Walmart, which announced last week it was closing 150 stores, said Wednesday that in February most hourly workers will receive a raise, Sarah Nassauer reports for The Wall Street Journal. "Walmart previously said it planned to boost its minimum wage in February to $10 an hour. But the giant retailer said Wednesday that hourly workers employed in its stores as of Dec. 31 would get at least a 2 percent pay bump. The wage increase will affect nearly 1.2 million U.S. employees at the company’s Walmart and Sam’s Club stores."
"The across-the-board pay increase is aimed at addressing complaints by some longtime store workers about Walmart’s more-generous starting wages for new hires," Nassauer writes. "The company also is hoping to stem defections and the sums it spends to hire and train new employees. Walmart loses about half a million store workers a year. Minimum-wage increases took effect in 20 states last year, and several of the biggest employers of hourly workers, including McDonald’s Corp. and Starbucks Corp., have raised their starting pay." The move is expected to force competitors like Target to also raise wages. (Read more)
Thursday, January 21, 2016
AHCJ annual conference offering several fellowships, including for rural health journalists
Other fellowships are for: Missouri journalists; College journalism students and college journalism instructors; Journalists in the ethnic media; Journalists on non-health beats; Colorado journalists; California journalists; Rhode Island journalists; and New York journalists. Journalists can apply for multiple fellowships. For more information on the conference, click here.
Alternative homeschool programs growing in popularity in rural remote Alaska
A growing number of students in rural remote Alaska are switching from traditional schools to alternative homeschooling programs such as Interior Distance Education of Alaska (IDEA), Kelly Sullivan reports for the Peninsula Clarion. The program, which has grown five percent annually the past five years, allows families to determine instruction.
Suzanne Alioto, field representative for the Kenai Peninsula region, said "there is no mandated curriculum, although, because it is a public school, students are required to take the Alaska Measures of Progress and state-required standardized tests," Sullivan writes. Alioto said "for some families, the trip to their nearest school is too far to comfortably travel in the state’s harsh winter temperatures, and IDEA offers a flexibility other public schools don’t have."
"Enrollment is also increasing in other areas of the IDEA program, such as the iGrad High School Recovery Program," Sullivan writes. Kristie Miller, a coach with the program, said more than 230 students are enrollment in the program, up from 170 in 2014-15.
Suzanne Alioto, field representative for the Kenai Peninsula region, said "there is no mandated curriculum, although, because it is a public school, students are required to take the Alaska Measures of Progress and state-required standardized tests," Sullivan writes. Alioto said "for some families, the trip to their nearest school is too far to comfortably travel in the state’s harsh winter temperatures, and IDEA offers a flexibility other public schools don’t have."
"Enrollment is also increasing in other areas of the IDEA program, such as the iGrad High School Recovery Program," Sullivan writes. Kristie Miller, a coach with the program, said more than 230 students are enrollment in the program, up from 170 in 2014-15.
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Report: Undocumented numbers lowest since 2003; border security key in Republican debates
The number of undocumented immigrants in the U.S. continues to decline, says a report by the Center for Migration Studies, Jerry Markon reports for The Washington Post. Numbers have fallen each year since 2008, going under 11 million—10.9 million—for the first time since 2003. The main reason for the decline is fewer illegal immigrants' entering the U.S. from Mexico, South America and Europe, despite rising numbers from Central America.
"A key—but largely overlooked—sign of these ebbing flows is the changing makeup of the undocumented population," Markon writes. "Until recent years, illegal immigrants tended to be young men streaming across the Southern border in pursuit of work. But demographic data show that the typical illegal immigrant now is much more likely someone who is 35 or older and has lived in the United States for a decade or more."
Immigration has been one of the main focuses of the presidential debate, with Republicans calling for stricter border security and Democrats saying the border has never been more secure, Markon writes. "While it doesn’t take a political position or name a party, the paper uses 2014 Census Bureau data to essentially argue that the Republican portrayal is inaccurate." The report states: “One reason for the high and sustained level of interest in undocumented immigration is the widespread belief that the trend in the undocumented population is ever upward. This paper shows that this belief is mistaken and that, in fact, the undocumented population has been decreasing for more than a half a decade.”
"A key—but largely overlooked—sign of these ebbing flows is the changing makeup of the undocumented population," Markon writes. "Until recent years, illegal immigrants tended to be young men streaming across the Southern border in pursuit of work. But demographic data show that the typical illegal immigrant now is much more likely someone who is 35 or older and has lived in the United States for a decade or more."
Immigration has been one of the main focuses of the presidential debate, with Republicans calling for stricter border security and Democrats saying the border has never been more secure, Markon writes. "While it doesn’t take a political position or name a party, the paper uses 2014 Census Bureau data to essentially argue that the Republican portrayal is inaccurate." The report states: “One reason for the high and sustained level of interest in undocumented immigration is the widespread belief that the trend in the undocumented population is ever upward. This paper shows that this belief is mistaken and that, in fact, the undocumented population has been decreasing for more than a half a decade.”
Map shows the massive size of the nation's most densely populated rural counties
Highlighting exactly how rural the U.S. is, The Washington Post has created a map that shows that the 462 least densely populated counties in the U.S. consist of 42 percent of land and only one percent of the population, Christopher Ingraham reports for the Post. None of the 462 least densely populated counties has more than 7.4 people per square mile, and 65 counties have less than one person per square mile. Alaska's Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, which is more than 145,000 square miles, is home to only 5,547 people, a population density of fewer than four people for every 100 miles.
For example, New York's Bronx and Queens, which are considerably smaller than any of the 462 counties, are home to 3.8 million people, more than the entire total in the 462 rural counties, Ingraham writes. "Geographically speaking, we are a nation of mountains, forests and farmland surrounding tiny islands of urbanity."
For example, New York's Bronx and Queens, which are considerably smaller than any of the 462 counties, are home to 3.8 million people, more than the entire total in the 462 rural counties, Ingraham writes. "Geographically speaking, we are a nation of mountains, forests and farmland surrounding tiny islands of urbanity."
Oregon governor proposes raising minimum wage higher in urban areas than rural ones
Oregon Democratic Gov. Kate Brown introduced a plan to raise the state's minimum wage, setting the wage hike higher in the Portland metro area than in the rest of the mostly rural state, Denis Theriault reports for The Oregonian. Under the plan Oregon, which currently has a state minimum wage of $9.25—$2 higher than the national figure—would raise minimum wage in Portland to $15.52 in 2022 and $13.50 in the rest of the state. The first increases, taking place in January 2017, would raise Portland's minimum wage to $11.79 and to $10.22 in the rest of the state.
For the bill to pass, Brown will need support from Democrats in rural areas, where the minimum wage hike is not popular among businesses and some Republicans, who say raising the minimum wage will force businesses to close or move out of state, Theriault writes. Supporters of raising the minimum wage say waiting six years for the plan to take its full effect is too long for workers who need the increased wages now.
"Brown has been clear since last fall that she supports a higher statewide wage that goes easier on rural economies but that also reflects the expense of living and working in Portland," Theriault writes. "But she repeatedly declined to give any numbers or say how she thought lawmakers should separate the state from its largest city." Brown said in a statement: "The costs of essentials such as food, child care and rent are rising so fast that wages can't keep up. Many Oregonians working full-time can't make ends meet, and that's not right." (Read more)
For the bill to pass, Brown will need support from Democrats in rural areas, where the minimum wage hike is not popular among businesses and some Republicans, who say raising the minimum wage will force businesses to close or move out of state, Theriault writes. Supporters of raising the minimum wage say waiting six years for the plan to take its full effect is too long for workers who need the increased wages now.
"Brown has been clear since last fall that she supports a higher statewide wage that goes easier on rural economies but that also reflects the expense of living and working in Portland," Theriault writes. "But she repeatedly declined to give any numbers or say how she thought lawmakers should separate the state from its largest city." Brown said in a statement: "The costs of essentials such as food, child care and rent are rising so fast that wages can't keep up. Many Oregonians working full-time can't make ends meet, and that's not right." (Read more)
New American Farm Bureau president says immigration reform is No. 1 issue
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| Vincent Duvall |
Duvall, who has been president of the Georgia Farm Bureau for the past nine years, said in his first press conference as president that he "will be dealing immediately with issues such as EPA's waters of the U.S. rule, trade and biotechnology labeling," Clayton writes.
"Duvall stressed that farmers are overburdened by regulation and challenged by the lack of labor for farm jobs," Clayton writes. "A Farm Bureau member since 1977, Duvall is a beef, poultry and hay producer near Greshamville, Ga. He has a 300-head cattle herd and produces about 750,000 broilers every year. Duvall grew up mostly in the dairy industry until he converted the dairy to a beef herd about a decade ago. Duvall talks frequently about the diversity of agriculture in his state, ranging from fruits and vegetables to cotton, dairy and poultry." (Read more)
Ultra low quality North Dakota crude oil re-priced at $1.50 per barrel, up from negative number
Flint Hills Resources LLC, owned by billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, originally asked producers in North Dakota's Bakken formation to pay the company to take shipments of a certain type of low-quality crude, Dan Murtaugh and Javier Blas report for Bloomberg. The company, which last week posted a price of -$0.50 per barrel, said the negative price was incorrectly posted and raised the price to $1.50 per barrel. The crude is down from $13.50 per barrel a year ago and $47.60 in January 2014.
