Study: Rural Americans, especially in the South, are not getting as much CPR training as in other areas

Americans in rural areas, especially the South, are not receiving much-needed training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, according to a study at Duke University that is reported in the Nov. 18 edition of JAMA Internal Medicine. "Each year, more than 350,000 Americans experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital. On average, 7 to 9 percent of people survive, but these figures vary by geographic location," a Duke news release says. "Research has shown that when bystanders perform CPR, it doubles the likelihood of an individual surviving cardiac arrest outside of the hospital. However, rates of bystanders performing CPR vary widely, from 10 percent to 65 percent, depending on the community."

During the study, which took place from July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011, "13.1 million people in the United States received CPR training, with a median county training rate of 2.39 percent," Duke Medicine reports. Counties were grouped into three categories: the lower third, with a median training rate of 0.51 percent, the middle third, at 2.39 percent, and the upper third, 6.81 percent. "Counties with the lowest rates of CPR training were more likely to be rural, have a higher proportion of African-American and Hispanic residents and a lower median household income," the study report says. "In addition, counties in the South were the most likely to have lower rates of CPR training compared with the Northeast." (Read more)

Researchers concluded, "These data, coupled with previous work demonstrating lower rates of bystander CPR among communities with higher proportions of minority populations and lower socioeconomic status, suggest that variation in bystander delivery of CPR may indeed be related to variation in rates of CPR training within communities. The work also highlights striking disparities in CPR education based on racial, socioeconomic, and geographic factors."

The report notes that "a considerable portion" of the training could have been re-certification of health-care providers; and that "The rates do not include CPR training provided by other organizations or CPR education through unconventional mechanisms that do not generate certification, such as video self-instructional approaches that have become more widespread in recent years." To read the full report click here. (Duke graphic)

Thursday webinar on covering ACA to focus on baby boomers and Medicare beneficiaries

The Kaiser Family Foundation's series of informative webinars for journalists covering the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act continues Thursday from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. ET. The fifth installment of the webinar will concentrate on how the act affects baby boomers and Medicare beneficiaries. Kaiser senior fellow Karen Pollitz "will focus on the ACA’s role for baby boomers who are not yet 65, and eligible for Medicare, and their access to new coverage options in marketplaces and/or their eligibility for premium subsidies or Medicaid expansions." Dr. Juliette Cubanski, an associate director of the Program on Medicare Policy at Kaiser, "will talk about how the ACA impacts Medicare benefits and beneficiaries." Most of the hour will be questions and answers. 

Journalists who want to register can RSVP by clicking here. Shortly after registering, each participant will receive a confirmation email that contains information about how to join the webinar. If you are unable to join this webinar but would like to receive all future updates about the series, you can email your name and media affiliation to acawebinars@kff.org. Video and transcripts are also available for the other webinars: “What Do Consumers Need to Know About Health Reform’s Changes,” “Understanding Insurance Premiums Under the Affordable Care Act," "The Impact of State Decisions," and Researching Consumer Stories, Finding New Ideas & Securing Real World Examples.

Common Core standards for education are taking flak from the right, but also from the left

UPDATE: For a comprehensive look at the standards debate, click here. For a look at the experience in Kentucky, the national leader in adopting the standards and tests, go here.

Some children are not in school today because their parents are keeping them home in protest of the Common Core education standards that 45 states have adopted. It's the third such annual protest, reports Chalonda Roberts of WHEC-TV in Rochester, N.Y., but seems to be getting more attention as school systems begin to implement the standards. Charley Hannagan of The Post-Standard in Syracuse writes about a strong reaction to her story about a local family joining the protest.

The organizers of “Don’t Send Your Child To School Day” issued a press release saying, “We recommend that you keep your children out of school . . . and help us send a message to the federal government. We the people want evidence-based curriculum that is locally controlled and which does not require data mining our children.” As Chuck Todd and his NBC News "First Read" colleagues note, "Common Core is not a federal government initiative, but one that was created by governors. Yet that hasn’t stopped this scare campaign among some on the right. To us, it’s amazing how Common Core standards have become a hot political potato. In many respects, it’s the Tea Party meets education reform."

