If you get bitten by a tick, save it -- and other tips for dealing with ticks' ever-spreading presence

Illustration of a tick biting. 
(Art by Sebastian Kaulitzki, Adobe Stock)

What's to like about ticks? They are an important food source for wildlife, such as birds, lizards and bats. What's not to like? For humans, the list is long. 

Ticks can carry and spread more than 12 different "disease-causing agents including toxins, allergens, bacteria, parasites and viruses," reports Pien Huang of NPR. Across the U.S., some 31 million people are bitten by ticks every year.

Although not every tick bite ends in disease, many do. "Most reported cases of vector-borne disease (including mosquitoes) come from ticks, which can carry pathogens with terrible consequences," Huang explains. "Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne disease in the U.S., estimated to affect more than 470,000 people each year."

When it comes to ticks, working to avoid contact is the first line of defense; however, knowing what to do if you find one attached or have suspicious symptoms such as a rash is just as important.

If you find a tick attached, remove it immediately, but place it in a plastic bag or container it can't escape. Huang writes, "Identifying some key information about the tick can help determine your risks. That includes what kind of tick it is, whether it's in the nymph or adult stage and how long it's been feeding on you." 

The University of Rhode Island's website contains tick identification tools and instructions on how to submit the tick's photo to a tick-tracking expert.

An engorged deer tick. (CDC photo)

The ever-growing list of diseases ticks carry often depends on geography, although warming temperatures have led some tick species to spread into new regions. "In the past 20 years, scientists have discovered at least seven new tick-borne pathogens in the U.S.," Huang reports. "The mid-Atlantic recently saw its first fatal case of Heartland Virus."

For people heading outdoors, Huang provides this tick-avoiding guidance from CDC experts:

• Do careful and frequent tick checks on yourself and your family members and pets.
• If you're hiking, it helps to stay in the middle of a well-maintained trail, since ticks tend to hang out in the shrubs and foliage around the edge.
• Treat outdoor clothing with permethrin, a chemical similar to chrysanthemum extracts that stops ticks from biting.
• Additionally, treat your exposed skin with EPA-registered insect repellents containing DEET, picardin, or other active ingredients that deter ticks. (Use the EPA's search tool to find one that works.)

Opinion: Farming is often about tradition, but helping new farmers find their footing will take intention and sharing

Stamm suggests that younger farmers 
need a place at today's table.

In a world full of new looks and new technology, Samantha Stamm for Hoard's Dairyman gives voice to the old souls who love farming and cherish pieces from the past. She considers how the next generation of farmers can begin to fill the boots of today's farmers -- as costs are high and living off of the land can be filled with uncertainties.

"There’s a quiet pride in holding onto something meaningful – whether it’s the well-worn flannel or the values stitched into it," Stamm writes. "I feel that same kind of pride about my agricultural lifestyle, but sometimes, it’s hard not to feel like the odd one out."

Many young people leave their small towns, go to school and don't return. "Many of my peers seem eager to move on to bigger and better things," Stamm explains. "Maybe they don’t see the value in staying, or maybe no one ever took the time to show them what’s worth keeping, or maybe, and more likely, it’s just not feasible for them in that stage of life."

How will the legacy of American farming be shared? "That’s what’s really been on my mind. Our grandparents and mentors carry a lifetime of knowledge but passing it on takes more than just being around – it takes intention," Stamm writes. "If we want the next generation to care, we also must be willing to make room for them, to hand them a post driver and not just a lecture."

As the average age of U.S. farmers continues to climb, who will farm next should be a burning question. "There’s a gap once folks age out of 4-H or FFA but still aren’t yet landowners or legacy holders," Stamm adds. "That 'middle space' – the 20s, 30s, and even 40s – is where the real make-or-break moments happen. It’s when people are trying to find stability, maybe raise a family, lease their first pasture, or buy used equipment. But this age group often gets forgotten when it comes to support systems and resources."

Creating the changes newer farmers need to flourish is a work in progress. "It’s going to take intentional effort – from mentors to make room at the table, and from us middle-grounders to keep showing up, asking questions, and learning where we can," Stamm writes. "Because if we’re lucky, one day we’ll be the ones passing something down and we’ll need someone ready to listen."

Samantha Stamm

Samantha Stamm is the 2025 Hoard’s Dairyman editorial intern. She co-owns and manages an Angus seedstock and commercial cow-calf operation with her family in northeast Kentucky. Stamm earned a master's degree in agricultural communications from Oklahoma State University and a bachelor's degree in agribusiness with a dual major in animal science from Morehead State University.

Proposed $7 billion Purdue settlement advances; leaves Sacklers exposed

Adobe Stock photo

Since last July when the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the Purdue Pharma opioid bankruptcy agreement, negotiation has continued. The latest offer from the Sackler family may have enough support from stakeholders to stick.

"OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma’s latest plan to settle thousands of lawsuits over the toll of opioids could soon move forward after every U.S. state involved agreed to it," reports Geoff Mulvihill of The Associated Press. U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Sean Lane "is being asked to clear the way for local governments and individual victims to vote on it next."

If Lane moves the agreement forward, impacted parties have until Sept. 30 to vote "on whether to accept the deal, which calls for members of the Sackler family who own the company to pay up to $7 billion over 15 years," Mulvihill explains. Roughly $6.5 billion of the settlement will be taken from the Sackler's wealth, and "potentially more than $850 million would go directly to individual victims."

The biggest change the reworked plan offers is that it does not guard Sackler family members from civil liability suits related to the opioid crisis. Groups that reject this settlement can continue litigation against Sackler family members. Mulvihill adds, "Under the plan, the Sackler family members would give up ownership of Purdue."

The $7 billion the Sacklers have put on the table pales in comparison to their exposure. Mulvihill reports, "The settlement is a way to avoid trials with claims from states alone that total more than $2 trillion in damages. Thousands of local governments and other groups have also sued Purdue."

