This small town's residents battled over a giant data center campus. It's a drama happening across rural America.

Giant tech companies often seek out data-center land in
rural towns. The sites feed the AI industry.

When big tech companies look for cheap land and energy to house and feed giant data campuses, they often shop in rural America. In the small town of Peculiar, Missouri, many residents worked to reject a data center proposal by developer Diode Ventures, which represented a secret corporate tech giant.

Their refusal to allow the land planned for the data site to be rezoned pitted residents against each other and their town officials, reports Eli Tan of The New York Times. "Residents described a web of distrust filled with nondisclosure agreements, hurt feelings and a mysterious entity vying to become the town’s new neighbor."

Executives from Diode Ventures plied residents and town officials with promises of an economic "boon," but some folk weren't sure. Becky Wiseman, whose property would border the Peculiar site, and her neighbors "decided to visit data center campuses for Meta and Google in Nebraska and Iowa, which were also 'hyperscale' like the one proposed in Peculiar," Tan writes. "When they arrived, they were terrified at what they saw and heard — the constant hum of generators behind guard towers."

With that, the stage for a David and Goliath battle between concerned residents and Diode supporters was set. "Signs that read 'No Data Centers' sprouted up in yards and windows across town," Tan reports. "So many people started showing up at planning and zoning meetings that Peculiar officials had to move them from City Hall to the Lions Club, a larger venue a mile down the road."

Diode executives were caught off-guard by some of the town's intense resistance. "Behind the scenes, Diode had been working with Peculiar’s mayor, Doug Stark, and city administrator, Mickey Ary," Tan explains. "Over virtual meetings and lunches at City Hall with Stark and Ary, Diode executives laid out a plan to win over Peculiar’s hearts and minds."

Proposal debates and bickering raged on in Peculiar until the aldermen voted this past September. "By unanimous decision, the data center zoning was rejected. It is unclear where Diode will take its project," Tan reports. But Peculiar's conflict isn't unique. The same saga is "playing out in small towns across the country as tech giants look to build hundreds of new data centers — often lured by tax abatements — to house the thousands of computers that would power the booming and energy-intensive artificial intelligence industry."

A snapshot of Trump's Pennsylvania win: Most rural voters stuck with Trump, and some major metro voters went red

Graph by Sarah Melotte, The Daily Yonder

Heading into the presidential election, Pennsylvania was a key swing state. But on Election Day, voters across the state, including more rural residents, voted red, helping Donald Trump secure his second presidency.

"Donald Trump reclaimed Pennsylvania and the presidency on Tuesday when the urban coalition that gave Joe Biden his 2020 victory in the state failed to show up for Vice President Kamala Harris," report Sarah Melotte and Tim Marema for The Daily Yonder. "Trump won the state by 171,000 votes, primarily by eroding Democratic turnout in the major metropolitan areas of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh."

Even though Trump's metro gains were slight, when paired with Harris' poor performance in those same areas, it was enough to turn the tide. "Trump earned about 30,000 more votes this year than he did in 2020 in those same counties in and around Philadelphia and Pittsburgh," Melotte and Marema explain. "Harris earned 89,000 fewer votes in these major metropolitan areas than Biden did in 2020. . . . The difference was determinative in a state that both candidates needed to win the Electoral College vote."

Trump also prevailed in the state's "small rural areas and medium-sized cities," the Yonder reports. "And he improved on his 2020 performance in doing so. . . . Rural counties saw the least shift to Trump from 2020 to 2024, but that’s partly because his margin was already so high. Trump won 73.4% of the rural Pennsylvania vote this year, compared to 72.5% in 2020."

Graph by Sarah Melotte, The Daily Yonder

Despite lower gains in rural areas, Trump added to his 2020 numbers. "Trump improved his percentage of the rural vote in Pennsylvania by less than a percentage point compared to 2020. Trump picked up about 17,000 additional votes compared to 2020, while Harris lost about 2,100 compared to Biden’s performance in 2020," Melotte and Marema add. "Trump won rural counties by over 45 points."

Forty-eight states face moderate drought, which affects groundwater supplies, agriculture and river transportation

Drought caused this sunflower crop to fail.
(Adobe Stock photo)

This summer's scorching heat may be over, but across the United States a lack of soil-absorbed rainfall has left most states facing drought conditions. "More than 150 million people in the country – and 149.8 million in the 48 contiguous states – are in a drought this week. That is about a 34% increase since last week and an over 150% increase since last month," reports Marina Dunbar of The Guardian. Drought is present in every state except Alaska and Kentucky, in fact, this is the greatest number of states in drought in U.S. Drought Monitor history.

Drought conditions aren't just about lack of rainfall, they "are driven and exacerbated by abnormally high temperatures that can quickly suck moisture from the atmosphere and the earth," Dunbar explains. "Droughts can occur even when there is slightly more rain than usual, depending on the frequency of rainfall. If there is a lot of rain all at once, it’s difficult for the water to be properly absorbed into the ground."

