Newspaper publisher sounds off on threats and harassment by neo-Nazis after reporting facts about a mayoral candidate

In the case of a newspaper and its adversaries, sometimes "enough is enough," reports Derby Jones, publisher of the Williamson Herald, in Franklin, Tennessee. The Williamson County paper has faced an onslaught of vandalism and harassment, including threats leading up to a Franklin election. "The group or groups seems to take issue with our factual reporting of Franklin's mayoral candidate, Gabrielle Hanson."

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Jones calls out the perpetrators in his Oct. 24 column: "The Williamson Herald's offices were vandalized over the weekend. . . . Someone took the time to bring printouts of so-called 'leftist journalist' propaganda and glued them to the side of our building here in Franklin, on our painted pillars at our front door and on the front of our building. They stapled them to the utility poles at the entrance of our office, too. . . . This is textbook vandalism and intimidation tactics. It is certainly not the Franklin I love and that I have worked hard to serve the past 17 years. . . .This is also after a weekend where these same organizations threatened one of our reporters, threatened our advertisers and threatened me and my wife amongst others."

Jones has been the Herald's publisher
for 17 years.(Williamson Herald photo)

Jones points out the paper's truthful reporting as the puzzling "reason" for the crimes. He adds, "Hanson herself admitted to being arrested for a prostitution charge in the 1990s, we reported on this. We reported on a neo-Nazi/white supremacist group that attended a candidate forum on Oct. 3 in support of Hanson. . . . Since then, this group has gone after local journalists using threats of violence and neo-Nazi doxing, especially against our reporter."

A group called "nomoorewokefranklin" added to the intimidating tactics through social media posts "targeting our journalists, myself and our advertisers," Jones writes. "We won't stand for our reporter being threatened for doing his job, and we won't tolerate threats of violence. . . . Hanson's followers are harassing journalists and others in the community when they don't like what we say or write. The Williamson Herald stands by every story we report on. We are being called leftist and biased, but there is not one report that we posted that was not the truth."

Jones makes his point clear and asks his readers a question, saying, "Neo-Nazis don't have a place in our town. I say enough is enough. We have never seen this level of hate and divisiveness in Franklin. And to be so blatantly targeted and threatened is uncalled for. . . . If you have not voted yet, I strongly urge you to do so TODAY. And I would ask yourself what kind of Franklin you want to live in as this vote could change our way of life now and for future generations."

Fauna Thursday: Sheep are lawn care experts; learn more about this invasive bug; beavers get their own conference

Sheep on the White House lawn in 1919. (Photo by Harris & Ewing, Library of Congress via The Washington Post)

Tired of mowing your grass? Consider this: Sheep are lawn care experts. They are gentler grazers than goats or horses, clipping grass tops and nibbling weeds homeowners would like removed. They leave about four inches of the blade: just the right height, says Michigan State University Extension, to maximize root growth and shade out weeds. Any lower, as some lawn companies mow, and the grass will grow even faster to reach the sun, necessitating more mowing.

Michael J. Coren of The Washington Post reports: "'Sheep love the sweet tips of grass, and biodiverse diets like the weeds in your yard' including bittercress, chickweed and onion grass, says Cory Suter, owner of Lamb Mowers, who grew up farming on a Mennonite homestead in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. 'That’s a perfect buffet for our sheep.'”

Scientists working to prevent another devasting global avian flu outbreak have found a possible solution. They "used gene editing to identify and change parts of chicken DNA that could limit the spread of the bird flu virus in the animals," reports Norrie Russell of Lancaster Farming. "Researchers were able to restrict — but not completely block — the virus from infecting chickens by altering a small section of their DNA. The birds showed no signs that the change in their DNA had any impact on their health or well-being."

A spotted lanternfly egg mass and
an adult. (USDA photo)

The spotted lanternfly, Lycorma delicatula, has indeed been spotted in multiple states. The invasive pest is a rapacious feeder that can severely affect crops. The insect "feeds on a wide range of fruit, ornamental and woody trees, with tree-of-heaven being one of the preferred hosts," according to the Department of Agriculture. To learn how to spot, report, and prevent infestations, click here.
 

Photo by Braedon McLeod, Unsplash

Busy beavers will be the focus of an upcoming global conservation effort in Oregon, a.k.a, "The Beaver State." Robert Leo Heilman of The Daily Yonder reports: "So, it is appropriate that Canyonville, Oregon, a small town with a population of 1,660 located in the Klamath Mountains of Southern Oregon, is the global locus of efforts to restore beavers throughout their traditional range in the wild. The 2023 State of the Beaver conference (November 13-15, 2023) will draw up to 300 beaver restoration advocates and re-wilding movement activists from all over North America and Europe."

Gerkin-colored sea cucumber
(Nautilus Minerals photo via Hakai)

Just how many undiscovered creatures live in our oceans? Countless as the stars? Maybe. "Nautilus Minerals, a seabed mining company, is tight-lipped about whether Neptune’s expedition across nearly 15 square kilometers of remote seabed revealed the bounty of desirable metals it sought," reports Chris Baraniuk of Hakai magazine. "But the 4,000 photographs, likely the first ever taken in the region, did uncover something else: an array of colorful sea life including a big gray octopus with Dumbo-like ears, pale white anemones, bright orange prawns, and sea cucumbers an appropriate gherkin-shade."

Opinion: To become Mississippi's next governor, Brandon Presley must bridge the rural-urban divide

Presley grew up down the road from Elvis's
Tupelo home. (Brandon Presley photo)

Mississippi gubernatorial nominee Brandon Presley is looking to be the state's first Democratic governor in nearly 20 years, but to do so he'll have to win over rural voters. In his playbook, he's got an "unassailable working-class background and strong stances on popular issues," writes Jeffery H. Bloodworth in his opinion for The Daily Yonder. Plus, he's Elvis Presley's second cousin, which can't hurt. Still, the 46-year-old hopeful faces an uphill climb that begins and ends with bridging the rural-urban divide.

