Lebanon, Tenn., just east of Nashville on Interstate 40, will be the site of Bible Park USA, a $175 million theme park, local officials and Entertainment Design Group of North Hollywood, Calif., announced Thursday. The park "is expected to employ 250 full-time workers and 1,000 seasonal workers," writes J.R. Lind of The Lebanon Democrat.
If the city council and the Wilson County Commission agree, "The park will be financed using tax-incremental financing (TIF) and by implementing a tourism development zone (TDZ)," Lind reports. "Under a TIF plan, the increase in property taxes that come as the result of new construction and improvements help pay for the cost of construction. TDZ designation allows a 5 percent privilege tax to be implemented within the bounds of the park, with those tax dollars paying bonds, as well."
The developers say the park will be a non-denominational, Bible-based themed attraction depicting well loved Bible stories and providing an authentic historical representation of life in ancient times in the Holy Land. It was originally slated for Rutherford County, just to the south on Interstate 24, but "The Rutherford County Commission rejected zoning changes to allow the park to be built in the Blackman community," Lind writes. "The land in Lebanon has already been rezoned." Lebanon has about 25,000 people, Wilson County about 100,000. The announcement generated many comments on Lind's story; one reader said "Praise the Lord" but another said "This is complete blashphemy and a waste of good land!" (Read more)
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Biden says rumors still hurt Obama in rural areas; we say it's time for rural media to deliver the facts
Persistent false rumors about Barack Obama, especially in small towns and rural areas, are hamstringing his efforts to win over undecided voters in key states, his running mate said yesterday.
U.S. Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware, a native of Scranton, Pa., told Perry Bacon Jr. of The Washington Post about one Pennsylvania woman who said she wanted to vote for the Democratic ticket but couldn't because she had received an e-mail on her cell phone saying that Obama, a Christian, is a Muslim. "She said, 'Everybody tells me that.' And I said, 'I promise you that's not true,' and she said, 'What do I do?' And I said, 'Well, vote for me.' And she looked at me and said, 'Does that mean I have to vote for him, too?' "
"More campaigning by both Obama and his supporters, particularly in small towns in Ohio and Pennsylvania, would be crucial to turning that around, Biden suggested, because 'It's about people getting comfortable. He's new to them, they're just getting introduced to him.' Biden said 'forms of validation' would also be important for Obama -- for example, the vouching for him by former president Bill Clinton." (Read more)
UPDATES, Sept. 22: John Harwood of The New York Times and CNBC asked Obama in an interview if race is a big barrier between him and swing voters. Obama replied, "Are there some who might vote for me because of my race? You bet. I think ultimately, though, the question's going to be decided by a guy or a woman who is working hard every day trying to save enough to send their kid to college, trying to pay the bills. And the real question they're going to have is, you know, can this guy help me in my life?" For more of his reply, click here. For video of the interview, click here. Asked by Meredith Viera on NBC's "Today" why Obama has such a narrow lead in a state Democrats have carried the last four times, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell did not repeat his primary-season comment about Obama's race, but blamed Republicans: "They have a lot of Pennsylvanians convinced that Sen. Obama's gonna raise their taxes." Asked about his primary-season comment that Obama "talks down" to voters and the candidate's comment about bitter Pennsylvania voters who cling to guns and religion, Rendell said, "When he lets people see who he is, not the big great speeches ... to 35,000 people ... but when he gets in a group of 500 people and answers questions, they get him." On The Wall Street Journal's editorial page, Rush Limbaugh says Obama "employs the tactics of the old segregationists" by stirring ethnic hatred with a Spanish-language TV commercial that mischaracterizes Limbaugh's comments about Mexicans. FactCheck.org says the ad is misleading. Chuck Raasch of Gannett News Service quotes Eric Rademacher, co-director of the University of Cincinnati's Ohio Poll, as saying that McCain's age, 72, may be a larger factor in Ohio than Obama's race. (Read more)
UPDATES, Sept. 21: The Obama camp thinks the time to talk about race is after their candidate is elected, "But the national conversation appears to have arrived," Ben Smith and Avi Zenilman write in the morning's top story on Politico. "Racial considerations that have long been palpable in southern Ohio and other crucial regions are again in the foreground. A new poll that accompanied a much buzzed-about Associated Press article [by Ron Fournier] on Saturday appears to starkly quantify the cost of racism to Obama: 6 percentage points in the polls. . . . Many Democrats see the explicit discussion of race and politics as almost unambiguously negative for Obama." Some even think economic troubles will harden racial resentment. David Paul Kuhn of Politico analyzes polls on race and the race.
"Almost one-third of voters 'know' that Barack Obama is a Muslim or believe that he could be," writes New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, noting a recent Pew Research Center poll. "When I’ve traveled around the country, particularly to my childhood home in rural Oregon, I’ve been struck by the number of people who ask something like: That Obama — is he really a Christian? Isn’t he a Muslim or something? Didn’t he take his oath of office on the Koran? In conservative Christian circles and on Christian radio stations, there are even widespread theories that Mr. Obama just may be the Antichrist. Seriously. John Green, of the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, says that about 10 percent of Americans believe we may be in the Book of Revelation’s “end times” and are on the lookout for the Antichrist." There's even a T-shirt that calls Obama such.
We've heard the same rumors, and given their virulence and persistence, think it's time for rural news media that don't normally deal with presidential campaigns to run columns like Kristof's, or write columns of their own, based on easily available facts -- from sites like FactCheck and PolitiFact, which separate truth from falsehood and misleading information in candidate statements and advertising -- and decline to print letters to the editor that report false rumors as fact, whether they are about Obama, John McCain, Sarah Palin or Joe Biden.
