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  31. <title>GETAWAY Podcast Goes on Journey Across the Country</title>
  32. <link>https://dailyyonder.com/getaway-podcast-releases-final-episode/2025/04/03/</link>
  33. <comments>https://dailyyonder.com/getaway-podcast-releases-final-episode/2025/04/03/#respond</comments>
  35. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Staff]]></dc:creator>
  36. <pubDate>Thu, 03 Apr 2025 10:01:00 +0000</pubDate>
  37. <category><![CDATA[Rural Life]]></category>
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  40. <description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="525" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/LEDE-PHOTO-Daily-Yonder_Getaway_16.9-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C525&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" fetchpriority="high" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/LEDE-PHOTO-Daily-Yonder_Getaway_16.9-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/LEDE-PHOTO-Daily-Yonder_Getaway_16.9-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C390&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/LEDE-PHOTO-Daily-Yonder_Getaway_16.9-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C664&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/LEDE-PHOTO-Daily-Yonder_Getaway_16.9-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C394&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/LEDE-PHOTO-Daily-Yonder_Getaway_16.9-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C787&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/LEDE-PHOTO-Daily-Yonder_Getaway_16.9-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1050&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/LEDE-PHOTO-Daily-Yonder_Getaway_16.9-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C615&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/LEDE-PHOTO-Daily-Yonder_Getaway_16.9-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C525&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/LEDE-PHOTO-Daily-Yonder_Getaway_16.9-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C804&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/LEDE-PHOTO-Daily-Yonder_Getaway_16.9-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1025&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/LEDE-PHOTO-Daily-Yonder_Getaway_16.9-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C205&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/LEDE-PHOTO-Daily-Yonder_Getaway_16.9-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C362&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/LEDE-PHOTO-Daily-Yonder_Getaway_16.9-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/LEDE-PHOTO-Daily-Yonder_Getaway_16.9-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C525&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>
  41. <p>In GETAWAY, a five-episode podcast series from Rural Remix, Daily Yonder reporter Ilana Newman dives deep into what it means to be a rural recreation community.&#160; The final episode, about balancing economies in a small coastal Washington town, releases today. From planning and growth development to the housing crisis, to the effects of climate change, [&#8230;]</p>
  42. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/getaway-podcast-releases-final-episode/2025/04/03/">GETAWAY Podcast Goes on Journey Across the Country</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
  43. ]]></description>
  44. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="525" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/LEDE-PHOTO-Daily-Yonder_Getaway_16.9-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C525&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/LEDE-PHOTO-Daily-Yonder_Getaway_16.9-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/LEDE-PHOTO-Daily-Yonder_Getaway_16.9-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C390&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/LEDE-PHOTO-Daily-Yonder_Getaway_16.9-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C664&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/LEDE-PHOTO-Daily-Yonder_Getaway_16.9-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C394&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/LEDE-PHOTO-Daily-Yonder_Getaway_16.9-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C787&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/LEDE-PHOTO-Daily-Yonder_Getaway_16.9-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1050&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/LEDE-PHOTO-Daily-Yonder_Getaway_16.9-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C615&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/LEDE-PHOTO-Daily-Yonder_Getaway_16.9-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C525&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/LEDE-PHOTO-Daily-Yonder_Getaway_16.9-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C804&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/LEDE-PHOTO-Daily-Yonder_Getaway_16.9-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1025&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/LEDE-PHOTO-Daily-Yonder_Getaway_16.9-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C205&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/LEDE-PHOTO-Daily-Yonder_Getaway_16.9-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C362&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/LEDE-PHOTO-Daily-Yonder_Getaway_16.9-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/LEDE-PHOTO-Daily-Yonder_Getaway_16.9-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C525&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure><p>In <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/podcasts/rural-remix/getaway/">GETAWAY</a>, a five-episode podcast series from Rural Remix, Daily Yonder reporter Ilana Newman dives deep into what it means to be a rural recreation community.&nbsp;</p><p><a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/3lXyd2Qg7kxIcztDJ8CGIV?si=92699a5eccca4838&amp;nd=1&amp;dlsi=5fba7bcf9b3e42ec">The final episode</a>, about balancing economies in a small coastal Washington town, releases today.</p><p>From planning and growth development to the housing crisis, to the effects of climate change, and the cultural shifts that happen when a town moves toward recreation and tourism, <a href="https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/l3cXb3oyuRb">GETAWAY</a> takes us on a cross-country road trip to visit small towns that are embracing and struggling with what it means to have a rural recreation economy.&nbsp;</p><p>Rural communities are often overlooked by people just looking to go for a hike or a bike ride, or visiting a National Park. They’re a destination, a stopover, a place to get a burger after a long adventure or purchase a souvenir, not seen as a place where real people live, work, and create community.&nbsp;</p><p>They are the getaway.</p><figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" width="780" height="520" onerror="if (typeof newspackHandleImageError === 'function') newspackHandleImageError(this);" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/DSC05715.jpg?resize=780%2C520&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-227465" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/DSC05715-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C864&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/DSC05715-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C507&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/DSC05715-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/DSC05715-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/DSC05715-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/DSC05715-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/DSC05715-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/DSC05715-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1333&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/DSC05715-scaled.jpg?resize=780%2C520&amp;ssl=1 780w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/DSC05715-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/DSC05715-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C471&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/DSC05715-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/DSC05715-1296x864.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Sunrise over Long Beach, Washington in Pacific County, one of the communities featured in the final episode of GETAWAY. (Photo by Ilana Newman/The Daily Yonder)</figcaption></figure><p>What does this phenomenon do to a town and the people who live there? How can a town plan not only for visitors but for the people who make that place their home?&nbsp;</p><p>Rural communities have historically relied on industries like logging, mining, oil and gas, and agriculture to use the vast amounts of both public and private land that surround them. But for some rural communities that have natural amenities nearby, tourism and recreation have become increasingly attractive.&nbsp;</p><p>But how does a community begin to move away from extractive industries that may be going bust and toward outdoor recreation and tourism? And when do recreation and tourism become extractive in their own way?&nbsp;</p><p><a href="https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/l3cXb3oyuRb">GETAWAY</a> dives into all of these questions and more by talking to experts and visiting communities dealing with these issues firsthand.</p><p>From the Pacific Northwest beaches to the Rocky Mountains and the deserts of the Colorado Plateau to the rivers and valleys of Appalachia and the mountains of New Hampshire, <a href="https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/l3cXb3oyuRb">GETAWAY</a> takes visitors all over the country to give a nuanced look at what it means to be a rural recreation economy.&nbsp;</p><figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" width="780" height="520" onerror="if (typeof newspackHandleImageError === 'function') newspackHandleImageError(this);" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/DSC05698.jpg?resize=780%2C520&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-227466" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/DSC05698-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C864&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/DSC05698-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C507&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/DSC05698-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/DSC05698-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/DSC05698-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/DSC05698-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/DSC05698-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/DSC05698-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1333&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/DSC05698-scaled.jpg?resize=780%2C520&amp;ssl=1 780w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/DSC05698-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/DSC05698-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C471&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/DSC05698-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/DSC05698-1296x864.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Long Beach, Washington, was built to be a resort community, welcoming tourists to the small oceanside town. The contrast with the rest of Pacific County, which historically depended on fishing and logging to support its economy, is notable. This contrast is explored in the final episode of GETAWAY. (Photo by Ilana Newman/The Daily Yonder)</figcaption></figure><h3 class="wp-block-heading">Episode Breakdown</h3><p><strong>Episode One</strong>: <em><a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/1dbZ3zGPiN4WKjpfRzErL1?si=ytzUYDYPQlqfR77LXr-m5g&amp;nd=1&amp;dlsi=d8e4cb3bad72468c">How to Build a Recreation Economy</a></em> &#8211; In our first episode, we talk to a few people who study the recreation industry and how it intersects with rural communities. We start out in Montezuma County, Colorado, Ilana’s home in Southwest Colorado, and also visit Monte Vista, Colorado, another small town in Southern Colorado. These two communities are not necessarily known as tourism destinations, but the towns are invested in recreation development for locals and developing sustainable tourism along the way. </p><p><strong>Episode Two</strong>: <a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/7AFNlnfbgPNQjoNP3n70XR?si=c7f5877b122c4f68"><em>Can We Fix the Tourism Housing Crisis?</em> </a>&#8211; Housing is one of the biggest challenges for popular destination communities around the country. Second-home owners and vacation rentals drive up prices in our recreation communities, and locals get priced out. In this episode, we’re headed to Moab, Utah, to learn about the Community Land Trust and the work they’re doing to support affordable housing. We’ll also visit Taos, New Mexico, with Daily Yonder reporter Anya Petrone Slepyan to learn about the town’s housing challenges and potential solutions. </p><p><strong>Episode Three</strong>: <em><a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/3PQIw3xirt5zznOC6BQnQU?si=Hvwa9oNMS6ORj_UoGUjd4w">Inside the Newest National Park Community</a></em> &#8211; National parks capture the imagination of many travelers and road trippers seeking the Great Outdoors. But what do national parks do for the communities that serve as their gateways? We take a trip to New River Gorge National Park, the newest national park in the national park system, with Daily Yonder reporter Sarah Melotte, to learn about what Fayetteville, West Virginia, is dealing with around the park designation. </p><p><strong>Episode Four:</strong> <em><a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/1fcMiyaNZP3VzzRyMefkWb?si=VSI_3W1NSFCqvBMj0UCTZA">Climate Change in Rural Recreation Economies</a></em> &#8211; Low snowpack, drought, flooding, wildfires, warmer winters. Climate change is causing temperature shifts and natural disasters that affect outdoor recreation and the small town economies that depend on recreation. In this episode, we’re headed to New Hampshire ski towns with Daily Yonder reporter Julia Tilton and learning about how winter recreation economies in New England are changing because of warmer winters and less snow. We also learn why rural communities are more vulnerable to climate change with Daily Yonder data reporter Sarah Melotte.&nbsp;<br><br><strong>Episode Five:</strong> <a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/3lXyd2Qg7kxIcztDJ8CGIV?si=92699a5eccca4838&amp;nd=1&amp;dlsi=5fba7bcf9b3e42ec"><em>Balancing Rural Economies with Recreation</em> </a>&#8211; How does a community balance historic extractive industries like logging, fishing, agriculture, and mining with tourism and recreation? It’s not as simple as wanting to move away from extraction and toward tourism. In this episode, we’re headed to Ilwaco, a small town on the coast of Southwest Washington. The communities of Pacific County have historically relied on fishing and logging, and the town of Ilwaco is currently working to balance these historic industries with recreation and tourism.</p><hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots"/><p class="has-text-align-center"><strong>Listen to <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/podcasts/rural-remix/getaway/">GETAWAY</a> on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/podcasts/rural-remix/">Rural Remix</a>, available now, wherever you get your podcasts. <br></strong></p><p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/getaway-podcast-releases-final-episode/2025/04/03/">GETAWAY Podcast Goes on Journey Across the Country</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
  45. ]]></content:encoded>
  47. <wfw:commentRss>https://dailyyonder.com/getaway-podcast-releases-final-episode/2025/04/03/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  48. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  51. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">227454</post-id> </item>
  52. <item>
  53. <title>Commentary: Who’s Afraid of DEI? – How the Assault on Diversity Harms Rural Places</title>
  54. <link>https://dailyyonder.com/commentary-whos-afraid-of-dei-how-the-assault-on-diversity-harms-rural-places/2025/04/03/</link>
  55. <comments>https://dailyyonder.com/commentary-whos-afraid-of-dei-how-the-assault-on-diversity-harms-rural-places/2025/04/03/#respond</comments>
  57. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Shawn Pitts]]></dc:creator>
  58. <pubDate>Thu, 03 Apr 2025 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
  59. <category><![CDATA[Government & Policy]]></category>
  60. <category><![CDATA[Commentary]]></category>
  61. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=227218</guid>
  62.  
  63. <description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP25010592746326-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP25010592746326-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP25010592746326-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C507&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP25010592746326-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C864&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP25010592746326-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP25010592746326-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP25010592746326-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP25010592746326-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP25010592746326-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP25010592746326-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C1045&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP25010592746326-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1333&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP25010592746326-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP25010592746326-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C471&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP25010592746326-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP25010592746326-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>
  64. <p>Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is just the latest boogeyman; a catchall acronym for every type of racial fear and insecurity. Black Lives Matter and Critical Race Theory are in the same category, and before that it was the more expansive “multiculturalism.”  The list of related terms and the anxieties projected onto them is long, [&#8230;]</p>
  65. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/commentary-whos-afraid-of-dei-how-the-assault-on-diversity-harms-rural-places/2025/04/03/">Commentary: Who’s Afraid of DEI? – How the Assault on Diversity Harms Rural Places</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
  66. ]]></description>
  67. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP25010592746326-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP25010592746326-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP25010592746326-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C507&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP25010592746326-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C864&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP25010592746326-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP25010592746326-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP25010592746326-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP25010592746326-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP25010592746326-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP25010592746326-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C1045&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP25010592746326-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1333&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP25010592746326-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP25010592746326-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C471&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP25010592746326-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP25010592746326-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure><p>Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is just the latest boogeyman; a catchall acronym for every type of racial fear and insecurity. Black Lives Matter and Critical Race Theory are in the same category, and before that it was the more expansive “multiculturalism.” </p><p>The list of related terms and the anxieties projected onto them is long, but attempts to tease out the complexities of these wildly divergent constructs, or show how they are dishonestly distorted by partisans is probably futile.&nbsp;</p><p>The current assault on DEI initiatives is a case study in actions that virtually guarantee rural people, and the places they live in will be disproportionately wounded.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>When I first began writing grants and sitting on review panels, it was like learning another language. I won’t lie, part of the challenge was the specific parlance of diversity, equity, and inclusion.&nbsp;</p><p>Those words are plain enough in everyday English, but it is fair to say they take on more nuanced meanings in grant-making jargon. But that is not because they are secretly coded to rob deserving individuals or agencies of opportunity in order to award substandard work on the basis of race or gender.&nbsp;</p><p>In almost thirty years of nonprofit work, I have never witnessed anything remotely like that, yet outlandish claims like that seem to be driving the heated national conversation about DEI.&nbsp;</p><p>Community and cultural development are where I have the most experience, so I will confine my comments to that realm, but diversity standards have been in place for many years in every sort of agency that awards or receives public funding. Yet, almost no one now objecting to DEI policies pauses long enough to ask why those policies were adopted, who is included in them, or what the outcomes have been.&nbsp;</p><p>To sum it up in one sentence, limited access to resources on a number of fronts—not just race and gender—inspired the thinking behind DEI initiatives and small communities may have benefitted more than almost anyone from their implementation.</p><p>Every time the topic comes up, I am reminded of a roundtable discussion involving arts leaders from across my state of North Carolina. The diverse group included everyone from professional administrators at major cultural institutions to small-town arts volunteers like me. When the conversation turned to the most intractable challenges facing nonprofit arts agencies, one of my thoughtful colleagues who works with urban immigrant populations observed that her constituents faced many obstacles navigating the paperwork, insider jargon, and procedural guidelines required to communicate with most grant-makers. Everyone in the room probably assumed she was talking about English language barriers—I know I did—but she quickly dispelled that notion by nodding at me and saying, “He knows what I mean.”&nbsp;</p><p>After I had a moment to process that, I knew exactly what she meant.&nbsp;</p><p>She intuitively recognized that rural communities and culturally isolated urban enclaves are often ignored, neglected, and deprived of opportunity in much the same way. We might not share the same language or customs, but marginalization only requires the contempt or negligence of the people who hold the power and purse strings. Expressed in those terms, it may be easier to understand how initiatives intended to combat systemic inequity and oversight—imperfect as they may be—are desperately needed to ensure access for underserved communities of every kind.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Most rural places are the very definition of underserved in the arts by federal and state grant-making guidelines. Before anyone jumps to the wrong conclusion, I have long been an advocate for homegrown culture and the value of traditional and folk arts, but even these are endangered by trashing DEI programs. Whether it&#8217;s growing the capacity of small-town arts agencies to serve such constituents, improving arts access for undeserved country kids, or just paying the pickers at the local bluegrass festival, a great deal of funding for rural cultural projects is doled out under the DEI banner.&nbsp;</p><p>Even when programs are not directly connected to DEI funding, rural communities benefit immeasurably from a civic culture of broad inclusivity. Diversity sometimes means opportunity on the basis of economic challenges or isolated settings. Equity sometimes means offering a leg up to rural artists and arts agencies. Inclusion sometimes means inviting rural people to the table and treating them with the respect and dignity they deserve.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>There is no reason to pretend that race and gender parity are not integral to most DEI program goals. Because they are, millions of rural residents who fall into these categories endure insult on top of injury when these policies are indiscriminately gutted, as do military veterans, people with disabilities, religious minorities, elderly populations, caregivers, and those living with developmental disabilities. Sometimes diversity just means diversity, and taken together these populations make up a huge chunk of rural Americans who are now at risk of losing access to opportunity and critical services.&nbsp;</p><p>Presently, only federal agencies are impacted by the administration’s shortsighted executive order attempting to dismantle anything remotely resembling a DEI policy but the domino effect is well underway in state and local governments. Weak-kneed compliance in the private and nonprofit sectors only validates and emboldens these efforts, while suggesting we were never really serious about helping our neighbors in the first place.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>There is risible irony in an executive order that reads, in part, “Americans deserve a government committed to serving every person with equal dignity and respect.” The minimal protections DEI policies offer exist only because their government has repeatedly failed to affirm the equal dignity and respect of America’s most vulnerable citizens. Anyone supporting the rollback of such policies in the name of meritocracy would do well to think about who determines what qualifies as meritorious and recall that the traditional standards almost never tilt toward rural Americans.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots"/><p><em>Shawn Pitts is a community arts advocate who lives in Selmer, Tennessee. He has written for Southern Cultures, The Tennessee Folklore Society Bulletin, The Bitter Southerner, and other periodicals. Shawn has served on the boards of The Tennessee Folklore Society, Humanities Tennessee, and The Tennessee Arts Commission, as well as numerous economic and community development agencies.&nbsp;</em><br></p><p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/commentary-whos-afraid-of-dei-how-the-assault-on-diversity-harms-rural-places/2025/04/03/">Commentary: Who’s Afraid of DEI? – How the Assault on Diversity Harms Rural Places</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
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  76. <title>Rock Opera &#8216;O&#8217;Dessa&#8217; Aims to Bring Fresh Energy to a Familiar Framework</title>
  77. <link>https://dailyyonder.com/hulu-rock-opera-odessa-aims-to-bring-fresh-energy-to-a-familiar-framework/2025/04/03/</link>
  78. <comments>https://dailyyonder.com/hulu-rock-opera-odessa-aims-to-bring-fresh-energy-to-a-familiar-framework/2025/04/03/#respond</comments>
  80. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Anya Petrone Slepyan]]></dc:creator>
  81. <pubDate>Thu, 03 Apr 2025 09:59:00 +0000</pubDate>
  82. <category><![CDATA[Arts & Culture]]></category>
  83. <category><![CDATA[The Good, the Bad, and the Elegy]]></category>
  84. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=227477</guid>
  85.  