Perhaps, but the standards also came under attack Saturday from a liberal blogger and former teacher, Anthony Cody, on his "Living in Dialogue" blog on Education Week's Teacher edition. In a post Sunday, Cody said the original post " has been the most widely read article on Education Week over the weekend, and has been 'liked' more than seven thousand times on Facebook. (Read more)

Hearing examines Obamacare's impact on schools and their employees who work less than full time

Long before the Patient Protection Affordable Care Act went into effect, local and state government agencies began cutting part-time employees to avoid having to give them health coverage. Concern, and debate, has now turned to health reform's impact on part-time school and college employees. Republicans at a Capitol Hill hearing last week "predicted that school systems would be forced to cut programs to account for the law's pricetag, and possibly scale back employees' hours," Sean Cavanagh reports for Education Week.

The act "mandates that public and private employers with at least 50 workers provide health insurance to full-time workers—defined as employees working an average of 30 or more hours a week—or face fines. That requirement would apply to many school districts," Cavanagh writes. "Some school systems that rely heavily on hourly workers to fill positions such as instructional aides, support staff, and other roles say the provision will force them to reduce those employees' work weeks to get below the 30-hour threshold. Others say it could lead districts to offer their employees watered-down health plans."

That has some districts worried. Mark D. Benigni, the superintendent of the Meriden school system in Connecticut, told the hearing "the law could cost his 9,100-student district $4.6 million over time—the approximate cost of 58 teaching positions," Cavanagh writes. "The costs, he said, stem from the law's requirement that districts expand the benefits and eligibility of coverage to current employees, a step that includes covering children up until the age of 26; and from the law's call to insure employees working at least 30 hours a week, among other pieces of the law." (Read more)

The problem is that it's complicated for schools to document "actual time worked for people in positions like substitute teachers, paraprofessional coaches and part-time employees," Susan Barkley, assistant director of the Kentucky Department of Education's Division of District Support, told Madelynn Coldiron for the November issue of the Kentucky School Board Advocate. Even worse, "If a school district worker who is eligible for coverage instead purchases a health plan from the state’s marketplace, the district faces a big fine," said Shannon Stiglitz, a lobbyist for the Kentucky School Boards Association. (Read more)

Railroad lobby calls for manufacturers to replace older tank cars that haul oil, other flammables

In response to recent explosions in Quebec and Alabama, "the Association of American Railroads is urging U.S. regulators to require retrofits for roughly 72,000 older tank cars that haul flammable substances such as crude and ethanol, plus minor upgrades for an additional 14,000 newer cars," Blake Sobczak reports for Energy Wire. The AAR, "which projects major railroads will carry 400,000 carloads of crude this year, compared to 4,700 carloads in 2006, also recommends an 'aggressive phase-out' of cars that can't meet retrofit requirements, the group said in comments filed with the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration." (Salem Communications photo: The train explosion in Alabama)

The AAR recommendations may not sit well with those to make and lease tank cars, because they "are expected to bear the initial costs from any tougher standards," Sobczak writes. "By contrast, freight railways rarely own the cars moving on their tracks, so they wouldn't have to devote much capital to upgrading tank cars Ultimately, shippers will absorb the expenses brought by new regulations, potentially affecting railways' competitiveness in the oil sector."

Jonathan Kletzel, U.S. transportation and logistics leader for consultancy PricewaterhouseCoopers, said in an interview last week: "If you put in regulations that take supply of cars off the market, you're absolutely going to see an increase in prices. I think trucking has a short opportunity during this window where rail can't keep up to potentially pick up some market share." (Read more) For more on oil trains click here and here. (AAR graphic: Projected 2035 train volumes relative to current capacity)

 

How fat are your state's children? Report shows

How fat are your state's children? Each state's percentage and ranking appears in a report from the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Federal and state officials are fighting child obesity with improved school nutritional guidelines, and efforts are also being made to increase the standard expectations of physical activity, increase the activity requirements in child care facilities, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.

The frequency at which children eat fast food, and its nutritional value, are also challenges in decreasing childhood obesity. Kids and teens consume up to 300 calories more per trip to a fast-food or full service restaurant compared to days they eat at home, Ryan Jaslow reports for CBS News. Although fast-food restaurants have made some improvements with healthier sides and beverage choices in most children's meals, "there is room for improvement," researchers say in the "Fast Food Facts 2013" report, issued by Yale University's Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity.

