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  32. <title>Urban Institute Researchers Examine Fallout from Texas Wildfires on Rural Communities in the Region</title>
  33. <link>https://dailyyonder.com/urban-institute-researchers-examine-fallout-from-texas-wildfires-on-rural-communities-in-the-region/2024/03/28/</link>
  34. <comments>https://dailyyonder.com/urban-institute-researchers-examine-fallout-from-texas-wildfires-on-rural-communities-in-the-region/2024/03/28/#respond</comments>
  35. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Kristi Eaton]]></dc:creator>
  36. <pubDate>Thu, 28 Mar 2024 18:25:43 +0000</pubDate>
  37. <category><![CDATA[Environment]]></category>
  38. <category><![CDATA[Yonder Report]]></category>
  39. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=126601</guid>
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  41. <description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24061102470096-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Smoke rises from Texas wildfires in a desert landscape" decoding="async" fetchpriority="high" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24061102470096-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24061102470096-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C507&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24061102470096-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C864&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24061102470096-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24061102470096-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24061102470096-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24061102470096-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24061102470096-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24061102470096-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C400&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24061102470096-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C1045&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24061102470096-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24061102470096-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C471&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24061102470096-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24061102470096-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>
  42. <p>Several factors will need to be addressed to provide equitable recovery to those living in West Texas who experienced losses from the wildfires sweeping through the area, according to a new analysis from the Urban Institute.&#160; As of March 5, 2024, the fires in the Texas Panhandle have left at least two people dead and [&#8230;]</p>
  43. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/urban-institute-researchers-examine-fallout-from-texas-wildfires-on-rural-communities-in-the-region/2024/03/28/">Urban Institute Researchers Examine Fallout from Texas Wildfires on Rural Communities in the Region</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
  44. ]]></description>
  45. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24061102470096-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Smoke rises from Texas wildfires in a desert landscape" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24061102470096-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24061102470096-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C507&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24061102470096-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C864&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24061102470096-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24061102470096-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24061102470096-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24061102470096-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24061102470096-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24061102470096-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C400&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24061102470096-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C1045&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24061102470096-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24061102470096-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C471&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24061102470096-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24061102470096-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>
  46. <p>Several factors will need to be addressed to provide equitable recovery to those living in West Texas who experienced losses from the wildfires sweeping through the area, according to a <a href="https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/texas-panhandle-wildfires-and-four-keys-equitable-recovery">new analysis</a> from the Urban Institute.&nbsp;</p>
  47.  
  48.  
  49.  
  50. <p>As of March 5, 2024, the fires in the Texas Panhandle have left at least two people dead and burned more than 1.3 million acres of land. Several towns have been evacuated.</p>
  51.  
  52.  
  53.  
  54. <p>The report found that housing will be a major issue for the rural, agricultural-based region.&nbsp;</p>
  55.  
  56.  
  57.  
  58. <p>“As we look to the impact of the fires in Texas, the existing housing stock and kind of the landscape there before the fire, it could really become a challenge as folks look to recovery,” Anne Junod, an environmental social scientist and senior research associate in the Climate and Community program at the Urban Institute, told the Daily Yonder. “</p>
  59.  
  60.  
  61.  
  62. <p>There&#8217;s also issues for renters, she said.&nbsp;</p>
  63.  
  64.  
  65.  
  66. <p>“Renting in a lot of rural areas across the country is a challenge as well, for many of the same reasons: We just don&#8217;t have as much affordable housing stock …that’s targeted to renters. It&#8217;s just very tight overall,” she added.&nbsp;</p>
  67.  
  68.  
  69.  
  70. <p>The remoteness and geographic location is another issue to consider when looking at recovery, Junod said.</p>
  71.  
  72.  
  73.  
  74. <p>“Places are just more spread out,” she added. “That can really lead to challenges for administering aid and recovery resources over long distances.”</p>
  75.  
  76.  
  77.  
  78. <p>She said that when people think about reconstruction, it can make it a lot more expensive for folks because there’s a smaller labor market in rural areas and people must travel further distances. “The folks who are working in construction and rehabilitation, they&#8217;re going to be stressed, and they&#8217;re going to be charging for their services,” she said.&nbsp;</p>
  79.  
  80.  
  81.  
  82. <p>Additionally, the acres burned will have a significant impact on the farmers and ranchers in the area, Junod said. The analysis said that cultural and translation services will be key to recovery as some in the area don’t speak English proficiently.&nbsp;</p>
  83.  
  84.  
  85.  
  86. <p>According to the analysis, the number of foreign-born residents in Carson County stands at 2.5%, while it’s 4.9% in Hutchinson. It’s higher in Gray County (11.1%) and Hemphill County (16.8%). Those two counties are also where people may struggle to speak English proficiently.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
  87.  
  88.  
  89.  
  90. <p>“Leaders in these two counties will need to pay attention to the needs of mixed-status families and people with limited English proficiency,” the analysis said.&nbsp;</p>
  91.  
  92.  
  93.  
  94. <p>Health issues will also play a role in recovery, Junod said. There’s the primary health effects but then there are secondary health impacts, she said, including for people with existing cardiopulmonary conditions.&nbsp;</p>
  95.  
  96.  
  97.  
  98. <p>“We know that rural communities just have higher numbers of folks that are older,” she said. “In rural communities we have higher numbers of folks with disabilities, and rural communities also have higher numbers of folks who are uninsured. And that is a recipe for, obviously, negative health outcomes.”</p>
  99.  
  100.  
  101.  
  102. <p>Junod said there are a lot of existing gaps in rural areas that make them more vulnerable following disasters.&nbsp;</p>
  103.  
  104.  
  105.  
  106. <p>Federal money from FEMA and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is disbursed after a disaster, she said, when certain thresholds are met. Forward-looking money that helps prevent climate-related disasters is needed in rural communities, Junod added.&nbsp;</p>
  107.  
  108.  
  109.  
  110. <p>“In rural communities across the country, civic leaders, elected and appointed officials &#8211; they&#8217;re wearing 10 different hats. They&#8217;re lucky to have a sustainability &#8211; forget an office &#8211; a person who is doing disaster preparedness and response, doing climate planning, resilience planning,” she said. “And so resources are certainly needed in rural communities. Many rural communities in this way are at a huge disadvantage for not doing that forward-looking planning and preparation.”</p>
  111. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/urban-institute-researchers-examine-fallout-from-texas-wildfires-on-rural-communities-in-the-region/2024/03/28/">Urban Institute Researchers Examine Fallout from Texas Wildfires on Rural Communities in the Region</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
  112. ]]></content:encoded>
  113. <wfw:commentRss>https://dailyyonder.com/urban-institute-researchers-examine-fallout-from-texas-wildfires-on-rural-communities-in-the-region/2024/03/28/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  114. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  115. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">126601</post-id> </item>
  116. <item>
  117. <title>The Rural Workforce is Changing. Colleges are Scrambling to Keep Up.</title>
  118. <link>https://dailyyonder.com/rural-workforce-is-changing-colleges-scramble-to-keep-up/2024/03/28/</link>
  119. <comments>https://dailyyonder.com/rural-workforce-is-changing-colleges-scramble-to-keep-up/2024/03/28/#respond</comments>
  120. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Nick Fouriezos / Open Campus]]></dc:creator>
  121. <pubDate>Thu, 28 Mar 2024 09:59:00 +0000</pubDate>
  122. <category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
  123. <category><![CDATA[Mile Markers]]></category>
  124. <category><![CDATA[repub]]></category>
  125. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=128497</guid>
  126.  
  127. <description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="768" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7704-2048x1536-1.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/2024/03/IMG_7704-2048x1536-1.jpg?w=2048&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7704-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=760%2C570&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7704-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=1296%2C972&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7704-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7704-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=1536%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7704-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7704-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7704-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7704-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7704-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7704-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7704-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=1568%2C1176&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7704-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=2000%2C1500&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7704-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=706%2C530&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7704-2048x1536-1.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>
  128. <p>This story was originally co-published by Open Campus and the Montana Free Press. Lindsey Flather is exactly the type of student that colleges and employers in rural states know they must do a better job of reaching. A working mother in her thirties, Flather decided to pursue a new career in health care after moving [&#8230;]</p>
  129. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/rural-workforce-is-changing-colleges-scramble-to-keep-up/2024/03/28/">The Rural Workforce is Changing. Colleges are Scrambling to Keep Up.</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
  130. ]]></description>
  131. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="768" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7704-2048x1536-1.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/2024/03/IMG_7704-2048x1536-1.jpg?w=2048&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7704-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=760%2C570&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7704-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=1296%2C972&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7704-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7704-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=1536%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7704-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7704-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7704-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7704-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7704-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7704-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7704-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=1568%2C1176&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7704-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=2000%2C1500&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7704-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=706%2C530&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7704-2048x1536-1.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>
  132. <p class="has-text-align-center"><em><em>This story was originally co-publishe</em>d by <a href="https://www.opencampusmedia.org/2024/03/13/the-rural-workforce-is-changing-colleges-are-scrambling-to-keep-up/">Open Campus</a> and the <a href="https://montanafreepress.org/2024/03/13/as-rural-workforce-changes-colleges-scramble-to-keep-up/">Montana Free Press</a>.</em></p>
  133.  
  134.  
  135.  
  136. <p>Lindsey Flather is exactly the type of student that colleges and employers in rural states know they must do a better job of reaching.</p>
  137.  
  138.  
  139.  
  140. <p>A working mother in her thirties, Flather decided to pursue a new career in health care after moving to the Bitterroot Valley in 2018. It was, she thought, one of the only financially sustainable paths that interested her in this growing pocket of western Montana. And she is&nbsp;<a href="https://frontierinstitute.org/viewpoint-addressing-montanas-healthcare-shortage-should-begin-with-occupational-licensing/">urgently needed. In Montana</a>, 52 of 56 counties — including Ravalli County — are considered&nbsp;<a href="https://dphhs.mt.gov/ecfsd/primarycare/shortageareadesignations">medically underserved</a>, and nearly half of the state’s nurses say they plan on retiring or leaving the profession in the next five years.</p>
  141.  
  142.  
  143.  
  144. <p>But the obstacles to retraining adults in rural areas like this are many. Almost every day last semester, for example, Flather had to commute two hours round trip to Missoula College, just to take an hour-long chemistry class that wasn’t offered at its local satellite, Bitterroot College.&nbsp;</p>
  145.  
  146.  
  147.  
  148. <p>She was only able to make it work because her mother-in-law could watch her toddler during the day. But that’s not the case for many mid-career adults who are quickly becoming the main target for states trying to retrain their workforces. Many of Flather’s peers struggle to keep up, like the mother of five whose husband works construction and often can’t find childcare.</p>
  149.  
  150.  
  151.  
  152. <p>“There are a lot of ambitious students out here,” Flather says, but distance makes it difficult to make it all the way through to a new career. “Once we have the pre-reqs done here, we’re either stuck taking a job without much of an opportunity to advance, or we have to commute, which takes time and money.”</p>
  153.  
  154.  
  155.  
  156. <p>At the same time, employers are desperate to get more people through these workforce pipelines. They, too, are challenged by geography, says Rebecca Conroy, the chief transformational officer at Bitterroot Health, a regional hospital in western Montana.&nbsp;</p>
  157.  
  158.  
  159.  
  160. <p>Since the pandemic, Conroy says, her essential workers have been priced out of their own community, displaced by in-migrating teleworkers as housing prices spiked during the real estate runup. For the first time in her three-decade career, the problem isn’t finding enough doctors to hire.&nbsp;</p>
  161.  
  162.  
  163.  
  164. <p>Conroy suddenly has plenty of highly skilled providers wanting to move to the area, recently made famous by the series “Yellowstone<em>,”&nbsp;</em>which is filmed partly in Ravalli County. Now they can’t attract enough medical assistants to support them.</p>
  165.  
  166.  
  167.  