For now, Obama is the chief victim of misinformation, partly because, as Kristof writes, "Religious prejudice is becoming a proxy for racial prejudice. In public at least, it’s not acceptable to express reservations about a candidate’s skin color, so discomfort about race is sublimated into concerns about whether Mr. Obama is sufficiently Christian." He concludes, "Journalists need to do more than call the play-by-play this election cycle. We also need to blow the whistle on such egregious fouls calculated to undermine the political process and magnify the ugliest prejudices that our nation has done so much to overcome." (Read more)
U.S. Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware, a native of Scranton, Pa., told Perry Bacon Jr. of The Washington Post about one Pennsylvania woman who said she wanted to vote for the Democratic ticket but couldn't because she had received an e-mail on her cell phone saying that Obama, a Christian, is a Muslim. "She said, 'Everybody tells me that.' And I said, 'I promise you that's not true,' and she said, 'What do I do?' And I said, 'Well, vote for me.' And she looked at me and said, 'Does that mean I have to vote for him, too?' "
"More campaigning by both Obama and his supporters, particularly in small towns in Ohio and Pennsylvania, would be crucial to turning that around, Biden suggested, because 'It's about people getting comfortable. He's new to them, they're just getting introduced to him.' Biden said 'forms of validation' would also be important for Obama -- for example, the vouching for him by former president Bill Clinton." (Read more)
UPDATES, Sept. 22: John Harwood of The New York Times and CNBC asked Obama in an interview if race is a big barrier between him and swing voters. Obama replied, "Are there some who might vote for me because of my race? You bet. I think ultimately, though, the question's going to be decided by a guy or a woman who is working hard every day trying to save enough to send their kid to college, trying to pay the bills. And the real question they're going to have is, you know, can this guy help me in my life?" For more of his reply, click here. For video of the interview, click here. Asked by Meredith Viera on NBC's "Today" why Obama has such a narrow lead in a state Democrats have carried the last four times, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell did not repeat his primary-season comment about Obama's race, but blamed Republicans: "They have a lot of Pennsylvanians convinced that Sen. Obama's gonna raise their taxes." Asked about his primary-season comment that Obama "talks down" to voters and the candidate's comment about bitter Pennsylvania voters who cling to guns and religion, Rendell said, "When he lets people see who he is, not the big great speeches ... to 35,000 people ... but when he gets in a group of 500 people and answers questions, they get him." On The Wall Street Journal's editorial page, Rush Limbaugh says Obama "employs the tactics of the old segregationists" by stirring ethnic hatred with a Spanish-language TV commercial that mischaracterizes Limbaugh's comments about Mexicans. FactCheck.org says the ad is misleading. Chuck Raasch of Gannett News Service quotes Eric Rademacher, co-director of the University of Cincinnati's Ohio Poll, as saying that McCain's age, 72, may be a larger factor in Ohio than Obama's race. (Read more)
UPDATES, Sept. 21: The Obama camp thinks the time to talk about race is after their candidate is elected, "But the national conversation appears to have arrived," Ben Smith and Avi Zenilman write in the morning's top story on Politico. "Racial considerations that have long been palpable in southern Ohio and other crucial regions are again in the foreground. A new poll that accompanied a much buzzed-about Associated Press article [by Ron Fournier] on Saturday appears to starkly quantify the cost of racism to Obama: 6 percentage points in the polls. . . . Many Democrats see the explicit discussion of race and politics as almost unambiguously negative for Obama." Some even think economic troubles will harden racial resentment. David Paul Kuhn of Politico analyzes polls on race and the race.
"Almost one-third of voters 'know' that Barack Obama is a Muslim or believe that he could be," writes New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, noting a recent Pew Research Center poll. "When I’ve traveled around the country, particularly to my childhood home in rural Oregon, I’ve been struck by the number of people who ask something like: That Obama — is he really a Christian? Isn’t he a Muslim or something? Didn’t he take his oath of office on the Koran? In conservative Christian circles and on Christian radio stations, there are even widespread theories that Mr. Obama just may be the Antichrist. Seriously. John Green, of the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, says that about 10 percent of Americans believe we may be in the Book of Revelation’s “end times” and are on the lookout for the Antichrist." There's even a T-shirt that calls Obama such.
We've heard the same rumors, and given their virulence and persistence, think it's time for rural news media that don't normally deal with presidential campaigns to run columns like Kristof's, or write columns of their own, based on easily available facts -- from sites like FactCheck and PolitiFact, which separate truth from falsehood and misleading information in candidate statements and advertising -- and decline to print letters to the editor that report false rumors as fact, whether they are about Obama, John McCain, Sarah Palin or Joe Biden.
For now, Obama is the chief victim of misinformation, partly because, as Kristof writes, "Religious prejudice is becoming a proxy for racial prejudice. In public at least, it’s not acceptable to express reservations about a candidate’s skin color, so discomfort about race is sublimated into concerns about whether Mr. Obama is sufficiently Christian." He concludes, "Journalists need to do more than call the play-by-play this election cycle. We also need to blow the whistle on such egregious fouls calculated to undermine the political process and magnify the ugliest prejudices that our nation has done so much to overcome." (Read more)
States block or limit access to concealed-weapons permit records after newspapers put them online
"A growing number of state governments are tightening the reins on databases involving concealed weapon permits, making it nearly impossible for reporters to uncover information potentially vital to the public’s interest," Breanne Coates reports for Quill magazine of the Society of Professional Journalists.
"Experts say the media is partially to blame for the closing of these records," Coates writes. "While some journalists have used the information in the records to produce investigative work, others have chosen to publish complete databases online, which can include what many consider to be private information of law-abiding citizens. The public’s outrage at having this information revealed for no apparent reason has resulted in public support for many states’ legislation aimed at closing these records." She cites the example of The Roanoke Times and Virginia, reported here previously.
Aimee Edmondson, a doctoral student in journalism at the University of Missouri, studied the issue in all 50 states in 2007. At the time, "28 states explicitly stated that concealed carry permit databases were closed, and only five explicitly stated that they were open," Coates reports. "Edmondson said she found that the courts 'were all over the place' on this topic, but the legislatures have been the driving force behind these changes."
In Florida, the St. Petersburg Times used the state database to reveal problems with administration of the cocealed-weapon law, including issuance of permits to criminals, but didn't post the database on its Web site. John Maines, the paper's computer-assisted reporting editor and co-author of the series, told Coates, “The latest craze is just posting databases online. If there is no journalistic element to it, you have to wonder if you are doing your job.” (Read more)
"Experts say the media is partially to blame for the closing of these records," Coates writes. "While some journalists have used the information in the records to produce investigative work, others have chosen to publish complete databases online, which can include what many consider to be private information of law-abiding citizens. The public’s outrage at having this information revealed for no apparent reason has resulted in public support for many states’ legislation aimed at closing these records." She cites the example of The Roanoke Times and Virginia, reported here previously.