The report examines how 18 major restaurant chains market their foods and beverages to children and teens, and analyzes the nutritional quality of the chains' food. Significant findings included: Less than 1 percent of all children's meal combinations at such restaurants met recommended nutrition standards; McDonald's spent 2.7 times as much to advertise its products as all fruit, vegetable, bottled water and milk advertisers combined; the total amount spent on all advertising by fast-food restaurants in 2012 was $4.6 billion; preschoolers viewed 2.8 fast-food ads per day in 2012; children 6 to 11 saw 3.2 such ads per day; and teens viewed 4.8. The researchers also found that fast-food restaurants continued to target black and Hispanic youth, populations at high risk for obesity and related diseases.

Researchers called for fast-food restaurants to stop marketing unhealthy foods to children and teens, saying "Research shows that exposure to food marketing messages increases children’s obesity risk." (Read more) On the marketing front, "Sesame Street" characters have joined the Produce Marketing Association to help market fresh fruits and vegetables to children, according to a press release from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

"Marketing healthy products with the same skill and vigor typically used for less healthy options could make a major difference in shaping children's food preferences," Dr. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, the foundation's president and CEO. "I have a vision of children pestering their parents for pears and begging for broccoli."

Landowners, oil-industry group sue to block first countywide ban on oil drilling in U.S.

Mora County, New Mexico, is a small county making big waves. In April, commissioners in the county of 4,500 voted to ban all oil drilling, including hydraulic fracturing and the use of water for fracking. Now, the county is facing a lawsuit from an oil-industry group and landowners who want to lease drilling rights, Steve Terrell writes for The New Mexican in Santa Fe.

The ordinances say "corporations violating the local law won't have the rights of 'persons' under the U.S. and New Mexico constitutions and cites local residents' water rights under the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which ended the U.S.-Mexican War in 1848 and made New Mexico a U.S. territory," Mike Lee reports for Energy Wire. "Natural communities and ecosystems including, but not limited to, wetlands, streams, rivers, aquifers and other water systems, possess inalienable and fundamental rights to exist and flourish within Mora County against oil and gas extraction. Residents of the county, along with the Mora County Commission, shall possess legal standing to enforce those rights."

In response, "The New Mexico Independent Petroleum Association and two landowners have sued in federal District Court, asking a judge to rule that the county ordinance contradicts state and federal law," Lee writes. "The ban on drilling violates the U.S. Constitution's guarantees of due process and the Constitution's prohibition against governments taking private property without compensation, the suit says." (Read more)

"Mora was the first county in the United States to impose an outright ban on all drilling," Terrell writes. Richard Gilliland, president of the state Independent Petroleum Association, said in a release last week: "What the Mora County Commission has done with this ordinance is an insult to the U.S. Constitution and every free citizen." But Mora County Commissioner John Olivas responded by telling Terrell, “I was in a position to protect our resources in Mora County. We’re ready for this fight.”

Terrell reports, "The San Miguel County Commission rejected a similar drilling ban" but is considering an ordinance to greatly restrict fracking. "In 2008, Santa Fe County, in response to a Texas company’s plan to drill in the Galisteo Basin, adopted a law that doesn’t actually outlaw drilling, but places enough restrictions that those in the oil industry have said it amounts to a ban." (Read more)

EPA OKs Ky. selenium rules favored by coal industry

The Environmental Protection Agency approved changes to the way Kentucky will measure selenium in its water, a controversial move the coal industry and the state favor, but that environmentalists have criticized, Erica Peterson reports for WFPL Radio in Louisville. Under current regulations, "Kentucky’s water quality standard for selenium is based on the amount of the substance that’s in the water." Under the new regulations, "If water testing reveals levels that are above a certain benchmark, that will trigger fish-tissue testing." 

Critics say catching fish to sample will be difficult. The EPA said: “In the event that sufficient fish tissue cannot be obtained, the permit holder will be deemed to be in non-compliance . . . for exceeding the chronic trigger level of 5.0 µg/L.”  Selenium, "a naturally-occurring substance that's released into waterways during strip mining," is "toxic to both aquatic life and humans, Peterson writes. "The substance also bio-accumulates up the food chain, so as fish eat other fish, levels of selenium rise." (Read more) To read the letter the EPA sent announcing its decision, click here. More more background, go here.

