Farmers will have to authorize the Internal Revenue Service to give their income data to the U.S. Department of Agriculture in order to receive federal payments, in response to an investigation that found almost $50 million went to ineligible recipients last year.
Some farm programs limit payments to farm operators with incomes above certain levels, and "The 2008 Farm Bill prohibits payments to anyone with a taxable non-farm income greater than $500,000," notes Bob Meyer of Brownfield Network. USDA told the Government Accountability Office last year that it couldn't guarantee the rules were being followed because it didn't have access to income information. A GAO audit found that at least 2,702 farmers got subsidies from 2003 to 2006 even though they made more than the former income limit of $2.5 million.
"Beginning with the 2009 crop year and for all successive years, USDA will require producers to sign a form granting IRS the authority to provide income information to USDA for verification purposes," Meyer reports, quoting a USDA spokeswoman as saying that the Farm Service Agency won't get actual tax data and will obey the Privacy Act. (Read more) For a summary of the GAO audit, click here. For a PDF of the full report, click here.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
Obama nominates FCC commissioner to head USDA's Rural Utilities Service, a broadband lender
President Obama announced late today that he will nominate Jonathan S. Adelstein, a pro-consumer member of the Federal Communications Commission, to head the Rural Utilities Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. RUS is the successor to the Rural Electrification Administration and will distribute $2.5 billion in economic-stimulus funds for broadband Internet service in rural areas.Adelstein recently called broadband "the skeleton key" to economic opportunity, but his appointment raises questions about how RUS will spend stimulus money on broadband, Obama's main campaign promise to rural America. He is reportedly skeptical of spending money in areas that have relatively low demand for the service, which includes many rural areas. Analyst Tom Nolle of CIMI Corp. told Paula Bernier of xchange in January that Adelstein is among officials who have been "kind of of the view that the objective of the broadband stimulus should be to create parity in broadband between the U.S. and other market areas. And that parity is not created by attempting to touch underserved areas. There are, in fact, pretty significant data points that suggest that a lot of the so-called underserved areas are underserved because they don’t want to be served. So it’s not clear how much additional, incremental broadband penetration we would achieve even with a program that aggressively went after everybody that didn’t have [broadband] now." (Read more)
Adelstein's official FCC biography says he is "a particularly strong advocate for media diversity and localism, and works diligently to encourage increased voices on the airwaves to support a well-informed citizenry. He has worked to promote access to telecommunications and media outlets by minorities, rural and low-income consumers, people with disabilities, and non-English speakers." Adelstein, a native of Rapid City, S.D., was a Senate staffer for 15 years, the last seven as a senior legislative aide to then-Democratic Leader Tom Daschle. He joined the FCC in 2002.
Transition to a Bioeconomy series continues with trade and policy conference in D.C. March 30-31
The fourth conference in Farm Foundation's Transition to a Bioeconomy" series is titled "Global Trade and Policy Issues" and will be held at the Westin City Center in Washington March 30-31. Industry leaders, government staffers and academics will discuss global energy markets, relationships between food systems and energy policies, the global impacts of biofuels policies, and trade in energy technologies.
Details of the conference program, as well as registration and hotel information, are available on the foundation's Web site. Registration can be completed online or by printing out a registration form. The conference is organized by USDA's Office of Energy Policy and New Uses and its Economic Research Service.
"The rapid transition to a bioeconomy has significant implications for agriculture, the food system, rural communities and the global economy," the foundation notes. Presentations and proceedings are available from the three previous conferences: Integration of Agriculture and Energy Systems; Risk Management,Infrastructure and Industry Evolution; and Environmental and Rural Development Impacts. The last conference in the series, to focus on tools for Extension, will be June 30-July 1 in Little Rock.
Details of the conference program, as well as registration and hotel information, are available on the foundation's Web site. Registration can be completed online or by printing out a registration form. The conference is organized by USDA's Office of Energy Policy and New Uses and its Economic Research Service.
"The rapid transition to a bioeconomy has significant implications for agriculture, the food system, rural communities and the global economy," the foundation notes. Presentations and proceedings are available from the three previous conferences: Integration of Agriculture and Energy Systems; Risk Management,Infrastructure and Industry Evolution; and Environmental and Rural Development Impacts. The last conference in the series, to focus on tools for Extension, will be June 30-July 1 in Little Rock.
Rural states have less access to life-saving care
In a medical emergency, time can be the difference between life and death, but more than 25 percent of Americans live an hour or more from an emergency room prepared to handle major crises, says a University of Pennsylvania study led by professor Brendan Carr. "Research shows that hospitals that treat a higher volume of patients tend to have more resources -- staffing, specialized imaging equipment and care protocols - and ultimately, better patient outcomes," says a university press release. The study shows that "residents of rural states appear to be much less likely to have access to those types of facilities."
In Montana, only 8 percent of residents have access an emergency room that sees more than three patients per hour. In South Dakota, the figure is 13 percent. In rural states where population is more densely aggregated, such as Maine and Vermont, it is 50 percent. The study recommends strategies for helping these areas: "subsidizing rural hospitals or offering incentives for physicians to practice at those facilities, improving interhospital referral networks and identifying hospitals that can specialize in treatment of certain emergent illnesses." (Hat tip to the Daily Yonder; for the press release, click here.)
