Disagreement, diversity and a look that 'reflects the face of America better' give the Midwest political power

Candidates from the Midwest 'often bring a kind of approachable, average-American feel to a national ticket.' (Wikipedia and Election press photo)

What makes the nation's upper Midwest different is what makes it an election-year game-changer. "While many other parts of the country have sorted into neat red and blue columns, the big upper Midwestern states continue to sit on the dividing line between the two parties," reports Gerald F. Seib of The Wall Street Journal. "The upper Midwest reflects the face of America better than any other region of the country. . . . And it is populous enough to be decisive in the Electoral College, making it political ground zero."

Midwestern balance and diversity have made some of its regions political "power brokers," Seib explains. "In the latest Wall Street Journal poll, the Midwest overall was the most evenly balanced region of the country, with the two parties essentially tied there in both the presidential race and preferences for control of Congress. . . .The region is much more complicated, demographically and economically than is often assumed."

Politicians who've found success in Midwestern elections have always had to walk a keen tightrope between urban and rural needs while facing a gamut of diversity among other constituents. "At a time when the political split between urban and rural areas has become one of the starkest in the nation, [Midwestern] leaders have to be able to bridge that difficult divide," Seib reports. Candidates who "have successfully navigated the complexity of a big Midwestern state are well prepared to do the same nationally."

On the campaign trail, a Midwestern running mate can make a presidential pairing feel more down-to-earth for voters. Seib writes, "Candidates from the Midwest often bring a kind of approachable, average-American feel to a national ticket. . . . 'They look like and sound like a lot of America,' says Democratic pollster John Anzalone. In this year’s race, that means Vance and Walz nicely offset Trump the New Yorker and Harris of San Francisco."

Do you have a rural story to tell? Here's your chance to yarn for glory, publication and maybe some money.

The Milk House and The Daily Yonder are accepting submissions for their 2024 Best in Rural writing contest and invite authors from across the globe to enter their short stories or essays.

Entries are $5 each and all contestants will receive a code entitling them to $10 off all online writing classes offered by The Milk House. Submission deadline is Sept. 30.

The contest judge will first announce 10 shortlisted entries whose authors may elect to have their submission published by The Milk House in 2025. Afterward, the judge will select the best short story and best essay.

Last year's shortlisted tales included authors from the United States, Canada, Scotland, Ireland and Northern Ireland. The overall winner of the Best in Rural Writing Contest will receive $500, and the runner-up $200. The winner will be announced later this year.

Some fine print: The work must be original and unpublished. By submitting, the author is agreeing to the possibility of The Milk House or The Daily Yonder publishing or promoting the submission if it is selected in the top two. After publication, all rights revert to the author.

Bit of guidance: Submissions should, in some way, be connected to 'the rural.' The manner and extent to which this is done is open to the author and not necessarily limited to rural characters or rural topics.

Quick hits: Canned bread nostalgia; loneliness primer; python teeth inspire improved shoulder repair; fall skies

B&M introduced canned bread to America in 1928.
(Photo by Kaleigh Brown, The Takeout)

Canned bread might fit nicely on a list of non-perishables that are nostalgic and still worth making or buying. "Canned bread's legacy is tied to the survival instincts of early New Englanders," writes Kaleigh Brown for The Takeout. "When the first settlers arrived in Massachusetts, they hoped to grow wheat, but the local climate made it difficult. Instead, they turned to more affordable and resilient grains like rye and corn. . . .Lacking ovens, they steamed their bread over open fires, often using cans as makeshift molds."

Loneliness is a common experience across the United States, but some Americans are more susceptible to the harm long bouts with the emotion can cause. "Loneliness is more than just isolation: It’s the subjective experience of craving more social interaction than you currently have. It isn’t binary, either, and no one is immune," reports Allie Volpe of Vox. "Chronic loneliness has severe negative physical and mental effects. . . . Rather than point to certain populations as explicitly lonely, understanding what increases someone’s risk for loneliness can help address it on a population level."

Python teeth are uniquely curved and sharp, which helps
them grip their prey without tearing. (A.S. photo)

Picking fruit, baling hay and moving or handling food animals can all end in a farmer or farm worker tearing their rotator cuff, which hurts like heck and normally requires shoulder surgery to repair. The surgery is tricky and often fails, which is why a "python-like surgical implant" could help, reports Eric Niiler of The Wall Street Journal. "Medical researchers at Columbia University designed and built a python-tooth-inspired implant to better mend rotator cuff tear. . . . [The snake's] prey-grabbing method was the inspiration for the device."

Failing to have end-of-life discussions can leave important decisions to a time when there is no time. "Morbidity, mortality, and the many grey zones in between are ever-present in healthcare, writes Nidhi Bhaskar for MedPage Today. "I believe it is crucial to equip future physicians with the skills to navigate these conversations, especially in acute situations where time is limited and patient capacity for decision-making can quickly change. . . . Multiple studies have highlighted the positive impact that early exposure to palliative care and end-of-life goals can have on patient satisfaction at the end of life."

Remember to star gaze this fall; there's going to be a lot to marvel at. Mars and Jupiter will be easily visible on Aug. 27 and "will be accompanied by the crescent moon, creating a dazzling pack in the sky, according to NASA," reports Juliana Kim of NPR. If you missed August's super 'blue' moon, don't despair, "next month’s supermoon will be on Sept. 18. It will be a super harvest moon. It’s called a harvest moon because of its proximity to the autumnal equinox: An equinox is when the Earth’s equator is most directly in line with the sun. This supermoon will also undergo a partial lunar eclipse, reports Mansee Khurana of NPR. "The next two supermoons will occur on Oct. 17 and Nov. 15."

When it comes to managing election interference, 'think local.' Elections are run by neighbors, not 'overlords.'

