less often and having more children outside of marriage -- especially in rural areas

Rates for unmarried women and children out of
marriage are increasing. (photo by Thiago Cerqueira)

In an effort to prioritize "spending and infrastructure for communities with marriage and birth rates higher than the national average,” new guidelines from the Transportation Department have been issued by the Trump administration, according to a Washington Post opinion piece by Shelley Clark, a professor of sociology at McGill University, and Matthew Brooks, an assistant professor of sociology at Florida State University. 

Clark and Brooks said that the new guidelines would seem to be aimed toward Trump supporters in rural areas including “large traditional families.” However, their research shows that the appeal of having a large traditional family is not as popular as it once was. 

“Between 1988 and 2018, the proportion of rural women who were married fell from 55% to 33%… By 2018, rural women were more likely than urban women to be in an unmarried, cohabiting partnership (19% vs. 14%),” according to Clark and Brooks. They also said that the rates for women who have never been married has increased for both rural and urban women.

With the number of unmarried and divorced women rising, Clark and Brooks have tracked that the number of children born outside of marriage has also been on the rise. That is occurring at a time when the overall average number of children being born per woman has declined; and the number of rural children living with married parents has declined at twice the rate of urban children.

While Clark and Brooks said that rural transportation would be very beneficial due to the need to “travel greater distances to access necessities,” their research indicated “that using marriage and family size as the criteria for transportation funding is likely to disadvantage rural regions.”

“These rapid transformations in both marriage and non-marital childbearing help explain why many rural residents and politicians are inclined to think the traditional family is under threat,” according to Clark and Brooks. They also suggested that policies should be based on data about needs rather than “stereotypes about small-town family life.”

Not enough child care spots pushes states to help care centers expand; some emphasis is on rural needs.

Helping child care centers expand means more
parents can stay on the job. (Adobe Stock photo)

The lack of available and affordable child care keeps many parents -- mostly women -- out of the U.S. workforce. The need for more spots has pushed state lawmakers to use novel strategies to help child care centers expand.

"Nationally, more than half of all Americans live in 'child care deserts,' and the need for child care is especially great among . . . low and middle-income families, families of color and families living in rural areas," reports Maggie Clark of Stateline. "A child care desert is a place where there are more than three children for every regulated child care spot."

The child care conundrum isn't just an issue for parents. The problem "costs the U.S. economy roughly $122 billion each year in lost earnings, productivity and revenue," Clark explains. "To create more child care slots and reduce prices, lawmakers are increasingly using economic development strategies to help child care businesses expand, similar to the support they’ve offered to attract and expand manufacturing facilities, technology startups or other types of businesses."

Advocates and lawmakers are particularly focused on addressing child care shortages in rural areas. Clark explains, "This year, Oregon is awarding its first batch of $50 million in grants and loans for new construction, expansion and renovation for child care businesses, with priority for child care providers in rural areas."

Lawmakers in Colorado, Nebraska, Oregon and Vermont had "local and state zoning regulations reviewed," Clark reports. They also "set up help centers where child care business owners can get help with navigating permitting and other business rules so that they can expand their businesses and care for more children, which will help more parents stay in the workforce."

States that are working to support child care businesses with infrastructure offerings that other sectors receive "send a powerful message that child care businesses and the people who operate them are valuable to their communities and economies," Clark writes.

Erin Roche, Vermont director of First Children’s Finance, which is helping the state administer its child care infrastructure grant program, told Clark, "It’s a lot about changing our cultural values of thinking of [child care centers] as businesses, and not just something little that mostly women do on the side."

Can social awkwardness at holiday functions be avoided? No, but preparation can help manage it.

Holiday get-togethers can be
awkward. (Adobe Stock photo)

The holidays can be the best time of the year, but it can also be the most awkward. As we reconnect with family, friends and coworkers, conversations can veer into uncomfortable stories or political views that lead to dead silence or arguments. In her opinion for The Conversation, philosopher Alexandra Plakias "offers a few strategies people can use to minimize awkwardness and deal with it when it does, inevitably, happen." A condensed version of her tips is shared below.