  86. <description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/08_010_O_15204.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="a young woman in a studded leather jacket with a banjo looks ahead suggestively while a large crowd amasses behind her" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/08_010_O_15204.jpg?w=1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/08_010_O_15204.jpg?resize=760%2C507&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/08_010_O_15204.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/08_010_O_15204.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/08_010_O_15204.jpg?resize=780%2C520&amp;ssl=1 780w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/08_010_O_15204.jpg?resize=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/08_010_O_15204.jpg?resize=706%2C471&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/08_010_O_15204.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>
  87. <p>From Odysseus and Orpheus to Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz, "O'Dessa" takes its cues from a deep canon. But bright colors and a talented young star help the film stand out despite the traditional template.</p>
  88. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/hulu-rock-opera-odessa-aims-to-bring-fresh-energy-to-a-familiar-framework/2025/04/03/">Rock Opera &#8216;O&#8217;Dessa&#8217; Aims to Bring Fresh Energy to a Familiar Framework</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
  89. ]]></description>
  90. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/08_010_O_15204.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="a young woman in a studded leather jacket with a banjo looks ahead suggestively while a large crowd amasses behind her" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/08_010_O_15204.jpg?w=1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/08_010_O_15204.jpg?resize=760%2C507&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/08_010_O_15204.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/08_010_O_15204.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/08_010_O_15204.jpg?resize=780%2C520&amp;ssl=1 780w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/08_010_O_15204.jpg?resize=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/08_010_O_15204.jpg?resize=706%2C471&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/08_010_O_15204.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure><p style="font-size:14px"><em>Editor’s Note: A version of this story first appeared in The Good, the Bad, and the Elegy, a newsletter from the Daily Yonder focused on the best, and worst, in rural media, entertainment, and culture. Every other Thursday, it features reviews, retrospectives, recommendations, and more. You can </em><a href="#signup"><em>join the mailing list at the bottom of this article</em></a><em> to receive future editions in your inbox</em>.</p><p>“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” These simple words of wisdom have encouraged generations of people to leave well-enough alone and desist from reinventing the wheel. In some situations, I think it’s excellent advice. But as we movie watchers continue to wade through seemingly endless remakes, spinoffs, and sequels, they’re words I wish Hollywood executives would take a little less to heart (particularly in a year offering “live-action” remakes of both “Lilo and Stitch” and “How to Train Your Dragon,” films that will still depend on notably <em>animated</em> versions of their titular characters). </p><p>So when I heard about “<a href="https://www.searchlightpictures.com/odessa">O’Dessa</a>,” a post-apocalyptic rock opera starring Sadie Sink that premiered on Hulu at the end of March, I thought to myself, “Ooh, that sounds different!”&nbsp;</p><p>It turns out, that is partially right.&nbsp;</p><p>With an inconsistent country accent, a lexicon of exaggeratedly folksy idioms, a genuinely impressive vocal range, and a magical guitar, O’Dessa (Sadie Sink) leaves her barren family farm to fulfill her destiny and save mankind. Naturally, this involves traveling to Satylite City, one of the last outposts of human civilization, falling in love with nightclub performer Euri Dervish (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), and defeating Plutonovich (Murray Bartlett), a totalitarian dictator who controls (and brainwashes?) the population of Satylite City through his reality television broadcasts.&nbsp;</p><figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
  91. <iframe title="O&#039;DESSA | Official Trailer | Searchlight Pictures" width="780" height="439" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-YDQR6NUNYQ?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
  92. </div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">An official trailer for &#8220;O&#8217;Dessa&#8221; (via Searchlight Pictures on YouTube). </figcaption></figure><p>If that sounds familiar, well, it is. Partly because this is a quest story, and quests can really only go so many ways – just ask Gilgamesh, who kicked off the whole trend more than 4,000 years ago. The movie leans especially heavily on the “Wizard of Oz,” a story that has been retold so many times since it was first published in 1900 that even the denizens of Wikipedia have a hard time <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adaptations_of_The_Wonderful_Wizard_of_Oz">keeping track</a>.&nbsp;</p><p>In this version, written and directed by Geremy Jasper (previously behind 2017’s “<a href="https://www.searchlightpictures.com/patticakes">Patti Cake$</a>”), O’Dessa stands in for Dorothy. She even sings to a scarecrow in her opening song, in case her braided pigtails and dreary farmhouse were too subtle. But as she leaves her farm, she takes on characteristics of other iconic questers, including her namesake Odysseus and fellow musical prophet Orpheus – this is a rock opera after all! She also replaces her braids with a mullet that pays glorious homage to Ziggy Stardust (again, rock opera).&nbsp;</p><p>The movie’s other characters likewise have the look and feel of familiar archetypes that have been rolled around in a cement mixer filled with glitter and glowsticks and spit back out again. Neon Deon (Regina Hall) shoulders the burden of the Wicked Witch, who also works around the clock as pimp, nightclub emcee, fascist rally host, and overall enforcer in Plutonovich’s regime. Plutonovich himself is a darker version of Oz’s Wizard, shaken, not stirred, with the qualities of a cult leader, televangelist, and ‘70s game show host. Euri Dervish is a sex worker with a heart of gold, and O’Dessa’s mother was cast right out of a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothea_Lange">Dorothea Lange</a> photograph. We even get a glimpse of a knock-off Yggdrasil, Norse mythology’s favorite tree.&nbsp;</p><p>The apocalyptic future in some ways looks an awful lot like the past, with cathode-ray tube televisions and the dustbowl back again. O’Dessa’s rurality ties her to artistic traditions long forgotten in the immoral city and shelters her from the technology-oriented cult that runs society. This interpretation of rurality as something wholesomely backwards and quaint is a trope frequently found in stories about rural people and places. It’s more positive than stereotypes that paint rural people as savage degenerates (think “Deliverance,” “The Hills Have Eyes”, and “Children of the Corn”), but it is equally lacking in nuance.&nbsp;</p><figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" width="780" height="520" onerror="if (typeof newspackHandleImageError === 'function') newspackHandleImageError(this);" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/30_071_O_61461_RT.jpg?resize=780%2C520&#038;ssl=1" alt="A man in a brightly colored suit and sweeping cape gestures dramatically while a young woman with a guitar looks on sheepishly" class="wp-image-227484" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/30_071_O_61461_RT.jpg?w=1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/30_071_O_61461_RT.jpg?resize=760%2C507&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/30_071_O_61461_RT.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/30_071_O_61461_RT.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/30_071_O_61461_RT.jpg?resize=780%2C520&amp;ssl=1 780w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/30_071_O_61461_RT.jpg?resize=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/30_071_O_61461_RT.jpg?resize=706%2C471&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/30_071_O_61461_RT.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Sadie Sink and Murray Bartlett in O&#8217;Dessa (Photo by Nikola Predovic, courtesy of Searchlight Pictures).</figcaption></figure><p>Fortunately, not everything in the movie is recycled. The music, which is arguably the raison d’être for the whole shebang, is an original score. The songs jump from genre to genre, including genuinely enjoyable entries in bluegrass, blues, pop, and rock. Sink is the primary performer, and, in my opinion, has earned the right to star in any movie-musical she chooses. The movie is also shot well and offers plenty of visual interest, with much attention paid to the desolate purple-red soil and crumbling industrial landscape surrounding the ruined Satylite City. The set design, makeup, and costuming live up to expectations for what a post-apocalyptic rock opera should look like (which is to say, very, very fun). And the actors, often backed by instrument-wielding nuns, put on a good show.</p><p>There is plenty of commentary on the environment, fascism, mass media, queer identity, and art to go around. And also enough cheekiness and camp to balance out its earnestly optimistic, if not particularly complex, moral narrative. The movie may not have been the ultra-original foil to this year’s summer blockbusters that I was hoping for (here comes the seventh entry in the Jurassic Park franchise!), but if I’m going to watch a farm girl go on a quest to the big city, it might as well be O’Dessa.&nbsp;</p><p>Why reinvent the wheel? Just put some glitter on it.&nbsp;</p><p><em>O’Dessa is </em><a href="https://www.hulu.com/movie/odessa-ea3ee5c6-ee7f-4556-9431-0563b971b8fb"><em>streaming on Hulu</em></a><em>.&nbsp;</em></p><div id="signup" class="wp-block-group is-style-default has-light-gray-background-color has-background"><div class="wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow"><div style="height:1px" aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer"></div>
  93.  
  94. <div class="wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-1 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex"><div class="wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow" style="flex-basis:25%"><figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://dailyyonder.com/contact-us/subscribe-daily-yonder/#good-bad-elegy"><img data-recalc-dims="1" height="984" width="780" decoding="async" onerror="if (typeof newspackHandleImageError === 'function') newspackHandleImageError(this);" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/the-good-the-bad-and-the-elegy-1027x1296.png?resize=780%2C984&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-86113"/></a></figure></div>
  95.  
  96. <div class="wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow" style="flex-basis:75%"><p>This article first appeared in&nbsp;<strong>The Good, the Bad, and the Elegy</strong>, an email newsletter from the Daily Yonder focused on the best, and worst, in rural media, entertainment, and culture. Every other Thursday, it features reviews, recommendations, retrospectives, and more. <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/contact-us/subscribe-daily-yonder/#good-bad-elegy">Join the mailing list</a> today to have future editions delivered straight to your inbox.</p></div></div>
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  128. <div style="height:10px" aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer"></div></div></div><hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots"/><p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/hulu-rock-opera-odessa-aims-to-bring-fresh-energy-to-a-familiar-framework/2025/04/03/">Rock Opera &#8216;O&#8217;Dessa&#8217; Aims to Bring Fresh Energy to a Familiar Framework</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
  129. ]]></content:encoded>
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  132. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  135. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">227477</post-id> </item>
  136. <item>
  137. <title>Rural Youth Face Funding Cuts for Local Foods for Schools Program </title>
  138. <link>https://dailyyonder.com/rural-youth-face-funding-cuts-for-local-foods-for-schools-program/2025/04/02/</link>
  139. <comments>https://dailyyonder.com/rural-youth-face-funding-cuts-for-local-foods-for-schools-program/2025/04/02/#respond</comments>
  141. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Nhatt Nichols]]></dc:creator>
  142. <pubDate>Wed, 02 Apr 2025 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
  143. <category><![CDATA[Food]]></category>
  144. <category><![CDATA[Government & Policy]]></category>
  145. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=227421</guid>
  146.  