  168. <p>But even after Bitterroot Health raised their pay to $20 an hour, many medical assistants can’t afford to live there. The median rent in Hamilton, the valley’s biggest town, is now $2,087, <a href="https://www.zumper.com/rent-research/hamilton-mt">up 30% over the previous year</a>. The lack of affordable housing makes it almost impossible to recruit out-of-towners, and the in-town workforce is drying up. The talent pipeline is thin, Conroy says. And the pressure is only growing.  </p>
  169.  
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  171.  
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  173.  
  174.  
  175.  
  176. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" width="780" height="585" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7727-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=780%2C585&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-129042" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7727-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=1296%2C972&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7727-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=760%2C570&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7727-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7727-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=1536%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7727-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7727-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7727-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7727-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7727-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7727-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7727-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=1568%2C1176&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7727-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=2000%2C1500&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7727-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=706%2C530&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7727-2048x1536-1.jpg?w=2048&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7727-2048x1536-1-1296x972.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Bitterroot Health in Hamilton is experiencing such a large shortage that it is considering educating would-be medical assistants on site, particularly as local higher education institutions haven’t been able to meet their workforce needs. (Photo by Nick Fouriezos)</figcaption></figure>
  177.  
  178.  
  179.  
  180. <p>Across America, rural workforces have been stretched beyond recognition in the wake of the pandemic. The sudden move toward telework has shifted housing and labor markets, creating a crisis of affordability for long-time residents plus a growing demand for hands-on labor in health care, construction and other fields. Amid rapid change, colleges are struggling to adapt fast enough to meet their communities’ needs. </p>
  181.  
  182.  
  183.  
  184. <p>Take the path to becoming a medical assistant. With an&nbsp;<a href="https://montanafreepress.org/2020/03/12/how-where-and-why-montana-became-the-grayest-state-in-the-west/">aging population</a>&nbsp;— nearly a third of Montanans will be over 60 by 2030 — comes a huge demand for health services. But Bitterroot Health is struggling to fill about 20 open medical assistant jobs. With so many positions empty, Conroy says, rural patients are experiencing longer waits for care, assuming care is available at all.</p>
  185.  
  186.  
  187.  
  188. <p>Employers like Conroy are the canaries in the coal mine of a growing talent shortage across the country. So smoothing the route to jobs like medical assisting has become a key focus of Montana’s government and educational infrastructure. The state’s colleges recently partnered with the national nonprofit Education Design Lab to interview Conroy and local business leaders statewide about how they might create new educational opportunities, like a set of micro-credentials to allow people to build key skills in shorter courses over time. That, they hope, will better prepare students, while making learning more accessible and getting them into the workforce faster.</p>
  189.  
  190.  
  191.  
  192. <p>A key part of the Design Lab’s work is identifying what skills employers need most. The conversations helped Conroy articulate her changing needs. She began talking less and less about the skills she had originally outlined in the job description, like medical expertise and pharmaceutical knowledge.&nbsp;</p>
  193.  
  194.  
  195.  
  196. <p>Instead, she spoke about staff members having to calm angry patients frustrated by their care or having to wait weeks to see overbooked providers. Some days, Conroy said, medical assistants spend more than half their shift taking phone calls from suicidal patients, trying to talk them down from the brink and get them the help they need.&nbsp;</p>
  197.  
  198.  
  199.  
  200. <p>De-escalation, Conroy realized, is the No. 1 job requirement these days. And she needs colleges to start teaching that.</p>
  201.  
  202.  
  203.  
  204. <p>“It’s becoming a skill set that all of our staff need,” Conroy said. “People are simply not their best selves since COVID.” </p>
  205.  
  206.  
  207.  
  208. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
  209.  
  210.  
  211.  
  212. <p>Rooting out, and then meeting, specific and surprising education needs like those are exactly what Montana and other states hope more flexible, skills-based education systems can achieve.&nbsp;</p>
  213.  
  214.  
  215.  
  216. <p>Minzi Thomas, a policy expert with the Education Design Lab, suggested that the lab could add de-escalation and suicide prevention programming into curricula the lab and Montana colleges are collaboratively developing. Flather says such training would definitely benefit students like her. She took a four-week fast-track course at Bitterroot College last year that allowed her to start working as a certified nursing assistant at Bitterroot Health.&nbsp;</p>
  217.  
  218.  
  219.  
  220. <p>“I had not received much training in school or at work on how to handle those situations: how to act, what not to say or ask about,” Flather says. “It’s unfortunate that we’ve gotten to the point where we need it, but it would be great to have more education on that.”&nbsp;</p>
  221.  
  222.  
  223.  
  224. <p>In addition to talking with employers, the state is asking students for feedback about what they need and what gets in their way.&nbsp;</p>
  225.  
  226.  
  227.  
  228. <p>At a recent discussion at Missoula College, one student said she was struggling to juggle three jobs while studying communications so she can help run her grandmother’s swing-set business. Another said pre-college placement tests are a daunting requirement. “Finding a good-paying job that respects a student’s schedule is challenging,” another added.</p>
  229.  
  230.  
  231.  
  232. <p>When Flather was asked how employers could help, she thought about how much her life has shifted since she graduated from the University of Colorado in 2009, just two years after the iPhone came out.&nbsp;</p>
  233.  
  234.  
  235.  
  236. <p>In an accelerating world, employers had to know that change might be the only thing that students like her could plan on. “Providing more resources and ongoing training is super huge, especially the way technology in any career is advancing, constantly,” she said.</p>
  237.  
  238.  
  239.  
  240. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide"/>
  241.  
  242.  
  243.  
  244. <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Related Stories</h2>
  245.  
  246.  
  247.  
  248.  
  249.  
  250. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide"/>
  251.  
  252.  
  253.  
  254. <p>The challenges that both rural students and employers face are familiar to Sarah Swanson, Montana’s labor commissioner. The former owner of a John Deere dealership in northeastern Montana, she remembers struggling to find highly skilled workers because there wasn’t a single state college or university in her 14-county region.</p>
  255.  
  256.  
  257.  
  258. <p>About&nbsp;<a href="https://lmi.mt.gov/_docs/Publications/LMI-Pubs/Special-Reports-and-Studies/ChildCareDesertsWhitePaper-FINAL.pdf">66,000 working-age Montanans</a>&nbsp;in 2023 worked only part-time or not at all because they can’t access childcare, which often means they can’t travel to take classes, either. “That’s why expanding access to place-based education is so important,” Swanson says.</p>
  259.  
  260.  
  261.  
  262. <p>While rural areas have long faced workforce challenges, the problems have been exacerbated by the rapid pace of change. Nearly three of four jobs that don’t require a four-year degree are under-supplied by Montana education institutions, according to a&nbsp;<a href="https://lmi.mt.gov/_docs/Publications/LMI-Pubs/Special-Reports-and-Studies/MTCollegeReport2022.pdf">workforce report</a>&nbsp;published by Swanson’s department in 2022.&nbsp;</p>
  263.  
  264.  
  265.  
  266. <p>Too often, information is outdated by the time colleges create new curricula and implement it, Swanson says. That’s driving Montana and other states to work with the Education Design Lab, to create flexible, skills-based education opportunities that can more quickly adapt to workforce needs. </p>
  267.  
  268.  
  269.  
  270. <p>After interviewing business leaders and students, the Design Lab puts together course modules made up of skill-based “badges” that can be mixed and matched to quickly create new types of curriculum. That malleable, feedback-driven process is meant to benefit employers because students get tailored training for specific careers. Students, in turn, can be more confident that their education will immediately lead to a paying job or contribute toward a degree down the line.</p>
  271.  
  272.  
  273.  
  274. <p>Students can&nbsp;<a href="https://eddesignlab.org/micro-pathways/">see online</a>&nbsp;what jobs they can get with different credentials and how additional education (such as another certificate or a degree) could increase their pay. The state also tells them which employers have verified a credential, signaling that graduates of the program would automatically qualify for their jobs upon graduation.</p>
  275.  
  276.  
  277.  
  278. <p>Having specific information about where an education can lead will give people more incentive to pursue training, despite barriers, Flather says. “It’s huge to have something very clearly organized and laid out, because a lot of the pay isn’t transparent or easy to find.” </p>
  279.  
  280.  
  281.  
  282. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
  283.  
  284.  
  285.  
  286. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" width="780" height="585" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7614-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=780%2C585&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-129044" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7614-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=1296%2C972&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7614-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=760%2C570&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7614-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7614-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=1536%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7614-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7614-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7614-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7614-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7614-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7614-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7614-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=1568%2C1176&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7614-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=2000%2C1500&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7614-2048x1536-1.jpg?resize=706%2C530&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7614-2048x1536-1.jpg?w=2048&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_7614-2048x1536-1-1296x972.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The Education Design Lab and higher education officials from across Montana recently met at Missoula College to create micro-credential pathways that could help the state better address its workforce shortage in key industries. (Photo by Nick Fouriezos)</figcaption></figure>
  287.  
  288.  
  289.  
  290. <p>Still, all those changes might not come fast enough for employers like Conroy, who needs to fill jobs now and be able to trust that her hires can handle the work.</p>
  291.  
  292.  
  293.  
  294. <p>Montana already offers a non-credit, four-month training program for medical assistants, but it’s not enough, she says: “It’s a really abbreviated program. They have really saved our bacon with that program, but man, there has been some collateral damage. These folks are coming in greener than green.”&nbsp;</p>
  295.  
  296.  
  297.  
  298. <p>To fill the knowledge gaps, Conroy now has new employees spend a month shadowing more experienced colleagues. She offers on-the-job training and has even considered adding in-house classes to get fresh hires up to speed. She’s held off on that, for now, because the costs of hiring instructors are high and she can’t afford to ask her already stretched staff to take time out for teaching.</p>
  299.  
  300.  
  301.  
  302. <p>There would be other ramifications if she and other employers start taking education into their own hands. It would create competition with local community colleges, many of which already struggle to fill their courses, and raise the question of whether employers are best suited to teach — a skill in its own right.&nbsp;</p>
  303.  
  304.  
  305.  
  306. <p>Still, while Conroy would rather not take on that responsibility, she sometimes feels like she might not have a choice.&nbsp;</p>
  307.  
  308.  
  309.  
  310. <p>“We’re not to the point where we’re hiring anybody off the street … yet,” she says. But, given how urgently the Bitterroot Valley needs medical assistants, “we’re <em>this </em>close to pressing the trigger.” </p>
  311.  
  312.  
  313.  
  314. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots"/>
  315.  
  316.  
  317.  
  318. <p><em><a href="https://dailyyonder.com/author/nick-fouriezos-open-campus/">Nick Fouriezos</a> is a staff reporter for Open Campus, a nonprofit newsroom focused on higher education, where he covers colleges’ role in rural America.</em></p>
  319. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/rural-workforce-is-changing-colleges-scramble-to-keep-up/2024/03/28/">The Rural Workforce is Changing. Colleges are Scrambling to Keep Up.</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
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  323. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">128497</post-id> </item>
  324. <item>
  325. <title>Taber’s Campaign for N.C. Commissioner of Agriculture Is About Empowering Rural Residents</title>
  326. <link>https://dailyyonder.com/tabers-campaign-for-n-c-commissioner-of-agriculture-is-about-empowering-rural-residents/2024/03/27/</link>
  327. <comments>https://dailyyonder.com/tabers-campaign-for-n-c-commissioner-of-agriculture-is-about-empowering-rural-residents/2024/03/27/#respond</comments>
  328. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Sarah Melotte]]></dc:creator>
  329. <pubDate>Wed, 27 Mar 2024 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
  330. <category><![CDATA[Agriculture]]></category>
  331. <category><![CDATA[Politics and Government]]></category>
  332. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=127084</guid>
  333.  