National Integrated Drought Information System data

When droughts occur, groundwater supplies get tapped, which can take weeks, months or centuries to replenish. "According to the National Integrated Drought Information System, droughts will increase an area’s reliance on groundwater. Groundwater provides more than 40% of the water used for U.S. agriculture and domestic water supplies. Increased pumping during droughts can reduce the future availability of those supplies."

Meanwhile, dry conditions have a domino effect on water sources, agriculture production and commodities trading. "Low water levels on rivers and other waterways [can cause] ports and other water-borne transportation to become limited due to a reduction in available routes and cargo-carrying capacity, which increases transportation costs. . . That cost increase is ultimately transferred to consumers, who see it in the form of higher-priced products, groceries and other commodities."

Using hydroponic science to grow greens in coal country is not only possible, it's also profitable

Little Leaf Farms uses controlled environment
agriculture. (Photo via Lancaster Farming)

Hydroponics has been used to grow plants since 600 B.C. when Babylonians first used it to create lush Mesopotamian gardens. Present-day farmers grow hydroponic crops using the same science used 2600 years ago, but they apply it in vastly different ways. In Pennsylvania, the practice has revitalized parts of coal country.

"The borough of McAdoo lies in the heart of Pennsylvania’s Schuylkill County coal region, and one business finds the landscape perfect for growing green," reports Tom Venesky of Lancaster Farming. "Little Leaf Farms raises leafy greens — primarily lettuce varieties — for its packaged salad brand utilizing controlled environment agriculture, an intensive form of hydroponics."

The plants' growth model is much more organized and contained than outdoor greens farming, which is exposed to the elements. "A conveyor belt that carries seeds planted in gutter-style trays through the building as the plants grow," Venesky explains. "Rainwater is harvested from the roof for the plants, and at the end of the growth cycle the conveyor carries the plants to the harvesting and packaging areas."

With more predictable and efficient plant production, Little Leaf Farms has become profitable and plans to expand. "Each 10-acre greenhouse replaces 300 acres in a traditional farm setting, according to Paul Sellew, the company’s founder and CEO," Venesky writes. "The fourth greenhouse will open next fall and will encompass 10 acres."

Little Leaf Farms isn't staying little. In fact, its two greenhouse campuses "make the brand available to over 7,000 grocery stores," Venesky reports. The company "has the highest household penetration of all controlled environment agriculture leafy green brands. . . . Consumer demand for leafy greens is also healthy for the economy, according to Sellew, who points out the Pennsylvania campus now employs 300 staff since it opened in 2022."

Study looks at American gun ownership: A firearm can make owners feel safer, but it can also increase anxieties

Owners can have complicated reactions to having
their firearm nearby. (Adobe Stock photo)

U.S. gun owners come with a wide variety of backstories about why they like owning a firearm, but research suggests that most owners share some of the same reasons for wanting a gun, writes Nick Buttrick for The Conversation. "American gun owners tend to agree. . .that guns are for personal protection. In a 2023 Pew survey, 72% of gun owners reported that they owned a firearm at least in part for protection. . . 81% of gun owners reported that owning a gun helped them to feel safer."

Guns can also help their owners feel emotionally protected. Buttrick explains. "Owning a gun helps them feel more in control of the world around them and more able to live meaningful, purposeful lives that connect to the people and communities they care for." For individuals or families who fear police or government "are either unable or unwilling to keep them safe," a gun can provide an added layer of psychological assurance.

Even though some gun owners may feel safer with a deadly weapon, having one comes with hidden threats that owners may not recognize. "When gun owners look for danger, they often are more likely to find it," Buttrick adds. "[They] may end up perceiving the world as a more dangerous place, institutions as more uncaring or incompetent, and their private actions as all the more important for securing their lives and their livelihoods."

To gauge how gun owners psychologically relate to their weapon, Buttrick and his colleagues "recruited a group of over 150 firearms owners. . .along with over 100 demographically matched Americans who have never owned a gun," Buttrick explains. When gun-owning participants were "subtly reminded of guns in general. . .our participants reported feeling more safe and in control. About half of the times that we texted, the gun owners told us that they had a gun accessible. . . . When a gun was handy, participants [said] they felt more vigilant and anxious, and that their immediate situation was more chaotic."

Buttrick writes, "To more fully understand the many ways responsible firearm ownership can look, we are interviewing gun owners from all around the state of Wisconsin, a notably diverse state when it comes to gun ownership. . . We hope to learn more about the many different ways that people conceptualize what a gun can do for them."