  147. <description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="703" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21228011627292-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C703&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21228011627292-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21228011627292-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C522&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21228011627292-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C890&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21228011627292-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C527&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21228011627292-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1055&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21228011627292-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1407&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21228011627292-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C824&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21228011627292-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C703&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21228011627292-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C1077&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21228011627292-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1374&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21228011627292-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C275&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21228011627292-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C485&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21228011627292-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21228011627292-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C703&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>
  148. <p>School kids in rural Maine have benefited from a national U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) program bringing local produce, including seafood and Maine-grown grains, to school cafeterias. Those same rural kids and their families will likely face an increase in food insecurity as the USDA notified states that they are ending the Local Foods for [&#8230;]</p>
  149. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/rural-youth-face-funding-cuts-for-local-foods-for-schools-program/2025/04/02/">Rural Youth Face Funding Cuts for Local Foods for Schools Program </a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
  150. ]]></description>
  151. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="703" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21228011627292-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C703&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21228011627292-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21228011627292-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C522&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21228011627292-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C890&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21228011627292-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C527&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21228011627292-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1055&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21228011627292-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1407&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21228011627292-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C824&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21228011627292-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C703&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21228011627292-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C1077&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21228011627292-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1374&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21228011627292-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C275&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21228011627292-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C485&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21228011627292-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21228011627292-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C703&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure><p>School kids in rural Maine have benefited from a national U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) program bringing local produce, including seafood and Maine-grown grains, to school cafeterias.</p><p>Those same rural kids and their families will likely face an increase in food insecurity as the <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/03/10/usda-cancels-local-food-purchasing-for-schools-food-banks-00222796">USDA notified states</a> that they are ending the Local Foods for Schools (LFS) program, a national pandemic-era program that provided $660 million for schools to purchase food from local farmers and producers in all fifty states, US territories, and for federally recognized tribes.</p><p>This change comes at a time when the USDA is finalizing changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), including adding work requirements, limiting work exemptions, and reducing the benefit amounts, all of which would <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/2025-farm-bill-advocates-prioritize-anti-hunger-policies-while-republicans-push-budget-cuts/2025/02/06/">disproportionately affect rural Americans.</a></p><p>Full Plates, Full Potential is a food advocacy and implementation organization in Maine. They support schools and other organizations that provide food to kids through federal nutrition programs, including supporting schools in applying for federal funds to purchase local foods.&nbsp;</p><p>“A lot of our work in Maine has involved ‘how on earth are we going to feed our kids?’,” Anna Korsen, the Policy and Program Director for nonprofit Full Plates, Full Potential, said.</p><p>Maine provides free lunches to all students, not just those who qualify as low-income, making the loss of $2.8 million in federal funding for local food purchasing hit the state especially hard.&nbsp;</p><p>As most of Maine falls within USDA&#8217;s rural designation, most of Maine&#8217;s kids and schools are in rural communities.&nbsp;</p><p>In Maine, over <a href="https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/by-the-numbers/office-family-independence">179,000 </a>&nbsp;people are enrolled in SNAP, and <a href="https://frac.org/research/resource-library/snap-state-fact-sheets">34% of SNAP recipient households in Maine include children</a>. With Maine being a primarily rural state, it&#8217;s no surprise that <a href="https://frac.org/research/resource-library/snap-state-fact-sheets">1 in 7 rural households participate in SNAP</a>. In fact,<a href="https://dailyyonder.com/2025-farm-bill-advocates-prioritize-anti-hunger-policies-while-republicans-push-budget-cuts/2025/02/06/"> 14.2% of rural Maine households use SNAP benefits, and 20.5% of those are families with Children</a>. Maine also has the highest rate of childhood food insecurity in New England, with <a href="https://map.feedingamerica.org/county/2022/child/maine">1 in 5 kids</a> unsure of where their next meal will come from.&nbsp;</p><p>“For kids who are experiencing food insecurity, the only reliable meals that they have in a day are often breakfast and lunch. Those are also the healthiest meals that they have access to. So when the federal government pulls this funding, that&#8217;s going to impact the nutrition and quality of the meals that those kids are receiving,” Korsen said.</p><p>It isn’t just students who will suffer. The funding cut will also affect Maine&#8217;s agricultural industry, as the funds specifically went to purchase produce from farms that partnered with schools.&nbsp;</p><p>“Schools are often the biggest restaurant in a community, especially in rural areas in states like Maine. And so, you know, that&#8217;s going to have a big impact on these small farms,” Korsen said.</p><p>Full Plates is taking steps to ensure Maine decision-makers understand how important these programs are to kids, families, schools, and farms. They’re also thinking about things like mutual aid, though Korsen admits it will be tough to fill a funding gap that could be billions of dollars without federal support.</p><p>Allison Leavitt, the nutrition director for Lisbon Schools in southeastern Maine, has seen benefits from the assistance received through the LFS program. She also noted that in the current economy, they could use more federal help to make their food, not less.</p><p>“I&#8217;ve already blown through what was budgeted for my regular food allowance as of today, and we have until June to keep feeding kids,” Leavitt said. “Anybody that goes to the grocery store knows that everything is more expensive. So every single little last dollar that we could have, and especially if we can keep it in the local economy, is very much needed.”</p><p>The cuts to the LSF program come at a particularly stressful time for rural families. <a href="https://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/millions-of-low-income-households-would-lose-food-aid-under-proposed-house">The House GOP has proposed 230 billion in cuts to SNAP benefits</a> in addition to cuts already made to the LSF program.&nbsp;</p><p>“We are very concerned that millions of people could be at risk of losing some or all of the food benefits that they need to put food on the table,” Katie Bergh, Senior Policy Analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, said.</p><p>SNAP helps <a href="https://www.fns.usda.gov/data-research/data-visualization/snap/action">42.2 million Americans</a>, or roughly one in eight people in this country, afford groceries, and although <a href="https://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/a-quick-guide-to-snap-eligibility-and-benefits">the average benefit is only about $6.16 per day right now</a>, it has a huge effect on food security, particularly in rural areas.&nbsp;</p><p>In 2023,14.3% of rural households participated in SNAP compared to 11.9% in metropolitan areas, Bergh told the Yonder. In addition to SNAP’s direct benefits to the families who need to put food on the table, it also acts as an important economic stimulus. The Department of Agriculture&#8217;s Economic Research Service estimated that every additional dollar spent on SNAP in a weak economy generates $1.54 in economic activity.&nbsp;</p><p>“It is highly effective at reducing food insecurity, and poverty research has linked participation to better health, improved educational attainment, better labor market outcomes, particularly for people who participate in SNAP as children,” Bergh said.&nbsp;</p><p>“Those food benefits are federal dollars that go directly to low-income families who then spend them at local grocery stores in their communities. And that&#8217;s not only generating revenues for the local grocery store, it&#8217;s also supporting jobs throughout the entire food supply chain,” she said.</p><p>“School meals are often the most reliable and nutritious meals available to food-insecure kids, so the termination of LFS will negatively impact the quality of food being served to food-insecure children,” according to Korsen.&nbsp;</p><p>According to Bergh, everyone involved with emergency feeding networks agrees that charity won’t be able to fill the gap in funding. He also doesn’t think states will be able to pick up the bill.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“The states don&#8217;t have the resources to meet those additional costs without having to make really painful trade-offs, to raise revenue or cut other programs and services that low-income families rely on.”&nbsp;</p><p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/rural-youth-face-funding-cuts-for-local-foods-for-schools-program/2025/04/02/">Rural Youth Face Funding Cuts for Local Foods for Schools Program </a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
  152. ]]></content:encoded>
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  158. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">227421</post-id> </item>
  159. <item>
  160. <title>Rural Communities in the South Are the Most Vulnerable to Harmful Effects of Natural Hazards</title>
  161. <link>https://dailyyonder.com/rural-communities-in-the-south-are-the-most-vulnerable-to-harmful-effects-of-natural-hazards/2025/04/02/</link>
  162. <comments>https://dailyyonder.com/rural-communities-in-the-south-are-the-most-vulnerable-to-harmful-effects-of-natural-hazards/2025/04/02/#respond</comments>
  164. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Sarah Melotte]]></dc:creator>
  165. <pubDate>Wed, 02 Apr 2025 09:58:00 +0000</pubDate>
  166. <category><![CDATA[Environment]]></category>
  167. <category><![CDATA[Rural Index]]></category>
  168. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=227379</guid>
  169.  
  170. <description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="713" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/SD47L-.png?fit=1024%2C713&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/SD47L-.png?w=1240&amp;ssl=1 1240w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/SD47L-.png?resize=760%2C530&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/SD47L-.png?resize=768%2C535&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/SD47L-.png?resize=1200%2C836&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/SD47L-.png?resize=1024%2C713&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/SD47L-.png?resize=400%2C279&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/SD47L-.png?resize=706%2C492&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/SD47L-.png?fit=1024%2C713&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>
  171. <p>Editor’s Note: This post is from our data newsletter, the Rural Index, headed by Sarah Melotte, the Daily Yonder’s data reporter. Subscribe to get a weekly map or graph straight to your inbox. Natural disasters might strike indiscriminately, but the long term damage of extreme weather events isn’t felt evenly from place to place.&#160; This [&#8230;]</p>
  172. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/rural-communities-in-the-south-are-the-most-vulnerable-to-harmful-effects-of-natural-hazards/2025/04/02/">Rural Communities in the South Are the Most Vulnerable to Harmful Effects of Natural Hazards</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
  173. ]]></description>
  174. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="713" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/SD47L-.png?fit=1024%2C713&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/SD47L-.png?w=1240&amp;ssl=1 1240w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/SD47L-.png?resize=760%2C530&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/SD47L-.png?resize=768%2C535&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/SD47L-.png?resize=1200%2C836&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/SD47L-.png?resize=1024%2C713&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/SD47L-.png?resize=400%2C279&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/SD47L-.png?resize=706%2C492&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/SD47L-.png?fit=1024%2C713&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure><iframe title="What is your county's social vulnerability score?" aria-label="Map" id="datawrapper-chart-7G5hr" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/7G5hr/3/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="491" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";r.style.height=d}}}))}();
  175. </script><p><em>Editor’s Note: This post is from our data newsletter, the Rural Index, headed by Sarah Melotte, the Daily Yonder’s data reporter. </em><a href="https://dailyyonder.com/contact-us/subscribe-daily-yonder/"><em>Subscribe</em></a><em> to get a weekly map or graph straight to your inbox.</em><br></p><hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/><p>Natural disasters might strike indiscriminately, but the long term damage of extreme weather events isn’t felt evenly from place to place.&nbsp;</p><p>This is something my colleague, Ilana Newman, and I discussed in last Thursday’s episode of <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/podcasts/rural-remix/getaway/">Getaway</a>, a Daily Yonder podcast about rural recreation economies. In rural towns where recreation and tourism dominate the local economy, melting snow, increased smoke from wildfires, or polluted streams can significantly hurt the local industry.&nbsp;</p><p>Some of these rural areas don’t have other economic industries to fall back on in a bad snow year, for example, so they can be particularly harmed by the consequences of a changing climate. To add to that, many poor and rural communities don’t have the <a href="https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/05c3ef50-de39-515b-b8fe-41d96e163f02/content#:~:text=In%20summary%2C%20poor%20people%20are,less%20external%20support%20for%20recovery.">resources and tax base to sustain long term recovery from natural disasters on their own</a>.</p><p>You can listen to that episode of Getaway wherever you get your podcasts. But in this week’s edition of the Rural Index, I decided to explore this phenomenon at the county level by using a measurement called the <a href="https://hazards.fema.gov/nri/social-vulnerability">Social Vulnerability Index</a>, or SVI, a tool that helps researchers assess the likelihood that a community will be disproportionately harmed by a natural hazard.&nbsp;</p><p>The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which includes the SVI in their <a href="https://www.drought.gov/data-maps-tools/national-risk-index-natural-hazards#:~:text=The%20National%20Risk%20Index%20is,federal%20government%3B%20and%20private%20industry.">Natural Risk Index</a>, a dataset that aims to identify communities most at risk of natural hazards, assigns all U.S. counties into one of five categories &#8211; Very High, Relatively High, Relatively Moderate, Relatively Low, and Very Low.</p><p>(Counties in the Very High category have an SVI percentile ranking between 80 and 100, meaning they rank higher in social vulnerability than 80–100% of all other counties. A county with an SVI score of 80, for example, indicates that 80% of counties have a lower SVI score. Counties in the Relatively High category fall between the 60th and 80th percentiles.)</p><p>To calculate SVI percentiles, the <a href="https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_national-risk-index_technical-documentation.pdf">SVI takes into account</a> characteristics like poverty rates, housing insecurity, transportation accessibility, and unemployment rates, just to name a few.&nbsp;</p><p>For the sake of this newsletter, let’s just take a look at the two most vulnerable categories &#8211; Very High and Relatively High. What is the geographic breakdown of these categories? </p><p>A greater percentage of nonmetropolitan, or rural, counties are in the Very High category compared to metropolitan counties. Twenty-two percent of rural counties are in the Very High category, compared to only 16% of metropolitan counties.&nbsp;</p><p>About an equal share of metropolitan and nonmetropolitan counties were in the Relatively High category–20% and 21%, respectively.</p><p>But social vulnerability varies more by region than rurality. In the South, for instance, 45% of rural counties are in the Very High category, while 31% are in the Relatively High category. That’s likely because two historically distressed regions are located primarily in southern states–the Black Belt and rural Appalachia.&nbsp;</p><iframe title="Social Vulnerability Among Nonmetropolitan Counties" aria-label="Grouped Columns" id="datawrapper-chart-6EQJW" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/6EQJW/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="462" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";r.style.height=d}}}))}();
  176. </script><p>In the <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/where-do-broadband-deserts-overlap-with-healthcare-provider-shortages/2025/03/21/">last edition of the Rural Index</a>, I described how the legacies of slavery, racism, and natural resource extraction in the Black Belt and rural Appalachia cause poverty, higher Medicaid participation, and lack of access to broadband internet, among other things. Some of those same trends contribute to higher social vulnerability in this region as well.</p><p>Out of the top 20 counties with the highest SVI score, 17 were in the South. The three others were in Virginia (which the Census puts in the Mid Atlantic region), New Mexico, and Oregon.</p><p>Take a place like rural Dallas County in central Alabama, for example. On the SVI, it’s in the 91st percentile, meaning that Dallas has a higher SVI score than 91% of all other U.S. counties. Dallas County is home to about <a href="https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/dallascountyalabama/PST045223">36,200 residents</a>. In 2023, the<a href="https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/dallascountyalabama/PST045223"> poverty rate in Dallas was 31%</a>. The national <a href="https://www.census.gov/newsroom/stories/poverty-awareness-month.html#:~:text=In%202023%2C%20the%20official%20poverty,and%20Table%20A%2D1).">poverty rate was 11%</a> that year.</p><p>The rural Southwest, where 35% of counties are Very High on the SVI score, is the second most vulnerable region after the rural South. Only 15% of rural Southwestern counties are in the Relatively High category.&nbsp;</p><p>In Hidalgo County, New Mexico, where the greatest natural hazard threat are wildfires, the SVI score was in the 94th percentile. In the southwestern corner of New Mexico, Hidalgo County borders both Mexico and Arizona. In 2023, the population of <a href="https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/hidalgocountynewmexico/PST045223">Hidalgo was just over 3,900 and the poverty rate was 24%</a>.&nbsp;</p><p>Places like Hidalgo County might have a harder time securing the funds and resources to recover from a natural disaster compared to nearby metro areas, like Phoenix, Arizona, where the poverty rate is <a href="https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/phoenixcityarizona/PST045224">14% and the tax base is larger (1.6 million residents)</a>.</p><p>The Social Vulnerability Index is one more way of showing us that place matters when we talk about the relative resilience of American communities. And as is frequently the case, rurality is an important factor in that analysis.</p><p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/rural-communities-in-the-south-are-the-most-vulnerable-to-harmful-effects-of-natural-hazards/2025/04/02/">Rural Communities in the South Are the Most Vulnerable to Harmful Effects of Natural Hazards</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
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  179. <wfw:commentRss>https://dailyyonder.com/rural-communities-in-the-south-are-the-most-vulnerable-to-harmful-effects-of-natural-hazards/2025/04/02/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  180. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  183. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">227379</post-id> </item>
  184. <item>
  185. <title>Research Project Creates a State-Wide Map of Local News for Montana</title>
  186. <link>https://dailyyonder.com/research-project-creates-a-state-wide-map-of-local-news-for-montana/2025/04/01/</link>
  187. <comments>https://dailyyonder.com/research-project-creates-a-state-wide-map-of-local-news-for-montana/2025/04/01/#respond</comments>
  189. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Ilana Newman]]></dc:creator>
  190. <pubDate>Tue, 01 Apr 2025 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
  191. <category><![CDATA[Media & Information]]></category>
  192. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=227125</guid>
  193.  