Know your goals, know your roles. Uncertainty is the oxygen of awkwardness. Before you engage in a potentially awkward or contentious interaction, ask yourself: What do I  want to get out of this? . . . I’m not suggesting that some forethought will make things go smoothly or guarantee that no one’s feelings will be hurt. But it will help you feel more confident in your ability to navigate toward your desired outcome.
 
There’s no ‘I’ in awkward. Awkward situations breed intense self-consciousness. This is both uncomfortable and counterproductive. By focusing on yourself, you’re not attuned to the people around you or the signals they’re sending – signals that could offer you a pathway out of the awkward situation. So make sure you’re paying attention to the other players in the drama, not just your own discomfort.

Plan, coordinate and be explicit. People do so much planning in other areas of their lives, yet they expect social interactions to just flow effortlessly. . . . Have some go-to topics or questions at hand. . . .If you expect to see someone with whom you have an unresolved relationship – an estranged family member, or an old friend you ghosted – try to do some prep work in advance. Emails or letters can give people a chance to process reactions without putting them on the spot.

Laugh it off. Despite your best efforts, awkwardness does strike, offer people a way out – they’ll probably grab it. This doesn’t need to be momentous; it could be a little joke, a small-talk topic, or even – and only if things get very desperate – knocking a spoon off the table to break the silence.

Consider the alternatives. These strategies might help you avoid awkwardness. But take a moment to consider whether you really want to. Awkwardness is the result of social uncertainty; it slows things down and curbs your confidence. . . . If things are awkward, it’s worth looking around to see what role that awkwardness is playing, and what might take its place if it’s gone.

Alexandra Plakias

Alexandra Plakias is an associate professor of Philosophy at Hamilton College in New York. She's a moral psychology expert who studies social awkwardness as a way to explore how it "it stops people from engaging with difficult topics and challenging conversations." For more of her insights on social awkwardness, read her full article here.

A simpler assessment tool for newborns exposed to opioids means more mom time and fewer medications

Cailyn Morreale continued using buprenorphine during her pregnancy. Once her baby was born, the two were never separated. (Photo by Taylor Sisk, KFF Health News)

A new approach is helping mothers recovering from opioid addiction and newborns with opioid exposure stay together after birth. Historically, babies born with opioid exposure have been separated from their mothers and received heavy medications in neuro-intensive units, but "research has since indicated that in many, if not most, cases, those extreme measures are unnecessary," reports Taylor Sisk of KFF Health News. "A newer, simpler approach that prioritizes keeping babies with their families called Eat, Sleep, Console is being increasingly embraced."

Over the past decade, how pregnancy pairs with addiction treatment has changed, meaning most women can continue to take addiction-recovery medication throughout pregnancy. For Cailyn Morreale, a West Virginian from rural Mars Hill, the new methods helped her continue her recovery medicine, buprenorphine, and her care team assured her "that her baby would be assessed and monitored using the Eat, Sleep, Console approach," Sisk explains. "Morreale was never separated from her son. She was able to begin breastfeeding immediately. She was told, the trace of buprenorphine in her breast milk would help her son withdraw from it."

The Eat, Sleep, Console method is slowly replacing the older Finnegan Neonatal Abstinence Scoring System, which involved 21 evaluative questions. Sisk writes, "David Baltierra, former director of West Virginia University’s Rural Family Medicine Residency Program, chair of WVU’s Department of Family Medicine, suggests this protocol could simply be called 'parenting.' Baltierra and his colleagues have been training residents to use an Eat, Sleep, Console approach for a decade. . . .The results are persuading more health professionals to adopt the method."