Winning over rural voters is key to Presley's success, but getting enough Mississippi voters to believe that today's Democrat could be a rural advocate while swaying the white-Republican vote may require herculean efforts. Currently, the state is a Republican stronghold. And the "race will be decided by rural voters, a Republican-leaning demographic. Sixty-five of Mississippi's 82 counties are designated as rural (using the nonmetropolitan definition), and more than half of the state population, 54%, qualify as the same." 

Presley is challenging GOP incumbent Tate Reeves, whose run as governor has been rocky. "Gov. Tate Reeves has faced a litany of unprecedented problems in his first term as Mississippi governor: a bitter fight for power with legislative leaders, turmoil and scandal within multiple state agencies, consistent staff turnover, costly natural disasters, and a life-disrupting pandemic," reports Adam Ganucheau of Mississippi Today, a nonprofit Mississippi news service. Bloodworth adds, "Presley’s prospects go beyond an unpopular incumbent. Every observer of any political stripe agrees that he is a one-of-a-kind political talent. Brannon Miller, a longtime state political hand, calls him Mississippi’s 'best retail politician.”

Presley is also equipped with a biography straight from a Hollywood script. Second cousins with Elvis, "Presley was born dirt poor," Bloodworth writes. ". . .  .At age 8, his alcoholic father was murdered. Thereafter, his single mom struggled to provide for him and his two siblings, Greta and Greg. The family regularly lived without electricity, running water, or a phone."

Despite Reeves' outsized problems and unpopularity, as a Republican, he's been able to hold onto many white voters. "From the 1960s through the late 1990s, Mississippi Democrats maintained control through a tenuous bi-racial coalition," Bloodworth explains. "This coalition fell apart in the early 2000s. Today, 90% of white Mississippians vote Republican. Black Mississippians vote Democratic at the same rate. To win, Presley must win a quarter of the white vote, which is overwhelmingly rural, and elicit a strong black turnout."

October is National Cooperative Month. It's a good time to myth-bust on what a co-op is and is not.

Cooperatives have a rich history rooted in democracy.
(University of Wisconsin photo via USDA)

Cooperatives are corporations; however, they are different than investor-owned firms in that the members that use the cooperative are the owners and benefit from their operations. Cooperatives allow individuals to operate together as a business and tackle economic issues they cannot solve individually. Here are some common myths about cooperatives from the Department of Agriculture.

Myth: Cooperatives are only in agriculture. False. Cooperatives exist in many industries. For example, home health, housing, grocery, rural electric distribution, finance, restaurant supply, outdoor gear, floral delivery, and news reporting.

Myth: Cooperative groceries are hippy throwbacks, only members can shop there. While many may have started in the '60s and '70s with a focus on organic and natural foods, today, cooperative groceries look much like any other grocery. The main difference is they operate for the benefit of the member-owners instead of outside investors. Thus keeping investment in the community and developing local wealth. . . . Many cooperatives are open to non-member business. Non-members can use the services however will not share in the surplus at the end of the year.

Myth: Co-ops are charities. False. Cooperatives, like any business, can choose a variety of legal structures depending on where the members choose to incorporate. The difference between non-profit (charitable) and the co-op is how revenue is generated and what is done with the surplus (profit).

The Ocean Spray co-op includes over 700 grower families
across North and South America. (Ocean Spray photo)

Myth: It's impossible for a co-op to be innovative. Cooperatives have been formed specifically to develop an innovative approach to market failures. One such example would be Ocean Spray. Read their history here.

Myth: Co-ops can't scale. There is a wide range of sizes for cooperatives. While many start out small, if the need is being met and the business is managed well the co-op will grow. Successful cooperatives are active members of their communities throughout the U.S. and the world. Some recognizable names are: Ace Hardware Corp., Blue Diamond Growers, Sunkist Growers, Independent Pharmacy Coop., and HealthPartners Inc.

For additional information on cooperatives visit:
CIR 7 How to Start a Cooperative; CIR 7 Cómo Empezar Una Cooperativa
SR 58 Feasibility Study Guide

Rural residents rely on private wells, but many are contaminated; experts recommend yearly testing

Midwestern wells can be contaminated with bacteria and
nitrates. (Photo via the Iowa Environmental Council)

While millions of rural Americans depend on private wells, many residents do not test their water regularly, even though a lot of the wells can be contaminated. "More than 43 million Americans rely on private wells, which are subject to a patchwork of state and local regulations, including standards for new construction," reports Tony Leys of KFF Health News. "But in most cases, residents are free to use outdated wells without having them tested or inspected. The practice is common despite concern about runoff from farms and industrial sites, plus cancer-causing minerals that can taint groundwater. . . . Federal experts estimate more than a fifth of private wells have concentrations of contaminants above levels considered safe."

"Experts urge all users of private wells to have them tested at least annually," Leys reports. "The main [contaminate] concerns vary, depending on an area's geology and industries. . . In Midwestern farming regions, primary contaminants include bacteria and nitrates, which can be present in agricultural runoff. . . . In rural Nevada and Maine, arsenic and uranium often taint water." PFAS chemicals, also called "forever chemicals," can also contaminate wells.