"While the near-zero price is due to the lack of pipeline capacity for a particular variety of ultra low quality crude, it underscores how dire things are in the U.S. oil patch," Murtaugh and Blas write. "U.S. benchmark oil prices have collapsed more than 70 percent in the past 18 months and fell below $30 a barrel for the first time in 12 years last week. West Texas Intermediate traded as low as $28.36 in New York. Brent, the international benchmark, settled at $28.55 in London."
"Different grades of oil are priced based on their quality and transport costs to refineries," reports Bloomberg. "High-sulfur crudes are generally priced lower because they can only be processed at plants that have specific equipment to remove sulfur. Producers and refiners often mix grades to achieve specific blends, and prices for each component can rise or fall to reflect current economics." While negative prices are rare, they aren't unheard of. "Oil refineries sometimes pay people to take away low-demand products such as sulfur or petroleum coke to free up space."
"While the near-zero price is due to the lack of pipeline capacity for a particular variety of ultra low quality crude, it underscores how dire things are in the U.S. oil patch," Murtaugh and Blas write. "U.S. benchmark oil prices have collapsed more than 70 percent in the past 18 months and fell below $30 a barrel for the first time in 12 years last week. West Texas Intermediate traded as low as $28.36 in New York. Brent, the international benchmark, settled at $28.55 in London."
"Different grades of oil are priced based on their quality and transport costs to refineries," reports Bloomberg. "High-sulfur crudes are generally priced lower because they can only be processed at plants that have specific equipment to remove sulfur. Producers and refiners often mix grades to achieve specific blends, and prices for each component can rise or fall to reflect current economics." While negative prices are rare, they aren't unheard of. "Oil refineries sometimes pay people to take away low-demand products such as sulfur or petroleum coke to free up space."
Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group annual conference Jan. 27-30 in Lexington, Ky.
The conference consists of courses, field trips and information and educational sessions, including an event called "Voices in the Field: 25 Years in the Field," featuring special guests Wendell Berry, author and farmer (Ky.); Alex Hitt, Peregrine Farm (N.C.); Janie Simms Hipp, University of Arkansas School of Law (AR); and Andrew Williams, The United Christian Community Association (AL). Online registration is closed, but registration will be accepted at the door. (Read more)
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Covering suicide can raise awareness, help people seek care; social media have altered news policies
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| Brad Martin |
Working with the state-funded Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network, Martin helped form the Hickman County Suicide Prevention Task Force in 2003 to organize training sessions, he writes. "In the years since, the group has become a fixture at community events, supplying prevention information; an annual remembrance is focused on victims and families, highlighted by a balloon release. The local task force chair has been the statewide chair, too; and a second group has been created to bring together surviving family members who are struggling with their losses. All of it has added awareness."
"In Tennessee, it has been helpful that teachers must go through suicide prevention training each year, since young people are of major concern for suicide," Martin writes. "A year ago, because of the task force’s work here, the statewide group was permitted to bring grief counselors to one of our high schools when a 15-year-old girl took her life. . . . No link to the local task force can be directly made, but I know that the number of suicides here have decreased on an annual basis since that awful 2003. The worst since then has been eight, in 2010; in 2013, there were 4, which was a rate of 16.5 per 100,000. That’s almost even with the Tennessee rate, which was 14.4 that year. Both are better than the U.S. rate—but there’s still more suicides that murders here." (Yonder map)
Publisher Robert M. Williams Jr. of The Blackshear (Ga.) Times posted his detailed policy: "If a person takes their own life in a private manner, in a private place such as their home, property, etc., and the police do not become a part of the situation until after the person is found by someone with access to that private place, we carry no news story. If the person chooses to take their life in a place that would not be considered private, such as on neighboring property or any place where someone who would not have access to their home may find them, we print a discreet news story. If the police become involved, such as in a hunt, then it is a news story from beginning to end. We have had people break into their workplace after hours to commit suicide."
Newspaper consultant Jim Pumarlo said his small daily in Red Wing, Minn., tried to report "the causes of all deaths which are other than by natural causes. . . . But the definitions are not always so clear. Think about a bank president who has served on almost every community board imaginable, found dead in a car in a city lot. As an alternative, consider if he commits suicide in the privacy of his home. Reflect on the same circumstances, but now substitute a retail clerk as the suicide victim." Giving other cases, Pumarlo asked, "Is any one of these deaths less newsworthy? . . . It’s common practice today for communities to have formal responses to youth deaths whether the cause is an accident or a suicide. Grief counselors often come into the schools and meet with students. The kids come home, and it’s a dinner topic. Can you really ignore reporting the suicide and still promote yourself as the premier source of information?"
The rise of social media has made several papers change their policies. Allan Burke, publisher emeritus of the Emmons County Record in Linton, N.D., said that paper reports every suicide, partly because the investigation of it involves law enforcement, and because "When facts are not reported, people make up the stories. . . . In the world of social media, newspapers are left with the burden, or privilege, of reporting the facts."
Managing Editor Paul Goetz of The Mountain Mail in Salida, Colo, noted a good guide for suicide coverage, ReportingOnSuicide.org. It notes research showing that heavy or sensational coverage of the topic "can increase the likelihood of suicide in vulnerable individuals." But it also encourages the kind of reporting that Brad Martin does in the Hickman County Times, about suicide as an issue.
Martin said in the email discussion, "Yes, people will be mad at you. First time for that? In my community, I no longer get any flak for it. Actually we give more ink on an annual basis to the prevention group, which also has a 'Do you know the signs?' training component that does a major service by not only raising awareness but providing an approach to preventing it."
Female farmworkers, mostly immigrants, suffering high rates of sexual abuse
A large portion of the 400,000 women working in agriculture—mostly immigrants—have been subjected to sexual violence, José Padilla and David Baco report for The New York Times. "The reasons behind this epidemic aren’t hard to fathom. Fields are vast and sparsely monitored; workers are often alone. It’s particularly bad for immigrant workers: The Department of Labor estimates that about half of farmworkers don’t have legal immigration papers, which makes them especially vulnerable."
A 2010 study from the University of California, Santa Cruz found that of the 150 female farmworkers interviewed, 60 percent said they had suffered some form of sexual harassment, Padilla and Baco write. A 2012 Human Rights Watch report of 52 female farmworkers found that most of them had experienced sexual violence or knew someone else who had. An Iowa immigrant farmworker told her lawyer, “We thought it was normal in the United States that in order to keep your job, you had to have sex.”
Sexual violence in agriculture is not a new trend—20 years ago the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, along with California Rural Legal Assistance, a legal service program that promotes the interests of migrant laborers and the rural poor, created a joint project to concentrate on sexual harassment in the fields," Padilla and Baco write. The problem is that each instance has to be tried case by case, making it a long, arduous process.
"When women do file complaints, investigations can takes months, even years, which can discourage other women from speaking up," Padilla and Baco write. "And even when a case is won, criminal prosecution of the harasser or rapist rarely follows. Still, many employers do know—and use threats and intimidation to keep their workers quiet."
"The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has few offices in rural areas; they’re usually open only when women are working; and the staff often don’t speak Spanish, much less indigenous languages," Padilla and Baco write. "What’s more, many government agencies require complaints to be filed online. Many farmworkers do not have access to computers. The commission could make filing complaints easier by setting up a 24/7 hotline in multiple languages, with an actual person answering the phone, instead of automated messages." Another problem is that "federal regulations forbid legal aid organizations like California Rural Legal Assistance from directly representing undocumented people, and the illegal nature of their work situations makes it difficult for them to come forward."
A 2010 study from the University of California, Santa Cruz found that of the 150 female farmworkers interviewed, 60 percent said they had suffered some form of sexual harassment, Padilla and Baco write. A 2012 Human Rights Watch report of 52 female farmworkers found that most of them had experienced sexual violence or knew someone else who had. An Iowa immigrant farmworker told her lawyer, “We thought it was normal in the United States that in order to keep your job, you had to have sex.”
Sexual violence in agriculture is not a new trend—20 years ago the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, along with California Rural Legal Assistance, a legal service program that promotes the interests of migrant laborers and the rural poor, created a joint project to concentrate on sexual harassment in the fields," Padilla and Baco write. The problem is that each instance has to be tried case by case, making it a long, arduous process.
"When women do file complaints, investigations can takes months, even years, which can discourage other women from speaking up," Padilla and Baco write. "And even when a case is won, criminal prosecution of the harasser or rapist rarely follows. Still, many employers do know—and use threats and intimidation to keep their workers quiet."
