UPDATE: John McCain won 53 percent of America's rural vote in the presidential election, according to exit polls taken for national news organizations. Among voters in households where someone owns a gun, he won 62 percent; among those who have served in the military, 54 percent. Rural areas provide a disproportionate share of military recruits.
Pre-election polls indicated that the rural vote would probably not go as strongly for McCain as he needed, based on pre-election polls. In battleground states, where both candidates were advertising and campaigning, a poll taken Oct. 1-21 -- a time exposure, not a snapshot -- showed Obama leading among rural voters 46 percent to 45 percent. A September poll in the same states showed McCain with a rural lead of 10 points.
A GfK poll for The Associated Press Oct. 16-20 found McCain leading among rural voters by 18 percentage points, but that poll ran counter to other surveys at the time, as it showed Barack Obama leading only by 1 percentage point, 44 to 43.
McCain's margin in the survey approached the 20 percent margin President Bush enjoyed over John Kerry in 2004. "The 2004 race was starkly divided between rural and urban," Bill Bishop and Tim Murphy write in the Daily Yonder. "Kerry carried urban counties by 3.75 million votes," but Bush "won the nation's 2,049 rural counties by 4.1 million votes and exurban counties by 2.56 million." The Yonder's exurban counties are those that are in metropolitan statistical areas but have a high percentage of residents living outside cities. For its methodology, click here.
Rural counties had 17.4 percent of the nation's voters in 2004. The Yonder counts 530 exurban counties that in 2004 accounted for 9.2 percent of the vote. The 562 urban counties had 73.4 percent. That last figure includes many voters typically identified as suburban. "Bush won 61 percent of the exurban vote nationally and 59.2 percent of the rural vote," Bishop and Murphy report. "Kerry won 51.6 percent of the vote in the nation's urban counties." For the Yonder's report, which includes a state-by-state chart of the vote by category, click here.
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Palin's late Iowa stop raises questions about 2012
Sarah Palin's election-eve stop in Dubuque, Iowa, a state where John McCain has been given little chance for weeks, raised questions about her intentions. (Telegraph-Herald photo by Dave Kettering)"Many in the audience wondered why Palin was spending time in a state where [Barack] Obama has a double-digit lead and speculated that she could be trying to drum up support for her own run for the White House in 2012," Agence France-Presse reported. "Iowa is traditionally viewed as the kick-off presidential state with its first-in-the-nation nominating caucuses. The largely rural state gave Obama his first win in the Democratic nomination process and some have credited that win with building the momentum he needed to ultimately beat Hillary Clinton. Spokespeople for McCain and Palin have denied that she's eyeing a 2012 run for president, saying she made the Iowa appearance because they believe the race is much tighter than what some polls show."
Mary Rae Bragg of the Dubuque Telegraph-Herald reports, "Dressed in jeans and accompanied by her husband, Todd, Palin introduced herself as 'a hockey mom from Alaska' before announcing a surprise appearance by county music star Hank Williams Jr., who led the rally in singing the national anthem. Williams then delighted the crowd with a campaign rendition of his hit 'Family Tradition,' which he calls 'McCain-Palin Tradition.' By far the loudest cheer of the afternoon came as Palin described a mission "especially close to my heart," working with families that have children with special needs. The mother of a baby with Down syndrome, Palin said she would work to change the way children with special needs are set apart and excluded." (Read more)
New plan cuts snowmobile use in Yellowstone
Significantly fewer snowmobiles will be allowed in Yellowstone National Park next year. The new plan announced Monday will cut the number by 40 percent.
Initially, park officials had sought to establish the number of snowmobiles allowed in the park on any given day to 605. That plan was rejected by a federal judge, who agreed "with environmental groups that filed suit that it would increase air pollution, disturb wildlife and cause too much noise," The Associated Press reports. "Last year, an average of 294 snowmobiles a day entered Yellowstone. But the peak daily use was much higher: 557 one day last December," AP reports. "More than 200 snowmobiles would have been turned back that day if the latest proposal was in effect."
Jack Welch, a member of the Blue Ribbon Coalition, a snowmobile advocacy group, told AP, “People will be turned away, and consequently it’s not fair. Three-hundred and eighteen, no matter how it’s divided up, is not going to be adequate to allow for people to visit their national parks."
Initially, park officials had sought to establish the number of snowmobiles allowed in the park on any given day to 605. That plan was rejected by a federal judge, who agreed "with environmental groups that filed suit that it would increase air pollution, disturb wildlife and cause too much noise," The Associated Press reports. "Last year, an average of 294 snowmobiles a day entered Yellowstone. But the peak daily use was much higher: 557 one day last December," AP reports. "More than 200 snowmobiles would have been turned back that day if the latest proposal was in effect."
Jack Welch, a member of the Blue Ribbon Coalition, a snowmobile advocacy group, told AP, “People will be turned away, and consequently it’s not fair. Three-hundred and eighteen, no matter how it’s divided up, is not going to be adequate to allow for people to visit their national parks."
Geothermal energy has low profile, much promise
Geothermal energy is being looked at as one of the most promising technologies in America's effort to reduce carbon dioxide emissions that cause global warming and climate change. "Geothermal energy may be the most prolific renewable fuel source that most people have never heard of," writes Marla Dickerson of the Los Angles Times. "Although the supply is virtually limitless, the massive upfront costs required to extract it have long rendered geothermal a novelty. But that's changing fast as this old-line industry buzzes with activity after decades of stagnation."(Photo of geothermal plant by David Calvert)The focus on geothermal energy production is focused in the western states. Adds Dickerson, "In October, the Bureau of Land Management said it planned to open more than 190 million acres of federal land in California and 11 other Western states for new geothermal development." Geothermal plants produce energy by tapping reservoirs "of scalding water and steam trapped thousands of feet underground, drilling wells to bring the heat to the surface to power turbines that feed electricity generator," adds Dickerson.
These projects have two big supporters in Warren Buffet and Google Inc., both contributing sizable amounts of money. But still the money invested into the geothermal energy is significantly less than both wind and solar. But increasingly geothermal is being looked at as a more stable and consistent source of renewable energy.
"Costing about 4 to 7 cents a kilowatt-hour geothermal is competitive with wind power and significantly cheaper than solar," Mark Taylor, a geothermal analyst with the consulting firm New Energy Finance, told Dickerson. "Geothermal facilities occupy a fraction of the space required by wind and solar farms. The energy is also more reliable. Plants crank electricity around the clock, irrespective of whether the sun is shining or the wind is blowing."
There are obstacles. "The challenge is extracting it," writes Dickerson. "Geothermal energy production requires three things: heat from the Earth's core, fractured rock to make it easy to get to and water to transport the heat to the surface." But if estimates are correct geothermal energy plants can go a long way toward reducing carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S. Adds Dickerson, "There is 50,000 times more heat energy contained in the first six miles of the Earth's crust than in all the planet's oil and natural gas resources, according to the environmental organization Earth Policy Institute." (Read more)
Monday, November 03, 2008
Speaker says local economies should have access to pension funds for economic development
Rural places should be able to build their local economies by drawing on pension funds in their regions, strategizing across economic sectors and creating organizations that are willing to take risks and mobilize capital, major speakers said last week at the Growing Local Economies Forum sponsored by the University of Kentucky's Appalachian Center.
Economist Michael Shuman, author of The Small-Mart Revolution and researcher for the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies, told attendees that most investment dollars are not going to local business, which could generate more jobs "if they could get better financing, for instance from pension plans in their regions," the center said in a report. "He suggested that states 'tweak' their securities laws to allow local businesses to issue shares that investors could buy."
“Communities that don’t make it are the ones with one economic sector as a strategy,” said Becky Anderson, a founder of western North Carolina’s HandMade in America, which "has strengthened its region’s crafts economy [by] connecting craftspeople with builders to providing automobile trail guides to artists’ studios and gardens," the center reports.
In southwest Virginia and northeast Tennessee, former tobacco farmers have switched to organic crops and are selling them to supermarkets through Appalachian Harvest, a network of certified organic farmers that figures out what farmers should grow to meet grocers' and consumers' needs and provides a packing house and distribution system. Anthony Flaccavento, founder of Appalachian Harvest’s parent organization, Appalachian Sustainable Development, "said it is important to have an organization that is willing to take risks and mobilize capital," the center reports.
The forum was held Oct. 29 in Hazard. For more information, contact Appalachian Center Director Evelyn Knight or Alison Davis, a Cooperative Extension economic development specialist at the university.
Economist Michael Shuman, author of The Small-Mart Revolution and researcher for the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies, told attendees that most investment dollars are not going to local business, which could generate more jobs "if they could get better financing, for instance from pension plans in their regions," the center said in a report. "He suggested that states 'tweak' their securities laws to allow local businesses to issue shares that investors could buy."
“Communities that don’t make it are the ones with one economic sector as a strategy,” said Becky Anderson, a founder of western North Carolina’s HandMade in America, which "has strengthened its region’s crafts economy [by] connecting craftspeople with builders to providing automobile trail guides to artists’ studios and gardens," the center reports.
In southwest Virginia and northeast Tennessee, former tobacco farmers have switched to organic crops and are selling them to supermarkets through Appalachian Harvest, a network of certified organic farmers that figures out what farmers should grow to meet grocers' and consumers' needs and provides a packing house and distribution system. Anthony Flaccavento, founder of Appalachian Harvest’s parent organization, Appalachian Sustainable Development, "said it is important to have an organization that is willing to take risks and mobilize capital," the center reports.
The forum was held Oct. 29 in Hazard. For more information, contact Appalachian Center Director Evelyn Knight or Alison Davis, a Cooperative Extension economic development specialist at the university.
New EPA rule makes feedlot management plans subject to public comment in permit process
The Environmental Protection Agency has finalized new rules for concentrated animal feeding operations, EPA said in a news release. This is the first time" EPA has required a nutrient management plan for manure to be submitted as part of a CAFO's Clean Water Act permit application," the release notes. CAFO operators are already required to follow such plans, but now will have to submit them with the permit applications, making the plan subject to public comment and perhaps better enforcement.
"Manure contains the nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus, which, when not managed properly on agricultural land, can pollute nearby streams, lakes, and other waters," EPA notes. "The regulation also requires that an owner or operator of a CAFO that actually discharges to streams, lakes and other waters apply for a permit under the Clean Water Act. EPA is providing an opportunity for CAFO operators who do not discharge or propose to discharge to obtain certification as zero dischargers."
The Natural Resources Defense Council calls that a loophole, reports Robert McClure of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. The council also argued that CAFOs would be allowed to "avoid certain environmental enforcement," McClure writes. "For instance, if an operator certifies that the facility won't have a discharge, environmental authorities will ignore enforcement action, even if the facility discharges to the nation's waters." NRDC also complained that the rule "rejects improvements in technology that would reduce harmful bacteria and other pathogens contained in animal waste, missing an opportunity to prevent water pollution and threats to public health," McClure reports.
Hog producers "applauded the new regulations," reports Ann Bagel Storck of MeatingPlace.com. (Read more) For a map showing state-by-state concentrations of factory farms and animals, from Food & Water Watch, click here.
"Manure contains the nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus, which, when not managed properly on agricultural land, can pollute nearby streams, lakes, and other waters," EPA notes. "The regulation also requires that an owner or operator of a CAFO that actually discharges to streams, lakes and other waters apply for a permit under the Clean Water Act. EPA is providing an opportunity for CAFO operators who do not discharge or propose to discharge to obtain certification as zero dischargers."
The Natural Resources Defense Council calls that a loophole, reports Robert McClure of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. The council also argued that CAFOs would be allowed to "avoid certain environmental enforcement," McClure writes. "For instance, if an operator certifies that the facility won't have a discharge, environmental authorities will ignore enforcement action, even if the facility discharges to the nation's waters." NRDC also complained that the rule "rejects improvements in technology that would reduce harmful bacteria and other pathogens contained in animal waste, missing an opportunity to prevent water pollution and threats to public health," McClure reports.
Hog producers "applauded the new regulations," reports Ann Bagel Storck of MeatingPlace.com. (Read more) For a map showing state-by-state concentrations of factory farms and animals, from Food & Water Watch, click here.
FCC delays rule that could raise rural phone rates
The Federal Communications Commission will not vote as scheduled tomorrow on proposed changes that could raise rural telephone rates to pay for greater broadband access, North Dakota Sen. Byron Dorgan told KCND-FM. The vote "has been pushed back until sometime in December," The Associated Press reports.
The FCC appeared to be responding to congressional and interest-group requests; "37 senators and 79 members of the House of Representatives have now sent letters urging the FCC to slow down, open its plan to the public, and postpone" the vote, according to a press release from groups opposing the plan. They include AARP, the Consumer Federation of America, Consumers Union, the American Farm Bureau Federation, the Rural Telecommunications Alliance, the Communications Workers of America, state regulators represented by the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners and the National Governors Association.
For more background, read this report from the Business Technology blog of The Wall Street Journal or our Oct. 15 blog post here.
The FCC appeared to be responding to congressional and interest-group requests; "37 senators and 79 members of the House of Representatives have now sent letters urging the FCC to slow down, open its plan to the public, and postpone" the vote, according to a press release from groups opposing the plan. They include AARP, the Consumer Federation of America, Consumers Union, the American Farm Bureau Federation, the Rural Telecommunications Alliance, the Communications Workers of America, state regulators represented by the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners and the National Governors Association.