Allison Roderick, an environmental health officer for Webster County in rural north-central Iowa, where many residents rely on well water for everything from cooking to showering, uses her position to educate people on the danger of contaminated water and the resources to fix it. "Like many states, Iowa offers aid to homeowners who use well water. The state provides about $50,000 a year to each of its 99 counties to cover testing and help finance well repairs or treatment," Leys explains. "The money comes from fees paid on agricultural chemical purchases, but about half goes unused every year, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. . . . Last spring, Roderick snared an extra $40,000 that other counties hadn't used. . . . When she finds contamination, she can offer up to $1,000 of state grant money to help with repairs or up to $500 to cap an abandoned well."

Sydney Evans, a senior science analyst for the Environmental Working Group, a national advocacy organization that studies water pollution, told Leys, "[People think] as long as the water is coming out of the tap and it doesn't smell funny," everything must be OK. Leys reports, "Some longtime rural residents live in homes that have been in their families for generations. They often know little about their water source. . . . David Cwiertny, director of the University of Iowa's Center for Health Effects of Environmental Contamination, said they might not realize impure water can harm health over time."

How can the local supermarket be saved? This rural Kansas town of 1,000 has some tips for Chicago.

The Erie Market sets an example of how local grocers
 might survive. (Photo by Joe Barrett, The Wall Street Journal)

Facing lower profits and increased crime, many Chicago supermarkets are closing their doors. But some local governments are not giving up, and they've found a unique partner to help them learn how to open and run a municipally-owned grocery store -- the Erie Market in rural Erie, Kansas, pop. 1000, reports Joe Barrett of The Wall Street Journal.

"At the moment, things aren't going especially well. Erie Market, which the city took over in 2021, is losing money almost every month amid stiff competition from a Walmart 15 miles away and a Dollar General across the street. The store has slashed prices, cleared the shelves of expired items and put in a salad bar to try to bring more people through the door. But leaders aren't giving up." Erie City Council member Jason Thompson, a Republican who owns a trash-hauling business, told Barrett, "Without a grocery store, what are we going to do? It would kill this small town and it's hard enough to keep it alive as it is."

While Erie is one of few small towns to move to town-owned supermarkets, larger, more metro areas are also considering the idea. "Last month, Chicago, population 2.7 million, launched a study on the feasibility of opening a municipally-owned grocer to get more fresh foods and spur economic development in a number of mostly low-income neighborhoods," Barrett explains. "Chicago, which has lost six groceries on its South and West sides in the past two years alone, aims to take advantage of a new $20 million state fund designed to address what are known as food deserts across Illinois. Studies show that lack of access to fresh foods can have big impacts on health outcomes and rob neighborhoods and entire towns of economic vitality."

Having a municipally-owned grocery stores means an area can keep its local market even if it operates at a loss -- especially in the beginning. Ameya Pawar is a former Chicago City Council member and now a senior adviser at Economic Security Project, which will be working with the city on the economic feasibility study, including a planned trip to places like Erie to see how things work. Pawar told Barrett, "Communities and people in those communities deserve to survive and thrive. And, you know, that might mean accepting an operating loss for a grocery store."

Grocery stores have low margins, so earning a profit can be hard, but it can be done. "Less than 10 miles away [from Erie], the even smaller city of St. Paul, pop. 600, has run a successful city-owned grocery for about 16 years," Barrett reports. "Rick Giefer, who was mayor when the grocery store opened in 2007, said the town hadn't had a grocery store for 20 years and was facing the threat of losing its high school. City leaders thought a grocery would help keep the population in town. They reasoned that if they could sell water through a municipal entity, they could also sell food. . . . James Voorhies, who has run St. Paul Supermarket with his wife, Kelly, for about 10 years, says the business supports itself, including paying for new equipment. The city, he says, 'really doesn't have to do anything — they just oversee it.'"

The return of the mighty grizzly has Westerners seeking guardians and defense strategies

A stuffed cub and female grizzly bear at a Montana Fish and
Wildlife station. (Photo by John Stember, The New York Times)

In states where the grizzly bear population is increasing, residents are finding strategies to cope with the fierce predator's return. "Grizzly bears are a daily concern for residents in the northern Rockies. The bears no longer live only in the remote high country, in parks, wilderness and surrounding areas," reports Jim Robbins of The New York Times. "Instead, they have increasingly moved into the valleys and prairies to reclaim portions of their old realm."

Known as rugged livestock protectors, Anatolian shepherds
have been adopted by many Westerners. (AKC photo)

One option Westerners have turned to is owning Anatolian shepherds, a breed known for its watchful, protective nature paired with a muscular, agile body, which makes it a formidable match for any predator -- even grizzlies. Natalie Thurman, owner of Apex Anatolians, "markets the dogs primarily to people who raise livestock, [but] she also sells them to people with children," Robbins writes. Thurman told him: "We have gray wolves, grizzly and black bears here. . . . We just had a grizzly bear in the creek a hundred yards from here. . . .[Anatolian owners] take them on hikes, they take them camping. . . .They tell you when a bear is coming. I can replace livestock, but you can't replace a human child."

Active grizzly populations can be deadly and destructive. "They wander onto golf courses, break into homes, stalk chicken coops and raid cornfields," Robbins explains. "Montana and Wyoming are home to about 2,100 grizzlies, by far the most in the lower 48 states, with a much smaller population in Idaho."

In general, black bears avoid people. Grizzlies are
another story. (Photo by Roadsendnaturalist)

Black bears are also common in the West, but their response to humans is different than grizzlies. "They are generally bigger and more defensive, especially when surprised or when their cubs seem threatened," Robbins adds. "A black bear will usually scramble off, but a grizzly will more often stand its ground."

In response to the added threat of grizzly encounters, "Sales of bear spray, which contains capsaicin, the chemical that gives peppers their spicy heat, are booming," Robbins reports. "Many hikers, picnickers, ranchers and hunters — just about anyone who spends time outdoors in bear habitats — pack bear spray these days." Awareness of bear activity is also a defense. "Fall is when the possibility of conflicts peaks. Bears become especially ravenous — a period called hyperphagia — when they are driven to eat far more than they do the rest of the year, to bulk up fat reserves to live on during several months of hibernation."