New report reveals that U.S. child care workers are 'paid less than animal caretakers and dressing room attendants'

Two out of five child care workers need public assistance
to support their families. (Adobe Stock photo)

Child care teachers make such small salaries that "two out of five need public assistance to support their families," reports Jackie Mader of The Hechinger Report, which covers education. "Child care employees are paid less than animal caretakers and dressing room attendants. . . .That’s a major finding of one of two new reports on the dismal treatment of child care workers. Together, the reports offer a distressing picture of how child care staff are faring economically."

The Early Childhood Workforce Index 2024 reveals abysmal and somewhat stagnated child care worker wages, which means "43% of families of early educators rely on public assistance like food stamps and Medicaid," Mader writes. The report also shows that black child care teachers make about $8,000 less per year than their white peers. Overall, "wages for early educators are rising more slowly than wages in other industries, including fast food and retail."

Another report, by Chris M. Herbst, a professor at Arizona State University’s School of Public Affairs, suggests that many higher educated child care workers have already left the profession and others continue to leave due to low pay. Mader reports, "That’s led to a 'bit of a death spiral' in terms of how child care work is perceived and contributes to persistent low wages, he said in an interview." 

While education competencies aren't the only things that make a good teacher, "higher education levels may mean staff have a stronger background not only in English and math but also in topics like behavior modification and special education," Mader writes, "which are sometimes left out of certification programs for child care teachers."

Herbst’s full report is here.

Sixty-nine percent of Americans are worried about the 2024 presidential election, but there are steps to reduce stress

Shannon Sauer-Zavala
Licensed Clinical Psychologist,
University of Kentucky

Today is Election Day in the United States, but the country may not know the results of some races until later. And while most U.S. citizens know conscientious ballot counting can be time-consuming, unknowns often stress the human mind. To manage worry and prevent catastrophizing, Shannon Sauer-Zavala for The Conversation shares science-based approaches to reduce election tension.

If this particular election feels distressing, rest assured, that you are not alone. Sauer-Zavala writes, "A recent survey found 69% of American adults are seriously stressed about the 2024 presidential election. It’s difficult not to be worked up about politics in today’s polarized climate. Regardless of which side of the political aisle you sit on, you may find yourself glued to your browser or TV, gobbling up every tiny tidbit of news."

Being mindful and accepting of stressful feelings can keep them from skyrocketing. Sauer-Zavala explains, "Be present. Anxiety can draw you into an uncomfortable spiral of 'what-ifs' about the future. When you make a point to be present, you remind yourself what is actually happening right now, rather than letting hypothetical fears take over."

When the news feels like impending doom, take a deep breath and "shift away from rigid, all-or-nothing thinking about the future," Sauer-Zavala recommends. "When people are anxious, they tend to focus on the worst-case scenario. For example, you might be telling yourself, 'With this candidate in office, things will be terrible and I won’t be able to cope.' . . . Try thinking through what you’d do if the undesirable candidate takes office – thoughts like 'I’ll donate to causes that are important to me' and 'I’ll attend protests.'"

Concentrating on healthy daily behaviors that reinforce a sense of balance and peace also keeps worry from taking over your day or week. "Remember the goal of 24-hour news networks is to increase ratings. It’s in their interest to keep you riveted to your screens by making it seem like important announcements are imminent," Sauer-Zavala adds. "As a result, it may feel difficult to disconnect and take part in your usual self-care behavior. . . . Go for a walk or, better yet, to bed. Keeping up with healthy habits can help reduce your vulnerability to uncontrolled anxiety."

Smaller food makers and independent grocers bear brunt of distributors' fees. Bigger grocery stores have the advantage.

Unraveling why some grocery prices are high means
looking at little-known fees. (Adobe Stock photo)

 

As Americans continue to face stubbornly high grocery prices, many are searching for root causes. Turns out, mysterious add-on fees might be part of the problem. "The price of a bag of coconut-cashew granola jumped last year from $5.99 to $6.69," reports Jesse Newman of The Wall Street Journal. "The granola maker said the cost of making the cereal hasn’t gone up that much. . . It jacked up the price, it said, in large part to offset fees that piled up from a little-known link in the supply chain: grocery distributors."

Since the pandemic, bigger grocery chains have raised prices citing supply chain woes, high labor costs and ingredient price hikes. Newman explains, "Many small manufacturers that have raised their prices have another explanation. They say they also are being squeezed by the distributors who act as gatekeepers to many supermarkets."

Avoiding grocery store middlemen isn't easy for smaller food makers. George Milton, who runs a hot sauce business in Austin, Texas, used to deliver his product himself, but that model is no longer realistic. Newman reports. "These days, the chief executive of Yellowbird Foods relies on national distributors to ship his product to stores, a process he said is riddled with obscure costs that make it hard to know what, if anything, he’ll be paid." Milton told Newman, "That’s a really tough way to run a business. But what is the alternative, that I UPS it from one place to another?”