Texas ranchers and farmers are using cell-phone technology to control feral hog population

Farmers and ranchers in South Texas are using smartphones to put an end to the damage caused by the region's feral hog problem, David Sears reports for KSAT-TV in San Antonio. The use of modern technology to stop the area's estimated 5,000 to 6,000 wild hogs has caught on quick, with rancher Brian Heideman saying he caught 29 hogs the first night he used the new technology.

The technology is simple: a 25-foot wide remote-controlled gate on a round pen that can be operated by cell phone, Sears writes. "The gate has a motion detector on it. When it senses something, it sends a text or email to Heideman’s cell phone, along with an attached picture. If he sees he has some hogs in the trap, he hits and button and the gate closes, allowing him to catch the critters from anywhere."

Heidman, who said he's been able to check the trap while being as far as two hours away at a football game, told Sears, “I never thought when I moved back to the family farm (that) I would be using my cell phone to trap hogs and manage the ranch." And catching the hogs by remote control is so much easier than hunting them, Heidman said. He told Sears, "This is the only way to do it. It's so easy." (Read more)

EPA proposes to reduce corn-ethanol-in-fuel mandate by almost 10 percent

The Environmental Protection Agency wants to reduce the amount of corn-based ethanol that would be used in fuels in 2014, from about 14.4 billion gallons this year to about 13 billion, under a propose rule announced Friday. EPA will issue a final rule in the spring.

The rule would reduce the Renewable Fuels Standard for "virtually all biofuels," Todd Neeley reports for DTN/The Progressive Farmer. "Although EPA does not set a corn-based ethanol number, it has proposed an overall RFS biofuels volume of 15.21 billion gallons, including 17 million gallons for cellulosic biofuels, 1.28 billion gallons for biomass diesel and 2.2 billion gallons for advanced biofuels."

Neeley writes, "The EPA announcement is the culmination of a difficult week for the U.S. ethanol industry. It started with the release of an Associated Press investigative package of stories that the industry contends was biased against ethanol. The stories questioned whether ethanol is a 'green' enough fuel. . . . The emergence of corn-based ethanol is one of the reasons rural America has been one of the few positive economic stories in the U.S. during the recent economic downturn." (Read more)

The biofuels industry railed against the move, as summarized by Jim Lane of Biofuels Digest. The industry, and "some agriculture and energy experts," say EPA "is on shaky legal footing," partly because it is using a waiver provision that is supposed to be based on "inadequate domestic supply" of biofuels, Amana Peterka reports for Greenwire. "EPA has chosen to interpret inadequate domestic supply as entailing the distribution issues involved with the blend wall," the limit created by the widely accepted standard that a gasoline-ethanol blend should be no more than 10 percent ethanol to avoid damage to engines and other parts.

Livestock producers such as National Turkey Federation President Joel Brandenberger cheered the news: “The Renewable Fuels Standard has been affecting our members since the first RFS legislation was passed in 2005. It has disrupted the certainty in the feed supply, it has caused swings in availability of feeds, and obviously as a result of that the pricing of feed.” For a report from Brownfield Ag News, click here. For a fresh explainer from Brad Plumer of The Washington Post, go here. For more background on the issue, here.

TVA closing eight coal burners in Kentucky and Alabama, converting two to natural gas

"The Tennessee Valley Authority, one of the nation’s five biggest users of coal for electricity generation, said Thursday it would close down eight coal-fired power units with 3,300 megawatts of capacity," Steven Mufson reports for The Washington Post. Closures include "all five coal-burning units at the Colbert plant in Tuscumbia, Ala., one of two remaining units at the Widows Creek plant in Stevenson, Ala., and two of three units at the Paradise plant in Drakesboro, Ky.," Travis Loller reports for The Associated Press. More reductions are expected in the next few years. (Photo by Valley Watch: Paradise plant on Green River in Muhlenberg County)

"The Kentucky units will be replaced by a natural gas plant, but more than 200 of the 400 jobs there will be affected," Loller reports. CEO Bill Johnson said the changes are needed because power demand is down and environmental regulations are becoming stricter." Johnson said TVA hopes to "reduce coal to just 20 percent of the utility's portfolio over the next decade. It currently stands at 38 percent." (Read more)

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who is seeking re-election, lobbied to keep the Paradise plant's three coal burners going. Johnson told Mufson, “Senator McConnell did what his constituents would expect him to, advocate on their behalf and on behalf of their state. . . . Our objective is to make the best decision for the entire region, and that’s what we did.” (Read more) McConnell's office emphasized that the plant at Paradise, site of John Prine's famous song, will stay open and one unit will keep burning coal.