"And so a grand experiment is underway to manage the human world in such a way that an apex predator and people in a large urban and suburban complex surrounded by large swaths of public land can coexist with few conflicts," Robbins writes. "The future of the bear is at stake, experts say. Although there is a lot of support for bears in the region, attacks on livestock and people can undermine it."

Opinion: What does Martin Scorses's new film give back to the Osage Nation?

Filming on the set of Killers of the Flower Moon
(Photo courtesy of Shannon Shaw Duty, Osage News via ICJ)

The story of Oklahoma's Osage Nation is one of prosperity, greed, conspiracy, murder and loss. Its retelling in Martin Scorsese's new film Killers of the Flower Moon gives voice to that past. But even as audiences flock to the theaters, what does the Osage Nation have to show for their willingness to share their story of a people murdered for their land? 

Dennis McAuliffe Jr., an Osage tribal member and Washington Post Opinions copy editor, shares his answer to that question in his Opinion essay condensed here. His thoughts are penned from Fairfax, Oklahoma.

"Joe Conner, my cousin and closest friend, created a memorial to victims of the 'Osage Reign of Terror' about two years ago. In 10 panels illustrated with archival and family pictures, he described what came before and after the murders of possibly hundreds of Osages after one of the largest oil deposits in the United States was found on their land. Because each tribal member, including children, received an equal share of royalties, the Osage had become the richest people per capita in the world.

"Joe installed the posters in the storefront of the long-abandoned Tall Chief Theater in Fairfax, the reservation town where most of the murders took place. The potential viewers he had in mind included Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro and a crew of hundreds who were there to film scenes for 'Killers of the Flower Moon' — an Apple Original movie about the killings based on David Grann’s book of the same name.

"Joe, a PhD psychologist, health researcher, local newspaper publisher and co-director of the Fairfax Community Foundation, hoped his posters would engage visitors in his mission to 'rebuild Fairfax and restore hope to our left-behind community … [which] today languishes in neglect and dereliction. . . . The restored theater would become a performing arts and event center; an adjoining former bank building would house a museum, restaurant, gift shop, art gallery, studio and, as Joe put it, a memorial 'that not only would honor what happened but serve as a venue for healing.'

"All it would take, architects told him, was $8 million, and work would begin with replacing the theater roof, four stories above the stage, which had been blown off by a tornado in 2018. . . . Enter Apple, Scorsese and the rest of the crew: Between April and October of 2021, they spent weeks filming around Fairfax, including a location not 50 yards from the Tall Chief. . . . Theater people would certainly take an interest in saving a historic theater — and could afford to. Combined, the cast and crew stood to make tens of millions of dollars. (DiCaprio was reportedly paid $25 million to $30 million.) Surely there was an angel investor in their midst.

"But what do moviemakers owe a community that they use and profit from? Not specific individuals but the community as a whole? Fairfax, which provided the tragic story without which no movie would have been made, was about to find out. . . . As the Hollywood crew finished filming, Joe wrote: 'It seems the movie will be another example of outsiders, even if well-intentioned, taking something from the Osage people for personal gain and leaving the community with nothing but movie images.'

McAuliffe Jr. has a personal connection to this story. Read the entire piece here.

For more on the Osage Nation's story and its broader impact on U.S. law enforcement, read Erin Blakemore's story in National Geographic here.

For more insight on the film, go to ICJ's review. ICJ is an independent, nonprofit news enterprise from IndiJ Public Media that honors their ancestors and future generations through stories that make Indigenous peoples come alive.

Smithfield Foods, which has been owned by a Chinese company since 2013, might be listed on stock market again

WH pork plant in China. Sales from U.S. and Mexico made up
56% of its 2022 revenue. (Photo by Dominique Patton, Reuters)

Roughly a decade since its purchase, Smithfield Foods may go public again. Its Chinese parent company, WH Group, is working with banks to "list its shares as early as next year, according to people familiar with the matter. Deliberations are ongoing, and the timing could change," report David Sebastian, Patrick Thomas and Ben Dummett of The Wall Street Journal.

In 2013, WH purchased Smithfield for $4.7 billion, which was "one of the biggest takeovers of an American business by a Chinese company at the time and resulted in the delisting of Smithfield, which used to trade on the New York Stock Exchange," the Journal reports. "The combined company became the world's largest hog farmer and pork producer." WH Group said the Smithfield acquisition was "partly aimed at importing technology and expertise from Smithfield to improve WH's operations, especially in China."

A U.S. listing could help bolster the sector, which has been working to balance an "oversupply of pork from flat demand domestically and an industrywide drop in exports," the Journal reports. WH Group isn't the only company reviving plans for a public offering. "Brazil's JBS said during the summer that it plans to restart its yearslong effort to list its shares publicly in the U.S. JBS is the world's largest meatpacker and has a sizable U.S. pork business that competes with Smithfield."

GH's sales are spread throughout China, the United States, Mexico and some European markets; however, sales in the U.S. and Mexico "contributed 56% of the company's revenue in 2022, while its China business made up 34%," the Journal reports. "It employed about 104,000 employees globally at the end of last year, including roughly 40,000 in the U.S. and Mexico."

Republicans float $50 billion in cuts to farm programs that Democrats want to preserve; top Democrat's role debated

Republicans have tentatively proposed $50 billion in possible cuts to farm programs, and all the Democrats on the House Agriculture Committee are objecting, while some worry about how the committee's top Democrat is handling negotiations with the Republican majority, Politico reports.