While the settlement is an attempt to hold the Sackler family accountable for its part in the prescription drug crisis, the family will remain exceptionally wealthy and will continue to run its global pharmaceutical company, Mundipharma, which operates in the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany and Singapore. 

Trump officials reverse pause in ICE raids targeting farm, service workers

A seasonal migrant worker carries fruit in Michigan.
(Photo via The Conversation, CC)

In an abrupt about-face from last week's guidance that paused Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids on farms, restaurants and meatpacking facilities, Trump officials reissued their call for ICE to enter any business where undocumented migrant workers might be found.

"Officials from ICE, including its Homeland Security Investigations division, told agency leaders in a call Monday that agents must continue conducting immigration raids at agricultural businesses, hotels and restaurants," report Carol D. Leonnig, Natalie Allison, Marianne LeVine, and Lauren Kaori Gurley of The Washington Post.

The see-sawing instructions reflect the tough reality of supporting American farmers and service workers all the while pushing ICE to arrest thousands of undocumented workers a day. Leonnig writes, "Some immigration experts say ICE would need to ramp up worksite enforcement to meet the administration’s ambitious arrest quotas. Past raids at meatpacking plants, for instance, have led to hundreds of arrests at once."

Even among President Trump's officials, the two sides pull against each other. "White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said last month that the administration wants ICE to make a minimum of 3,000 arrests a day," the Post reports. "Brooke Rollins, the agriculture secretary, meanwhile was on the opposite side of the issue, stressing to Trump the concerns that those in the farming industry had raised about losing workers."

On Sunday evening, Trump pulled away from his farming and service worker exemption stance and "made a post on his Truth Social account that he said amounted to an order for ICE officials 'to do all in their power to achieve the very important goal of delivering the single largest Mass Deportation Program in History,'" Leonnig adds, "which he said would require them to 'expand efforts to detain and deport Illegal Aliens in America’s largest Cities.'"

On Monday, Tricia McLaughlin, an assistant secretary for DHS, told reporters, “There will be no safe spaces for industries who harbor violent criminals or purposely try to undermine ICE’s effort. Worksite enforcement remains a cornerstone of our efforts to safeguard public safety, national security and economic stability.”

Analysis: Consumer utility bills may climb as data centers get special deals

Getty Images Plus image via The Conversation, CC

At a time when U.S. consumers are getting squeezed from all sides, the idea that average Americans may pay higher electric bills so mega-companies such as Google and Meta can get special discounts for their energy-guzzling data centers may sound unfair, but it could be true, write Ari Peskoe and Eliza Martin in their story for The Conversation.

"In our paper Extracting Profits from the Public, we explain how utilities are forcing regular ratepayers to pay for the discounts enjoyed by some of the nation’s largest companies," they write. “And [we] identify ways policymakers can limit the costs to the public."

While most utilities are sanctioned monopolies, their foundation lies in shared costs. "Splitting the utility’s costs among all consumers made perfect sense when population growth and economic development across the economy stimulated the need for new infrastructure," Peskoe and Martin write. "But today, in many utility service territories, most of the projected growth in electricity demand is due to new data centers.

When data centers are the impetus for a utility having to build more supporting infrastructure, the normal way power utilities pay for their expansion no longer works. They explain, "If state regulators allow utilities to follow the standard approach of splitting the costs of new infrastructure among all consumers, the public will end up paying to supply data centers with all that power."

A Meta data center in Louisiana provides a good example. "By our calculations, [the center will use] twice as much energy as the city of New Orleans," Peskoe and Martin add. "Entergy, the regional monopoly utility, is proposing to build more than $3 billion worth of new gas-fired power plants to meet the data center’s energy demand. … Entergy is proposing to include the costs in rates paid by all customers."

Instead of billing Meta $3 billion for its infrastructure needs, Entergy is working on a separate contract with Meta, with rates the general public won't see. Peskoe and Martin write, "Entergy has asked state regulators to keep key terms of the contract secret, and only a redacted version of its application is available online."

The fact that there are many secret deals isn't much of a secret; however, what's in the deals remains protected. "Our research, reviewing nearly 50 public utility commission proceedings about data centers’ power needs across 10 states, uncovered dozens of secretive contracts between utilities and data centers," Peskoe and Martin explain. "Unlike Louisiana, most states require utilities to submit to the public utility commission their one-off deals with data centers, but they allow utilities to conceal the pricing terms from the public."

Is anything being done to address the issue? "Many state legislatures are noticing these problems and working to figure out how to address them," they add. "Several recent bills would set new terms and conditions for future data center deals that could help protect the public from data center energy costs."

Kraft Heinz opts to remove artificial dyes by end of 2027

Green and blue colors will be harder for 
 the company to recreate. (Kraft Heinz image)

After decades of use, Kraft Heinz is "ditching artificial dyes," reports Jesse Newman of The Wall Street Journal. "The move comes as the Trump administration is pushing to strip artificial dyes from the U.S. food supply." Kraft Heinz aims to remove the dyes from products including Crystal Light, Heinz relish, Kool-Aid, Jell-O and Jet-Puffed products before the end of 2027. 

Although the U.S. has been monitoring color additives in commercial products since the 1880s, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. "has blamed artificial colors and other food additives for a litany of health problems, and said that they are poisoning American children," Newman writes. And while many food conglomerates have defended dyes as safe, "some are working to phase out or limit their use of dyes, including PepsiCo and cereal maker WK Kellogg."

Switching to natural dyes will be relatively easy in some Kraft Heinz products, but recreating greens and blues will be more difficult. "The company said it would replace those with other colors," Newman explains. "In products where color isn’t critical, Kraft Heinz will remove them entirely."

Pedro Navio, who heads the company's North American sector, told the Journal, "The vast majority of our products use natural or no colors, and we’ve been on a journey to reduce our use of [artificial] colors across the remainder of our portfolio."

The Food and Drug Administration, which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services, said this spring "that it aimed to work with the food industry to remove six synthetic dyes by the end of next year," Newman adds. "Kraft Heinz also said it would no longer use artificial colors in new products in the U.S."

