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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N.C. county in turmoil over sheriff who made racist remarks, was suspended and re-elected; state investigating election

Investigation: S.C.'s poor ethical oversight has let small-town corruption flourish, especially in news deserts

Interior watchdog office limits interactions with news media

Rural weekly investigates how Oregon legislator has scored multiple government contracts for his private business

Pennsylvania town tries rare lawsuit to oust supervisor who hasn't been to a town meeting in over a year

Supreme Court says governments, no matter how small, can't discriminate on the basis of age

EPA chief Scott Pruitt is replaced by former coal lobbyist

Secretive deregulation teams in administration include dozens with potential conflicts of interest

Wisconsin governor boosts open-records laws as legislators mull pulling public notices from newspapers

Arkansas legislators' war on transparency broadens to include newspapers' public notices

Fueled by Trump's hostility to news media, Arkansas advances bills to reduce open records

Coal baron elected W.Va. governor facing conflict-of-interest issues surrounding business holdings

N.C. Republicans enact law taking powers away from Democrats and their incoming governor

Ethics panel rebukes congressman fighting horse abuse for allowing Humane Society lobbyist wife to contact his staff; he says issue killed his bill

White public official in Virginia calls African American reporter 'boy' in response to article

Sunlight Foundation writer says new Farm Bill fails the transparency test

Kentucky congressman and lobbyist wife, animal lovers, push for more specific ban on horse soring

FBI in New Mexico focusing on corruption in rural and remote areas, where it often goes unreported

Republican majorities take over county election boards in N,C.; at least one creates controversy

Corruption more likely at isolated state capitals, which get less scrutiny from public and journalists