Latest state on the not-so-hit parade of weak oil and gas regulation is New Mexico

The U.S. oil and gas boom has put more attention on regulation of the industry, done almost entirely by state agencies that tend to be friendly to the industry. The latest example is in New Mexico, where regulators have recorded 3,691 violations since 2010, but haven't fined any of the drillers or operators for the infractions "because the state Oil Conservation Division hasn't had the authority to levy fines since March 2009," Mike Soraghan reports for EnergyWire. "So when inspectors find a problem, there's not much they can do except ask the driller to fix it." (EnergyWire chart)

The problems stems from 2009 case when "the state Supreme Court agreed with a gas drilling company, Marbob Energy Corp., that the oil and gas agency lacked legal authority to issue fines," Soraghan writes. "To levy fines, the court said, the law requires the agency to ask the state attorney general to file a lawsuit in the county where the violation occurred. The agency hasn't referred any cases to the attorney general since the ruling, and the attorney general hasn't filed any cases."

In their ruling, the New Mexico justices said that the agency might well need to levy fines. At the time, agency Director Mark Fesmire told The Associated Press that the ruling left the New Mexico oil and gas industry 'basically unregulated'," Soraghan notes. "The Oil Conservation Division does have more severe penalties available. It can revoke a company's bond in some circumstances, which prevents it from operating. The department can also refuse to issue new permits to companies that aren't in compliance. But that's considered a drastic step and has not happened to an operational company since 2009." (Read more)

Rural Nebraska music students use special technology to get instruction from N.Y. music school

Band students in 11 rural schools in Nebraska are learning to perfect their playing with instruction from teachers more than 1,000 miles away at the Manhattan School of Music in New York, Matt McFarland reports for The Washington Post. The distance-learning program, created in 1996, has become most popular in Nebraska, going from two classes during the 2009-10 school year "to include 1,800 individual sessions this school year," said Christianne Orto, the dean of distance learning and recording art. (Post photo: Sophomore Kelsey Green receives a clarinet lesson from a New York instructor)

Students and teachers "connect on video conferencing machines made by Polycom," McFarland writes. "They are built with an omnidirectional microphone, which cuts out background noise. The high sound quality is essential for instructors and students to be aware of dynamics and pitch. Popular video conferencing software, such as Google Hangouts and Skype, can’t offer the same sound quality. Instructors can also zoom in with an HD camera attached to the cart. That gives them an up-close look at a student’s technique."

"The classes are the outgrowth of 2006 state legislation which gave schools better equipment for distance learning," McFarland writes. "The machines from Polycom — which can be wheeled from room to room — generally cost about $15,000. Schools also receive $1,000 per class to cover the cost of instruction with the Manhattan School of Music. The money is drawn from the state lottery, and the legislation financing it extends through the 2014-15 school year." (Read more)

Mitchell, S.D., and Walla Walla, Wash., recognized for using technology to revive their economies

The Intelligent Community Forum, a non-profit organization that describes itself as "a think tank that studies the economic and social development of the 21st Century community," has named its Smart 21 Communities for 2014, which recognizes communities "for their investment in broadband connectivity and their innovative use of Internet applications," Tim Marema reports for the Daily Yonder. Only four of the 21 are in the U.S., and two of those four are rural -- Mitchell, S. D. pop. 15,000, and Walla Walla, Wash., pop. 32,000. The list will be narrowed to seven in January, and in June the Intelligent Community of the Year will be named.

Mitchell Corn Palace (stillsstillmoving.com)

"Though Mitchell and Walla Walla may have smaller populations, the communities have big ideas about the role of broadband connectivity in raising the standard of living. And they’ve invested in infrastructure to help residents use digital tools to create jobs, improve education and reverse population loss," Marema writes. Both communities were seeing a sharp decrease in population, before making technological advances that encouraged people to stay.

Mitchell, which made the list last year, promotes "precision farming," using "GPS, Internet connectivity and other digital tools to control the cost of farming while increasing yields," Marema writes. "Mitchell has built a fiber-to-the-premises network that can serve every home and business in town, according to Prairie Business Magazine. Each seventh through 12th grader in Mitchell’s public schools receives a smart pad or laptop. The region has a two-year vocational school that teaches business, communications and precision farming. It also has a four-year college, Dakota Wesleyan University. The Prairie Business Magazine reports that a third of Dakota Wesleyan’s graduates stay in the area."

