The Rural Blog

A digest of events, trends, issues, ideas and journalism from and about rural America, by the Institute for Rural Journalism, based at the University of Kentucky. Links may expire, require subscription or go behind pay walls. Please send news and knowledge you think would be useful to benjy.hamm@uky.edu.

The Rural Blog

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Agricultural publication with small staff does a three-part series on the rural opioid epidemic

New tax law could hurt donations to non-profits like publisher of The Rural Blog; here's how to give

The Rural Blog and its publisher need your help

Coal's decline made Wyo. and W.Va. top percentage losers in population in 2017; Idaho had most gain

Lending and local business decline as banks leave towns they think are too small for branches

A list of 'best films' about 25 professions recalls a better one naming the best movies about farming

An update on a Calif. town's battle for water access

Drug overdose deaths reduced life expectancy in the U.S. for the second consecutive year

Ohio grain handler pleads not guilty to stealing $3.5 million from farmers

Fly fishing increasingly popular among women

Cullen family of Iowa's Storm Lake Times wins 2017 Tom and Pat Gish Award for courage, tenacity and integrity in rural journalism

Congress won't reauthorize CHIP this week, and stopgap funding will fall short, experts say

Anonymous conservative 'news' sites sink Democratic mayoral candidate in Lewiston, Maine

'Cornbread Mafia' leader, nabbed after 8 years, pleads guilty to pot charge; faces 5-year sentence

Agriculture and rural America shaped modern holiday traditions, Farm Bureau columnist says

Update: Va. House race ruled a tie; Republican wins random drawing, preserving GOP majority

States get creative to attract doctors to rural areas

Health reporter covering Appalachia hopes urban media will continue covering rural health in 2018

Pruitt falsely claims coal jobs are up 20 percent

Rural Ky. county decides some jobs cost too much