  194. <description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_6274-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_6274-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_6274-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C507&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_6274-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C864&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_6274-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_6274-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_6274-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_6274-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_6274-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_6274-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C1045&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_6274-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1333&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_6274-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_6274-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C471&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_6274-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_6274-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>
  195. <p>A new study from the LOR Foundation, an organization focused on rural community development, maps local news outlets in Montana to provide a look at demographics and gaps in coverage. Efforts to map local news have become popular in states like Colorado, Nebraska, Minnesota, and beyond.  Mapping local news provides valuable information about where the [&#8230;]</p>
  196. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/research-project-creates-a-state-wide-map-of-local-news-for-montana/2025/04/01/">Research Project Creates a State-Wide Map of Local News for Montana</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
  197. ]]></description>
  198. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_6274-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_6274-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_6274-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C507&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_6274-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C864&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_6274-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_6274-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_6274-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_6274-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_6274-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_6274-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C1045&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_6274-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1333&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_6274-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_6274-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C471&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_6274-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_6274-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure><p><a href="https://lorfoundation.org/reports/special-report-montanas-media-landscape/">A new study</a> from <a href="https://lorfoundation.org/">the LOR Foundation</a>, an organization focused on rural community development, maps local news outlets in Montana to provide a look at demographics and gaps in coverage. Efforts to map local news have become popular in states like <a href="https://colabnews.co/colorado-news-mapping-project/">Colorado</a>, <a href="https://newsmap.unl.edu/report/">Nebraska</a>, <a href="https://newsmap.umn.edu/">Minnesota</a>, and beyond. </p><p>Mapping local news provides valuable information about where the coverage is lacking and helps funders identify places most in need of support. Daniel Read, research analyst at the LOR Foundation, said the study matters because “data can drive action towards places that are typically underserved by local media or just underrepresented generally in the media landscape.&#8221;</p><p>Read spent two months calling people in Montana to inquire about their local news environment for the study. This included “the librarian and the county clerk, and maybe the manager of a history museum, people who were just likely to pick up the phone,” said Read, as well as, contacting every obvious news source. By reaching out to local leaders embedded in the communities, they were able to identify local news sources that might not be obvious from an internet search.&nbsp;</p><p>“If they&#8217;re providing original local news, we wanted them included,” Read said. “We were very agnostic to the medium that was being provided.” This means they included radio stations that primarily play music but might also include news and podcasts providing original reporting, like Hello Whitefish, a long-form podcast out of Whitefish, Montana.&nbsp;</p><p>LOR did not include sources like Reddit, Facebook, and civic news sources like a local chamber of commerce newsletter. Read said that they could see doing another study looking at these more social versions of news, which can be a primary source of information for rural communities without many traditional news sources.&nbsp;</p><p>When asked how many of Montana Broadcaster Association’s (MBA) members were in rural areas, Dewey Bruce, president and CEO of MBA, replied, “In Montana, everything is rural.” He went on to say that not including the top seven media markets in Montana — made up of the <a href="https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/metro-micro/reference-maps/2020/state-maps/30_Montana_2020.pdf">seven statistical areas</a> of the state —&nbsp; around 70% of their members are in rural areas.&nbsp;</p><p>Even the biggest metropolitan markets are smaller than most states. Billings, the largest city in the state, has a population of around 120,000.&nbsp;</p><p>There were only five counties out of Montana&#8217;s 56 counties with zero local news sources, most of which have less than 1,000 residents. However, Toole and Liberty counties, both news deserts, have a combined total of nearly 7,000 residents and zero news sources. The study also found that counties with larger populations, higher median incomes, and more private businesses supported more news.&nbsp;</p><p>“Rural places are often the places that are most underrepresented…they&#8217;re the places that are most likely to be a media desert, a local news desert,” Read said.&nbsp;</p><p>Jim Strauss, director of communications and development for <a href="https://www.mtnewspapers.com/">Montana Newspaper Association</a>, said that Montana residents are worried about consolidation — papers being bought by national corporations — reduced coverage, and closures that are happening around the state.&nbsp;</p><p>“Nothing can replace the local boots on the ground. You have to have local reporters in the community. And because of the financial challenges that some news outlets face, unfortunately, that number has been on the decline”</p><p>Strauss said that one thing they are currently paying attention to is the transition of ownership of local publications. Many newspaper owners are aging out and Montana Newspaper Association is working to support these legacy outlets as they transition to a new generation of management.&nbsp;</p><p>“It&#8217;s really hard work to run a weekly newspaper or a small radio station,” Strauss said, “We&#8217;re finding it more difficult to attract people to take over those properties, and that&#8217;s one of our challenges.”</p><iframe title="Number of News Outlets in Montana Counties" aria-label="Map" id="datawrapper-chart-1Qkpa" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/1Qkpa/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="416" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";r.style.height=d}}}))}();
  199. </script><h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>A Long-lasting Newspaper</strong></h3><p>One successful story of a transition of ownership took place in Choteau, Montana, a town of 1,714 on the east side of the Rocky Mountains.&nbsp;</p><p>Melody Martinsen was 24 years old and working at the Great Falls Tribune when she got a call from the owner of the <a href="https://www.choteauacantha.com/">Choteau Acantha,</a> Dick Nordhagen, who wanted Martinsen and her husband to buy the paper, which was founded in 1894. That was in 1990 and the Martinsens have run the paper ever since.</p><p>The Martinsens have kept the paper pretty much the same as it was 35 years ago. “We haven&#8217;t changed our core mission ever,” said Martinsen. They have two other reporters and a few additional staff and put out a weekly print newspaper as well as providing online breaking news coverage.&nbsp;</p><p>“We are going to give our readers news that they can&#8217;t get on Facebook or social media,” Martinsen said. “We&#8217;re going to cover city council meetings, county commissioner meetings, school board meetings, airport board meetings, library board meetings, cemetery board meetings, water and sewer district board meetings.”</p><p>The Acantha is the paper of record for Teton County and has 1,400 paid subscribers, in a county of 6,400. Advertising is a significant part of their revenue stream, as has been traditional for print newspapers because they have been able to keep their local subscriptions strong.&nbsp;</p><p>“Local journalism sheds light on a community&#8217;s problems and helps bring solutions to those problems,” Strauss said. “A more informed local community is going to be better in the long run as it recognizes and solves its challenges.”</p><p>Having strong support from their readership has been a lifeline for the paper. On January 7, 2025, the Choteau Acantha building <a href="https://montanafreepress.org/2025/01/21/after-fire-choteau-acantha-perseveres/">caught fire</a>. But because of support from the community, the Martinsens “didn’t miss a beat”. They published the paper the following week as they always have.&nbsp;</p><p>“Our community has been beyond amazing. I&#8217;ll start to cry if I talk about how amazing they&#8217;ve been,” said Martinsen. They were offered multiple spaces to use as temporary offices, were donated furniture and a new phone system, and the elementary school held a penny war to raise money for the paper.&nbsp;</p><p>Strauss and the Montana Newspaper Association are working with the University of Montana’s journalism program to try to get more reporters in rural communities. One initiative is engaging high school students with the local papers in their communities and providing scholarships and internships.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“While there&#8217;s endless ways we can get national news, in much of Montana, there are very limited ways that we can get local news. So sustaining and building that voice is of greater importance than ever,” Strauss said.&nbsp;</p><hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots"/><p><em>Disclaimer: The LOR Foundation provides financial support of the Daily Yonder’s reporting in select rural communities in Colorado and New Mexico. Coverage decisions are made independently by our newsroom team and not on the basis of donor support. See our full <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/about-us/#editorial-independence" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">statement of editorial independence</a> for more information.</em></p><p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/research-project-creates-a-state-wide-map-of-local-news-for-montana/2025/04/01/">Research Project Creates a State-Wide Map of Local News for Montana</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
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  202. <wfw:commentRss>https://dailyyonder.com/research-project-creates-a-state-wide-map-of-local-news-for-montana/2025/04/01/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  203. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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  207. <item>
  208. <title>Montana’s Small Pharmacies Behind Bill To Corral Pharmacy Benefit Managers</title>
  209. <link>https://dailyyonder.com/montanas-small-pharmacies-behind-bill-to-corral-pharmacy-benefit-managers/2025/04/01/</link>
  210. <comments>https://dailyyonder.com/montanas-small-pharmacies-behind-bill-to-corral-pharmacy-benefit-managers/2025/04/01/#respond</comments>
  212. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Mike Dennison / KFF Health News]]></dc:creator>
  213. <pubDate>Tue, 01 Apr 2025 09:59:00 +0000</pubDate>
  214. <category><![CDATA[Government & Policy]]></category>
  215. <category><![CDATA[Health]]></category>
  216. <category><![CDATA[repub]]></category>
  217. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=227426</guid>
  218.  
  219. <description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/national-cancer-institute-cw2Zn2ZQ9YQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/national-cancer-institute-cw2Zn2ZQ9YQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/national-cancer-institute-cw2Zn2ZQ9YQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C507&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/national-cancer-institute-cw2Zn2ZQ9YQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C864&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/national-cancer-institute-cw2Zn2ZQ9YQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/national-cancer-institute-cw2Zn2ZQ9YQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/national-cancer-institute-cw2Zn2ZQ9YQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/national-cancer-institute-cw2Zn2ZQ9YQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/national-cancer-institute-cw2Zn2ZQ9YQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/national-cancer-institute-cw2Zn2ZQ9YQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C1045&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/national-cancer-institute-cw2Zn2ZQ9YQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1333&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/national-cancer-institute-cw2Zn2ZQ9YQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/national-cancer-institute-cw2Zn2ZQ9YQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C471&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/national-cancer-institute-cw2Zn2ZQ9YQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/national-cancer-institute-cw2Zn2ZQ9YQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>
  220. <p>This story was originally published by KFF Health News. Montana’s small, independent pharmacies say they’re getting increasingly squeezed on reimbursements by pharmacy benefit managers — and are pushing an ambitious bill to rein in what they say are unfair practices by the powerful industry negotiators known as PBMs. “Who in their right mind would subject [&#8230;]</p>
  221. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/montanas-small-pharmacies-behind-bill-to-corral-pharmacy-benefit-managers/2025/04/01/">Montana’s Small Pharmacies Behind Bill To Corral Pharmacy Benefit Managers</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
  222. ]]></description>
  223. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/national-cancer-institute-cw2Zn2ZQ9YQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/national-cancer-institute-cw2Zn2ZQ9YQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/national-cancer-institute-cw2Zn2ZQ9YQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C507&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/national-cancer-institute-cw2Zn2ZQ9YQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C864&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/national-cancer-institute-cw2Zn2ZQ9YQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/national-cancer-institute-cw2Zn2ZQ9YQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/national-cancer-institute-cw2Zn2ZQ9YQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/national-cancer-institute-cw2Zn2ZQ9YQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/national-cancer-institute-cw2Zn2ZQ9YQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/national-cancer-institute-cw2Zn2ZQ9YQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C1045&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/national-cancer-institute-cw2Zn2ZQ9YQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1333&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/national-cancer-institute-cw2Zn2ZQ9YQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/national-cancer-institute-cw2Zn2ZQ9YQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C471&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/national-cancer-institute-cw2Zn2ZQ9YQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/national-cancer-institute-cw2Zn2ZQ9YQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure><p class="has-text-align-center"><em>This story was originally published by <a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/montana-independent-pharmacies-survival-legislation-pbm-reimbursement/">KFF Health News</a></em>.</p><p>Montana’s small, independent pharmacies say they’re getting increasingly squeezed on reimbursements by pharmacy benefit managers — and are pushing an ambitious bill to rein in what they say are unfair practices by the powerful industry negotiators known as PBMs.</p><p>“Who in their right mind would subject themselves to this sort of treatment in a business relationship?” said Mike Matovich, a part owner of eight small-town pharmacies in Montana. “It’s such a monopoly. We can be the best pharmacy in the world, and they can still put us out of business.”</p><p><a href="https://bills.legmt.gov/#/laws/bill/2/LC2354?open_tab=sum">The bill</a>, which sailed through the Montana House 98-1 in early March and is now before the state Senate, would set a price floor that PBMs must pay pharmacies for each prescription. Currently, there is no mandated minimum rate in contracts with pharmacies, and independent drugstores said the rates are often below what they paid for the drugs.</p><p>The measure includes a half-dozen restrictions on other PBM practices the smaller pharmacies call anticompetitive.</p><p>Pharmacy benefit managers, employed by health insurers, are powerful intermediaries in the drug-pricing chain. They determine which drugs are covered by health plans, arrange rebates from drugmakers, and dictate payments that pharmacies receive when selling covered drugs.</p><p>The six largest PBMs manage more than 90% of the nation’s drug sales. Most are owned by or affiliated with health insurance giants like UnitedHealth Group, Cigna, Humana, and Aetna.</p><p>About 90 Montanan-owned pharmacies are not affiliated with national companies or PBMs, and 10 have closed in the past year, according to Josh Morris, who owns several small-town pharmacies in the state. Morris said his pharmacies lost $30,000 on underpaid drug claims last year and that they lose money on 90% of the brand-name drugs they dispense.</p><p>Representatives of independent Montana pharmacies say that without the changes provided by the legislation, more of their ranks will close, because they can’t make ends meet on drug reimbursement prices imposed by what they say are “take-it-or-leave-it” contracts from PBMs.</p><p>“We’re filling more prescriptions than ever before, but my employees haven’t had a raise in three years,” Morris said. “Our reimbursements are down 60% since 2019.”</p><p>PBMs are mounting a concerted effort in the Montana Senate to kill House Bill 740, arguing it could throw a huge wrench into drug pricing in Montana that would increase consumer costs.</p><p>“Not only is it going to cost people, it’s going to change fundamentally how prescription drugs are paid for in the state,” said Tonia Sorrell-Neal of the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, a trade group representing PBMs. “It takes away the options for employers who are paying for these health plans” to keep drug prices low.</p><p>The bill restricts mail-order options for drugs, limits when PBMs can audit claims, and imposes excessive reimbursements, she said.</p><p>This battle between PBMs and independent pharmacies isn’t playing out just in Montana — it has roiled&nbsp;<a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/california-pharmacy-benefit-manager-licensing-regulation/">statehouses across the country</a>, drawn the&nbsp;<a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/pharmacy-benefit-managers-prescription-drug-prices-congress-legislation/">attention of Congress</a>, and could end up before the U.S. Supreme Court.</p><p>Last summer, the federal&nbsp;<a href="https://oversight.house.gov/release/hearing-wrap-up-oversight-committee-exposes-how-pbms-undermine-patient-health-and-increase-drug-costs/">House Oversight and Accountability Committee</a>&nbsp;and the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/pharmacy-benefit-managers-staff-report.pdf">Federal Trade Commission</a>&nbsp;issued highly critical reports saying PBMs use pricing tactics that keep drug costs high, help pad PBM profits, and harm independent pharmacies.</p><p><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/21/politics/pharmacy-benefit-manager-reform-funding-bill/index.html#:~:text=The%20agreement%20would%20also%20have,a%20statement%20earlier%20this%20week">New federal regulations</a>&nbsp;to crack down on PBMs had been included in a 2024 post-election budget bill before Congress but were stripped out at the last minute after a lobbying push by pharmacy benefit managers.</p><p><a href="https://nashp.org/state-tracker/state-pharmacy-benefit-manager-legislation/">At least 20 states</a>&nbsp;have passed laws regulating PBM payments to pharmacies and several other states, including California, are considering legislation this year.</p><p>Oklahoma passed one of the most expansive laws in 2019. But PBMs sued and won a&nbsp;<a href="https://stateline.org/2024/08/08/states-want-to-lower-drug-prices-a-federal-law-stands-in-their-way/">federal court ruling</a>&nbsp;that said the law does not apply to self-funded health plans, thus removing about two-thirds of the insured population from the law’s jurisdiction.</p><p>Oklahoma’s insurance commissioner last year asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overrule the decision, but the court hasn’t decided whether to take the case.&nbsp;<a href="https://oag.ca.gov/system/files/attachments/press-docs/Mulready%20v.%20PCMA%20Amicus%20Brief%20-%20Certiorari.pdf">Attorneys general</a>&nbsp;from 31 states and the District of Columbia have asked the high court to rule in Oklahoma’s favor; Montana’s AG is not one of them.</p><p>In Montana, HB 740’s regulations would apply to PBMs managing self-funded plans, said the state insurance commissioner’s office, which so far supports the bill.</p><p>The key element of HB 740 is setting requirements on what PBMs must reimburse pharmacies for each prescription they fill, when that prescription is covered by a health plan using the PBM.</p><p>It says the reimbursement can be no less than 106% of the National Average Drug Acquisition Cost, or NADAC — which is determined by a survey of wholesale prices paid by pharmacies — plus a “dispensing fee” for each prescription.</p><p>The dispensing fee would be the same as what Montana’s Medicaid program pays pharmacies — $12 to $18 per prescription, depending on the size of the pharmacy. The state Medicaid program also pays the 106% minimum reimbursement.</p><p>Montana pharmacies say the dispensing fee covers their basic costs and enables them to make a profit on most sales. Under contracts with most PBMs, the pharmacies say they get no dispensing fee.</p><p>The bill also requires other changes in PBM business practices that pharmacies say benefit PBMs and make it harder for independent pharmacies to stay in business.</p><p>For example, HB 740 says PBMs cannot offer better prices to pharmacies that they own, cannot charge after-the-fact fees that lower reimbursement rates, cannot slow-walk approval of contracts, and cannot lower payments for drugs sold past a “sell-by” date imposed by the PBMs.</p><p>PBM and health plan lobbyists have attacked the bill for its breadth and detail, saying it’s so extensive that nobody truly knows how it may affect prescription-drug markets and prices in Montana.</p><p>“This bill has too much,”&nbsp;<a href="https://brucespencerlaw.com/">Bruce Spencer</a>, an attorney for the Mountain Health Co-Op, told the House Business and Labor Committee at the bill’s first hearing in February. “It has unintended consequences that are severe in the financial world.”</p><p>Laura Shirtliff, a spokesperson for the state auditor’s office, said the bill’s provisions should be narrowed, to target assistance for smaller pharmacies.</p><p>PBM lobbyists are telling lawmakers to kill HB 740 and instead pass a bill to study the prescription-drug market in Montana, with an eye toward possible solutions to help rural pharmacies.</p><p>“I would say there are a lot of elements and factors that are impacting rural pharmacies’ business,” said Sorrell-Neal of the PBM trade group.</p><p>Supporters, however, said HB 740 needs to closely define exactly what’s happening in the field, between PBMs and pharmacies, so those practices can be regulated.</p><p>As for waiting two years for a study? Pharmacy owners say that’s too late, and that the time to fix the problem is now.</p><p>“The amount of damage that would be done in two years will never be able to be recovered from, in these communities,” Matovich said. “Ten years ago, we maybe lost money on five prescriptions a month. Now, it’s thousands of prescriptions a month.”</p><img decoding="async" onerror="if (typeof newspackHandleImageError === 'function') newspackHandleImageError(this);" id="republication-tracker-tool-source" src="https://kffhealthnews.org/?republication-pixel=true&#038;post=2008538&amp;ga4=G-J74WWTKFM0" style="width:1px;height:1px;"></p><p></p><p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/montanas-small-pharmacies-behind-bill-to-corral-pharmacy-benefit-managers/2025/04/01/">Montana’s Small Pharmacies Behind Bill To Corral Pharmacy Benefit Managers</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
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  230. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">227426</post-id> </item>
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  232. <title>Amid Threat of Massive Funding Cuts, Rural School Administrators Work Overtime to Balance Uncertain Budgets</title>
  233. <link>https://dailyyonder.com/amid-threat-of-massive-funding-cuts-rural-school-administrators-work-overtime-to-balance-uncertain-budgets/2025/03/31/</link>
  234. <comments>https://dailyyonder.com/amid-threat-of-massive-funding-cuts-rural-school-administrators-work-overtime-to-balance-uncertain-budgets/2025/03/31/#respond</comments>
  236. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Lane Wendell Fischer]]></dc:creator>
  237. <pubDate>Mon, 31 Mar 2025 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
  238. <category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
  239. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=227202</guid>
  240.  