In Montana, only 8 percent of residents have access an emergency room that sees more than three patients per hour. In South Dakota, the figure is 13 percent. In rural states where population is more densely aggregated, such as Maine and Vermont, it is 50 percent. The study recommends strategies for helping these areas: "subsidizing rural hospitals or offering incentives for physicians to practice at those facilities, improving interhospital referral networks and identifying hospitals that can specialize in treatment of certain emergent illnesses." (Hat tip to the Daily Yonder; for the press release, click here.)
FDA delays new animal-disposal rules 60 days
As we recently reported, many communities were left scrambling as companies dropped dead-animal disposal from their roster of services in anticipation of tougher Food and Drug Administration pet-food standards set to go in effect on April 27. The standards, which require brains and spines of cows older than 30 months to be removed before processing, would make cow disposal more expensive. But now the FDA is delaying the effecive date 60 days.
Laura Knoth, spokesperson for the Kentucky Farm Bureau, told Andy Mead of the Lexington Herald-Leader that "the delay will give the bureau more time to educate farmers on other disposal methods and 'to give the FDA more information on the hardship this would impose.'" But State Veterinarian Robert Stout said that the measure will only give farmers short-term relief: "In the long term, it's not expected there will be a lot of change." (Read more)
Laura Knoth, spokesperson for the Kentucky Farm Bureau, told Andy Mead of the Lexington Herald-Leader that "the delay will give the bureau more time to educate farmers on other disposal methods and 'to give the FDA more information on the hardship this would impose.'" But State Veterinarian Robert Stout said that the measure will only give farmers short-term relief: "In the long term, it's not expected there will be a lot of change." (Read more)
They're far from being farmers, but the Obamas are digging a garden (organic) at the White House
For the first time since Eleanor Roosevelt planted a victory garden to support World War II efforts, at a time when America has its most urban president since her husband, the White House grounds will have a vegetable garden.
First Lady Michelle Obama announced yesterday that, in an effort to promote healthy, locally grown produce for children, the White House will use the 1,100-square foot patch to provide food for her family and for state dinners. "It's a sunny spot and visible to people on E Street," Laura Isensee of the Dallas Morning News writes in a press pool report from the White House Office of Media Affairs. "The big picture goal: education about healthy living." (The pool report also includes an official transcript.)
Fifth-graders from nearby Bancroft Elementary School helped dig the organic garden today. (Reuters photo by Jason Reed) Planting of cool-season crops will come soon. The first lady told Marian Burros of The New York Times yesterday, “My hope is that through children, they will begin to educate their families and that will, in turn, begin to educate our communities.” She also said that the entire family, including President Obama, will be helping out with the project "whether they like it or not."
The kitchen staff provided a "wish list" of 55 fruits and vegetables which will be planted in the garden. Honey will also be produced on the grounds; one of the staff carpenters is also a beekeeper, and will be tending to two hives. Burros notes that the president has gotten some veto power with the garden as well: the president does not like beets, and none will be grown in the garden. (Read more) For a diagram of the garden and its crops, click here.
The first family's garden plan was forecast at election time, by Curtis Seltzer of Blue Grass, Va., in his Country Real Estate column, where he had "Bub" Obama saying, "Maybe we'll put a little garden in at the White House. Do the work ourselves." Seltzer replied, "Good metaphor … also good for you. Don't make a big deal about it. Don't staff out the weeding." (Read more)
http://www.curtis-seltzer.com/column61.html
First Lady Michelle Obama announced yesterday that, in an effort to promote healthy, locally grown produce for children, the White House will use the 1,100-square foot patch to provide food for her family and for state dinners. "It's a sunny spot and visible to people on E Street," Laura Isensee of the Dallas Morning News writes in a press pool report from the White House Office of Media Affairs. "The big picture goal: education about healthy living." (The pool report also includes an official transcript.)
Fifth-graders from nearby Bancroft Elementary School helped dig the organic garden today. (Reuters photo by Jason Reed) Planting of cool-season crops will come soon. The first lady told Marian Burros of The New York Times yesterday, “My hope is that through children, they will begin to educate their families and that will, in turn, begin to educate our communities.” She also said that the entire family, including President Obama, will be helping out with the project "whether they like it or not."The kitchen staff provided a "wish list" of 55 fruits and vegetables which will be planted in the garden. Honey will also be produced on the grounds; one of the staff carpenters is also a beekeeper, and will be tending to two hives. Burros notes that the president has gotten some veto power with the garden as well: the president does not like beets, and none will be grown in the garden. (Read more) For a diagram of the garden and its crops, click here.