A 2023 study found "babies treated this way were discharged from the hospital in nearly half the time and less likely to receive medication than those receiving Finnegan-based care," Sisk reports. "Matthew Grossman, an associate professor of pediatrics at the Yale School of Medicine, found a non-pharmacological-first approach works best. He said the Finnegan tool is useful but often too rigid. Under its scoring, one sneeze too many could send a baby to the NICU for weeks."

Research by Leila Elder and Madison Humerick, who each did their residency in WVU’s rural program, "found that median stays for newborns in withdrawal dropped from 13 days in 2016 to three in 2020," Sisk adds. "The simpler treatment also means more babies born in rural communities can receive care closer to home and has reduced the likelihood a mother will be released before her baby is cleared to go home."

How to support rural education: Rural researchers explore challenges and address solutions

Rural education research can support communities
by providing insight and solutions. (Adobe Stock photo)

Helping rural communities thrive requires resources from multiple places, but reinforcing the depth and accessibility of rural education is one of the most basic ways to support rural America. Some of that foundation is being built through research.

"The Rural Educator’s latest issue spotlights critical topics – showing just how vital rural research and community engagement are to the future of rural schools," reports Lane Wendell Fischer for The Daily Yonder. "We selected four articles to highlight the breadth and scope of research done to improve rural education."

Some rural places have been busy building learning pipelines for principals. Leaders at the University of Tennessee developed the Tennessee Rural Principals Network to address the lack of continuous professional development for rural principals, Fischer explains. "Researchers conducted interviews with 12 principals who participated in TRPN’s learning network, mentoring, and coaching. Participants lauded the program’s ability to connect rural principals. . . so they could share their knowledge and experiences to confront issues in the rural context."

Researcher Jana Stone, who is from rural Wyoming, is "examining how women in [educational] roles define leadership and whether their definitions align with the opportunities available to them within their communities," Fischer writes. "Stone hopes to offer a nuanced exploration of the challenges Appalachian women face when seeking leadership positions in their communities. . . . By understanding the specific obstacles faced by women in these communities, educational institutions can tailor their training programs to better equip female leaders for success in rural settings."

How to staff, develop and support mental health care in rural education is a challenge researcher Elaine S. Belansky is exploring in Colorado. "Belansky and her colleagues developed and tested several strategies aimed at recruiting and retaining mental health professionals in rural areas," Fischer reports. "One initiative is a rural immersion program for graduate students enrolled in school counseling or psychology programs. The program provides students with a firsthand experience of life in rural communities, exposing them to the unique rewards and challenges of working in these settings."

Providing support for parents is also being looked at by some rural education researchers. Carol Cutler White coauthored an article and research that looked at "an equally important aspect of rural education: college access for Black students in rural Mississippi," Fischer writes. "One of the key findings of White’s study is that parents do not view teachers or school counselors as important for making college possible. . . . To address these challenges, the article advocates for more robust community outreach efforts aimed directly at rural parents."

States that still have grocery taxes look to cut them to help residents save a bit more on food costs

Even cereal boxes look alarmed at their
prices. (Photo by G. Fryer, TRB)

After years of grocery inflation, U.S. food prices are so high that many families have tightened their food budgets. And while the average American can't do much more to fight food and staple costs, some states have cut their grocery sales tax to help ease some of the burden, reports Elizabeth Daigneau of Route Fifty. "Earlier this month, Gov. JB Pritzker signed legislation eliminating Illinois' 1% tax on groceries starting in 2026, saying the tax is regressive and hurts low-income Illinoisans."

Even as overall inflation cools "food prices are still far higher than they were pre-pandemic," Daigneau explains. "And grocery shopping is a major expense for all Americans: Food ranks as the third-largest household expenditure, following housing and transportation, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. . . Next week, Oklahoma’s 4.5% statewide grocery tax will come off the books."

Many states already eliminated grocery taxes. "With the legislation in Oklahoma and Illinois, now only 10 states impose a grocery tax. That number could soon be down to seven as Idaho is considering eliminating its 6% grocery tax in the 2025 legislative session," Daigneau reports, and Utah and South Dakota voters will decide if their grocery taxes should be nixed during November's elections.