Quick hits: Timely 'Star Wars' series; U.S.A.-made shoes; modern Appalachian cooking; incarcerated firefighters

The Star Wars franchise might begin and end in "a galaxy far, far away," but its newest series 'Andor' serves up some close-to-home conflicts. "Migrant farm workers sweating visa status amid amped-up immigration enforcement. Aggressive strip mining of the land without consideration of local communities.  … Rising disregard for due process and human rights," writes Adam B. Giorgi for The Daily Yonder. "Various installments in the franchise have been associated with or said to draw inspiration from then-contemporary concerns, including the Vietnam War, the Cold War, and the American invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. But it’s arguably never been more timely or effective than it is in 'Andor.'"

Keen moved part of its production back to the U.S.
(Keen photo via BBC North America)

High tariffs are one tool the Trump administration has put in place to try to stimulate American manufacturing growth, but even as those costs hit the U.S. market, the question remains, "How can the U.S. reinvent its manufacturing sector in today's global economy?" While U.S. factories look different now than they did in the 1970s, it can be done. Family-owned Keen Footwear located outside of Louisville, Ky., is showing the way, reports Michelle Fleury of BBC North America. "With just 24 employees on site, the factory relies heavily on automation — sophisticated robots that fuse soles and trim materials — underscoring a transformation in how goods are made today."

If it feels like life needs a reset or even an "undo" button, heading outside may be the answer. "Nature can save us from a world gone mad," writes Dana Milbank of The Washington Post. "I hiked the Appalachian Trail, and it fixed my brain. … I wandered happily along the trail spotting the colors of the forest in spring: the red columbine, the lavender wild geranium, the lacy maple-leaf viburnum. … I found myself talking back to the birds that seemed to be following us."

Pharmacist Jan Brandenburg shares her
Appalachian roots in her new cookbook.

Sometimes sharing recipes from home is the best way to showcase what your region is all about. For Jan Brandenburg of Kentucky, home is Appalachia, where she learned to love cooking, baking and science. "Today, after nearly 40 years as a practicing pharmacist, Brandenburg has published The Modern Mountain Cookbook: A Plant-Based Celebration of Appalachia, a tribute to her Eastern Kentucky roots and a vibrant exploration of how food — like medicine — can nourish, heal and connect," report Dana Cox and Rosa Mejia-Cruz for UKnow. "Brandenburg often finds herself offering guidance to patients … not just on medications, but on food choices, too. And she's just as happy to share recipes."

Seeing and smelling my mom's homemade yeast rolls rising in a warm oven, getting a nose-full of Grandma's mildewy basement where I used to fetch canned tomatoes, hearing the old Gordon Lightfoot song my dad played until everyone had it memorized. Those are all distinct experiences with memories and feelings attached to them. According to social psychologist and researcher Chelsea Reid, that feeling — nostalgia — is good for us. Reid explains in her story for The Conversation, that "sentimental longing for treasured moments in our personal pasts is linked to our well-being and feelings of connection with others … triggered by sensory stimuli such as music, scents and foods, nostalgia has the power to mentally transport us back in time."

A line of ARC-supported firefighters head off to battle a blaze. 
(ARC photo via Civil Eats)

When people think of firefighters, they don't also think about prisoners, but that's what some firefighters are, and just like non-incarcerated firefighters, they need care, too. "As hurricane-force winds caused wildfires to raze entire neighborhoods in Los Angeles County, more than 7,500 firefighters risked their lives. … Among them were an estimated 1,100 inmates from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation," reports Nadra Nittle of Civil Eats. "Sam Lewis of the Anti-Recidivism Coalition discusses why good meals, better pay, and post-release support could transform the future for incarcerated firefighters — and why society should see their humanity."

Trump pauses raids on farms, service businesses, but many sweeps continue

Strawberry pickers in Plant City, FL. (Adobe Stock photo)

Some immigrants who have continued work at farms, restaurants, hotels and meatpacking plants have been swept up during Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids, report Ted Hesson and Marisa Taylor of Reuters. A senior Trump official familiar with the situation said President Donald Trump "was not aware of the extent of the enforcement push and 'once it hit him, he pulled it back.'"

"Trump's administration has directed immigration officials to largely pause raids," Hesson and Taylor write. "The order to scale back came from Trump himself … and appears to rein in a late-May demand by top White House aide Stephen Miller for more aggressive sweeps."

Last week's instructions limiting raids "still allows for investigations into serious crimes such as human trafficking," Reuters reports. Democrats called on the White House to pull back on ICE's "aggressive tactics. … Some Republican lawmakers have called on the administration to focus on criminal offenders."

Most American agriculture, including dairy and farm animal care, is supported by migrant workers. Hesson and Taylor add, "U.S. farm industry groups have long wanted Trump to spare their sector from mass deportations, which could upend a food supply chain dependent on immigrants."

The United Farm Workers union remains "skeptical the new directive will help workers without legal status," Reuters reports. "The group said it had calls from members about immigration arrests even after the new directive was issued."

On Friday, UFW issued a stern response to Trump's Thursday order to pause farm raids: "Many companies stayed closed today due to the presence of roving federal agents, especially Border Patrol. … As long as Border Patrol and ICE are allowed to sweep through farm worker communities making chaotic arrests … they are still hunting down farm workers."

Microgrant deadline extended for reporting on opioid settlement funds

Reporting on Addiction, a collaborative movement staffed by media professionals working to address addiction, is extending its deadline to apply for 2025 microgrants for journalists reporting on opioid settlement funds in Kentucky, Maine, New Jersey or New York.

June 20 is the new deadline. Apply here.

As billions in opioid settlement funds enter the U.S. economy, how that money will be spent is unclear. Especially for individuals, families and communities touched by the opioid and fentanyl crisis, having journalists who use their investigative skills to follow who spends the money and on what is of vital importance. Watchdog reporters are needed as a primary, trustworthy source for people who want to hold public officials accountable for how these funds are used to address the addiction crisis.