The first family's garden plan was forecast at election time, by Curtis Seltzer of Blue Grass, Va., in his Country Real Estate column, where he had "Bub" Obama saying, "Maybe we'll put a little garden in at the White House. Do the work ourselves." Seltzer replied, "Good metaphor … also good for you. Don't make a big deal about it. Don't staff out the weeding." (Read more)
http://www.curtis-seltzer.com/column61.html
In Sunshine Week, feds issue open-records rules
The Obama administration is making federal information more accessible. Guidelines issued yesterday by Attorney General Eric Holder instructed government agencies to release their records unless releasing that data would likely cause harm.
The new guidelines outline a policy that "essentially returns to one issued by Attorney General Janet Reno during the Clinton administration," writes Michael Sniffen of The Associated Press. "It would replace a more restrictive policy imposed by the Bush administration under which the Justice Department would defend any sound legal argument for withholding records."
Fittingly, the guidelines for administering the federal Freedom of Information Act were issued near the end of Sunshine Week, when journalists and other organizations work to promote openness in government. (Read more)
The new guidelines outline a policy that "essentially returns to one issued by Attorney General Janet Reno during the Clinton administration," writes Michael Sniffen of The Associated Press. "It would replace a more restrictive policy imposed by the Bush administration under which the Justice Department would defend any sound legal argument for withholding records."
Fittingly, the guidelines for administering the federal Freedom of Information Act were issued near the end of Sunshine Week, when journalists and other organizations work to promote openness in government. (Read more)
Writer pens love note to community newspapers, explains why her hometown paper thrives
"Dailies are on hard times, but weekly newspaper readership is hard core," the Daily Yonder says in introducing a piece by Betty Dotson-Lewis, singing the praises and giving many of the operational details of her hometown newspaper, The Nicholas Chronicle in Summersville, W.Va. "This small-town newspaper is a mainstay of Nicholas County," she writes. "On Wednesday evenings a little after 4 o’clock, you will see people braving the coldest or hottest weather, in sickness or health, driving to a nearby convenience store or Wal-Mart to get their copy of their small-town paper."
Dotson-Lewis says the key to success of small-town papers is that "Rural folk are neighborly in the extreme. . . . The majority of rural residents read their weekly paper for dependable and reliable local news." And the Chronicle is "thriving," she writes, because "The newspaper owners live in the community and are involved in community activities," and meet the needs of readers. "The paper is filled with local happenings of nearby small rural communities written about by local people."
The Chronicle recently went online, publishing for non-subscribers the first few paragraphs of a few major stories each week and giving subscribers the choice of the traditional print or the electronic "green edition." The cost is the same, $28.50, except that students can get the online version for $18. (We like that idea.) One couple switched their subscription, but switched back to print, Dotson-Lewis reports, quoting the wife: “I need to hold my paper, turn the pages back and forth, spread it out on the table and take it all in. and if there is a photo of my boys in the paper, I can cut it out.” (Read more)
Dotson-Lewis says the key to success of small-town papers is that "Rural folk are neighborly in the extreme. . . . The majority of rural residents read their weekly paper for dependable and reliable local news." And the Chronicle is "thriving," she writes, because "The newspaper owners live in the community and are involved in community activities," and meet the needs of readers. "The paper is filled with local happenings of nearby small rural communities written about by local people."
The Chronicle recently went online, publishing for non-subscribers the first few paragraphs of a few major stories each week and giving subscribers the choice of the traditional print or the electronic "green edition." The cost is the same, $28.50, except that students can get the online version for $18. (We like that idea.) One couple switched their subscription, but switched back to print, Dotson-Lewis reports, quoting the wife: “I need to hold my paper, turn the pages back and forth, spread it out on the table and take it all in. and if there is a photo of my boys in the paper, I can cut it out.” (Read more)
Weekly's editorial poses pointed questions lawmakers should ask about drilling legislation
Editorialists often presume to have the answers. Sometimes it's better to ask questions, to invite readers to think. That's what Editor Ben Gish of The Mountain Eagle in Whitesburg, Ky., did this week, as he took a crack at a bill in the legislature that would allow drilling for natural gas on state-owned property, including state parks.
"Let's assume for a moment that we are a state representative and ask ourselves some simple questions," Gish wrote. "Shouldn't I at least take a few hours out of my busy schedule to watch a well being drilled so I can get some kind of feel for the property damage that will occur on the lands I took an oath to protect?"
That was Question 1. Others touched on how gas wells work, the chemicals that are often used in fracturing of underground rock formations. The 15th and last question: " Now that I have become aware of some of the problems associated with the extraction of natural gas, I am beginning to feel the pain of some of our citizens who are being forced to let gas companies drill wells on their property simply because their mineral rights were surrendered years ago under broadform deeds. Shouldn't I begin to do my duty and introduce legislation that would help protect the health and safety of all of Kentucky's citizens who are being affected by the current boom in shale-gas drilling?" (Read more; subscription required)
"Let's assume for a moment that we are a state representative and ask ourselves some simple questions," Gish wrote. "Shouldn't I at least take a few hours out of my busy schedule to watch a well being drilled so I can get some kind of feel for the property damage that will occur on the lands I took an oath to protect?"