Some inflated costs may be going down, but weary Americans can't control the prices of many necessities

When U.S. families sit down to do the budget, some costs
aren't negotiable. (Adobe Stock photo)

As U.S. inflation slowly tracks downward, some painful increases remain difficult for Americans to afford. "Prices for many of the things that are hard to do without are still posting eye-watering increases. Rent and electricity bills are up 10% or more over the past two years, and car-insurance costs are up nearly 40%, according to the Labor Department’s index," report Hariett Torry and Terell Wright of The Wall Street Journal. "Shoppers might be able to trade down from prime steak to cheaper cuts of meat at the supermarket, but they can’t really do the same thing with the water bill."

While some citizens have made grocery store swaps, some have cut "luxuries" such as eating out or trimming kids' extracurricular activities. Still, Americans have costs such as housing, insurance and child care that are at historical highs but are also necessities. "In the Consumer Price Index, shelter costs — a measure of rent and the equivalent cost to homeowners, as well as lodging away from home and household insurance — have risen more than 13% in two years," Torry and Wright explain. "Child care costs have risen 6.4% over the past two years. . . . Because daycare bills can be as big as rent or a mortgage, even a relatively small increase can feel like a lot."

Getting to work to make money often means car ownership and the overhead that goes with it. "The cost of transportation services, which includes vehicle insurance and repair, has jumped more than 18% in the past two years, according to the CPI," the Journal reports. "An increasing number of cash-strapped Americans are choosing to drive without car insurance."

Single mom Jasmine Moore's experiences mirror that of many American workers. "Moore missed a payment on her auto insurance about six months ago. Now her monthly bill has doubled," Torry and Wright add. "She canceled her son’s math tutoring sessions and instead tutors him herself. Instead of Publix, she opts for discount grocery stores and food pantries." Moore told the Journal, "I have middle-class pay, but I feel like I’m lower income.”

When poverty is measured differently, a new and surprisingly poorer American picture emerges

Many Americans may look to the federal poverty rate as a way to measure how many U.S. citizens are living in need. Unfortunately, that snapshot is "just the tip of the iceberg," writes Jeffrey C. Fuhrer of Brookings in his blog. Fuhrer outlines why the the poverty rate, which doesn't vary from place to place, is a "woefully incomplete measure of economic need. A much more relevant benchmark is the cost of a basket of basic necessities. That benchmark, unlike the poverty threshold, varies dramatically by geography, as housing and other costs vary substantially from county to county. The cost of necessities far exceeds the poverty level for every family category in every county in the country."

When the ability of a family's income to meet basic needs is used to calculate how many American budgets fall short, a much different picture emerges. For a "shockingly high proportion of families, total family resources do not cover the expenses for these necessities. And that proportion rises significantly for families of color," Fuhrer adds. "Forty-three percent of all families in the U.S. fall short of meeting basic needs. And the legacy of institutional racism jumps out of these statistics: Across all family structures, 59% and 66% of Black and Hispanic families, respectively, have resources that fall short of basic family budgets, versus 37% of white families."

How do families manage to make do without? "As the interviewees in my recent book, The Myth That Made Us, attest, they use a variety of tactics to cope with life on or near the edge. To be sure, they scrimp on some necessities. Families can avoid spending on preventative health care, home maintenance (for the minority who own homes), auto maintenance and other necessary expenditures that can be deferred. They go into debt," Fuhrer explains. "All of these decisions bear important longer-term consequences. As a leading example, non-payment of rent often leads to eviction and the endless trauma that accompanies it."

By the numbers, the U.S. is the wealthiest country in the world, but many Americans are not sharing in that legacy. Fuhrer writes, "The huge numbers of families with low incomes, measured not relative to the poverty line but to quite conservative budgets, is staggering. . . "

To read Fuhrer's complete blog posting including supporting data and graphs, click here.