"The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has few offices in rural areas; they’re usually open only when women are working; and the staff often don’t speak Spanish, much less indigenous languages," Padilla and Baco write. "What’s more, many government agencies require complaints to be filed online. Many farmworkers do not have access to computers. The commission could make filing complaints easier by setting up a 24/7 hotline in multiple languages, with an actual person answering the phone, instead of automated messages." Another problem is that "federal regulations forbid legal aid organizations like California Rural Legal Assistance from directly representing undocumented people, and the illegal nature of their work situations makes it difficult for them to come forward."
Iowa governor says caucus-goers should defeat Cruz because he opposes ethanol subsidy
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| Branstad urges Cruz defeat (DMR) |
The standard is a key to Iowa's ethanol industry and the corn growers who supply it. Branstad said of Cruz, "He’s heavily financed by Big Oil. So we think once Iowans realize that fact, they might find other things attractive, but he could be very damaging to our state." Branstad's son, Eric, heads a super PAC that has been attacking Cruz, along with other elements of the ethanol lobby.
CNN correspondent Jeff Zeleny, who started out in Iowa, said he hadn't seen Branstad do anything like this, and while the governor is popular, Cruz could also flip the issue to his advantage by saying he's running against the Republican establishment.
Shift in power from rural to urban Oregon has left isolated counties with few economic opportunities
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| Harney County (Wikipedia map) |
Harney County, which has 10 percent fewer jobs today than in 1979, is part of a national shift in poverty, Johnson writes. Since the last 1960s "poverty rates fell or remained stable across the Northeast, South and Midwest—but rose significantly across the West, a Pew Research Center study said in 2014 . . . Harney County has lost 4 percent of its population just since 2010, according to U.S. census figures, even as the state’s population, especially in and around Portland, has surged."
"What happened was a steep downturn, especially in the timber industry, which has all but disappeared," Johnson writes. "Oregon lost about three-fourths of its timber mills between 1980 and 2010; Harney County lost all seven. Changes in the wood industry were clearly also having an effect over those years, with more wood buyers shopping in Canada and more mills becoming automated, but many people here also said they thought the U.S. Forest Service did not fight back to save the mills and jobs."
In Harney County, 60 percent of the pay earned in the county now comes "from the public sector—including schools and federal management jobs at the 188,000-acre wildlife refuge—this was the most government-dependent county in Oregon in 2013, according the most recent analysis by the state," Johnson writes. "But the sense that government—not just federal but state as well—no longer hears the voice of places like this echoes through the community, even among those who wish (the armed protesters) would go home." (Read more)
Mistrust of government medicine among African Americans in Alabama blamed for rural TB outbreak
As of Monday, 47 cases of tuberculosis have been reported in Perry County in West Alabama, states a press release from the Alabama Department of Public Health. Officials in Perry County, which has about 10,000 residents, have tested around 800 people for tuberculosis, whose symptoms "include cough lasting more than two weeks, shortness of breath, fever, night sweats, weight loss and fatigue. A person may be infected with the TB germ and have no symptoms."
Authorities, who said they expect the number of positive cases to increase, "said the outbreak had spread so widely and lasted so long because patients had been reluctant to disclose their contacts to public health officials," Blinder writes. "Some of that is linked to suspicions that the health officials will report illegal activity to law enforcement, but it is also connected to worries of being ostracized—or at least stigmatized—in a community as small as this one."
Mistrust of government medicine in Alabama dates back more than 80 years to a 1932 Macon County medical study involving African Americans that a federal panel later ruled 'ethically unjustified,' Blinder writes. While many people in Marion, Ala. (located in Perry County), where about 63 percent of the residents are black, said they knew little about they study, "they often said their wariness of medical professionals had been passed on through generations. Some said the dire nature of the tuberculosis warnings made them feel that they had little choice but to consult heath officials."
Another problem is that "the TB outbreak has implicitly reinforced Marion’s chronic divides of race and class, particularly because of a controversial plan to compensate people if they submit to blood screenings," Blinder writes. "With money from a federal grant, health officials in Alabama are offering residents $20 for initial tuberculosis testing, $20 for a follow-up visit and another $20 for keeping an appointment for a chest X-ray, if one has been recommended. Anyone who is found to have been infected can receive $100 for completing treatment." (Read more)
Semifinalists named for $10 million competition to stimulate growth in small towns and cities
Frontier Communications and DISH Network have named the 15 semifinalists for America's Best Communities competition, a $10 million initiative to stimulate economic revitalization in small towns and cities, states Frontier. The list of 15 was narrowed from 50 communities, which all received $50,000 and had six months "to further develop and implement their comprehensive strategies to accelerate their local economies and improve quality of life." The competition was open to all towns and cities in Frontier's service areas with populations between 9,500 and 80,000. Smaller communities could collaborate on projects.
The 15 semifinalists are: Lake Havasu City, Ariz; Angola, Ind.; Tualatin, Ore.; Statesboro, Ga.; Madison, Ind.; Arlington, Wash.; Fort Dodge, Iowa; Valaparaiso, Ind.; Wenatchee, Wash.; Valley County, Idaho; Chicago Lakes Area in Minnesota; Charleston, W.Va.; DeKalb, Ill.; Portsmouth, Ohio; and Huntington, W.Va. Up to eight finalists will be named in April. Those finalists will receive $100,000 and 11 months to begin implementing plans. Winners will be announced in April 2017. The winner will get $3 million, second-place $2 million and third-place $1 million. (Frontier map: Semifinalists)
The 15 semifinalists are: Lake Havasu City, Ariz; Angola, Ind.; Tualatin, Ore.; Statesboro, Ga.; Madison, Ind.; Arlington, Wash.; Fort Dodge, Iowa; Valaparaiso, Ind.; Wenatchee, Wash.; Valley County, Idaho; Chicago Lakes Area in Minnesota; Charleston, W.Va.; DeKalb, Ill.; Portsmouth, Ohio; and Huntington, W.Va. Up to eight finalists will be named in April. Those finalists will receive $100,000 and 11 months to begin implementing plans. Winners will be announced in April 2017. The winner will get $3 million, second-place $2 million and third-place $1 million. (Frontier map: Semifinalists)
Government watchdog objects to bankrupt Alpha's plan to give executives up to $11.9M in bonuses
A government watchdog has filed objections to a proposal by Alpha Natural Resources—which earlier this month filed for bankruptcy protection—to pay executive bonuses of up to $11.9 million in 2016, Benjamin Storrow reports for the Casper Star Tribune. The U.S. Trustee, a division of the Justice Department, argues that "the bankrupt coal company cannot justify the additional pay at a time when it has recorded steep losses and sought to cut retiree benefits. A hearing on Alpha’s proposals to pay executive bonuses and cut medical and life insurance benefits for 4,580 nonunion miners and their spouses is scheduled for Thursday."
Alpha, which last recorded a profit in 2011, "has argued the bonuses are necessary to retain key executives during its Chapter 11 proceedings," Storrow writes. "But in court filings submitted Friday, the trustee’s office challenged that argument. The government noted Alpha’s request to pay bonuses coincided with a $1.3 billion loss in 2015 and a plan to save $3 million annually by cutting retiree benefits."
The watchdog wrote, “According to Alpha, these executives need these bonuses as an incentive to do the very jobs they were hired to do, that they are already highly compensated for with generous salaries, and which their fiduciary duties compel them to do. Such bonuses cannot be justified under the facts and circumstances of this case.”
Storrow writes, "Executives will receive a total of $3.4 million if they meet a 'threshold' performance level, $6.8 million if they meet a so-called 'target' level and as much as $11.9 million if they exceed expectations. The government questioned the size of those bonuses, noting they exceeded what Alpha executives received in the years leading up to its bankruptcy filing." (Read more)
Alpha, which last recorded a profit in 2011, "has argued the bonuses are necessary to retain key executives during its Chapter 11 proceedings," Storrow writes. "But in court filings submitted Friday, the trustee’s office challenged that argument. The government noted Alpha’s request to pay bonuses coincided with a $1.3 billion loss in 2015 and a plan to save $3 million annually by cutting retiree benefits."
The watchdog wrote, “According to Alpha, these executives need these bonuses as an incentive to do the very jobs they were hired to do, that they are already highly compensated for with generous salaries, and which their fiduciary duties compel them to do. Such bonuses cannot be justified under the facts and circumstances of this case.”
Storrow writes, "Executives will receive a total of $3.4 million if they meet a 'threshold' performance level, $6.8 million if they meet a so-called 'target' level and as much as $11.9 million if they exceed expectations. The government questioned the size of those bonuses, noting they exceeded what Alpha executives received in the years leading up to its bankruptcy filing." (Read more)
Wendell Berry to receive lifetime achievement award from National Book Critics Circle
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| Wendell Berry |
The National Book Critics Circle also named the 30 finalists six categories—autobiography, biography, criticism, fiction, nonfiction and poetry—for the outstanding books of 2015. Awards will be presented on March 17 at the New School, in a free ceremony open to the public. For a complete list of finalists, as well as winners of other awards, click here.