For more background, read this report from the Business Technology blog of The Wall Street Journal or our Oct. 15 blog post here.
Oil and gas leasing on federal tract in Wyoming stirs opposition from conservationists
The 620,000-acre Jack Morrow Hills region in southwest Wyoming is again at the center of the state's debate over oil and natural gas leasing. On Dec. 2 the Bureau of Land Management is planning a competitive lease sale for that area. The sale is meeting strong opposition from environmental groups as well as hunting and fishing advocates. Public lands around the Little Mountain area are also being included in the sale.
Jeff Gearino of the Casper Star-Tribune writes, "Conservationists said the auction of oil and gas leases will threaten the two areas, which are rich in wildlife, including prime sage grouse habitat, cultural and recreational resources." Conservationists are frustrated because they feel that there is considerable public land available for energy exploration that is not as environmentally important as these two areas. Bruce Pendery, public lands director for the Wyoming Outdoor Council, told Gerino, "The Jack Morrow Hills and Little Mountain are too valuable for their wildlife, historical and recreation resources to be opened to development now, when the evidence shows we can have oil and gas without sacrificing areas like these." (Read more)
Jeff Gearino of the Casper Star-Tribune writes, "Conservationists said the auction of oil and gas leases will threaten the two areas, which are rich in wildlife, including prime sage grouse habitat, cultural and recreational resources." Conservationists are frustrated because they feel that there is considerable public land available for energy exploration that is not as environmentally important as these two areas. Bruce Pendery, public lands director for the Wyoming Outdoor Council, told Gerino, "The Jack Morrow Hills and Little Mountain are too valuable for their wildlife, historical and recreation resources to be opened to development now, when the evidence shows we can have oil and gas without sacrificing areas like these." (Read more)
New law, intended to boost domestic meat sales, raises issues with imported animals
A new law designed to boost sales of domestic meat may shake up the meat industry. The law will require meatpackers to slaughter cattle and hogs born outside the U.S. separately from domestic animals. At least one major meatpacker will stop slaughtering foreign-born animals, and producers may no longer find viable the practice of importing animals to raise and sell.
Phillip Brasher of The Des Moines Register writes, "When the law first took effect Sept. 30, some major meatpackers planned to use multi-country labels on beef and pork so that they wouldn't have to track and slaughter U.S.-born livestock separately from livestock born in Canada and Mexico." This practice was deemed to violate labeling laws and was abandoned. Consequently, "At least three packers — Tyson Foods, Cargill and JBS Swift — now will segregate cattle and hogs by country of birth. Smithfield Foods said it will stop slaughtering Canadian-born hogs altogether next year."
The new law could hit the Iowa hog producers particularly hard. Producers in that state "imported about 4 million young pigs from Canada for fattening last year," writes Brasher. "Producers may get paid less for their Canadian-born hogs and may have to ship them to different slaughter plants, farther away, than they are used to, industry experts say."(Read more)
Phillip Brasher of The Des Moines Register writes, "When the law first took effect Sept. 30, some major meatpackers planned to use multi-country labels on beef and pork so that they wouldn't have to track and slaughter U.S.-born livestock separately from livestock born in Canada and Mexico." This practice was deemed to violate labeling laws and was abandoned. Consequently, "At least three packers — Tyson Foods, Cargill and JBS Swift — now will segregate cattle and hogs by country of birth. Smithfield Foods said it will stop slaughtering Canadian-born hogs altogether next year."
The new law could hit the Iowa hog producers particularly hard. Producers in that state "imported about 4 million young pigs from Canada for fattening last year," writes Brasher. "Producers may get paid less for their Canadian-born hogs and may have to ship them to different slaughter plants, farther away, than they are used to, industry experts say."(Read more)
McCain, Palin try to mine coal as a final issue
In the final hours of his campaign, John McCain's only new line is that he has been and would be a promoter of coal if elected president, in contrast to Barack Obama. He and Sarah Palin mined the coal issue yesterday in stops in the Appalachian coalfield, critical to their chances tomorrow. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images)"The candidate who once spoke repeatedly of the need to curb climate change now devotes his speeches to touting the need to boost oil and coal production, two of the biggest contributors to global warming, while campaigning in those coal-producing states," write Shailagh Murray, Juliet Eilperin and Robert Barnes of The Washington Post.
"The one new line he unveiled Sunday -- which his aides said he would use several times during his seven-state swing in the run-up to Election Day -- was to make fun of something" Obama had told the San Francisco Chronicle in January: "The only thing I've said with respect to coal -- I haven't been some coal booster." McCain told supporters in Scranton, Pa., "I've been a coal booster, and it's going to create jobs, and we're going to export coal to other countries and we are going to create hundreds of thousands of jobs. That’s going to help restore the economy of the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania." (Read more)
Many in the Scranton crowd were "wearing white ball caps emblazoned with 'Clean Coal' on the front," reports Andrew Seder of the Times Leader in Wilkes-Barre. (Read more) For a rundown of the candidates' energy platforms, from Beth Wellington in the Daily Yonder, click here. For a report from Mark Niquette of the Columbus Dispatch, click here.
In Marietta, Ohio, Palin paraphrased Obama: "He said that, sure, if the industry wants to build new coal-fired plants, then they can go ahead and try . . . but they can do it only in a way that will bankrupt the coal industry, and he's comfortable letting that happen." Palin referred to Obama's Jan. 17 interview with the Chronicle editorial board, in which he backed "a cap-and-trade system, under which polluters must buy credits to offset their emissions," reports the Los Angeles Times.
Obama told the Chronicle, "So if somebody wants to build a coal-powered plant, they can; it's just that it will bankrupt them because they're going to be charged a huge sum for all that greenhouse gas that's being emitted." The Times notes, "Palin did not mention remarks Obama made elsewhere in the interview about coal's role in the nation's energy future," such as: "This notion of no coal, I think, is an illusion. ... If we set rigorous standards for the allowable emissions, we can allow the market to determine, and technology and entrepreneurs to pursue, what's the best approach to take." (Read more)
UPDATES: Palin "has kept up her attack on Obama over the remark on the campaign’s final day, linking it to Obama’s 'bitter' comment also made in San Francisco during the Democratic primary," reports Andy Barr of Politico. "The Obama campaign has countered the attacks by saying that the comments were taken out of context and by pointing out the Democrat’s position on coal varies little from McCain’s." For a transcript of the pertinent part of the interview, from Tony Rutherford of HuntingtonNews.net in West Virginia, click here.
"If Pennsylvania is close -- or if McCain pulls off an improbable upset there -- the reason is Sarah Palin, who has stormed the rural parts of that state," the Evans-Novak Political Report says tonight.
Rifle company owner ousted over Obama support
Less than two days after telling USA Today that he was voting for Barack Obama, Montana rifle maker Dan Cooper was asked to step down from the company he founded. In a story published Oct. 28, Cooper told the national newspaper that the Iraq War and the increasing conservatism of the Republican Party are two reasons he supports the Democrat, though he usually votes Republican. Obama, he said, is also an attractive candidate because of "the retooling of America, which involves the building of middle-class jobs and helping American small business be competitive with those overseas."
Cooper's views caused a backlash among many gun owners and advocates, who traditionally see the Democratic party as being "anti-gun." Almost immediately after the story was published, Cooper Firearms was flooded with calls, letters and calls for a boycott. By Wednesday night, the company had posted a note on its Web site saying, "Although we all believe everyone has a right to vote and donate as they see fit, it has become apparent that the fallout may affect more than just Mr. Cooper. It may also affect the employees and the shareholders of Cooper Firearms. The board of directors has asked Mr. Cooper to resign as president."
Cooper resigned but received statements of support from Democratic Gov. Brian Schweitzer and Bob Ricker, executive director of the American Hunters and Shooters Association, which has endorsed Obama. Ricker said told Ken Dilanian, who wrote a follow-up story in the same paper, "It's a really McCarthyism at its worst."
Obama has said, "I believe in the Second Amendment. I believe in people's lawful right to bear arms. I will not take your shotgun away. I will not take your rifle away. I won't take your handgun away." Cooper said, in an unpublished section of the interview, "I don't believe that what's being said about Obama and his policies about guns are accurate. I have had a conversation with the senator … He is a staunch supporter of the right to hunt and the right to bear arms." Schweitzer also says fears that Obama will overturn the Second Amendment are unfounded: "Three weeks from now these bloggers are going to wake up, look under their bed and see that their gun is still there." (Read more)
Cooper's views caused a backlash among many gun owners and advocates, who traditionally see the Democratic party as being "anti-gun." Almost immediately after the story was published, Cooper Firearms was flooded with calls, letters and calls for a boycott. By Wednesday night, the company had posted a note on its Web site saying, "Although we all believe everyone has a right to vote and donate as they see fit, it has become apparent that the fallout may affect more than just Mr. Cooper. It may also affect the employees and the shareholders of Cooper Firearms. The board of directors has asked Mr. Cooper to resign as president."
Cooper resigned but received statements of support from Democratic Gov. Brian Schweitzer and Bob Ricker, executive director of the American Hunters and Shooters Association, which has endorsed Obama. Ricker said told Ken Dilanian, who wrote a follow-up story in the same paper, "It's a really McCarthyism at its worst."
Obama has said, "I believe in the Second Amendment. I believe in people's lawful right to bear arms. I will not take your shotgun away. I will not take your rifle away. I won't take your handgun away." Cooper said, in an unpublished section of the interview, "I don't believe that what's being said about Obama and his policies about guns are accurate. I have had a conversation with the senator … He is a staunch supporter of the right to hunt and the right to bear arms." Schweitzer also says fears that Obama will overturn the Second Amendment are unfounded: "Three weeks from now these bloggers are going to wake up, look under their bed and see that their gun is still there." (Read more)
Sunday, November 02, 2008
Isolated Jewish congregation requires self-reliance
An important part of faith is the ability to worship with like-minded believers, but what happens when there are not many like-minded believers around? A story by Sheila Hagar in the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin highlights the challenges facing the small Jewish community in largely rural southeast Washington.
Congregation Beth Israel, which has had as few as 10 families, now has about 40 families in the congregation. They have only had one full-time rabbi, who stayed for only 2 years. This has meant that the congregation must work to foster their religious practice. Noah Levitt, president of the congregation, told Hagar, "It's not unusual for Jews who move here from larger cities to be surprised to learn of the level self-reliance the local congregation needs. If they want a Jewish lifestyle, they will have to shape it, make it happen."
The local Whitman College helps shape this Jewish lifestyle in Congregation Beth Israel. Synagogue life is maintained through "local leadership, influx of new families and a stream of energy and new ideas as Jewish Whitman students enter the community." But the congregation also sees a responsibility to work on interfaith dialogue and to educate others about their belief. All too commonly, congregation members hear "I didn't know there were Jews in Walla Walla," Leavitt told Hagar. "I think it is our responsibility to show others another way to think about religion." (Read more)
Congregation Beth Israel, which has had as few as 10 families, now has about 40 families in the congregation. They have only had one full-time rabbi, who stayed for only 2 years. This has meant that the congregation must work to foster their religious practice. Noah Levitt, president of the congregation, told Hagar, "It's not unusual for Jews who move here from larger cities to be surprised to learn of the level self-reliance the local congregation needs. If they want a Jewish lifestyle, they will have to shape it, make it happen."
The local Whitman College helps shape this Jewish lifestyle in Congregation Beth Israel. Synagogue life is maintained through "local leadership, influx of new families and a stream of energy and new ideas as Jewish Whitman students enter the community." But the congregation also sees a responsibility to work on interfaith dialogue and to educate others about their belief. All too commonly, congregation members hear "I didn't know there were Jews in Walla Walla," Leavitt told Hagar. "I think it is our responsibility to show others another way to think about religion." (Read more)
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Northern New York newspapers run McCain endorsement by parent firm in West Virginia
Brian Mann of North Country Public Radio reports that the Adirondack Daily Enterprise of Saranac Lake, N.Y., "faces a controversy" over the endorsement of John McCain that appeared on its editorial page yesterday.
The endorsement bore the byline of Ogden Newspapers Inc. of Wheeling, W.Va., which owns the paper. Despite that, Mann notes, the editorial urges "residents of our area" to vote for McCain, and a "nearly identical" editorial ran in The Leader-Herald of Gloversville, one of three other dailies Ogden owns in and around Adirondack Park. The Observer of Dunkirk ran an editorial supporting McCain's tax policies and questioning Obama's. Ogden also has three weeklies in the region, which had no endorsement editorials, at least online.
The two endorsements "triggered angry reactions from some local readers," Mann reports. One Enterprise reader wrote, "For the love of GOD! The Enterprise is endorsing McCain! WTF is going on? Have you people actually lost ALL sense of sanity and reason?" The next commenter wrote, "It's not the Enterprise, it's the parent co. - and I can almost guarantee that the knucklehead who wrote this illustrative piece is making more than 250K." Obama says that is the income level at which Americans would pay more income taxes under his plan.