The cuts include money for conservation and climate-change-prevention programs that were included in the so-called Inflation Reduction Act passed by House Democrats when they were in the majority, "to make up budget shortfalls in other sections of the Farm Bill, like the commodity support title," Politico reports. Democrats "contend the money should be kept where it is because demand for the Conservation Stewardship Program and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, two programs boosted by the IRA, far exceeds the available funding."

Rep. Scott (Photo by Bill O'Leary, The Washington Post)

The list of possible cuts "was presented to Democrats by ranking member David Scott at a previously unreported meeting two weeks ago, and it raised new concerns about his ability to negotiate a Farm Bill with Republicans," Politico reported Friday. "Scott didn’t tell panel members where the $50 billion would come from before the meeting, only that the committee had found extra money to be used for bipartisan priorities," according to anonymous sources. "So Democratic members were flummoxed when Scott’s staff presented the list of climate and nutrition programs that would be hit."

The list includes "$15 billion in unspent funds from Democrats’ prized IRA climate-agriculture programs, limits on future updates to the Thrifty Food Plan and the Conservation Reserve Program," as well as "potential clawbacks to the Commodity Credit Corp., USDA’s internal bank," which "has come under intense scrutiny from both sides of the aisle after it was used to bail out farmers injured by former President Donald Trump’s trade war, and to stand up the Biden administration’s flagship Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program."

When Internet service providers merge, rural advocates worry services will decline; ISPs say together is better

Broadband companies need to 'stay rooted' in service
communities. (Photo by Ildefonso Polo, Unsplash)

A merger between two broadband companies has some Southern rural communities concerned that service quality will decline, but the companies say joining will improve funding opportunities for 'the most rural places.'

"Two Internet service providers are merging to cover a larger area of Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma, but an expert in community broadband networks cautions that consolidation can often hurt customer service," reports Kristi Eaton of The Daily Yonder. "The two former companies – 360 Communications of Durant, Oklahoma, and 903 Broadband of Leonard, Texas – were roughly the same size, which means the combination is a doubling in size for both. The merger formed 360 Broadband, with almost 16,000 subscribers and 88 employees across 10,000 square miles and 30 counties: 20 in Oklahoma, six in Texas, and four in Arkansas."

Christopher Mitchell, who runs the Community Broadband Networks program at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, "is concerned about consolidation and its impact," Eaton writes. "He added, however, that he knows there is a high cost of building and operating compared to many other businesses." Mitchell told Eaton: "And so, if you don't have 5,000 to 10,000 subscribers, it can be hard to be able to grow the network in ways that you would like. And so it's kind of expected, I feel like, for some ISPs to grow through mergers. . . . As they get bigger and bigger, we really worry about their ability to meet all of the local needs."

Drew Beverage, chief strategy officer for 360 Broadband, told Eaton: "At the federal level, at the state level, it makes sense for the two companies to come together to combine resources to be able to play in that arena. And not only provide better customer service. give us better options to be able to go after some of that federal money to build out more resources to build out more rural space. And we're talking about the most rural of towns."

Beverage also encourages communities to emphasize the Affordable Connectivity Program as a way to improve rural internet access. "The program provides a discount of up to $30 per month toward Internet service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal lands. 360 Broadband will now cover Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations."

Billions more for the power grid as the U.S. tries to get up to pace and scale for energy transition and climate change

Photo by Matthew Henry, Unsplash

How much money will it take to prepare the U.S. power grid for energy transition and climate change extremes? More -- billions more.

The Department of Energy "announced $3.5 billion in grants to expand capacity for wind and solar power, harden power lines against extreme weather, integrate batteries and electric vehicles, and build out microgrids that can keep the lights on during power outages," reports Jeff St. John of Canary Media. "The announcement named 58 projects across 44 states eligible to receive federal funding. When matched by funds from state and local governments and utility and industry partners, they will represent more than $8 billion in investment."

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said in a press briefing, "The $3.5 billion is the first major round of funding from the DOE's Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships Program, created by 2021's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which has $10.5 billion available to expand transmission lines, improve grid resiliency and deploy ​'smart-grid' technologies," St. John writes. "That total is far more than the last major federal investment in grid infrastructure, the $3.4 billion in stimulus grants issued by the Obama administration in 2009."

Enough funding is only one part of infrastructure-building -- project developers are "facing years-long backlogs to connect to transmission grids, which themselves aren’t expanding nearly fast enough to meet the increasing demand," St. John reports. "The selected projects also prioritize communities that are ​'ignored or overlooked for far too often, including rural, Native and low-income communities,' according to Mitch Landrieu, the Biden administration’s senior advisor and infrastructure coordinator. . . . The Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships funding is subject to the Biden administration’s Justice40 Initiative, which pledges to direct 40 percent of federal climate-related funds to historically disadvantaged communities."

Funded grid projects include electric cooperatives in Georgia, which will install "new transmission lines to serve a territory that covers three-quarters of the state’s land mass, as well as deploy battery systems and microgrids to bolster grid reliability," St. John adds. "And rural cooperatives will receive $99.7 million to deploy wildfire assessment and resiliency technology to a consortium of 39 co-ops scattered across the Western U.S."

"Several of these projects also include microgrids to enable communities to keep power up when the grid falters. Some are led by utilities that see a valuable role for microgrids in boosting reliability and integrating more clean energy, but others are led by state and community groups," St. John explains. "Other grants are focused on integrating distributed energy resources — rooftop solar panels, electric vehicles, microgrids and other technologies that utility customers are installing in ever-rising numbers."

Every hurricane gets a number, but what does it mean? Hurricane winds aren't the only extreme danger.