Building community trust in election officials can
help voter confidence. (Adobe Stock photo)

Establishing community trust in election officials and reminding voters how the democratic process happens in their neck of the woods can help counties counter election deniers, conspiracy theorists and overall election intrusions, reports Chris Teale of Route Fifty. "To fight election misinformation, think local. That was the advice from state elections officials and legislators during a panel discussion at the National Conference of State Legislatures’ Legislative Summit."

Election advocates and officials can begin by consistently explaining who runs local elections. Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams told Teale, "It's important to focus on the locality of this because when you see conspiracy theorists, they point to these grand designs of these overlords. . . . But those people don't really run the election. It's your neighbors. It's people that you literally know. It's important to get away from the top-level view of the system and focus on the ground level.”

Chatbots and other AI tools can spread inaccurate candidate and voting information, which states are working to correct; however, local engagement might be the best way to get voters the most current voting dates and information. "It’s crucial for officials to ensure that they are 'trusted voices' in the community disseminating information, said Arkansas State Rep. Carlton Wing," Teale adds. "Showing that the election process is fair is better than telling people it is, Adams said."

Recruiting and training poll workers is another way to protect elections from interference. "Jurisdictions of all sizes need to recruit poll workers, who have left in the face of a variety of obstacles. . . . One way to help prevent any politically motivated attacks on election procedures and build public trust could be to have politicians work the polls, in states where that practice is allowed."

A small town in Texas addresses domestic violence with combined efforts from police, courts and local businesses

The End Domestic Violence Task Force was recognized by the
Rural Justice Collaborative in 2023. (Photo via RHIhub)

The rural community of Kingsville, Texas, developed a task force of combined support from law enforcement, courts and local businesses to help domestic violence victims safely ask for and receive help. The initiative began when "pastors in the Kingsville Ministerial Alliance realized that there were gaps in services and a lack of support for agencies working with victims of abuse," reports Gretel Kaufman for Rural Health Information Hub. "The nearest shelter, operated by regional domestic violence organization The Purple Door, was 50 miles from Kingsville — a distance that proved prohibitive for people without transportation, or whose jobs or school-aged children required them to stay closer to home."

Although domestic violence isn't necessarily an urban or rural problem, rural victims face more challenges in accessing immediate help and ongoing support. "Rates of emergency department visits due to abuse tend to be higher in rural areas — perhaps, experts suggest, because rural survivors tend to have fewer resources available to them to prevent or escape an abusive situation," Kaufman explains. "In some cases, violence escalates beyond hospitalization: homicide due to intimate partner violence is also more prevalent in rural areas, studies have shown."

Once the Kingsville Ministerial Alliance identified the town's resource gaps, it contacted community partners for additional support, "local agencies including The Purple Door, law enforcement, and the county attorney's office came together to form the End Domestic Violence Task Force," Kaufman reports. "A community-wide initiative that provides enhanced support for domestic violence survivors and spreads public awareness of the issue." Kathy Kimball, who serves as President of the task force, told Kaufman, "We are not immune [from domestic violence] being in a small Texas town."

The Task Force also has small business partners, which provide a place for victims to ask for help. "An estimated 15 to 20 businesses and organizations in the community have been designated as 'Trusted Locations' — places where a person experiencing domestic violence can go to confide in someone and learn about their options," Kaufman writes. "To signal that they are a Trusted Location, businesses will typically display a small sticker on their door or in a more discreet location inside."

Additional supportive measures the community's task force has developed include hotel vouchers and court accompaniment options. The task force "asks that anybody who utilizes the hotel voucher program then gets in touch with an advocate at the Purple Door for an explanation of available services," Kaufman reports. "Any person who opts into the court accompaniment program can have a group of task force members sit behind them, on their side of the courtroom, during protective order hearings."

A true fish story: Bringing the brook trout back to a New Hampshire stream took time and collaboration to succeed

Handsome brook trout (Adobe Stock photo)

Bringing brook trout back to a New Hampshire stream took planning, patience and lots of collaboration by Michael and Kathy Nerrie, reports Caroline Tremblay for The Daily Yonder. 

The couple had always sought to improve and share their land known as Distant Hill Gardens and Nature Trail, but reviving the brook trout was a unique challenge. Michael noticed that trout visited the stream at times, but heavy rains interfered. Tremblay explains, "Observing the region’s increasingly extreme weather events, he contacted the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the national non-profit Trout Unlimited. . . . What he discovered was that his plan would only be effective if conducted along a larger section of brook."

Getting access to that larger section took years. Tremblay reports, "Logistical barriers stood in the way. For instance, one abutting parcel had been donated to the Boy Scouts of America, and questions about who in the organization could approve the project hindered progress. Another lot had been passed down by a grandfather and none of the owners lived locally. Nerrie eventually had to track them down on Facebook."

Pool formed by in-stream wood addition
(Photo by John Magee, NHF&G via The Daily Yonder)

Once the land permissions were granted, the "trout welcoming" stream structures were installed. Tremblay writes, "The actual execution entails the strategic placement of logs and debris to slow the stream in key places. 'The whole idea is to create lots of pools and eddies for fish and aquatic life, Michael said. . . . During restoration, Distant Hill held a workshop with the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department for people interested in the project."

The trout tale is one of many emerging stories of "people having a positive impact on nature," Tremblay adds. "Whether focused on environmental impacts, land value, or sheer personal enjoyment, rural landowners like the Nerries are recognizing the myriad benefits of preserving their land’s unique natural qualities. And an increasing number have realized the greatest impact comes from collaboration."