  241. <description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="840" height="630" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/roseburg-public-school-oregon.webp?fit=840%2C630&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/roseburg-public-school-oregon.webp?w=840&amp;ssl=1 840w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/roseburg-public-school-oregon.webp?resize=760%2C570&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/roseburg-public-school-oregon.webp?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/roseburg-public-school-oregon.webp?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/roseburg-public-school-oregon.webp?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/roseburg-public-school-oregon.webp?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/roseburg-public-school-oregon.webp?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/roseburg-public-school-oregon.webp?resize=706%2C530&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/roseburg-public-school-oregon.webp?fit=840%2C630&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>
  242. <p>On January 27, 2025, the White House issued a late-night directive that paused federal grants and funding in order to locate and eliminate “woke” government spending. The pause seemingly included funding for public schools, such as the Farm to School Program that provided schools with locally-sourced food. It wasn’t long before Jared Cordon, superintendent of [&#8230;]</p>
  243. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/amid-threat-of-massive-funding-cuts-rural-school-administrators-work-overtime-to-balance-uncertain-budgets/2025/03/31/">Amid Threat of Massive Funding Cuts, Rural School Administrators Work Overtime to Balance Uncertain Budgets</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
  244. ]]></description>
  245. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="840" height="630" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/roseburg-public-school-oregon.webp?fit=840%2C630&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/roseburg-public-school-oregon.webp?w=840&amp;ssl=1 840w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/roseburg-public-school-oregon.webp?resize=760%2C570&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/roseburg-public-school-oregon.webp?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/roseburg-public-school-oregon.webp?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/roseburg-public-school-oregon.webp?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/roseburg-public-school-oregon.webp?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/roseburg-public-school-oregon.webp?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/roseburg-public-school-oregon.webp?resize=706%2C530&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/roseburg-public-school-oregon.webp?fit=840%2C630&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure><p>On January 27, 2025, the White House issued a late-night directive that paused federal grants and funding in order to locate and eliminate “woke” government spending. The pause seemingly included <a href="https://hechingerreport.org/what-the-white-house-pause-on-spending-means-for-education/">funding for public schools</a>, such as the Farm to School Program that provided schools with locally-sourced food.</p><p>It wasn’t long before Jared Cordon, superintendent of a rural school district in Roseburg, Oregon, started receiving calls from concerned community members. “If kids can’t eat, where can I drop a check off?” they asked.</p><p>On January 29, the White House <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/01/29/trump-rescinds-spending-freeze-on-federal-assistance-00201280">rescinded</a> the sweeping pause, after a federal judge temporarily blocked the administration’s order.&nbsp;</p><p>One funding crisis was temporarily averted. But with mounting uncertainty and anticipated cuts on the horizon, rural school administrators are working tirelessly to balance next year’s budget. They do so for the students, families, and faculty who rely on strong public schools — and for their rural communities at large, whose well-being is closely tied to the fate of their local schools.</p><h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>The Perils of Public School Funding</strong></h3><p>In addition to the Trump Administration’s chaotic management of federal grants, other funding challenges loom.&nbsp;</p><p>Some rural districts are already facing steep funding cliffs, as <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/as-covid-19-emergency-funding-dries-up-some-rural-schools-may-face-steep-fiscal-cliff-in-2024/2024/02/28/">Covid-19 emergency funds</a> phase out over the next few years. Other rural districts are set to lose over $200 million of annual federal funding due to Congress’s failure to reauthorize the <a href="https://capitalbnews.org/federal-funding-cuts-black-rural-schools/">Secure Rural Schools Act</a> (SRS), which helps support school districts in counties with public lands exempt from local property taxes.&nbsp;</p><p>Some states experienced underperforming returns on their <a href="https://www.opb.org/article/2024/11/13/oregon-school-districts-employee-retirement-pension-system/">Public Employees Retirement System</a>, which will require school districts to make higher payments to the system. Meanwhile, Republican-controlled states continue to push for <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/republicans-double-down-on-school-vouchers-by-taking-fight-to-rural-members-of-their-own-party/2024/05/08/?gad_source=1&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjw1um-BhDtARIsABjU5x5uaK_z0NgtCbPkDQ1Wmij87xs4TJwhPFbOqsLwAKt-aO1krRICvs0aAlKJEALw_wcB">universal school voucher programs</a>, further diverting critical funds away from rural public schools.</p><p>Beyond these immediate funding challenges, even more drastic shifts in federal education policy are unfolding. On March 20, the President signed an <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/20/us/politics/trump-education-department.html">executive order</a> to facilitate the eventual closure of the Department of Education.&nbsp;</p><p>Congressional action is required to legally close the department or relocate key programs like Title I funding for low-income students or IDEA funding for special education to other departments. However, the administration already took some actions to slow the department’s ability to distribute these funds by firing <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/11/us/politics/trump-education-department-firings.html">half of its staff</a>. It remains unclear what additional actions Education Secretary Linda McMahon will take to further dissolve the department.</p><p>A major role of many employees at the education department is to make sure federal dollars reach the right students, said Will Ragland, a former rural public school teacher and former Department of Education employee who now researches for the Center for American Progress, a progressive public policy institute.</p><p>“[Federal funding] is intended to target, by-and-large, low-income students and students with disabilities. There are also programs that directly target rural areas, including grants to ensure their transportation needs are met and that rural kids can make it to school.”</p><p>Ragland said he worries that programs could meet the same fate as USAID funding, which the White House continues to block, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/03/18/nx-s1-5332274/judge-ruling-usaid-shutdown">despite numerous federal court orders</a>. The administration has continued to follow the conservative Project 2025 playbook, according to Ragland, which <a href="https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/project-2025-would-dramatically-cut-federal-funds-for-schools-then-what/2024/07">outlines</a> a 10-year phase-out of Title I funding.</p><p>“Even though [Trump] said that [legally-protected education] funding is not going to be touched, I worry they’re going to start to phase out this funding,” Ragland said in an interview with the Daily Yonder. “I worry that they say what they need to say at any given moment, but the larger plan is to eliminate the federal role in education altogether, including the funding.”</p><h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Rural Administrators Working Overtime</strong></h3><p>This growing uncertainty puts rural school districts, which often rely <a href="https://www.edweek.org/leadership/the-state-of-rural-schools-in-charts-funding-graduation-rates-performance-and-more/2023/11">more heavily</a> on federal funding and whose smaller budgets are hit harder by reductions, at greater risk.</p><p>Rural school leaders, <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/qa-whats-special-about-rural-educators/2024/07/26/">already working at a high capacity</a>, are facing unpredictable finances by working overtime to create multiple contingency budgets.</p><p>Jamie Green is a superintendent at Trinity Alps Unified School District in rural northern California, which is at risk of losing $3.5 million in SRS funding. He and other rural superintendents he’s connected with put in 12- to 16-hour days when creating budgets or filling out federal grant paperwork.</p><p>“During the day you have to support your kids, your parents, your teachers, and your principals. [Budgets and grant paperwork] have to be worked on after hours,” he told the Daily Yonder. “It’s difficult, but you signed up to lead, you didn’t sign up to be a victim. You don’t make excuses to your community. We won’t make excuses.”</p><p>Oftentimes, the only way to balance the budget is by delaying essential maintenance or cutting teachers in art, vocational, or special education programs. In states like Oregon and California, this challenge is compounded by the fact that the final budget deadline arrives before schools have a clear picture of the funding they’ll have for the upcoming year.</p><p>Superintendent Cordon highlighted the importance of federal funding at a crowded February school board meeting in Roseburg, Oregon. About 12 to 13% of the district’s budget comes from the federal government, Cordon told the crowd.</p><p>“Not having federal funding would dramatically impact our ability to serve children,” he said.</p><p>Micki Hall, a former Roseburg teacher and school board member who now sits on the board’s budget committee was in attendance. For Hall, budget cuts dredge up memories from her time as an educator.</p><p>“Back in 2001 we faced a lot of budget crunches. The French teacher was laid off and they cut one of the German teachers,” she said in an interview. “It’s just frightening because it also has a chilling effect in the building. If you’re not cut, you might be moved into a different, unfamiliar position.”</p><p>Across the country, rural districts are grappling with similar challenges, forced to make tough decisions that affect not just budgets but the very education and well-being of students and their communities.&nbsp;</p><p>It’s clear that the need for adequate and reliable support from state and federal governments is urgent, but superintendents like Cordon and Green — and the communities they serve — can’t afford to focus solely on problems or delay action. The buck, Green said, stops with them. The only option they have is to do the work, put in the time, and find solutions.</p><p>“Rural schools will not fail,” Green said. “We’re working as hard as we can for our students. We cannot fail.”</p><hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots"/><p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/amid-threat-of-massive-funding-cuts-rural-school-administrators-work-overtime-to-balance-uncertain-budgets/2025/03/31/">Amid Threat of Massive Funding Cuts, Rural School Administrators Work Overtime to Balance Uncertain Budgets</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
  246. ]]></content:encoded>
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  249. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  252. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">227202</post-id> </item>
  253. <item>
  254. <title>The Importance of Showing Up for Your Community</title>
  255. <link>https://dailyyonder.com/the-importance-of-showing-up-for-your-community/2025/03/31/</link>
  256. <comments>https://dailyyonder.com/the-importance-of-showing-up-for-your-community/2025/03/31/#comments</comments>
  258. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jennifer P. Brown]]></dc:creator>
  259. <pubDate>Mon, 31 Mar 2025 09:59:00 +0000</pubDate>
  260. <category><![CDATA[Rural Life]]></category>
  261. <category><![CDATA[Obituaries]]></category>
  262. <category><![CDATA[repub]]></category>
  263. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=227197</guid>
  264.  
  265. <description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="608" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Imedla-Gorman-marquee-1024x608-1.jpg?fit=1024%2C608&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Imedla-Gorman-marquee-1024x608-1.jpg?w=1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Imedla-Gorman-marquee-1024x608-1.jpg?resize=760%2C451&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Imedla-Gorman-marquee-1024x608-1.jpg?resize=768%2C456&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Imedla-Gorman-marquee-1024x608-1.jpg?resize=400%2C238&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Imedla-Gorman-marquee-1024x608-1.jpg?resize=706%2C419&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Imedla-Gorman-marquee-1024x608-1.jpg?fit=1024%2C608&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>
  266. <p>This story was originally published by Hoptown Chronicle. When I walked into the church Wednesday morning for&#160;Imelda Gorman’s funeral,&#160;the first person I met seemed to read my mind.&#160; Funeral director Frank Giles described how Imelda was among a core group of elder Catholics in Hopkinsville who could always be counted upon to be present and [&#8230;]</p>
  267. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/the-importance-of-showing-up-for-your-community/2025/03/31/">The Importance of Showing Up for Your Community</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
  268. ]]></description>
  269. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="608" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Imedla-Gorman-marquee-1024x608-1.jpg?fit=1024%2C608&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Imedla-Gorman-marquee-1024x608-1.jpg?w=1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Imedla-Gorman-marquee-1024x608-1.jpg?resize=760%2C451&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Imedla-Gorman-marquee-1024x608-1.jpg?resize=768%2C456&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Imedla-Gorman-marquee-1024x608-1.jpg?resize=400%2C238&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Imedla-Gorman-marquee-1024x608-1.jpg?resize=706%2C419&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Imedla-Gorman-marquee-1024x608-1.jpg?fit=1024%2C608&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure><p class="has-text-align-center"><em>This story was originally published by <a href="https://hoptownchronicle.org/the-importance-of-showing-up-for-your-community/">Hoptown Chronicle</a></em>.</p><p>When I walked into the church Wednesday morning for&nbsp;<a href="https://hoptownchronicle.org/obituaries/imelda-ann-gorman/">Imelda Gorman’s funeral,</a>&nbsp;the first person I met seemed to read my mind.&nbsp;</p><p>Funeral director Frank Giles described how Imelda was among a core group of elder Catholics in Hopkinsville who could always be counted upon to be present and pay their respects when a fellow parishioner of Saints Peter and Paul died. Frank felt like Imelda’s passing marked the end of an era in Hopkinsville.&nbsp;</p><p>I knew exactly what Frank meant.</p><p>Imelda’s willingness to show up was the quality that I most admired in her. Over and over, she was present for her friends and for her community in small everyday moments and in big milestone events. Well into her 90s, Imelda kept showing up.&nbsp;</p><p>I’m just one among hundreds of people in Hopkinsville who felt Imelda’s&nbsp;steadfast support.</p><p>There are countless examples. Here’s one from my perspective:</p><p>Several years ago, I learned that my mother had given Imelda a recipe for roasted pecans and that Imelda then made the pecans every year for her family during the holidays. When she told me this, I said I wasn’t sure I could remember the pecans or how Mom made them. A day later, Imelda delivered a tin of those pecans along with the recipe to my office. My mother died young, and I miss her more than I can describe. Imelda did more than deliver a tin of pecans to my office. And she knew why it mattered.&nbsp;</p><figure class="wp-block-image"><img data-recalc-dims="1" height="497" width="780" decoding="async" onerror="if (typeof newspackHandleImageError === 'function') newspackHandleImageError(this);" src="https://i0.wp.com/hoptownchronicle.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Dave-Gorman-1024x653.jpg?resize=780%2C497&#038;ssl=1" alt="man taking photo in front of alhambra in hopkinsville" class="wp-image-90793"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Dave Gorman, a science teacher in Knoxville, Tennessee, stands in the rain capturing a photo of the theater marquee sign honoring his mother several hours after her funeral on Wednesday. (Photo by Jennifer P. Brown / Hoptown Chronicle)</figcaption></figure><p>I’ve been reminiscing about Imelda with one of her best friends, Joy Tilley, who taught English at University Heights Academy when Imelda was the school’s director of admissions and development.&nbsp;</p><p>Every time there was a show at the Alhambra, Joy knew that Imelda would want to go and that she would drive them to the theater. She was especially supportive of Campanile, the community theater group, and of Brooke Bailey’s dance students.&nbsp;</p><p>Joy wasn’t exaggerating when she told me that Imelda was “heroic.” There is no other way to describe how Imelda built a new life for herself when her marriage ended in her 50s. As the mother of eight children, she had been working at home most of her life when she suddenly faced financial challenges she never could have anticipated. An offer to work for UHA led to a job lasting more than 30 years. Even in retirement, she continued to attend school functions.&nbsp;</p><p>Not long after she moved to Hopkinsville in 1975, Imelda and several of her children got involved with the Pennyrile Players, another community theater group. They still talk about a production of the musical “Fiddler on the Roof,” in which Imelda played Golde, wife of the lead male character Tevye.&nbsp;</p><p>Today, the choice to cast Imelda as Golde seems prescient. Golde was pragmatic and resilient. Having a smart wit and&nbsp;dry sense of humor, she coped with life’s hardships with an enduring love for her family.&nbsp;</p><p>As her daughter Anne told me, Imelda was “Always Golde.”</p><p>Imelda made many of us feel like we were part of her family. She left us with an important lesson. It’s simple. Show up.&nbsp;</p><hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots"/><p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/the-importance-of-showing-up-for-your-community/2025/03/31/">The Importance of Showing Up for Your Community</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
  270. ]]></content:encoded>
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  273. <slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
  276. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">227197</post-id> </item>
  277. <item>
  278. <title>Rural Letter Carriers Gather in Washington, D.C. to Oppose Privatization of the U.S. Postal Service</title>
  279. <link>https://dailyyonder.com/rural-letter-carriers-gather-in-washington-d-c-to-oppose-privatization-of-the-u-s-postal-service/2025/03/28/</link>
  280. <comments>https://dailyyonder.com/rural-letter-carriers-gather-in-washington-d-c-to-oppose-privatization-of-the-u-s-postal-service/2025/03/28/#respond</comments>
  282. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Julia Tilton]]></dc:creator>
  283. <pubDate>Fri, 28 Mar 2025 17:14:09 +0000</pubDate>
  284. <category><![CDATA[Government & Policy]]></category>
  285. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=227386</guid>
  286.  