Mann questions whether local readers will understand that the endorsement was not from the local editorial board. The board said the day before that it was not endorsing candidates in Tuesday's election because it could not reach unanimous agreement: "Our election endorsements, when we make them, are based on consensus; we only take stances all our editorial board members agree on. That process improves our reasoning and makes us more careful about giving advice than we might be otherwise, which helps the credibility of the opinions we do express. We couldn't reach consensus on endorsing a candidate in any of the races this election cycle." (Read more)
The endorsement bore the byline of Ogden Newspapers Inc. of Wheeling, W.Va., which owns the paper. Despite that, Mann notes, the editorial urges "residents of our area" to vote for McCain, and a "nearly identical" editorial ran in The Leader-Herald of Gloversville, one of three other dailies Ogden owns in and around Adirondack Park. The Observer of Dunkirk ran an editorial supporting McCain's tax policies and questioning Obama's. Ogden also has three weeklies in the region, which had no endorsement editorials, at least online.
The two endorsements "triggered angry reactions from some local readers," Mann reports. One Enterprise reader wrote, "For the love of GOD! The Enterprise is endorsing McCain! WTF is going on? Have you people actually lost ALL sense of sanity and reason?" The next commenter wrote, "It's not the Enterprise, it's the parent co. - and I can almost guarantee that the knucklehead who wrote this illustrative piece is making more than 250K." Obama says that is the income level at which Americans would pay more income taxes under his plan.
Mann questions whether local readers will understand that the endorsement was not from the local editorial board. The board said the day before that it was not endorsing candidates in Tuesday's election because it could not reach unanimous agreement: "Our election endorsements, when we make them, are based on consensus; we only take stances all our editorial board members agree on. That process improves our reasoning and makes us more careful about giving advice than we might be otherwise, which helps the credibility of the opinions we do express. We couldn't reach consensus on endorsing a candidate in any of the races this election cycle." (Read more)
Friday, October 31, 2008
Latest set of studies on ethanol are in conflict
"New studies this week on the efficiency and food supply effects of corn-based ethanol came to completely different conclusions," reports Janie Gabbett of MeatingPlace.com, a journal for the meat industry. The industry has grown to dislike ethanol for raising the price of corn, which is also fed to animals.
The Illinois Corn Growers Association released two studies concluding that "corn-based ethanol production leaves a smaller carbon footprint than gasoline and has substantial room for growth without affecting the corn supply to the food and feed sectors," Gabbett writes. The other study "predicted corn yields would increase to 289 bushels per acre over the next two decades from the current 155 bushels per acre, which would provide sufficient corn to increase ethanol production to 33 billion gallons annually by 2030 from the 7.1 billion gallons produced last year." To read those studies, click here.
The other study, by Dennis Avery of the Center for Global Food Issues at the generally conservative Hudson Institute, "said ethanol has made the world use more corn than it can sustainably produce, creating massive food-price hikes," Gabbett reports. Avery writes, "Were we to double corn yields, we still would not have enough room for corn ethanol, because global food and feed demand will double again by 2040." For the study, click here.
The Illinois Corn Growers Association released two studies concluding that "corn-based ethanol production leaves a smaller carbon footprint than gasoline and has substantial room for growth without affecting the corn supply to the food and feed sectors," Gabbett writes. The other study "predicted corn yields would increase to 289 bushels per acre over the next two decades from the current 155 bushels per acre, which would provide sufficient corn to increase ethanol production to 33 billion gallons annually by 2030 from the 7.1 billion gallons produced last year." To read those studies, click here.
The other study, by Dennis Avery of the Center for Global Food Issues at the generally conservative Hudson Institute, "said ethanol has made the world use more corn than it can sustainably produce, creating massive food-price hikes," Gabbett reports. Avery writes, "Were we to double corn yields, we still would not have enough room for corn ethanol, because global food and feed demand will double again by 2040." For the study, click here.
Despite Medicaid, rural kids often lack dental care
One of the greatest threats to the health of rural children is the lack of attention to their teeth and gums. Judy J. Owens of Kentucky writes for the Daily Yonder, "Lack of dental care, common among low-income and Medicaid-eligible adults and children, often results in severe or persistent pain, inability to eat, swollen faces, and increased susceptibility to other medical conditions." (New York Times photo by Stephen Crowley: A student in Barbourville, Ky., gets ready for a free exam through Kids First Dental, a mobile clinic.)Poor dental health is a problem that plagues much of rural America. "In a rural state such as Kentucky, for example, dental decay is the No. 1 infectious disease in children. Dental pain is the number one excuse for public school absences." Medicaid provides dental insurance to all children who are eligible for the program, but many rural children grow up without dental care because adults don't take advantage of the benefit and many if not most rural dentists don't accept Medicaid patients, citing low reimbursement rates. (Sometimes we wonder if there are other reasons.)
"Many children grow up in homes where the adults do not have regular dental treatment, and so the children are not taken to the dentist," writes Owens. "A survey in North Carolina found that on average, only 20 percent of Medicaid recipients visited the dentist in 1998." There are signs of progress, however. This year Kentucky passed a law requiring children to have their teeth examined before beginning school. Early care is seen as the best form of prevention of poor dental health. While the law hasn't taken effect, other efforts have failed to make a dent in the rural dental health problem. "Despite years of advancement, including the establishment of two colleges of dentistry and an impressive water fluoridation program," Owens writes, "Kentucky is a national leader in toothlessness." (Read more)
California facing prospect of worst drought ever
California farmers are facing the prospect of receiving only 15 percent of the requested water next year. "A persistent dry spell and depleted reservoirs could sharply limit deliveries," reports Michael Gardner of the San Diego Union-Tribune. The amount delivered will depend on future snow and rainfall.
Unless California experiences an extremely dry early winter, voluntary conservation is viewed as the best option. If precipitation remains scarce the state may have to start considering mandatory water conservation. The state faced a similar water scare in 1993, but ultimately precipitation increased and 100 percent of requested water was delivered.
Lester Snow, director of the state Department of Water Resources, told Gardner, "We have the potential in a third year to have the worst drought in California history." The drought has forced California farmers to leave land unplanted for fear of not having necessary water for crops. Gardner writes, "In Kern County alone, 50,000 acres may be left unplanted because there is no water for irrigation."(Read more)
Unless California experiences an extremely dry early winter, voluntary conservation is viewed as the best option. If precipitation remains scarce the state may have to start considering mandatory water conservation. The state faced a similar water scare in 1993, but ultimately precipitation increased and 100 percent of requested water was delivered.
Lester Snow, director of the state Department of Water Resources, told Gardner, "We have the potential in a third year to have the worst drought in California history." The drought has forced California farmers to leave land unplanted for fear of not having necessary water for crops. Gardner writes, "In Kern County alone, 50,000 acres may be left unplanted because there is no water for irrigation."(Read more)
Economic pressures can strengthen community and family connections, writer opines
Rural Americans may worry about what the current economic crisis will mean for their communities, but Joel Kotkin of Newgeography.com says there is one upside to the uncertainty: "Forced into belt-tightening, Americans are likely to strengthen our family and community ties and to center our lives more closely on the places where we live," whether in rural or metropolitan areas.
Kotkin notes the rise of younger adults who are relying on older generations for financial and lifestyle help: living with parents, relying on family members for child care, or getting help with loans. He says all of these trends help shape the way the community is viewed: "The longer people stay in their homes and communities, the more they identify with and care for those places."
The trend, which Kotkin calls "the new localism," is also strengthened by rising gas prices, which are encouraging travel closer to home and a greater emphasis on locally grown produce, and better technology, which allows for higher rates of telecommuting and the ability to set up businesses away from urban centers. (Read more)
Kotkin notes the rise of younger adults who are relying on older generations for financial and lifestyle help: living with parents, relying on family members for child care, or getting help with loans. He says all of these trends help shape the way the community is viewed: "The longer people stay in their homes and communities, the more they identify with and care for those places."
The trend, which Kotkin calls "the new localism," is also strengthened by rising gas prices, which are encouraging travel closer to home and a greater emphasis on locally grown produce, and better technology, which allows for higher rates of telecommuting and the ability to set up businesses away from urban centers. (Read more)
Landmark suspends efforts to sell its holdings, including community newspaper group
Landmark Communications Inc. has suspended efforts to sell most of its holdings, including Landmark Community Newspapers Inc., "because potential buyers can't get credit and values have declined with falling advertising volume," reports Cody Lowe of The Roanoke Times, one of the family-owned company's three major dailies.
Frank Batten Jr., Landmark's chairman and CEO, said in a news release, "The credit crisis has made it virtually impossible for companies to obtain bank commitments to help finance acquisitions, and Landmark "will operate its businesses for several years before re-instituting the sales process, although it will consider offers during the interim."
Meanwhile, however, Landmark Community Newspapers, based in Shelbyville, Ky., will be sharing its president with Landmark Publishing Group, which operates the dailies in Roanoke, Greensboro and the firm's headquarters city of Norfolk. Bruce Bradley, president of that subsidary, will retire by the end of the year. Mike Abernathy, president of LCNI, "will succeed Bradley while continuing in his current job," the Times reports. (Read more)
Frank Batten Jr., Landmark's chairman and CEO, said in a news release, "The credit crisis has made it virtually impossible for companies to obtain bank commitments to help finance acquisitions, and Landmark "will operate its businesses for several years before re-instituting the sales process, although it will consider offers during the interim."
Meanwhile, however, Landmark Community Newspapers, based in Shelbyville, Ky., will be sharing its president with Landmark Publishing Group, which operates the dailies in Roanoke, Greensboro and the firm's headquarters city of Norfolk. Bruce Bradley, president of that subsidary, will retire by the end of the year. Mike Abernathy, president of LCNI, "will succeed Bradley while continuing in his current job," the Times reports. (Read more)
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Swings in corn prices hit ethanol producers hard
Volatile corn prices have hit the ethanol industry hard and may bankrupt a leading producer, reports Scott Carlson of the Argus Leader in Sioux Falls, S.D.: "Shares of VeraSun Energy Corp. dropped below $1 a share Wednesday on a published report that the Sioux Falls-based ethanol producer is on the verge of filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection." The report came from the subscription-only newsletter Debtwire, which cited anonymous sources, and the Argus Leader was unable to confirm it."Whatever the veracity of the Debtwire story, the report is a vivid example of what is happening to the ethanol industry and, more specifically, publicly traded VeraSun, which has been jockeying with Poet for supremacy as the nation's biggest ethanol producer," Carlson writes.
Earlier this year, "Escalating corn prices began cutting into ethanol producers' profits, and many turned to hedging in a bid to control costs. Under hedging, ethanol producers banked on meeting their future corn production needs by buying the product now and locking in prices to avoid volatile price swings in the market. Securities analysts said that for many ethanol producers, hedging turned out to be a bad move because corn prices began falling in August. For VeraSun, however, the gambit has proven especially disastrous. After VeraSun locked into prices for its feed-stock for the third quarter, corn prices dropped from almost $8 a bushel to a low of less than $5 per bushel in mid-August." (Read more)
Ken Anderson of Brownfield Network reports, "Another South Dakota-based ethanol producer — Glacial Lakes Corn Processors cooperative — is asking its members to contribute additional working capital for the company’s operations. CFO Jim Seurer says the cash is needed to maintain and improve the company’s operating position and resume normal operations. . . . Todd Sneller, administrator of the Nebraska Ethanol Board, says access to capital is a critical issue for many ethanol plants—as it is for many industries these days. He says ultimately some plants may fail, but that doesn’t mean they will cease operations." (Read more)
The basic structure of the ethanol industry remains sound, Bruce Rastetter of Hawkeye Renewables, a larger producers, told Gary Truitt of Hoosier Ag Today (which ran the photo above). “I think the industry will recover because the fundamentals of the industry are so strong,” Rastetter said, adding that he expects energy costs to be high in the long term, spurring demand for biofuels. (Read more)
Alaskans seek ways to stay in their rural homes in the face of skyrocketing energy costs
The theme at the Alaska Federation of Natives convention last week was “Reaching for the Stars,” but “Our Endangered Villages” might have been more fitting, given the discussions and resolutions at the gathering, reports Alex DeMarban of Alaska Newspapers.
"Variations of that grim phrase were heard repeatedly," DeMarban writes, "as delegates sought ways to lower living costs that have forced many to leave rural Alaska for urban areas. Near the end of the annual meeting on Saturday, Alaska’s largest Native organization asked the state and federal government to declare an emergency in the Bush because of the high cost of heating oil and gas. . . . The cost of gas and heating fuel soared past $10 a gallon in some villages this year, creating a ripple effect that forced all prices higher and burdened rural residents with incredible hardship, delegates said. Some village schools are in danger of closing for lack of students. Many families have apparently fled to Anchorage ..."
AFN board member Ralph Angasan told DeMarban, “The situation is catastrophic. There’s no money in rural Alaska. The economy is dead.” (Read more)
"Variations of that grim phrase were heard repeatedly," DeMarban writes, "as delegates sought ways to lower living costs that have forced many to leave rural Alaska for urban areas. Near the end of the annual meeting on Saturday, Alaska’s largest Native organization asked the state and federal government to declare an emergency in the Bush because of the high cost of heating oil and gas. . . . The cost of gas and heating fuel soared past $10 a gallon in some villages this year, creating a ripple effect that forced all prices higher and burdened rural residents with incredible hardship, delegates said. Some village schools are in danger of closing for lack of students. Many families have apparently fled to Anchorage ..."