That was Question 1. Others touched on how gas wells work, the chemicals that are often used in fracturing of underground rock formations. The 15th and last question: " Now that I have become aware of some of the problems associated with the extraction of natural gas, I am beginning to feel the pain of some of our citizens who are being forced to let gas companies drill wells on their property simply because their mineral rights were surrendered years ago under broadform deeds. Shouldn't I begin to do my duty and introduce legislation that would help protect the health and safety of all of Kentucky's citizens who are being affected by the current boom in shale-gas drilling?" (Read more; subscription required)
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Media General closes Washington news bureau
Add Media General Inc. to the list of news organizations closing their Washington news bureaus, further reducing coverage of congressional delegations -- especially members from rural districts. The company announced last week that the Media General News Service bureau and associated Web site will close March 27. The six journalists in the bureau have been offered severance packages.
“We very much regret having to take this step,” Graham Woodlief, president of the company's Publishing Division, said in a press release. “However, as the economy continues to contract, and businesses and consumers continue to reduce spending, our advertising revenues have been adversely affected at unprecedented levels. While the Publishing Division reduced expenses in 2008 by 8 percent, excluding severance, we must continue to find ways to align our costs with the available revenue.”
Media General established a Washington bureau 30 years ago. Last year, "The bureau was reorganized into a multi-media team to take a Web-first approach to reporting and launched a Web site featuring sections dedicated to each of the 10 states in which Media General operates," the release said. “Even with the strong efforts of our bureau staff to adapt to the challenging economic times, it was not enough,” Woodlief said.
Media General outlets will cover Washington and their delegations locally, company spokesman Ray Kozakewicz told The Rural Blog. "They now cover the issues important to the communities they serve by being in touch with the local offices of their senators and Representatives," he wrote. "We will supplement that coverage with wire services and are considering other news partnerships that will strengthen our Washington, D.C. reporting." He said the Richmond Times-Dispatch, in the company's headquarters city, "will cover stories out of Washington on an as-needed basis. Given the geographic proximity, the newsroom regularly sends teams of reporters to Washington and will continue to do that."
Background from the release: "The company serves markets primarily in the Southeastern United States. Media General publishes 24 daily newspapers, including The Tampa Tribune, Richmond Times-Dispatch, and Winston-Salem Journal; and community newspapers in Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, Alabama and South Carolina; plus more than 250 weekly newspapers and other targeted publications. The company owns and operates 19 network-affiliated television stations that reach approximately 30 percent of the television households in the Southeast and nearly 9 percent of those in the United States."
UPDATE: The company's Publishing Division is being abolished. "Media General Inc. said Monday it is reorganizing its business around geographic markets rather than traditional operations such as publishing, broadcast and interactive. Those three divisions will be replaced by five geographic markets, plus a sixth operating segment called Interactive Advertising Services," Editor & Publisher reports. "The new structure will follow the example of its Tampa Bay properties, in which The Tampa Tribune newspaper and other print products are produced from the same newsroom and offices that include its WFLA-TV station and TBO.com online offerings."
“We very much regret having to take this step,” Graham Woodlief, president of the company's Publishing Division, said in a press release. “However, as the economy continues to contract, and businesses and consumers continue to reduce spending, our advertising revenues have been adversely affected at unprecedented levels. While the Publishing Division reduced expenses in 2008 by 8 percent, excluding severance, we must continue to find ways to align our costs with the available revenue.”
Media General established a Washington bureau 30 years ago. Last year, "The bureau was reorganized into a multi-media team to take a Web-first approach to reporting and launched a Web site featuring sections dedicated to each of the 10 states in which Media General operates," the release said. “Even with the strong efforts of our bureau staff to adapt to the challenging economic times, it was not enough,” Woodlief said.
Media General outlets will cover Washington and their delegations locally, company spokesman Ray Kozakewicz told The Rural Blog. "They now cover the issues important to the communities they serve by being in touch with the local offices of their senators and Representatives," he wrote. "We will supplement that coverage with wire services and are considering other news partnerships that will strengthen our Washington, D.C. reporting." He said the Richmond Times-Dispatch, in the company's headquarters city, "will cover stories out of Washington on an as-needed basis. Given the geographic proximity, the newsroom regularly sends teams of reporters to Washington and will continue to do that."
Background from the release: "The company serves markets primarily in the Southeastern United States. Media General publishes 24 daily newspapers, including The Tampa Tribune, Richmond Times-Dispatch, and Winston-Salem Journal; and community newspapers in Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, Alabama and South Carolina; plus more than 250 weekly newspapers and other targeted publications. The company owns and operates 19 network-affiliated television stations that reach approximately 30 percent of the television households in the Southeast and nearly 9 percent of those in the United States."
UPDATE: The company's Publishing Division is being abolished. "Media General Inc. said Monday it is reorganizing its business around geographic markets rather than traditional operations such as publishing, broadcast and interactive. Those three divisions will be replaced by five geographic markets, plus a sixth operating segment called Interactive Advertising Services," Editor & Publisher reports. "The new structure will follow the example of its Tampa Bay properties, in which The Tampa Tribune newspaper and other print products are produced from the same newsroom and offices that include its WFLA-TV station and TBO.com online offerings."