  287. <description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="768" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Don-Maston_speaks-to-crowd_NRLCA-Rally-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Don-Maston_speaks-to-crowd_NRLCA-Rally-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Don-Maston_speaks-to-crowd_NRLCA-Rally-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C570&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Don-Maston_speaks-to-crowd_NRLCA-Rally-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C972&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Don-Maston_speaks-to-crowd_NRLCA-Rally-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Don-Maston_speaks-to-crowd_NRLCA-Rally-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Don-Maston_speaks-to-crowd_NRLCA-Rally-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Don-Maston_speaks-to-crowd_NRLCA-Rally-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Don-Maston_speaks-to-crowd_NRLCA-Rally-scaled.jpg?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Don-Maston_speaks-to-crowd_NRLCA-Rally-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Don-Maston_speaks-to-crowd_NRLCA-Rally-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Don-Maston_speaks-to-crowd_NRLCA-Rally-scaled.jpg?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Don-Maston_speaks-to-crowd_NRLCA-Rally-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Don-Maston_speaks-to-crowd_NRLCA-Rally-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C1176&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Don-Maston_speaks-to-crowd_NRLCA-Rally-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1500&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Don-Maston_speaks-to-crowd_NRLCA-Rally-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C530&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Don-Maston_speaks-to-crowd_NRLCA-Rally-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Don-Maston_speaks-to-crowd_NRLCA-Rally-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>
  288. <p>On Tuesday, March 25, rural letter carriers from across the country gathered in front of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. to rally in support of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), which they said faces an increasing threat of privatization under President Donald Trump. The rally, organized by the National Rural Letter Carriers Association [&#8230;]</p>
  289. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/rural-letter-carriers-gather-in-washington-d-c-to-oppose-privatization-of-the-u-s-postal-service/2025/03/28/">Rural Letter Carriers Gather in Washington, D.C. to Oppose Privatization of the U.S. Postal Service</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
  290. ]]></description>
  291. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="768" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Don-Maston_speaks-to-crowd_NRLCA-Rally-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Don-Maston_speaks-to-crowd_NRLCA-Rally-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Don-Maston_speaks-to-crowd_NRLCA-Rally-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C570&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Don-Maston_speaks-to-crowd_NRLCA-Rally-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C972&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Don-Maston_speaks-to-crowd_NRLCA-Rally-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Don-Maston_speaks-to-crowd_NRLCA-Rally-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Don-Maston_speaks-to-crowd_NRLCA-Rally-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Don-Maston_speaks-to-crowd_NRLCA-Rally-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Don-Maston_speaks-to-crowd_NRLCA-Rally-scaled.jpg?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Don-Maston_speaks-to-crowd_NRLCA-Rally-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Don-Maston_speaks-to-crowd_NRLCA-Rally-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Don-Maston_speaks-to-crowd_NRLCA-Rally-scaled.jpg?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Don-Maston_speaks-to-crowd_NRLCA-Rally-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Don-Maston_speaks-to-crowd_NRLCA-Rally-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C1176&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Don-Maston_speaks-to-crowd_NRLCA-Rally-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1500&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Don-Maston_speaks-to-crowd_NRLCA-Rally-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C530&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Don-Maston_speaks-to-crowd_NRLCA-Rally-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Don-Maston_speaks-to-crowd_NRLCA-Rally-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure><p>On Tuesday, March 25, rural letter carriers from across the country <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DHoxXyNtjPY/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&amp;igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==">gathered</a> in front of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. to rally in support of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), which they said faces an <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/02/20/trump-usps-takeover-dejoy/">increasing threat of privatization</a> under President Donald Trump.</p><p>The rally, organized by the National Rural Letter Carriers Association (NRLCA), was attended by members of Congress on both sides of the aisle as well as postal workers from the American Postal Workers Union, National Association of Letter Carriers, and the National Postal Mail Handlers Union. The event marked the launch of the NRLCA’s National Campaign to Protect the U.S. Postal Service from Privatization, which the union said is its top priority to preserve what it calls a “critical institution that serves rural America and the country at large.”</p><p>Approximately 51.3 million rural addresses would be disproportionately impacted by privatization of the Postal Service, according to NRLCA National President Don Maston.&nbsp;</p><p>It is unprofitable for private companies to deliver mail to the end of long dirt roads located 50 or 100 miles from the nearest post office, Maston said. Privatization would add surcharges to such rural deliveries, which include essential goods like prescription medications and documents like social security checks and ballots.</p><p>This is not the first time that proposed changes to the Postal Service have had disproportionate impacts on rural residents. In August 2024, <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/proposed-postal-changes-could-slow-down-rural-mail/2024/10/14/">plans surfaced</a> by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to eliminate evening mail pickup times in rural and remote areas as a way to cut costs. DeJoy has <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/03/24/louis-dejoy-steps-down-usps-chief/">since resigned</a> as Postmaster General, raising concerns about the future direction of USPS under the Trump administration.&nbsp;</p><figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram wp-block-embed-instagram"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
  292. <blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DHoxXyNtjPY/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DHoxXyNtjPY/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; 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  293. </div></figure><p>“Rural Americans rely on rural carriers,” Maston said. “In fact, the entire community relies on the rural carrier, and that sense of community would be taken away, and the disproportionately impacted group in the Postal Service would be rural carriers, rural Americans, and rural communities.”</p><p>Speakers at Tuesday’s rally called for bipartisan support for <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-resolution/70/text">House Resolution 70</a>, a resolution in the House of Representatives that affirms the Postal Service’s role as a federal institution and opposes privatization. Since being introduced at the end of January, the resolution has garnered 180 cosponsors.&nbsp;</p><p>Representative Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) helped introduce the resolution. He told the crowd that he is working to prevent privatization of the Postal Service.</p><p>“I’ve spoken to the White House and the Speaker—I said keep your hands off,” Garbarino said. “This is a bad idea. We’re going to continue to fight for you all to make sure you get the support you need, the money you need, and the protections you need to keep your jobs.”</p><p>Garbarino is among 11 Republicans to have signed on to the resolution since it was introduced. On the Democratic side, 169 representatives have cosponsored the resolution.</p><div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignleft size-large"><img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" width="780" height="1040" onerror="if (typeof newspackHandleImageError === 'function') newspackHandleImageError(this);" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Attendees-showed-their-opposition-to-privatization.jpg?resize=780%2C1040&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-227389" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Attendees-showed-their-opposition-to-privatization-scaled.jpg?resize=972%2C1296&amp;ssl=1 972w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Attendees-showed-their-opposition-to-privatization-scaled.jpg?resize=570%2C760&amp;ssl=1 570w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Attendees-showed-their-opposition-to-privatization-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Attendees-showed-their-opposition-to-privatization-scaled.jpg?resize=1152%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1152w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Attendees-showed-their-opposition-to-privatization-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C2048&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Attendees-showed-their-opposition-to-privatization-scaled.jpg?resize=900%2C1200&amp;ssl=1 900w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Attendees-showed-their-opposition-to-privatization-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C800&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Attendees-showed-their-opposition-to-privatization-scaled.jpg?resize=450%2C600&amp;ssl=1 450w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Attendees-showed-their-opposition-to-privatization-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C400&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Attendees-showed-their-opposition-to-privatization-scaled.jpg?resize=150%2C200&amp;ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Attendees-showed-their-opposition-to-privatization-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C1600&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Attendees-showed-their-opposition-to-privatization-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C2091&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Attendees-showed-their-opposition-to-privatization-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C2667&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Attendees-showed-their-opposition-to-privatization-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C533&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Attendees-showed-their-opposition-to-privatization-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C941&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Attendees-showed-their-opposition-to-privatization-scaled.jpg?w=1920&amp;ssl=1 1920w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Attendees-showed-their-opposition-to-privatization-972x1296.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Attendees showed their opposition to Postal Service privatization. (Photo by Julia Tilton / The Daily Yonder)</figcaption></figure></div><p>A similar resolution may soon be arriving in the Senate, according to Senator Gary Peters (D-MI). At the rally, Peters said it is his goal to ensure that the postal service stays independent. He said he will be introducing a resolution in the Senate for Congress to say no to privatization.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“Our founders understood that in order to connect a great country, you needed to have a postal service and deliver to every single address,” Peters said. “You’re not gonna get that from private companies.”</p><p>The USPS dates back to the <a href="https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/article-1/section-8/">writing of the U.S. Constitution</a>. This summer, the institution will celebrate 250 years of operation, making it older than the country itself. Some postal workers who attended the rally said that the service piece is what distinguishes USPS from a private corporation. The Postal Service is not funded by taxpayer money—instead, the sale of stamps offers a source of revenue for the institution that subsidizes a portion of its costs.</p><p>Kirby Ricketts is an executive committeeman on the NRLCA National Board. He said that the USPS was made to be a service for the American people. He said he worries that privatization will leave rural residents without access to a reliable and affordable mail delivery.</p><p>“If it’s not cost effective to take that prescription that last mile, they’re not gonna do it,” Ricketts said. “Privatization is all about the bottom line, and we’re in it for the service.”</p><p>After the rally, more than 100 rural postal workers headed to meetings with members of Congress to ask for their support in backing the USPS. Maston said that the responsibility is on all Americans to stand up for the Postal Service to keep delivery costs down.&nbsp;</p><p>“U.S. mail is not for sale—it&#8217;s not just a catchy saying, it is a reality,” Maston said. “We&#8217;ve been around 250 years and we&#8217;re going to be around another 250 years.”</p><hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots"/><p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/rural-letter-carriers-gather-in-washington-d-c-to-oppose-privatization-of-the-u-s-postal-service/2025/03/28/">Rural Letter Carriers Gather in Washington, D.C. to Oppose Privatization of the U.S. Postal Service</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
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  296. <wfw:commentRss>https://dailyyonder.com/rural-letter-carriers-gather-in-washington-d-c-to-oppose-privatization-of-the-u-s-postal-service/2025/03/28/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  297. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  300. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">227386</post-id> </item>
  301. <item>
  302. <title>45 Degrees North: Getting Affairs in Order</title>
  303. <link>https://dailyyonder.com/45-degrees-north-getting-affairs-in-order/2025/03/28/</link>
  304. <comments>https://dailyyonder.com/45-degrees-north-getting-affairs-in-order/2025/03/28/#respond</comments>
  306. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Kallner]]></dc:creator>
  307. <pubDate>Fri, 28 Mar 2025 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
  308. <category><![CDATA[Rural Life]]></category>
  309. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=227059</guid>
  310.  
  311. <description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="576" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_20250312_110004171-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_20250312_110004171-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_20250312_110004171-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C427&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_20250312_110004171-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C729&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_20250312_110004171-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C432&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_20250312_110004171-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C864&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_20250312_110004171-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1151&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_20250312_110004171-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C675&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_20250312_110004171-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C576&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_20250312_110004171-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C882&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_20250312_110004171-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1125&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_20250312_110004171-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C225&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_20250312_110004171-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C397&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_20250312_110004171-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_20250312_110004171-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>
  312. <p>I’m not much of a gambler, unless you count the occasional bar dice shake at a Wisconsin tavern or a lifetime of dodging deer on country roads. But I’m of an age now to see not having an up-to-date estate plan is a gamble I’m not willing to take.&#160; My husband and I had plenty [&#8230;]</p>
  313. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/45-degrees-north-getting-affairs-in-order/2025/03/28/">45 Degrees North: Getting Affairs in Order</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
  314. ]]></description>
  315. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="576" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_20250312_110004171-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_20250312_110004171-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_20250312_110004171-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C427&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_20250312_110004171-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C729&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_20250312_110004171-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C432&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_20250312_110004171-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C864&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_20250312_110004171-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1151&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_20250312_110004171-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C675&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_20250312_110004171-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C576&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_20250312_110004171-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C882&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_20250312_110004171-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1125&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_20250312_110004171-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C225&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_20250312_110004171-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C397&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_20250312_110004171-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/IMG_20250312_110004171-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure><p>I’m not much of a gambler, unless you count the occasional <a href="https://youtu.be/Yzb3LOJ0xUI?si=_kg4yKdyRX4WHjfK">bar dice</a> shake at a Wisconsin tavern or a lifetime of dodging deer on country roads. But I’m of an age now to see not having an up-to-date estate plan is a gamble I’m not willing to take.&nbsp;</p><p>My husband and I had plenty of excuses for putting off a long-overdue overhaul of documents we executed 30 years ago. Finally last fall we resolved to get our affairs in order. And much to our surprise, it wasn&#8217;t as overwhelming or expensive as we feared it would be.&nbsp;</p><p>According to the <a href="https://trustandwill.com/learn/estate-planning-report-2025">Trust &amp; Will 2025 Estate Planning Report</a>, 83% of Americans surveyed recognize the importance of estate planning but only 31% have a will. And where you live can be reflected in your estate plan (or lack thereof).&nbsp;</p><p>Suburban residents are the most prepared of those surveyed, with 35% having a will and only 51% lacking any estate planning documents. Rural communities lag behind in estate plan adoption, particularly regarding trusts. While 13% of urban and suburban residents surveyed reported having trusts, only eight percent of rural respondents did. I would bet that many of those trusts involved agricultural lands.</p><p>But like many rural people, Bill and I don&#8217;t have farmland to pass down. By the time end-of-life care expenses eat away at our assets, our “estate” isn&#8217;t likely to amount to much. We don&#8217;t have children. Relatives live far away. We don&#8217;t want to be a burden to anyone. We&#8217;ve seen friends struggle when a loved one died <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/i/intestacy.asp">intestate</a> – that is, without leaving a will. We prefer to have those we love remember us fondly instead of for the hassle we left behind.&nbsp;</p><p>I know from conversations with rural friends and neighbors that we are not alone in putting off estate planning. So here are some things we&#8217;ve learned from getting our affairs in order.</p><p><strong>Small town lawyers.</strong> For some, there are good reasons to seek out a specialized estate planning attorney. We chose an attorney who lives and practices in our rural county. We figured we could save time (hers and ours) by working with someone who represents the interests of other people like us in an area where the population skews heavily toward older people of modest means.&nbsp;</p><p>We explained our goals and concerns. She explained our options. Then she helped us craft a simple plan to protect the surviving spouse after one of us dies or becomes incapacitated, and a plan for our estate to avoid <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Probate">probate</a> if we should both die while we still have anything left. The total cost was less than we paid in 1996 for the estate plan we needed to replace.</p><p><strong>Experience helps.</strong> Bill and I had an advantage this time that wasn’t the case in 1996: We’ve had experience from helping execute our late parents&#8217; end-of-life wishes and are at least familiar with the vocabulary. We have played supporting roles in <a href="https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/investing/estate-planning/setting-up-a-trust">trusts</a>, <a href="https://www.aarp.org/money/personal-finance/top-facts-about-writing-a-will/">wills</a>, and power of attorney (POA), and served as estate <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/e/executor.asp">executors</a>. We’re by no means experts, but those chapters of our lives taught us important lessons. We&#8217;ve also known people our age who, for various reasons, did not get those lessons and were paralyzed at the thought of getting their own affairs in order. So they put it off. Again and again.</p><p><strong>The perfection trap.</strong> Making choices when “end of life” is an abstraction is hard enough. It doesn’t get easier when you’re facing a debilitating diagnosis, long drives to medical appointments, dramatic changes in how you must manage activities of daily living, or the sudden loss of a life partner. A big part of the reason it took us so long to get our affairs in order was that we couldn’t imagine who would be willing and able to take on or oversee things we had done for our aging parents.</p><p><strong>The ask. </strong>Bill and I do not have children, and have no relatives who live nearby. We have beloved siblings, nieces, nephews, cousins, and other relatives, but none have ties to the rural area where we have lived most of our adult lives. After all the miles we put on during our parents’s final years, we would never rule out moving somewhere more convenient for loved ones. But for financial and other reasons, we hope to stay where we are for as long as it makes sense.&nbsp;</p><p>So we asked people we love who don’t live here but have ties to the area if they would help us, and they said yes. Much of what they may need to do can be accomplished remotely. But we hope that their familiarity with the area will ease the anxiety that comes from wondering where things are and who to ask for help and recommendations.</p><p><strong>Flexibility.</strong> In discussing our situation with the attorney, we came to the conclusion that we wanted our loved ones to have a great deal of flexibility.&nbsp; It’s hard to predict exactly what our circumstances will be when the time comes that we can’t make decisions on our own. It’s equally hard to predict what circumstances our <a href="https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/investing/estate-planning/financial-power-of-attorney">financial POA</a> and executor might face when our own situation gets messy. So we want them to use their best judgment <em>at the time</em> with the resources available. That is reflected in our will and financial power of attorney documents.</p><p><strong>Specificity.</strong> We went another direction on our <a href="https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/advance-care-planning/advance-care-planning-advance-directives-health-care">Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care</a> documents. We were blessed to have some specificity from our own parents about what their end-of-life choices would be. We want our loved ones to be able to convey our choices to both medical providers and to other loved ones. My durable power of attorney for health care specifically names who I choose to make those judgments for me if I can&#8217;t make them myself and Bill can&#8217;t make them on my behalf.&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Advanced Directives. </strong>The only part of our estate plans we had updated in 30 years were our <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/in-depth/living-wills/art-20046303">advanced directives</a> –&nbsp; written legal instructions to medical providers stating our preferences for medical care if we were unable to make our own decisions. Many rural hospitals can help people with those documents, which in Wisconsin require witnesses but don&#8217;t have to be notarized. It&#8217;s a good first step toward getting affairs in order.&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Surprises.</strong> Because of a discussion with our attorney, we realized our real estate was in Bill&#8217;s name alone. If he had predeceased me, I would have inherited it under the terms of the old will. But probate could have delayed my ability to sell the property if that was necessary to finance a move. So a quit claim deed was executed to create survivorship marital property in both our names. That was recorded with our county’s register of deeds. That was an important prerequisite to another choice we made.</p><p><strong>Avoiding probate. </strong>After clearing up that detail we could, as joint owners, designate a “TOD beneficiary”. A <a href="https://www.legalzoom.com/articles/understanding-the-transfer-on-death-deed">Transfer On Death Deed</a> (TOD) is separate from a will. It specifies who inherits property covered by the deed in a manner that should avoid the probate court process. It takes effect only when both of us are gone. Until then, full rights to the property remain with us or with the surviving spouse. We don&#8217;t expect that any of the individuals named as Joint Tenants on the TOD would choose to keep this property as a primary residence. The TOD should expedite the process of selling the property so they can settle claims against the estate and disburse whatever is left over. This document was also recorded with our county&#8217;s register of deeds.</p><p>Every situation is different, so a TOD isn&#8217;t the right choice for everyone. Legal, tax, and other considerations, both for a grantor and a beneficiary, should be discussed with knowledgeable advisors.</p><p><strong>Financial institutions.</strong> We went directly from our attorney’s office to the credit union to sign beneficiary designation documents. Power Of Attorney expires on death, and our accounts would immediately become part of our estate. If we should both perish unexpectedly, our executor would incur certain expenses in order to settle the estate. So we added a Payable On Death beneficiary to accounts we hold jointly. There may be some delay while awaiting death certificates (which, of course, you have to pay to get). But we do not want out-of-pocket expenses to add up before providing the means with which to pay expenses, including if our executor hires someone local to get our final reckoning done.</p><p><strong>The list. </strong>There are still tasks we need to complete to have our affairs in better order. For example, Bill and I have made advanced designations of each other as <a href="https://www.ssa.gov/payee/">Representative Payee for Social Security</a> benefits. We want to add an alternate as well. We need to compile an up-to-date list of our accounts and where they&#8217;re located, and add alternate beneficiaries to life insurance policies. We need to prepay for funeral expenses, but the very real possibility that someday we might have to move closer to loved ones makes us reluctant to do that at the local funeral home until we do more research. So there&#8217;s more to be done.&nbsp;</p><p>But we’ve made progress. And if we can do it, maybe it will seem a bit less daunting to others like us.</p><hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots"/><p><em>Donna Kallner writes from Langlade County in rural northern Wisconsin</em>.</p><p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/45-degrees-north-getting-affairs-in-order/2025/03/28/">45 Degrees North: Getting Affairs in Order</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
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  324. <title>Q&#038;A: Does USDA&#8217;s Spending Freeze Undermine the Legitimacy of a Government Contract?</title>
  325. <link>https://dailyyonder.com/qa-does-usdas-spending-freeze-undermine-the-legitimacy-of-a-government-contract/2025/03/28/</link>
  326. <comments>https://dailyyonder.com/qa-does-usdas-spending-freeze-undermine-the-legitimacy-of-a-government-contract/2025/03/28/#respond</comments>
  328. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Claire Carlson]]></dc:creator>
  329. <pubDate>Fri, 28 Mar 2025 09:59:00 +0000</pubDate>
  330. <category><![CDATA[Agriculture]]></category>
  331. <category><![CDATA[Government & Policy]]></category>
  332. <category><![CDATA[Path Finders]]></category>
  333. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=227287</guid>
  334.  