As dairy cows enter the U.S. food chain, many will be tested for the bird flu virus, aka, H5N1

Dairy cows will be the focus of new slaughterhouse
testing for bird flu by the USDA. (Adobe Stock photo)

The Department of Agriculture will boost its bird flu or H5N1 response to U.S. dairy and beef livestock infections by "expanding bird-flu testing of beef entering the food supply," reports Leah Douglas of Reuters. In May, the agency tested 109 beef samples from "dairy cows sent to slaughter and found bird flu virus particles in one cow's tissue sample. Older dairy cattle are often slaughtered for ground beef."

Dairy cows will be the focus of most slaughterhouse testing. "Nearly 200 herds in 13 U.S. states have contracted bird flu since March after the virus jumped from wild birds to cows, according to USDA data," Douglas explains. "Eric Deeble, deputy undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs, said the USDA is confident with the current level of bird-flu testing conducted by the nation's dairy farmers."

Meanwhile, dairy operators and workers are at increased risk of contracting H5N1. To date, 13 poultry and dairy workers have contracted bird flu since April, and workers who might be exposed to infected animals need to wear personal protective equipment.

To further address the virus' presence across the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration is "talking with states about the plausibility of additional nationwide raw milk testing," Douglas reports. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is "working on expanding its surveillance wastewater testing to H5 viruses in advance of the fall and winter flu season."

According to the USDA, U.S. beef and dairy products are safe to consume.

Rural lands are cooler than urban spaces; a study suggests a new way to reduce sizzling urban temperatures

Strategic use of rural land and water bodies could
help cool cities. (Adobe Stock photo)

The heat is on cities to do something about sweltering and unhealthy urban temperatures. Researchers looked at the problem and said, "Rural can cool," and began work on configurations where city heat could be mitigated by country cool, reports Erin Blakemore of The Washington Post. "Rural land surrounding urban areas could reduce city temperatures by up to half a degree Celsius, an analysis in Nature Cities suggests, hinting at a way to cool increasingly scorching urban areas."

Scientists studied 30 cities in China "to understand how rural land cover affects urban heat islands — a phenomenon in which cities become significantly warmer than the areas surrounding them." Blakemore explains. "Researchers concluded neighboring rural land cover can explain about 30 percent of such regions’ effect on urban heat. . . . Air warms in cities, leaving a low-pressure zone near the ground that then helps transport cooler air from surrounding rural areas. The rural areas then go on to absorb the heat."

The study's analysis concluded with specific recommendations on how to "use less dense, less expensive rural land to increase cities’ cooling capacities," Blakemore reports. "Planting woodland around cities and consolidating bodies of water in rural areas are potential ways to cool cities. . . . By better regulating rural land, the researchers suggest, it could be possible to both maintain rural landscapes and boost rural economies while making urban areas cooler and more sustainable."

Postponed: Report for America's information session that was scheduled for today will be held at a later date

Report for America has matched more than 650 corps members with hundreds of local newspapers, public radio stations, digital platforms and television outlets. (RFA photo)

The Report for America information session that was scheduled for 3 p.m. today has been postponed. A make-up date and time will be announced soon. 

Here is information about Report for America's program for journalists interested in participating. 

Report for America is a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms. The organization is adding 50 positions for next year and is encouraging rural and community news organizations to apply for the opportunity to get additional help for their newsrooms.

The Report for America program is designed to help newsrooms report on under-covered issues and communities. As part of the program, RFA pays half of a journalist’s salary the first year, a third of the salary the second year and 20% the optional third year.

According to Report for America, host newsrooms also will receive:
-- Diverse, talented slate of candidates to choose from
-- Local fundraising coaching and resources to help with the news organization’s share of the costs, including the opportunity for no-cost fiscal sponsorship to accept donations
-- Extra training and mentoring for journalists

“We recognize the difficulties modern newsrooms encounter, from recruiting skilled journalists to offering the necessary mentorship and support,” said Earl Johnson, vice president of recruitment and alumni engagement at Report for America. “Partnering with Report for America enables local newsrooms to address critical news gaps, diversify their staff, and foster sustainable local backing within their communities.”

Report for America has matched more than 650 corps members with hundreds of local newspapers, public radio stations, digital platforms and television outlets since its launch in 2017. Nearly $30 million has been raised by local newsrooms with Report for America’s assistance.

The application deadline is Sept. 13. To learn more, visit www.reportforamerica.org.

After its hospital closed, N.C. county works to be the first in the nation to reopen its hospital under ER-only designation

Martin General closed in 2023. (WITN TV photo)

After serving rural Martin County, N.C., for 73 years, Martin General hospital closed its doors, leaving the community's 22,000 residents without a medical care center. Like many rural hospitals across the United States, Martin General had faced shrinking profits and bankruptcy before it closed. But that's not the end of Martin General's story, reports Jaymie Baxley of NC HealthNews. "The county [is working] on a complex plan to resurrect Martin General — a plan that, if successful, could become a blueprint for other rural communities where hospitals have closed."

To make reopening possible, Martin County and hospital officials applied to change Martin General's designation from a full-service hospital to a 'rural emergency hospital,' which means the hospital would offer 24/7 emergency care but give up its inpatient services. Baxley explains, "In exchange, the hospital would receive millions in annual funding from the federal government. . . and be eligible for increased reimbursement rates for some outpatient services covered by Medicare."

But Martin General faced an unusual hurdle to becoming a rural emergency hospital -- it had already closed. Hospitals that had successfully made the switch did so while they were still open, Baxley reports. "Officials in Martin County, however, believe the hospital [could be] reopened using the rural emergency model — something that had not been attempted anywhere else in the nation. . . . Earlier this year, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services confirmed that Martin General could reopen as a rural emergency hospital, clearing the first and arguably most important hurdle in the county’s path."

Martin General's status as a "closed hospital" also means state laws present reopening obstacles. Ben Eisner, interim Martin County manager, told Baxley, “As far as we can tell, this is really the first such situation in the country. Trying to navigate that has certainly been tricky. It’s taken us a number of months to work through some of the regulatory issues of opening a closed hospital as a rural emergency hospital.”