Whitman College students create prints for a Day
of the Dead celebration. Walla Walla's vibrant cultural
life was cited. (Walla Walla Union Bulletin photo)

Walla Walla "built a fiber-optic backbone for the area, improving the regions’ online connectivity. The network encourages new business development, and local leaders are currently working on ways to extend the network to more of the community," Marema writes. "Online tools are part of the region’s high-end wine industry, which now features 150 wineries and employs a few thousand workers, said Louis Zacharilla, also a co-founder of Intelligent Community Forum. A local-foods movement has enticed young chefs to move the area, he said, once again building on the region’s agricultural traditions in new ways." (Read more)

N.D. law school starts 1-year pilot program to interest students in practicing in rural areas

In an effort to encourage graduates to consider jobs in rural areas that are in desperate need of lawyers, the University of North Dakota School of Law has created a one-year pilot program to give students an idea of what it's like to live and work in a rural area, Ashley Marquis reports for Dakota Student, the college's student-run newspaper. If continued, "The program would offer three internships for law students to go to smaller communities in the state that have less than 15,000 people. The interns would work closely with a judge throughout the summer and into the school year." (Dakota Student photo by Chester Beltowski)

Four of the state's 53 counties have no attorneys, and 21 have three or fewer, Marquis writes. Officials hope the program allows students to "learn more about rural communities and the benefits that come from working in them as well." Brad Parrish, assistant dean of student life for the law school, told Marquis, “It will give students exposure and gain an appreciation to practice in a small community and hopefully go there when they are finished."

Gail Hagerty, a judge from the Bismarck-Mandan area, said in a university press release: “There are real legal needs out there: more oil and gas law, an increasing amount of probate matters, more crimes to deal with and more need for family law. Right now, without immediate access to legal services, it’s very difficult for people, and it can increase costs. We also need more attorneys to do indigent defense work, we need more prosecutors, and we need more new practitioners. There’s a lot of potential in rural communities.” (Read more)

Other states, such as Nebraska, Georgia, South Dakota, and Kansas, have started incentive programs to interest lawyers in taking jobs in rural areas. 

Nonprofit says 72 percent of schools lack broadband speeds needed to fully use the Internet

Elliston Elementary School in rural Montana is "on the wrong side of the new digital divide in this country," Lyndsey Layton writes for The Washington Post. Although they have laptops and whiteboards, the connection isn't fast enough for the teachers and students to utilize the many facets of technology such as videos, music, graphics and interactive programs. Rural schools aren't the only ones lacking adequate broadband. According to Education Superhighway, a nonprofit dedicated to improving digital access in schools, 72 percent of public schools—in the country, suburbs and cities—do not have adequate broadband speeds to fully access the Internet.

"Wiring schools has brought the Internet to the principal's office or maybe a teacher's desk," said Evan Marwell, the chief executive of the group. "But we need to move this technology into the learning process, and that means 55 million students." President Obama proposed that all public schools get high-speed broadband and wireless Internet within the next five years, Layton writes. He said, "In a country where we expect free wi-fi with our coffee, why shouldn't we have it in our schools?"

Under Obama's plan, the Department of Education would train teachers in technology implementation for classroom instruction. It could be funded by increasing E-rate, the extra charge the government added to telephone bills in 1997. E-rate also gives schools and libraries 20 percent to 90 percent discounts on telecommunication costs. The program has already helped bring schools up to date; at the start, 14 percent of schools had Internet access, and now 99 percent have it, according to the Obama administration, Layton writes.

But schools still need faster broadband to support multiple new devices like tablets and smartphones and education applications."There are amazing learning opportunities, ability to have access to engaging digital content, ability to connect to experts and learners around the country through the smart use of technology," said Richard Culatta, director of the Education Department's Office of Educational Technology.