Aimee Edmondson, a doctoral student in journalism at the University of Missouri, studied the issue in all 50 states in 2007. At the time, "28 states explicitly stated that concealed carry permit databases were closed, and only five explicitly stated that they were open," Coates reports. "Edmondson said she found that the courts 'were all over the place' on this topic, but the legislatures have been the driving force behind these changes."
In Florida, the St. Petersburg Times used the state database to reveal problems with administration of the cocealed-weapon law, including issuance of permits to criminals, but didn't post the database on its Web site. John Maines, the paper's computer-assisted reporting editor and co-author of the series, told Coates, “The latest craze is just posting databases online. If there is no journalistic element to it, you have to wonder if you are doing your job.” (Read more)
Pat Stith, legend of N.C. journalism, is retiring
Pat Stith, a legendary reporter in North Carolina for decades and a Pulitzer Prize winner for his reporting on the state's hog industry in 1996, will take a voluntary buyout and retire next month from the News & Observer in Raleigh."Stith's work sprang a man from prison and put five others behind bars. His revelations prompted rewrites of the state's workers' compensation laws, pointed out the environmental dangers caused by the pork industry and, most recently, revealed more than $400 million wasted by the state's mental health reforms," Mandy Locke writes for the N&O.
Locke's story is so full of great nuggets about Stith, 66, we don't have room for them all, but here are a few: He saves gum for another chew; he eats apple cores; says he hasn't made a material error in a story since he was 18; has "a fact-checking regimen that involves crossing through every word that's been checked against a source," including the spelling of his own name; places follow-up calls to the subjects his stories damage most, and "His even-handedness has turned the rebuked into his most trusted sources," Locke writes.
In retirement, Stith plans to learn how to fish and bake a cake, and to hike the Appalachian Trail. "There are so many things I haven't done because I'm a newspaperman," he told Locke. "It's time. I am completely at peace with this decision." (Read more)
Wal-Marts hurt certain local businesses but not the overall small-business sector, researchers say
The coming of a Wal-Mart or one of the company's Supercenters may spell doom for some local businesses, but the company has had no overall impact on the small-business sector of the U.S. economy, researchers at West Virginia University have concluded after what they say is the first study of its kind.
“Contrary to popular belief, our results suggest that the process of creative destruction unleashed by Wal-Mart has had no statistically significant long-run impact on the overall size and profitability of the small-business sector in the United States,” write economists Russell S. Sobel and Andrea M. Dean. “There is no question that certain specific small businesses fail because of the entry of a Wal-Mart store, and that Wal-Mart has negative impacts on other major retailers like Kmart.”
Sobel and Dean say previous studies, based on county-by-county comparisons of retail businesses, failed to capture the full breadth of the small-business sector. “If a new Wal-Mart store opens, for example, and it causes a local hardware store to fail, and subsequently a new art gallery opens in its place, only the failure of the hardware store is counted by previous studies,” they write. “One business was substituted for another, but this effect would not be reflected in the data because expansions in sectors that do not directly compete with Wal-Mart are, by definition, excluded.”
“Contrary to popular belief, our results suggest that the process of creative destruction unleashed by Wal-Mart has had no statistically significant long-run impact on the overall size and profitability of the small-business sector in the United States,” write economists Russell S. Sobel and Andrea M. Dean. “There is no question that certain specific small businesses fail because of the entry of a Wal-Mart store, and that Wal-Mart has negative impacts on other major retailers like Kmart.”
Sobel and Dean say previous studies, based on county-by-county comparisons of retail businesses, failed to capture the full breadth of the small-business sector. “If a new Wal-Mart store opens, for example, and it causes a local hardware store to fail, and subsequently a new art gallery opens in its place, only the failure of the hardware store is counted by previous studies,” they write. “One business was substituted for another, but this effect would not be reflected in the data because expansions in sectors that do not directly compete with Wal-Mart are, by definition, excluded.”
Friday, September 19, 2008
Committee votes to lift new Farm Bill rule barring subsidies to farm plots smaller than 10 acres
The House Agriculture Committee has voted to suspend, for the 2008 and 2009 crop years, the new Farm Bill rule that keeps farms of less than 10 acres from receiving most forms of commodity payments. At issue is the Department of Agriculture's ruling that farmers cannot aggregate such farms to meet the 10-acre threshold. "Chairman Collin Peterson said the Ag Department’s interpretation of the minimum acreage requirement ... was not the intent of Congress," reports Bob Meyer of Brownfield Network. "No one knows for sure just where the bill goes from here but something would have to happen quickly as the Senate plans to adjourn for the year on Friday, Sept. 26."
The 10-acre rule, or its suspension, would have a major impact in some Appalachian and Midwestern states, according to Farm Service Agency data reported by Agri-Pulse. In Kentucky and Virginia, 44 percent of farms have a direct commodity payment base of 10 acres or less; the figure in North Carolina and Pennsylvania is 38 percent. Wisconsin has the largest number of such farms, 37,329 (32 percent of its total number of farms), followed by North Carolina with 30,571 farms, Ohio with 30,276 (24 percent), Kentucky with 28,657, Illinois with 26,738 (14 percent) and Michigan with 25,344 (30 percent).
The 10-acre rule, or its suspension, would have a major impact in some Appalachian and Midwestern states, according to Farm Service Agency data reported by Agri-Pulse. In Kentucky and Virginia, 44 percent of farms have a direct commodity payment base of 10 acres or less; the figure in North Carolina and Pennsylvania is 38 percent. Wisconsin has the largest number of such farms, 37,329 (32 percent of its total number of farms), followed by North Carolina with 30,571 farms, Ohio with 30,276 (24 percent), Kentucky with 28,657, Illinois with 26,738 (14 percent) and Michigan with 25,344 (30 percent).
Small-town America looks different from a bicycle
University of Kentucky law professor Bill Fortune, left, gained "a new appreciation for small-town America and its people" by riding a bicycle 4,100 miles with a small group from coast to coast this summer, Tom Eblen reports in the Lexington Herald-Leader. (Photo of Fortune at the Atlantic Ocean near Portland, Maine, by Bill Rund)"What impressed Fortune most were the places he never would have stopped to see, and the people he never would have met, had he been driving through in a car," Eblen writes. "There was the couple in Waterville, Wash., who bought and renovated the abandoned Lutheran church where they had been married years before. Now it’s beautiful again, and the couple rents it as a wedding chapel. . . . Fortune now knows that Buffalo, Wyo., claims to have the world’s largest swimming pool, and Huron, S.D., the world’s largest statue of a pheasant." Fortune says, "You see the country in a different way when you’re on a bicycle. If you made the trip in a car, you couldn’t see it as slowly and intensely as we saw it."