At present, Martin General's resurrection remains a work in progress. "In addition to being the first hospital in the nation to reopen as a rural emergency hospital, Martin General would be the first hospital in the state to receive the designation," Baxley writes. "Because the program is not open to facilities that closed before 2023, it cannot be used to bring back the state’s other shuttered hospitals. . . . But Martin County’s experience could provide a road map for other rural communities facing a similar situation in the future."

Some inflated costs may be going down, but weary Americans can't control the prices of many necessities

When U.S. families sit down to do the budget, some costs
aren't negotiable. (Adobe Stock photo)

As U.S. inflation slowly tracks downward, some painful increases remain difficult for Americans to afford. "Prices for many of the things that are hard to do without are still posting eye-watering increases. Rent and electricity bills are up 10% or more over the past two years, and car-insurance costs are up nearly 40%, according to the Labor Department’s index," report Hariett Torry and Terell Wright of The Wall Street Journal. "Shoppers might be able to trade down from prime steak to cheaper cuts of meat at the supermarket, but they can’t really do the same thing with the water bill."

While some citizens have made grocery store swaps, some have cut "luxuries" such as eating out or trimming kids' extracurricular activities. Still, Americans have costs such as housing, insurance and child care that are at historical highs but are also necessities. "In the Consumer Price Index, shelter costs — a measure of rent and the equivalent cost to homeowners, as well as lodging away from home and household insurance — have risen more than 13% in two years," Torry and Wright explain. "Child care costs have risen 6.4% over the past two years. . . . Because daycare bills can be as big as rent or a mortgage, even a relatively small increase can feel like a lot."

Getting to work to make money often means car ownership and the overhead that goes with it. "The cost of transportation services, which includes vehicle insurance and repair, has jumped more than 18% in the past two years, according to the CPI," the Journal reports. "An increasing number of cash-strapped Americans are choosing to drive without car insurance."

Single mom Jasmine Moore's experiences mirror that of many American workers. "Moore missed a payment on her auto insurance about six months ago. Now her monthly bill has doubled," Torry and Wright add. "She canceled her son’s math tutoring sessions and instead tutors him herself. Instead of Publix, she opts for discount grocery stores and food pantries." Moore told the Journal, "I have middle-class pay, but I feel like I’m lower income.”

Election officials face a sea of stresses and threats; many have retired and left new officials to face the fray

AI and deepfake election intrusions add another layer
to election officials' work. (Adobe Stock image)

In the not-so-distant past, county election officials could expect to register voters and repair voting machines. But in more recent election years, including 2024, their jobs have become overwhelming and at times, dangerous, reports Tiffany Hsu of The New York Times. "Elections officials must multitask as defenders against disinformation. They have been flooded with inane demands for details about their employees, faced harassment campaigns targeted at their female family members, received intimidating letters laced with fentanyl and been subjected to fake threats of bombings and break-ins."

For many long-time officials, the pressure cooker environment pushed them into retirement. The gap retirees left has been filled by officials new to the process at a time when the position is exponentially more complex. Hsu explains, "In Wisconsin alone, the state association of county clerks found that 31 of its 72 members had never administered a presidential election. . . .The remaining officials, many of them overwhelmed and very tired, are once again marshaling their limited resources . . ."

Jazmin Wingert

Despite ongoing struggles that range from budget cuts to poll worker shortages, "elections officials are doing what they can this year to shore up voter trust, setting up fact-checking websites (like in Pennsylvania) and posting refutations on social media (like a Mythbuster Mondays series in North Carolina)," the Times reports. "Jazmin Wingert, the Republican county clerk for Stephenson County in Illinois, took an elections certification course with lessons on combating false narratives and meets nearly monthly with other county clerks to share security resources."

Managing AI and deepfakes is also on election officials' to-do lists. "The technology could also supercharge harassment campaigns," Hsu adds. "Last week, a bipartisan group of secretaries of state wrote to the tech billionaire Elon Musk to urge him to fix his A.I.-powered search assistant, Grok chatbot, saying it provided inaccurate information about ballot deadlines and then failed to correct the mistake for 10 days."

Fracking wastewater is blowing out of old oilwells; the water can mean contaminated groundwater and unusable land

A Permian wellhead surrounded by fracking
equipment. (Adobe Stock photo)

Taking fracking wastewater and injecting it miles underground is the cheapest and most common way to get rid of Texas oilfield used or "produced water," but a new study from Southern Methodist University found that the toxic water may not be staying underground. The study showed "a significant link between wastewater injection and oil well blowouts in the Permian Basin," report Dylan Baddour of Inside Climate News and Carlos Nogueras Ramos of the Texas Tribune. "It’s the first scientific proof of a phenomenon local landowners have long warned was occurring."

To study wastewater injections and blowouts, researchers "examined a January 2022 blowout in Crane County that gushed almost 15 million gallons of brine before it was capped, according to the paper. That would fill about 23 Olympic-sized swimming pools," Baddour and Ramos report. "The study traced the cause of the blowout to a cluster of nine injection wells about 12 miles to the northeast."

The connection between the Permian Basin's briny sprays and fracking wastewater "raises concerns about the possibility of widespread groundwater contamination in West Texas," Baddour and Ramos write. While the Texas Railroad Commission regulates the oil and gas extraction, it has "refrained from putting forth an explanation. . . . The link between injections and surface blowouts has remained unconfirmed, despite widespread suspicions." This recent study, which was published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, "marks a big step forward in scientific documentation."

Attorney Sarah Stogner told Baddour and Ramos, "It just validates what we’ve been saying." Baddour and Ramos add, "For the last three years, Stogner has represented the Antina Cattle Ranch, where dozens of abandoned oil wells have been spraying back to life. Stogner persistently alleged that nearby wastewater injection was responsible. But she couldn’t prove it. . . . Now a scientific consensus is beginning to fall in behind her."