Quick bits: Christmas trees are big business; revival of the Cherokee language; growing tomatoes with less water

Holiday boughs cash in around $3 billion
a year.(Photo by Mourad Saadi, Unsplash)

Oh, Christmas tree, Oh, Christmas tree, How lovely is your profit margin! Chopped, bought or pre-decorated, Christmas trees are big business. "The markup on Christmas trees is around 400% to 500%. That's about the same as a pair of designer jeans or a drink from a hotel minibar," write Jay L. Zagorsky and Patrick Abouchalache for The Conversation. "Multiplying the $80 to $100 price by the 15 million natural trees and 20 million artificial trees sold in 2022 means Christmas trees are roughly a $3 billion business annually — without including any extra money spent on the decorations."

Kansas is so parched that drought covers nearly three-fourths of the state. This past summer was brutally hot and arid, but there are a few drops of good news. "The Kansas Geological Survey reported groundwater levels in the High Plains Aquifer could be sustained for at least one decade in moisture-imperiled areas of western Kansas through pumping reductions of 18% to 32%," reports Tim Carpenter of Successful Farming. "The aquifer, the state's most economically important groundwater resource, published a report summarizing regional conditions and options for prolonging the life of the aquifer."

A documentary still. (Photo by ᎤᎶᎩᎳ /
Schon Duncan via The Daily Yonder)

The Cherokee language faced extinction until younger generations decided that saving it was vital to preserving their cultural identity, reports Kim Kobersmith of The Daily Yonder. Kobersmith interviewed ᎤᎶᎩᎳ / Schon Duncan, a proud member of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, a Cherokee language activist, and co-director of the feature-length film ᏓᏗᏬᏂᏏ (We Will Speak) to discuss the film's history. Duncan said the film showcases Cherokee activists, artists and educators efforts to revive and teach the Cherokee language. To learn what this "new wave" of Cherokee speakers is doing, click here. To watch for new film screenings coming in January/February 2024, click here.

Peace and political opinions don't always go together, but the shared pull of the harvest and a reunion celebration help this rural couple in Chickasaw County, Iowa, come together, offers Jose A. Del Real in his Washington Post immersive read. "Rage wasn’t Verna’s style. She believed in decency. She believed in nurturing community, not sowing division. Her life was animated by gentler questions than the ones at the heart of national politics in 2023: What do people owe one another? When can the past teach us something about ourselves, and when does it blind us to the present?"

There aren't enough tomatoes to go around.
(Photo by Fernando Andrade, Unsplash)

What would french fries be without ketchup? What about hot dogs? Researchers in California don't want Americans to find out. "In the heart of one of the world's top vegetable-growing regions in California, scientists are on a mission to save ketchup," reports Patrick Thomas of The Wall Street Journal. "Plant breeders at the Woodland, Calif., facility of German pharmaceutical and agriculture giant Bayer are testing whether tomatoes meant for processing into pizza sauces and ketchup can survive on a fraction of their traditional water needs, without sacrificing taste or juiciness. . . . Bayer’s tomatoes are one example of how the agriculture industry is now trying to stay ahead of a changing climate that could disrupt the food supply chain and drive up prices for consumers.

 

Opinion: This holiday season, avoid political fights and focus on connections with family and friends

Enjoy the food instead of fighting.
(Quora photo)

Leaving political opinions and arguments out of holiday get-togethers is a recipe for more enjoyable meals that focus on connections, writes Mary Katherine Ham in her opinion for The Spectator. "There will be plenty of people in media who tell you it is your moral responsibility to ruin food and fellowship with political confrontations. . . . It doesn’t have to be this way. There was a time, not too long ago, when we didn’t have to turn every breaking of bread into a struggle session. Luckily, there’s a roadmap to show the way back to that time."

Allowing for a spirit of goodwill and family fun leaves little room for banter over MAGA or Washington Post articles. "You don’t beat politics addicts by trying to meet them on their extortionary ground — you win by standing up for yourself and your right to ignore politics for an evening," Ham adds. "Act like an adult . . . .Your gatherings don’t need a conscience, they need grown-ups mature enough to value connection rather than mere information."