  334. <description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="576" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Taber-Sarah-NC-headshot-3.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/2024/03/Taber-Sarah-NC-headshot-3.jpg?w=2316&amp;ssl=1 2316w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Taber-Sarah-NC-headshot-3.jpg?resize=760%2C427&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Taber-Sarah-NC-headshot-3.jpg?resize=1296%2C729&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Taber-Sarah-NC-headshot-3.jpg?resize=768%2C432&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Taber-Sarah-NC-headshot-3.jpg?resize=1536%2C864&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Taber-Sarah-NC-headshot-3.jpg?resize=2048%2C1151&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Taber-Sarah-NC-headshot-3.jpg?resize=1200%2C675&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Taber-Sarah-NC-headshot-3.jpg?resize=1024%2C576&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Taber-Sarah-NC-headshot-3.jpg?resize=1568%2C881&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Taber-Sarah-NC-headshot-3.jpg?resize=400%2C225&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Taber-Sarah-NC-headshot-3.jpg?resize=706%2C397&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Taber-Sarah-NC-headshot-3.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>
  335. <p>North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture candidate Sarah Taber plans to revive the state’s agricultural economy through common-sense business practices, infrastructure, and improvement of farm labor, all things that resonate with her rural constituents. It was a rainy January morning when Taber took her campaign efforts up the mountain from her residence in Fayetteville, North Carolina, [&#8230;]</p>
  336. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/tabers-campaign-for-n-c-commissioner-of-agriculture-is-about-empowering-rural-residents/2024/03/27/">Taber’s Campaign for N.C. Commissioner of Agriculture Is About Empowering Rural Residents</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
  337. ]]></description>
  338. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="576" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Taber-Sarah-NC-headshot-3.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/2024/03/Taber-Sarah-NC-headshot-3.jpg?w=2316&amp;ssl=1 2316w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Taber-Sarah-NC-headshot-3.jpg?resize=760%2C427&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Taber-Sarah-NC-headshot-3.jpg?resize=1296%2C729&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Taber-Sarah-NC-headshot-3.jpg?resize=768%2C432&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Taber-Sarah-NC-headshot-3.jpg?resize=1536%2C864&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Taber-Sarah-NC-headshot-3.jpg?resize=2048%2C1151&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Taber-Sarah-NC-headshot-3.jpg?resize=1200%2C675&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Taber-Sarah-NC-headshot-3.jpg?resize=1024%2C576&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Taber-Sarah-NC-headshot-3.jpg?resize=1568%2C881&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Taber-Sarah-NC-headshot-3.jpg?resize=400%2C225&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Taber-Sarah-NC-headshot-3.jpg?resize=706%2C397&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Taber-Sarah-NC-headshot-3.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>
  339. <p>North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture candidate Sarah Taber plans to revive the state’s agricultural economy through common-sense business practices, infrastructure, and improvement of farm labor, all things that resonate with her rural constituents.</p>
  340.  
  341.  
  342.  
  343. <p>It was a rainy January morning when Taber took her campaign efforts up the mountain from her residence in Fayetteville, North Carolina, to the rural town of Spruce Pine, the seat of Mitchell County. The local Democratic Party invited Taber to speak at a Q&amp;A style event at the public library, where a handful of residents welcomed Taber to town with two fresh pots of coffee and lots of chatter about the upcoming March primaries.</p>
  344.  
  345.  
  346.  
  347. <p>After the opening pledge of allegiance, Taber stood to introduce herself to the listeners. Both the American and the North Carolina flags hung from tall poles behind her. Taber said she grew up moving around a lot because her father was in the military, which gave her the opportunity to work on farms all over the country. That’s one of her strengths, she said, because it gave her the chance to see what worked and what didn’t on farms.</p>
  348.  
  349.  
  350.  
  351. <p>After spending time in the field, Taber earned a doctorate in plant medicine from the University of Florida in 2011. She now runs a consulting business where she helps farmers figure out how to make their operations profitable. Together, her clients are worth over $4 billion.</p>
  352.  
  353.  
  354.  
  355. <p>“I’m happy to say that all of my clients are still in business, which is weird in agriculture,” Taber said. “Building rural livelihoods is the thing we know how to do. It’s not rocket science.”</p>
  356.  
  357.  
  358.  
  359. <p>In North Carolina, the commissioner of agriculture is elected by <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/North_Carolina_Commissioner_of_Agriculture">voters to serve a four year term</a>, in contrast to most other states, where the position is appointed by governors. Commissioners of agriculture are elected to work on <a href="https://www.ncagr.gov/about-ncdacs/commissioner-agriculture/role-commissioner#:~:text=In%20addition%20to%20its%20primary,protect%20and%20promote%20the%20health%2C">improving food supply and enforcing certain regulatory programs</a>. And Taber has a lot of ideas about how she plans on fulfilling those job responsibilities, which she sees as crucial to the economy of North Carolina.&nbsp;</p>
  360.  
  361.  
  362.  
  363. <p>But to do that, Taber said she has to confront people’s expectations about who typically holds that position.</p>
  364.  
  365.  
  366.  
  367. <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Garnering Rural Support Is the Easy Part</h3>
  368.  
  369.  
  370.  
  371. <p>Jan Hamilton, asked Taber how she plans to gather support from people in places like rural Mitchell County, who tend to vote Republican. Hamilton, a Democrat, is currently running for a county commissioner in a heavily Republican county that favored Trump by a 58 point margin in 2020.</p>
  372.  
  373.  
  374.  
  375. <p>But Taber told Hamilton she isn’t nervous about getting the rural vote, even though she’s a Democrat. It’s the urban and suburban vote she has to fight for. </p>
  376.  
  377.  
  378.  
  379. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" width="780" height="585" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/spruce-pine-meeting.jpg?resize=780%2C585&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-127089" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/spruce-pine-meeting-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C972&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/spruce-pine-meeting-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C570&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/spruce-pine-meeting-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/spruce-pine-meeting-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/spruce-pine-meeting-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/spruce-pine-meeting-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/spruce-pine-meeting-scaled.jpg?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/spruce-pine-meeting-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/spruce-pine-meeting-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/spruce-pine-meeting-scaled.jpg?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/spruce-pine-meeting-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/spruce-pine-meeting-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C1176&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/spruce-pine-meeting-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C530&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/spruce-pine-meeting-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/spruce-pine-meeting-1296x972.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Sarah Taber speaks at a meet and greet with the Mitchell County Democratic Party at the public library in downtown Spruce Pine, North Carolina. (Photo by Sarah Melotte / The Daily Yonder)</figcaption></figure>
  380.  
  381.  
  382.  
  383. <p>Almost 80% of North Carolina’s population lives in cities and suburbs, according to the <a href="https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/geography/guidance/geo-areas/urban-rural.html">Office of Management and Budget 2013 list of metropolitan areas</a>. It’s the metropolitan voters that Taber needs to target if she wants to swing the election in her favor, she said.&nbsp;</p>
  384.  
  385.  
  386.  
  387. <p>“Folks in rural areas get what I’m saying,” Taber said later in a phone interview with the Daily Yonder.&nbsp;</p>
  388.  
  389.  
  390.  
  391. <p>Taber said incumbent Steve Troxler fits the image of what many voters imagine when they think of someone who works in agriculture &#8211;&nbsp; he’s a man and a Republican. But Taber thinks she’s a better fit for the job, given her track record with arming farmers with the tools and knowledge they need to be successful.</p>
  392.  
  393.  
  394.  
  395. <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Strengthening an Agricultural Economy Is not “Rocket Science”</h3>
  396.  
  397.  
  398.  
  399. <p>Taber said crops like vegetables, fruits, and nuts are more profitable per acre than crops like tobacco, which has been a <a href="https://cals.ncsu.edu/crop-and-soil-sciences/news/a-new-leaf-understanding-one-of-our-oldest-crops-impacts-human-health-plant-biology/#:~:text=NC%20still%20leads%20the%20nation,116%2C000%20acres%20harvested%20in%202022.">historic staple crop for North Carolina.</a> But it can be intimidating for farmers to make a transition from tobacco or other row crops like corn and soybeans, to something unfamiliar.</p>
  400.  
  401.  
  402.  
  403. <p>“I think there’s a reluctance to do things differently from your neighbors,” Taber said. “If you see your neighbor is doing something and they’re not dead yet, then if I copy them, I’ll be fine. Right?”</p>
  404.  
  405.  
  406.  
  407. <p>Taber said that without the right tools and support&nbsp; it can be easier for farmers to sell their land to developers than to make the land profitable by growing food. That’s one of the things she says is driving farmland loss in North Carolina, she said. Between 2017 and 2022, <a href="https://quickstats.nass.usda.gov/results/70F5CD51-AB6D-371A-9FA6-8471826D2246">North Carolina lost a quarter of a million acres of harvested cropland</a>, according to data from the<a href="https://www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus/"> Census of Agriculture</a>.</p>
  408.  
  409.  
  410.  
  411. <p>As Taber told the Yonder, many people think that people from cities are coming into rural areas and buying up all the farmland for development. But she said that’s not quite the whole picture. Farmers might be selling land to developers because their operations aren’t making money. With the right support from elected officials like her, Taber said North Carolina farmers could hold on to family land by turning a bigger profit from agriculture. It’s about learning how to follow market trends.</p>
  412.  
  413.  
  414.  
  415. <p>“You can’t control the market, but you can control how you respond to it,” Taber said.</p>
  416.  
  417.  
  418.  
  419. <p>If the prices of beef, corn, soybeans, and tobacco are too low to be profitable, for example, Taber said that’s a sign the market is saturated and the farmer needs to move on to another crop.&nbsp;</p>
  420.  
  421.  
  422.  
  423. <p>“As a politician in agriculture, it is expected that you tell people it’s so sad that [farmland loss] is a tragedy. ‘Stay mad and vote for me. These problems cannot be solved,’” Taber said. “But that is absolutely the wrong thing to do. These problems are real and that means they have real solutions.”</p>
  424.  
  425.  
  426.  
  427. <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Infrastructure Is Necessary for a Sustainable Agricultural Economy</h3>
  428.  
  429.  
  430.  
  431. <p>Adaptation to market trends aside, sometimes there’s a need for more systemic change in how we grow and process food, Taber told the Daily Yonder. Operating a profitable farm operation is a lot easier when infrastructure like food processing plants are nearby.</p>
  432.  
  433.  
  434.  
  435. <p>“If we actually want to have a local and regional food system that replaces the big scale commodities, you have to think a little bigger,” Taber said.</p>
  436.  
  437.  
  438.  
  439. <p>It’s one thing to have fresh tomatoes in August, but what about when everyone brings their tomato harvest to the farmers’ market at the peak of the season, and the price of tomatoes plummets because supply is so high? Taber said infrastructure like canning facilities can make sure that farmers can sell their tomato products in a preserved form year-round.&nbsp;</p>
  440.  
  441.  
  442.  
  443. <p>“[A lot] of the tomatoes Americans eat are in sauces and soups and most people do not have enough kitchen equipment to can their own sauce. And that means you have to have facilities to do that, and they better be at scale,” Taber said. “So regional food systems don’t just mean farmers markets, they mean infrastructures. And that’s the thing I’m pushing.”</p>
  444.  
  445.  
  446.  
  447. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" width="780" height="520" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/altapassorchard.jpg?resize=780%2C520&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-127090" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/altapassorchard-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C864&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/altapassorchard-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C507&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/altapassorchard-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/altapassorchard-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/altapassorchard-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/altapassorchard-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/altapassorchard-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/altapassorchard-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C400&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/altapassorchard-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C1045&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/altapassorchard-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/altapassorchard-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C471&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/altapassorchard-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/altapassorchard-1296x864.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Altapass Orchard in Spruce Pine, North Carolina overlooks the Appalachian mountains on the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway. (Photo by Sarah Melotte / The Daily Yonder)</figcaption></figure>
  448.  
  449.  
  450.  
  451. <p>Canning tomatoes is just one example. A facility that processes frozen vegetables or shells hazelnuts might also be a good fit for the North Carolina economy.&nbsp;</p>
  452.  
  453.  
  454.  
  455. <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Farm Laborers Need Year-Round Employment</h3>
  456.  
  457.  
  458.  