Monday, January 18, 2016
Is your Wal-Mart closing? Here's a list and a map
Walmart announced Friday that it would close more than 150 stores in the U.S. Is one near you? The Wall Street Journal has a state-by-state list, from the supercenter in Juneau (AK comes before AL) to the neighborhood market in Waukesha. Here's the WSJ map:
Texas and Florida illustrate Obamacare enrollment contrasts; being rural poses some obstacles
Southern states are lagging in the percentage of eligible people who have bought subsidized health-insurance policies under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, with three big exceptions: Arkansas, Kentucky and Florida. Kentucky and Arkansas embraced Obamacare in ways other Southern states did not, expanding Medicaid and creating state-based exchanges to buy insurance (only for small businesses in Arkansas).
Florida didn't take either step, but "It fielded a bigger, centrally managed army of trained helpers" than Texas, the largest Southern state, reports Robert T. Garrett of The Dallas Morning News. Research indicates that's one reason "nearly 60 percent of Floridians eligible to buy policies in the online state exchange actually purchase them, only 36 percent of eligible Texans do, the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation estimates. Nationally, the take-up rate is 41 percent, it says." For state-by-state data, click here.
A recent study of Texas, Arkansas and Kentucky found that "receiving assistance in filling out the applications was the strongest predictor of successful enrollment in coverage," Garrett notes. In Texas, nonprofit-group workers wanting to provide assistance were required to pay for additional training, fingerprinting and additional background checks.
Garrett writes that's an example of the "roadblocks" Texas’ Republican leaders have erected, more so than in Florida. He also notes that state is more compact and less rural than Texas, making outreach easier.
Rural enrollment in Obamacare has lagged, and that is the case in rural West Texas, reports Enrique Rangel of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. He quotes Don McBeath of the Texas Organization of Rural and Community Hospitals: “Our association does not have any hard data, but as we talk to the rural hospitals, the sense that they continue to share with us is that any increase in the number of insured under the exchanges is very minimal. This is not an issue just in Texas; it is nationwide.”
Rangel notes that rural residents often pay more for Obamacare policies because few insurance companies offer them, lacking competition that holds down prices, and a Rice University study that found most of the uninsured population in Texas is Hispanic.
Immigrants in Texas are more likely than those in Florida to be unauthorized, making them ineligible, and the Texas director of Enroll America, a nonprofit pushing signups, said families with unauthorized immigrants "often fear to sign up for Obamacare because they must provide the names of everyone in their household," Garrett reports, even though the information is confidential.
Florida didn't take either step, but "It fielded a bigger, centrally managed army of trained helpers" than Texas, the largest Southern state, reports Robert T. Garrett of The Dallas Morning News. Research indicates that's one reason "nearly 60 percent of Floridians eligible to buy policies in the online state exchange actually purchase them, only 36 percent of eligible Texans do, the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation estimates. Nationally, the take-up rate is 41 percent, it says." For state-by-state data, click here.
A recent study of Texas, Arkansas and Kentucky found that "receiving assistance in filling out the applications was the strongest predictor of successful enrollment in coverage," Garrett notes. In Texas, nonprofit-group workers wanting to provide assistance were required to pay for additional training, fingerprinting and additional background checks.
Garrett writes that's an example of the "roadblocks" Texas’ Republican leaders have erected, more so than in Florida. He also notes that state is more compact and less rural than Texas, making outreach easier.
Rural enrollment in Obamacare has lagged, and that is the case in rural West Texas, reports Enrique Rangel of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. He quotes Don McBeath of the Texas Organization of Rural and Community Hospitals: “Our association does not have any hard data, but as we talk to the rural hospitals, the sense that they continue to share with us is that any increase in the number of insured under the exchanges is very minimal. This is not an issue just in Texas; it is nationwide.”
Rangel notes that rural residents often pay more for Obamacare policies because few insurance companies offer them, lacking competition that holds down prices, and a Rice University study that found most of the uninsured population in Texas is Hispanic.
Immigrants in Texas are more likely than those in Florida to be unauthorized, making them ineligible, and the Texas director of Enroll America, a nonprofit pushing signups, said families with unauthorized immigrants "often fear to sign up for Obamacare because they must provide the names of everyone in their household," Garrett reports, even though the information is confidential.
States slow to develop plans to protect bees and other pollinators; Virginia sets meetings
After the Obama administration called for a national strategy to protect bees and other pollinators, which are essential to many crops, most states agreed to develop pollinator protection plans. Few have done so, according to the Pollinator Stewardship Council, which tracks the process with an interactive map. Here's a screenshot with an example of information on one state:
In Virginia, where almost half the state's bee colonies are estimated to have died last year, seven meetings have been scheduled, in Roanoke, Warrenton, Blackstone, Charlottesville, Henrico, Suffolk and on the Eastern Shore, reports Tonia Moxley of The Roanoke Times. The state's pollinator protection plan "will focus on how officials can help users of
pesticides and beekeepers communicate to prevent problems, according to
Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services." That is likely to include registration of hives, which will help inform pesticide applicators where hives are located. Pollinators also include bats, hummingbirds, butterflies and other insects.
Sunday, January 17, 2016
Shootdown of drone in Kentucky prompts federal lawsuit that could lead to clearer privacy rules
Charges against "drone slayer" Willie Merideth of Hillview, above, were dismissed but the owner of the drone, John David Boggs, has filed suit for damages and what he calls “clarity to protect the right to fly responsibly without fear of being shot at.” He wants U.S. District Judge David J. Hale to resolve the “boundaries of the airspace surrounding real property, the reasonable expectation of privacy as viewed from the air, and the right to damage or destroy an aircraft in flight.”
Wolfson reports, "Merideth also says he looks forward to the court’s resolution of where private property ends and the open sky begins. Boggs’ Nashville lawyer, James Mackler, a former Army Blackhawk helicopter pilot who specializes in drone law, says much is at stake, including for companies like Amazon, which plans to deliver packages to customers via drones that would touch down on their lawns." Mackler todl Wolfson, “If every property owner has a right to take a shot at them, that pretty much ends that business model.”
States and local governments that want to regulate drones are clashing with the Federal Aviation Administration, which "says it has sole authority over the national airspace while Kentucky law gives landowners the right to use force necessary to prevent trespassing," Wolfson writes. "The Supreme Court hasn’t addressed the issue since 1946 when it ruled that a North Carolina farmer could assert property rights up to 83 feet in the air -- and win compensation for military aircraft that were flying so low they were disturbing his cows and chickens. But that was long before the advent of drones, which are now used for everything from law enforcement to land surveys, from search and rescue to wildlife tracking. Best Buy offers 50 models just for photo hobbyists, while more than 50 companies produce 155 models in the U.S., with wingspans ranging from six inches to 246 feet."
The Academy of Model Aeronautics, which was founded in 1936 and says it has 175,000 members, "says it welcomes guidance from the federal courts but that states already have enough laws on the books that make harassment and peeping a crime. The Muncie, Ind.,-based group says its policies already ban members from flying directly over unprotected people or houses or flying near an airport," and notes that a 2012 federal law "bars drones and model aircraft owners from interfering with other aircraft and says they must be operated within direct sight of the owner," Wolfson reports.
Saturday, January 16, 2016
Don't infer from Obama line that wind power is cheaper; only in a few places, and for new power
In his State of the Union speech this week, President Obama said, “In fields from Iowa to Texas, wind power is now cheaper than
dirtier, conventional power.” FactCheck.org reports, "That is true in some pockets of the
country, but the national average for coal and gas prices is still less" than wind. Coal and gas cost about $65 per megawatt-hour, while solar and onshore wind cost $80/kwh.
Obama's mention of Iowa and Texas was on point. "Wind energy has become increasingly cost competitive compared with fossil fuel-generated energy, and Obama rightly points out that in some areas of states like Iowa and Texas, wind energy is already cheaper than energy produced by coal or natural gas," Robert Farley writes for FactCheck, noting that Texas and Iowa "were among the leading wind-energy producers in 2014."
Ethan Zindler, head of U.S. research at Bloomberg New Energy Finance, told Farley that the main reason for lower prices in the Great Plains states “is that
there’s extraordinary wind in these states and developers are finding
ways to take greater advantage of this with newer, larger wind
turbines.” And if a utility is building new generation, “There’s no question wind is less expensive,” Zindler said.
BNEF says the cost of generating electricity from coal and gas rose in 2015, while the cost of wind and solar power went down, thanks to improved technology and lower financing costs," Farley reports. "If the price trends continue, Bloomberg estimates that wind power will be cheaper than energy produced by fossil fuels, even without government subsidies, in the next 10 years."
Obama also "stretched the facts . . . on jobs, deficits, health care, military spending and carbon emissions," FactCheck reports.
FactCheck, a non-profit founded in 2003, is the oldest of the journalistic fact-checking sites and the one with the most detailed reports. Based in the Annenberg School of Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, its reports can be published free of charge, with appropriate attribution.