To support this vital journalistic effort, Open Society Foundations is partnering with Reporting on Addiction to offer four microgrants ($500–$1,000 each) for journalists reporting in Kentucky, Maine, New Jersey and New York to investigate how opioid settlement funds are being allocated and spent.

Grants will support long-term reporting that help your audience understand the opioid settlements and show them where and how funds are being spent. Priority will be given to submissions focused on:

• Spending (or a lack of spending) related to evidence-based prevention, addiction, harm reduction, treatment and/or recovery.
• Issues with waste, fraud, abuse, or mismanagement of opioid settlement funds.
• Incorporating the perspectives of impacted community members.
• Helping communities understand the spending decision-making process (or lack of process).

Story pitch requirements: Pitches can be for any platform, print, digital, radio, television, podcast, etc. Freelancer submissions are welcome, but must have a letter of support from a publisher.

Grant awardees will receive free training: Awardees must agree to attend two virtual Reporting on Addiction trainings, share their final story, and have a commitment from a newsroom editor to publish their reporting by Feb. 1, 2026. Freelancers should secure a publication commitment before applying and supply supporting documentation.

U.S. Forest Service chief says it is ready for fire season; some staff disagree

USFS Chief Tom Schultz talk with Region 4 employees in Utah.
 (USFS photo via Route Fifty)

Despite shedding 5,000 employees in early 2025, the United States Forest Service leadership feels sufficiently staffed for this year's wildfire season, which started near the beginning of June, peaks in mid-summer and trickles down in late October. "USFS says it’s ready for fire season after asking separated employees to come back," reports Eric Katz for Route Fifty. "But employees say the losses have been 'crippling.'"

U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz admitted that staffing cuts and retirements had left shortages "though he said efforts to bring some of those employees back to work and shift others around to fill 'critical positions' will ensure its readiness," Katz explains. At a Senate Appropriations Committee meeting, Schultz reassured lawmakers that USFS is prepared.

While 2025 USFS staffing levels for firefighters and some deployment teams are comparable to those from 2024, they are just two parts of the operation. An entire team of fire experts, or "red card" holders, support firefighters behind the scenes, and both firefighters and red card holders "depend on support personnel who have left the agency in large numbers," Katz reports. USFS employees who actively fight fires rely on support staff for paychecks, supply purchases and contract management.

Schultz told Senate members that 1,400 [red card] employees will return for the upcoming fire season. He added that the USFS had "reassigned between 600 and 700 employees to move laterally to serve in critical areas," Katz writes. Schultz didn't comment on which areas would supply staff for the lateral move.

Even with the return of experienced key personnel, some active USFS firefighters don't think it will be enough. One firefighter told Katz, "We are not ready. The institutional knowledge of older people who left and the numbers of skilled people who left from all disciplines is crippling.”

Steve Guitierrez, a long-time federal firefighter who represents his colleagues through the National Federation of Federal Employees, told Katz, "I find it difficult to make that without all those employees that we will be fully staffed for this fire season. We were already low on numbers to begin with.” 

Cooling off from summer sizzle will cost nearly 4% more this year

A hose may be the cheapest way to cool off
this summer. (Photo by J. Tyson, Unsplash)

Summer sun and heat might be good for beachgoers, but climbing summer temperatures will mean spiking power bills for U.S. consumers. Reasons for ballooning energy costs include higher natural gas prices, grid upgrade costs passed on to utility customers and increased domestic demand.

"Electricity prices across the country have increased 4.5% in the past year, topping the 2.2% jump in the price of groceries," reports Jennifer Hiller of The Wall Street Journal. "Consumer prices rose 2.4% in May from a year earlier."

Whether U.S. consumers flip on fans or crank the air, most will pay roughly 4% more "because of a jump in natural gas prices, the largest source of power generation," Hiller explains. "Natural gas deliveries to power plants will cost about 50% more from June through September than last year."

That's painful. "The higher bills are putting a strain on the wallets of consumers who are already stretched thin by rising costs for food, shelter and insurance," Hiller writes. "The average household power bill will reach $784 for the combined period from June to September."

Many Americans started the summer months already behind on their electrical bills. "Mark Wolfe, the executive director at the National Energy Assistance Directors Association, said one of every six U.S. households is behind on their electricity or natural gas bills," Hiller reports. "Customers owed gas and electric utilities more than $24 billion in late payments as of March."

Despite the pinch consumers are bound to feel, several utility companies are asking regulators to approve rate increases. "In Florida, NextEra Energy’s Florida Power & Light is asking regulators to let it increase rates between 1% and 5% a year through 2029," Hiller adds. "About $9.3 billion in additional electricity costs will begin trickling down to customers in the PJM Interconnection, the country’s largest grid operator and wholesale electricity market."

In some markets, AI data centers are "stressing the grid." In other places, increased demand is partially driven by electric vehicles. "Across the U.S., the growing pains are sparking fights over how to pay for upgrades and costs," Hiller reports. "The power industry also warns that a rollback of the clean-energy tax credits offered under the Inflation Reduction Act would push electricity prices higher, too."

Parents of agriculture graduate ready to 'turn her loose' on their 4,500-acre farm

Paige Pence, middle, with her parents Brent and Christine
(Photo by Matthew J. Grassi, Farm Journal)

Some people were born to be wild, some were born to run, and others were born to farm. Paige Pence from New Carlisle, Ohio, falls in the latter category. 

This summer the Western Illinois graduate will get an "entirely new learning experience," reports Matthew J. Grassi for Farm Journal. Her parents plan to "turn her loose" on their 4,500-acre farm to see what managing agriculture is all about.

Pence, 22, just graduated with a bachelor's degree in agricultural science partnered with a minor in animal science, which gives her a leg up on farming book smarts. But at her family's farm, she'll be hands-on. "Paige [will] get her feet wet running the farm’s fleet of equipment and pitching in wherever she can leave her mark," Grassi writes. "She’ll be shouldering a healthy load of farm duties, with her parents guiding her along the way."