"Fortune marveled at the vast openness of the West as he passed abandoned houses and towns depopulated by a changing economy," Eblen writes. "Many people had lived in their small towns all their lives, but their children had left in search of jobs and a more exciting lifestyle. He saw human despair on Indian reservations, and noted there was at least one bar in every Western town, no matter how small, and gambling machines in every bar and gas station."
Explorers often like to draw boundaries, and we tend to agree with our friend Bill on this one: "The cyclists agreed that the West ended and the Midwest began when they crossed the Missouri River in eastern South Dakota near the Minnesota line," Eblen writes. "Gradually, the empty country gave way to tidy farms and farmhouses and well-kept small towns." (Read more) For the blog version of Eblen's story, with a very nice, three-minute audio slide show from Fortune, click here.
"Fortune marveled at the vast openness of the West as he passed abandoned houses and towns depopulated by a changing economy," Eblen writes. "Many people had lived in their small towns all their lives, but their children had left in search of jobs and a more exciting lifestyle. He saw human despair on Indian reservations, and noted there was at least one bar in every Western town, no matter how small, and gambling machines in every bar and gas station."
Explorers often like to draw boundaries, and we tend to agree with our friend Bill on this one: "The cyclists agreed that the West ended and the Midwest began when they crossed the Missouri River in eastern South Dakota near the Minnesota line," Eblen writes. "Gradually, the empty country gave way to tidy farms and farmhouses and well-kept small towns." (Read more) For the blog version of Eblen's story, with a very nice, three-minute audio slide show from Fortune, click here.
Rural development specialist praises Ky. initiative
One expert on economic development in rural areas is praising a Kentucky initiative he says models a structure that will spread "as regionalism continues to make more sense to more people." Jack Schultz, author and CEO of Agracel Inc., a firm specializing in rural industrial development, writes on his BoomtownUSA blog that Northwest KY Forward is doing a great deal toward promoting industrial growth in the Kentucky counties around the city of Henderson, Ky. (Encarta map)Schultz writes, "What most impressed me with this organization was their simple structure and also their straightforward strategy. The organization is lean with only four employees but the focus is on three areas: 1. Recruitment; 2. Retention and 3. Entrepreneurism." The company focuses on five areas of industry: aluminum, logistics, auto manufacturing parts, prepared foods and energy. Each area is selected carefully. For example, the area within a 60-mile radius of Henderson produces one-third of the aluminum in the U.S., employing over 8,000 workers.
The foundations of the organization were laid in the mid-1990s, when some of the counties jointly developed an industrial park. Since its official inception in July 2005, Northwest KY Forward has "landed new companies, helped start some new businesses, expanded employment and has a number of future projects on the drawing boards." Kevin Sheilley, president of the organization, tells Schultz: "We've got four companies looking at doing new projects here that have over 500 acres optioned." (Read more)
Coal mining and cemeteries don't mix, writer says
Arguments about coal mining typically draw lines along environmental or economic grounds, but a West Virginia woman wants to publicize an unexpected consequence: the restriction of access to cemeteries. In an open letter to Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama, published by the Daily Yonder, Betty Dotson-Lewis entreats "Mr. Future President" to take into consideration the way that coal mining is affecting Appalachian traditions, including the way mountaineers honor their dead.
Massey Energy owns the only access road to the Underwood family cemetery in Nicholas County, W.Va., and has strict policies that create numerous obstacles for those who want to visit the cemetery, and visitors must be accompanied by Massey guards, who are not always available, Dotson-Lewis reports. Even when they are, the sititation sometimes doesn't sit well, she writes, telling the story of a graveside service for a coal-mining family. "After crossing the hurdles, the sister was laid to rest but grieving family members were uncomfortable being watched over by guards during the burial ceremony," she writes. A cousin of the deceased told her that when her father died, "Everyone had to stay until the undertakers were finished burying her father so the guards would only have to make one trip out of the cemetery, escorting the entire burial party. The family felt this was an unusually harsh sight for the small children along."
Dotson-Lewis ends her open letter: "At least two Purple Heart recipients lie there. Soldiers who fought and gave their lives in World War II were both on the verge of being rooted out of the ground by machinery or blown to bits by mining explosives some 70 years after falling on a distant battlefield and enduring the long ride home to rest in the family cemetery in Jones Branch Hollow on top of Lone Star Mountain. ... Mr. Future President, do you know what coal miners and their families are encountering? Strip-mining coal in Appalachia is destroying our way of life and our way of death." (Read more)
Massey Energy owns the only access road to the Underwood family cemetery in Nicholas County, W.Va., and has strict policies that create numerous obstacles for those who want to visit the cemetery, and visitors must be accompanied by Massey guards, who are not always available, Dotson-Lewis reports. Even when they are, the sititation sometimes doesn't sit well, she writes, telling the story of a graveside service for a coal-mining family. "After crossing the hurdles, the sister was laid to rest but grieving family members were uncomfortable being watched over by guards during the burial ceremony," she writes. A cousin of the deceased told her that when her father died, "Everyone had to stay until the undertakers were finished burying her father so the guards would only have to make one trip out of the cemetery, escorting the entire burial party. The family felt this was an unusually harsh sight for the small children along."
Dotson-Lewis ends her open letter: "At least two Purple Heart recipients lie there. Soldiers who fought and gave their lives in World War II were both on the verge of being rooted out of the ground by machinery or blown to bits by mining explosives some 70 years after falling on a distant battlefield and enduring the long ride home to rest in the family cemetery in Jones Branch Hollow on top of Lone Star Mountain. ... Mr. Future President, do you know what coal miners and their families are encountering? Strip-mining coal in Appalachia is destroying our way of life and our way of death." (Read more)
MinnPost.com reports rural opposition to ethanol
While farming communities have long been the biggest supporters of ethanol production, recent concerns about the fuel's effects on the environment and global food supply stir resistance even in rural areas. A recent article on MinnPost.com, a non-profit journalistic venture focusing on Minnesota, highlights examples local opposition to proposed ethanol plants.