While distributors may look like the problem, it's not easy for them to make a profit either. "Distributors operate on razor-thin profit margins, with limited ability to offset rising operating costs," Newman writes. "The situation reflects a struggle for profit throughout the grocery sector. Big food manufacturers that account for the bulk of sales have pushed through hefty price increases and notched some of their biggest profits in years."

Distributor fees can harm independent grocery stores because larger chains can buy inventory directly and negotiate lower distribution fees. "Distributors’ rules and charges are a symptom of pressures rippling through the supply chain," Newman explains. "Grocers are competing with one another to win shoppers with lower prices. Big food sellers have gained market share, giving them more leverage in negotiations with distributors."

Cadaver dogs and their handlers comb through piles of debris to find people lost during Hurricane Helene

Cadaver dog handlers are always looking for ways to keep their dogs
interested during a long search. (FEMA photo via NC Health News)

Hurricane Helene's torrential rains and flooding across western North Carolina didn't just decimate homes and businesses, it swept people away, leaving many communities still searching through rubble for lost loved ones. To help find the missing, cadaver dogs and their handlers are painstakingly working through debris and high waters.

"Highly trained dogs have played a crucial role in finding victims’ remains; one canine-assisted search team from Guilford County recovered 20 bodies in the immediate aftermath of the storm," reports Jaymie Baxley of NC Health News. "These specialist canines and their handlers are likely to find more casualties in the weeks to come, according to cadaver dog expert Cat Warren." Baxley spoke with Warren about the added challenges cadaver dogs and handlers face after natural disasters. Their edited Q&A is below.

Baxley: What are some of the unique challenges involved in training a dog to detect human remains — especially in disaster scenarios like hurricanes?
Cat Warren: Disaster work adds bunches of challenges on top of just finding the scent of human remains. It takes absolute experience for the dogs and handlers to work in these situations.. . . In a tragedy like this, you also have so much competing odor. . . . Many times, the dogs will work for hours and hours without finding anything.

Baxley: How do factors like flooding, mudslides or dense forests affect the ability of dogs to detect remains after events like hurricanes?
Cat Warren: But in these cases, the dog may not be able to get close enough or the scent is so fractured that the dog is somewhat uncertain. That’s when the handler is going to tell people who are flanking them, 'Look, the dog showed real interest here.' The dog may not give his final indication because that body or that scent is underneath a pile of debris, so it’s then up to the searchers to go in and search that pile of debris.

Baxley: How would you describe a typical search operation involving cadaver dogs in disaster-hit areas? Is there a timeline for the work?
Cat Warren: It’s grim, but the timeline for this is going to be months because there’s such a huge area to search.. . . Officials are still gathering accounts of where people went missing, and we have a homeless population in Asheville that is probably very much still unaccounted for. 

Baxley: What improvements or advancements have you seen in cadaver dog training that could enhance future search and recovery efforts?
Cat Warren: Generally, training over the past 20 years or so has improved at the highest levels because people have a greater understanding of how positive reinforcement and motivation can be used to train dogs in a really disciplined way. . . . One of the things that handlers are doing all the time is figuring out how to keep these dogs motivated over long search periods.

For handlers, some of the feelings may come afterward. These guys are doing really, really hard work. It is exhausting, and it takes a real physical and emotional toll. . . .

'Child care is unaffordable for families and not profitable for businesses.' Some communities will vote on changes.

Some communities are asking voters to help pay for
child care. (Shutter Stock photo)

Are U.S. voters ready to help pay for child care services as a part of their community's labor and services infrastructure? Communities in Sonoma County, Calif., St. Paul, Minn., and most of Austin Texas are about to find out, reports Harriet Torry of The Wall Street Journal. The November voting initiatives highlight a problem for urban, metro and rural families -- child care is no longer affordable or not even available due to child care teacher shortages. 

In Austin, classrooms at Ebenezer Child Development Center sit empty because the center's owner, Jordan Maclay, "can’t find enough teachers who can work at the wages she is able to offer," Torry explains. "Maclay is hoping that voters next week will approve an amendment that would raise property taxes by 2.5 cents per $100 valuation throughout Travis County, which includes most of Austin. The state already helps some low-income families pay for daycare. The county money would add to that, with the goal of raising pay and creating new positions for daycare staffers." Voters in Sonoma County, Calif., and St. Paul, Minn., will consider similar ballot initiatives.

Federal lawmakers have tried to remedy the problem, but bills have been stymied, leaving states and counties to grapple with solutions. "Vermont created a new payroll tax, to increase staffing and capacity at daycares. And in Louisiana, taxes on sports betting, cannabis-derived products and casinos raise money for early childhood education," Torry writes. "Florida this year started offering tax breaks to businesses that provide child care for employees."