While some farm families struggle to find a way to keep their farms in the family, the Pences have a plan. "Meeting with the family, you can tell right from the jump Brent and Christine are thrilled to get their daughter back," Grassi adds. "Through sheer perseverance and with some help from friends, neighbors and family, they've built an impressive operation to one day pass down to their only child."

As Paige finished her final year at college, she felt ready to head back to the farm. She told Grassi, "During my senior year it started to hit me that I was ready to go home … and start making the changes that were going to help our family.”

Even though Brent and Christine aren't planning to retire anytime soon, Paige is content to be on the farm learning how to manage it. She told Grassi, “I have always grown up around farming, so I don’t see myself ever leaving. There are always different things that need to be done, and aside from showing [livestock] over the last decade, I’ve always been around helping out. I don’t see myself moving anywhere else. I feel like everything I need is right here.”

Rural residents may become 'unintended victims' of end to PBS, NPR funding

Many smaller stations don't have enough private
funders to survive without federal support. (Adobe photo)

Update: In a narrow vote largely split along party lines, the House voted 214 to 212 to rescind $1.1 billion "allocated to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which distributes nearly all of the funds to local television and radio stations, for the next two fiscal years," report Deirdre Walsh and David Folkenflikof NPR. "Two key Republican lawmakers switched their votes from 'no' to 'yes' to push it over the finish line."

Federal Corporation for Public Broadcasting funding remains on the chopping block as U.S. lawmakers continue wrangling the pros and cons of yanking back the $535 million already approved by Congress for 2026 and 2027. In late May, President Donald Trump issued an executive order calling for an end to any future support for NPR and PBS because he believes "taxpayer funding of NPR’s and PBS’s biased content is a waste."

As the political battle continues, smaller stations are worried they will become the "unintended victims of national culture wars," reports Andrew Mercein for Columbia Journalism Review. The cuts would likely end radio stations in places such as Wrangell, Alaska, where many of the borough's 2,127 residents rely on its local radio station, KSTK, “for emergency information, rescue coordination, updates from local officials, and advice on accessing essential services."

KSTK’s general manager, Cindy Sweat, told Mercein, "If CPB funding disappears, I don’t know how we’d survive."

Should lawmakers approve the cuts, they are "unlikely to do the most damage to the networks they are aimed at," Mercein explains. "The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is legally required to distribute nearly 70% of government funds directly to local stations, and each station retains full editorial control. …Local stations rely on the federal government for as much as 50% of their annual budgets."

Some lawmakers are pushing against the cuts. Earlier this week, Rep. Mark Amodei (R-Nev.) and Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.), who co-chair the Public Broadcasting Caucus, issued "a joint statement saying, 'Rescinding this funding would also isolate rural communities, jeopardizing their access to vital resources they depend on. [While public broadcasting] represents less than 0.01% of the federal budget, its impact reaches every congressional district,'" reports Aris Folley of The Hill.

Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) also voiced his support for CPB. He told Folley, "You go to rural America, public television is how you get emergency broadcasting and all that kind of stuff. I look at Idaho Public Television, they’re a great organization, and we don’t see the politics that some states do in them." Folley reports, "Simpson added that he still intended to support the package if it comes to the floor."

Amodei and Goldman pointed out that rural broadcasting stations face more private fundraising challenges than stations in more populated areas. Folley reports, "Amodei and Goldman said in the new statement that “of the 544 radio and television stations that receive federal funding, 245 serve rural communities and collectively support more than 5,950 local jobs.'”

Some public media advocates and stations believe the House will vote on the "claw back bill" that includes cutting PBS and NPR funding as early as tomorrow. 

OPINION: Veterans should not have to prove poverty to 'qualify' for disability payments

Carroll Davis Jr. is a U.S. Marine Corp veteran and adjutant with the Disabled American Veterans Department of Mississippi. A new budget might change his benefits. (Photo by R. Solis, AP Via DY) 

As Congress searches for ways to pay for the massive tax cuts included in the One Big Beautiful Bill, the Congressional Budget Office has proposed cutting disability payments to U.S. Veterans who make too much money. "America is inching toward means-testing for disabled veterans benefits," writes Christy White in her opinion for The Daily Yonder. "We shouldn’t treat our honorably discharged military personnel like beggars."

Current VA guidelines for disability benefits do not consider a veteran's finances. "Benefits are a direct result of a service-related illness or injury," White writes. Means-testing would examine a veteran's "wages and other income to be considered eligible. … If the government determines they have the 'means' to pay for necessities … they don’t get the benefit."

She believes changes to disability payments could upend veteran income and trickle down to economic difficulties for rural regions. White explains, "There are almost five million disabled U.S. military veterans, and roughly two million of them are Appalachian residents. … How many of our kin folk may be affected by harmful means-testing? Encouraging financial success among veterans should be the goal, not penalizing them for achieving it."

White says asking veterans to prove a "lack of means" to receive military disability payments fails to honor the relationship the U.S. government has with its servicemen and women. She writes, "The suggestion that 'wealthier' veterans should not receive full compensation fails to acknowledge the contractual obligation between them and the U.S. Government; that when they sign up to serve, they are told they’ll be taken care of."

Even as the CBO argues that means-testing veterans’ benefits saves taxpayer dollars, it "ignores the fundamental nature of disability compensation — that it is a payment for service-related injuries, not a poverty relief measure," White writes. "Russell Vought is the director of the OMB. . . . [He] believes that disabled veterans should not be compensated for negative health effects caused by exposure to burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan."

Despite progress toward universal affordable, high-speed broadband, the rules change again

Photo by S. Dhage

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) on June 6 announced changes to the federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program. Stakeholders have "expressed both outrage and optimism as states search for answers on a path forward," reports Chris Teale of Route Fifty.

Teale writes that the NTIA says its changes aim to "remove regulatory burdens, lower costs and make it technologically neutral."