A graphic within the Post's story shows how wind defines each hurricane category.
(Digital art, The Washington Post)

Every hurricane gets a category number designed to guide response efforts, and while most people are used to hurricane weather jargon including the category number, what the number represents is somewhat mysterious. The five categories are based on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, report Amudalat Ajasa, Aaron Steckelberg and Julie Vitkovskaya of The Washington Post. "The scale only measures one component of a hurricane: the wind. Each category is divided by a range of wind speeds, estimating potential damage and impacts on properties . . .The numbers categorize hurricanes based on maximum sustained wind speeds ranging from 74 mph to 157 mph and above." Each category is describer here:

Category 1: Wind speeds range from 74-95 mph. Dangerous winds will produce some damage. Metal roof coverings, shingles and gutters will sustain damage. Shallow-rooted trees can be uprooted, and power lines can fall.

Category 2: Wind speeds range from 96-110 mph. Extremely dangerous winds will cause extensive damage. Major roof and siding, commercial signage, fences and canopies will be damaged or destroyed. Shallow-rooted trees will probably be snapped or uprooted, along with close to total power loss.

Category 3: Wind speeds range from 111-129 mph. Devastating damage will occur. Homes may experience roof failure and wall collapse. Windows will be blown out of high-rise buildings. Commercial signage, fences and canopies will face destruction. Trees will be snapped or uprooted. Power and water will be lost.

Category 4: Wind speeds range from 130-156 mph. Catastrophic damage will occur, including the destruction of most homes with the collapse of all walls and roof structure. Commercial signage, fences and canopies will be destroyed. Trees and power poles will be downed or snapped. Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks or months.

Category 5: Wind speeds range from 157 mph or higher. Almost complete destruction of all homes. Many industrial buildings and low-rise buildings will be destroyed. Nearly all the windows from high-rise buildings will be blown out. Near-total destruction of all commercial signage, fences and canopies. Nearly all trees and power poles will be downed or snapped. Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks or months.

The scale isn't a perfect measurement, and emergency responders, government officials and the public need to remember that wind isn't the only consideration with hurricanes. Storm surges can be equally deadly. The Post reports, "As a hurricane barrels across the open ocean, strong winds drive the water forward. Once the water reaches the shore, it combines with normal tides and creates the storm surge.

Storm surge is the leading cause of hurricane-related deaths in the United States, according to the National Weather Service."

In 2008, Hurricane Ike was designated a Category 2 hurricane. "But the wind wasn’t what caused the most damage," the Post reports. "The storm had a surge of more than 20 feet, the largest storm surge on record for a Category 2 hurricane. Imagine rushing water the height of two basketball hoops stacked on top of each other barreling toward homes, cars and buildings. . . . The storm claimed 195 lives and resulted in $30 billion in damage. It wasn’t even considered a major hurricane."

Publisher uses artificial intelligence program to fill in when a reporter can't cover town meetings in Vermont

White River Valley Herald Publisher Tim Calabro, left, uses A.I. to cover
some of his area's many town meetings. (Photo by Ben Deflorio, Seven Days)

Challenged by finding reporters to cover  selectboard meetings, Vermont's White River Valley Herald editor and publisher Tim Calabro "decided last year to try using artificial intelligence, or AI. . . . Calabro downloaded a set of meeting minutes and fed it into ChatGPT," reports Anne Wallace Allen of Seven Days, an independent weekly paper covering Vermont. "Calabro asked ChatGPT to create a summary of the meeting. He compared the result with the minutes to see how well it had captured what happened."

Commenting on the "bots job," Calabro told Allen, "It wasn't awful." To improve output, Calabro decided to feed Chat GPT more information, including "the Associated Press Stylebook, a standard for grammar and usage employed in many newsrooms," Allen writes. "Calabro checks the AI-generated summaries against the meeting notes to make sure they are accurate, and he adds context, such as biographical or historical information, if needed."

For now, Calabro is unique among Vermont's publishers, many of whom have discouraged AI use. Calabro framed his AI philosophy for his readers in one of his columns: "Like the invention of the computer itself, AI promises to fundamentally change work. Whether that's good or bad will depend on how thoughtfully we can decide how to utilize this new tool." Calabro has deployed AI to cover town meetings because they are "usually held at night [and] can be long and boring," Allen explains. "Most of the paper's paid correspondents and volunteers would rather write about something else."

Reputable news outlets appear to agree with Calabro's cautious approach. "Sports Illustrated is using AI to generate brief articles and story ideas, according to the Columbia Journalism Review," Allen reports. "On October 10, the AP announced that it's experimenting with five AI-based products to help small news organizations deliver information about public safety incidents, weather, city council meetings and news. All will be overseen by human editors, according to Nieman Lab, a fellowship and research program for journalists."

"The Herald covers 16 towns, and Calabro depends on the enthusiasm of his correspondents to learn what's happening in them," Allen reports. "Calabro said he'd rather rely on a human journalist — and, for the moment, an intern is covering meetings — but when she's gone, he'll go back to using AI. It's not taking work away from a reporter, he reasoned, and can at least give readers a basic understanding of what their selectboard is doing." He told Allen: "The information is important either way. It should be in people's hands."

Many rural counties are poorly equipped to deal with rising gun homicides; some of the worst rates are in the South

From 2016 to 2020, Phillips County had the country’s highest per capita
rate of gun homicides. (Photo by Renuka Rayasam, KFF Health News)

Homicides involving guns are often considered an urban problem, but rural America has its own firearm traumas that few communities have the resources to address effectively. "Nationwide, rural gun homicides have risen, and, in some areas, outpaced their urban counterparts. From 2016 to 2020, 13 of the 20 counties with the highest gun homicide rates were in the rural South, according to the Center for American Progress, a policy research institute, reports Renuka Rayasam for The Daily Yonder.