Child-care centers struggle to make a profit with a business model where oversight is high and ways to cut costs are few. Torry reports, "Daycares are labor intensive. They can’t, for example, hire remote workers. They are also closely regulated, which means they can’t skimp on the number of teachers. Other fixed costs are also high and hard to bring down: the rent or mortgage, insurance, food."

Cynthia Osborne, professor of early childhood education and policy at Vanderbilt University, told Torry, "Child care is unaffordable for families and not profitable for businesses, and child-care educators are the ones really struggling in the middle."

In the end, some parents can't afford to work. Torry adds, "A paucity of child care is a drag on the labor market. About 13% of young children in the U.S. had a family member who had to quit, change or refuse a job because of child care problems, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, which examined Commerce and Labor Department data."

Hardwood logging in Appalachia is 'hanging on by a thread.' China, tariffs and U.S. economics all play a part.

A logger in West Virginia posing with a large tulip poplar log.
(National Park Service photo)

Since American colonial times, Appalachians have logged the region's vast forests and run sawmills to prepare cut wood for use, but the industry has been hampered by multiple economic setbacks and faces an uncertain future, reports Paul Kiernan of The Wall Street Journal. "The industry has been in decline for decades. A series of shocks since 2018 has accelerated the decline: a trade war with China, a collapse in exports due to Covid, China’s real-estate slump, and falling U.S. home building." The downturn has had a domino effect on loggers, sawmill workers, truckers and manufacturers.

Once a robust economic sector in Appalachia, logging businesses have closed due to poor market demand and high operational costs. "Roughly two dozen sawmills in the region have gone out of business in the past year or so. . . .The Eastern U.S.’s hardwood production has fallen to its lowest level in records going back to 1960," Kiernan explains. "Workers’ compensation insurance is too expensive for many sawmills to directly employ loggers."

Where two decades ago harvesting hardwood trees was profitable, trade, particularly with China, has decimated U.S. logging businesses and jobs. "Appalachian hardwoods supported thriving manufacturing facilities in nearby towns and cities," Kiernan writes. "North Carolina’s furniture plants, for instance, employed nearly 80,000 workers in 1999, shortly before China’s accession to the World Trade Organization opened the U.S. to Chinese imports. Within 10 years, that number had fallen to 35,000, with most of the jobs shipped overseas."

While some political agendas support protective tariffs, that may not be an easy solution. "Trump says tariffs will bring back manufacturing jobs. Yet the North Carolina furniture business currently employs under 30,000 workers, 20% fewer than when Trump imposed tariffs on China, including on furniture," Kiernan explains. "A worrisome trend for sawmills in recent years is that China has been reducing its imports of finished lumber from the U.S."

Appalachia already has economic worries and the shrinking hardwood industry has added to them. Kiernan adds, "Closing sawmills will accelerate the decline of communities already faced with aging populations and outward migration."

Driverless tractors are already operating on some U.S. farms. Automation offers benefits, but farm workers worry.

A mechanical engineer walks with a sustainable agricultural
robot. (Photo by ThisisEngineering, Unsplash)

The harvest is plentiful and the workers are robots. That's the plan for some U.S. farms. "A growing number of companies are bringing automation to agriculture. It could ease the sector’s deepening labor shortage, help farmers manage costs, and protect workers from extreme heat," report Melina Walling of The Associated Press and journalist Ayurella Horn-Muller. "Automation could also improve yields by bringing greater accuracy to planting, harvesting, and farm management."

Florida farmer Jeremy Ford was tired of wasting water and using fossil fuel-run equipment to care for his crops, so he turned to an automated underground system, "that uses a solar-powered pump to periodically saturate the roots of his crops, saving 'thousands of gallons of water,'" Walling and Horn-Muller explain. "Although they may be more costly upfront, he sees such climate-friendly investments as a necessary expense — and more affordable than expanding his workforce of two."

What about automated harvesting? "On some farms, driverless tractors churn through acres of corn, soybeans, lettuce and more. Such equipment is expensive, and requires mastering new tools, but row crops are fairly easy to automate," AP reports. South Dakota farmer Frank James along with his family members, "swear by tractor 'autosteer,' an automated system that communicates with a satellite to help keep the machine on track. . . [but] requires human oversight to work as it should."

While some agriculture stakeholders have pushed back against automation, some farmers look to the technology's potential to increase profitability and decrease business headaches. Walling and Horn-Muller report, "Will Brigham, a dairy and maple farmer in Vermont, sees such tools as solutions to the nation’s agricultural workforce shortage. Since 2021, Brigham’s family farm has been using Farmblox, an AI-powered farm monitoring and management system that helps them get ahead of issues like leaks in tubing used in maple production."

Robotic farm tools may make caring for crops during extreme heat more efficient without putting human workers at risk. "Extreme heat, drought and intense rainfall have made labor-intensive corn detasseling even harder," Walling and Horn-Muller write. 