  459. <p>Contrary to the popular talking point that “no one wants to work anymore”, it’s most likely that the reason farmers often have trouble hiring laborers is because the work isn’t full-time, according to Taber.</p>
  460.  
  461.  
  462.  
  463. <p>“It’s a temp job,” Taber said. “No matter how much [it pays], as soon as you get the job, you have to start looking for another one. As soon as you find [a job], you might as well go. That’s the problem. It’s not that it’s hard. It’s not that it’s outside. It’s not even that the wages are low. It&#8217;s because it’s temporary.”</p>
  464.  
  465.  
  466.  
  467. <p>Other industries have figured out how to make seasonal employment work, so there’s no reason why we can’t do it for farming, she said. Construction companies hire full-time workers even for projects that don’t last all year, while actors have organizations like guilds and unions that give people health insurance in between jobs. Taber said the agricultural industry could leverage some of these processes to provide more sustainable job growth for farm laborers.&nbsp;</p>
  468.  
  469.  
  470.  
  471. <p>Taber said she feels good about how her agenda is hitting with her potential constituents, even the ones who don’t work in agriculture.</p>
  472.  
  473.  
  474.  
  475. <p>“It’s an empowering message and people always respond to that,” she said. “We can help ourselves. We are not helpless. There are solutions. Here’s what it looks like. Let’s go get them.</p>
  476. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/tabers-campaign-for-n-c-commissioner-of-agriculture-is-about-empowering-rural-residents/2024/03/27/">Taber’s Campaign for N.C. Commissioner of Agriculture Is About Empowering Rural Residents</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
  477. ]]></content:encoded>
  478. <wfw:commentRss>https://dailyyonder.com/tabers-campaign-for-n-c-commissioner-of-agriculture-is-about-empowering-rural-residents/2024/03/27/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  479. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  480. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">127084</post-id> </item>
  481. <item>
  482. <title>Six Months Late, Congress Finalizes 2024 Federal Budget</title>
  483. <link>https://dailyyonder.com/six-months-late-congress-finalizes-2024-federal-budget/2024/03/27/</link>
  484. <comments>https://dailyyonder.com/six-months-late-congress-finalizes-2024-federal-budget/2024/03/27/#respond</comments>
  485. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Claire Carlson]]></dc:creator>
  486. <pubDate>Wed, 27 Mar 2024 09:58:00 +0000</pubDate>
  487. <category><![CDATA[Politics and Government]]></category>
  488. <category><![CDATA[keep it rural]]></category>
  489. <category><![CDATA[politics]]></category>
  490. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=128831</guid>
  491.  
  492. <description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24066485507127-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/2024/03/AP24066485507127-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24066485507127-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C507&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24066485507127-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C864&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24066485507127-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24066485507127-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24066485507127-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24066485507127-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24066485507127-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24066485507127-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C400&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24066485507127-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C1045&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24066485507127-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1333&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24066485507127-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24066485507127-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C471&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24066485507127-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24066485507127-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>
  493. <p>The second slate of federal spending bills will mostly go to defense and homeland security.</p>
  494. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/six-months-late-congress-finalizes-2024-federal-budget/2024/03/27/">Six Months Late, Congress Finalizes 2024 Federal Budget</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
  495. ]]></description>
  496. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24066485507127-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/2024/03/AP24066485507127-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24066485507127-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C507&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24066485507127-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C864&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24066485507127-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24066485507127-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24066485507127-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24066485507127-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24066485507127-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24066485507127-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C400&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24066485507127-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C1045&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24066485507127-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1333&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24066485507127-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24066485507127-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C471&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24066485507127-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP24066485507127-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>
  497. <p><em>Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in </em><a href="https://dailyyonder.com/keep-it-rural/"><em>Keep It Rural</em></a><em>, an email newsletter from the Daily Yonder. Like what you see?  </em><a href="https://dailyyonder.com/contact-us/subscribe-daily-yonder/"><em>Join the mailing list</em></a><em> for more rural news, thoughts, and analysis in your inbox each week.</em></p>
  498.  
  499.  
  500.  
  501. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
  502.  
  503.  
  504.  
  505. <p>Congress approved the second and final package of spending bills for the 2024 federal budget last weekend, marking the end to a tumultuous six months of congressional bickering and stopgap bills to prevent government shutdown after last year’s budget expired on October 1, 2023. </p>
  506.  
  507.  
  508.  
  509. <p>The first spending package was approved earlier in March and allocates $460 billion to departments like Agriculture, Veterans Affairs, Energy, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development.&nbsp;</p>
  510.  
  511.  
  512.  
  513. <p>Vital programs like the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program will receive $7 billion from the package, up $1 billion from the amount allocated last year. If this spending package had not been passed and no stopgap bill enacted, funding to nutrition programs like WIC and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – key programs in rural America – would have been paused.&nbsp;</p>
  514.  
  515.  
  516.  
  517. <p>The second spending package that was approved over the weekend will allocate most of its $1.2 trillion to defense and homeland security operations: $824 billion will be given to the Department of Defense that will fund increased military pay and housing allowances, as well as continue business-as-usual operations.&nbsp;</p>
  518.  
  519.  
  520.  
  521. <p>Nearly $62 billion will be given to the Department of Homeland Security amid growing conflict at the Texas-Mexico border where a newly passed <a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/03/20/1239651676/sb4-texas-immigration-law">Texas immigration law</a> allows local and state law enforcement agencies to arrest people suspected of illegally crossing the border. A federal court is currently considering the legality of the law, which the Biden administration argues is unconstitutional because historically only the federal government has been able to enforce immigration law.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
  522.  
  523.  
  524.  
  525. <p>The homeland security money will fund more Border Patrol agents, bringing their numbers to a record-high 22,000, and fund an additional 150 officers for counter-fentanyl efforts. The money will not go to border wall construction.&nbsp;</p>
  526.  
  527.  
  528.  
  529. <p>The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which is operated under the Department of Homeland Security, will be given about $25 billion, which is $73 million dollars less than its 2023 allocation. FEMA provides disaster relief and mitigation funding to rural and urban communities across the country.</p>
  530.  
  531.  
  532.  
  533. <p>This second slate of spending bills provides some foreign aid, with $300 million directed to the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative to support Ukraine through Russia’s continued attack on the country.&nbsp;</p>
  534.  
  535.  
  536.  
  537. <p>In contrast, a provision in the package prohibits that U.S. aid be sent to Palestinian refugees through UNRWA, the United Nations-led relief agency supporting Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, among other places. Funding to UNRWA is prohibited through 2025. The Gaza Strip has been the target of ongoing bombardment from Israel since an October 7 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas.</p>
  538.  
  539.  
  540.  
  541. <p>The U.S. will continue to give its <a href="https://www.state.gov/u-s-security-cooperation-with-israel/#:~:text=Since%20FY%202009%2C%20the%20United,including%20the%20F%2D35%20Lightning.">annual security commitment</a> of $3.3 billion to Israel to fund missile defense.</p>
  542.  
  543.  
  544.  
  545. <p>The long awaited budget and the six months of continued debate after its September 2023 deadline is an example of the extremely divided Congress, and Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said what passed last weekend “represents the best achievable outcome in a divided government,” according to reporting from the Associated Press.</p>
  546.  
  547.  
  548.  
  549. <p>Now, Congress can look forward to doing it all again in just a few short months: the 2024 federal budget expires September 30.</p>
  550. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/six-months-late-congress-finalizes-2024-federal-budget/2024/03/27/">Six Months Late, Congress Finalizes 2024 Federal Budget</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
  551. ]]></content:encoded>
  552. <wfw:commentRss>https://dailyyonder.com/six-months-late-congress-finalizes-2024-federal-budget/2024/03/27/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  553. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  554. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">128831</post-id> </item>
  555. <item>
  556. <title>Advocates: Too Early to Judge Effectiveness of Federal Investments in Rural Maternity Care</title>
  557. <link>https://dailyyonder.com/advocates-too-early-to-judge-effectiveness-of-federal-investments-in-rural-maternity-care/2024/03/26/</link>
  558. <comments>https://dailyyonder.com/advocates-too-early-to-judge-effectiveness-of-federal-investments-in-rural-maternity-care/2024/03/26/#respond</comments>
  559. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Liz Carey]]></dc:creator>
  560. <pubDate>Tue, 26 Mar 2024 10:01:00 +0000</pubDate>
  561. <category><![CDATA[Health]]></category>
  562. <category><![CDATA[Politics and Government]]></category>
  563. <category><![CDATA[Reproductive Health]]></category>
  564. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=127101</guid>
  565.  
  566. <description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP23258618481964-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/2024/03/AP23258618481964-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP23258618481964-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C507&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP23258618481964-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C864&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP23258618481964-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP23258618481964-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP23258618481964-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP23258618481964-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP23258618481964-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP23258618481964-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C400&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP23258618481964-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C1045&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP23258618481964-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP23258618481964-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C471&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP23258618481964-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP23258618481964-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>
  567. <p>New federal and state efforts to pump funding into threatened rural maternity-care programs are underway, but it may be years before anyone will be able judge whether those efforts are effective at preventing the closure of more facilities, advocates say. More than 200 rural hospitals across the country have stopped providing labor and delivery services [&#8230;]</p>
  568. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/advocates-too-early-to-judge-effectiveness-of-federal-investments-in-rural-maternity-care/2024/03/26/">Advocates: Too Early to Judge Effectiveness of Federal Investments in Rural Maternity Care</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
  569. ]]></description>
  570. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP23258618481964-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/2024/03/AP23258618481964-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP23258618481964-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C507&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP23258618481964-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C864&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP23258618481964-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP23258618481964-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP23258618481964-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP23258618481964-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP23258618481964-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP23258618481964-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C400&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP23258618481964-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C1045&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP23258618481964-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP23258618481964-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C471&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP23258618481964-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AP23258618481964-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>
  571. <p>New federal and state efforts to pump funding into threatened rural maternity-care programs are underway, but it may be years before anyone will be able judge whether those efforts are effective at preventing the closure of more facilities, advocates say.</p>
  572.  
  573.  
  574.  
  575. <p>More than 200 rural hospitals across the country have stopped providing labor and delivery services in the past 10 years, according to the <a href="https://ruralhospitals.chqpr.org/downloads/Rural_Maternity_Care_Crisis.pdf">Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform</a> (CHQPR). The closures mean that more than half of rural hospitals in the U.S. (55%) have stopped delivering babies. It also means rural moms will have to drive farther to get to a hospital that can deliver a baby, putting them at higher risk if the complications arise.</p>
  576.  
  577.  
  578.  
  579. <p>Increased federal and state attention to the crisis has seen grant dollars funneling into communities and new programs receiving government money. But advocates said not only is it too soon to tell if the spending is effective, it will be years before rural communities benefit from it. Even with federal investments, and state initiatives, advocates said, the rural maternal health crisis isn’t likely to be solved in a day, a year or even an administration.</p>
  580.  
  581.  
  582.  
  583. <p>In 2022, the President Joe Biden’s administration released a “<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/06/24/fact-sheet-president-bidens-maternal-health-blueprint-delivers-for-women-mothers-and-families/">Blueprint for Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis</a>” that looked at the issue. It focused on five strategies &#8211; increasing access to and coverage of maternal health services; ensuring those giving birth are heard and decision makers are held accountable; advancing data collection and research strategies; expanding and diversifying the perinatal workforce; and strengthening the economic and social supports for people before, during and after pregnancy.</p>
  584.  
  585.  
  586.  
  587. <p>Alyssa Fritz, research and Policy Fellow at the University of Minnesota’s Rural Health Research Center, said it was too soon to tell what kind of progress the administration’s plan has made.</p>
  588.  
  589.  
  590.  
  591. <p>“Not enough time has passed since the Blueprint was released to tell whether we are moving the needle, since the latest data we have for most measures are from 2021 or 2022,” she said in an email interview. “HHS has said it plans to track progress, but as of now there is little information about what office(s) will be tracking performance, and how.”</p>
  592.  