AFN board member Ralph Angasan told DeMarban, “The situation is catastrophic. There’s no money in rural Alaska. The economy is dead.” (Read more)
Wildlife watching a major boon to U.S. economy
Some pastimes are quintessentially American: watching sports, going to amusement parks, bowling. But a new federal study shows that one of the most lucrative leisure activities might be found in an unexpected source: watching wildlife.
"Wildlife Watching in the U.S.: The Economic Impacts on National and State Economies in 2006" estimates that "expenditures from wildlife watching equal the revenues generated from all spectator sports, amusement parks and arcades, casinos without hotels, bowling alleys and ski resorts combined," reports Wes Smalling of the Casper Star-Tribune in Wyoming. Almost one-third of the U.S. population participated in wildlife watching activity in that year.
Jessica Lynn, community naturalist at the Murie Audubon Society, expressed surprise, not at the activity's popularity, but at the amount of money brought in by the activity. Then she started thinking about the gear she owned for her own birdwatching activities: "binoculars, backpacks, birding guides and maps, clothing for all four seasons."
According to the report, Smalling writes, expenditures on travel, gear and other expenses "had a ripple effect across local, state and national economies generating $122.6 billion in industrial output and resulting in more than a million jobs and billions of dollars in tax revenues." (Read more; to read the full report, click here)
"Wildlife Watching in the U.S.: The Economic Impacts on National and State Economies in 2006" estimates that "expenditures from wildlife watching equal the revenues generated from all spectator sports, amusement parks and arcades, casinos without hotels, bowling alleys and ski resorts combined," reports Wes Smalling of the Casper Star-Tribune in Wyoming. Almost one-third of the U.S. population participated in wildlife watching activity in that year.
Jessica Lynn, community naturalist at the Murie Audubon Society, expressed surprise, not at the activity's popularity, but at the amount of money brought in by the activity. Then she started thinking about the gear she owned for her own birdwatching activities: "binoculars, backpacks, birding guides and maps, clothing for all four seasons."
According to the report, Smalling writes, expenditures on travel, gear and other expenses "had a ripple effect across local, state and national economies generating $122.6 billion in industrial output and resulting in more than a million jobs and billions of dollars in tax revenues." (Read more; to read the full report, click here)
As overall circulation drops, some newspapers gain
Smaller newspapers remained the bright spots in the latest six-month circulation figures reported by 507 daily newspapers via the Audit Bureau of Circulations this month.
Among the papers that have large rural audiences and gained circulation were the Citizen Tribune of Morristown, Tenn., up 5.3 percent to 18,589 (congratulations to our friends the Fishmans); The Forum of Fargo, N.D., up 4.7 percent to 49,834; the Daily News of Bowling Green, Ky., up 4 percent to 20,804; The New Mexican of Santa Fe, up 3.7 percent to 25,616; the Iron Mountain Daily News of Michigan, up 3.7 percent to 9,303; The Inter-Mountain of Elkins, W.Va., up 3.7 percent to 10,583; and The News-Gazette of Champaign, Ill., up 3.2 percent to 41,578. For more, from Jennifer Saba of Editor & Publisher, click here.
Total daily circulation for the 507 papers was down 4.6 percent; Sunday papers were down 4.8 percent. However, newspapers continue to increase their online audience. The 190 dailies participating in the ABC study of total audience were divided into two tiers; E&P reported only the first tier, approximately the 80 larget markets. We've asked them for second-tier data.
Among the papers that have large rural audiences and gained circulation were the Citizen Tribune of Morristown, Tenn., up 5.3 percent to 18,589 (congratulations to our friends the Fishmans); The Forum of Fargo, N.D., up 4.7 percent to 49,834; the Daily News of Bowling Green, Ky., up 4 percent to 20,804; The New Mexican of Santa Fe, up 3.7 percent to 25,616; the Iron Mountain Daily News of Michigan, up 3.7 percent to 9,303; The Inter-Mountain of Elkins, W.Va., up 3.7 percent to 10,583; and The News-Gazette of Champaign, Ill., up 3.2 percent to 41,578. For more, from Jennifer Saba of Editor & Publisher, click here.
Total daily circulation for the 507 papers was down 4.6 percent; Sunday papers were down 4.8 percent. However, newspapers continue to increase their online audience. The 190 dailies participating in the ABC study of total audience were divided into two tiers; E&P reported only the first tier, approximately the 80 larget markets. We've asked them for second-tier data.
Iowa fines meat plant big over wage violations; beef slaughtering stops; former CEO charged
The state of Iowa is imposing fines totaling almost $10 million on the Postville plant that was the site of a record-breaking immigration raid in May. The Iowa Department of Labor is imposing penalties for Agriprocessors' violation of wage laws.
Deductions for "sales tax/miscellaneous" items and frocks were made from employees' paychecks, and the company failed to pay final paychecks to 42 employees after the May raid. The total fines for these violations total $9,988,200. That total does not include the $264,786.45 owed in back wages. Agriprocessors has 30 days to contest the fines, and Meatingplace.com reports that the Labor Department says a separate investigation of the company could lead to further fines.
Greg Schulte and Philip Brasher of The Des Moines Register say the fines only add to the uncertainty over whether Agriprocessors will survive, already called into question by a shortage of workers willing to work at the plant. A company spokesman said its beef-slaughtering operation has been shut down this week due to financial constraints. (Read more)
Meanwhile, Agriprocessors' former vice-president and CEO, Sholom Rubashkin, has been charged with "conspiring to harbor one or more illegal aliens at his place of business, knowingly accepted fraudulent identification documents and aided and abetted identity theft," reports Bob Meyer of Brownfield Network.
Deductions for "sales tax/miscellaneous" items and frocks were made from employees' paychecks, and the company failed to pay final paychecks to 42 employees after the May raid. The total fines for these violations total $9,988,200. That total does not include the $264,786.45 owed in back wages. Agriprocessors has 30 days to contest the fines, and Meatingplace.com reports that the Labor Department says a separate investigation of the company could lead to further fines.
Greg Schulte and Philip Brasher of The Des Moines Register say the fines only add to the uncertainty over whether Agriprocessors will survive, already called into question by a shortage of workers willing to work at the plant. A company spokesman said its beef-slaughtering operation has been shut down this week due to financial constraints. (Read more)
Meanwhile, Agriprocessors' former vice-president and CEO, Sholom Rubashkin, has been charged with "conspiring to harbor one or more illegal aliens at his place of business, knowingly accepted fraudulent identification documents and aided and abetted identity theft," reports Bob Meyer of Brownfield Network.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Did McCain misfire by not using gun issues more? NRA wants Election Day papers to go in its ad bag
One of John McCain's biggest mistakes has been failing "to exploit issues that Republicans usually do well with," such as guns, Roger Simon writes on Politico: "Considering that the McCain/Palin ticket is now battling for its life in small town and rural America, you would think the McCain campaign would be out there talking about guns every day."
Sarah Palin, in her speech at the Republican convention, referred to Obama's comment about "bitter" small-town voters clinging to guns or religion and "widened the issue to one of elitism and trust," Simon writes, quoting her: "In small towns, we don’t quite know what to make of a candidate who lavishes praise on working people when they are listening, and then talks about how bitterly they cling to their religion and guns when those people aren’t listening."
Obama's choice of Joe Biden for vice president also played into the GOP's hands, because "Biden is despised by the gun lobby," wrote the assault-weapons ban and said in July, “We should be working with law enforcement, right now, to make sure that we protect people against people who are not capable of knowing what to do with a gun because they’re either mentally imbalanced and/or because they have a criminal record.” Simon notes, "Some gun owners get scared when they hear talk like that."
The National Rifle Association is running its own ads agains Obama, but Simon asks, "Where are the McCain ads, lending his voice to this issue?" He argues that guns "had a lot to do" with Al Gore losing West Virginia, Arkansas and his home state of Tennessee in 2000. "Gun owners simply didn’t believe Gore when he said he was not going to take their guns away," Simon writes. "They did believe Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996 when he said the same thing, but Clinton sold his 'Bubba' image effectively and was far more trusted in small-town and rural America." (Read more)
Meanwhile, the NRA is trying to pay newspapers to put their Election Day print editions in a plastic bag that reads "Vote for Freedom ... Defeat Obama." Four Kentucky dailies and three in Indiana have accepted the ads, which will also promote U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Gov. Mitch Daniels of Indiana, both Republicans. But only one of the seven papers, the Times of Northwest Indiana, will use the bags on Election Day, Nov. 4, reports Jack Brammer of the Lexington Herald-Leader. His paper will use the bags on Nov. 3 because it limits specialty political advertising on election days, Publisher Tim Kelly said. Teresa Revlett, sales director for the Kentucky Press Association, which sold the ads, said some papers refused them but she declined to say how many.
The two largest newspapers in Virginia, the Richmond Times-Dispatch and the Virginian-Pilot of Norfolk, rejected the ads, reports the latter paper's Julian Walker. The Pilot's business development manager, Alan Levenstein, said it takes several weeks to print the bags, so allowing one advertiser that format "could deny a group with an opposing view a chance to buy the same space before the election," Walker writes. Levenstein added, "We want to make sure that we don't look, as a newspaper, that we're endorsing one viewpoint or another." (Read more)
Sarah Palin, in her speech at the Republican convention, referred to Obama's comment about "bitter" small-town voters clinging to guns or religion and "widened the issue to one of elitism and trust," Simon writes, quoting her: "In small towns, we don’t quite know what to make of a candidate who lavishes praise on working people when they are listening, and then talks about how bitterly they cling to their religion and guns when those people aren’t listening."
Obama's choice of Joe Biden for vice president also played into the GOP's hands, because "Biden is despised by the gun lobby," wrote the assault-weapons ban and said in July, “We should be working with law enforcement, right now, to make sure that we protect people against people who are not capable of knowing what to do with a gun because they’re either mentally imbalanced and/or because they have a criminal record.” Simon notes, "Some gun owners get scared when they hear talk like that."
The National Rifle Association is running its own ads agains Obama, but Simon asks, "Where are the McCain ads, lending his voice to this issue?" He argues that guns "had a lot to do" with Al Gore losing West Virginia, Arkansas and his home state of Tennessee in 2000. "Gun owners simply didn’t believe Gore when he said he was not going to take their guns away," Simon writes. "They did believe Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996 when he said the same thing, but Clinton sold his 'Bubba' image effectively and was far more trusted in small-town and rural America." (Read more)
Meanwhile, the NRA is trying to pay newspapers to put their Election Day print editions in a plastic bag that reads "Vote for Freedom ... Defeat Obama." Four Kentucky dailies and three in Indiana have accepted the ads, which will also promote U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Gov. Mitch Daniels of Indiana, both Republicans. But only one of the seven papers, the Times of Northwest Indiana, will use the bags on Election Day, Nov. 4, reports Jack Brammer of the Lexington Herald-Leader. His paper will use the bags on Nov. 3 because it limits specialty political advertising on election days, Publisher Tim Kelly said. Teresa Revlett, sales director for the Kentucky Press Association, which sold the ads, said some papers refused them but she declined to say how many.
The two largest newspapers in Virginia, the Richmond Times-Dispatch and the Virginian-Pilot of Norfolk, rejected the ads, reports the latter paper's Julian Walker. The Pilot's business development manager, Alan Levenstein, said it takes several weeks to print the bags, so allowing one advertiser that format "could deny a group with an opposing view a chance to buy the same space before the election," Walker writes. Levenstein added, "We want to make sure that we don't look, as a newspaper, that we're endorsing one viewpoint or another." (Read more)
Colo. chain says notice about cutting off political coverage in last pre-election paper went too far
This notice appeared in 13 weekly newspapers in the Denver-Colorado Springs region last week, and today on the Romenesko media-news blog from The Poynter Institute: "Per the policy of Colorado Community Newspapers, all coverage of a political nature will cease following the Oct. 23 and 24 editions. Any news coverage, letters to the editor or any other content discussing the Nov. 4 elections will not be printed to allow readers an opportunity to develop their stance without media interference. Coverage will resume with Election Day."
Jeremy Bangs, managing editor of the newspapers, told The Rural Blog in an interview that the notice went too far. He said it was intended to simply restate a longstanding policy that prohibits letters and last-minute charges (including charges in advertising) in the last weekly edition before an election. Asked who wrote the notice, he said, "One of our other editors put that together." Asked if he read it before publication, "I saw the gist of it. I don't think I read it word for word."
As for the notice's reference to "media interference," Bangs said, "If we were to do it over again, we would probably make a clearer reference that we're dealing with letters to the editor and last-minute charges." Many weekly newspapers have such policies, which guarantee candidates and other interested parties an opportunity to respond before the election. Some, including Colorado Community Newspapers, soft-pedal political coverage in the last pre-election edition. "We're not going to get into a lot stories about the specific issues" in this week's papers, Bangs said.
Jeremy Bangs, managing editor of the newspapers, told The Rural Blog in an interview that the notice went too far. He said it was intended to simply restate a longstanding policy that prohibits letters and last-minute charges (including charges in advertising) in the last weekly edition before an election. Asked who wrote the notice, he said, "One of our other editors put that together." Asked if he read it before publication, "I saw the gist of it. I don't think I read it word for word."