Embracing family traditions and connections can
lead to a happier holiday meal. (Quora photo)

Focusing on the joy of a delightful turkey dinner or other traditional meals paired with family stories can be enough. Ham advises against using the dinner table as a time for a political agenda. She writes, "Thanksgiving gives us a chance to connect with community, with actual people who are imperfect, unvetted and uncategorized." Leave character assassinations and holiday "shout-outs" for another time.

Perhaps The Spectator's Nate and Thomas Hochman voiced Ham's hope for family gatherings best: "Family, after all, is a reprieve from — not a substrate for — the madness of the broken world outside."

Selling solar in coal country begins with local trust and an understanding of the history of those communities

Overcoming solar opposition begins with understanding
coal's history. (Photo by Gabriel Fibz, Unsplash)

Selling solar in coal country might sound like a tall order; however, solar advocates in southwestern Virginia have built a cooperative system of local support for solar. "In 2016, a coalition of businesses, nonprofits, colleges, local governments, and citizens launched the Solar Workgroup of Southwest Virginia, which collaborates with Secure Solar Futures," reports Hannah Wilson-Black for Grist. "It includes experts in every aspect of the green transition, from community organizers who tell neighbors about the benefits of solar to legal experts who propose legislation."

The group's plan began with an understanding of the history and outlook of coal communities and why they might not welcome solar. Emma Kelly, who grew up in eastern Kentucky and now leads the Solar Workgroup's community outreach, told Wilson-Black: "I’m from the coalfields. And you have to understand. Coal mining is not just a job. The coal industry is not just an employer. It’s not like Walmart. [Coal companies] built towns, they built schools, they built churches, they made their own money. You cannot really overestimate the amount of domination they had over these social and economic systems.”

"Because residents of southwest Virginia may see solar as helping accelerate the loss of coal jobs, she and Matt McFadden from Secure Solar Futures consider their being locals an important component of building confidence in, and support for, the technology," Wilson-Black reports. "More important, though, is the fact that local solar advocates and companies like Secure Solar Futures make it clear that their mission goes beyond profit. 'I don’t get anything out of this except a sense of fulfillment,' said Kelly, who became involved in solar advocacy in 2022 after learning, to her surprise, of solar’s potential in the coalfields."

Considering the region’s history, and overall distrust of energy companies, Kelly and other solar advocates in southwestern Virginia "said being local, proving solar’s benefits, and building a coalition have been key to ensuring the technology’s success in the face of cultural and political opposition," Wilson-Black writes. The group has made progess, which is on display in the coalfield community of Whitesburg, Kentucky, where "a solar pavilion and rooftop at the arts education center Appalshop has attracted curious neighbors, said Kathleen Byrne, the center’s development director."

Local focus and trust building continue to help solar succeed in the region. "McFadden said demonstrating the technology’s feasibility through community-focused projects like the 12 school installations his company is handling has changed perceptions in the area," Wilson-Black writes. "Hiring locals to install and maintain the photovoltaic panels is key, too. In 2022, Secure Solar Futures started an annual apprenticeship program that trains local high schoolers to do everything from wiring arrays to the physical heavywork of carrying and arranging panels, and pays them $17 an hour. This tangible example of a solar operation employing community members has been part of 'the proof in the pudding,' McFadden said."

Kids who grew up poor in rural areas fair better later in life than urban kids, a study shows. Researchers look at why.

Two-parent households may give rural kids an
advantage. (Photo by Arseny Togulev, Unsplash)

Researchers looked at income outcomes for children who grew up poor in rural areas compared to their urban counterparts and found a surprising difference: rural children tended to earn more later in life, reports Sarah Melotte of The Daily Yonder. "Authors of a new study on social mobility found rural children born in poverty gain higher incomes as adults compared to low-income urban children. . . . Factors like community trust, social capital, and the rate of two-parent households help explain more upward social mobility, or positive change in one's economic status, among rural children born into poverty, according to a 2023 study." 