  593.  
  594.  
  595. <p>One of the most important factors, Fritz said, was ensuring people have health insurance.</p>
  596.  
  597.  
  598.  
  599. <p>“We know that access to health insurance is a critical factor in people seeking health care when they need it,” she said. “We also know that one-third of maternal deaths occur between 1 week and 1 year after childbirth; this was one of the driving motivations behind the push to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage from 60 days to 12 months postpartum. At this point, 47 states and DC have extended postpartum Medicaid or are in the process of doing so.”</p>
  600.  
  601.  
  602.  
  603. <p>The change is too recent to analyze its effect on health care access or on maternal health outcomes, but research done previously has shown that Medicaid expansion could have a positive effect on postpartum patients accessing care, which could ultimately save lives, she said.</p>
  604.  
  605.  
  606.  
  607. <p>As part of the administration’s initiative, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced in<a href="https://www.hrsa.gov/about/news/press-releases/hrsa-address-maternal-health-crisis"> September of last year that it was investing nearly $90 million in programs</a> designed to expand access to maternal health care, support maternal health in rural and disadvantaged communities, and grow support for the maternal health workforce.</p>
  608.  
  609.  
  610.  
  611. <p>That included a $34 million investment by HHS’s Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to increase access to maternity care in underserved and rural communities, including more than $2 million specifically targeted to rural communities.</p>
  612.  
  613.  
  614.  
  615. <p>Among those receiving federal grant money is Frontier Nursing University in Versailles, Kentucky. Established as a school for midwives and family nursing in 1939 in Hyden, Kentucky, the school receives federal funding from four different grants, said the school’s president, Dr. Susan Stone.</p>
  616.  
  617.  
  618.  
  619. <p>Even with the added investments, Stone said in an interview with the Daily Yonder, the issue is so complex it will take time to adequately address it.</p>
  620.  
  621.  
  622.  
  623. <p>“We are going to have to invest in rural health more than just giving some scholarships to some midwifery students… We’ve got to put more money into rural health clinics, into more health care providers, and into learning how to understand our own biases in the health care system,” she said. “I don&#8217;t think we&#8217;re going to see this turn around, unless we have put a lot more effort into it.”</p>
  624.  
  625.  
  626.  
  627. <p>There needs to be investment into rural birthing centers, she said, as well as investment into rural mental health facilities and drug addiction treatment facilities. There needs to be a change, she said, where women’s health and birthing are a priority.</p>
  628.  
  629.  
  630.  
  631. <p>“You know, we don&#8217;t hesitate in this country to do a knee replacement or hip replacement,” Stone said. “If you want a hip replacement, you&#8217;re going to be able to get that… If you want maternity care, it might not be there for you.”</p>
  632.  
  633.  
  634.  
  635. <p>One aspect of making sure maternal healthcare stays in rural communities is making sure the hospitals that house them get paid for their services, Harold Miller, founder of CHQPR. And that means paying hospitals what it costs to provide those services. Miller said the costs to provide those services are higher at rural hospitals because there are fewer people from which to recoup what it takes to run and staff an obstetrics unit.&nbsp;</p>
  636.  
  637.  
  638.  
  639. <p>As it is, he said, with more rural hospitals possibly losing maternity services, leaving rural residents with fewer and fewer choices for maternity care.</p>
  640.  
  641.  
  642.  
  643. <p>“Because the cost has been going up, you&#8217;re going to start seeing hospitals the bottom increasingly peeling away,” Miller told the Daily Yonder.&nbsp;</p>
  644.  
  645.  
  646.  
  647. <p>“The assumption is somehow they&#8217;re all going to go to another hospital and that hospital would be fine because it&#8217;s going to get a higher volume… But it’s not reasonable to think that mothers will just plan to go to the hospital that is an hour away. Some people just don’t have the resources to do that.</p>
  648. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/advocates-too-early-to-judge-effectiveness-of-federal-investments-in-rural-maternity-care/2024/03/26/">Advocates: Too Early to Judge Effectiveness of Federal Investments in Rural Maternity Care</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
  649. ]]></content:encoded>
  650. <wfw:commentRss>https://dailyyonder.com/advocates-too-early-to-judge-effectiveness-of-federal-investments-in-rural-maternity-care/2024/03/26/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  651. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  652. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">127101</post-id> </item>
  653. <item>
  654. <title>Texas Pro-Voucher Candidates Overcome Rural Resistance with Out-of-State Cash</title>
  655. <link>https://dailyyonder.com/texas-pro-voucher-candidates-overcome-rural-resistance-with-out-of-state-cash/2024/03/26/</link>
  656. <comments>https://dailyyonder.com/texas-pro-voucher-candidates-overcome-rural-resistance-with-out-of-state-cash/2024/03/26/#respond</comments>
  657. <dc:creator><![CDATA[David Montgomery / Stateline]]></dc:creator>
  658. <pubDate>Tue, 26 Mar 2024 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
  659. <category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
  660. <category><![CDATA[Politics and Government]]></category>
  661. <category><![CDATA[repub]]></category>
  662. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=128514</guid>
  663.  
  664. <description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="637" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/kenny-eliason-zFSo6bnZJTw-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C637&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/2024/03/kenny-eliason-zFSo6bnZJTw-unsplash-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/kenny-eliason-zFSo6bnZJTw-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C473&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/kenny-eliason-zFSo6bnZJTw-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C807&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/kenny-eliason-zFSo6bnZJTw-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C478&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/kenny-eliason-zFSo6bnZJTw-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C956&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/kenny-eliason-zFSo6bnZJTw-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1275&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/kenny-eliason-zFSo6bnZJTw-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C747&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/kenny-eliason-zFSo6bnZJTw-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C637&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/kenny-eliason-zFSo6bnZJTw-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C976&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/kenny-eliason-zFSo6bnZJTw-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1245&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/kenny-eliason-zFSo6bnZJTw-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C249&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/kenny-eliason-zFSo6bnZJTw-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C439&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/kenny-eliason-zFSo6bnZJTw-unsplash-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/kenny-eliason-zFSo6bnZJTw-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C637&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>
  665. <p>Texas Governor Greg Abbott got millions in out-of-state campaign support to help unseat rural legislators who opposed school vouchers. </p>
  666. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/texas-pro-voucher-candidates-overcome-rural-resistance-with-out-of-state-cash/2024/03/26/">Texas Pro-Voucher Candidates Overcome Rural Resistance with Out-of-State Cash</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
  667. ]]></description>
  668. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="637" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/kenny-eliason-zFSo6bnZJTw-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C637&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/2024/03/kenny-eliason-zFSo6bnZJTw-unsplash-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/kenny-eliason-zFSo6bnZJTw-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C473&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/kenny-eliason-zFSo6bnZJTw-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C807&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/kenny-eliason-zFSo6bnZJTw-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C478&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/kenny-eliason-zFSo6bnZJTw-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C956&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/kenny-eliason-zFSo6bnZJTw-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1275&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/kenny-eliason-zFSo6bnZJTw-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C747&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/kenny-eliason-zFSo6bnZJTw-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C637&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/kenny-eliason-zFSo6bnZJTw-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C976&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/kenny-eliason-zFSo6bnZJTw-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1245&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/kenny-eliason-zFSo6bnZJTw-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C249&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/kenny-eliason-zFSo6bnZJTw-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C439&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/kenny-eliason-zFSo6bnZJTw-unsplash-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/kenny-eliason-zFSo6bnZJTw-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C637&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>
  669. <p class="has-text-align-center"><em>This story was originally published by <a href="https://stateline.org/2024/03/25/school-voucher-proponents-spend-big-to-overcome-rural-resistance/">Stateline</a>, an initiative of the Pew Charitable Trusts.</em></p>
  670.  
  671.  
  672.  
  673. <p>In rural Texas, public schools are the cultural heart of small towns. People pack the high school stadium for Friday night football games, and FFA classes prepare the next generation for the agricultural life. In many places, more people work for the school district than for any other employer.</p>
  674.  
  675.  
  676.  
  677. <p>For years, many rural Texas school districts, often barely scraping by on lean operating budgets, have relied on their local representatives in the Republican-led state legislature to fend off school voucher programs. Some of these GOP lawmakers, along with many of their liberal colleagues from larger cities, have argued that giving families taxpayer dollars to send their children to private schools or to educate them at home would drain money from the public schools.</p>
  678.  
  679.  
  680.  
  681. <p>That wall of resistance is now on the verge of collapse, thanks to a multimillion-dollar political offensive led by Republican Governor Greg Abbott and heavily funded by billionaire out-of-state allies committed to spreading school choice nationwide.</p>
  682.  
  683.  
  684.  
  685. <p>Six of the Republican House members Abbott targeted for opposing his school choice initiative were defeated in the March 5 primary election, and four others were thrown into a May runoff. Abbott said last week that his side is within two votes of enacting a school choice program in Texas.</p>
  686.  
  687.  
  688.  
  689. <p>“Even individuals who voted against school choice who won need to rethink their position in light of Abbott’s success on the issue,” said Matt Rinaldi, outgoing chair of the Texas Republican Party. “It’s sure to pass after these election results.”</p>
  690.  
  691.  
  692.  
  693. <p>Similar dynamics have been on display over the past two years in other states where rural opponents, sometimes aligned with labor groups and teachers unions, have sought unsuccessfully to head off the widening push. School choice can come through vouchers, refundable tax credits or education savings accounts.</p>
  694.  
  695.  
  696.  
  697. <p>In Georgia, lawmakers sent an expanded school voucher plan to Republican Governor Brian Kemp last week for his expected signature after proponents overcame years of opposition from rural Republicans allied with Democrats.</p>
  698.  
  699.  
  700.  
  701. <p>In Oklahoma, Tom Newell, a former Republican state legislator who works for a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://yeseverykidfoundation.org/" rel="noreferrer noopener">foundation</a>&nbsp;that advocates for school choice, said rural resistance has steadily diminished in that state, too, enabling lawmakers to equip parents with education tax credits that became effective this year.</p>
  702.  
  703.  
  704.  
  705. <p>Rural Texas educators who have long opposed school choice are now bracing for it. “We really are the heart, soul and backbone of Texas,” said Randy Willis, executive director of the Texas Association of Rural School Districts, which has long opposed school choice. “We’re going to be left with a lot less resources as this progresses and goes through.”</p>
  706.  
  707.  
  708.  
  709. <p>In the small Texas Panhandle community of Booker, which has two blinking traffic lights and is closer to Cheyenne, Wyoming, than the state capital of Austin, school Superintendent Mike Lee has similar concerns.</p>
  710.  
  711.  
  712.  
  713. <p>“In all likelihood, that makes it where Abbott could pass vouchers,” Lee said of the primary election results.</p>
  714.  
  715.  
  716.  
  717. <p>Like many other rural school leaders, Lee said any loss of funding would make it even harder for his district to pay for basic operations and new, state-mandated safety programs launched in response to school shootings.</p>
  718.  
  719.  
  720.  
  721. <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Primary Battles</h3>
  722.  
  723.  
  724.  
  725. <p>Despite the concerns of school officials such as Willis and Lee, school choice proponents say the rapid spread of the concept in Texas and other states dismantles the perception that rural residents oppose it.</p>
  726.  
  727.  
  728.  
  729. <p>“There’s been a myth in Texas that rural Republicans do not want school choice,” said Genevieve Collins, state director of the Texas branch of Americans for Prosperity, a conservative political advocacy group. Voters “put that myth to bed” in the recent Republican primary, she told Stateline.</p>
  730.  
  731.  
  732.  
  733. <p>Abbott said during a speech last week that parents frequently approached him on the campaign trail “begging” and “pleading” for school choice. “Any Republican House member who was voting against school choice was voting against the voice of the Republicans who voted in that primary,” he said.</p>
  734.  
  735.  
  736.  