Obama's mention of Iowa and Texas was on point. "Wind energy has become increasingly cost competitive compared with fossil fuel-generated energy, and Obama rightly points out that in some areas of states like Iowa and Texas, wind energy is already cheaper than energy produced by coal or natural gas," Robert Farley writes for FactCheck, noting that Texas and Iowa "were among the leading wind-energy producers in 2014."
BNEF says the cost of generating electricity from coal and gas rose in 2015, while the cost of wind and solar power went down, thanks to improved technology and lower financing costs," Farley reports. "If the price trends continue, Bloomberg estimates that wind power will be cheaper than energy produced by fossil fuels, even without government subsidies, in the next 10 years."
Obama also "stretched the facts . . . on jobs, deficits, health care, military spending and carbon emissions," FactCheck reports.
FactCheck, a non-profit founded in 2003, is the oldest of the journalistic fact-checking sites and the one with the most detailed reports. Based in the Annenberg School of Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, its reports can be published free of charge, with appropriate attribution.
Friday, January 15, 2016
Rural residents typically more financially responsible than urban ones, says credit report
Rural residents are generally more financially responsible than urban ones, says a study by Creditcards.com that ranks all 50 states and Washington, D.C. The most financially responsible state is Montana, while the least financially responsible is Maryland. Following Montana are South Dakota, North Dakota, Maine, Vermont, Nebraska and Iowa. Following Maryland as the least financially responsible are: Washington, D.C. (No. 50), Arkansas (49), Virginia (48), Texas (47) and Nevada (46).
Researchers say the most financially responsible states shared a common trait of having a mostly rural demographic profile that lacks major cities, Fred Williams reports for Creditcards. John Rogers, chief business development officer at the Montana Office of Economic Development, told Williams, "We do have a population that is pretty conservative about their personal finances. I think it's a cultural thing . . . also probably a more rural thing."
Williams writes, "To measure money management ability, CreditCards.com compared consumers' average credit scores, from the credit bureau Experian, to their median household income, per the U.S. Census. We then ranked the states by differences between the two: The top states had credit scores much higher than their income. In the middle, credit scores about match income rank. Poor performers had high income but relatively low credit scores. Differences in state job markets and the age of their population influenced their scores but didn't explain all the variations in money management ability." (To see the interactive Creditcards.com map, click here)
Researchers say the most financially responsible states shared a common trait of having a mostly rural demographic profile that lacks major cities, Fred Williams reports for Creditcards. John Rogers, chief business development officer at the Montana Office of Economic Development, told Williams, "We do have a population that is pretty conservative about their personal finances. I think it's a cultural thing . . . also probably a more rural thing."
Williams writes, "To measure money management ability, CreditCards.com compared consumers' average credit scores, from the credit bureau Experian, to their median household income, per the U.S. Census. We then ranked the states by differences between the two: The top states had credit scores much higher than their income. In the middle, credit scores about match income rank. Poor performers had high income but relatively low credit scores. Differences in state job markets and the age of their population influenced their scores but didn't explain all the variations in money management ability." (To see the interactive Creditcards.com map, click here)
Agriculture Secretary to lead effort to battle rural struggles with heroin, suicide, finances, health
President Obama has appointed Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to lead an effort to battle struggles in rural areas with increased heroin use, suicide rates, financial stress, and decreased physical and mental health, Juliet Eilperin reports for The Washington Post. Heroin and opiate use—which has moved from urban areas to rural ones—kills about 30,000 people a year, and heroin-related deaths increased 28 percent from 2013 to 2014.
Vilsack will unveil the new initiative during a town hall discussion today at Ohio State University, "where he will be discussing the expansion of the administration’s rural-development efforts in 11 counties experiencing persistent poverty in the part of Appalachia that extends into southern Ohio," Eilperin writes. "In an interview Thursday, Vilsack said that while any long-term solution to the problem will have to be pursued by the next president, the current administration could help develop a comprehensive strategy and elevate the issue in the American consciousness."
Republican and Democratic lawmakers have shown a willingness to expand federal support to tackle heroin and opiate use, Eilperin writes. "The budget agreement struck last month provided the administration with more than $400 million to address the epidemic, an increase of more than $100 million from the previous year. It also cut language barring the use of federal funds for needle-exchange programs, a move that many public health advocates had sought." (Read more)
Vilsack will unveil the new initiative during a town hall discussion today at Ohio State University, "where he will be discussing the expansion of the administration’s rural-development efforts in 11 counties experiencing persistent poverty in the part of Appalachia that extends into southern Ohio," Eilperin writes. "In an interview Thursday, Vilsack said that while any long-term solution to the problem will have to be pursued by the next president, the current administration could help develop a comprehensive strategy and elevate the issue in the American consciousness."
Republican and Democratic lawmakers have shown a willingness to expand federal support to tackle heroin and opiate use, Eilperin writes. "The budget agreement struck last month provided the administration with more than $400 million to address the epidemic, an increase of more than $100 million from the previous year. It also cut language barring the use of federal funds for needle-exchange programs, a move that many public health advocates had sought." (Read more)
President Obama issues temporary ban on new federal coal leases
The Obama administration today "ordered a moratorium on new leases for coal mined from federal lands as part of a sweeping review on the government’s management of vast amounts of taxpayer-owned coal throughout the West," Joby Warrick reports for The Washington Post. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said "it was time for a re-examination of the decades-old coal-leasing program, from health and environmental impacts to whether U.S. citizens are getting a fair return for the hundreds of millions of tons of government-owned coal that is mined and sold each year." The move will have no immediate effect on production or jobs, Jewell said.
"Hundreds of millions of tons of federally owned coal are mined by private companies each year under laws requiring the federal government to seek maximum benefit for resources on public lands," Warrick writes. "Environmental groups and some independent analysts have long argued that taxpayers are under-compensated for coal extracted from vast mines on federally owned land across the West and that prices do not reflect societal costs from pollution from coal-burning."
Currently, mining companies "pay a 12.5 percent royalty rate for coal taken from surface mines, compared to an 18.75 percent royalty for oil and gas from offshore drilling," Warrick writes. "Coal companies say the actual rates paid to the government are much higher because of bonuses and other fees paid through lease agreements. Most of the coal mined from federal lands is used in U.S. electricity generation, though some is sold overseas. Government-owned coal harvested in the Powder River basin–the country’s biggest coal-producing region, straddling Wyoming and Montana–accounts for about 10 percent of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, according to a study last year by the Center for American Progress and the Wilderness Society."
"Hundreds of millions of tons of federally owned coal are mined by private companies each year under laws requiring the federal government to seek maximum benefit for resources on public lands," Warrick writes. "Environmental groups and some independent analysts have long argued that taxpayers are under-compensated for coal extracted from vast mines on federally owned land across the West and that prices do not reflect societal costs from pollution from coal-burning."
Currently, mining companies "pay a 12.5 percent royalty rate for coal taken from surface mines, compared to an 18.75 percent royalty for oil and gas from offshore drilling," Warrick writes. "Coal companies say the actual rates paid to the government are much higher because of bonuses and other fees paid through lease agreements. Most of the coal mined from federal lands is used in U.S. electricity generation, though some is sold overseas. Government-owned coal harvested in the Powder River basin–the country’s biggest coal-producing region, straddling Wyoming and Montana–accounts for about 10 percent of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, according to a study last year by the Center for American Progress and the Wilderness Society."
Republicans move to force Obama to veto resolution blocking Waters of the U.S. rules
Congressional Republicans want to force President Obama to veto a measure to eliminate the administration's Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rules, Philip Brasher reports for Agri-Pulse. Despite lacking a two-thirds vote to approve the resolution in either chamber in previous votes, "the House on Wednesday gave final congressional approval to a disapproval resolution that would eliminate the rules."
House Speaker Paul Ryan wrote in the Omaha World-Herald that "the veto would force Obama 'to be up front with the American people about his administration's power grabs and will set the stage for correcting these abuses in 2017,'" Brasher writes. "House Agriculture Chairman Mike Conaway, (R-Texas) argued during the floor debate that 'farmers and ranchers deserve a government that will review and consider their thoughts, not a government that refuses to engage stakeholders and hands down orders from on high.'”
Some Democrats call the move a waste of time, Brasher writes. Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass) told him, “We don't pass legislation. Instead we pass sound bites, and that's what we're doing here. This chamber has become an echo chamber, if you will, for the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee and its priorities."
"Republicans are running out of legislative options to stop the rule," Brasher writes. "Republicans wanted to add language to the fiscal 2016 omnibus spending bill that would have blocked enforcement of the rule should the court stays be lifted, but the White House refused to allow the provision. The resolution was drafted under the Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to reject major new regulations." (Read more)
House Speaker Paul Ryan wrote in the Omaha World-Herald that "the veto would force Obama 'to be up front with the American people about his administration's power grabs and will set the stage for correcting these abuses in 2017,'" Brasher writes. "House Agriculture Chairman Mike Conaway, (R-Texas) argued during the floor debate that 'farmers and ranchers deserve a government that will review and consider their thoughts, not a government that refuses to engage stakeholders and hands down orders from on high.'”