The study's lead researcher, Dylan Connor, an associate professor at Arizona State University, told Melotte, "People have noticed this rural advantage but haven't really been able to explain it. The conventional thing that people have said is that conditions are so bad in these rural places that kids grow up and leave. . . . Rural places actually seem quite favorable compared to urban places." Melotte adds, "In response to this trend, Connor and other researchers think it's important to look at places that are still delivering opportunity and to try to determine what characteristics of those places make them favorable."

A defining advantage that rural children have is more two-parent families. "Connor and his colleagues found that rural children in poverty achieved higher incomes as adults than urban children in poverty did. One explanation is that a greater share of rural children are born into two-parent households," Melotte explains. "The rural advantage doesn't just apply to the people who grew up in a rural community but moved to a city as adults. The study demonstrated that both low-income children who remained in a rural community through adulthood and those who left experienced an income advantage compared to their urban-born peers."

The study also revealed a rural bias that favored male income and opportunities. "On some measures of income attainment, girls born in low-income households don’t benefit from the same rural advantage as boys," Melotte reports. "With personal income – which refers to the incomes of each adult member of the household, not their combined incomes – women earned significantly less than their male peers. . . . Disparities in personal income between men and women are greater in rural areas than they are in urban ones." Connor told Melotte: "Women actually seem to benefit from growing up in a city in terms of pursuing their own careers and so on.”

Food waste accounts for 8 to 10% of global greenhouse gases. Prevention starts with a few steps.

Make perishable goods visible.
(Photo by G. Travato, Unsplash)

At-home food waste is a hidden contributor to climate change, and while some waste is a part of life, most adults can take simple steps to tackle the problem beginning today, writes Alexandra Frost of The Atlantic. "Every step of the modern food-production process generates greenhouse gases. . . . As food rots in landfills and open dumps, it emits methane, a greenhouse gas much more potent than carbon dioxide. According to the United Nations, food loss and waste account for about 8 to 10% of global greenhouse-gas emissions."

Step one, before shopping, take a quick inventory, and if you're short on time, take a photo of your refrigerator and pantry. Once you're at the store, keep in mind what is realistic. Frost writes, "Sustainability consultant Ashlee Piper recommends shopping not for your 'aspirational life' but for the one you are actually living: If, realistically, you're never going to make your own pasta or pack gourmet lunches for your kids, don't shop for those meals."

Step two, once home from the market, put highly perishable, fresh food in the most visible places. Julia Rockwell, a San Francisco mom and sustainability expert, "recommends an 'Eat Me' station, whether it's a basket, a bowl, a tray, or a section of the refrigerator, which she says is especially helpful for teenagers, inclined as they are to 'go full claws into the fridge.'" Frost adds. "And whatever you're feeding your kids, experts repeatedly told me, you should probably be feeding them less. How many blueberries does your pickiest kid really eat at the breakfast table?"

Step three, cleaning and organizing your refrigerator can help your sanity and the planet. "If you're cleaning out your fridge and pantry strictly according to expiration dates, stop: If a food is past its expiration date but looks and smells fine, it probably is; most of the time, expiration dates are an indicator of quality, not safety," Frost explains. "Deli meats and unpasteurized cheeses are notable exceptions. . . . Brush up on the language of food packaging — 'best by' is just a suggestion, while 'expiration' is the date the manufacturer has decided when quality will begin to decline."

Step four, give your family some grace -- don't give up because, once again, you face black bananas at the back of the refrigerator. It's a process. Frost adds, "I want my kids to understand that our food comes from somewhere and that not eating it has consequences. That doesn’t mean guilting them for not liking dragon fruit, or demanding that they clean their plate at every meal, or scaring them about climate change. It’s more like bringing them along, helping them participate in a family project with planetary implications."