  737. <p>School choice advocates argue that giving families public education dollars to pay for private school allows everybody — not just the wealthy — to choose the school that is best for their child. Though most Republicans support school choice and most Democrats oppose it, the issue doesn’t break cleanly along party lines: Just as some rural Republicans oppose vouchers, some Black and Hispanic Democrats support them, arguing that families should have an alternative if their local public schools are substandard.</p>
  738.  
  739.  
  740.  
  741. <p>“When you look at this, you can see that the majority of parents want school choice. They just want to be empowered with the decisions of their children’s future,” Hillary Hickland, a mother of four who defeated Republican incumbent state Representative Hugh Shine of Temple, said of the primary results. Shine was one of 21 Republicans who voted to take vouchers out of the education bill last year, <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/28/new-article-greg-abbott-school-vouchers-hugh-shine-endorse/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according</a> to The Texas Tribune, and the governor endorsed Hickland.</p>
  742.  
  743.  
  744.  
  745. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-default"/>
  746.  
  747.  
  748.  
  749. <figure class="wp-block-pullquote"><blockquote><p>I think the arguments against school choice are based in fear and control.</p><cite><strong>Hillary Hickland, Republican candidate for the Texas House of Representatives</strong></cite></blockquote></figure>
  750.  
  751.  
  752.  
  753. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
  754.  
  755.  
  756.  
  757. <p>“I think the arguments against school choice are based in fear and control. Ultimately, we have to do what’s best for the students. That’s the purpose of education,” said Hickland, who added: “For the majority of families, public school will always be right and best, and that’s great. We’re not giving up on our public schools.”</p>
  758.  
  759.  
  760.  
  761. <p>Janis Holt, a former teacher in the Silsbee Independent School District northeast of Houston, defeated incumbent Republican state Representative Ernest Bailes, another voucher opponent who earned Abbott’s ire. Holt said she is reassuring rural superintendents in her district that she is a staunch supporter of both public school funding and school choice.</p>
  762.  
  763.  
  764.  
  765. <p>“We’re going to make sure that we protect the students that will be in our public schools, our teachers and administrators, but will also give parents opportunities to get their kids out of a failing school when they need to,” Holt said.</p>
  766.  
  767.  
  768.  
  769. <p>Republican state Representative Gary VanDeaver, one of the House members targeted by Abbott, hasn’t wavered from his opposition to school choice initiatives. VanDeaver survived in the first primary round on March 5 but wound up in a May 28 runoff against an opponent backed by the governor.</p>
  770.  
  771.  
  772.  
  773. <p>“I’m just going to try to dodge all the bombs that are dropped on me and keep working to get a positive message out there and make sure everybody understands what’s at stake,” said VanDeaver, a former school superintendent.</p>
  774.  
  775.  
  776.  
  777. <p>He fears Abbott’s school choice drive will redirect billions of dollars a year from rural Texas school districts to urban and suburban ones. “The economies of the small communities are struggling as it is,” he said. “There’s just a lot of reasons that something like this is bad for rural Texas.”</p>
  778.  
  779.  
  780.  
  781. <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Rapid Spread</h3>
  782.  
  783.  
  784.  
  785. <p>School choice programs have spread rapidly in recent years, aided by groups such as the American Federation for Children, which was founded by the billionaire family of former U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, and Americans for Prosperity, affiliated with the conservative billionaire Koch family.</p>
  786.  
  787.  
  788.  
  789. <p>“Nationally we really saw that momentum take off a couple of years ago,” said Chantal Lovell of EdChoice, a nonprofit group that tracks and promotes school choice. “After 2023 there was no stopping it, and it’s clear that universal educational choice isn’t a fleeting trend, but here to stay.”</p>
  790.  
  791.  
  792.  
  793. <p>As many as 73 programs have been implemented in 32 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, including 11 with a comprehensive statewide reach and 62 that serve various portions of the population, according to EdChoice.</p>
  794.  
  795.  
  796.  
  797. <p>Alabama Republican Governor Kay Ivey signed a program into law earlier this month, and a bill is awaiting the governor’s signature in Wyoming.</p>
  798.  
  799.  
  800.  
  801. <p>Texas emerged as the most closely watched school choice battleground after Abbott last year made the issue one of his top priorities and called repeated special sessions in an attempt to overcome opposition from a coalition of rural Republicans aligned with Democrats.</p>
  802.  
  803.  
  804.  
  805. <p>Abbott unleashed millions of dollars from his campaign funds and traveled into the home counties of resistant Republicans after a school choice initiative collapsed in the Texas House.</p>
  806.  
  807.  
  808.  
  809. <p>Other dynamics were also at work, including endorsements by former President Donald Trump, who has equated school choice with civil rights, and Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, who sought to settle scores against House members for initiating an unsuccessful effort to oust him through impeachment.</p>
  810.  
  811.  
  812.  
  813. <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Big Money</h3>
  814.  
  815.  
  816.  
  817. <p>An avalanche of campaign dollars from both inside and outside the state helped propel Abbott’s offensive, according to OpenSecrets, a nonprofit research organization that tracks political spending.</p>
  818.  
  819.  
  820.  
  821. <p>Billionaire&nbsp;Jeff Yass, a megadonor investor based in Pennsylvania and one of the nation’s leading school choice advocates,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/16/greg-abbott-jeff-yass-camapaign-donation/" rel="noreferrer noopener">gave</a>&nbsp;the governor’s campaign more than $6 million, which Abbott officials described as the “largest single donation in Texas history.”</p>
  822.  
  823.  
  824.  
  825. <p>Abbott, who is not up for reelection until 2026, was one of the biggest spenders in the undertaking, drawing $6.4 million from his campaign fund to help finance opposition expenditures against incumbents on his hit list.</p>
  826.  
  827.  
  828.  
  829. <p>The AFC Victory Fund, a super PAC the American Federation for Children created in September, directed its resources into 20 Republican primary races in Texas, opposing 13 Republican incumbents, supporting six others and financing a 20th candidate for an open seat, according to Scott Jensen, a former Wisconsin House speaker who is now a senior adviser to the American Federation for Children.</p>
  830.  
  831.  
  832.  
  833. <p>For many of the targeted legislators, the political attack was insurmountable. “We gave it everything we had, but you can’t overcome being outspent over 4-to-1,” said Republican state Representative Travis Clardy, who lost to Joanne Shofner, former president of the Nacogdoches County Republican Women.</p>
  834.  
  835.  
  836.  
  837. <p>“We spent more money in this campaign than all my other campaigns combined,” said Clardy, a Nacogdoches attorney who first won election in 2012. “But the money aligned against us and the power and political clout behind it were too much.”</p>
  838.  
  839.  
  840.  
  841. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
  842.  
  843.  
  844.  
  845. <figure class="wp-block-pullquote"><blockquote><p>We gave it everything we had, but you can’t overcome being outspent over 4-to-1.</p><cite><strong>Texas Republican state Representative Travis Clardy, a school choice opponent who lost in the GOP primary</strong></cite></blockquote></figure>
  846.  
  847.  
  848.  
  849. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
  850.  
  851.  
  852.  
  853. <p>Among other things, targeted incumbents said, the AFC Victory Fund financed a bombardment of mailings and ads that often went beyond school choice to focus on other issues, such as being lax on border security. One mailing was fashioned like a wanted poster.</p>
  854.  
  855.  
  856.  
  857. <p>Republican state Representative Drew Darby, who prevailed over his challenger and doesn’t have a Democratic opponent, said the tactics were out of bounds and called Abbott’s involvement in his race “sad” for the state. “That’s a situation I’ve never seen in my political career,” said Darby.</p>
  858.  
  859.  
  860.  
  861. <p>Jensen said the AFC Victory Fund spent almost $4 million in Texas and plans to spend $15 million nationally on state school choice campaigns during the 2024 election cycle.</p>
  862.  
  863.  
  864.  
  865. <p>“Welcome to politics,” Jensen said of the criticism from targeted lawmakers. “These guys are long-term incumbents. I’m sorry if they haven’t been in a tough race for a while, but everything we said was accurate. And I don’t think any of it was misleading or unfair.”</p>
  866.  
  867.  
  868.  
  869. <p>At least 70% of the AFC Victory Fund’s communications, he said, focused on school choice.</p>
  870.  
  871.  
  872.  
  873. <p>In the Robert Lee Independent School District in West Texas, which has one campus and about 250 students, Superintendent Aaron Hood fears the potential impact on his district.</p>
  874.  
  875.  
  876.  
  877. <p>As with other districts, inflation has put a whammy on operating expenses, leaving Robert Lee with a budget deficit for the second year in a row. And because state funding is based on average daily attendance, if any students were to transfer to a private school under a school choice plan, Robert Lee would face a drop in state funds. (The nearest private school is 30 miles away, in San Angelo.)</p>
  878.  
  879.  
  880.  
  881. <p>For now, Hood says, it’s a bit too early to assess the potential impact of the primary results. But if Abbott prevails in the next round of electoral combat, he said, “then I would say that choice is coming to Texas.”</p>
  882.  
  883.  
  884.  
  885. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots"/>
  886.  
  887.  
  888.  
  889. <p><em>Jimmy Cloutier of OpenSecrets provided data on campaign contributions and expenditures for this article.</em></p>
  890. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/texas-pro-voucher-candidates-overcome-rural-resistance-with-out-of-state-cash/2024/03/26/">Texas Pro-Voucher Candidates Overcome Rural Resistance with Out-of-State Cash</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
  891. ]]></content:encoded>
  892. <wfw:commentRss>https://dailyyonder.com/texas-pro-voucher-candidates-overcome-rural-resistance-with-out-of-state-cash/2024/03/26/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  893. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  894. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">128514</post-id> </item>
  895. <item>
  896. <title>Commentary: In Defense of Integrity – Considerations for a True and Just Buffalo Restoration Movement </title>
  897. <link>https://dailyyonder.com/commentary-in-defense-of-integrity-considerations-for-a-true-and-just-buffalo-restoration-movement/2024/03/26/</link>
  898. <comments>https://dailyyonder.com/commentary-in-defense-of-integrity-considerations-for-a-true-and-just-buffalo-restoration-movement/2024/03/26/#respond</comments>
  899. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Elsie M. DuBray]]></dc:creator>
  900. <pubDate>Tue, 26 Mar 2024 09:59:00 +0000</pubDate>
  901. <category><![CDATA[Tribal Affairs]]></category>
  902. <category><![CDATA[Wildlife]]></category>
  903. <category><![CDATA[commentary]]></category>
  904. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=127549</guid>
  905.  
  906. <description><![CDATA[<figure><img src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_0219.heic?fit=1024%2C1024&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>
  907. <p>While the concept may not be a topic of household conversation, people across the country and globe are becoming increasingly aware of Indigenous food sovereignty efforts.&#160; One such effort garnering particular traction is the long-standing effort of bison (or buffalo) restoration, an attempt to undo the effects of the intentional near eradication of buffalo in [&#8230;]</p>
  908. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/commentary-in-defense-of-integrity-considerations-for-a-true-and-just-buffalo-restoration-movement/2024/03/26/">Commentary: In Defense of Integrity – Considerations for a True and Just Buffalo Restoration Movement </a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
  909. ]]></description>
  910. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_0219.heic?fit=1024%2C1024&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>
  911. <p>While the concept may not be a topic of household conversation, people across the country and globe are becoming increasingly aware of Indigenous food sovereignty efforts.&nbsp;</p>
  912.  
  913.  
  914.  
  915. <p>One such effort garnering particular traction is the long-standing effort of bison (or buffalo) restoration, an attempt to undo the effects of the intentional near eradication of buffalo in the 1800s as a genocidal, settler-colonial tactic to solve the “Indian problem.” In the 1980s, my father, Fred DuBray, set out on a mission to restore buffalo to their homelands and our relationship to the buffalo, joining and bolstering a collective and often considered “radical” movement of what Leanne Simpson describes as <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5749/jcritethnstud.2.2.0019?seq=2">“Indigenous resurgence.” </a>&nbsp;</p>
  916.  
  917.  
  918.  