Even with its benefits, automated farming may affect farm worker employment. "Automation can be a 'tactic, like a strategy, for bosses, so people are afraid and won’t demand their rights,' said Luis Jimenez, a New York dairy worker. Robots, after all, 'are machines that don’t ask for anything,' he added. 'We don’t want to be replaced by machines.'"

Editor's note: This story was a collaboration between The Associated Press and Grist.

Will this winter be as mild as last winter? Experts give national 2024-2025 outlook predictions.

The 2024-2025 winter outlook map shows the greatest chances for cooler conditions
in the Pacific Northwest. (NOAA map via Dovers)

In most parts of the country, last year's winter was mild. So mild, in fact, Wisconsin snowmobile enthusiasts dubbed it the "lost winter" because there was so little snowfall, reports Cheyenne Kramer of Drovers. "But according to Eric Snodgrass, senior science fellow at Nutrien Ag Solutions, the consensus is that the months ahead are going to look a lot different."

Snodgrass believes that "this winter brings about a 75% chance for La Niña to develop, which is when the trade winds across the equatorial Pacific are strong. With La Niña in the forecast, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting wet conditions in the north and dry, warm weather in the south," Kramer adds. "Department of Agriculture meteorologist Brad Rippey says La Niña can also bring chances for extreme cold events."

One of the gains agribusiness advocates hope to see this winter is enough moisture to balance regional droughts. Snodgrass told Kramer, "The best winters for agriculture are the ones we hate and remember as being terrible — we get good, hard freezes and plenty of moisture comes in. If we don’t see that, we get into a situation where we become very dependent on spring rains and may have a conversation about 2025 drought risk.”

The 2024-2025 winter outlook map for precipitation shows wetter-than-average conditions
likely across the Great Lakes region (NOAA map via Drovers)

The increase in droughts across southern U.S. tiers is worrisome, and this winter may not improve that problem. Northern areas are predicted to receive more moisture. Rippey told Kramer, "While much of the north will have the opportunity for relief from this growing drought. . . . We are expecting a generally warmer- and drier-than-normal winter across the entire southern tier of the United States. . . . That does include important winter wheat production areas in the southern Great Plains. There’s not much reserve right now in terms of soil moisture."

If rain and snowfall are to help drought regions, timing is everything. Rippey told Kramer, "It’s important to start getting moisture before it gets too cold. When you go into a cool season like this with limited soil moisture, if the cold air comes in too quickly, you freeze the soils before you get moisture, which can limit the absorption of rain and snow into those soils." Kramer adds, "the timing of when La Niña really starts to take effect will be important as well."

Flora & Fauna: Muppets ponder the Electoral College; a new wildlife corridor; fall in love with moths; banana battle

Most muppets didn't "vote" for the Electoral College.
(Muppet Wiki photo)

Elmo took it upon himself, along with several other muppets who were voting, to try and understand how the U.S. Electoral College works. "Elmo just did some math and Elmo is worried," writes Alexandra Petri of The Washington Post. At first, the Count loved how the College worked, but then he said, "I love counting, but the Electoral College is not about counting! It is about making things not count! The Electoral College belongs in the trash!" Oscar the Grouch had some feelings about that. . .

A critical wildlife pathway that began with "a handful of frustrated hunters and 20 deer imported from South Carolina," is now a reality writes Dan Chapman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "A burgeoning wildlife corridor stretches from Atlanta’s western suburbs to the Talladega National Forest in Alabama, a 30-mile stretch of public and private lands where deer, bear, at-risk bats, and federally endangered fish have more room to roam, and more chances to survive." Read about the corridor's unique beginnings here.

Sugar maples can live to be 300 to 400 years old.
(Adobe Stock photo)

In a forest, all flora and fauna eventually die, but in the case of an old and beloved sugar maple, life went on as saws and woodworking turned the tree into bowls that could be held, used and treasured, writes Daryln Brewer Hoffstot for The New York Times. Tree "turner," Corey Snyder, "presented me with three beautiful, honey-colored bowls: one for our son, one for our daughter, and one for us. . . . One has light streaks of green because of mineral deposits. They are different shapes, sizes and thicknesses. I asked him how he chose what form the bowls should take. 'I let the piece of wood dictate,' he said. . . .The old maple had spoken."

There are roughly 180,000 known moth and
butterfly species. (Princeton U Press graphic)

The world of moths is mysterious and vast. For all of us, there is much to learn and fall in love with. "As humans drop off to sleep, the invisible world of moths comes to life. Across the planet, billions of the insects take flight on their nocturnal errands," report Michael J. Coren and Alice Li of The Washington Post. "Over two nights in the desert, I discovered just how easy it is to fall in love with an unloved insect. And why 'mothing' may be the best way to discover the miracle of biodiversity in your own backyard."