When old wells gush oil wastewater, the land that absorbs the salty mess is at risk. Baddour and Ramos explain, "West Texas ranchers who own land where contaminated water is seeping from underground are beginning to worry it will soon become uninhabitable. . . . Despite those problems, the Railroad Commission approved 400 new disposal wells in the Permian Basin alone in 2021, according to agency documents, and 480 in 2022."

To learn how fracking wastewater can contaminate groundwater, click here.

Opinion: Walz is a hunter, a former soldier, and a 'rural for real' man on the Democratic ticket

Art Cullen

This opinion piece by Art Cullen, editor of the Storm Lake Times Pilot in Iowa, has been gently edited for Rural Blog brevity.

"Kamala Harris and the Democrats do well to have Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on their national ticket as the vice-presidential nominee. He’s rural, for real. Walz has broad appeal in Upper Midwest battleground states, is well-versed in the you-betcha vernacular, and is well-suited in Carhartt with a camo cap. . . . Somehow Walz figured out a way to win a congressional seat in a red district around Mankato and ultimately the governorship.

"Republicans will have a hard time defining the former master sergeant in the Army National Guard as an out-of-control elite liberal. He is an expert marksman, claims he is a better pheasant shooter than his counterpart JD Vance, and suggests that vegetarians should eat turkey since it is not really meat. He hails from West Point, Neb., from whence you can almost see South Dakota, and once got popped for drunk driving as a young school teacher and coach. [He] gave up on drinking under his wife’s advice.

"Walz subscribes to the standard Democratic orthodoxy — pro-choice, supports gay rights, believes in feeding children at school, champions a living wage and backs labor unions. . . Walz favors some gun controls, as Ronald Reagan did. . . . [He's] pretty much your White Midwestern dad dude who coached Mankato West to a state football title.

"As a congressman, Walz was a staunch advocate for ethanol and biodiesel, which creates immense water quality problems in southern Minnesota and Iowa. As governor, he made way for pipelines supported by union pipefitting brethren. As vice president, he could focus attention on rural areas left behind by the bicoastal economic expansion. He could make a difference in trying to reorient agriculture toward a more diverse production system that is resilient against economic and climatic extremes.

"Rural America is more than resentful people in red caps. It’s the complicated challenge of feeding the hungry while not despoiling the richest land in the world. It’s people with ambition and ideas held down for generations by corporate power with little regard for community. Walz gets it. That could be a powerful antidote to the decline of political choice . . .

"Rural communities struggling to survive need an alternative, something other than simply more tax cuts and lousy roads and rivers choking in toxins. . . . The Harris campaign will task Walz with campaigning in Wisconsin, Michigan and western Pennsylvania. . . . Simply having a candidate on the national ticket who actually baled hay under the Nebraska sun should buck us up."

For the first time in decades, the EPA issued an emergency action to move weedkiller off the market

Farm workers can be unaware of Dactha's
use on fields. (Adobe Stock photo)

The popular weedkiller, Dactha, has been removed from U.S. sales floors by the Environmental Protection Agency, which issued an "emergency suspension of DCPA, citing a serious risk to pregnant women and their unborn babies," reports CNN News. Dactha is mostly used as an herbicide to tame weeds in crops such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, kale and onions.

Exposure to DCPA (Dimethyl Tetrachloroterephthalate) can cause fetal thyroid hormone disruption, which can permanently harm an unborn baby's normal development. The National Archives Federal Register reports, "The downstream effects of such hormone [disruptions] in the fetus may include low birth weight and irreversible and life-long impacts to children exposed in-utero, such as impaired brain development and motor skills."

Dactha's maker, AMVAC Chemical Corporation, worked to address the EPA's concerns; however, the "EPA has determined that there is no combination of practicable mitigations under which DCPA use can continue without presenting an imminent hazard," the Federal Register reports. According to CNN, the EPA noted that DCPA may be considered unsafe for 25 days or more after application.

This is the first time in almost 40 years the EPA has taken this type of emergency action. Michal Freedhoff, the assistant administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, noted that "pregnant women who may never even know they were exposed could give birth to babies that experience irreversible lifelong health problems."

Rich rural reporting ditches the cliches and dives into 'rural stories that reflect the full range of rural experience'

Carlson, left, interviews an artist about using eucalyptus
bark for screen printing. (Photo by Joel Cohen via SEJ)

Rural places aren't cliche or boring and reporting on them shouldn't be either. If you're a rural reporter, you already know that part, but what can journalists from all walks of life do to make the diversity of rural Americans come to life for non-rural readers?

First off, ditch the political stereotypes, writes Claire Carlson for the Society of Environmental Journalists. She writes that rural voters are often blamed for "today’s particular brand of right-wing extremism, as embodied by Donald Trump. . . Yet data shows that arrestees from the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection . . . were no more likely to be from a rural area than an urban or suburban location."

Rural folk aren't one-dimensional white Republican-leaning voters any more than city folk are all mindless, liberal Democrats. For reporters who want to get past the cliches, Carlson suggests, "We can start by talking to rural residents about the issues they’re facing rather than only going to the academics and professionals. . . . If you don’t know how to make those local connections, ask your expert sources for suggestions on who from the community you should talk to."

If you want to explore rural life, reporters can "seek out and tell rural stories that reflect the full range of rural experience," Carlson explains. "East Palestine, Ohio, is a good example of this. The 2023 train derailment that spilled hazardous chemicals in this community inundated national headlines. . . . The town became known for its tragedy. But what was this place before a train derailment defined it? None of the stories I read ever told that part of the story." Find that angle. 