Ron Way writes, "For the first time since corn ethanol's dazzling growth sprinkled billions of dollars and jobs – and fattened farmers' bank accounts – across rural Minnesota, a proposed facility near Eyota, Minn., has drawn opposition from local elected officials rather than the open-arms welcome that's greeted nearly all of the state's 18 plants." Increased legislative analysis of the environmental impact of plants, and the cancellation of two ethanol-plant projects in Minnesota are other signs of ethanol's waning appeal.
Opposition to ethanol comes from many sectors. Many global organizations say the production of biofuels is a primary cause of the global food shortage. Ethanol production uses much water, and can prompt farmers to take marginal land out of the Conservation Reserve Program to grow more corn. Others say that the the plants are just not worth it. High corn prices are "causing some [ethanol] producers to see less return on their investment, especially for facilities still paying down debt," and those who live near proposed plants worry about "air emissions, odor, noise, nighttime lights and water-consumption issues," Way writes. (Read more)
Ron Way writes, "For the first time since corn ethanol's dazzling growth sprinkled billions of dollars and jobs – and fattened farmers' bank accounts – across rural Minnesota, a proposed facility near Eyota, Minn., has drawn opposition from local elected officials rather than the open-arms welcome that's greeted nearly all of the state's 18 plants." Increased legislative analysis of the environmental impact of plants, and the cancellation of two ethanol-plant projects in Minnesota are other signs of ethanol's waning appeal.
Opposition to ethanol comes from many sectors. Many global organizations say the production of biofuels is a primary cause of the global food shortage. Ethanol production uses much water, and can prompt farmers to take marginal land out of the Conservation Reserve Program to grow more corn. Others say that the the plants are just not worth it. High corn prices are "causing some [ethanol] producers to see less return on their investment, especially for facilities still paying down debt," and those who live near proposed plants worry about "air emissions, odor, noise, nighttime lights and water-consumption issues," Way writes. (Read more)
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Rural impact of the credit crisis: Time for a look
The credit crisis has dominated the headlines over the past week, but very little of the focus in national media has been on what it means for rural America. However, many regional and specialized news sources are trying to address this worrisome question. We offer a few examples as encouragement for other rural journalists to probe the question.
Douglas Burns of the Iowa Independent asked Tom Gronstal, the state's banking superintendent, how the collapse of Lehman Brothers, the sale of Merrill Lynch and the federal bailout of AIG will affect Iowans. Gronstal said the rural environment will alleviate some of the housing pressures: "Most of the community banks develop a relatively long-term relationship with their customers." For that reason, Burns writes, banks "aren’t looking to finance homes people can’t afford." But Gronstal does admit that "it will make it harder to borrow money for business and agriculture," and that if we are not already in a recession, one is inevitable. (Read more)
One Vermont newspaper focused on the effects that local businesspeople and economists anticipated would experience in their community. "Life is like a food chain and we're all affected," James McNeil, the town's state representative, told Cristina Kumka of the Rutland Herald. Don Keelan, a local accountant and investor, said "The average man will get affected through taxes," and the crisis would result in a continued weakening of the dollar and a loss of capital for start-up companies. (Read more)
Mike McGinnis and Jeff Caldwell of Agriculture Online examined the effects on farmers. "AIG especially is a large player in the ag sector," says Jason Ward of Northstar Commodity Investment Co., and "banks are tightening credit with everyone, which directly tightens credit at ag banks." At the same time, an overall weakened market will affect market prices for agricultural commodities, although Matt Pierce ... floor trader for Futures International LLC, says, "When the financial collapse is over, all agricultural commodites will rally significantly."
The article also addresses reactions to the crisis from farmers, many of whom expressed frustration at government intervention. "I'm still confused -- or maybe upset is the better word for it -- that it appears the government will bail out all of these investment banks that made their bed and are now begging for someone else to sleep in it," writes one member on the website's Marketing Talk forum, identified as GoredHusker. "All we've really learned from all of this is in order to survive get as big as you can. Get so big that the government can't allow you to fail." (Read more)
Douglas Burns of the Iowa Independent asked Tom Gronstal, the state's banking superintendent, how the collapse of Lehman Brothers, the sale of Merrill Lynch and the federal bailout of AIG will affect Iowans. Gronstal said the rural environment will alleviate some of the housing pressures: "Most of the community banks develop a relatively long-term relationship with their customers." For that reason, Burns writes, banks "aren’t looking to finance homes people can’t afford." But Gronstal does admit that "it will make it harder to borrow money for business and agriculture," and that if we are not already in a recession, one is inevitable. (Read more)
One Vermont newspaper focused on the effects that local businesspeople and economists anticipated would experience in their community. "Life is like a food chain and we're all affected," James McNeil, the town's state representative, told Cristina Kumka of the Rutland Herald. Don Keelan, a local accountant and investor, said "The average man will get affected through taxes," and the crisis would result in a continued weakening of the dollar and a loss of capital for start-up companies. (Read more)
Mike McGinnis and Jeff Caldwell of Agriculture Online examined the effects on farmers. "AIG especially is a large player in the ag sector," says Jason Ward of Northstar Commodity Investment Co., and "banks are tightening credit with everyone, which directly tightens credit at ag banks." At the same time, an overall weakened market will affect market prices for agricultural commodities, although Matt Pierce ... floor trader for Futures International LLC, says, "When the financial collapse is over, all agricultural commodites will rally significantly."
The article also addresses reactions to the crisis from farmers, many of whom expressed frustration at government intervention. "I'm still confused -- or maybe upset is the better word for it -- that it appears the government will bail out all of these investment banks that made their bed and are now begging for someone else to sleep in it," writes one member on the website's Marketing Talk forum, identified as GoredHusker. "All we've really learned from all of this is in order to survive get as big as you can. Get so big that the government can't allow you to fail." (Read more)
BusinessWeek looks at rural broadband issues
It has been widely assumed that extending high-speed Internet access to rural communities would improve their economic opportunities. Shane Greenstein, an economist who specializes in telecommunications at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, supports such efforts but says broadband advocates are overselling the possible economic impact. "Broadband wouldn't have the same proportional effect in a rural area as in a suburb or city," Greenstein told Arik Hesseldahl of BusinessWeek. "This is what an economist would call an upwardly biased estimate."