Administration refereeing debate between Corps, EPA over future of mountaintop-removal mining
After remaining silent on the issue, it appears the Environmental Protection Agency and other agencies in the Obama administration are getting close to a new policy on mountaintop-removal strip mining for coal.
Nancy Sutley, chairwoman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, "told lawmakers her staff have been meeting with EPA, the Corps of Engineers, the Department of Justice and the Office of Surface Mining, discussing the issue, reviewing the February decision by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and examining a flood of pending permits at the corps office in Huntington," W.Va., writes Ken Ward Jr. of The Charleston Gazette. That decision overturned a lower-court ruling that would have thwarted some mountaintop removal.
Sutley was questioned firmly by a strong opponent of mountaintop removal, Democratic Rep. Ben Chandler of Kentucky's Bluegrass region. She explained that the council is mediating a debate between the Corps, which wants to allow mountaintop removal, and EPA, which opposes it. (Read more, including the transcript of the exchange between Sutley and Chandler)
Nancy Sutley, chairwoman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, "told lawmakers her staff have been meeting with EPA, the Corps of Engineers, the Department of Justice and the Office of Surface Mining, discussing the issue, reviewing the February decision by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and examining a flood of pending permits at the corps office in Huntington," W.Va., writes Ken Ward Jr. of The Charleston Gazette. That decision overturned a lower-court ruling that would have thwarted some mountaintop removal.
Sutley was questioned firmly by a strong opponent of mountaintop removal, Democratic Rep. Ben Chandler of Kentucky's Bluegrass region. She explained that the council is mediating a debate between the Corps, which wants to allow mountaintop removal, and EPA, which opposes it. (Read more, including the transcript of the exchange between Sutley and Chandler)
Oil refiner buys seven ethanol plants on the cheap
The purchase of seven ethanol plants by the country's largest independent refiner, Valero Energy, "signals important new support for a flagging industry from an unexpected quarter," reports Clifford Krauss of The New York Times.
Valero is buying the plants from bankrupt VeraSun Energy for $477 million, a fraction of what it would cost to build new plants. The purchase surprised many observers, since oil refiners have traditionally opposed federal mandates to blend ethanol in gasoline.
The discounted price is what may have tempted Velaro to enter the ethanol industry. Chris Ruppel, an energy analyst at Execution, said, "Ethanol is still a lousy business, but if you can buy the plants for cents on the dollar, it looks a lot better as Washington is likely to keep mandated production targets."
Still, it looks likely that the ethanol industry will remain weak. It "is expected to produce about 10 billion gallons this year, leaving much of the industry’s capacity of 12.5 billion gallons idle," writes Krauss. (Read more) The federal government is considering raising the minimum percentage of ethanol in gasoline, but at the same time is also considering whether the fuel meets new renewable-energy standards in light of its indirect impact on rain forests, which are cleared to fill demand for crops replaced by U.S. corn grown for ethanol.
Valero is buying the plants from bankrupt VeraSun Energy for $477 million, a fraction of what it would cost to build new plants. The purchase surprised many observers, since oil refiners have traditionally opposed federal mandates to blend ethanol in gasoline.
The discounted price is what may have tempted Velaro to enter the ethanol industry. Chris Ruppel, an energy analyst at Execution, said, "Ethanol is still a lousy business, but if you can buy the plants for cents on the dollar, it looks a lot better as Washington is likely to keep mandated production targets."
Still, it looks likely that the ethanol industry will remain weak. It "is expected to produce about 10 billion gallons this year, leaving much of the industry’s capacity of 12.5 billion gallons idle," writes Krauss. (Read more) The federal government is considering raising the minimum percentage of ethanol in gasoline, but at the same time is also considering whether the fuel meets new renewable-energy standards in light of its indirect impact on rain forests, which are cleared to fill demand for crops replaced by U.S. corn grown for ethanol.
Weekly doesn't wait to publish warning to police
When a Tennessee Valley Authority police officer arrested a pesky anti-coal activist, who had posted a YouTube video of his mistreatment by a deputy sheriff earlier in the week, and the local sheriff transferred the activist to a jail in another county, Roane County News Editor Terri Likens thought it was time to warn the cops they were taking a "ham-fisted approach," and "Our community's reputation could pay the price."
Likens, right, didn't wait until her weekly print edition to take that stand. She placed the editorial on the paper's Web site, where news coverage usually goes, with this preface: "The following is opinion. We have posted it where we usually post news because we are disturbed by an escalating series of events recently involving the TVA ash spill and an activist working in the Swan Pond area."
Roane County is where the huge coal-ash spill took place in December. (The photo of her was taken during an overflight.) As the cleanup continues, activists and authorities have clashed. The arrested activist, with the United Mountain Defense Fund, was jailed after he didn't stop at a TVA checkpoint while taking a visually impaired woman home at night. The editorial said he "likely wanted to get arrested; he was wearing his gas mask, after all. ... Engaging with authorities is a common tactic with activists, and it can be effective if authorities bite. The danger is making the activist look like a martyr, and the folks who are restricting him look overbearing and even sinister." (Read more) Likens reports to us in an e-mail that after the editorial was published, TVA pulled back its barricades.