Broadband improvements will become even more important with the addition of the Common Core academic standards in reading and math for grades K-12—which 45 states and the District of Columbia will implement—that will require the administration of online exams. "The primary issue is bandwidth," Jacqueline King of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, said. Plans to improve the situation include increasing the E-rate budget and keeping a closer eye on what exactly schools spend the money on. "Some experts say that federal government should consider a one-time investment to bring adequate broadband capacity to all schools," Layton writes. That could cost $11 billion. (Read more)

Farm Bill has three main issues, and two differing approaches; Twitter chat on it at noon ET Friday

"These next two weeks running up to Thanksgiving are pivotal if a Farm Bill is to be salvaged this year," David Rogers reports for Politico.

House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas told K-101-FM in Woodward, Okla., yesterday that the House and Senate have three major areas of difference — commodity subsidies, the dairy program and food stamps, Keith Good reports for Farm Policy. On dairy, the difference is not just between the two chambers, but between farm-district Republicans and their leaders in the House.

"The House leadership doesn’t want to do supply management, which makes the dairy insurance work better," Lucas said. "The Senate insists on that. That’s a philosophical issue about supply management by the federal government." On food stamps, he said, "The Senate wants to save about $4 billion by basically making the Northeastern states that use food stamps to help pay for their citizens’ home heating oil to stay warm in the wintertime to pay more. The Senate essentially just doesn’t want to make any changes in food stamps. The House wants to do 10 times as much, so working that out is going to be tough."

Lucas called the commodity title the biggest factor, saying the Senate has "finally come around to the fact that you have to have a safety net that works not just for the Midwest but for everybody else. They want a program by which, when you sign up for five years, you’re automatically covered under either version of the safety net. The problem is, when you take the responsibility out, you also reduce the quality of the safety net. The House perspective is, let’s give people a choice between which way they go, let them choose for the five years. If they make the right decision, then the safety net will be stronger. If they make the wrong decision, well, they made the decision they made."  (Read more)

Rogers focuses on a key commodity question, "target prices at the heart of a dispute over how to build a new safety net to replace the current system of direct cash payments to farmers, which has been the mainstay for the commodity title for almost two decades. The Senate tends to build its system from revenue on down. The House from production costs up. But each is prone to short cuts that can become a distraction in themselves."

"Calculations by Politico show that based on current market projections, wheat prices would have to drop 48 percent in 2014 before the Senate’s Adverse Market Payment plan would trigger. And the $3.66 per bushel reference price would still be 25 percent below a wheat farmer’s production costs—even after subtracting the value of his land and labor," Rogers writes. "On the opposite side, the House faces criticism for being too quick to count even a farmer’s labor and land investments in calculating production costs. Part of this is regional and reflects the House’s greater sensitivity to the almost feudal land ownership structure in some of Southern agriculture. But the end result is it pushes the House’s target prices up higher than the Senate is willing to go."

The main problem is the inability of the House and Senate to agree on the best way to approach the bill, Rogers writes. "The Senate focuses first on farm revenues—not costs. It concedes that the recent run of high commodity prices will end sometime, but the economic argument is that production costs—such as land and fertilizer—will also fall with time. The House would argue that it is better to err on the side of the farmer’s survival. And it is aggravated by the fact that the Senate invests so much in a 'shallow loss' program even as it is tamping down on target prices intended to build a floor against a real market collapse." (Read more)

UPDATE: Rogers reports "House Republicans were more upbeat Thursday on getting a Farm Bill done this year."

Meanwhile, the Department of Agriculture has a section on its Twitter page asking people to share what the Farm Bill means to them, and at noon ET Friday, USDA will have a live Twitter chat about the bill.

Green group says Walmart is not as environmentally friendly as it claims to be

Walmart, one of the biggest businesses in rural America, invests plenty of time and money into campaigns to promote how environmentally friendly they have become. But a report by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance found that the corporation isn't nearly as green as it claims to be, Kate Sheppard reports for the Huffington Post. "The report argues that Walmart's emissions are high enough for it to qualify as one of the biggest polluters in the U.S," and that its "greenhouse gas emissions have continued to grow since 2005, while the percentage of power it draws from renewable sources lags far behind other major corporations."

Walmart's green motto

Wal-Mart's annual greenhouse gas emissions have gone "from 18.9 million metric tons in 2005, to 21.5 million metric tons in 2011," and 20.2 million metric tons in 2012, which critics say can be attributed to a mild winter, Sheppard writes. A Walmart spokesman said "the total square footage of Walmart stores and facilities increased 40 percent and sales increased 44 percent, but its greenhouse gas emissions grew only 10 percent."