As for the notice's reference to "media interference," Bangs said, "If we were to do it over again, we would probably make a clearer reference that we're dealing with letters to the editor and last-minute charges." Many weekly newspapers have such policies, which guarantee candidates and other interested parties an opportunity to respond before the election. Some, including Colorado Community Newspapers, soft-pedal political coverage in the last pre-election edition. "We're not going to get into a lot stories about the specific issues" in this week's papers, Bangs said.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
TV stations sell millions in ads for Ky. Senate race but provide rural voters little news coverage of it
Television stations in Lexington, Ky., sold almost $3 million worth of advertising to candidates and interest groups in Kentucky’s general election for the U.S. Senate through Oct. 20, but ran relatively few news stories on the nationally important race. Most were horse-race stories about campaign tactics and support, and most of the stories that touched on issues did so only superficially.
Those are the major, preliminary findings of a study being conducted by the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, part of the School of Journalism and Telecommunications at the University of Kentucky. The Institute launched the study because many rural Kentuckians do not read daily newspapers, and their local, weekly papers generally do not cover statewide elections or subscribe to The Associated Press.
Thus, for many rural voters, television is the major source of information about candidates in statewide races. The four television stations in Lexington are better situated to cover Kentucky elections than most other stations in the state, because the Lexington TV market is the only major market that lies entirely within Kentucky. But from Sept. 1 through Oct. 20, they ran more than 92 hours of ads about the race and only 44 minutes of news about it. For details, click here.
Those are the major, preliminary findings of a study being conducted by the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, part of the School of Journalism and Telecommunications at the University of Kentucky. The Institute launched the study because many rural Kentuckians do not read daily newspapers, and their local, weekly papers generally do not cover statewide elections or subscribe to The Associated Press.
Thus, for many rural voters, television is the major source of information about candidates in statewide races. The four television stations in Lexington are better situated to cover Kentucky elections than most other stations in the state, because the Lexington TV market is the only major market that lies entirely within Kentucky. But from Sept. 1 through Oct. 20, they ran more than 92 hours of ads about the race and only 44 minutes of news about it. For details, click here.
Doctors becoming dentists in dentist-short Maine
As a shortage of dentists continues to affect Maine, the state has taken a new initiative to combat the problem: training family doctors to act as dentists. Among the skills being taught are pulling teeth, lancing abscesses and applying flouride.
"Expanded access to dental care is important because oral health has been linked to overall health, but not all dentists are thrilled with the new program," Dr. James Schmidt, president of the Maine Dental Association, told the Boston Globe.
The training program was begun in 2003 by Dr. William Alto and two other doctors from the Maine Dartmouth Family Medicine Institute in response to the dentist shortage in the state. Currently, Maine has fewer than 600 dentists, about one for every 2,200 people, compared to the national average of one for every 1,600. Among the reasons, Alto said, atre that "MaineCare reimbursements are too low, Maine is a rural state and there's no dental school in the state."
The Globe reports that nearly 40 family practice residents have already undergone the training program at Maine Dartmouth. "The goal isn't to transform them into dentists, but simply to make them aware of oral health issues," said Schmidt. "My passion is for all of our citizens to have access to good care ... I don't really care who provides the service, as long as the service is appropriate, done well and the follow up is good." Read the whole story here.
"Expanded access to dental care is important because oral health has been linked to overall health, but not all dentists are thrilled with the new program," Dr. James Schmidt, president of the Maine Dental Association, told the Boston Globe.
The training program was begun in 2003 by Dr. William Alto and two other doctors from the Maine Dartmouth Family Medicine Institute in response to the dentist shortage in the state. Currently, Maine has fewer than 600 dentists, about one for every 2,200 people, compared to the national average of one for every 1,600. Among the reasons, Alto said, atre that "MaineCare reimbursements are too low, Maine is a rural state and there's no dental school in the state."
The Globe reports that nearly 40 family practice residents have already undergone the training program at Maine Dartmouth. "The goal isn't to transform them into dentists, but simply to make them aware of oral health issues," said Schmidt. "My passion is for all of our citizens to have access to good care ... I don't really care who provides the service, as long as the service is appropriate, done well and the follow up is good." Read the whole story here.
Vermont plays 'matchmaker' for farmers, buyers
In an attempt to find buyers for their produce, some Vermont farmers are turning to an unlikely source for inspiration: speed-dating. A "matchmaker" event sponsored by the state's Agency of Agriculture, scheduled for tomorrow, hopes to help expand the market for locally grown produce by helping producers connect with buyers based on mutual need and scope of project.
"The farmers will get 10 minutes each with individual buyers, to pitch what they grow and hear the needs of vendors like Shaw's and Hannaford Bros. supermarkets, food cooperatives and colleges," writes Lisa Rathke of The Associated Press. Farmers will learn what type of produce is needed, and how much, while buyers who use a limited number of suppliers will get a chance to see what others are available.
Participants hope the event will provide opportunities for new business partnerships. "I thought it was just going to be produce companies," said Joe Buley, owner of Screamin' Ridge Farm, looking at the buyers participating in the program. "Instead what I'm seeing is it's an awful of direct vending straight to the actual customers, which is excellent." (Read more)
"The farmers will get 10 minutes each with individual buyers, to pitch what they grow and hear the needs of vendors like Shaw's and Hannaford Bros. supermarkets, food cooperatives and colleges," writes Lisa Rathke of The Associated Press. Farmers will learn what type of produce is needed, and how much, while buyers who use a limited number of suppliers will get a chance to see what others are available.
Participants hope the event will provide opportunities for new business partnerships. "I thought it was just going to be produce companies," said Joe Buley, owner of Screamin' Ridge Farm, looking at the buyers participating in the program. "Instead what I'm seeing is it's an awful of direct vending straight to the actual customers, which is excellent." (Read more)
Are 'white spaces' key to rural broadband access?
The changeover from analog to digital television will be complete in early 2009, and some rural groups say it will provide a prime opportunity for the Federal Communications Commission to help rural areas get more access to high-speed Internet service, or broadband.
In an letter filed last week, a group of rural organizations asked the FCC to keep "white spaces," the large number of frequencies that will be left vacant by the digital switch, unlicensed. They say this would allow the frequencies to be used to for broadband access to areas where it has not been cost-effective. "Should the Commission adopt a licensed model," the letter reads, "the overwhelming majority of existing rural providers, local governments, and individuals, would be unable to compete against giant wireless or landline carriers, the only entities who can afford the high cost-of-entry for exclusive, licensed spectrum." The group also asks that the FCC leave white space devices mobile, so that people in rural areas have the freedom to install their own white space devices. (Read the letter)
A FCC vote on white spaces is scheduled for Nov. 4, but many supporting deregulation of those channels say the vote could be delayed by competing lobbying groups, such as the National Association of Broadcasters, which prefers licensing. (Read more)
In an letter filed last week, a group of rural organizations asked the FCC to keep "white spaces," the large number of frequencies that will be left vacant by the digital switch, unlicensed. They say this would allow the frequencies to be used to for broadband access to areas where it has not been cost-effective. "Should the Commission adopt a licensed model," the letter reads, "the overwhelming majority of existing rural providers, local governments, and individuals, would be unable to compete against giant wireless or landline carriers, the only entities who can afford the high cost-of-entry for exclusive, licensed spectrum." The group also asks that the FCC leave white space devices mobile, so that people in rural areas have the freedom to install their own white space devices. (Read the letter)
A FCC vote on white spaces is scheduled for Nov. 4, but many supporting deregulation of those channels say the vote could be delayed by competing lobbying groups, such as the National Association of Broadcasters, which prefers licensing. (Read more)
Monday, October 27, 2008
Big banks using bailout money to buy small banks
The Treasury Department has allocated more than $150 billion of the financial bailout plan to about 30 banks. But instead of making loans, "It appears that the $700 billion will be used for Wall Street banks to take over small banks, in small towns. Like the one I live in," writes columnist Don McNay of Richmond, Ky.
"Unlike other countries, such as England, the United States did not require that banks taking government bailout money lend it out! " McNay exclaims. "If I was a running a bank, my primary “encouragement” is to make money for my shareholders. If I can take government money and use it for something more profitable, I am going to do it. Like any businessperson would. The most profitable thing banks can do is take government money and buy up another bank." (Read more)
The story was broken by McNay's friend, Joe Nocera of The New York Times, after listening to a conference call held by JPMorgan Chase, seemingly the only financial giant still standing tall: "The dirty little secret of the banking industry is that it has no intention of using the money to make new loans." The Wall Street Journal reports on other banks that are taking federal money.
Paul Kiel of ProPublica says one major exception is Ohio-based Huntington Bancshares. However, he writes, "The evidence suggests many of those banks will use the cash to buy up weaker banks. That’s not how the program was sold. Banks were going to use the money to lend, Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson announced earlier this month. . . . But the banks, both privately and publicly, aren’t talking about helping the economy. They’re talking about helping themselves. . . . The weaker banks will use the money to plug their holes, while the stronger banks have the option of using the money to fund takeovers of weaker banks or simply holding on to the money as a cushion in tough times." (Read more)
What is ProPublica? Its Web site calls it "an independent, non-profit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest. We strive to foster change through exposing exploitation of the weak by the strong and the failures of those with power to vindicate the trust placed in them."
UPDATES, Oct. 28: ProPublica lists the banks getting federal money. The Los Angeles Times reports Treasury policy is dividing regional banks into haves and have-nots. "Banks that fail to get federal money by Nov. 14, when officials plan to finish investing $250 billion in financial institutions, may find that their best option is to be taken over by a bank that receives Treasury funding," Scott Reckard writes. (Read more)
"Unlike other countries, such as England, the United States did not require that banks taking government bailout money lend it out! " McNay exclaims. "If I was a running a bank, my primary “encouragement” is to make money for my shareholders. If I can take government money and use it for something more profitable, I am going to do it. Like any businessperson would. The most profitable thing banks can do is take government money and buy up another bank." (Read more)
The story was broken by McNay's friend, Joe Nocera of The New York Times, after listening to a conference call held by JPMorgan Chase, seemingly the only financial giant still standing tall: "The dirty little secret of the banking industry is that it has no intention of using the money to make new loans." The Wall Street Journal reports on other banks that are taking federal money.
Paul Kiel of ProPublica says one major exception is Ohio-based Huntington Bancshares. However, he writes, "The evidence suggests many of those banks will use the cash to buy up weaker banks. That’s not how the program was sold. Banks were going to use the money to lend, Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson announced earlier this month. . . . But the banks, both privately and publicly, aren’t talking about helping the economy. They’re talking about helping themselves. . . . The weaker banks will use the money to plug their holes, while the stronger banks have the option of using the money to fund takeovers of weaker banks or simply holding on to the money as a cushion in tough times." (Read more)
What is ProPublica? Its Web site calls it "an independent, non-profit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest. We strive to foster change through exposing exploitation of the weak by the strong and the failures of those with power to vindicate the trust placed in them."
UPDATES, Oct. 28: ProPublica lists the banks getting federal money. The Los Angeles Times reports Treasury policy is dividing regional banks into haves and have-nots. "Banks that fail to get federal money by Nov. 14, when officials plan to finish investing $250 billion in financial institutions, may find that their best option is to be taken over by a bank that receives Treasury funding," Scott Reckard writes. (Read more)
Forest Service turns to manure for energy source
The U.S. Forest Service is turning to an unusual energy source in an effort to lessen its environmental impact: cow manure. CVPS Cow Power is the first manure-based energy program in the nation, and will fuel the Forest Service's Rutland, Vt., office.
"The air emissions impact will be equivalent to removing 30 vehicles from the roads for a year," USAgNet reports. "Put another way, it would take a 114-acre pine forest to capture and store carbon dioxide to have the same environmental impact."
While this energy is more expensive, costing the Forest Service an extra $2,100 per year, those funds will go to farmers contributing to the project, in order to encourage more farmers to enter the business. "The environmental effects from our enrollment are dramatic, but equally important, we want to set an example for our employees and the general public," said Forest Supervisor Meg Mitchell.
"The air emissions impact will be equivalent to removing 30 vehicles from the roads for a year," USAgNet reports. "Put another way, it would take a 114-acre pine forest to capture and store carbon dioxide to have the same environmental impact."
While this energy is more expensive, costing the Forest Service an extra $2,100 per year, those funds will go to farmers contributing to the project, in order to encourage more farmers to enter the business. "The environmental effects from our enrollment are dramatic, but equally important, we want to set an example for our employees and the general public," said Forest Supervisor Meg Mitchell.
Sheep being employed against invasive species
Sheep are being used as a new, environmentally friendly weapon to slow the spread of invasive species. Pamela J. Podger of The New York Times writes, "Nationwide, sheep grazing is gaining popularity as a low-cost, nontoxic tool in the battle to control leafy spurge, knapweed, dalmatian toadflax and other invasive weed species."(Times photo by Janie Osborne)Invasive species are taking over public lands throughout the U.S. The Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences found that "nonnative weeds had invaded 40 percent to 50 percent of America’s croplands, pasture and public lands and were spreading at a rate of 1.75 million acres per year," Podger notes. Grazing is seen as a way to combat this trend without using fossil fuels but gaining the added benefits of producing wool and meat.
The practice has its detractors. "Giles Thelen, a plant ecologist at the University of Montana in Missoula, said that results of the sheep grazing program were anecdotal and that plots should be used to measure how effective the sheep were," writes Podger. "Thelen also worries about the sheep worsening the problem by picking up invasive seeds in their wool and dropping them in new areas, as well as causing erosion with their hooves."