Likens, right, didn't wait until her weekly print edition to take that stand. She placed the editorial on the paper's Web site, where news coverage usually goes, with this preface: "The following is opinion. We have posted it where we usually post news because we are disturbed by an escalating series of events recently involving the TVA ash spill and an activist working in the Swan Pond area."Roane County is where the huge coal-ash spill took place in December. (The photo of her was taken during an overflight.) As the cleanup continues, activists and authorities have clashed. The arrested activist, with the United Mountain Defense Fund, was jailed after he didn't stop at a TVA checkpoint while taking a visually impaired woman home at night. The editorial said he "likely wanted to get arrested; he was wearing his gas mask, after all. ... Engaging with authorities is a common tactic with activists, and it can be effective if authorities bite. The danger is making the activist look like a martyr, and the folks who are restricting him look overbearing and even sinister." (Read more) Likens reports to us in an e-mail that after the editorial was published, TVA pulled back its barricades.
How healthy are your local banks? Web site tells
We have reported here that small-town and community banks have fared better in the economic downturn than many of the countries larger banks. A new Web site, designed by Wendell Cochran of American University's Investigative Reporting Workshop, allows the public to measure the strength or weakness of individual banks. The site uses Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. data to compare a bank's "troubled asset" ratio to the national median and other banks, as well as assets, loans, deposits, loan-loss prevention and other criteria used to judge the strength of a bank.
"The unprecedented bet that many banks made on mortgages, real estate development and other real estate-related lending during the middle part of this decade has produced a payoff no one imagined just a few years ago -- a huge increase in loan defaults, a soaring number of foreclosures and a plunge in bank profits," writes Cochran. "And now, an analysis of bank financial statements by the Investigative Reporting Workshop and msnbc.com sheds new light on just how dangerous conditions have become in many banks across the nation."
The site provides data for 2007 and 2008, a period that saw a dramatic increase in troubled assets for many banks. Our search of several smaller banks showed dramatically fewer troubled assets and fewer loans past due. A search of banks that have decided to return TARP money shows that there was not a dramatic rise in troubled assets, perhaps indicating little or no need for federal assistance.
"The unprecedented bet that many banks made on mortgages, real estate development and other real estate-related lending during the middle part of this decade has produced a payoff no one imagined just a few years ago -- a huge increase in loan defaults, a soaring number of foreclosures and a plunge in bank profits," writes Cochran. "And now, an analysis of bank financial statements by the Investigative Reporting Workshop and msnbc.com sheds new light on just how dangerous conditions have become in many banks across the nation."
The site provides data for 2007 and 2008, a period that saw a dramatic increase in troubled assets for many banks. Our search of several smaller banks showed dramatically fewer troubled assets and fewer loans past due. A search of banks that have decided to return TARP money shows that there was not a dramatic rise in troubled assets, perhaps indicating little or no need for federal assistance.
Permits in cap-and-trade system could be pricier than expected, driving up rural electric rates
The Obama administration initially projected that a cap-and-trade system to limit greenhouse-gas emissions would bring in $646 billion through 2019, Keith Johnson of The Wall Street Journal is reporting that federal officials now believe the revenue could be $1.3 trillion to $1.9 trillion, two to three times the initial estimate, and that the higher figure is likely due to higher permit costs.
While initial estimates were based on permit prices of $10 to $14 per ton, "to make the White House math work, the government would have to sell the same number of permits at prices ranging from $20 to more than $40 a ton," Johnson writes on the Journal's Environmental Capital blog. A $12 permit would raise electricity bills around 1 cent per kilowatt-hour for coal plants, and would raise the price of a gallon of gasoline by 11 cents. (Read more)
Rural electric cooperatives get 80 percent of their power from coal, so rural consumers would be most affected by limits on carbon-dioxide emissions. Even before speculation began on higher permit prices, many rural legislators were already concerned about the impact on their constituents. In a Reuters article last Friday, Richard Cowan wrote that as climate change legislation was being debated in Congress, House members "including lawmakers representing poor, rural areas, pressed experts for ways to mitigate the impact on the poor, who spend a greater proportion of their incomes on heating and fuel than middle-income and wealthy people." Rep. Artur Davis of Alabama, said that the legislation would disproportionally affect the South and Midwestern manufacturing areas. (Read more)
While initial estimates were based on permit prices of $10 to $14 per ton, "to make the White House math work, the government would have to sell the same number of permits at prices ranging from $20 to more than $40 a ton," Johnson writes on the Journal's Environmental Capital blog. A $12 permit would raise electricity bills around 1 cent per kilowatt-hour for coal plants, and would raise the price of a gallon of gasoline by 11 cents. (Read more)
Rural electric cooperatives get 80 percent of their power from coal, so rural consumers would be most affected by limits on carbon-dioxide emissions. Even before speculation began on higher permit prices, many rural legislators were already concerned about the impact on their constituents. In a Reuters article last Friday, Richard Cowan wrote that as climate change legislation was being debated in Congress, House members "including lawmakers representing poor, rural areas, pressed experts for ways to mitigate the impact on the poor, who spend a greater proportion of their incomes on heating and fuel than middle-income and wealthy people." Rep. Artur Davis of Alabama, said that the legislation would disproportionally affect the South and Midwestern manufacturing areas. (Read more)
Confused about climate change? Federal agencies produce a reference booklet, available online
Amid a welter of conflicting and confusing information about climate change, some federal agencies have joined to produce a booklet to help clear things up. "Climate Literacy: The Essential Principles of Climate Science" is available online, and looks like a great resource for journalists reporting on environmental issues.