Some Democrats call the move a waste of time, Brasher writes. Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass) told him, “We don't pass legislation. Instead we pass sound bites, and that's what we're doing here. This chamber has become an echo chamber, if you will, for the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee and its priorities."
"Republicans are running out of legislative options to stop the rule," Brasher writes. "Republicans wanted to add language to the fiscal 2016 omnibus spending bill that would have blocked enforcement of the rule should the court stays be lifted, but the White House refused to allow the provision. The resolution was drafted under the Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to reject major new regulations." (Read more)
Where do baby carrots come from? Many consumers clueless about food supplies
For those people who see baby carrots in the store and imagine a farmer planting rows of tiny orange sticks that turn into tiny orange carrots, think again. Despite making up 70 percent of all carrot sales, baby carrots are "milled, sculpted from the rough, soiled, mangled things we call carrots, and they serve as an example, though perhaps not a terribly grave one, of how disconnected we have all become from the production of our food," Roberto Ferdman reports for The Washington Post.
David Just, a professor of behavioral economics at Cornell University who studies consumer food choices, told Ferdman, "The majority of consumers have no clue what they’re eating or how it’s produced. There are so many people who honestly believe there are baby carrot farmers out there who grow these baby carrots that pop out of the ground and are perfectly convenient and smooth." (Post graphic)
Baby carrots were invented by Mike Yurosek, a carrot farmer from California, Ferdman writes. "In the early 1980s, the carrot business was stagnant and wasteful. Growing seasons were long, and more than half of what farmers grew was ugly and unfit for grocery shelves. But in 1986, Yurosek, itching for a way to make use of all the misshapen carrots, tried something new. Instead of tossing them out, he carved them into something more palatable."
"At first, Yurosek used a potato peeler, which didn't quite work because the process was too laborious," Ferdman writes. "But then he bought an industrial green-bean cutter. The machine cut the carrots into uniform 2-inch pieces, the standard baby carrot size that persists today. When Mike Yurosek & Sons, Yurosek's now-defunct California company, delivered his next batch to Vons, a local grocery chain, he included a bag of the new creation. He suspected he was on to something but hardly anticipated such an enthusiastic response."
The rest, as they say, its history, with carrot sales in 1987 jumping by almost 30 percent, Ferdman writes. "By 1997, the average American was eating roughly 14 pounds of carrots per year, 117 percent more than a decade earlier. The baby carrot doubled carrot consumption." (Read more)
David Just, a professor of behavioral economics at Cornell University who studies consumer food choices, told Ferdman, "The majority of consumers have no clue what they’re eating or how it’s produced. There are so many people who honestly believe there are baby carrot farmers out there who grow these baby carrots that pop out of the ground and are perfectly convenient and smooth." (Post graphic)
"At first, Yurosek used a potato peeler, which didn't quite work because the process was too laborious," Ferdman writes. "But then he bought an industrial green-bean cutter. The machine cut the carrots into uniform 2-inch pieces, the standard baby carrot size that persists today. When Mike Yurosek & Sons, Yurosek's now-defunct California company, delivered his next batch to Vons, a local grocery chain, he included a bag of the new creation. He suspected he was on to something but hardly anticipated such an enthusiastic response."
The rest, as they say, its history, with carrot sales in 1987 jumping by almost 30 percent, Ferdman writes. "By 1997, the average American was eating roughly 14 pounds of carrots per year, 117 percent more than a decade earlier. The baby carrot doubled carrot consumption." (Read more)
Thursday, January 14, 2016
State-level map: Only 58% of U.S. workers have access to employer-based retirement plans
More than 30 million workers do not have access to employer-based retirement plans, according to a state level map by The Pew Charitable Trusts. "Workers in the United States accumulate the vast majority of their retirement savings through employer-based plans, but large gaps in coverage exist." Analysis focused on full-time private sector wage and salary workers ages 18 to 64.
Analysis found that 58 percent of workers had access to retirement plans, with 49 percent participating. The highest access rate is in Wisconsin, at 70 percent. Rates are also high in Minnesota (69 percent); Iowa and North Dakota (68); and South Dakota, Washington and Maine (67). The lowest percents are in Florida (46), New Mexico (49), Texas (50) and Nevada and California (51). Florida also has the lowest participation rate, at 38 percent, while Wisconsin and Minnesota lead with a participation rate of 61 percent.
Employees in larger companies are more likely to have access to plans, with 74 percent of companies with 500 or more companies offering plans and only 22 percent of companies with less than 10 employees having plans. Only 38 percent of Hispanics participate in plans, compared to 63 percent of white and non-Hispanic. (Read more)
Analysis found that 58 percent of workers had access to retirement plans, with 49 percent participating. The highest access rate is in Wisconsin, at 70 percent. Rates are also high in Minnesota (69 percent); Iowa and North Dakota (68); and South Dakota, Washington and Maine (67). The lowest percents are in Florida (46), New Mexico (49), Texas (50) and Nevada and California (51). Florida also has the lowest participation rate, at 38 percent, while Wisconsin and Minnesota lead with a participation rate of 61 percent.
Employees in larger companies are more likely to have access to plans, with 74 percent of companies with 500 or more companies offering plans and only 22 percent of companies with less than 10 employees having plans. Only 38 percent of Hispanics participate in plans, compared to 63 percent of white and non-Hispanic. (Read more)
Rural Wisconsin Initiative would expand broadband, improve education and healthcare
Republican lawmakers on Wednesday announced the Rural Wisconsin Initiative, "a series of seven bills lawmakers say are designed to help smaller towns and villages throughout the state grow in the future," Amanda Tyler reports for WEAU in Eau Claire. Bills "would expand broadband internet access; attract teachers to small schools; and provide grants for science, technology, engineering and math programs for local schools."
One of the keys is to provide equal opportunities for students and teachers in rural areas, Tyler writes. Augusta School District administrator Ryan Nelson told Tyler, “Just because we are rural doesn't mean that we provide any less of a quality education for our kids. Any type of legislation that might continue to support the efforts of rural school districts is always a positive move."
Another initiative is to improve healthcare to small towns "by increasing funding for programs that encourage physicians to take residencies in rural hospitals," Tyler writes. Dr. Joan Hamlin, program director at Eau Claire Family Medicine, said the proposal is a step in the right direction but isn't enough to meet the needs of rural areas. She said funds "would need to be higher than the $250,000 being proposed by lawmakers." If all the measures pass, they are expected to cost between $13 to $15 million.
One of the keys is to provide equal opportunities for students and teachers in rural areas, Tyler writes. Augusta School District administrator Ryan Nelson told Tyler, “Just because we are rural doesn't mean that we provide any less of a quality education for our kids. Any type of legislation that might continue to support the efforts of rural school districts is always a positive move."
Another initiative is to improve healthcare to small towns "by increasing funding for programs that encourage physicians to take residencies in rural hospitals," Tyler writes. Dr. Joan Hamlin, program director at Eau Claire Family Medicine, said the proposal is a step in the right direction but isn't enough to meet the needs of rural areas. She said funds "would need to be higher than the $250,000 being proposed by lawmakers." If all the measures pass, they are expected to cost between $13 to $15 million.
Rural Illinois sign warns drivers of 'suicidal deer'
Hilligoss said he got the idea to purchase the signs after his nephew sent him a picture of a similar sign he saw in Colorado, Brumleve writes. Hilligoss told Brumleve, “I thought it was really a good thing because it gets your attention. A lot of people see it. If you ask anybody where a deer crossing sign is, they couldn’t tell you, but they know where that one is at. It’s just nice to see something that constantly reminds you that there are deer running out there.” So far in 2016 the county has had one vehicle-deer collision.
Politico ranks New Hampshire nation's strongest state, Louisiana weakest; 8 of 10 weakest in South
New Hampshire is the strongest state, and 8 of the 10 weakest states are in the South, led by Louisiana as the nation's weakest state, according to Politico Magazine's rankings of states, Manuela Tobias reports for Politico. States were ranked based on: annual per capital income; unemployment; percent below poverty level; home ownership rate; high school graduation; life expectancy at birth; infant deaths per
1,000 births; obesity; violent crime rate; employment in computer, science and engineering; math and reading scores; Well-Being score; GINI index; and H.L. Mencken's 1931 rankings.
"To pull the list together, we consulted 14 existing rankings from sources like the U.S. Census Bureau, the Centers for Disease Control and the FBI and then averaged each state’s different rankings," Tobias writes. "The resulting list, inspired by American Mercury editors H.L. Mencken and Charles Angoff’s 1931 series 'The Worst American State,' doesn’t promise scientific infallibility. But it’s based on the simple idea that education, health and wealth generally make us better off, while crime, unemployment and death do not."