The city of Missoula pays a rancher $1,300 a month to graze his flock of sheep on public lands. Those lands are 75 to 100 percent invaded by noxious weeds according to Morgan Valliant, Missoula’s conservation lands manager. While many argue that herbicides are more effective in dealing with the invasive species, many resist using poisons on public lands. (Read more)
Alabamans testing sugarcane as potential biofuel
Biofuel production in the U.S. is usually done with corn, but new initiative in Alabama is attempting to test the viability of sugarcane, which the major feedstock for ethanol in Brazil. The hope is that it can be used as a substitute for jet fuel. Garry Mitchell of The Associated Press writes, "Amyris Biotechnologies of Emeryville, Calif., plans to use tons of sugar cane in its biofuels project, with a goal of selling jet fuel to the U.S. Air Force."
The project is taking place in Atmore, Ala., on land rented from an Alabama penitentiary. It is a collaborative effort between Eric Hall, a farmer from Bay Minette, and Auburn University crop specialists. The first stage of the project involves planting 100 acres of sugarcane. Writes Mitchell, "If the Alabama crop succeeds, the company could build a plant to process it nearby, but it could take several years and thousands of planted acres to measure its success."
However, there are obstacles. "While small plots of sugar cane are scattered across south Alabama producing molasses," Mitchell writes, "it's unclear if the land is suitable for the project." Another problem could be convincing farmers to sell sugarcane to companies making biofuels since, according to the American Sugar Alliance, currently it is more lucrative to sell it in the food market. (Read more)
The project is taking place in Atmore, Ala., on land rented from an Alabama penitentiary. It is a collaborative effort between Eric Hall, a farmer from Bay Minette, and Auburn University crop specialists. The first stage of the project involves planting 100 acres of sugarcane. Writes Mitchell, "If the Alabama crop succeeds, the company could build a plant to process it nearby, but it could take several years and thousands of planted acres to measure its success."
However, there are obstacles. "While small plots of sugar cane are scattered across south Alabama producing molasses," Mitchell writes, "it's unclear if the land is suitable for the project." Another problem could be convincing farmers to sell sugarcane to companies making biofuels since, according to the American Sugar Alliance, currently it is more lucrative to sell it in the food market. (Read more)
Company invests time, cash in rural entrepreneurs
As a general rule, small entrepreneurs have to fight to stay afloat, but the challenge of starting a successful company is even more difficult in areas where economic hardship is a way of life. But one company makes such companies its business.
Kentucky Highlands Investment Corp. is working to strengthen entrepreneurship and create jobs in Southern and Eastern Kentucky by investing in and training small business owners. "Kentucky Highlands has succeeded by doing things differently and by playing to its region's strengths," writes Tom Eblen in the Lexington Herald-Leader. "The agency invests relatively small amounts of money in local people and businesses that can gradually create sustainable jobs."
"We're a catalyst," said Jerry Rickett, president of Kentucky Highlands since 1989. "We're trying to find ways to facilitate the creation and retention of jobs." In forty years of operation, the company says it has created 10,000 jobs in 22 Appalachian counties. (Read more)
Kentucky Highlands Investment Corp. is working to strengthen entrepreneurship and create jobs in Southern and Eastern Kentucky by investing in and training small business owners. "Kentucky Highlands has succeeded by doing things differently and by playing to its region's strengths," writes Tom Eblen in the Lexington Herald-Leader. "The agency invests relatively small amounts of money in local people and businesses that can gradually create sustainable jobs."
"We're a catalyst," said Jerry Rickett, president of Kentucky Highlands since 1989. "We're trying to find ways to facilitate the creation and retention of jobs." In forty years of operation, the company says it has created 10,000 jobs in 22 Appalachian counties. (Read more)
Many communities unprepared for ethanol fires
The growth of ethanol means that it is being transported through an increasing number of communities, many of which are unprepared to fight ethanol-related fires. Is yours one of them?
"By and large, fire departments have not been able to get the resources in place to address this particular hazard, which really is spreading," said Alexandria, Va., Fire Chief Adam Thiel. Fighting fires from fuels blended with alcohol require a special foam treatment that is not typically found on fire trucks.
But while gasoline in most of the country is now blended with alcohol and transported on rail lines through much of the country, many areas are not even aware that ethanol fires require different equipment. "I don't think they really understand the whole issue of the blended fuels and how they have to be ready to deal with it," said Timothy Butters, chairman of the International Association of Fire Chiefs' Hazardous Materials Committee and an assistant fire chief in Fairfax, Va.
"A 2006 derailment of 23 Norfolk Southern Co. tank cars in New Brighton, Pa., sparked a fire that burned for 48 hours and forced the evacuation of seven blocks, according to federal safety officials," writes Michael Laris of The Washington Post. "Last year, a tanker traveling from Baltimore to a processing facility in Virginia flipped in Maryland and spilled 6,800 gallons of flaming ethanol, killing the truck's driver and torching a half-dozen cars. The Baltimore City Fire Department did not have the right foam and struggled to put out the fire, which burned for hours." (Read more)
"By and large, fire departments have not been able to get the resources in place to address this particular hazard, which really is spreading," said Alexandria, Va., Fire Chief Adam Thiel. Fighting fires from fuels blended with alcohol require a special foam treatment that is not typically found on fire trucks.
But while gasoline in most of the country is now blended with alcohol and transported on rail lines through much of the country, many areas are not even aware that ethanol fires require different equipment. "I don't think they really understand the whole issue of the blended fuels and how they have to be ready to deal with it," said Timothy Butters, chairman of the International Association of Fire Chiefs' Hazardous Materials Committee and an assistant fire chief in Fairfax, Va.
"A 2006 derailment of 23 Norfolk Southern Co. tank cars in New Brighton, Pa., sparked a fire that burned for 48 hours and forced the evacuation of seven blocks, according to federal safety officials," writes Michael Laris of The Washington Post. "Last year, a tanker traveling from Baltimore to a processing facility in Virginia flipped in Maryland and spilled 6,800 gallons of flaming ethanol, killing the truck's driver and torching a half-dozen cars. The Baltimore City Fire Department did not have the right foam and struggled to put out the fire, which burned for hours." (Read more)
Thursday, October 23, 2008
First-time homeowners in USDA housing program have a very low foreclosure rate
First-time homeowners in rural America are not part of the wave of foreclosures sweeping the country. Russ Davis, administrator of the Department of Agriculture's housing programs, says foreclosure rates among rural dwellers are much lower than their metropolitan counterparts.
"This summer we posted our lowest foreclosure rates that I’ve seen in the 40 years where I’ve seen statistics," Davis told the Agri-Pulse newsletter. "Delinquencies were much lower than the private sector." Davis says his program's low foreclosure rates can be explained by a number of factors, including the department's recognition of the nature of rural work. "There’s a lot of seasonal work, shift work -- a lot of income patterns that are different from other parts of the country," he says, and lending policies reflect those patterns. At the same time, rural houses were not part of the "bubble," where overvaluation led to a housing market crash. (Read more; paid subscription required)
"This summer we posted our lowest foreclosure rates that I’ve seen in the 40 years where I’ve seen statistics," Davis told the Agri-Pulse newsletter. "Delinquencies were much lower than the private sector." Davis says his program's low foreclosure rates can be explained by a number of factors, including the department's recognition of the nature of rural work. "There’s a lot of seasonal work, shift work -- a lot of income patterns that are different from other parts of the country," he says, and lending policies reflect those patterns. At the same time, rural houses were not part of the "bubble," where overvaluation led to a housing market crash. (Read more; paid subscription required)
GAO says USDA ignored minorities' complaints
The Government Accountability Office says the Department of Agrigulture has failed to process hundreds of discrimination complaints from minority farmers. Lauren Etter of The Wall Street Journal writes, "The report touches on a sensitive topic that has plagued the USDA for decades: Efforts by black, minority and women farmers to receive loans and other services from the USDA in the face of alleged discriminatory behavior within the USDA."
The report goes on to say that the USDA's civil rights department has, in recent years, been in a "persistent state of chaos." The USDA keeps shoddy data on minority discrimination or none at all. "The USDA civil rights office didn't keep an accurate count of the number of discrimination complaints outstanding," adds Etter. "Also, much of the data reported by the USDA to the public about participation of minority farmers in USDA programs are unreliable, partly because the agency's data on racial identity and gender are based on visual observation." Ascertaining race through visual observation can prove inaccurate.
This is not the first time the USDA has been accused of ignoring minority farmers. "Years ago, the USDA became the target of a large class-action civil rights lawsuit alleging discriminatory behavior against African-American farmers," writes Etter. "The case, Pigford v. Glickman, was settled in 1999, after the court found that the USDA had discriminated against black farmers by denying or delaying their applications for farm loans and other benefits." The federal government has since paid out $1 billion to black farmers. (Read more)
The report goes on to say that the USDA's civil rights department has, in recent years, been in a "persistent state of chaos." The USDA keeps shoddy data on minority discrimination or none at all. "The USDA civil rights office didn't keep an accurate count of the number of discrimination complaints outstanding," adds Etter. "Also, much of the data reported by the USDA to the public about participation of minority farmers in USDA programs are unreliable, partly because the agency's data on racial identity and gender are based on visual observation." Ascertaining race through visual observation can prove inaccurate.
This is not the first time the USDA has been accused of ignoring minority farmers. "Years ago, the USDA became the target of a large class-action civil rights lawsuit alleging discriminatory behavior against African-American farmers," writes Etter. "The case, Pigford v. Glickman, was settled in 1999, after the court found that the USDA had discriminated against black farmers by denying or delaying their applications for farm loans and other benefits." The federal government has since paid out $1 billion to black farmers. (Read more)
Asian beetle threatens 3 New England industries
"A wood-devouring beetle has gained a foothold in New England, and authorities plan to cut down large numbers of infested trees and grind them up to stop the pest from spreading to the region's celebrated forests and ravaging the timber, tourism and maple-syrup industries," writes Rodrique Ngowi of The Associated Press. The infested trees make up a 62-square-mile area around Worcester, Mass., and roughly 1,800 trees have been marked for destruction. (AP photo)The federal government plans to spend tens of millions of dollars, considering the matter a national emergency. Adds Ngowi, "They have sent in smokejumpers, tree climbers and other experts to identify infested trees." Once the first frost has killed the adult beetles, authorities will begin to cut down trees that have been identified as infected.
The arrival of the beetles marks the fourth time that the pest has arrived in the U.S. "The beetles lay their eggs in small depressions they chew in tree bark," writes Ngowi. "The larvae and pupae consume the tree from the inside, leaving a trail of tunnels. They eventually chew their way out as adults. The tunneling slowly kills the tree." Regular pesticides are useless once the beetle's eggs have hatched. (Read more)
In 13 battleground states Oct. 1-21, rural voters were almost evenly split between McCain, Obama
An Oct. 1-21 poll of rural voters in 13 battleground states showed the presidential race to be a virtual dead heat, with Barack Obama leading John McCain 46 percent to 45 percent.
The poll was sponsored by the Center for Rural Strategies, a nonpartisan group that tries to attract attention to rural issues. It was conducted by the Democratic polling firm of Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research in collaboration with Republican consultant Bill Greener of Greener and Hook. It surveyed 841 likely voters in rural counties in New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Florida, Virginia, Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada.
"What the survey indicates is that there was defection among rural voters largely on economic issues," Greener told Howard Berkes of National Public Radio. "And if that [continues] to be the case, then Sen. McCain would face a tremendous challenge to prevail on Election Day." But Greener noted that the poll spanned a three-week period and more recent nationwide polls show a tightening of the race. The latest NBC News-Wall Street Journal poll, Oct. 17-20, showed McCain leading among "small-town and rural" voters 46 to 42, and 47-45 when leaners were included. The error margin for that subsample is plus or minus 6.95 percentage points.
In the three-week poll of rural voters in the 13 battleground states, "49 percent of respondents favored Obama on the issue of the economy, compared with 40 percent for McCain," Berkes reports. "Obama was trusted by slightly more people on the issue of taxes and on the nation's financial crisis." Rural-vote expert Seth McKee of the University of South Florida "speculates that the nation's economic crisis, the war in Iraq and disappointment with the Bush presidency may be taking a long-term toll on the rural Republican base, especially beyond Southern states," Berkes reports. "I think it's very possible that these rural folks who live above the Mason-Dixon Line could be ripe to move … away from the Republican Party," McKee told NPR. (Read more)
The poll was sponsored by the Center for Rural Strategies, a nonpartisan group that tries to attract attention to rural issues. It was conducted by the Democratic polling firm of Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research in collaboration with Republican consultant Bill Greener of Greener and Hook. It surveyed 841 likely voters in rural counties in New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Florida, Virginia, Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada.
"What the survey indicates is that there was defection among rural voters largely on economic issues," Greener told Howard Berkes of National Public Radio. "And if that [continues] to be the case, then Sen. McCain would face a tremendous challenge to prevail on Election Day." But Greener noted that the poll spanned a three-week period and more recent nationwide polls show a tightening of the race. The latest NBC News-Wall Street Journal poll, Oct. 17-20, showed McCain leading among "small-town and rural" voters 46 to 42, and 47-45 when leaners were included. The error margin for that subsample is plus or minus 6.95 percentage points.