The government "gave states 90 days to comply," Teale writes. "During that time, they will also have to conduct what NTIA called an additional 'Benefit of the Bargain Round' of subgrantee selection that it said would permit all applicants to compete on a level playing field." 

The latest reforms for the $42.5 billion program work to shift its focus away from restricting state options. "NTIA said it would adopt a 'tech-neutral approach to BEAD, having previously expressed a preference for fiber," Teale explains. "Rules around workforce development, climate and environmental impacts have also been rescinded, as has the approval for Delaware, Louisiana and Nevada’s final plans."

Among the trio of states that already had fully approved plans, Delaware's state broadband office reported it was "reviewing" the new guidance, while Nevada's U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen said "she would block the nominations of any Commerce Department appointees that oversee or deal with broadband until the state gets its funding," Teale reports. Louisiana's broadband offices have yet to respond. Several states are taking Delaware's lead and say they are in the process of reform review.

Sen. Jacky Rosen

While some politicians and the Internet & Television Association have hailed the changes as a better path forward, "many outside groups have criticized the new BEAD rules," Teale reports. "Jessica Dine, a policy analyst at New America’s Open Technology Institute, said in a statement the new guidance from NTIA 'creates a confusing, last-minute mess of changes. By forcing a rebidding process on an incredibly short timeline, the new policy notice is, in effect, undoing all of the states’ work on their bidding processes so far.'"

The statement by Nevada's Rosen was by far the most outspoken. She said, "I’m beyond outraged that the Trump Administration has moved the goal post yet again. This decision will put Nevada’s broadband funding in jeopardy, and it’s a slap in the face to rural communities that need access to high-speed internet.”

Marfa, Texas, may be small, but it has a big newspaper success story

Co-owner Max Kabat keeps the cafe stocked with Big Bend 
Sentinel newspapers. (CBS video clip)

Like many rural newspapers in towns off the beaten path, The Big Bend Sentinel didn't make a lot of money. But that didn't make it any less important. The paper had been serving up local news for tiny Marfa, Texas, in far west Presidio County, for nearly a century. 

When the Sentinel's owners decided to sell the paper, they were lucky and smart. "Maisie Crow and Max Kabat had moved to Marfa from New York City in 2016 in search of community," reports Janet Shamlian of CBS News. "Then, in 2019, the paper's owners approached them about buying it. They said they had never considered it before." Kabat told her, "A newspaper found us. We didn't go and search out to find the newspaper."

Crow had worked with local news outlets as a documentary filmmaker, and both she and Kabat knew how unforgiving the newspaper business could be. Shamlian reports, "The couple knew it would be tough to keep the paper afloat without another source of revenue. That's when they became unlikely restaurateurs."

Location of Presidio County, TX
(Wikipedia map)

The couple opened a cafe to add revenue to support their newspaper's bottom line. Crow openly admits that the coffee shop is the biggest money maker. She told Shamlian, "I don't think it would surprise anyone that the large majority of the revenue comes from the coffee shop, the restaurant, and the home goods that we sell."

When Crow and Kabat took over the Sentinel, it had four employees. It now has nearly 20. Shamlian adds, "It's one of Marfa's biggest employers."

Despite its small size, the town is a tourist location, which helps the business, but it's the local support that keeps the paper going. Presidio County Attorney Blair Park told CBS News, "The other news outlets [are] not really concerned about what's going on in Marfa. So if it wasn't for this newspaper, we wouldn't be seeing our local, community news anywhere."

A vodcast and story about The Big Bend Sentinel appears in Editor & Publisher. Watch it here.

The perseverance of Opal Lee: The 'grandmother' of Juneteenth shares a lesson for today

At 98 years old, Opal Lee is still spreading a message of 
patience and love. (Photo by Shayan Asgharnia, TX Monthly)

As a child, she went to school and spent her summers working near Texarkana. Her first job was taking care of the slop jars. As an adult, she raised four children, paid for her college education, and became a teacher.

But at age 89, she set a goal. That goal would send her walking and talking to all sorts of people. She even met with U.S. presidents. And in 2021, she became the "grandmother of Juneteenth," reports Hanif Abdurraqib for Texas Monthly. But Opal Lee isn't finished. At 98 years old, she still believes she has work to do.

The story of why Opal Lee decided to make Juneteenth her life's legacy began in Marshall, Texas, when she was 12 years old. Her family bought a house "on East Annie Street in the Historic Southside neighborhood of Fort Worth," Abdurraqib writes. "On the night of June 19, 1939, a white mob gathered, demanding that the family leave. Lee and her brothers took refuge at a friend’s house a few blocks away while her parents fled under cover of darkness. The mob trashed the home and set it on fire."

When Lee watched President Joe Biden sign Juneteenth into a federal holiday, some might say her work was finished. Abdurraqib explains, "She had actually done the thing she’d set out to do. She’d taken an inciting moment of rage and grief and dedicated her life to healing the wound it had created. … But Lee, who has lived through, endured, and fought for so much … has something unique to offer in an era of renewed crisis."

Lee's tenacity and spirit have led her to change many lives, but her advice is simple: Patience. "The road is long, and you travel on it because the alternative is untenable," Abdurraqib writes. "And you do whatever you can along the way, and you hope some people will maybe join you."

Lee's travels brought her home. She lives in a house built on her family's East Annie Street plot. Abdurraqib adds, "On the front door is a purple wreath. In the center of the wreath is a quote from Lee herself: 'If people can be taught to hate, they can be taught to love.'" 

Lee's background in Texas meant she was introduced to Juneteenth celebrations early in life. It was part of the region's culture. Once the day became a national holiday, its celebrations and somber remembrances joined together to make the day especially meaningful for black Americans. PBS offers a "beginners guide" for Juneteenth here. 

Farm updates: Eradicating screwworms; air detecting for bird flu; John Deere suit continues; Farm Dog of the Year!