Walmart's Carbon Disclosure Project filing for 2012 lists a greenhouse-gas intensity of 45.16 metric tons, which doesn't take into consideration emissions "from shipping containers of merchandise from around the world," and "emissions figures account for clearing land and building new supercenters," Sheppard writes. Walmart is the biggest importer in the U.S and built 1,316 new U.S. stores from 2005 to 2012. "The report also argues that Walmart trails other major corporations when it comes to the percentage of power it draws from from renewable sources." (Read more)

Proposed amendment would increase penalties for horse owners caught abusing their steeds

Industry officials from the walking-horse community claim to have mostly eliminated the act of soring—intentionally injuring a horse's front legs to make it step higher—but sponsors of amendments to the 1970 Horse Protection Act still want further legislation in place to protect animals, Ali Watkins reports for McClatchy Newspapers. While the law already outlaws soring, the amendments' sponsor, Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.), told the House Energy and Commerce Committee Wednesday that he and "more than 220 co-sponsors ... claim that it’s still widely practiced throughout the walking horse industry." (Horsefund photo: show at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn.)

The amendments would place substantial penalties on any show horse owner caught soring, and "would add independent overseers to the largely self-policed industry," Watkins writes. The bill also "bans the use of chains, weights and any other device intended to alter a horse’s natural gait that isn’t 'strictly protective or therapeutic.' It would restrict a person from ordering a horse to undergo soring before competition or auction and would raise financial penalties as well—from $3,000 to $5,000—for owners caught using soring. The bill also would raise the possible disqualification time from three years to five years."

Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/11/13/208472/congress-scrutinizes-show-horse.html#storylink=cpy

In May, the president of the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders’ and Exhibitors’ Association, the leading Tennessee walking horse group, said "the industry needs to clean up its image and win back public support in the wake of allegations of soring." In June, a walking horse group sued the U.S. Deptartment of Agriculture over new rules requiring penalties for abuse—but later accepted the penalties.

Dr. John Bennett, "a veterinarian who testified on behalf of the Performance Show Horse Association, said the compliance rates in recent years had been as high as 98 percent," Watkins writes. Bennett said, “The current compliance rates reported by the [USDA] indicate the welfare of the horse is being protected and the industry is achieving the goal of eliminating soring." Critics disagreed. Donna Benefield, the vice president of the International Walking Horse Association, told the committee, “This industry has had over 40 years to rid itself of this abuse and for numerous reasons has not only resisted but has refused reform at every turn. They have maintained, controlled and regulated soring through fear and intimidation for many years.” (Read more)

"Budget constraints restrict the Horse Protection Program, which sends USDA officials to shows to oversee horse inspections for signs of soring, said AVMA's Executive Vice President Dr. Ron DeHaven," Sarah Gonzales reports for Agri-Pulse, a Washington newsletter."DeHaven said 78 percent of violations during the 2012 show year were found when USDA was present, even though USDA is present at less than 10 percent of shows." He told the committee, “The act represents a unique opportunity to once and for all end the practice of soring to our nation's walking horses. I feel this bill is necessary to stop this culture of abuse that has existed for more than forty years in the industry.” (Read more)

How long is the average commute in your area?

The Census Bureau's American Community Survey in 2011 found that 18.3 million American workers lived in rural areas, with 1.4 million, or 7.1 percent, traveling at least 60 minutes one-way to work. New York Public Radio has compiled an interactive map that shows average commute times in most ZIP codes. To view the map, click here. Here's a piece of it, from Cumberland, Md., to Washington, D.C.:

The Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group, found that rural commuters spend the most money on gas, averaging $4,272 per year, compared to $3,347 for suburban residents, $2,180 for urban residents, and $1,857 for those who work at home, Quentin Fottrell reports for The Wall Street Journal. (Read more) (National Household Travel Survey graphic)

It takes workers in Maryland longer to get to work than employees in any other state, while people in South Dakota have the shortest commute to work, Melissa Maynard reports for Stateline. The average commute time in Maryland in 2012 was 31.9 minutes, while the average commute in South Dakota was 16.7 minutes. The national average was 25.4 minutes. The number of people driving to work alone rose from 75.5 percent to 76.3 percent from 2008 to 2012. More people are working from home, with the number going up from 4.1 percent to 4.4 percent. (American Community Survey map)