  335. <description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="916" height="604" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Jonathan-Coppess.png?fit=916%2C604&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Jonathan-Coppess.png?w=916&amp;ssl=1 916w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Jonathan-Coppess.png?resize=760%2C501&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Jonathan-Coppess.png?resize=768%2C506&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Jonathan-Coppess.png?resize=400%2C264&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Jonathan-Coppess.png?resize=706%2C466&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Jonathan-Coppess.png?fit=916%2C604&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>
  336. <p>Editor’s Note: This interview first appeared in Path Finders, an email newsletter from the Daily Yonder. Each week, Path Finders features a Q&#38;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. [&#8230;]</p>
  337. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/qa-does-usdas-spending-freeze-undermine-the-legitimacy-of-a-government-contract/2025/03/28/">Q&amp;A: Does USDA&#8217;s Spending Freeze Undermine the Legitimacy of a Government Contract?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
  338. ]]></description>
  339. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="916" height="604" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Jonathan-Coppess.png?fit=916%2C604&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Jonathan-Coppess.png?w=916&amp;ssl=1 916w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Jonathan-Coppess.png?resize=760%2C501&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Jonathan-Coppess.png?resize=768%2C506&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Jonathan-Coppess.png?resize=400%2C264&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Jonathan-Coppess.png?resize=706%2C466&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Jonathan-Coppess.png?fit=916%2C604&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure><p><em>Editor’s Note: This interview first appeared in <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/path-finders/">Path Finders</a>, an email newsletter from the Daily Yonder. Each week, Path Finders features a Q&amp;A with a rural thinker, creator, or doer. Like what you see here? You can <a href="#signup">join the mailing list at the bottom of this article</a> and receive more conversations like this in your inbox each week.</em></p><hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/><p>Jonathan Coppess is no stranger to federal farm policy. </p><p>He served as the administrator of the Farm Service Agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) under the Obama Administration. He was also part of Joe Biden’s presidential transition team in 2020 to help inform that administration’s agricultural and rural development efforts, of which there were plenty: In 2022, Biden passed the Inflation Reduction Act, the single-largest climate law in U.S. history. Billions of dollars from this law were invested in USDA conservation programs that give farmers grants and loans to implement more sustainable farming practices on their land.</p><p>But this funding could soon be a thing of the past. On President Donald Trump’s first day in office, he signed executive orders that froze spending across a number of federal agencies, including USDA. </p><p>While some of that money has since been released, much of the funding allocated through the Inflation Reduction Act is still frozen, which has harmed farmers who were relying on grants and loans to help them pay for parts of their business.</p><p>I spoke with Coppess about what he finds most concerning about this USDA spending freeze, and what it means, existentially, when the government breaks its own rules.</p><hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/><p class="has-text-align-center"><em>This interview has been edited for length and clarity.</em></p><p><strong>Claire Carlson, The Daily Yonder: The first two months of Trump’s presidency have been defined by chaos and confusion over federal spending cuts. I’ve been looking at how USDA is affected by those freezes, especially USDA conservation programs paid for by Inflation Reduction Act money, and it’s honestly been hard to figure out what is worth paying attention to and reporting on. </strong></p><p><strong>As an expert on this topic, what do you think we need to be paying attention to?</strong></p><p><strong>Jonathan Coppess:</strong> I feel like there&#8217;s a lot of conflating payments to farmers, as if all payments to farmers are the same, particularly when it comes to conservation payments. But I think there are important differences. </p><div class="wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-2 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex"><div class="wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow" style="flex-basis:66.66%"><p>The Inflation Reduction Act funds were added onto the Farm Bill funding for these conservation programs. And what the funds do is they help farmers undertake conservation on the farm. So you&#8217;re doing actual work on the farm to improve your soils, to improve waters. It&#8217;s one of these areas in which the public policy dollar is doing more than just paying the farmer. And I think there&#8217;s a lot of missed opportunity in these discussions to clarify that not all payments are the same. </p>
  340.  
  341. <p>You and I, who do not receive farm program payments, do receive benefits from conservation, whether that&#8217;s cleaner water, less soil erosion, fewer dust storms, or whatever. These are real benefits to us. And then both us and the farmer benefit from this investment in making sure that soils and fields can remain productive over a long stretch of time.</p></div>
  342.  
  343. <div class="wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow" style="flex-basis:33.33%"><figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" width="250" height="330" onerror="if (typeof newspackHandleImageError === 'function') newspackHandleImageError(this);" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Jonathan-Coppess-2.jpeg?resize=250%2C330&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-227156" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Jonathan-Coppess-2.jpeg?w=250&amp;ssl=1 250w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Jonathan-Coppess-2.jpeg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Jonathan-Coppess-2.jpeg?w=400&amp;ssl=1 400w" sizes="(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Jonathan Coppess served as administrator of the Farm Service Agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) under the Obama Administration. (Photo courtesy of Jonathan Coppess.)
  344. </figcaption></figure></div></div><p><strong>DY:</strong> <strong>That makes sense – this has a broader effect than just on the farmer, even though a lot of the messaging and reporting is like, “shoot, farmers are not going to get this funding,” when in fact that funding was paying for something that we all benefit from, which is cleaner air or water.</strong></p><p><strong>JC:</strong> That&#8217;s exactly right. This is us investing in our nation&#8217;s farms, and getting something out of it. Then I think that leads to the second part of this, which is the most kind of consequential controversy, which is in those cases where a farmer has signed a contract with USDA to receive these funds and hasn’t gotten them, we – the federal government, as in all of us – are now breaching a contract and breaking the promise with the farmer. </p><p>And so that&#8217;s a different degree of problem legally. And I would say in a sort of philosophical sense, it’s different than just saying, in the future, we&#8217;re not going to offer payments for a certain practice or because we don&#8217;t want to fund climate change or whatever. Doing that in the future is a different matter than breaking the promise and the contract now, especially where that farmer went out and paid their own money to do the practice with the expectation of being reimbursed. </p><p>That is something very different than a new administration that has different priorities going forward. I think that&#8217;s an important distinction with this funding, and I would say it begs the question of what that means for us, and for the farmer and for farmers in the future. What is the confidence you have in a contract with your government? That&#8217;s not a minor thing.</p><p><strong>DY: Not at all. I also think that the first point kind of makes this spending freeze more interesting to a broader audience. Unfortunately, I think for a lot of folks, farming is a very distant reality to them. We&#8217;re all dependent on it, but what it actually means to operate a farm is something most Americans don’t understand. So, can you talk more about how this affects the average American, especially if these funds are never paid out?</strong></p><p><strong>JC:</strong> So again, it goes to the same thing. As Americans this is our government. And so if it&#8217;s our government breaking a promise, breaking a contract, that&#8217;s us.</p><p>Part of my frustration with a lot of the conversation in recent years, and in particular this administration and this campaign, is that we&#8217;re treating the government as some foreign entity, some “other.” But that’s wrong – we are a self-governing society. So I do think there&#8217;s an important consideration that like, oh, if they do this, that&#8217;s us doing that, right? We&#8217;re breaking the contract. So that&#8217;s step one. </p><p>And then I think, to your larger point, these funds are being invested in things that we benefit from, cleaner water, all that stuff. And so I think the question is, is that something of value to the average American? I would think so. We all want clean water, clean air.</p><p><strong>DY:</strong> <strong>I know USDA has released some of these Inflation Reduction Act funds, but do you see any potential for all of them being released? I think $20 million was released, which of course is a tiny fraction of a billion.</strong></p><p><strong>JC:</strong> Yeah, there was more than a billion dollars obligated. So $20 million, I mean, that does not give me confidence, but I don&#8217;t know how long USDA can freeze those funds or what it can do with it, because eventually somebody&#8217;s going to sue. It&#8217;s a breach of contract. It&#8217;s a pretty clear cut case. And unless the Supreme Court wants to completely eviscerate the whole contract system, which would eviscerate all of our economy, then they&#8217;re going to have to enforce the contract. I don&#8217;t see any other way. So the question really is a matter of time. </p><p>Are they going to fight this out and make farmers go through the expense and pain of litigating this, or are we just going to realize that obligated contracts have to be paid?</p><hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/><div id="signup" class="wp-block-group is-style-default has-light-gray-background-color has-background"><div class="wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow"><div style="height:1px" aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer"></div>
  345.  
  346. <div class="wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-3 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex"><div class="wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow" style="flex-basis:33.33%"><figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://dailyyonder.com/contact-us/subscribe-daily-yonder/#path-finders"><img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" width="780" height="780" onerror="if (typeof newspackHandleImageError === 'function') newspackHandleImageError(this);" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/path-finders-icon-edited-1296x1296.png?resize=780%2C780&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-70866" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/path-finders-icon-edited.png?resize=1296%2C1296&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/path-finders-icon-edited.png?resize=760%2C760&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/path-finders-icon-edited.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/path-finders-icon-edited.png?resize=768%2C768&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/path-finders-icon-edited.png?resize=1536%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/path-finders-icon-edited.png?resize=1200%2C1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/path-finders-icon-edited.png?resize=800%2C800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/path-finders-icon-edited.png?resize=400%2C400&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/path-finders-icon-edited.png?resize=200%2C200&amp;ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/path-finders-icon-edited.png?resize=1568%2C1568&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/path-finders-icon-edited.png?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/path-finders-icon-edited.png?resize=706%2C706&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/path-finders-icon-edited.png?resize=100%2C100&amp;ssl=1 100w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/path-finders-icon-edited.png?w=1697&amp;ssl=1 1697w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/path-finders-icon-edited-1296x1296.png?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" /></a></figure></div>
  347.  
  348. <div class="wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow" style="flex-basis:66.66%"><p>This interview first appeared in <strong>Path Finders</strong>, a weekly email newsletter from the Daily Yonder. Each Monday, Path Finders features a Q&amp;A with a rural thinker, creator, or doer. Join the mailing list today, to have these illuminating conversations delivered straight to your inbox. </p></div></div>
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  377. </div></div></div><hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/><p></p><p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/qa-does-usdas-spending-freeze-undermine-the-legitimacy-of-a-government-contract/2025/03/28/">Q&amp;A: Does USDA&#8217;s Spending Freeze Undermine the Legitimacy of a Government Contract?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
  378. ]]></content:encoded>
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  381. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  384. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">227287</post-id> </item>
  385. <item>
  386. <title>Through Public Speaking, This High School Footballer Who Lost His Legs Continues to Inspire</title>
  387. <link>https://dailyyonder.com/through-public-speaking-this-high-school-footballer-who-lost-his-legs-continues-to-inspire/2025/03/27/</link>
  388. <comments>https://dailyyonder.com/through-public-speaking-this-high-school-footballer-who-lost-his-legs-continues-to-inspire/2025/03/27/#respond</comments>
  390. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jared Ewy]]></dc:creator>
  391. <pubDate>Thu, 27 Mar 2025 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
  392. <category><![CDATA[Rural Life]]></category>
  393. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=227048</guid>
  394.  
  395. <description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="576" height="354" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Untitled-design-6.webp?fit=576%2C354&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Untitled-design-6.webp?w=576&amp;ssl=1 576w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Untitled-design-6.webp?resize=400%2C246&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Untitled-design-6.webp?fit=576%2C354&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>
  396. <p>About a year ago there was a video making its way around the internet. It was Carlos Valdez catching a football for a touchdown.&#160; It scored far more than six points. I mean, just look at us; we’re still talking about it today.&#160; Carlos caught the ball despite the fact that he does not have [&#8230;]</p>
  397. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/through-public-speaking-this-high-school-footballer-who-lost-his-legs-continues-to-inspire/2025/03/27/">Through Public Speaking, This High School Footballer Who Lost His Legs Continues to Inspire</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
  398. ]]></description>
  399. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="576" height="354" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Untitled-design-6.webp?fit=576%2C354&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Untitled-design-6.webp?w=576&amp;ssl=1 576w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Untitled-design-6.webp?resize=400%2C246&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Untitled-design-6.webp?fit=576%2C354&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure><p>About a year ago there was a video making its way around the internet. It was Carlos Valdez catching a football for a touchdown.&nbsp;</p><p>It scored far more than six points. I mean, just look at us; we’re still talking about it today.&nbsp;</p><p>Carlos caught the ball despite the fact that he does not have legs and has lost some motor control in his arms. Ever since a boating accident when he was nine years old, he’s not only been working to recover, but to survive.</p><figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
  400. <iframe title="Through Public Speaking, This High School Footballer Who Lost His Legs Continues to Inspire" width="780" height="439" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/B-0bXy8-KvU?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
  401. </div></figure><p>After multiple media outlets covered Carlos’s catch and video of the sensation went viral,&nbsp;you’d be hard pressed to find someone around northern Colorado who doesn&#8217;t know something about Carlos. But we figured more of the world needed an update. We’re happy we did.</p><p>Last fall, after a tough night of lying awake and praying for answers, Carlos woke up to a new opportunity: a nearby elementary school was calling. They needed a motivational speaker for the kids. He knew he had to seize the opportunity.</p><p>“My goal, my job, my purpose is to change at least one person&#8217;s life because, if I do, then that person can go on and change another life,” says Valdez.&nbsp;</p><p>He’s hooked. Speaking to school kids is what he wants to do.</p><p>What else is he doing? He just wrapped up another year of football and he’s both a chapter and district officer for Future Farmers of America (FFA). He’s also realizing that the junior year of high school might be the toughest. Still, he’s excited to talk to as many educational institutions as possible.</p><p>He’s already focused on what’s next. “I’d like to get my name out there and get more known because then I can really start making an impact and making a difference.”</p><p>We’re pretty sure you already have, Carlos, but we’re happy to help by sharing your incredible story.</p><hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots"/><p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/through-public-speaking-this-high-school-footballer-who-lost-his-legs-continues-to-inspire/2025/03/27/">Through Public Speaking, This High School Footballer Who Lost His Legs Continues to Inspire</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
  402. ]]></content:encoded>
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  405. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  408. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">227048</post-id> </item>
  409. <item>
  410. <title>Commerce Secretary’s Proposal to Prioritize Satellite Over Fiber Internet Would ‘Strand’ Rural Communities, Experts Say</title>
  411. <link>https://dailyyonder.com/commerce-secretarys-proposal-to-prioritize-satellite-over-fiber-internet-would-strand-rural-communities-experts-say/2025/03/26/</link>
  412. <comments>https://dailyyonder.com/commerce-secretarys-proposal-to-prioritize-satellite-over-fiber-internet-would-strand-rural-communities-experts-say/2025/03/26/#comments</comments>
  414. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Sarah Melotte]]></dc:creator>
  415. <pubDate>Wed, 26 Mar 2025 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
  416. <category><![CDATA[Broadband]]></category>
  417. <category><![CDATA[Data]]></category>
  418. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=227181</guid>
  419.  