In the three-week poll of rural voters in the 13 battleground states, "49 percent of respondents favored Obama on the issue of the economy, compared with 40 percent for McCain," Berkes reports. "Obama was trusted by slightly more people on the issue of taxes and on the nation's financial crisis." Rural-vote expert Seth McKee of the University of South Florida "speculates that the nation's economic crisis, the war in Iraq and disappointment with the Bush presidency may be taking a long-term toll on the rural Republican base, especially beyond Southern states," Berkes reports. "I think it's very possible that these rural folks who live above the Mason-Dixon Line could be ripe to move … away from the Republican Party," McKee told NPR. (Read more)
Economic slowdown comes to farm country
"The Farm Belt, one of the hottest parts of the U.S. economy in recent years, is rapidly cooling," Scott Kilman reports in The Wall Street Journal this morning. Crop prices are down, production costs remain high and fertilizer and seed costs could rise as much as 40 percent by planting time next spring, and "Stock prices of agricultural companies have plummeted."
"Most economists figure the Farm Belt can weather a slowdown, partly because farmer balance sheets are strong, and partly because federal mandates will increase the amount of corn consumed to make ethanol fuel next year," Kilman writes. "Also, economists think global demand for U.S. crops will remain robust despite recent economic troubles. Still, U.S. growers clearly face a riskier, more volatile environment in which to make bets on what to grow and how much." (Read more)
"Most economists figure the Farm Belt can weather a slowdown, partly because farmer balance sheets are strong, and partly because federal mandates will increase the amount of corn consumed to make ethanol fuel next year," Kilman writes. "Also, economists think global demand for U.S. crops will remain robust despite recent economic troubles. Still, U.S. growers clearly face a riskier, more volatile environment in which to make bets on what to grow and how much." (Read more)
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Rural N.J. towns won't have to pay for state police
The small towns in New Jersey that use state police for all or part of their law enforcement will not have to pay the state for the service, under a ruling today from the state Council on Local Mandates. The council, which handles complaints from local officials about state fees, voided the section of the state budget that calls for the payments from the 89 towns, reports Lisa Ryan of the statehouse bureau of Gannett Newspapers.
Gov. Jon Corzine had persuaded the legislature that "It was time for rural towns to help pay the cost because of the state's financial situation and because taxpayers in municipalities with their own police departments shouldn't have to fund police services in rural communities as well," Ryan reports. The state has funded the service for 87 years. This year it is estimated to cost $12.6 million. (Read more)
Gov. Jon Corzine had persuaded the legislature that "It was time for rural towns to help pay the cost because of the state's financial situation and because taxpayers in municipalities with their own police departments shouldn't have to fund police services in rural communities as well," Ryan reports. The state has funded the service for 87 years. This year it is estimated to cost $12.6 million. (Read more)
McCain strategy keys on Appalachian states
John McCain's increasingly limited strategy for victory calls for winning Appalachian states where the rural vote could be pivotal, such as Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, West Virginia and always pivotal Ohio. In Pennsylvania, McCain "trails in the polls by a wide margin and ... in the past year over a half-million new Democrats have been added to the voter registration rolls," Charles Mahtesian writes for Politico. However, "Nearly everyone in a position to know thinks the race for Pennsylvania’s 21 electoral votes is considerably tighter than what recent polls reveal." (Read more) UPDATE, Oct. 24: NBC News Political Director Chuck Todd writes on First Read that it is now "clear that Pennsylvania has become the campaign’s do-or-die state."
Reports suggest McCain "is writing off Colorado, Iowa, and New Mexico. If true, this means McCain is pinning his chances on pulling off an upset in Pennsylvania — a long shot, but probably the best strategy for desperate campaign," says the Evans-Novak Political Report.
In Virginia, the race "has gone country," reports Bob Lewis of The Associated Press. "McCain is looking to run up enormous margins in rural Republican strongholds. Obama is fighting just as hard to stay in play. ... At the same moment on Tuesday, current and former Mississippi governors toured opposite ends of the Virginia countryside for the campaigns, neither conceding a single city, town or crossroads."
Former Gov. Ray Mabus, a Democrat, said "One of the reasons I think Obama is going to be successful is he has not written off small-town, rural voters." Current Gov. Haley Barbour, campaigning in the Appalachian coalfield, told Lewis that crowds at rallies he attedned with former Attorney General Jerry Kilgore were larger than he expected and "stronger than an acre of garlic." Lewis notes, "Obama and McCain also are battling for rural voters and the 15 electoral votes at stake in neighboring North Carolina, another reliably Republican state also now in play." (Read more)
An earlier version of this item included some poll data that is being checked for accuracy.
Reports suggest McCain "is writing off Colorado, Iowa, and New Mexico. If true, this means McCain is pinning his chances on pulling off an upset in Pennsylvania — a long shot, but probably the best strategy for desperate campaign," says the Evans-Novak Political Report.
In Virginia, the race "has gone country," reports Bob Lewis of The Associated Press. "McCain is looking to run up enormous margins in rural Republican strongholds. Obama is fighting just as hard to stay in play. ... At the same moment on Tuesday, current and former Mississippi governors toured opposite ends of the Virginia countryside for the campaigns, neither conceding a single city, town or crossroads."
Former Gov. Ray Mabus, a Democrat, said "One of the reasons I think Obama is going to be successful is he has not written off small-town, rural voters." Current Gov. Haley Barbour, campaigning in the Appalachian coalfield, told Lewis that crowds at rallies he attedned with former Attorney General Jerry Kilgore were larger than he expected and "stronger than an acre of garlic." Lewis notes, "Obama and McCain also are battling for rural voters and the 15 electoral votes at stake in neighboring North Carolina, another reliably Republican state also now in play." (Read more)
An earlier version of this item included some poll data that is being checked for accuracy.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Energy alternatives could boost economy, but face problems as old-fuel prices fall and credit tightens
Savings in energy spending translates to gains in other parts of the economy, according to a new study from the University of California. But the current financial landscape is making it less profitable for companies to invest in alternative fuels that could lower energy costs.
According to the study, "energy-efficiency policies created nearly 1.5 million jobs from 1977 to 2007, while eliminating fewer than 25,000," writes Felicity Barringer of The New York Times. Since most U.S. energy production comes from burning fossil fuels, most studies have concentrated on the cost of adapting existing infrastructure to handle energy from cleaner sources. This study looks at how energy technologies have affected the state since it adopted green policies in 1978. Researchers found that the new technologies lowered payrolls in the energy sector but increased overall payroll in California's economy. As "consumers were able to reduce energy spending, these savings were diverted to other demand," Barringer reports. (Read more)
However, the capital required to build new energy infrastructure is threatened by the credit crisis, the Times' Clifford Krauss reports today. Another challenge to alternative fuels is that more researchers will be competing for less federal grant money. At the same time, falling price for traditional fuel sources like oil and gas have made the need for alternative fuels seem less imperative. Clifford Krauss writes that the same thing "happened in the 1980s when a decade of advances for alternative energy collapsed amid falling prices for conventional fuels."
The general consensus on Wall Street is that wind-energy stations are more profitable to build than natural-gas plants when gas prices are higher than $8 per thousand cubic feet. Prices have recently fallen from $13.58 at the beginning of July to $6.79. "Natural gas at $6 makes wind look like a questionable idea and solar power unfathomably expensive," said Kevin Book, a senior vice president at FBR Capital Markets. (Read more)
According to the study, "energy-efficiency policies created nearly 1.5 million jobs from 1977 to 2007, while eliminating fewer than 25,000," writes Felicity Barringer of The New York Times. Since most U.S. energy production comes from burning fossil fuels, most studies have concentrated on the cost of adapting existing infrastructure to handle energy from cleaner sources. This study looks at how energy technologies have affected the state since it adopted green policies in 1978. Researchers found that the new technologies lowered payrolls in the energy sector but increased overall payroll in California's economy. As "consumers were able to reduce energy spending, these savings were diverted to other demand," Barringer reports. (Read more)
However, the capital required to build new energy infrastructure is threatened by the credit crisis, the Times' Clifford Krauss reports today. Another challenge to alternative fuels is that more researchers will be competing for less federal grant money. At the same time, falling price for traditional fuel sources like oil and gas have made the need for alternative fuels seem less imperative. Clifford Krauss writes that the same thing "happened in the 1980s when a decade of advances for alternative energy collapsed amid falling prices for conventional fuels."
The general consensus on Wall Street is that wind-energy stations are more profitable to build than natural-gas plants when gas prices are higher than $8 per thousand cubic feet. Prices have recently fallen from $13.58 at the beginning of July to $6.79. "Natural gas at $6 makes wind look like a questionable idea and solar power unfathomably expensive," said Kevin Book, a senior vice president at FBR Capital Markets. (Read more)
Both candidates would cap greenhouse gases; what would be the rural impact?
Regardless of who is elected president this year, both candidates have promised to put caps on greenhouse gas emissions from utilities and industries. This means that rural residents will be paying "more to fill their cars and more for natural gas and electricity to heat their homes," writes Phillip Brasher of The Des Moines Register. "Farmers may pay more for fertilizer." But the emerging renewable-energy industries could benefit from the caps.
John McCain and Barack Obama favor the cap-and-trade system to help curb greenhouse gases. Under the system, "The government would set limits on the amount of carbon a utility or company could emit," writes Brasher. "Firms that exceed their cap would have to find a way to reduce their emissions -- by switching power sources, for example -- or else obtain emission allowances. Companies that come in under the limits could earn credits they'd sell to firms that need them."
Jerald Schnoor, a University of Iowa researcher who chairs the Iowa Climate Change Advisory Council, told Brasher, "Iowa is going to benefit from these things." Rising prices of coal, gasoline, and natural gas will make biofuel, wind, and solar power more economically competitive. But it is unclear however how the cap-and-trade system would impact farmers. Farms produce greenhouse gases from both cattle and the use of fertilizers, which make up 20 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions in Iowa. What is also unclear is how the next president will implement caps on greenhouse gases during a time of such economic distress. (Read more)
John McCain and Barack Obama favor the cap-and-trade system to help curb greenhouse gases. Under the system, "The government would set limits on the amount of carbon a utility or company could emit," writes Brasher. "Firms that exceed their cap would have to find a way to reduce their emissions -- by switching power sources, for example -- or else obtain emission allowances. Companies that come in under the limits could earn credits they'd sell to firms that need them."
Jerald Schnoor, a University of Iowa researcher who chairs the Iowa Climate Change Advisory Council, told Brasher, "Iowa is going to benefit from these things." Rising prices of coal, gasoline, and natural gas will make biofuel, wind, and solar power more economically competitive. But it is unclear however how the cap-and-trade system would impact farmers. Farms produce greenhouse gases from both cattle and the use of fertilizers, which make up 20 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions in Iowa. What is also unclear is how the next president will implement caps on greenhouse gases during a time of such economic distress. (Read more)
California ballot proposition that would regulate animal confinement draws varied opposition
On Nov. 4 Californians will vote on Proposition 2, the proposed Standards for Confining Farm Animals Act, which would regulate how animals are kept in cages. But there are concerns by some animal rights groups who feel that the animals could be worse off under Proposition 2 and by farm groups that say it could greatly reduce egg production in California.
Proposition 2 is targeted mainly at the egg industry, since the state does not have a veal industry to speak of and the use of pig gestation crates is not widespread. Under current law hens can be kept in battery cages which "typically house five to 10 birds a cage, with cages stacked up to six levels high," writes Emily Charrier-Botts of The Sonoma Index-Tribune.
Proposition 2 would require poultry to "be housed in indoor cage-free confinement systems where tens of thousands of birds are kept together within divided areas inside immense barns," adds Charrier-Botts. This prospect has set off some alarms. "Some animal welfare groups have said cage-free environments are actually more dangerous to the health of birds than battery cages, which are intended to make egg collection more efficient and prevent the birds from cannibalizing each other," writes Charrier-Botts. "In a cage-free system, the birds must sleep, walk and, to some extent, lay eggs in their own fecal matter, which can breed disease." There is also a fear that Proposition 2 would cause an exodus of large egg producers to states without similar laws.
The proposition is supported by Democratic U.S. Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, and the city councils of San Francisco, Sacramento and Los Angeles, among others. Opponents include the Association of California Veterinarians, the National Animal Interest Alliance and the Agricultural Council of California."(Read more)
Proposition 2 is targeted mainly at the egg industry, since the state does not have a veal industry to speak of and the use of pig gestation crates is not widespread. Under current law hens can be kept in battery cages which "typically house five to 10 birds a cage, with cages stacked up to six levels high," writes Emily Charrier-Botts of The Sonoma Index-Tribune.
Proposition 2 would require poultry to "be housed in indoor cage-free confinement systems where tens of thousands of birds are kept together within divided areas inside immense barns," adds Charrier-Botts. This prospect has set off some alarms. "Some animal welfare groups have said cage-free environments are actually more dangerous to the health of birds than battery cages, which are intended to make egg collection more efficient and prevent the birds from cannibalizing each other," writes Charrier-Botts. "In a cage-free system, the birds must sleep, walk and, to some extent, lay eggs in their own fecal matter, which can breed disease." There is also a fear that Proposition 2 would cause an exodus of large egg producers to states without similar laws.
The proposition is supported by Democratic U.S. Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, and the city councils of San Francisco, Sacramento and Los Angeles, among others. Opponents include the Association of California Veterinarians, the National Animal Interest Alliance and the Agricultural Council of California."(Read more)
Essay points to a larger role for rural America
In his essay, "Nobody is Going to Bail Out Rural America," Dee Davis, founder and president of the Center for Rural Strategies, gives his take on how the next president needs to embrace the ways rural areas can help move the country toward a better future.