As bananas battle for survival, scientists are working to save them from extinction. "Two diseases threaten to wipe out the banana as we know it, and scientists are racing to breed a fruit of the future," reports H. Claire Brown of The Wall Street Journal. "Chiquita Brands International last month said it bred a new banana called the Yelloway 1 that is resistant to one of the major diseases and shows promise in resisting the second. . . . Using a genetic bank of about 150 banana varieties, the Chiquita team has focused on breeding an edible, disease-resistant banana."

NOAA plans to consider expanding the new Chumash Heritage Marine Sanctuary in the years
ahead, after new infrastructure is built for offshore wind farms. (NOAA photo via NPR)

A new national marine sanctuary isn't just a win for sea creatures and sea lovers, it's the first such designation led by Indigenous people, reports Lauren Sommer of NPR. "More than 4,500 square miles of ocean will soon be protected by the federal government off the Central California coast. The Biden administration is creating a new national marine sanctuary, which will be the third largest in the U.S. . . . The new Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary will be managed in partnership with tribes and Indigenous groups in the area, who will advise the federal government."

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."

A small town in Georgia answers a call to service and saves its volunteer fire department

Asst. Fire Chief Michael Moravek with mascot,
Fire Pup. (Photo by Jennifer King via the Echo)

Across the country, rural fire departments are struggling to attract, train and retain volunteer firefighters. In Oglethorpe County, Georgia, the small unincorporated town of Vesta had a fire department facing closure until they put a call out to the community for help, reports Makenzy Wolford of The Oglethorpe Echo. "Down to three volunteers and battling new state regulations, the station faced the possibility of extinction." That was four years ago. Now the Vesta Volunteer Fire Department is staffed with volunteers thanks to its residents' "overwhelming response."

Vesta Fire Chief Wayne King "wasn't even a volunteer firefighter four years ago," Wolford writes. "He, among the majority of the station’s current volunteers, were unaware the station needed help until Douglas Spencer spoke to the congregation of Vesta Baptist Church. . . . Douglas, along with his wife Nicole Spencer, were two of the remaining firefighters at the Vesta station. When the situation became dire, Douglas went to the church. . . . A dozen members, including King and now assistant chief Michael Moravek, chose public service that night."

Moravek told Wolford, “I’ve always wanted to do this. I’ve been living here for 25 years, and no one’s ever asked. I thought they didn’t need anyone else extra.” Wolford adds, "The once-grim station blossomed in the 3½ years since Spencer’s call to action. Handshakes, hugs and kind words flowed freely Saturday as the VFD hosted its annual barbecue fundraiser on the first day of deer gun season."

Firefighting requires physical stamina, extensive knowledge of fire and bravery, which is part of the reason why getting and keeping volunteers is difficult. Moravek told Wolford, "I was very surprised by the amount of training that we had to go through. Twelve weeks of training at night time. . . . And then it’s a continuous training experience.” Wolford reports, "Training and certification requirements are more involved and strenuous than many anticipated."

Like most rural communities, all of Oglethorpe County's fire departments are staffed by volunteers. Wolford adds, "The issue of staffing, like that Vesta faced, is not only a local problem. . . Nationally, fire departments are struggling to come up with a staff equipped to act as the community’s first line of defense against everyday emergencies."

Opinion: Growing up in Appalachia made navigating college tough. 'I felt compelled to abandon my background.'

Piper Slinka-Petka

An Appalachian student from West Virginia heads off to college at the University of Pennsylvania, dubbed "Penn" by most students, and encounters a community where she doesn't know how or when she will ever fit in and keep up with her urban counterparts. A lightly edited version of Piper Slinka-Petka's story from The Daily Pennsylvanian is shared below.

"During the same conversation, all first-year students find themselves in, state follows directly after name. Penn’s student body, while diverse, leaves many geographical regions underrepresented in their class. . . . When I reveal I am from West Virginia, home to Penn students few and far between, I get one of a few responses:

I haven’t heard that one yet. Are you the only one? (No, I am not.)

Like from the song? (Yes, the very state described by John Denver’s 1971 song, “Take Me Home, Country Roads.”)

I have family from Virginia, same thing, right? (Two different states, separated in 1863.)

"Growing up in Appalachia is an identity I spent my adolescence running away from. Portrayal in the media, such as by vice presidential candidate JD Vance’s "Hillbilly Elegy," paints Appalachia as a place for the uneducated, poverty-stricken, and lazy. The misinterpretation of rural America creates a narrative that all people inside of it are 'white, conservative, and dumb.' In conversations with other Penn students, I would explain my rural upbringing, and end with 'but at least I made it out.' I felt compelled to abandon my background to find my new place at Penn.