"There's so much misinformation about climate," Tom Karl, the director of the National Climatic Data Center, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration., told The Associated Press. "We want to provide an easily readable document to help everyone make the most informed decisions. Having one product endorsed by the nation's top federal science agencies, as well as leading science centers and associations, makes this document an essential resource." (Read more)
"There's so much misinformation about climate," Tom Karl, the director of the National Climatic Data Center, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration., told The Associated Press. "We want to provide an easily readable document to help everyone make the most informed decisions. Having one product endorsed by the nation's top federal science agencies, as well as leading science centers and associations, makes this document an essential resource." (Read more)
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Quit whining and lead the way toward change and profitability online, rural editor urges journalists
"I’m so sick of the pity parties for the newspaper industry." That's how Samantha Swindler of The Times Tribune in Corbin, Ky., begins her latest column, prompted by journalists whining "about the doom and gloom in the newspaper industry and what ills will befall our country if the newspaper ever ceases to exist."
Following a "rolls eyes" line bracketed by asterisks, Swinder continued, "Nothing bad is going to happen to society if newspapers cease to exist, because good journalism will always be around. ... It’s that unearned sense of entitlement, that lack of adaptability or unwillingness to evolve, that loss of the whole American idea of ingenuity, that’s crippling the economy (not just the newspaper industry) and making me sick." She said newspapers should charge small fees for online content, and stop allowing aggregators to use their news without paying.
"We community newspapers are in a far better position than the major metros," Swindler acknowledged. "We still produce a relatively scarce product — very few media outlets are fighting over local coverage — and our readership demographic of older, rural residents will probably be some of the last to transition to online news sources. Plus, people in small communities have a greater attachment to local news than city dwellers."
But unless newspaper journalists at all levels lead the way toward change that brings online profitability, Swindler concludes, "The world is going to be stuck with a bunch of punk bloggers who have no scruples, who can’t write an open-records request, who post anything before it’s proven fact, who purposefully intermingle opinion and news because they’re more interested in being a 'personality' than a reporter, and who really will be the death of the journalism of accountability — which is all I’m really worried about." (Read more)
Following a "rolls eyes" line bracketed by asterisks, Swinder continued, "Nothing bad is going to happen to society if newspapers cease to exist, because good journalism will always be around. ... It’s that unearned sense of entitlement, that lack of adaptability or unwillingness to evolve, that loss of the whole American idea of ingenuity, that’s crippling the economy (not just the newspaper industry) and making me sick." She said newspapers should charge small fees for online content, and stop allowing aggregators to use their news without paying.
"We community newspapers are in a far better position than the major metros," Swindler acknowledged. "We still produce a relatively scarce product — very few media outlets are fighting over local coverage — and our readership demographic of older, rural residents will probably be some of the last to transition to online news sources. Plus, people in small communities have a greater attachment to local news than city dwellers."
But unless newspaper journalists at all levels lead the way toward change that brings online profitability, Swindler concludes, "The world is going to be stuck with a bunch of punk bloggers who have no scruples, who can’t write an open-records request, who post anything before it’s proven fact, who purposefully intermingle opinion and news because they’re more interested in being a 'personality' than a reporter, and who really will be the death of the journalism of accountability — which is all I’m really worried about." (Read more)
Medicare Advantage doesn't seem all that advantageous for rural areas
"Senators from Iowa and North Carolina say Medicare Advantage is vital for rural communities. But not many rural residents use these plans — and the plans they get are costly and unproven," the Daily Yonder reports after its demographic analysis of Medicare data.
"Medicare Advantage plans took off more quickly in cities than in rural communities," Tim Murphy and Bill Bishop write. "In rural counties, only 14.1 percent of those receiving Medicare belonged to a Medicare Advantage plan. ... Nationally, 23.7 percent of Medicare beneficiaries belong."
The Yonder notes that the Obama administration wants to stop "paying more for Medicaid Advantage plans than for regular Medicare. Currently, the government spends about $1.30 on Medicare Advantage for every dollar it spends on traditional Medicare. ... Republicans have resisted reduction in spending on Medicare Advantage, often arguing that the program provided choice to rural communities. ... But rural communities aren’t heavily invested in the Medicare Advantage plan — especially rural communities in North Carolina and Iowa," the respective states of Republican Sens. Richard Burr and Charles Grassley, who have voiced concern about the plan. Only 7.7 percent in Iowa are enrolled, and 12.8 percent in North Carolina.
For a state-by-state table and the full Yonder story, which explains the factors involved in creating differences in rural and urban particpation in the program, click here.