Tusk-like mandibles can rasp the flesh of living warm-
blooded animals. (USDA photo via Successful Farming)

Despite its eradication from the U.S. in 1966, the New World Screwworm has returned to Mexico, which means the aggressive, flesh-eating flies could re-enter the U.S. 

While the NWS could prey on any warm-blooded animal, its return would be devastating for the U.S. cattle industry. Angie Stump Denton reports for Farm Journal, "The larvae can kill an animal in just four to seven days if not quickly detected and treated."

Experts believe Texas would be the most likely place for NWS to enter the U.S. from Mexico. In late April, after Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins threatened to suspend cattle imports from Mexico to the U.S. as she did in November 2024, the two countries were able to agree on a strategy to control the NWS. Listen to more details on the NWS and USDA approaches for "complete eradication" here.

New bird flu detection sensors are fast. By testing air from exhaust vents, the systems monitor for
 bird flu 24/7. (ASC Publications graphic)

Bird flu remains a significant concern for egg and poultry industries as well as backyard and small chicken or turkey farms. The virus presents numerous difficulties, one of which is a lack of "any 'early warning' system," reports Alfred Poor for Offrange. "Testing requires a lab and can take days to deliver results. … A new detection technology can produce results in minutes and is designed to be installed on-site, right in the flock housing buildings, to provide continuous monitoring. … The system samples air from the exhaust vents from the animals’ housing. The researchers have described their results in a paper in ACS Sensors."

The new detection technology doesn't require any technical training to run and it's accurate. Poor adds, "According to the team’s own published results, the system’s results showed a 90% correlation with the standard PCR lab results."

Even though U.S. farmers can now legally repair their tractors, a lawsuit addressing John Deere's past repair policies and tactics with farmers will still make its way through the court system. "The Agriculture equipment giant must face a lawsuit by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission accusing the company of forcing farmers to use its authorized dealer network and driving up their costs for parts and repairs," reports Mike Scarcella of Reuters. "U.S. District Judge Iain Johnston in the federal court in Rockford, Illinois, ruled for now to reject Deere’s effort to end the lawsuit."

Deere countered the suit saying that "it does not compete in the market for repair services," Scarella reports. "The company also challenged the lawfulness of the structure of the FTC. … Deere alleged that restrictions against removing FTC commissioners illegally bar the president from exercising lawful oversight."

We don't know how we missed it, but it's our pleasure to introduce "Sirius," the amazing and lovable 2025 Farm Bureau Dog of the Year. "Livestock guardian dog Sirius is a 'hero behind the heroes' – a herd of miniature therapy horses that bring comfort to those who have experienced traumatic events," the American Farm Bureau Federation reports. 

The mini-horses that Sirius and his fellow Maremma sheep dogs help protect from behind the scenes have given people joy during some of their worst experiences. They visited families after the Sandy Hook school shooting and comforted victim families and first responders after the Pulse Nightclub shooting. They make people smile and laugh in children and veteran hospitals wherever they go. 

While Sirius and his fellow canine guardians stay home at the farm, they help owners Jorge and Debbie Garcia-Bengochea know the horses are safe. Jorge told FB, "The Maremma breed is intended to bond with the herd. When these dogs are on alert and watching the herd, I feel like it's a  24/7 security system."

Farmers are encouraged to enter their tremendous farm dog here for the 2026 award.

SNAP cuts, requirements could leave more rural Americans hungry; critics say benefit to taxpayers unclear

Critics of  proposed cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are struggling to find evidence of how they will help U.S. taxpayers. But they say one thing is clear: The changes outlined in the One Big Beautiful Bill could leave thousands of rural Americans hungry.

"Cuts to SNAP would affect residents of every state in all types of communities, but advocates fear the fallout could especially hit rural people, who are more dependent on food stamps, the largest anti-hunger program in the nation," reports Kevin Hardy for The Daily Montanan. The bill "expands work requirements to include people between 55 and 64 years old and those with children aged 7 or older." It contains stiffer rules for counties with higher unemployment numbers.

Government penalties for not working a required number of hours are dramatically tougher on rural residents because more remote places have far fewer business and employment opportunities. Hardy adds, "Rural hunger is already on the rise and grocery stores face an uphill battle to keep going in the most isolated parts of the country."

Residents in southeastern Missouri's Mississippi County, many of whom can scarcely afford a roof over their heads and food on their tables, provide an example of who SNAP cuts will hurt the most. Hardy explains, "Limited job opportunities leave many workers struggling to cover housing and grocery bills. Nearly a quarter of residents live below the poverty line — almost double the state and national averages."

SNAP cuts stand to do irreparable harm to rural grocery stores that already face razor-thin profit margins. "The National Grocers Association has opposed the potential cuts, saying SNAP provides not only critical food, but also meaningful boosts to local employment and economies," Hardy reports. "The organization, which represents retail and wholesale grocers, said cuts will particularly hurt independent and rural stores."

"Deep cuts to SNAP would have an uneven impact on rural stores," Hardy explains. "For Kay Voss, the cuts would be catastrophic at her Stratton Country Market in southwest Nebraska. She estimates 40% of sales are paid for with SNAP." She told Hardy, "“I’d probably close the doors."

Hungry people have fewer places to go in rural America, which adds stress to regional food banks that have already faced an uptick in need because of food inflation. Hardy reports, "Cuts to the SNAP program will drive up demand on food banks, especially in rural areas that have long struggled with access and transportation to secure fresh foods."

Montana small-business owner touts restoration, permanence of 2017 tax laws

Robert Majerus

Tax breaks and job reforms from President Donald Trump's first term helped jump-start and strengthen rural businesses, but many of those provisions already have expired or will end in 2025 unless Congress acts soon, writes Robert Majerus in his opinion for InsideSources. "Many of the 2017 tax law’s most essential cuts and deductions run out at the end of the year, and others already need to be restored."