"It wasn’t the light pollution, lack of nature, or noise that made Penn so different — it was the culture. I found myself struggling to find an anchor with my urban peers. . . . I was always a step behind. My differences were possibly the most apparent at the dining hall. I grew up on simple, hearty foods like pepperoni rolls and baked mac & cheese — nothing like the diverse and unique food options my peers raved about. Penn’s food options felt like an entirely new language.

"The education I received, too, lacked greatly in comparison to my peers. In 2024, West Virginia was ranked the worst state for education. Approximately only 20% of West Virginians over 25 have a bachelor's degree or higher. While I’d been admitted to Penn, I was still the product of a struggling academic system. Even though I already knew my education put me at a disadvantage, I underestimated how much I would feel out of place at Penn. . . . Perhaps even more than educationally, I was lacking socially.

"Coming from a geographically underrepresented area meant I was at a disadvantage in navigating Penn. While my classmates seemed to effortlessly adjust to this new world, I felt lost grappling with new social dynamics, cuisine, and academics. The culture shock was not just locational; it was a reminder of how deeply our backgrounds influence our future. Although I felt the need to abandon my old life for Penn’s new offerings, I couldn't just put West Virginia behind me. I would have to actively work to bridge the gap between my unique upbringing and my new life at Penn. . ."

Free online class on rural mental health is available at eCornell. It's designed for vets and agribusiness partners.

A new online course, “Mental Health and Suicide Prevention in Rural America” aims to help veterinarians, agriculture partners and veterinary students learn about mental health issues in rural communities and how to help, reports The Daily Yonder. The class is supported by Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and NY FarmNet, in partnership with Rural Minds, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting mental health in rural America. People interested in taking the course can access it at eCornell. The course is offered at no charge to participants.

The online course provides "practical tips to help with mental health challenges, including recognizing and responding to warning signs, as well as providing key information on resources such as crisis hotline numbers and local supports," the Yonder staff reports. "Rural communities have disproportionately higher rates of suicide in their population compared to urban areas. Farmers are twice as likely than those in other occupations to die by suicide, according to Rural Minds, and veterinarians also face higher risks of suicide when compared to the general population."

Jeff Winton, founder and chairman of Rural Minds, told the Yonder. "As a dairy farmer, I know firsthand that veterinarians are an integral part of all rural communities. And they may be among the first to see warning signs that a client is experiencing a mental health challenge but may not recognize those same signs in themselves."

Sabato's Crystal Ball predicts the highest-profile issues on state ballots this year

Voters in 41 states will have at least one important item on the ballot this November in addition to all of the local and federal candidates running for office.

According to The Center for Politics – Sabato’s Crystal Ball, “The highest-profile issue on the ballot this year — as was the case in 2022 and 2023 — is abortion. . . .Voters will also be asked about a wide range of election-related issues, including ranked-choice voting, redistricting and non-citizen voting. Other common topics involve proposals on criminal justice, raising the minimum wage, recreational marijuana, and education policy.”

The Center for Politics, which is based at the University of Virginia, provides a guide to all of the ballot measures that can be found here.

The presidential race isn't top dog in Montana; both parties have eyes and ads fixed on the state's U.S. Senate race.

Tim Sheehy

Montana's heated senate race between incumbent Sen. Jon Tester (D-Montana) and first-time Republican candidate Tim Sheehy has put the presidential race in the rearview mirror. "The state is focused on a race that could determine control of the U.S. Senate, and the next president’s ability to get their agenda through Congress," report Rhonda Colvin, Ross Godwin and Whitney Shefte of The Washington Post. "On the ground, it is still a door-to-door, vote-to-vote fight to the finish, with historical levels of ad spending and an intense focus on Native American voters and potential ticket-splitters."

Native Americans comprise the sparsely populated state's largest minority voting block, but many are not registered voters. Ronnie Jo Horse, executive director of Western Native Voice, a statewide social welfare nonprofit, told the Post, "I think they are getting to know their power. We have 37,000 unregistered voters. Once people find that out and know that Montana wins elections on 3,000 votes, you can see their eyes get big and surprised.”

Jon Tester

Tester won the state's last three elections "partly because of support from Native voters and this year, the Montana Democratic Party announced a multimillion campaign focused on keeping their support," Colvin, Godwin and Shefte explain. "But Native turnout in the state has seen a downturn in recent elections" Republicans see Sheehy "as one of their best chances to unseat a Democrat and add to their numbers — and recent polls suggest they have some momentum."

Meanwhile, the intense campaigning has left some voters worn out from constant political chatter. "Montanans have been under a deluge of inescapable appeals for their vote. . . . The total ad spending from both sides in the race since January 2023 and planned until Election Day will come in at $275 million," the Post reports. Ad-weary Montana voter Machaela Goggins told the Post, “It feels like borderline psychological abuse. . . . I think people are just ready to have an answer one way or another."