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The Daily Yonder
Frank Kilgore, Southwest Virginia’s ‘Unofficial Chamber of Commerce,’ Dies
This story was originally published by Cardinal News. When St. Paul lawyer Frank Kilgore felt that the high test scores of Southwest Virginia students weren’t getting enough attention, he called up newspapers across the state — not to pitch a story but to buy $10,000 worth of ads trumpeting his region’s accomplishments.
Survey: Affordable Child Care a Problem in Rural America
A new survey of small business owners from rural parts of the country shows that 87% believe it has been difficult for working parents to afford high-quality child care programs for their children. The survey found that small businesses across the country, and especially in rural areas, are wanting to...
Commentary: Rural Identity Emerging as Key Factor in Politics
This story was originally published by the Indiana Capital Chronicle. Most observers link identity politics with Democrats, as underrepresented groups have used their common fate as a vehicle for political action since the movement politics of the 1960s & 70s. The political science literature has highlighted another key identity emerging...
Food Stamps Go Further in Rural Areas — Until You Add Transportation Costs
The lower cost of groceries in rural areas means that federal nutrition benefits cover a greater share of food expenses there, but higher transportation costs erode any advantage rural families may have in stretching their food dollars, new research shows. The nonpartisan nonprofit Urban Institute found that the average cost...
Pillen’s Promises: Economic Boom and Little Harm for Neighbors. They Haven’t Always Panned Out.
This story was originally published by Investigate Midwest. Dorian Kaspar was outside, cutting trees with her husband at her farmhouse near St. Edward, Nebraska, a few years back around Easter, when a gust of wind blew through the wide-open cornfields and carried in what seemed like rain. It descended on...
Accidental Rancher: The Head and Heart of the Matter
A friend of mine recently took a whirlwind trip to Ireland. While walking through a park in Dublin, she met an Irish wolfhound named Seamus and fell immediately and deeply in love. Upon her return, she began researching the breed and has not stopped thinking about them since. The fact that my friend already has a dog and that Irish wolfhounds are uncommon, expensive and huge, is making her logical mind determine adding one to her family wouldn’t be a good idea.
Q&A: Who’s Fighting for Abortion Rights in Idaho?
Editor’s Note: This interview first appeared in Path Finders, an email newsletter from the Daily Yonder. Each week, Path Finders features a Q&A with a rural thinker, creator, or doer. Like what you see here? You can join the mailing list at the bottom of this article and receive more conversations like this in your inbox each week.
Improving Public Health by Strengthening Community Infrastructure
In years past, residents of Savonburg, Kansas, might visit the local cemetery for a couple of reasons. One reason was to honor the dead, of course. But another might be to communicate with the living. That’s because the cemetery was one of the few spots in town where residents could...
In Memoriam: Bishop Willie Lamb, 100, a Man of Faith, Service, and Strength
Bishop Willie Lee Lamb died June 22, 2024, at age 100 in Akron, Ohio, where he lived with one of his daughters. Lamb was buried July 9 in Tom Biggs Holler, near McRoberts, in Letcher County, Kentucky. The poet Jorge Luis Borges writes that with each death, the world loses...
How We Owned a Mine, or A Brief History of Kentucky’s Mining Cooperative
For over 100 years, Himler House stood on a hill overlooking Beauty, formerly Himlerville, in Martin County, Kentucky. Once the site of grand Christmas parties and banquets, the house was eventually abandoned and fell to ruins. But few of the teens, vandals, and ghost hunters who frequented the abandoned mansion...
White-Nose Syndrome Threatens North American Bat Populations
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Keep It Rural, an email newsletter from the Daily Yonder. Like what you see? Join the mailing list for more rural news, thoughts, and analysis in your inbox each week. Hear reporter Claire Carlson narrate her column on Keep It Rural,...
Commentary—Project 2025 to Rural America: Let Them Eat Cake (Without a Nutrition Label)
Project 2025 has been so much in the news lately that former President Donald Trump had to respond to the right-wing policy proposals, which the Heritage Foundation put together in hopes of implementation under another Trump presidency. “I know nothing about Project 2025. I have no idea who is behind...
Wyoming Road Failure Reveals a Housing Crisis
This story was originally published by Writers on the Range. I live in Victor, Idaho—one of Jackson, Wyoming’s, bedroom communities. Every day, roughly 3,400 Idaho residents drive over Teton Pass to work in Jackson. Only about 11,000 of us live on this side of the pass—2,000 in Victor—so commuters make up a significant portion of our population.
Commentary: Tractor Supply’s Retreat from LGBTQ+ Inclusion Does Not Reflect the Diversity of Rural America
EDITOR’S NOTE: In late June, the Tractor Supply Company announced that it was eliminating the corporation’s diversity, equity, and inclusion goals; ending its practice of providing data to the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group; and stopping the sponsorship of gay pride festivals and voting campaigns. The changes came after an anti-LGBTQ+ media producer launched a campaign to boycott the “rural lifestyle” retailer over its corporate policies, saying they did not reflect the values of the business’ customer base.
Therapists Learn How To Help Farmers Cope With Stress Before It’s Too Late
This story was originally published by KFF Health News. If you or someone you know may be experiencing a mental health crisis, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing “988,” or the Crisis Text Line by texting “HOME” to 741741. The farmers’ co-op in...
45 Degrees North: Roadside Assistance Out Yonder
Mechanical problems, out of gas, hit a deer, stuck in mud or snow, keys lost or locked in the car… There are lots of reasons why you might need roadside assistance in a rural area, and lots of rural areas where calling for help is not as simple as it sounds. So there are some things you should know before you need a tow or other help.
Communities Struggle to Get Connected, Despite Billions in Broadband Investment
This story was originally published by the Indiana Capital Chronicle. Luke Dwenger checks his assignments over the public Wi-Fi connection at the Greensburg Decatur County Public Library while his dad Todd waits with him in the parking lot. The library closed four hours ago, but the Dwengers’ internet is down...
In Rural Florida Community, Education Starts with GEDs and Learning English
Editor’s Note: A version of this story first appeared in Mile Markers, a twice monthly newsletter from Open Campus about the role of colleges in rural America. You can join the mailing list at the bottom of this article to receive future editions in your inbox. A rural Florida...
Safe and Stable Housing Is a Foundation of Successful Recovery
Amy Drum has a new grandbaby she’s eager to get home to see. Drum, who lives in the town of Lincolnton, in North Carolina’s Piedmont region, had been free of heroin and methamphetamine for a good while before relapsing. It was pretty rough going for a time. She eventually got into treatment.
Embracing a Philosophy of Change
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Keep It Rural, an email newsletter from the Daily Yonder. Like what you see? Join the mailing list for more rural news, thoughts, and analysis in your inbox each week. On the last day of June, just three days after one...
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