Some observers criticize Connected Nation, a leading advocate for rural broadand, for using tax dollars money to spread broadband and make money for Internet providers. "Public Knowledge, a Washington-based consumer rights group specializing in technology, alleges that Connected Nation's eCommunity teams are little more than sales forces for broadband providers," writes Hesseldahl. Bryan Mefford, the 35-year-old Kentucky native who runs Connected Nation, said all grants it gets are competitively sought, Public Knowledge generated its own data, and its estimates are below others who claim greater potential economic gains from broadband. "We're not just pulling this data out of the air," Mefford told Busienss Week. "We've done surveys of people in these states with large sample sizes of more than 10,000 people. Our assumptions are informed by these detailed surveys."
Connected Nation emerged from Connect Kentucky, which successfully expanded broadband service to 95 percent of the state by 2007 from 60 percent in 2004. As mentioned in a previous post, Connect Kentucky's role was to demonstrate demand for high-speed Internet in rural communities to providers of that service. Connected Nation is looking to accomplish the same feat on a national scale.
"The lack of fast Web access is helping create a country of broadband haves and have-nots," Hesseldahl writes. That "not only makes it harder for businesses to get work done, but also impedes workers' efforts to find jobs, puts students at a disadvantage, and generally leaves a wide swath of the country less connected to the growing storehouse of information on the Web — from health sites to news magazines to up-to-date information on presidential candidates." (Read more)
Some observers criticize Connected Nation, a leading advocate for rural broadand, for using tax dollars money to spread broadband and make money for Internet providers. "Public Knowledge, a Washington-based consumer rights group specializing in technology, alleges that Connected Nation's eCommunity teams are little more than sales forces for broadband providers," writes Hesseldahl. Bryan Mefford, the 35-year-old Kentucky native who runs Connected Nation, said all grants it gets are competitively sought, Public Knowledge generated its own data, and its estimates are below others who claim greater potential economic gains from broadband. "We're not just pulling this data out of the air," Mefford told Busienss Week. "We've done surveys of people in these states with large sample sizes of more than 10,000 people. Our assumptions are informed by these detailed surveys."
Connected Nation emerged from Connect Kentucky, which successfully expanded broadband service to 95 percent of the state by 2007 from 60 percent in 2004. As mentioned in a previous post, Connect Kentucky's role was to demonstrate demand for high-speed Internet in rural communities to providers of that service. Connected Nation is looking to accomplish the same feat on a national scale.
"The lack of fast Web access is helping create a country of broadband haves and have-nots," Hesseldahl writes. That "not only makes it harder for businesses to get work done, but also impedes workers' efforts to find jobs, puts students at a disadvantage, and generally leaves a wide swath of the country less connected to the growing storehouse of information on the Web — from health sites to news magazines to up-to-date information on presidential candidates." (Read more)
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Timber industry struggles as lumber demand drops
The timber industry is facing problems on three fronts: rising fuel prices, a struggling housing market and the decreasing value of lumber. Companies have been forced to lay off crews and put others on quotas. Wayne Sheets of The Inter-Mountain in Elkins, W.V., writes "Most officials in the business seemed to agree that the industry might 'bottom-out' and begin a slow recovery in late 2009 and 2010." (Sheets photo shows tree cutter David Mace at work for Gibson Logging)The timber industry is facing a downturn because there is less demand for its products, and those products are costing more to transport. "The fuel situation is really hurting us," Donnie Nottingham, a mill manager at Inter-State Hardwoods, told Sheets. "The cost of getting logs to the mill has more than doubled at a time when demand is down and the price of lumber has gone down because of a lack of demand. Our shipping costs have also nearly doubled over the past six months."
There are other consequences to the downturn. Many in the industry are also having problems making loan payments on the equipment required for operation. "While I don't know the exact numbers, I suspect at today's costs, one can easily tie up over a half million dollars or more in equipment for a small logging operation," an official at Frank E. Wilson Lumber Co., who wished to remain anonymous, told Sheets. "Most people don't have that kind of money so they go out and borrow money from the banks. Then the economy hits a slump like we're in now and the first thing you know he can't make the payments on his equipment and, even though banks are notorious for working with people to help them save their business, eventually they have to foreclose and there goes the logger."
Some in the industry are remaining afloat by using their equipment in other industries. By using their logging trucks in other capacities and diversifying other aspects of their operations they hope to remain afloat through this difficult period. (Read more)
House passes Democratic bill for offshore drilling
"In a stunning political turnabout, the House voted Tuesday to end a long-standing ban on new offshore oil drilling as part of an energy bill aimed at rebutting Republican election-year attacks that the Democratic majority wasn't doing enough to try to ease the public's pain at the pump," writes Richard Simon of the Los Angles Times. Adds Simon, "The measure would let states decide whether to permit energy exploration 50 to 100 miles off their coasts." There has been a concern that new drilling sites could impact rural communities on the coasts, but at such distances there appears to be little chance for a significant impact.
"The bill includes a number of Democratic priorities, including repealing $18 billion in oil industry tax breaks and using the money to promote renewable energy and energy efficiency," adds Simon. "It would require utilities to generate 15 percent of their electricity by 2020 from cleaner sources, such as the sun and wind. And it would force oil companies to pay additional royalties for drilling in the Gulf of Mexico," which already has many oil drilling platforms -- though not in Florida, where opposition to offshore drilling is stout.
The bill has drawn criticism from President Bush and members of the Republican minority in Congress, who say it does not do enough to increase domestic oil production. Writes Simon, "With Congress set to adjourn before the end of the month -- and partisan tensions growing as election day nears -- there may not be enough time for the House and the Senate to reconcile any differences."
Many people living in rural communities have expressed support for offshore drilling as a means of controlling rising energy costs. Rural communities have been harder hit by the recent spike in energy costs because they typically have longer commutes and no public transportation. (Read more)
"The bill includes a number of Democratic priorities, including repealing $18 billion in oil industry tax breaks and using the money to promote renewable energy and energy efficiency," adds Simon. "It would require utilities to generate 15 percent of their electricity by 2020 from cleaner sources, such as the sun and wind. And it would force oil companies to pay additional royalties for drilling in the Gulf of Mexico," which already has many oil drilling platforms -- though not in Florida, where opposition to offshore drilling is stout.