Following New Hampshire at the top of the list was Minnesota, Vermont, Utah, Colorado, Massachusetts, Wyoming, Iowa, Connecticut and Hawaii. Louisiana was ranked 51st. Also at the bottom was Mississippi (50th), Alabama (49), Arkansas (48), West Virginia (47), Tennessee (46), Oklahoma (45), Kentucky (44), Nevada (43), Georgia (42), New Mexico (41) and South Carolina (40).
Minnesota and New Hampshire tied for the top spot last year, while Mississippi was ranked last. In 2014, New Hampshire was the strongest and Mississippi the weakest.
"To pull the list together, we consulted 14 existing rankings from sources like the U.S. Census Bureau, the Centers for Disease Control and the FBI and then averaged each state’s different rankings," Tobias writes. "The resulting list, inspired by American Mercury editors H.L. Mencken and Charles Angoff’s 1931 series 'The Worst American State,' doesn’t promise scientific infallibility. But it’s based on the simple idea that education, health and wealth generally make us better off, while crime, unemployment and death do not."
Following New Hampshire at the top of the list was Minnesota, Vermont, Utah, Colorado, Massachusetts, Wyoming, Iowa, Connecticut and Hawaii. Louisiana was ranked 51st. Also at the bottom was Mississippi (50th), Alabama (49), Arkansas (48), West Virginia (47), Tennessee (46), Oklahoma (45), Kentucky (44), Nevada (43), Georgia (42), New Mexico (41) and South Carolina (40).
Minnesota and New Hampshire tied for the top spot last year, while Mississippi was ranked last. In 2014, New Hampshire was the strongest and Mississippi the weakest.
Backer says ethanol's anti-Cruz campaign could backfire; newspaper poll shows lead dwindling
Attacks by ethanol industry lobbyists against Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz could come back to haunt the industry if Cruz wins the Iowa caucuses, said Iowa Rep. Steve King, Philip Brasher reports for Agri-Pulse. King, a Cruz supporter, told Brasher, “If they fall short, then ethanol takes a huge hit politically. We'll never see another candidate come to Iowa believing that ethanol is an important component if you're going to be a candidate for president.”
A poll released Wednesday by The Des Moines Register suggests that attacks against Cruz are working, with 25 percent of likely voters supporting Cruz, down from 31 percent one month ago, Brasher writes. Donald Trump is favored by 21 percent of voters and Marco Rubio 12 percent. Three other polls have Trump leading. The caucuses will be on Feb. 1.
"The ethanol industry has long relied on the Iowa caucuses to procure pledges of support for biofuels from presidential candidates," Brasher writes. "Cruz is ideologically opposed to government mandates and subsidies and is sponsoring legislation that would phase out the Renewable Fuel Standard. He and King have emphasized, however, that he is separately proposing to take regulatory actions that could encourage the use of ethanol blends over 10 percent. Cruz also has pledged that he would investigate allegations that the oil industry is illegally discouraging service stations from selling higher ethanol blends."
America's Renewable Future "issued a statement suggesting Cruz had shifted under pressure from farmers and now supported maintaining the RFS through 2022," Brasher writes. "The group noted that he had once called for repealing the RFS. Cruz and aides insist that he has been consistent on the issue since his phaseout plan would extend the RFS through 2022, although at reduced levels. Cruz accused the ethanol industry of trying to “to snooker the people of Iowa and convince the people of Iowa that a government mandate is the only way for ethanol to survive.” (Read more)
A poll released Wednesday by The Des Moines Register suggests that attacks against Cruz are working, with 25 percent of likely voters supporting Cruz, down from 31 percent one month ago, Brasher writes. Donald Trump is favored by 21 percent of voters and Marco Rubio 12 percent. Three other polls have Trump leading. The caucuses will be on Feb. 1.
"The ethanol industry has long relied on the Iowa caucuses to procure pledges of support for biofuels from presidential candidates," Brasher writes. "Cruz is ideologically opposed to government mandates and subsidies and is sponsoring legislation that would phase out the Renewable Fuel Standard. He and King have emphasized, however, that he is separately proposing to take regulatory actions that could encourage the use of ethanol blends over 10 percent. Cruz also has pledged that he would investigate allegations that the oil industry is illegally discouraging service stations from selling higher ethanol blends."
America's Renewable Future "issued a statement suggesting Cruz had shifted under pressure from farmers and now supported maintaining the RFS through 2022," Brasher writes. "The group noted that he had once called for repealing the RFS. Cruz and aides insist that he has been consistent on the issue since his phaseout plan would extend the RFS through 2022, although at reduced levels. Cruz accused the ethanol industry of trying to “to snooker the people of Iowa and convince the people of Iowa that a government mandate is the only way for ethanol to survive.” (Read more)
State law does not prohibit Ohio residents from owning bobcats, appeals court rules
Federer, who has owned the bobcat since 2003, said he had "no problems getting an annual license from the DNR until 2014, when the agency denied his application based on the 2012 law," Freedman writes. "That law requires a permit from the state Agriculture Department to get a DNR license. The legislative roster of taboo animals lists 'lynxes, including Canadian lynxes, Eurasian lynxes and Iberian lynxes' but doesn’t mention bobcats, Among the other animals banned for private ownership and sale are bears, lions, jaguars, Cape buffaloes, elephants, crocodiles, rhinoceroses, leopards, Komodo dragons, tigers and northern night monkeys. The law makes exceptions, including for accredited zoos, aquariums and wildlife shelters, research facilities, licensed circuses and veterinarians temporarily caring for the animals."
There are between 725,000 to 1,020,000 bobcats in the wild, states Defenders of Wildlife. Males typically weigh between 16 to 28 pounds and females 10 to 18 pounds. The animals, which live 12 to 13 years, are typically 17 to 23 inches tall and 25 to 41 inches in length. Bobcats mainly hunt rabbits and hares but are also known to eat rodents, birds, bats, adult deer and lamb, poultry and young pigs.
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
Georgia Farm Bureau president is elected president of American Farm Bureau Federation
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| Vincent "Zippy" Duvall |
Duvall told AFBF members after being elected: "We are American farmers and ranchers: the people that lead and feed and fuel the world. I know you're proud of it, but it is a responsibility that comes to my shoulders that I want to carry each and every day realizing the burdens that you're carrying on your shoulders.”
In October Duvall spoke with Brad Haire of Southeast Farm Press about why he wanted to be president: “What I plan to do and what we’ve already been doing is getting out there and really listening to our grassroots and state Farm Bureaus and seeing what they want their organization to focus on and how they want to move forward. Organizationally, we need to search ourselves and look for common goals that we all want to reach. And we’re seeking out and building relationships with key policymakers. . . . Our job is to speak for farmers when they can’t be at the tables where decisions are made that impact their lives and business.”
“The future of American agriculture is bright all over this country. We just have to find the areas of policymaking that are going to encourage growth," Duvall said. "The American Farm Bureau Federation president is the face of the voice of American farmers. He is going to be out and around not just the country but the world talking about American agriculture and how hard we are working, not only to protect our natural resources, but to produce the amount of food we need to feed additional population but also to talk about the quality of food we provide for them . . . and telling the stories of farmers and ranchers."
Virginia making it easier for coal miners to transition to other types of mining in the state
In a move to make it easier for Virginia coal miners to find work in other types of mining, miners certified to work at surface coal mines will now be certified to work in the mineral mining industry, reports The Associated Press. Previously, the state Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy required additional training for workers hoping to transition from surface mining to other types of mining. Last year Virginia issued 1,565 general mineral miner certifications and 614 surface certifications for coal miners. The state has 444 permitted mineral mines.
During the past 10 years the state has lost 40 percent of its coal jobs, according to Virginia Energy Patterns and Trends. "Virginia's peak production year was 1990, when the state's mines produced over 46.5 million tons. By 2004, Virginia's production had declined to 31 million tons. In 2004, surface mines produced 33 percent of the coal mined in Virginia." Most of the state's coal mining takes place in Buchanan, Dickenson and Wise counties in the southwestern part of the state.
During the past 10 years the state has lost 40 percent of its coal jobs, according to Virginia Energy Patterns and Trends. "Virginia's peak production year was 1990, when the state's mines produced over 46.5 million tons. By 2004, Virginia's production had declined to 31 million tons. In 2004, surface mines produced 33 percent of the coal mined in Virginia." Most of the state's coal mining takes place in Buchanan, Dickenson and Wise counties in the southwestern part of the state.
California county paying thousands of dollars each year to clean up large trash items from rural roads
The county pays nearly $11,000 each year to discard items properly at the dump, Johnson writes. "In 2009, the county posted signs and six motion-detector surveillance cameras in the worst spots with a $500,000 grant from the California Integrated Waste Management Board to catch violators. It also started a website, which has since been deactivated, to educate the public about illegal dumping." At the time, the county estimated the total cost of "cleaning up the steady stream of trash being dumped along waterways and roads was $250,000 per year." A current estimate was not available. (Read more)
Pilot program helping rural female veterans suffering from postpartum depression
A pilot program created by the University of Iowa and the Veterans Administration aims to help rural veteran mothers suffering from postpartum depression, Anne Easker reports for Iowa Now. Michael O’Hara, professor in the UI Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, told Easker, “Women in rural areas often don’t seek out or have access to mental health care. Reaching out in particular to rural veteran women seemed to me like it was just something important to do.”