  420. <description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="635" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21220593505215-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C635&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21220593505215-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21220593505215-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C471&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21220593505215-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C804&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21220593505215-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C476&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21220593505215-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C953&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21220593505215-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1270&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21220593505215-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C744&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21220593505215-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C635&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21220593505215-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C972&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21220593505215-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1240&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21220593505215-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C248&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21220593505215-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C438&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21220593505215-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21220593505215-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C635&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>
  421. <p>In early March, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick proposed changes to a federal broadband connectivity program that would favor Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite connectivity, like Starlink, over fiber optic, a faster and more reliable form of internet access.  Critics say Lutnick’s proposal to prioritize LEO will worsen the digital divide by abandoning rural [&#8230;]</p>
  422. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/commerce-secretarys-proposal-to-prioritize-satellite-over-fiber-internet-would-strand-rural-communities-experts-say/2025/03/26/">Commerce Secretary’s Proposal to Prioritize Satellite Over Fiber Internet Would ‘Strand’ Rural Communities, Experts Say</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
  423. ]]></description>
  424. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="635" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21220593505215-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C635&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21220593505215-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21220593505215-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C471&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21220593505215-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C804&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21220593505215-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C476&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21220593505215-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C953&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21220593505215-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1270&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21220593505215-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C744&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21220593505215-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C635&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21220593505215-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C972&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21220593505215-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1240&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21220593505215-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C248&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21220593505215-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C438&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21220593505215-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AP21220593505215-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C635&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure><p>In early March, U.S. Secretary of Commerce<a href="https://www.ft.com/content/ae99e775-cc64-4831-9ace-6853d0f457ed"> Howard Lutnick</a> proposed changes to a federal broadband connectivity program that would favor Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite connectivity, like <a href="https://www.starlink.com/us">Starlink</a>, over fiber optic, a faster and more reliable form of internet access. </p><p>Critics say Lutnick’s proposal to prioritize LEO will worsen the digital divide by abandoning rural communities without the long term economic benefits of fiber optic infrastructure.</p><p>Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment, or BEAD, is a <a href="https://tiaonline.org/what-we-do/u-s-bead-program/#:~:text=The%20Broadband%20Equity%20and%20Access,into%20law%20in%20late%202021.">$42 billion grant program created by the Biden administration under the Infrastructure, Investments, and Jobs Act of 2021</a>. BEAD aims to connect <a href="https://broadbandusa.ntia.doc.gov/funding-programs/broadband-equity-access-and-deployment-bead-program">25 million Americans</a> with high speed internet in all 56 states and territories.</p><p>In a meeting with BEAD staff earlier this month, Lutnick said he wants to make the program <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/commerce-to-overhaul-internet-for-all-plan-expanding-starlink-funding-prospects/ar-AA1AfgGW?ocid=EMMX">“technology-neutral”</a> by shifting the focus to LEO satellite connectivity. <a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/commerce-to-overhaul-internet-for-all-plan-expanding-starlink-funding-prospects-74664efc?utm_campaign=Newsletters&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=sendgrid">Wall Street Journal reporter Patience Haggin</a> said that Lutnick’s proposal would make it easier for Elon Musk’s LEO satellite technology, Starlink, to claim funds allocated for rural broadband development.</p><p>Lutnick’s proposed changes would exacerbate the digital divide between rural and urban residents, according to the Benton Institute’s Broadband &amp; Society Director of Policy Engagement Drew Garner.&nbsp; The <a href="https://www.benton.org/">Benton Institute</a> is a nonprofit that focuses on broadband access.&nbsp;</p><p>Garner told the Daily Yonder that fiber optic infrastructure is faster, more reliable, and a larger driver of economic growth compared to satellite internet technology.</p><h3 class="wp-block-heading">BEAD Program Is Integral to Rural Broadband</h3><p>Rural households are less likely to have access to high speed internet compared to their urban and suburban counterparts. In 2023, the most recent year of available data, an estimated 84% of rural households had broadband, compared to 91% of metropolitan households, according to <a href="https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST1Y2023.S2801?q=internet">American Community Survey data</a>.</p><iframe title="Broadband Access in the United States" aria-label="Map" id="datawrapper-chart-8Sno0" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/8Sno0/2/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="489" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";r.style.height=d}}}))}();
  425.  
  426. </script><p>Fifty-six percent of nonmetropolitan counties have low access to broadband, compared to the national average. Only 18% of metropolitan counties have below average access.</p><p>Counties with low broadband connectivity often overlap with <a href="https://www.countyhealthrankings.org/findings-and-insights/2023-county-health-rankings-national-findings-report'">counties that also have legacies of discrimination and disinvestment</a>, like the U.S. / Mexico border and rural Appalachia, among others regions. But federal broadband programs like BEAD were meant to bridge that geographic gap.</p><p>&#8220;The BEAD Program is on course to ensuring that every location in the U.S. has fast, reliable, and affordable internet access over networks that can be easily upgraded to keep up with the connectivity demands of Americans for decades to come,” Garner wrote in a <a href="https://www.benton.org/content/benton-institute-broadband-society-dismayed-reports-trumps-bead-meddling?utm_campaign=Newsletters&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=sendgrid">March 4th press</a> release.  “Secretary Lutnick&#8217;s reported meddling is likely to leave millions of Americans with broadband that is slower, less reliable, and more expensive.”</p><p>Executive Vice President of the <a href="https://www.ntca.org/">NTCA &#8211; the Rural Broadband Association</a> Mike Romano said that BEAD funding is critical in the effort to connect areas where larger internet providers haven’t previously had the financial incentive to invest.</p><p>“Some of the areas that are left behind are, frankly, some of the hardest to reach,” Romano told the Daily Yonder in a phone interview.</p><p>Developing fiber networks can be expensive, <a href="https://www.choicelight.org/news/understanding-the-challenges-of-rural-broadband-deployment">particularly in rural areas with cold climates (and therefore shorter construction seasons) or in remote communities with low population densities</a>. </p><p>But BEAD is meant to help defray the costs of broadband deployment by allocating <a href="https://broadbandusa.ntia.doc.gov/sites/default/files/2023-07/BEAD_Frequently_Asked_Questions_Version_3.0.pdf">funds to states and U.S. territories based on a formula that considers served and unserved populations</a>. After connecting all unserved households with high speed internet, states and territories can invest in programs that advance broadband equity, like remote learning and telehealth services, for example. </p><p>“Fiber is correlated with increased entrepreneurship, increased business revenues, increased uses of telehealth and associated decreases in healthcare costs,” said Garner.&nbsp;</p><p>High speed internet is also correlated with better student outcomes and lifetime earnings, according to Garner.&nbsp;</p><p>“In contrast, paying Starlink for a network that already exists, and that has almost no terrestrial infrastructure, has no discernible economic benefit for any state or community,” wrote Garner in a <a href="https://www.benton.org/content/benton-institute-broadband-society-dismayed-reports-trumps-bead-meddling?utm_campaign=Newsletters&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=sendgrid">Benton Institute press release</a>.</p><p>Starlink subscriptions are expensive, with a going rate of about <a href="https://www.cnet.com/home/internet/starlink-internet-review/">$120 per month</a> plus an extra $300 or $400 for the equipment itself. Garner said that Starlink, although it is “an amazing technology,” hasn’t caught up with the benefits of fiber.</p><h3 class="wp-block-heading">Prioritizing LEO Satellite Connectivity Will Worsen the Digital Divide</h3><p>A 2023 <a href="https://fiberbroadband.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/The-Status-of-U.S.-Broadband-2023.pdf">consumer report from the Fiber Broadband Association</a> revealed that consumers prefer fiber broadband over other forms of internet connectivity for speed and reliability. Under the Biden administration, the BEAD program prioritized fiber projects because of its economic sustainability and ability to <a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230821255377/en/Fiber-is-Preferred-by-Nearly-Two-Thirds-of-U.S.-Consumers-According-to-New-Fiber-Broadband-Association-Research?utm_campaign=Newsletters&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=sendgrid">replace existing infrastructure</a>.</p><p>While low-earth-orbit connectivity relies on signals from satellites, fiber optic cables are usually laid underground, where they are less <a href="https://www.benton.org/content/benton-institute-broadband-society-dismayed-reports-trumps-bead-meddling?utm_campaign=Newsletters&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=sendgrid">susceptible to interference from bad weather, foliage, and terrain</a>.</p><p>Lutnick’s plan to prioritize satellite connections over fiber optic could “strand rural Americans with worse internet access,” while increasing the share of funding available to low-earth-orbit satellite companies like SpaceX’s Starlink, according to <a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/03/trump-plan-to-fund-musks-starlink-over-fiber-called-betrayal-of-rural-us/">technology reporter Jon Brodkin</a>. </p><p>Garner said that investing in fiber optic over satellite connectivity is better for rural economies.</p><p>“You build a fiber network once and it lasts for 30 to 50 years,” said Garner. “You have to rebuild a LEO network every five [years]. That&#8217;s because satellites fall out of the sky, so you have to keep relaunching them.”</p><p>Under Lutnick’s proposed changes, Starlink could receive <a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/commerce-to-overhaul-internet-for-all-plan-expanding-starlink-funding-prospects-74664efc?utm_campaign=Newsletters&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=sendgrid">$10 to $20 billion, up from the $4.1 billion</a> allocated under the program’s original plan. Lutnick is also considering reducing obligations to serve low-income populations, according to the <a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/commerce-to-overhaul-internet-for-all-plan-expanding-starlink-funding-prospects-74664efc?utm_campaign=Newsletters&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=sendgrid">Wall Street Journal</a>.</p><p>&#8220;Secretary Lutnick may wish BEAD to be &#8216;technology-neutral,&#8217; but we shouldn&#8217;t be technology-blind,’ Garner said. “American broadband should be the best broadband in the world.&#8221;</p><hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots"/><p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/commerce-secretarys-proposal-to-prioritize-satellite-over-fiber-internet-would-strand-rural-communities-experts-say/2025/03/26/">Commerce Secretary’s Proposal to Prioritize Satellite Over Fiber Internet Would ‘Strand’ Rural Communities, Experts Say</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
  427. ]]></content:encoded>
  429. <wfw:commentRss>https://dailyyonder.com/commerce-secretarys-proposal-to-prioritize-satellite-over-fiber-internet-would-strand-rural-communities-experts-say/2025/03/26/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  430. <slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
  433. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">227181</post-id> </item>
  434. <item>
  435. <title>The Dangers of Shushing Constituents at Town Halls</title>
  436. <link>https://dailyyonder.com/the-dangers-of-shushing-constituents-at-town-halls/2025/03/26/</link>
  437. <comments>https://dailyyonder.com/the-dangers-of-shushing-constituents-at-town-halls/2025/03/26/#comments</comments>
  439. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Claire Carlson]]></dc:creator>
  440. <pubDate>Wed, 26 Mar 2025 09:58:00 +0000</pubDate>
  441. <category><![CDATA[Government & Policy]]></category>
  442. <category><![CDATA[Keep It Rural]]></category>
  443. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=227236</guid>
  444.  
  445. <description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="859" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Oregon-City-Townhall-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C859&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Oregon-City-Townhall-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Oregon-City-Townhall-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C638&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Oregon-City-Townhall-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C1087&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Oregon-City-Townhall-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C644&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Oregon-City-Townhall-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1289&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Oregon-City-Townhall-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1718&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Oregon-City-Townhall-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C1007&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Oregon-City-Townhall-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C859&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Oregon-City-Townhall-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C1315&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Oregon-City-Townhall-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1678&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Oregon-City-Townhall-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C336&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Oregon-City-Townhall-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C592&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Oregon-City-Townhall-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Oregon-City-Townhall-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C859&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>
  446. <p>Across three days last week, Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez held five rallies in three states on their “Fighting Oligarchy” tour – an admonishment of the billionaires that have taken over the White House. Tens of thousands of people showed up in places like Tucson and Tempe, Arizona, Greeley and Denver, Colorado, and [&#8230;]</p>
  447. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/the-dangers-of-shushing-constituents-at-town-halls/2025/03/26/">The Dangers of Shushing Constituents at Town Halls</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
  448. ]]></description>
  449. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="859" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Oregon-City-Townhall-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C859&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Oregon-City-Townhall-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Oregon-City-Townhall-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C638&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Oregon-City-Townhall-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C1087&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Oregon-City-Townhall-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C644&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Oregon-City-Townhall-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1289&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Oregon-City-Townhall-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1718&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Oregon-City-Townhall-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C1007&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Oregon-City-Townhall-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C859&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Oregon-City-Townhall-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C1315&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Oregon-City-Townhall-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1678&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Oregon-City-Townhall-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C336&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Oregon-City-Townhall-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C592&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Oregon-City-Townhall-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Oregon-City-Townhall-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C859&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure><p>Across three days last week, Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez held five rallies in three states on their “Fighting Oligarchy” tour – an admonishment of the billionaires that have taken over the White House. Tens of thousands of people showed up in places like Tucson and Tempe, Arizona, Greeley and Denver, Colorado, and Las Vegas, Nevada.&nbsp;</p><p>Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez’s speeches called out the struggles of the working class and called out the Democratic Party itself for being too weak in its support of the working class. This was in stark contrast to the messaging of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz’s presidential campaign, which name-dropped the middle class every chance it got.&nbsp;</p><p>Of course, this tour was not a presidential campaign (although it could be the run-up to one for Ocasio-Cortez), but its timing – in the aftermath of a lackluster performance by Democrats against Donald Trump who, for the first time in his three presidential runs, won the popular vote – feels strategic. But I’m not convinced the rest of the left will pick up on the strategy Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez are putting down.&nbsp;</p><p>Right before their three-day tour, I attended a town hall hosted by Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon and Representative Janelle Bynum of Oregon House District 5. I came away from it disappointed.&nbsp;</p><p>More than 1,000 people showed up at the gym of a community college in Oregon City, a small city adjacent to Portland whose claim to fame is being the last stop on the Oregon Trail. People from all over the northwest corner of the state showed up, representing both the urban and rural parts of the Willamette Valley, but their concerns were the same: what’s going to happen to Medicaid? Social Security? What about our veterans? Why do I have to take out a third mortgage to send my kid to college? Why is Elon Musk lining Teslas up in the White House driveway?&nbsp;</p><p>Despite Wyden and Bynum’s attempts to rally enthusiasm and hope, the attendees’ anger and frustration at Democrats was palpable. Yet, there was no substance to the solutions Wyden and Bynum gave people – all they offered were paltry suggestions to call our representatives and vote blue next election cycle.&nbsp;</p><p>As hecklers got more vocal about their dissatisfaction about these answers, Wyden and Bynum’s enthusiasm soured. At one point, a heckler was shushed by the town hall’s moderator, who cried “let her speak,” referring to Bynum, who had already been speaking all night.&nbsp;</p><p>The whole event highlighted how stymied the American public is in their attempts to bring concerns to the politicians who purportedly represent them. Town halls are often the only place the average person gets the chance to speak with a politician, so shushing their opinions feels counterintuitive.&nbsp;</p><p>While the “Fighting Oligarchy” tour certainly didn’t address this issue (how could you possibly hear all 34,000 of the Denver attendees), it did seem to acknowledge a truth most Democrats appear eager to forget: voting blue no matter who will not solve our problems. The last election cycle proved that most voters are not impressed with that solution, nor should they be.&nbsp;</p><p>Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez have initiated a critical look inward at the Democratic Party – now it’s time for the rest of the Democrats to follow suit.&nbsp;</p><p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/the-dangers-of-shushing-constituents-at-town-halls/2025/03/26/">The Dangers of Shushing Constituents at Town Halls</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
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