The bill has drawn criticism from President Bush and members of the Republican minority in Congress, who say it does not do enough to increase domestic oil production. Writes Simon, "With Congress set to adjourn before the end of the month -- and partisan tensions growing as election day nears -- there may not be enough time for the House and the Senate to reconcile any differences."
Many people living in rural communities have expressed support for offshore drilling as a means of controlling rising energy costs. Rural communities have been harder hit by the recent spike in energy costs because they typically have longer commutes and no public transportation. (Read more)
Major coal companies' credit ratings improve
Despite proposed greenhouse-gas legislation and an increased interest in alternative, clean fuels, Wall Street is projecting that the coal industry is going to do well for at least the next two years. After a review of the industry in general, Standard & Poor's Rating Service increased the credit ratings of five major U.S. coal companies, bringing them one step closer to investment-grade status.
"S&P noted coal is likely to remain the dominant fuel for the foreseeable future and long-term industry fundamentals remain positive as North American coal prices have increased substantially over the past several quarters." Lauren Pollack writes for Dow Jones Newswires. "The agency added that a number of companies have contracted for improved prices for a high percentage of their 2009 and 2010 planned production. If that production falls in line, S&P expects the companies to see improved cash flow and reduced leverage."
However, the industry's susceptibility to changes in pricing and operational problems are so far keeping the credit ratings from reaching investment-grade status. Companies are wary at locking in multi-year contracts, leading to shorter contract periods and increased price renegotiation. (Read more; subscription may be required)Congressional Democrats voice concern about supply of consumer coupons for digital TV switch
The cost of equipment needed to make the transition from analog to digital television. a major concern in rural areas, has been eased by government coupons which cover most of the price. However, senior House Democrats say they are worried some people who need the coupons won't get them because the program has unexpected adminstrative costs.
The Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration, which runs the coupon program, asked for permission to use $7 million of the money set aside to subsidize digital converter boxes for administrative activities if needed. Democrats worry that the request could result in fewer coupons being available.
Fawn Johnson of Dow Jones Newswires writes, "In a letter sent Monday to the NTIA, Energy and Commerce [Committee] Chairman John Dingell, D-Mich., and Telecommunications Subcommittee Chairman Edward Markey, D-Mass., asked how many converter box coupons that $7 million would fund." The representatives "also asked why the NTIA officials hadn't come forward earlier to tell Congress that the agency might need more money to run the coupon program."
NTIA said that the request does not necessarily mean the money will be used for administration, only that it has the flexibility to divert funds if needed. "We are being prudent and forward thinking," said NTIA spokesmans Todd Sedmak about the draft bill. "Congress goes out soon and won't return for a while, maybe not until 2009, so we want to have flexibility if needed." (Read more; subscription may be required)
The Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration, which runs the coupon program, asked for permission to use $7 million of the money set aside to subsidize digital converter boxes for administrative activities if needed. Democrats worry that the request could result in fewer coupons being available.
Fawn Johnson of Dow Jones Newswires writes, "In a letter sent Monday to the NTIA, Energy and Commerce [Committee] Chairman John Dingell, D-Mich., and Telecommunications Subcommittee Chairman Edward Markey, D-Mass., asked how many converter box coupons that $7 million would fund." The representatives "also asked why the NTIA officials hadn't come forward earlier to tell Congress that the agency might need more money to run the coupon program."
NTIA said that the request does not necessarily mean the money will be used for administration, only that it has the flexibility to divert funds if needed. "We are being prudent and forward thinking," said NTIA spokesmans Todd Sedmak about the draft bill. "Congress goes out soon and won't return for a while, maybe not until 2009, so we want to have flexibility if needed." (Read more; subscription may be required)
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Newspaper Week, Oct. 5-11: never more relevant
For most newspapers, National Newspaper Week has been a ho-hum activity, often if not usually ignored. Now, with the future of newspapers in doubt, the annual observance has never been more relevant. The theme this year is somewhat narrow, but still important: the need for paid publication of legal notices in print, as opposed to free and online.
Materials such as house ads, logos, editorial columns and cartoons, as well as a crossword puzzle, are available to all newspapers here on the Kentucky Press Association Web site. Here's an excerpt from an editorial by Donnis Baggett, editor-in-chief of The Bryan College Station Eagle, titled “Public Notice: Taxpayers have a right to know”:
"Most newspaper Web sites are the stars of the online market in their respective communities. Almost without exception, newspaper Web sites have more traffic than any other local or regional sites. Any “notice” that is posted independently online by a governmental entity or a vendor is likely to be read only by those who have a vested interest and are searching for notices of that sort. A published newspaper notice, on the other hand, is right there in black and white for anyone who reads the classified ads ... and, in most cases, online as well."
The other editorial also comes from Texas, and Bob Buckel of The Azle News, an excellent weekly. He writes: Public notice should be out there for everyone to browse, notice and read. It should be available to all. Anything that takes away control from the people — anything that pulls an item off the smorgasbord of information — is something we should resist.
We encourage newspapers to fly the flag for public notice, but also to remind readers of the societal value of a local newspaper, something the writers of the Bill of Rights had in mind when they wrote the First Amendment.
Materials such as house ads, logos, editorial columns and cartoons, as well as a crossword puzzle, are available to all newspapers here on the Kentucky Press Association Web site. Here's an excerpt from an editorial by Donnis Baggett, editor-in-chief of The Bryan College Station Eagle, titled “Public Notice: Taxpayers have a right to know”:
"Most newspaper Web sites are the stars of the online market in their respective communities. Almost without exception, newspaper Web sites have more traffic than any other local or regional sites. Any “notice” that is posted independently online by a governmental entity or a vendor is likely to be read only by those who have a vested interest and are searching for notices of that sort. A published newspaper notice, on the other hand, is right there in black and white for anyone who reads the classified ads ... and, in most cases, online as well."
The other editorial also comes from Texas, and Bob Buckel of The Azle News, an excellent weekly. He writes: Public notice should be out there for everyone to browse, notice and read. It should be available to all. Anything that takes away control from the people — anything that pulls an item off the smorgasbord of information — is something we should resist.