"Good and interesting things happen in rural places just as often as in urban ones," Carlson adds. "It’s up to us to tell those stories, too, if only to offer people an understanding of rural America that reflects the nuance and diversity that has always been there."

Rural cancer patients face 'chemotherapy deserts.' Traveling for care means more time and expenses for rural families.

Rural cancer patients are less likely to survive their
diagnosis. (Adobe Stock photo)

One way struggling rural hospitals cut costs is by closing specialized services such as rural cancer care units, which are expensive to staff and run. As more country hospitals have shed cancer care treatment, rural residents face longer drives for treatment and poorer cancer outcomes, reports Charlotte Huff of KFF Health News. Getting cancer treatment for rural Americans wasn't ever easy, but now there are "chemotherapy deserts."

Between 2014 and 2022, 382 rural hospitals ended their cancer treatment services. "Texas led that list, with 57 rural hospitals — nearly half of those statewide that had offered chemotherapy — cutting the service by 2022," Huff writes. "Rural hospitals in states like Texas, which hasn’t expanded Medicaid, have been more likely to close, according to data from the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research."

Living in a chemotherapy desert can have numerous negative outcomes for patients and their families. "Treatments for breast, colon and other common cancers must be administered intravenously inside a medical facility," Huff explains. "Even distances of an hour or two each way can strain patients who already may be coping with nausea, diarrhea and other side effects." Travel costs, alongside a family member taking time off work to drive a cancer patient to treatment, add to the disease's financial strain for rural families.

"Cancer infusions can last as long as eight hours on top of the travel time, causing significant financial and logistical challenges, said Erin Ercoline, executive director of the ThriveWell Cancer Foundation," Huff reports. "The nonprofit provides adult patients with financial assistance, including for gaps in insurance and transportation-related costs."

Even within communities that have financial buffers to help rural cancer patients, distance from care exacts a toll. "Rural patients are less likely to survive at least five years after a cancer diagnosis compared with their urban counterparts, concluded a study co-authored by Lewis-Thames and published in JAMA Network Open in 2022," Huff writes. "While the rural-urban survival gap narrowed over the nearly 40 years researchers studied, the disparity persisted across most racial and ethnic groups."

States work to entice younger people back to rural communities and also attract new residents to live there

Stay Work Play NH's Policy and Pints series at Post and
Beam Brewing. (The Daily Yonder photo)

Some states are using new ways to get younger people to return to or join rural communities and put down roots. "States like Kansas, Nebraska, and New Hampshire are working hard to attract and retain younger generations," reports Caroline Tremblay for The Daily Yonder. The goal of each state's plan is to get previous rural residents to return and to attract new residents. To entice both groups, planners and policymakers have created platforms for conversations where younger people's ideas and voices are valued and used by decision makers.

In rural Kansas, the Kansas Sampler Foundation implemented a "PowerUp" identifier for younger residents "between the ages of 21 and 39ish," Tremblay explains. "A PowerUp is someone who is rural by choice. . . . Many PowerUps KSF has interviewed express wanting a sense of community, especially when it comes to raising kids, and a number have voiced entrepreneurial aspirations."

Nebraska's approach to gaining younger residents is to invite those who left to come home and add their valued gifts to their hometown communities. State activist Megan Helberg "is one of many spreading the message that young Nebraskans should go explore but then bring their greatness back," Tremblay reports. "In 2024, Helberg's senior class had six graduates, all of whom are heading off to college. But 75% are committed to coming back to help with an existing business or start one of their own."

New Hampshire has its own twist on helping younger people look at the state's rural places in a new way called Stay Work Play. The non-profit hosted conversational sessions that took place across the state's colorful brewery scene where state policymakers and planners could hear what younger residents needed to enjoy and stay in New Hampshire. "Unsurprisingly, housing and childcare were high on the list," Tremblay writes. "Stay Work Play is supporting greater investments in the state’s workforce housing fund and advocating for the ability to build smaller units on smaller lot sizes."

Finally Friday's quick hits: The art of butter; fentanyl drug lord captured; Lincoln's words; the traveling candy bar

The iconic 'Butter Lady' with one of her sculptures.
(Photo via The Daily Scoop)

Butter might be the kitchen's hero for sumptuous deserts and sauces, but it's also versatile enough to create sculptured art. The late Norma “Duffy” Lyon, also known as "The Butter Lady," was an icon at the Iowa State Fair, reports Karen Bohnert for The Daily Scoop. "Her creations included just about everything— cows, Garth Brooks, a Harley-Davidson motorcycle and Elvis. Read about the life and times of Duffy Lyon here. 

It seems like no matter which tactics are used, the United States continues to lose its border battle to keep the deadly drug fentanyl from entering the country and killing more Americans. But for all those losses, here's an unusual win. "U.S. authorities fooled Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada into boarding a Texas-bound private plane. There he was taken into custody, alongside Joaquin Guzmán, who is the son of famed drug lord 'El Chapo,'" reports KFF Health News. "Zambada's Sinaloa cartel is believed to be the biggest supplier of fentanyl to the U.S., and the two men were among the top-wanted drug dealers in the world."

While landscapes form the better part of rural imagery, our oceans are just as vast -- full of plants, rock-filled sand and creatures sci-fi stories haven't even imagined. Life's origins might just be emerging from the deep. "In the total darkness of the depths of the Pacific Ocean, scientists have discovered oxygen being produced not by living organisms but by strange potato-shaped metallic lumps that give off almost as much electricity as AA batteries," reports Agence France-Presse of The Guardian. "The surprise finding has many potential implications and could even require rethinking how life first began on Earth."