  919. <p>My dad and other Native folks in their communities came together and started the Intertribal Buffalo Cooperative (ITBC) which, at the time, centered the buffalo and respect for them as much as it did the values and needs of the Tribal communities involved.&nbsp;</p>
  920.  
  921.  
  922.  
  923. <p>In recent years though, I fear the movement, even in our own communities, has been obscured by ungrounded hyperfixation on Western agriculture, white conservation, and economic development, which while may be well-intended, undermines the tangible potential that buffalo restoration has to be a mechanism for radical change.&nbsp;</p>
  924.  
  925.  
  926.  
  927. <p>I myself am a daughter of the movement, born directly out of the decades of frontline buffalo restoration advocacy work of my parents and so many others. I have been privileged to live my whole life knowing this foundational work has been done and in a time where buffalo restoration is no longer some wild idea.&nbsp;</p>
  928.  
  929.  
  930. <div class="wp-block-image">
  931. <figure class="alignleft size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" width="780" height="1040" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_1656.jpg?resize=780%2C1040&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-127555" style="object-fit:cover;width:500px;height:500px" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_1656.jpg?resize=972%2C1296&amp;ssl=1 972w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_1656.jpg?resize=570%2C760&amp;ssl=1 570w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_1656.jpg?resize=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_1656.jpg?resize=900%2C1200&amp;ssl=1 900w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_1656.jpg?resize=600%2C800&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_1656.jpg?resize=450%2C600&amp;ssl=1 450w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_1656.jpg?resize=300%2C400&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_1656.jpg?resize=150%2C200&amp;ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_1656.jpg?resize=400%2C533&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_1656.jpg?resize=706%2C941&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_1656.jpg?w=1031&amp;ssl=1 1031w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_1656-972x1296.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Buffalo restoration has become an established national effort, with a Department of the Interior working group dedicated to the issue.  (Photo by Elsie M. DuBray)</figcaption></figure></div>
  932.  
  933.  
  934. <p>Today, I’m confronted with the present reality of these efforts &#8211; a time where buffalo restoration is a more established, increasingly emerging national conversation. According to the <a href="https://www.fws.gov/species/plains-bison-bison-bison-bison">U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service</a>, 20,500 buffalo exist within U.S. conservation herds and 450,000 in commercial herds. <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/u-s-to-restore-more-bison-herds-on-tribal-lands-by-tapping-indigenous-knowledge">PBS</a> reports that 82 Tribes manage 65 buffalo herds and programs, and there is even a federal working group under the <a href="https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/interior-department-announces-significant-action-restore-bison-populations-part-new">Department of the Interior</a> dedicated to buffalo restoration, funded by the March 2023 Inflation Reduction Act as part of a “restoration and resilience framework.”</p>
  935.  
  936.  
  937.  
  938. <p>&nbsp;Much of this present reality deserves to be celebrated; it has taken a lot of incredible Indigenous and allied organizing and advocacy work to get to this point. However, in many instances these successes have cast a shadow under which a complacency within the larger buffalo restoration movement has developed. The optical “wins” of X many buffalo here and Y over there, for example, may overshadow the way a buffalo program began answering the calls of capitalism as opposed to the calls of our ancestors’ prayers. Or the way we brush aside the moral calamity of a feedlot for buffalo when it means a grocery store thousands of miles away may be able to carry a bison tenderloin.&nbsp;</p>
  939.  
  940.  
  941.  
  942. <p>This issue is not unique; we’ve seen similar contradictions in other sectors of food justice and sustainability movements from the white-washing of regenerative agriculture (an Indigenous agricultural ideology according to <a href="https://twentythirty.com/article/regenerative-agriculture-is-indigenous-agriculture-a-dae-romero-briones-first-nations-development-institute">Adae Briones</a>) to the green-washing of the hyper-processed plant-based food industry. This is dangerous territory.</p>
  943.  
  944.  
  945.  
  946. <p>When done “in a good way,” as my people like to say, revitalizing ancestral Indigenous food systems-has an almost unparalleled potential to <em>heal</em> (as Netflix documentary <em>Gather </em>highlights about my family’s work with buffalo and other Native folks’ experiences in their communities). But there are consequences when values are compromised, as is seen in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/12/us/buffalo-bison-mycoplasma-south-dakota.html">recent disease outbreaks</a> that once again threaten the hard-fought buffalo herd numbers to a severe degree not seen since the 1800s. . We must make a decision about how we are going to carry ourselves forward within this work, and we must make the right one.</p>
  947.  
  948.  
  949.  
  950. <p>The current moment we’re in is unique. Many Tribes now have a baseline of resources and infrastructure that grants a new level of agency in the operation of our buffalo programs. With this agency comes great responsibility. As Tribal nations and buffalo people, we need to be deeply intentional about how we choose to proceed with our efforts of buffalo restoration.&nbsp; I’m not interested in a “buffalo restoration” that replicates the cattle industry and attempts to turn buffalo into agents of the larger, extended settler-colonial project that the U.S. operates within and perpetuates.&nbsp;</p>
  951.  
  952.  
  953.  
  954. <p>I am not interested in building programs that compromise our respect for the buffalo for the sake of mass production, yet these are the things I see happening in several herds across the country in Tribal herds as well as the herds of Native and non-Native ranchers alike. To me, this cattle-washing of the buffalo restoration movement is antithetical to what the movement is meant to inspire and restore, just as the gross mistreatment of buffalo in much of the modern industry is antithetical to how my people understand these beings.&nbsp;</p>
  955.  
  956.  
  957.  
  958. <p>Integrity is the fulcrum of any meaningful buffalo restoration effort: the integrity of our shared and unique cultural values that define our kinship to the buffalo and, inextricably, our responsibility as their kin to protect, honor, and uphold the integrity of the buffalo themselves. What exactly are we restoring if we fail to answer this question of integrity? Buffalo must not become solely about numbers&nbsp; &#8211; numbers of buffalo or numbers of zeros they add to a Tribe’s economy.&nbsp;</p>
  959.  
  960.  
  961.  
  962. <p>Buffalo restoration at its core is about relationships. I ask, how are we going to honor ours?</p>
  963.  
  964.  
  965.  
  966. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots"/>
  967.  
  968.  
  969.  
  970. <p><em>Elsie DuBray (Oohenunpa Lakota, Nueta, and Hidatsa) is a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe in South Dakota and was raised on a buffalo ranch on the CRST reservation. She graduated with her B.S. from Stanford University in 2023 and is currently a master’s student in the Community Health and Prevention Research program at Stanford University’s School of Medicine. Her interests lie in the radical, holistic health implications of Indigenous food sovereignty and have manifested in her involvement in GATHER film (2020) and her family’s nonprofit, Buffalo First.&nbsp;</em></p>
  971. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/commentary-in-defense-of-integrity-considerations-for-a-true-and-just-buffalo-restoration-movement/2024/03/26/">Commentary: In Defense of Integrity – Considerations for a True and Just Buffalo Restoration Movement </a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
  972. ]]></content:encoded>
  973. <wfw:commentRss>https://dailyyonder.com/commentary-in-defense-of-integrity-considerations-for-a-true-and-just-buffalo-restoration-movement/2024/03/26/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  974. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  975. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">127549</post-id> </item>
  976. <item>
  977. <title>Final Federal Budget for 2024 Cuts Most of Rural Housing Programs</title>
  978. <link>https://dailyyonder.com/final-federal-budget-for-2024-cuts-most-of-rural-housing-programs/2024/03/25/</link>
  979. <comments>https://dailyyonder.com/final-federal-budget-for-2024-cuts-most-of-rural-housing-programs/2024/03/25/#respond</comments>
  980. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Joe Belden]]></dc:creator>
  981. <pubDate>Mon, 25 Mar 2024 10:01:00 +0000</pubDate>
  982. <category><![CDATA[Housing]]></category>
  983. <category><![CDATA[Politics and Government]]></category>
  984. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=128237</guid>
  985.  
  986. <description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/5507780055_88ed9e6d95_k.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/2024/03/5507780055_88ed9e6d95_k.jpg?w=2048&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/5507780055_88ed9e6d95_k.jpg?resize=760%2C507&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/5507780055_88ed9e6d95_k.jpg?resize=1296%2C864&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/5507780055_88ed9e6d95_k.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/5507780055_88ed9e6d95_k.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/5507780055_88ed9e6d95_k.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/5507780055_88ed9e6d95_k.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/5507780055_88ed9e6d95_k.jpg?resize=600%2C400&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/5507780055_88ed9e6d95_k.jpg?resize=1568%2C1045&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/5507780055_88ed9e6d95_k.jpg?resize=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/5507780055_88ed9e6d95_k.jpg?resize=706%2C471&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/5507780055_88ed9e6d95_k.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>
  987. <p>More than five months after the start date of October 1, 2023, the federal appropriations process for fiscal year 2024 is finally complete for USDA and HUD programs.&#160; Almost the same time the White House released the President&#8217;s proposed budget for fiscal year 2025. Decisions for 2024  The 2024 budget news is not so good [&#8230;]</p>
  988. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/final-federal-budget-for-2024-cuts-most-of-rural-housing-programs/2024/03/25/">Final Federal Budget for 2024 Cuts Most of Rural Housing Programs</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
  989. ]]></description>
  990. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/5507780055_88ed9e6d95_k.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/2024/03/5507780055_88ed9e6d95_k.jpg?w=2048&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/5507780055_88ed9e6d95_k.jpg?resize=760%2C507&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/5507780055_88ed9e6d95_k.jpg?resize=1296%2C864&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/5507780055_88ed9e6d95_k.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/5507780055_88ed9e6d95_k.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/5507780055_88ed9e6d95_k.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/5507780055_88ed9e6d95_k.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/5507780055_88ed9e6d95_k.jpg?resize=600%2C400&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/5507780055_88ed9e6d95_k.jpg?resize=1568%2C1045&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/5507780055_88ed9e6d95_k.jpg?resize=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/5507780055_88ed9e6d95_k.jpg?resize=706%2C471&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/5507780055_88ed9e6d95_k.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>
  991. <p>More than five months after the start date of October 1, 2023, the federal appropriations process for fiscal year 2024 is finally complete for USDA and HUD programs.&nbsp;</p>
  992.  
  993.  
  994.  
  995. <p>Almost the same time the White House released the President&#8217;s proposed budget for fiscal year 2025.</p>
  996.  
  997.  
  998.  
  999. <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Decisions for 2024 </strong></h3>
  1000.  
  1001.  
  1002.  
  1003. <p>The 2024 budget news is not so good for USDA rural housing, with all but three programs receiving cuts from FY 2023 levels. HUD programs did better but also received some cuts.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
  1004.  
  1005.  
  1006.  
  1007. <p>Especially severe is a cut in the USDA Sec. 502 direct loan homeownership program from $1.25 billion in 2023 to $880 million in 2024. This is a reduction of almost 30 percent. Since 1950 the program has allowed almost 2.2 million low-income families to become homeowners – with loans that are repaid to the federal government.</p>
  1008.  
  1009.  
  1010.  
  1011. <p>The final 2024 act does include an important new USDA rental-units preservation effort.&nbsp;</p>
  1012.  
  1013.  
  1014.  
  1015. <p>Currently USDA’s rental housing is comprised of several programs – two to build units and a third to subsidize the rents of low-income tenants occupying those units. The new pilot program allows some of the tenant subsidies to be “decoupled” from the projects. Currently, when a mortgage on one of the buildings is fully paid off, the tenants lose their rental subsidy.</p>
  1016.  
  1017.  
  1018.  
  1019. <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Proposals for 2025 </strong></h3>
  1020.  
  1021.  
  1022.  
  1023. <p>In a doubling up of federal spending developments, the President’s proposed federal budget for fiscal 2025 was released on March 11.&nbsp;</p>
  1024.  
  1025.  
  1026.  
  1027. <p>For USDA rural housing, small increases are proposed in many programs. <a href="https://ruralhome.org/hud-funding-fy25/">The Housing Assistance Council </a>(HAC) points out that these increases would, in effect, restore the cuts made in the final 2024 appropriations act.</p>
  1028.  