About 40 women have participated in the pilot program, MomMoodBooster, which consists of six sessions over six weeks "that target managing mood, increasing pleasant activities, managing negative thoughts, increasing positive thoughts and planning for the future," Easker writes. "Phone coaches also call to check in with the women, tracking progress, answering questions and providing encouragement."
Each year about one in eight new mothers—about 300,000 total—suffer from postpartum depression, according to the MomMoodBooster website. The program is open to women who have had a baby in the past year, are feeling down or depressed and have access to high-speed Internet.
About 40 women have participated in the pilot program, MomMoodBooster, which consists of six sessions over six weeks "that target managing mood, increasing pleasant activities, managing negative thoughts, increasing positive thoughts and planning for the future," Easker writes. "Phone coaches also call to check in with the women, tracking progress, answering questions and providing encouragement."
Each year about one in eight new mothers—about 300,000 total—suffer from postpartum depression, according to the MomMoodBooster website. The program is open to women who have had a baby in the past year, are feeling down or depressed and have access to high-speed Internet.
Vermont approves power line from Canada to supply renewable electricity to region
"Unlike the Northern Pass project proposed for northern New Hampshire, the $1.2 billion, privately funded TDI project faced no significant opposition in Vermont, something unusual for the state," Ring writes. The main reason is that the project, which would provide power to about one million homes, would be out of sight, with almost 100 miles of cable at the bottom of Lake Champlain and the other 50 miles buried underground.
"To win approval from Vermont regulators, TDI agreed to fund $720.9 million in payments and benefits over the expected 40-year life of the project once the line is carrying electricity," Ring writes. "It includes $263 million for Lake Champlain cleanup projects, almost $109 million for renewable energy programs and $135.7 million in benefits to Vermont electric ratepayers. And those figures don't include construction jobs or jobs once the line is in operation."
Free Farm Foundation Forum Jan. 20-21 to focus on antibiotic use in humans and animals
The next free Farm Foundation Forum, from Jan. 20-21 at the National Press Club in Washington D.C., will focus on antibiotic use in humans and animals. "Panel members will examine issues and actions in animal health, human health, the retail/market sector and the public policy arena, including what those actions mean domestically and globally," Farm Foundation states. Joe Swedberg, chair of Farm Foundation's Antimicrobial Education Project Advisory Committee, will moderate the panel. Panel members are: Terry Coffey, Ph.D., Smithfield Foods; Steve Solomon, M.D., Global Public Health Consulting; Jerome Lyman, McDonald's Corporation, retired; and Kathy Talkington, Pew Charitable Trusts.
Registration is required. To register to attend the event, click here. To register for the free audiocast, which will take place at 9 a.m. Eastern Time on Jan. 20, click here. For those unable to attend the event or participate in the audiocast, the event will be posted in the forum's archives after being broadcast. (Read more)
Registration is required. To register to attend the event, click here. To register for the free audiocast, which will take place at 9 a.m. Eastern Time on Jan. 20, click here. For those unable to attend the event or participate in the audiocast, the event will be posted in the forum's archives after being broadcast. (Read more)
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
In Oct., only 1/3 of eligible rural residents were on Obamacare in states using federal exchange
Rural residents have shown little interest in signing up for Obamacare in states using the federal health insurance exchange, according to analysis from the Rural Policy Research Institute, based on data through October 2015, just before the current enrollment period opened.
The lowest number was in Iowa—a state that expanded Medicaid—where only 18.3 percent of eligible rural residents had signed up for coverage. Numbers were also low in South Dakota (21.1 percent), Ohio (21.4), Arizona (22.3), Alaska (23.5), North Dakota (24.4), Arkansas (25.8), Oklahoma (26.4) and Louisiana (29.4). The highest percentage was in Maine, 63.2, followed by New Hampshire (53), Michigan (52.9) and Wisconsin (50.3).
Some residents are failing to sign up because of confusion about the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, said Tony Logan, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's state director for Rural Development. Logan "said the state is trying to get health care information into rural areas is by educating people on the ease of access to signing up, as well as improved benefits from the 81 plans available," Craig Shoup reports for The News Messenger in northern Ohio.
The federal tax penalty for not having coverage in 2016 is higher: 2.5 percent of income, or $695, whichever is greater. Obamacare advocates hope that will encourage more enrollment.
The lowest number was in Iowa—a state that expanded Medicaid—where only 18.3 percent of eligible rural residents had signed up for coverage. Numbers were also low in South Dakota (21.1 percent), Ohio (21.4), Arizona (22.3), Alaska (23.5), North Dakota (24.4), Arkansas (25.8), Oklahoma (26.4) and Louisiana (29.4). The highest percentage was in Maine, 63.2, followed by New Hampshire (53), Michigan (52.9) and Wisconsin (50.3).
The federal tax penalty for not having coverage in 2016 is higher: 2.5 percent of income, or $695, whichever is greater. Obamacare advocates hope that will encourage more enrollment.
Coal production hits 30-year low; Central Appalachian production down 40% in 2015
Coal production in the U.S. reached a 30-year low in 2015, according to a U.S. Energy Information Administration report released Friday, Bobby Magill reports for Climate Central. "Appalachian coal, produced mainly in West Virginia and Kentucky, was
hit the hardest in 2015, falling 40 percent below the region’s annual
production average between 2010 and 2014."
"Coal production has been trending downward since its peak at nearly 1.2 billion short tons in 2008, declining to 900 million short tons in 2015. Last year’s production declined 10 percent from 2014, according to the EIA," Magill writes. Low natural gas prices and President Obama's Clean Power Plan regulations to reduce carbon emissions are largely blamed for the drop in coal production. (EIA graphic)
"Coal production has been trending downward since its peak at nearly 1.2 billion short tons in 2008, declining to 900 million short tons in 2015. Last year’s production declined 10 percent from 2014, according to the EIA," Magill writes. Low natural gas prices and President Obama's Clean Power Plan regulations to reduce carbon emissions are largely blamed for the drop in coal production. (EIA graphic)
House OKs Freedom of Information Act reform bill
The House on Monday passed bipartisan legislation that "would limit exemptions under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) that now allow federal agencies to hold back information," Megan R. Wilson and Cristina Marcos report for The Hill. "The bill would also create a single online portal for people to make FOIA requests and require agencies to publicly post frequently requested records online."
The bill would "reform how agencies can redact some information using Exemption 5, which is often derisively referred to as the 'withhold because you can' statute," Wilson and Marcos write. "In practice, it is supposed to apply to 'interagency or intra-agency communication,' such as draft documents. The legislation, however, requires agencies to disclose any 'records that embody the working law, effective policy or the final decision of the agency.'"
"It also mirrors the Senate legislation in requiring that Exemption 5 cannot be used on any information older than 25 years," Wilson and Marcos write. "The measure would codify nonbinding directions from the Obama administration and the Justice Department on how to fulfill document requests with a 'presumption of openness,' in addition to improving public digital access to records released through FOIA and making oversight of the process more independent . . . Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Monday would not say whether the Senate’s version of the legislation would be placed on the calendar."
The Society of Professional Journalists applauded the move. SPJ National President Paul Fletcher said in a statement: "This legislation helps journalists and other citizens better access their government, and today’s vote proves that Congress can work together to make government more transparent and accountable. Congress doesn’t approve FOIA fixes very often, so getting this legislation through the Senate and signed into law would be a big win for transparency and helping the American people obtain the information they are entitled to see.”
The bill would "reform how agencies can redact some information using Exemption 5, which is often derisively referred to as the 'withhold because you can' statute," Wilson and Marcos write. "In practice, it is supposed to apply to 'interagency or intra-agency communication,' such as draft documents. The legislation, however, requires agencies to disclose any 'records that embody the working law, effective policy or the final decision of the agency.'"
"It also mirrors the Senate legislation in requiring that Exemption 5 cannot be used on any information older than 25 years," Wilson and Marcos write. "The measure would codify nonbinding directions from the Obama administration and the Justice Department on how to fulfill document requests with a 'presumption of openness,' in addition to improving public digital access to records released through FOIA and making oversight of the process more independent . . . Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Monday would not say whether the Senate’s version of the legislation would be placed on the calendar."
The Society of Professional Journalists applauded the move. SPJ National President Paul Fletcher said in a statement: "This legislation helps journalists and other citizens better access their government, and today’s vote proves that Congress can work together to make government more transparent and accountable. Congress doesn’t approve FOIA fixes very often, so getting this legislation through the Senate and signed into law would be a big win for transparency and helping the American people obtain the information they are entitled to see.”
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