Elaine, Arkansas, pop. 500, is a dramatic example, "Phillips County, where Elaine is located, is home to about 15,000 people spread across 690 square miles. Data shows they're at high risk of gun violence. From 2016 to 2020, the Phillips County had the country's highest per capita rate of gun homicides, according to an analysis last year by the CAP," Rayasam writes. "During three days in July, police responded to reports of four homicides in Helena-West Helena, the Phillips County seat. That might be a small number for a major city, but it has an outsize impact in a rural town," said Nick Wilson, senior director for gun violence prevention at the Center for American Progress. The sheer number of deaths can devastate communities that often lack resources to stem gun violence or mental health services to help traumatized residents. Also, the nearest medical centers to treat victims are often miles away.

Segregated communities, racism and poverty add to social tensions that can lead to violent outcomes. Phillips County has "a harrowing history of racism," Rayasam reports. "In 1919, Elaine was the site of one of the worst racial massacres in U.S. history. At least 200 Black residents were murdered by white residents and soldiers over a couple of days after a group of Black farmers met one late September evening to demand better payments for their cotton crops." Daniel Webster, a distinguished scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions, told Rayasam: "These disadvantages are structural and driven by policy rather than naturally occurring. The conditions that lead to structural racism also lead to higher rates of gun violence. . . . These places have lacked investment, where poverty is rampant, unemployment is high, schools are failing, and buildings are crumbling."

"Under those conditions, even small stressors, like a fight over a cigarette, can lead to a shooting, researchers say. Most homicides in Phillips County, as in urban areas, stem from interpersonal or domestic disputes," Rayasam adds. "A few years ago, a man in Helena shot a man who allegedly stole butter beans from his garden."

Hicks Gilbert, who became Elaine's first Black and female mayor, is working on changing "'the mindset of what is possible,'" Rayasam reports. "She is requiring public housing operators to keep properties up to code, bringing in dumpsters to encourage residents to clean up trash, tearing down dilapidated houses, hiring young people to work in city government and at the community center, and starting a tutoring program." But progress can be slow and "persistent poverty and violence take an emotional toll, said Steven Cannon, a pastor who also runs an after-school community center in West Helena." Cannon told Rayasam, "What you see can be depressing at times, especially on a young generation."

Iowa farmer still owns two of the first John Deere plows ever made; the plows 'forever changed agriculture and America'

The plows are almost 200 years old.
(Photo by Sam Shaff via The Daily Scoop)

 

A tale of two plows begins in Germany, travels to Wisconsin territory, and ends in Sam Shaff's "unassuming garage" in rural Iowa," reports Chris Bennett for The Daily Scoop. "Twin grails that changed U.S. history — a pair of steel, moldboard plows crafted in the flesh by the hands of John Deere and bought directly from the American titan’s Illinois shop in 1839 and 1840 . . . . Purchased by Shaff’s great-great grandfather, Heman Shaff, the 1839 specimen was the first Deere plow on Iowa farmland, and possibly the first to break dirt on the far side of the Mississippi River during America’s westward expansion."

Shaff told Bennett, “My family bought the plows directly from John Deere, and the accounts I was told all said that Deere was an extremely busy, but very nice gentleman. The first plow cost $24, and all the neighbors wanted a turn to use it.”

Bennett writes, "On 1,000 acres of corn and soybeans in eastern Iowa’s Clinton County, a stone’s throw from the Mississippi River outside Camanche, the oldest continuous farm in Iowa is overseen by seventh-generation producer Sam Shaff. Shaff told him, “Like with a lot of people, my family history gets richer the older I get.” 

The "intrepid" Sam Shaff and his wife, Mary
(Shaff Family Farm photo via Daily Scoop)

"In 1732, the year of George Washington’s birth, the Shaff family departed Germany for colonial shores. . . beckoned by westward opportunity, 19-year-old Heman Shaff loaded his widowed mother, two sisters, and a younger brother into two covered wagons — generally bound for the vast, five-state expanse of Wisconsin Territory, but specifically zeroed on what would become the state of Iowa," Bennett writes. "In 1838, Heman moved the Shaff family across the Mississippi River and broke virgin soil on 240 acres of Camanche dirt. . . . Heman heard accounts of a plow wonder made by an innovative blacksmith — Mr. John Deere."

In 1836, financially strapped Deere moved from Vermont to Illinois and set up a blacksmith business in northwest Illinois’ Grand Detour. Bennett reports, "In 1837, inside a 26’-by-31’ shop on the Rock River, Deere solved the plow riddle. His solution? Sleek, polished steel. . . . Deere built a self-scouring steel plow — an answer to the drag of cast iron and sticky prairie soils of the Midwest. . . .In 1837, he produced a single steel plow. In 1838, he made two plows. . . . In 1839, he quintupled production to 10 plows. And that same year — 1839 — Heman Shaff crossed the Mississippi River, rode 60 miles, and knocked on Deere’s door, anxious to buy one of 10 magical moldboards."

Sam Shaff is a seventh-generation producer.
(Shaff Family Farm photo via Daily Scoop)

“Heman went all the way to Grand Detour and bought the plow personally from Deere," Shaff told Bennett. "Loaded onto his wagon, Heman returned to Camanche with the first Deere steel moldboard used on Iowa farmland—and possibly the first Deere steel plow used west of the Mississippi River. . . . The neighbors couldn’t get over how well it worked, and they borrowed it at night, literally plowing by lantern light. It worked so well that Heman went back to Deere’s shop in Grand Detour in 1840 and bought another. . . I have the oldest farm in Iowa. . . . I’m protecting two of Deere’s plows—personally made by him and personally sold by him almost 200 years ago.” Bennett adds, "Simply, Shaff owns steel that forever changed agriculture and America."