We encourage newspapers to fly the flag for public notice, but also to remind readers of the societal value of a local newspaper, something the writers of the Bill of Rights had in mind when they wrote the First Amendment.
Expert calls Agriprocessors abbatoirs 'sloppy'
On behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, slaughterhouse expert Dr. Temple Grandin toured the Agriprocessors plants in Postville, Iowa, and Gordon, Neb., and deemed the facilities "sloppy" in an article written by Lynda Waddington for The Iowa Independent. Waddington did not say if PETA paid Grandin.
Grandin, a professor of animal science at Colorado State University, is well-known for her extensive research of animal behavior, particularly in slaughterhouses. She claims her experience has taught her about three categories of facilities. "About 20 percent do things right nearly all the time. There is a large percentage that do things right most of the time, and there's also about 20 percent that tend to do things wrong, but will clean up their act when they are being audited," she said. "Within that bottom 20 percent, however, there is a very bottom 10 percent that has the most blatant problems and violations. That's where Agriprocessors is -- in that bottom 10 percent." The plant was the site of a huge immigration raid this year and is the largest kosher meat plant in the nation.
As a result of her findings, Grandin thinks all Agriprocessors facilities should be equipped with cameras to hold plant administration and personnel accountable for their treatment of animals. "We have management at Agriprocessors that has been reapeat offenders and have given us proof that they will not only behave when they know they are being watched," she said. Read the rest of the story here; for PETA's report, click here.
Grandin, a professor of animal science at Colorado State University, is well-known for her extensive research of animal behavior, particularly in slaughterhouses. She claims her experience has taught her about three categories of facilities. "About 20 percent do things right nearly all the time. There is a large percentage that do things right most of the time, and there's also about 20 percent that tend to do things wrong, but will clean up their act when they are being audited," she said. "Within that bottom 20 percent, however, there is a very bottom 10 percent that has the most blatant problems and violations. That's where Agriprocessors is -- in that bottom 10 percent." The plant was the site of a huge immigration raid this year and is the largest kosher meat plant in the nation.
As a result of her findings, Grandin thinks all Agriprocessors facilities should be equipped with cameras to hold plant administration and personnel accountable for their treatment of animals. "We have management at Agriprocessors that has been reapeat offenders and have given us proof that they will not only behave when they know they are being watched," she said. Read the rest of the story here; for PETA's report, click here.
Only half of eligible high-school freshmen in W.Ky. county sign up for two years of free college tuition
Only half the eligible students in a southwestern Kentucky high school have signed up for a pilot program offering two years of free college tuition. Freshmen at Christian County High are the first students eligible for a program which would allow them to attend Hopkinsville Community and Technical College at no charge for the first two years after graduation.
To enroll in the Rotary Scholars program, sponsored by HCC and the Hopkinsville Rotary Club to increase the percentage of college graduates in Christian County (2000 population 72,000) students must attend an orientation meeting with their parents during their freshman year. There are only two sessions left, and only 250 of 492 have attended, Laura Coleman Noeth writes in the Kentucky New Era.
Michelle Fioretti has triplets -- two sons and a daughter -- who are freshmen at the school. In four years, they will be in college along with two older sisters. She says the program "will offer my family a little breathing room. ... It will give us a little more time to get the money together to let them go to the school of their choice when they're done with Hopkinsville Community College, and it will allow the triplets time to adjust to the workload and college atmosphere." (Read more)
As we've noted here before, the program is unusual in that most students are eligible. The required grade point average is a minimum of 2.5, the equivalent of a C average.
To enroll in the Rotary Scholars program, sponsored by HCC and the Hopkinsville Rotary Club to increase the percentage of college graduates in Christian County (2000 population 72,000) students must attend an orientation meeting with their parents during their freshman year. There are only two sessions left, and only 250 of 492 have attended, Laura Coleman Noeth writes in the Kentucky New Era.
Michelle Fioretti has triplets -- two sons and a daughter -- who are freshmen at the school. In four years, they will be in college along with two older sisters. She says the program "will offer my family a little breathing room. ... It will give us a little more time to get the money together to let them go to the school of their choice when they're done with Hopkinsville Community College, and it will allow the triplets time to adjust to the workload and college atmosphere." (Read more)
As we've noted here before, the program is unusual in that most students are eligible. The required grade point average is a minimum of 2.5, the equivalent of a C average.
Coal-plant protesters arrested in southwest Va.
Protesters were arrested yesterday at the construction site of controversial power plant previously covered on The Rural Blog, the Virgina Hybrid Energy Center, a $1.8 billion coal-fired plant in the Appalachian town of St. Paul, Va. Opponents say the plant will harm air quality in the Shenandoah National Forest and want the state to instead focus on renewable clean energies.
Keith Strange of The Coalfield Progress in Norton writes that 11 of the 36 protesters "entered the construction site and chained themselves to steel drums at two gates at the plant, according to the Virginia State Police. Two of those drums featured solar panels that powered a sign reading 'renewable jobs to renew Appalachia.'" They were "charged with unlawful assembly and criminal trespassing, both misdemeanors, ... participating in an unlawful assembly and obstructing justice." Two face additional charges of instigating trespassing.
Construction workers shouted opposition to the protesters, calling them "out-of state treehuggers," and many protesters took umbrage. “It’s not only treehuggers, it’s local people," Jane Branham, a protestor who was not charged, told Strange. "These are the people who live here and we have continually spoken out at Board of Supervisors meetings about the plant." (Read more)
Keith Strange of The Coalfield Progress in Norton writes that 11 of the 36 protesters "entered the construction site and chained themselves to steel drums at two gates at the plant, according to the Virginia State Police. Two of those drums featured solar panels that powered a sign reading 'renewable jobs to renew Appalachia.'" They were "charged with unlawful assembly and criminal trespassing, both misdemeanors, ... participating in an unlawful assembly and obstructing justice." Two face additional charges of instigating trespassing.
Construction workers shouted opposition to the protesters, calling them "out-of state treehuggers," and many protesters took umbrage. “It’s not only treehuggers, it’s local people," Jane Branham, a protestor who was not charged, told Strange. "These are the people who live here and we have continually spoken out at Board of Supervisors meetings about the plant." (Read more)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)