With words and deeds, Lincoln kept a divided nation
together. (Photo by Caleb Fisher, Unsplash)

Somewhere in almost every politician's playbook are some quotes from Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln became president when the nation was "even more deeply divided than today," writes Donald Nieman for The Conversation. "His ability to make prose poetic resonates across the centuries – making him the obvious source for politicians in times of crisis. . . . One of Lincoln's most quoted aphorisms is his "appeal to 'the better angels of our nature'" from his 1861 inaugural address. Americans from all political walks of life have "invoked the phrase to decry the intractable partisan warfare that has escalated over the past decade and call for a return to civility."

Why do you do what you do? A lot of people might say, "Beats me. . . I'm just trying to get to Friday." Daily life can be tough, but knowing our "why," can make daily living more meaningful, writes Neil Speer for Drovers. "How many times do we find people who are just putting in their time?" Neil suggests using the ideas from Simon Sinek’s book, Start With Why as an antidote to facing life just slogging along. "The book revolves around the question: What’s your why?"

Society of Biology photo

Farming advocate Deb Stroschein used the travels of an American candy bar to show elementary students how food ingredients move across the globe before landing in a neat packages on grocery store shelves.

"I broke down all the ingredients in the candy bar. . . and explained that ingredients can come from plants, nuts, and also from animals. . . .The 'food miles' concept offers a way to study how far food travels. . . . It makes you think about where the food we eat originates. All of the ingredients in this candy bar traveled a total of 30,400 miles to get to the central location. . . .The kids were impressed by that fact." 

Kansas police chief expected to be charged for his role in controversial raid on community newspaper

A police chief who led the controversial raid on a Kansas community newspaper will face a charge of obstructing justice, according to a report by John Hanna of The Associated Press.

Two prosecutors had been investigating the raid at the request of the state attorney general, and they released a report Monday outlining the police chief’s alleged misconduct.

According to Hanna, “Prosecutors Marc Bennett and Barry Wilkerson concluded in their 124-page report that the staff at the Marion County Record committed no crimes before former Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody led a raid on its offices and the home of its publisher. They said police warrants signed by a judge to allow the searches contained inaccurate information from an ‘inadequate investigation’ and that the searches were not legally justified.”

The AP reported that, “Police body camera footage of the 2023 raid on Publisher Eric Meyer’s home shows his 98-year-old mother, Joan Meyer, visibly upset and telling officers, ‘Get out of my house!’ She co-owned the paper, lived with her son and died of a heart attack the next afternoon.”

Hanna wrote, “Prosecutors . . . allege Cody obstructed an official judicial process in the weeks after the raid. He resigned as chief last October.”

Eric Meyer, who will be honored on Oct. 10 at the Institute for Rural Journalism’s Al Smith Awards Dinner in Lexington, Ky., told the AP that “he’s grateful prosecutors found that the newspaper’s staff committed no crimes, though he questioned why it took them a full year. He also expressed frustration that Cody is the only official expected to face criminal prosecution.

“The newspaper’s parent company, Meyer and three current or former staffers have filed federal lawsuits against the city of Marion and current and former local officials, including Cody,” Hanna reported.

Time outside improves kids' overall well-being. 'A simple walk around the neighborhood will do.'

Even visiting a favorite tree can be a source of wonder
for children. (Adobe Stock photo)

Part of the recipe for healthier, brighter and more prosocial children is as simple as taking them outside to play or for exploratory short walks. "The average American today spends nearly 90% of their time indoors," reports Jamie Friedlander Serrano of The Washington Post. Research shows that kids who spend regular time in nature gain physical, emotional and cognitive benefits. Visits outdoors don't need to be long -- just a stroll around the corner or to a neighborhood park can do the trick.

When kids get to spend time outdoors, their brains benefit. "One 2022 systematic review published in the journal Educational Psychology Review looked at various nature-based interventions in 5- to 18-year-olds," Serrano writes. "Researchers found that engaging in nature can improve kids’ working memory and attention."

Time spent hanging out in nature also helps children's mental health, especially for children in need of healing from adverse childhood experiences. "Research has also found that long-term exposure to nature reduces stress and anxiety in children and lowers their levels of aggression," Serrano explains. "One 2023 study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology looked at how making art in nature affected about 100 children in a low-income neighborhood in England. Their confidence, self-esteem and agency all improved."

Stomping on grass, swinging from tree branches or even balancing on a curb while checking out a neighborhood garden or weird-looking weed can help kids develop physical skills. Serrano reports, "Being outdoors goes hand in hand with active play, which can improve physical health and coordination, says Stephen Cook, a spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics."

While technology makes staying inside more entertaining for kids and possibly easier for busy parents, going outside is a healthy part of childhood development. To help parents and caregivers encourage nature excursions, experts give these suggestions:

• You don’t need to visit a national park — a simple walk around the neighborhood will do. 
• Let your love of nature show. Children model what their parents do.
• Put your phone away. It’s important to engage with your children outdoors — don’t just sit and surf your phone while they’re running around.
• Invite other children. It's a prosocial way to engage kids and make trips more memorable.
  

Federal firefighters have 'grueling' jobs for paltry pay; grassroots organizing works to change pay and benefits

Wildland firefighters are considered a 'national resource,'
but many are risking their lives for $15 an hour. (A.S. photo)

Federal firefighters can spend weeks away from home putting out devastating fires while barely making enough money to make ends meet. The mismatch between job demands and pay has caused some firefighters to leave the profession, but other firefighters have organized to change pay and benefits, reports Nathan Pipenberg of Capital and Main. Grassroots Wildland Firefighters "represents a striking example of a growing movement among workers to organize outside the structure of an existing union."

While some new unions start without a broader union's umbrella, GWF is using its members' support to work in tandem with the profession's existing union, the National Federation of Federal Employees, to give the profession a stronger voice. "Firefighters increasingly felt they needed to make themselves heard if they wanted to see change. So far, Grassroots Wildland Firefighters — working alongside NFFE — has proven that point." Max Alonzo, a former firefighter hired by NFFE who helps with legislative plans, told Pipenberg, "I don’t feel like we’d be as far as we are right now if they hadn’t brought national attention to these issues.”