Provisions that already have been phased out and need restoration include the "20% qualified business income deduction, which many small businesses have benefited from, as well as the immediate expensing of research and development and equipment," Majerus explains. "For farmers, the ability to expense these investments in the same year that they are made and brought online makes a huge difference, supporting innovation in the agricultural economy."

One of the most important changes the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act made was to reduce the "corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%, bringing the tax burden on U.S. businesses more in line with other countries," Majerus points out. "The TCJA provided more incentives for many small businesses to restructure themselves as C-corporations to take advantage of the lower tax rates."

To maintain profits and support continued small business growth, it is "critical for lawmakers to avoid calls to increase the corporate tax rate to help pay for the much-needed extensions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act’s economy-growing tax cuts," Majerus explains. "Reverting to a high corporate tax rate would be akin to raising taxes on Main Street and rural businesses that struggle to keep their doors open after years of high inflation."

Part of President Trump's presidential campaign included promises to "revitalize middle America," Majerus writes. "Now, these small businesses and communities that were helped in 2017 are the ones that will see the most gains wiped out if these tax cuts are not extended and made permanent."

The House has passed its support for reinstating and extending TCJA provisions. Majerus adds, "It’s time for the Senate to move forward while acknowledging the time limit businesses have before these expiring tax cuts go into effect at the end of the year. Time is short."

Robert Majerus is a member of the Community Business Alliance and a small-business owner in Montana.

Heavy emotional burdens, struggles of American farmers 'need national attention and policy changes'

A worried farmer stares at his crop of wheat and weeds. 
(Adobe Stock photo)

America's farmers have a lot on their minds: Flooding, weeds, bugs, spiking fertilizer prices, bird flu, changes at the USDA, tractor repairs, extreme rain, high winds, crop insurance, tariffs and isolation. Those pressures can leave farmers deeply distressed and depressed to the point of considering suicide.

"This chronic stress puts farmers at a higher risk of developing health conditions including heart disease, hypertension, depression and anxiety disorders," reports Emily Payne of Food Tank. "Thankfully, nonprofit organizations, farmers’ coalitions and other organizations are working to remove the barriers preventing farmers from accessing suicide prevention assistance."

Part of helping farmers reach out for help means working to reduce stigmas that surround mental health that are often found in rural regions. "In 2021, 63% of farmers and farm workers surveyed by the American Farm Bureau Federation said that there is at least some stigma around stress and mental health in the agriculture community," Payne reports. Farmers and farm employees are afraid they will be recognized and shamed for seeking mental health care.

Third-generation Wisconsin farmer Jake Beeler explained why farmers sometimes avoid dealing with any mental health struggles. He told Payne, "I’m sure there are mental health resources, but anybody that I know that ends up going down that road, money is a huge issue. Why go spend money talking to somebody when I could be at work getting stuff done? That’s the mindset that gets bred into you as a farmer.”

Katherine Un of the National Young Farmers Coalition, told Food Tank, "It’s challenging for farmers to find the time to seek or schedule treatment while working long days, or to find health care providers who understand the unique challenges of farming. . . and the inextricable link between their work, their livelihood, and their sense of purpose in the world."

Several farming organizations provide structures so farmers can support each other. "Young Farmers Cultivemos network facilitates farmer cohorts, regular farmer-led and farmer-centered events, newsletters, resource-sharing, and training to improve farmers’ mental health and well-being," Payne reports. "Un says that resources and spaces that truly build community are key in fighting isolation and addressing mental health challenges."

Outreach and counseling that follow different therapy models also are available. "Annie’s Project provides community-based mental health solutions outside of the traditional therapy model," Payne adds. "The nonprofit partners on Cultivating Resiliency Programs, which are anonymous opportunities for farmers to get together virtually and share what’s on their minds with both their peers and licensed counselors."

Along with mental health care, Un says farmers also need health and dental insurance, and that will require national attention and policy changes. Un told Food Tank, "We need to meaningfully address the top challenges facing the new generation of farmers and ranchers: affordable land access, access to capital, climate change, health insurance, student loan debt, affordable housing. . . .Until these barriers are addressed through the Farm Bill, farmers will continue to face high levels of stress, uncertainty, financial risk and a lack of safety nets.”

Find basics on what to do and say to someone experiencing mental health stress here. Find CDC agriculture health and safety tools here. 

E.V. charging stations help fuel mega gas station growth. Not every town wants one.

Sheetz location in Romulus, Mich. 
(Sheetz photo via WXTZ News in Detroit, Mich.)

Despite controversies over their impact, big gas station chains such as Buc-ees and Sheetz are adding locations in small communities and residential spaces across the U.S. The need for more E.V. charging stations, with their longer "fill" times, is part of the reason.

"As battery-powered cars become more common on roadways, more gas stations are installing chargers alongside old-fashioned pumps," reports Kevin Williams of The New York Times. "E.V. charging takes time, so gas station operators are turning their stores into shopping centers where people can spend time — and money — while they wait for cars to charge."

Area residents have a range of reactions when they hear their community is being considered as a mega gas station location. "The sheer size of the businesses has turned off some communities that don’t want the heavy traffic, bright lights and 24/7 activity," Williams explains. "When communities object to Sheetz’s moving in, the company isn’t fazed. . . . It knows there are communities that want its business."

Restaurants in small to mid-sized cities have pushed against mega gas stations because they offer extensive food menus and may even include a drive-thru. Williams reports, "Craig Dunaway, the chief operating officer of Penn Station East Coast Subs, said his restaurant chain was fending off gas station businesses like Sheetz."

The city of Farmington Hills, Mich., which has roughly 86,000 residents, "rejected Sheetz’s proposal this year to take over a space once occupied by Ginopolis, a restaurant that called Elizabeth Taylor and Bob and Delores Hope its customers, after several contentious meetings," Williams writes. But the smaller town of Romulus, Mich., welcomed the development.

Jeremy Taylor, a long-time Romulus resident, enjoys what Sheetz offers. He told Williams, "It’s been a long time since we’ve had something this good in Romulus. There’s nothing out here.”