Project offers multi-faceted help for ethical addiction reporting

Reporting on Addiction is a collaborative project staffed by media professionals with a shared goal of decreasing addiction stigmas by providing best practices for covering all types of addiction. The project touts an array of options for newsrooms of all sizes, including professional and student newsroom training, research-based reporting resources, and an active expert database for question-and-answer volleys with an actual human.

Their website just added a visual guide for journalists to use for photo portrayals of addiction that keep ethical journalism's first principle of do no harm at its heart. "Visual journalism has the power to create deep and lasting connections beyond the written word; therefore, visual journalists must be highly intentional to reduce harm and honor their sources' full experiences while also educating their audiences." Access their one-page visual style guide here.

If your community is receiving opioid lawsuit materials, the project has an introductory newsletter series that "will bring you up-to-speed about the settlement money and how you can cover it in your city, county, or state. It also offers a Slack channel to "share resources, your work, and get questions answered." Everything from "Fireside chats" to style guides to sensitivity reads are also available. Their database is searchable and vetted

Reporting on Addiction offers training that is for journalists and people working in addiction spaces who want to improve media coverage but may not know where to start. Their training helps reporters and professionals by providing:

• Newsroom-level trainings that discuss the latest in addiction science, how stigma can unintentionally appear in reporting, and how to use resources to improve stories. 
• Group trainings to prepare participants to translate their message to a broader audience. 
• Group training that focuses on empowering people in their interactions with local, regional and national journalists. The goal is for participants to come away with a basic understanding of how journalists find them and make decisions about reporting, best practices for interacting with the media, and how to cultivate relationships with journalists to improve coverage today.

Journalists, educators and experts can complete an online request for training. Custom training is also available.

Opinion: Growing old includes the good, the bad and the unexpected

Illustration by Lauren Martin, The New York Times

Aging can be filled with experiences you never wanted to have, often failing to live up to past expectations, muses 83-year-old Roger Rosenblatt in his opinion piece for The New York Times. Humorous highlights are condensed below.

"Old age isn’t what the books promised it would be. Literature is littered with old people for whom the years have brought some combination of wisdom, serenity, authority and power — King Lear, the ageless priest in Shangri-La, Miss Marple, Mr. Chips, Mrs. Chips (I made that up), Dickens’s Aged P, crazy Mrs. Danvers. In fiction, old folks are usually impressive and in control. In life, something less.

"I can’t think of anyone who has come to me for wisdom, serenity, authority or power. People do come to sell me life insurance for $9 a month and medicines such as Prevagen, which is advertised on TV as making one sharper and improving one’s memory. Of course, that is beneficial only to those who have more things they wish to remember than to forget.

"One thing I need to remember is which day for which doctor. . . . On one day last week, I had a vascular sonogram in the morning, consulted my ophthalmologist in the afternoon, made an appointment with a retina specialist, spoke to my primary care physician about test results and put off my dentist. As a result of such activities, my vocabulary has increased. I now can say 'occlusion' — and mean it.

"I wrote a book called Rules for Aging 25 years ago. . . .The rules were less about aging than about living generally, one of the first being 'Nobody’s thinking about you.' . . . In old age that’s true in spades. . . . You disappear from the culture, or rather, it disappears from you.

"To be sure, old age has compensations. Grandchildren. Their company is delightful, partly because they think you have something useful to impart, if you could remember to impart it. Waitresses tend to treat you sweetly. Doormen and maintenance crews show respect. And there are positive or harmless activities for the over the hill. Women take up watercolors and form book clubs. Men find loud, if pointless, camaraderie in diners and on village benches all over the country. Hey, old-timer.

"My point is: Who ever expected to spend time wondering if Madison Beer is a beverage honoring a founding father? Who ever expected that one’s social circle would consist of Marie, who does blood work, and an M.R.I. technician named Lou? Who ever expected old age?"

Berkshire Eagle, Seven Days, Vermont Standard, Nantucket paper big rural winners in New England newspaper awards

Slide from awards presentation

The Berkshire Eagle scored big in the New England Newspaper and Press Association awards, which were announced Thursday during the group's semiannual online conference.

The Eagle, of Pittsfield, Mass., was judged the best small daily (less than 9,000 print circulation), with The Keene Sentinel of New Hampshire and the Record Journal of Meriden, Conn., as runners-up. 

The Eagle was judged to have the best editorial, "chastising the Catholic diocese in western Massachusetts for trying to subpoena a reporter's notes which would reveal confidential sources" and calling on legislators to pass a shield law like most other states have to protect reporters. 

And the Eagle won two of NENPA's Publick Occurrences awards, named for America's first newspaper and honoring 13 pieces that were judged to be the best in New England journalism in the past year. The rural or rural-impact winners included the Eagle's reports on nursing homes and hazardous-materials shipments on trains that go through its region; projects by Seven Days of Burlington, Vermont, on child care and the pandemic's impact on housing in the largely rural state; the Lewiston Sun Journal's "Homeless in Maine" series; the Concord Monitor's series on police spending and policies all over New Hampshire; and CT Mirror's "Elder Care Reckoning" series that prompted reforms in Connecticut.

The best small weekly newspaper in New England was judged to be the Vermont Standard of Woodstock, with runners-up the Milton Times of Massachusetts and the St. Albans Messenger of Vermont. The best large weekly (over 4,000 circ.) was the Inquirer and Mirror of Nantucket, Mass.; runners-up were the Martha's Vineyard Times and sister papers in Maine, the Mt. Desert Islander of Bar Harbor the Ellsworth American. The best mid-size daily (circ. 9,000-20,000) was The Day of New London, Conn., with Massachusetts' Daily Hampshire Gazette of Northampton and the Greenfield Recorder runners-up. The Concord Monitor was judged best small Sunday paper.