The dual effort is gaining momentum. "When Congress began considering a pay supplement for federal firefighters, whose starting wage is the federal worker minimum of $15 an hour, both the union and Grassroots Wildland Firefighters organized front-line workers to meet with members of Congress and speak at committee hearings and a press conference on the steps of the Capitol," Pipenberg explains. "With pressure came promising results: temporary pay supplements, expiring this September, that currently translate to as much as $20,000 per year. Although it was not the permanent legislation they sought, firefighters saw their starting annual income nearly double, to $51,500."

Even with pay increases, a national discussion about the physical and health risks federal wildland workers endure remains elusive. "The job can be grueling and unusually demanding. Wildland workers are expected to serve as a 'national resource,' available to travel across the country with only a few hour's notice," Pipenberg reports. "Firefighters fell trees, dig fire breaks, and crawl on hands and knees to find hotspots that could ignite. They often sleep outdoors, near the fire and in the smoke."

September will mark the end of the temporary pay supplements, which means the GWF and NFFE continue to lobby. "The groups are pushing for the Wildland Firefighter Paycheck Protection Act, which would make the supplement permanent, and for Tim’s Act, which would raise wages, expand mental health service and offer health insurance to seasonal workers," Pipenberg writes. "Both bills have been introduced in Congress but have made little progress."

Some U.S. consumers 'ditched' restaurants and brand products over prices, but companies aim to win them back

More than 70% of consumers believe they are being
overcharged for food. (Adobe Stock photo)

Eating out or buying groceries has gotten so expensive that some Americans have crossed restaurants and brand food items off their lists. In response to consumer rejection, food makers and restaurants are hawking special prices, improved quality and novel product packaging to woo customers back "to brands they ditched as prices skyrocketed," report Jesse Newman and Heather Haddon of The Wall Street Journal. "Restaurant chains are promoting deals . . . . Food manufacturers are rolling out more discounts and introducing new products, such as 'Star Wars'-themed Oreos."

Efforts by food companies to maintain past revenue gains while lowering prices is a corporate balancing act. Meanwhile, increasing food prices has become a political hot button. "Many consumers and politicians have said they are angry about growing corporate profits while household budgets don’t go as far as they used to," the Journal reports. "Moderators opened June’s presidential debate with a question about sharply higher costs for groceries and housing."

Food executives have repeatedly said U.S. consumers will eventually adjust to higher prices, and emphasized that despite profit increases "they did not gouge consumers and are working to keep prices as low as possible," Newman and Haddon write. "They have said that they need to maintain their profit margins to fund new products and that a number of expenses. . . surged in recent years and have remained high. . . . Still, more than 70% of consumers believe that restaurants, supermarkets and food manufacturers are overcharging. . ."

The word "value" has become restaurants' new mantra. The Journal reports, "Restaurant Brands International’s Burger King and McDonald’s kicked off limited-time $5 meal deals. Inspire Brands’ Sonic sought to one-up its burger competitors by launching a permanent $1.99 menu in July."

While some food companies opt to use lower prices to attract purchases, others are using coupons or product enhancements, such as "fudgier brownies," to get consumers to try their brand again. The Journal adds, "some food executives and analysts have warned that wooing consumers back will be a slow process or require more investments than companies anticipate."

Ultra-processed foods cause poor health outcomes in Americans; researchers look at their link to cognitive decline

Regular servings of hot dogs drizzled with liquid cheese may
be linked to cognitive decline. (Adobe Stock photo)

A big old hot dog, fried salami and a heaping pile of bacon may sound delicious to many Americans, but emerging research shows Americans who regularly consume processed meats are more likely to develop dementia, report Dana G. Smith and Alice Callahan of The New York Times. Processed red meat, which falls under the umbrella of ultra-processed foods, is only one part of a larger dietary equation where the traditional American diet is linked to poor health outcomes and possibly cognitive decline.

The scientists who studied processed red meat consumption "tracked more than 130,000 adults in the U.S. for up to 43 years. During that period, 11,173 people developed dementia," Smith and Callahan explain. "Those who consumed about two servings of processed red meat per week had a 14% greater risk of developing dementia compared to those who ate fewer than three servings per month." Eating unprocessed meat did not "significantly increase the risk for dementia."

Ultra-processed food is often made with ingredients most Americans don't have in their kitchen cupboards. "Products like soy protein isolate, high fructose corn syrup, modified starches, flavorings or color additives," the Times reports. "Many of these foods also have high levels of sugar, fat or sodium, which have long been known to adversely affect health." Soda, breakfast cereals, flavored potato chips, white bread and energy drinks all fall are all ultra-processed, but they "account for about 58 percent of the calories consumed by both children and adults, on average."

As for ultra-processed foods causing dementia, a body of research is growing, which "shows an association between ultra-processed foods and brain health," Smith and Callahan write. "[The studies] cannot prove that the foods directly harm the brain. And not all studies have found a consistent link between ultra-processed food consumption and cognition." Dr. Dong Wang, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, told the Times, "You cannot conclude that if you eat a certain amount of processed red meat, you’ll definitely get dementia. That’s not the case.”

For most people, changing diet habits is process that takes time and patience; however, experts encourage people to move away from a diet dominated by ultra-processed foods. Dr. Karima Benameur, an associate professor at Emory University School of Medicine, told Smith and Callahan, "Even modest changes over time can have an impact, and that’s important because it means it’s achievable." The Times reports, "Rather than trying to eliminate all ultra-processed foods from your diet — what Dr. Benameur calls 'a recipe for failure' — focus on cutting back on some of the worst offenders and replacing them with healthier options."