"When the credit crisis abates and the debts of all the profligates have been forgiven, the nation will still have some tough choices," writes Davis. "Will we rev up the same economic machine, built on the notion of cheap fossil fuel and limitless consumption, or will we shoot for something a little more sustainable? If it is the latter, rural communities have something to offer."
Davis suggests that rural America can play a crucial role in curing the ills that have led to many of the economic and environmental problems the country faces today. That potential has yet to be realized by the nation's policy makers. "The next president can choose to re-imagine rural policy in a way that prioritizes feeding and fueling a fragile planet," Davis writes on Anderson Cooper's 360 blog.
Davis suggest that the next president focus on reforming the agricultural system, saying the current one "has led to a spiraling decline in farmers and to an America -- once breadbasket to the world -- that is becoming a net food and agricultural products importer." Davis also suggests the next president move energy policy away from a system that "values riskier and riskier extraction and increasing consumption of fossil fuel,more than it values developing renewable energy and sustainable power."
While the essay is full of strong opinions, it does speak to the potential of rural communities. As the country looks to change and move forward when the next president comes into office it is clear that rural America can have a vital role to play. (Read more)
"When the credit crisis abates and the debts of all the profligates have been forgiven, the nation will still have some tough choices," writes Davis. "Will we rev up the same economic machine, built on the notion of cheap fossil fuel and limitless consumption, or will we shoot for something a little more sustainable? If it is the latter, rural communities have something to offer."
Davis suggests that rural America can play a crucial role in curing the ills that have led to many of the economic and environmental problems the country faces today. That potential has yet to be realized by the nation's policy makers. "The next president can choose to re-imagine rural policy in a way that prioritizes feeding and fueling a fragile planet," Davis writes on Anderson Cooper's 360 blog.
Davis suggest that the next president focus on reforming the agricultural system, saying the current one "has led to a spiraling decline in farmers and to an America -- once breadbasket to the world -- that is becoming a net food and agricultural products importer." Davis also suggests the next president move energy policy away from a system that "values riskier and riskier extraction and increasing consumption of fossil fuel,more than it values developing renewable energy and sustainable power."
While the essay is full of strong opinions, it does speak to the potential of rural communities. As the country looks to change and move forward when the next president comes into office it is clear that rural America can have a vital role to play. (Read more)
Monday, October 20, 2008
Well-financed lobbying campaign sells 'clean coal'
John McCain and Barack Obama "are competing over who will do more to support clean-coal initiatives" that would capture greehouse gases from coal-burning power plants, thanks in part to a well-financed lobbying campaign by companies that mine coal, railroads that haul it and utilities that burn it, Stephen Power reports in The Wall Street Journal.
The interests are allied under the banner of the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, which "has spent nearly $40 million on television and radio spots and other outreach efforts to bolster public support for coal, and to reinforce fears that limits on its use will raise living costs," Power writes. The group also spent $1.7 million to have a high profile at the national party conventions, and uses volunteers to encourage people to ask candidates about their stance toward coal.
When Obama running mate Joe Biden told an Ohio environmentalist last month that they wouldn't support clean-coal technology in the U.S., ACCCE President Steve Miller called Biden's office. The next day, the campaign said it was committed "to creating jobs and energy independence through clean coal" and announced creation of a "Clean Coal Jobs Task Force . . . composed of Democratic officeholders from coal-abundant states," Power reports. (Read more)
Miller is a Kentuckian who ran the campaign of Democratic Gov. Brereton Jones in 1991. He is from Owen County, on the lower reach of the Kentucky River. Across the river in Henry County is Wendell Berry, who joined other authors in criticizing the coal industry at the closing session of the Society of Environmental Journalists conference in Roanoke yesterday. Their focus was mountaintop-removal coal mining, which one said would increase if clean-coal technology is commercialized. "If we ever have clean coal, you can kiss the mountains goodbye," said Denise Giardina, who lives in McDowell County southern West Virginia, hotbed of mountaintop mining.
The interests are allied under the banner of the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, which "has spent nearly $40 million on television and radio spots and other outreach efforts to bolster public support for coal, and to reinforce fears that limits on its use will raise living costs," Power writes. The group also spent $1.7 million to have a high profile at the national party conventions, and uses volunteers to encourage people to ask candidates about their stance toward coal.
When Obama running mate Joe Biden told an Ohio environmentalist last month that they wouldn't support clean-coal technology in the U.S., ACCCE President Steve Miller called Biden's office. The next day, the campaign said it was committed "to creating jobs and energy independence through clean coal" and announced creation of a "Clean Coal Jobs Task Force . . . composed of Democratic officeholders from coal-abundant states," Power reports. (Read more)
Miller is a Kentuckian who ran the campaign of Democratic Gov. Brereton Jones in 1991. He is from Owen County, on the lower reach of the Kentucky River. Across the river in Henry County is Wendell Berry, who joined other authors in criticizing the coal industry at the closing session of the Society of Environmental Journalists conference in Roanoke yesterday. Their focus was mountaintop-removal coal mining, which one said would increase if clean-coal technology is commercialized. "If we ever have clean coal, you can kiss the mountains goodbye," said Denise Giardina, who lives in McDowell County southern West Virginia, hotbed of mountaintop mining.
Official Appalachia goes farther beyond mountains
President Bush recently signed a law adding 10 counties in Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee and Virginia to the region served by the Appalachian Regional Commission, allowing them to share in the $87 million in federal money the commission offers annually "to pay for economic improvements," writes Roger Alford of The Associated Press bureau in Frankfort, Ky. Alford once had the AP bureau in Pikeville, Ky., in the heart of Central Appalachia, where the expansion of official Appalachia isn't seen favorably.
"Dee Davis, head of the Kentucky-based advocacy group Center for Rural Strategies, said the ailing national economy has spread financial misery beyond Appalachia, and political leaders are looking for help from the ARC," Alford writes, noting that has been par for the course since Congress created the agency in 1965. These are not the first counties added. Davis observes: "Given the current state of affairs, they may want to stretch Appalachia all the way to Chicago."
Alford contrasts poverty rates in a Kentucky county in the center of Appalachia and one of those being added: "Annual jobless rates in Harlan County ranged from 13 percent in 1997 to 9.1 percent last year. In Nicholas County the range was 4.4 percent to 6.4 percent for the same periods." Nicholas lies partly in the Inner Bluegrass region and has some horse farms, but also has suffered from closing of a big textile plant. (Read more)
Other Kentucky counties added were Robertson, a tiny, more rugged county that borders Nicholas, and Metcalfe, which borders three longstanding ARC counties in Southern Kentucky's hilly Eastern Pennyroyal region (called the Highland Rim in Tennessee). Other counties added were Ashtabula, Mahoning and Trumbull in northest Ohio, Henry and Patrick in the Virginia Piedmont, and Lawrence and Lewis in Tennessee. (AP map; Atlanta and Roanoke are not in the region)
"Dee Davis, head of the Kentucky-based advocacy group Center for Rural Strategies, said the ailing national economy has spread financial misery beyond Appalachia, and political leaders are looking for help from the ARC," Alford writes, noting that has been par for the course since Congress created the agency in 1965. These are not the first counties added. Davis observes: "Given the current state of affairs, they may want to stretch Appalachia all the way to Chicago."
Alford contrasts poverty rates in a Kentucky county in the center of Appalachia and one of those being added: "Annual jobless rates in Harlan County ranged from 13 percent in 1997 to 9.1 percent last year. In Nicholas County the range was 4.4 percent to 6.4 percent for the same periods." Nicholas lies partly in the Inner Bluegrass region and has some horse farms, but also has suffered from closing of a big textile plant. (Read more)
Other Kentucky counties added were Robertson, a tiny, more rugged county that borders Nicholas, and Metcalfe, which borders three longstanding ARC counties in Southern Kentucky's hilly Eastern Pennyroyal region (called the Highland Rim in Tennessee). Other counties added were Ashtabula, Mahoning and Trumbull in northest Ohio, Henry and Patrick in the Virginia Piedmont, and Lawrence and Lewis in Tennessee. (AP map; Atlanta and Roanoke are not in the region)
I-65 to become 'clean corridor' as four states will offer filling stations for enhanced biofuels
Interstate 65, which runs through Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama, has been named the nation's first "biofuels corridor," thanks to a project dedicated to providing E85 ethanol and B20 biodiesel fuel at 31 gas stations along the highway.
The stations will be spaced to make sure drivers on I-65 are never more than a quarter tank of gas away from a gas station providing alternative fuel. “In Alabama today, we have approximately 100,000 ‘Flex Fuel’ vehicles that can run on ethanol, but very few retail outlets where you can buy the fuel,” said Larry Fillmer, the executive director of Auburn University’s Natural Resources Management & Development Institute. “The opening of these refueling stations on I-65 is the first step to making ethanol more readily available for consumers who drive ‘Flex Fuel’ vehicles.”
The "Clean Corridor" project has been the result of a partnership of the four states, and seeks to "reduce the dependence on foreign oil, improve air quality and economic development," writes Abby Albright of The Auburn [Ala.] Plainsman. The U.S. Department of Energy gave $1.3 million in grant money to the Indiana Office of Energy and Defense Development, which is coordinating the project. (Read more)
The stations will be spaced to make sure drivers on I-65 are never more than a quarter tank of gas away from a gas station providing alternative fuel. “In Alabama today, we have approximately 100,000 ‘Flex Fuel’ vehicles that can run on ethanol, but very few retail outlets where you can buy the fuel,” said Larry Fillmer, the executive director of Auburn University’s Natural Resources Management & Development Institute. “The opening of these refueling stations on I-65 is the first step to making ethanol more readily available for consumers who drive ‘Flex Fuel’ vehicles.”
The "Clean Corridor" project has been the result of a partnership of the four states, and seeks to "reduce the dependence on foreign oil, improve air quality and economic development," writes Abby Albright of The Auburn [Ala.] Plainsman. The U.S. Department of Energy gave $1.3 million in grant money to the Indiana Office of Energy and Defense Development, which is coordinating the project. (Read more)
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Obama calls remarks about 'bitter' small-town voters 'my biggest boneheaded move'
"Will gun-toting, churchgoing white guys pull the lever for Barack Obama?" So asks The New York Times in introducing Matt Bai's long story in today's Magazine. Bai begins by excerpting Obama's remarks to California donors about "bitter" small-town voters clinging to guns and religion and "antipathy toward people who aren't like them," and writes:
Despite polls showing John McCain with a double-digit lead among white men who haven't been to college, Obama is spending "far more time and money than either of the last two Democratic nominees on an effort to persuade working-class and rural white guys that he is not the elitist, alien figure they may be inclined to think he is," in order to build a broader governing coalition and leave behind the culture wars that began in the 1960s, Bai reports.
"Obama’s strategists accept that there will be some number of voters — particularly white men — who will reject Obama solely because he is black," Bai writes. "But they are betting, first, that most of these voters wouldn’t have voted for a Democrat in any event and, second, that the groundswell of black support for Obama will produce enough new African-American votes in a lot of states to offset them." (Read more)
UPDATE, Oct. 21: Rural Republicans continue to use Obama's April remarks against him. Click here to read Trey Pollard on PolitickerKY.com about Kentucky state Senate President David Williams on the campaign trail with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
That comment . . . undercut one of the central premises of Obama’s campaign, an argument he first floated in his famous 2004 convention address — that he could somehow erode the tired distinctions between red states and blue ones and appeal to disaffected white men who had written off national Democrats as hopelessly elitist. Instead, in the weeks that followed, white working-class primary voters, not only in industrial states like Pennsylvania but also in rural states like Kentucky and West Virginia, rejected his candidacy by wide margins, and he staggered, wounded, toward the nomination.“That was my biggest boneheaded move,” Obama told Bai in an interview for the story. Speaking of himself in the third person, he continued, “How it was interpreted in the press was Obama talking to a bunch of wine-sipping San Francisco liberals with an anthropological view toward white working-class voters. And I was actually making the reverse point, clumsily, which is that these voters have a right to be frustrated because they’ve been ignored. And because Democrats haven’t met them halfway on cultural issues, we’ve not been able to communicate to them effectively an economic agenda that would help broaden our coalition.” Obama added that he was also trying to argue to the Marin County crowd that "You guys need to stop thinking that issues like religion or guns are somehow wrong."
Despite polls showing John McCain with a double-digit lead among white men who haven't been to college, Obama is spending "far more time and money than either of the last two Democratic nominees on an effort to persuade working-class and rural white guys that he is not the elitist, alien figure they may be inclined to think he is," in order to build a broader governing coalition and leave behind the culture wars that began in the 1960s, Bai reports.
"Obama’s strategists accept that there will be some number of voters — particularly white men — who will reject Obama solely because he is black," Bai writes. "But they are betting, first, that most of these voters wouldn’t have voted for a Democrat in any event and, second, that the groundswell of black support for Obama will produce enough new African-American votes in a lot of states to offset them." (Read more)
UPDATE, Oct. 21: Rural Republicans continue to use Obama's April remarks against him. Click here to read Trey Pollard on PolitickerKY.com about Kentucky state Senate President David Williams on the campaign trail with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
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