"Medicare Advantage plans took off more quickly in cities than in rural communities," Tim Murphy and Bill Bishop write. "In rural counties, only 14.1 percent of those receiving Medicare belonged to a Medicare Advantage plan. ... Nationally, 23.7 percent of Medicare beneficiaries belong."
The Yonder notes that the Obama administration wants to stop "paying more for Medicaid Advantage plans than for regular Medicare. Currently, the government spends about $1.30 on Medicare Advantage for every dollar it spends on traditional Medicare. ... Republicans have resisted reduction in spending on Medicare Advantage, often arguing that the program provided choice to rural communities. ... But rural communities aren’t heavily invested in the Medicare Advantage plan — especially rural communities in North Carolina and Iowa," the respective states of Republican Sens. Richard Burr and Charles Grassley, who have voiced concern about the plan. Only 7.7 percent in Iowa are enrolled, and 12.8 percent in North Carolina.
For a state-by-state table and the full Yonder story, which explains the factors involved in creating differences in rural and urban particpation in the program, click here.
Grassley gets down to it with latest AIG comment
Now and then, it takes a good rural metaphor to drive home a point. Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley, a farmer and one of the more quotable members of Congress, delivered the goods today in a press conference in the Capitol about the bonuses being paid to insurance giant AIG. (Photo by Lauren Victoria Burke, wdcpix.com)"It's irresponsible for corporations to give bonuses at this time, when they're so sucking the tit of the taxpayer," Grassley said. That may not be the sort of terminology you want on the Senate floor, but it pretty much captures the situation, and fits the growing populist air in the country, which transcends party lines. Grassley is a Republican, but not a reflexive one.
Grassley's remarks followed his widely reported advice that AIG executives “follow the Japanese example and come before the American people and take that deep bow and say ‘I’m sorry,’ and then either do one of two things: resign or go commit suicide. And in the case of the Japanese, they usually commit suicide before they make any apology.” The next day, he said, “Of course I don’t want people to commit suicide, but I do want an attitude in corporate American that’s similar to what they have in corporate Japan.” For more from the Iowa Independent, click here.
Analogies, metaphors and politics aside, this item is an appreciation of Grassley. When I covered my first Republican National Convention, in 1992, I ran into him outside a fund-raiser and asked him a direct question about a largely unreported leadership race among his colleagues. He replied quickly and frankly, and made a good story for a convention rookie. Would that more public officials were like him.
Ky. high-school basketball tourney is rural festival
A great rural festival began today, in Kentucky's second largest city. It's the state high school basketball tournament, and though it's at Rupp Arena in Lexington, it has a rural look, feel and sound. That's because Kentucky is one of the few states that choose a single high-school basketball champion and don't use a class system, in which schools are grouped according to enrollment and several champions are crowned. Some Kentuckians think their state is the only one without any hint of a class system in basketball.
The lack of a class system means that Kentucky's smaller rural schools almost always outnumber their urban counterparts when the champions of the 16 regions face off in the "Sweet Sixteen." (The Kentucky High School Athletic Association might prefer that we put a trademark after that, but quotation marks will have to do. They might also think we should give you the name of the bank that is a corporate sponsor.)
The lack of a class system means that Kentucky's smaller rural schools almost always outnumber their urban counterparts when the champions of the 16 regions face off in the "Sweet Sixteen." (The Kentucky High School Athletic Association might prefer that we put a trademark after that, but quotation marks will have to do. They might also think we should give you the name of the bank that is a corporate sponsor.)
Today's first session (in photo) was, fittingly, mainly rural. Hazard, the smallest school in the tournament with an enrollment of 286, played gamely but ran out of gas against West Jessamine (County), a school that is in the Lexington metropolitan area but has many rural students. The second game pitted two thoroughly rural schools, Adair County and Grayson County. Adair had the only player with a college scholarship, but Grayson won 45-33. Both afternoon winners had never won a state tournament game, notes Jason Frakes of The Courier-Journal.
Tonight's card has two rural-urban matchups: Louisville Central vs. Graves County, and Louisville Eastern vs. Corbin. Tomorrow afternoon, it's Lexington Catholic vs. Bowling Green and Covington Holmes vs. Christian County. Tomorrow night, it's all rural, with Mason County vs. Shelby Valley and Anderson County vs. Elliott County, one of the state's smallest. Elliott and Shelby Valley (Pike County) are the top teams in Eastern Kentucky, and are expected to go farther in the tournament than the area's recent representatives, as reported by Frakes and Mike Fields of the Lexington Herald-Leader.
UPDATE, March 21: The last truly rural team in the tourney, Elliott County, lost in a semifinal this morning to Covington Holmes. For Herald-Leader coverage, click here. In a story earlier in the week, Pat Forde of ESPN.com likened Elliott's quest to that of the Milan, Ind., Indians of 1954, memorialized in the 1986 film "Hoosiers." "The Lions' story has captured the attention of basketball fans around the globe, among them "Hoosiers" screenwriter Angelo Pizzo, an Indiana resident," Forde reported. (Read more)
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