  1029.  
  1030.  
  1031. <p>The HUD-proposed levels, if adopted by the Congress, would cut some of the programs that are most important in rural areas. Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) would fall from $3.3 billion in 2024 to $2.9 billion in 2025. Native American housing would see a sharp drop from $1.1 billion to $820 million.&nbsp;</p>
  1032.  
  1033.  
  1034.  
  1035. <p>In an analysis, HAC points out that the Biden 2025 budget includes several proposals for new HUD and USDA housing programs “that are part of broader Administration efforts to help meet increasing housing costs and address homelessness.”&nbsp; If adopted, several of these new efforts would be mandatory funding, not discretionary.&nbsp;</p>
  1036.  
  1037.  
  1038.  
  1039. <p>The proposed budget now moves to consideration in the Congress, where the House of Representatives is not expected to accept many of the President’s ideas. The Senate may be more amenable.</p>
  1040.  
  1041.  
  1042.  
  1043. <p>Senator Patty Murray (D-Washington), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, issued a statement on the President’s 2025 request. On housing, she said: “As people in my home state and all across the country struggle to afford housing, the President’s budget invests in tackling the housing crisis that is crunching Americans’ pocketbooks and holding our country back.”&nbsp;</p>
  1044.  
  1045.  
  1046.  
  1047. <p>The Biden administration is proposing several steps to make home ownership more affordable. With a very conservative House of Representatives not wanting to give the President any victories, it is unlikely that any of those proposals will pass.</p>
  1048. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/final-federal-budget-for-2024-cuts-most-of-rural-housing-programs/2024/03/25/">Final Federal Budget for 2024 Cuts Most of Rural Housing Programs</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
  1049. ]]></content:encoded>
  1050. <wfw:commentRss>https://dailyyonder.com/final-federal-budget-for-2024-cuts-most-of-rural-housing-programs/2024/03/25/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  1051. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  1052. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">128237</post-id> </item>
  1053. <item>
  1054. <title>New Center Focuses on Preserving Rural Rental Housing Units</title>
  1055. <link>https://dailyyonder.com/new-center-focuses-on-preserving-rural-rental-housing-units/2024/03/25/</link>
  1056. <comments>https://dailyyonder.com/new-center-focuses-on-preserving-rural-rental-housing-units/2024/03/25/#respond</comments>
  1057. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Kristi Eaton]]></dc:creator>
  1058. <pubDate>Mon, 25 Mar 2024 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
  1059. <category><![CDATA[Housing]]></category>
  1060. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=127049</guid>
  1061.  
  1062. <description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="679" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sir-manuel-h2Yr5TqsEtQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C679&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="A white housing unit with a small yard." decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sir-manuel-h2Yr5TqsEtQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sir-manuel-h2Yr5TqsEtQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C504&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sir-manuel-h2Yr5TqsEtQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C859&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sir-manuel-h2Yr5TqsEtQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C509&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sir-manuel-h2Yr5TqsEtQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1018&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sir-manuel-h2Yr5TqsEtQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1358&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sir-manuel-h2Yr5TqsEtQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C796&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sir-manuel-h2Yr5TqsEtQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C679&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sir-manuel-h2Yr5TqsEtQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C1040&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sir-manuel-h2Yr5TqsEtQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C265&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sir-manuel-h2Yr5TqsEtQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C468&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sir-manuel-h2Yr5TqsEtQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sir-manuel-h2Yr5TqsEtQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C679&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>
  1063. <p>The Housing Assistance Council’s new Center for Rural Multifamily Housing Preservation aims to save dwindling Section 515 housing stock.</p>
  1064. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/new-center-focuses-on-preserving-rural-rental-housing-units/2024/03/25/">New Center Focuses on Preserving Rural Rental Housing Units</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
  1065. ]]></description>
  1066. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="679" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sir-manuel-h2Yr5TqsEtQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C679&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="A white housing unit with a small yard." decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sir-manuel-h2Yr5TqsEtQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sir-manuel-h2Yr5TqsEtQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C504&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sir-manuel-h2Yr5TqsEtQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C859&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sir-manuel-h2Yr5TqsEtQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C509&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sir-manuel-h2Yr5TqsEtQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1018&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sir-manuel-h2Yr5TqsEtQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1358&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sir-manuel-h2Yr5TqsEtQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C796&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sir-manuel-h2Yr5TqsEtQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C679&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sir-manuel-h2Yr5TqsEtQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C1040&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sir-manuel-h2Yr5TqsEtQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C265&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sir-manuel-h2Yr5TqsEtQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C468&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sir-manuel-h2Yr5TqsEtQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sir-manuel-h2Yr5TqsEtQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C679&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>
  1067. <p>The head of a new Center at the Housing Assistance Council (HAC) focused on rural renting housing said a U.S. Department of Agriculture-funded program supporting low-income tenants is at-risk of losing housing units if more is not done to preserve them.&nbsp;</p>
  1068.  
  1069.  
  1070.  
  1071. <p>Kristin Blum was recently named to HAC’s new Center for Rural Multifamily Housing Preservation. The Center will provide technical assistance and expertise to preserve the long-term affordability of rural rental housing, particularly properties financed through the <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/rural-america-is-losing-an-affordable-rental-housing-resource-at-an-alarming-rate/2022/03/21/">USDA’s Section 515 program</a>.</p>
  1072.  
  1073.  
  1074.  
  1075. <p>“The challenge we have with the [Section] 515 units is they’re aging properties,” Blum told the Daily Yonder. “They&#8217;re 20-30 or more years old. They need rehab. And it&#8217;s not easy in rural communities to access the funding that&#8217;s needed to rehab those units. And so if a nonprofit wants to buy them, it has to navigate a complicated bureaucracy at USDA and then also secure resources to do that rehab.”</p>
  1076.  
  1077.  
  1078.  
  1079. <p>Many rural places lack resources for new affordable housing, she said.&nbsp;</p>
  1080.  
  1081.  
  1082.  
  1083. <p>“So we feel that preservation of these existing units is vital to meeting the affordable housing needs of communities, because there&#8217;s not going to be new units. It&#8217;s more cost effective to rehab a building that needs some repairs…[for] it to be a quality, healthy place for people to live,” Blum said. “And so that&#8217;s why we&#8217;ve decided to focus on preservation. Obviously, we care about production of new affordable housing in rural communities, too. But we think that preserving these existing units is vital.”</p>
  1084.  
  1085.  
  1086.  
  1087. <p>Rental homes financed by USDA are a critical source of affordable rental housing that can be found in 87% of all U.S. counties, according to HAC. The Department’s Section 515 program produced 550,000 affordable apartments in rural communities.&nbsp;</p>
  1088.  
  1089.  
  1090.  
  1091. <p>However, the program has not produced new units in over a decade and has lost more than 150,000 of its original units to reach its current size of less than 390,000 units, according to the recent <a href="https://86053589bd674fc7936f1c4a016cf79a.svc.dynamics.com/t/t/qYBRbaZy1yFB4dsBkXoCZ9GTIQZr7YKshtUmpKKyv0Mx/AOmn0mFMchBO7oCRFepImUUE6iqJunS2DM6mxsFDT04x">FY2023 Multifamily Housing Occupancy Report</a>.&nbsp;</p>
  1092.  
  1093.  
  1094.  
  1095. <p>Blum said that although the program has flaws, it has worked.&nbsp;</p>
  1096.  
  1097.  
  1098.  
  1099. <p>“I think it&#8217;s served its purpose, but its purpose hasn&#8217;t ended. So we need to continue to do this work,” she said. “They need these properties to be preserved.”</p>
  1100.  
  1101.  
  1102.  
  1103. <p>In many rural communities, these apartments are the only affordable rental housing units available. Seniors or individuals with disabilities make up two-thirds of people and families in Section 515 properties, according to HAC. Blum said the average income of tenants is less than $16,000.</p>
  1104.  
  1105.  
  1106.  
  1107. <p>“These apartments are home to families, seniors, and individuals with disabilities who could otherwise face homelessness,” said HAC CEO David Lipsetz in a press statement. “It’s time for the country – including the federal government and philanthropy – to invest some real muscle in preserving these vital homes before they are lost forever.”</p>
  1108. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/new-center-focuses-on-preserving-rural-rental-housing-units/2024/03/25/">New Center Focuses on Preserving Rural Rental Housing Units</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
  1109. ]]></content:encoded>
  1110. <wfw:commentRss>https://dailyyonder.com/new-center-focuses-on-preserving-rural-rental-housing-units/2024/03/25/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
  1111. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  1112. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">127049</post-id> </item>
  1113. <item>
  1114. <title>Some Medicaid Providers Borrow or Go Into Debt Amid ‘Unwinding’ Payment Disruptions</title>
  1115. <link>https://dailyyonder.com/some-medicaid-providers-borrow-or-go-into-debt-amid-unwinding-payment-disruptions/2024/03/25/</link>
  1116. <comments>https://dailyyonder.com/some-medicaid-providers-borrow-or-go-into-debt-amid-unwinding-payment-disruptions/2024/03/25/#respond</comments>
  1117. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Katheryn Houghton / KFF Health News]]></dc:creator>
  1118. <pubDate>Mon, 25 Mar 2024 09:59:00 +0000</pubDate>
  1119. <category><![CDATA[Health]]></category>
  1120. <category><![CDATA[Politics and Government]]></category>
  1121. <category><![CDATA[repub]]></category>
  1122. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=128146</guid>
  1123.  
  1124. <description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="427" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Fall-View-in-Whitehall-1200x500-1-e1710967903721.jpeg?fit=1024%2C427&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/2024/03/Fall-View-in-Whitehall-1200x500-1-e1710967903721.jpeg?fit=1024%2C427&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Fall-View-in-Whitehall-1200x500-1-e1710967903721.jpeg?fit=1024%2C427&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=400 400w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>
  1125. <p>This story was originally published by KFF Health News. Jason George began noticing in September that Medicaid payments had stalled for some of his assisted living facility residents, people who need help with daily living. Guardian Group Montana, which owns three small facilities in rural Montana, relies on the government health insurance to cover its [&#8230;]</p>
  1126. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/some-medicaid-providers-borrow-or-go-into-debt-amid-unwinding-payment-disruptions/2024/03/25/">Some Medicaid Providers Borrow or Go Into Debt Amid ‘Unwinding’ Payment Disruptions</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
  1127. ]]></description>
  1128. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="427" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Fall-View-in-Whitehall-1200x500-1-e1710967903721.jpeg?fit=1024%2C427&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/2024/03/Fall-View-in-Whitehall-1200x500-1-e1710967903721.jpeg?fit=1024%2C427&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Fall-View-in-Whitehall-1200x500-1-e1710967903721.jpeg?fit=1024%2C427&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=400 400w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>
  1129. <p class="has-text-align-center"><em>This story was originally published by <a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/">KFF Health News</a>.</em></p>
  1130.  
  1131.  
  1132.  
  1133. <p>Jason George began noticing in September that Medicaid payments had stalled for some of his assisted living facility residents, people who need help with daily living.</p>
  1134.  
  1135.  
  1136.  
  1137. <p>Guardian Group Montana, which owns three small facilities in rural Montana, relies on the government health insurance to cover its care of low-income residents. George, who manages the facilities, said residents’ Medicaid delays have lasted from a few weeks to more than six months and that at one point the total amounted to roughly $150,000.</p>
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  1139.  
  1140.  
  1141. <p>George said the company didn’t have enough money to pay its employees. When he called state health and public assistance officials for help, he said, they told him they were swamped processing a high load of Medicaid cases, and that his residents would have to wait their turn.</p>
  1142.  
  1143.  
  1144.  
  1145. <p>“I’ve mentioned to some of them, ‘Well what do we do if we&#8217;re not being paid for four or five months? Do we have to evict the resident?’” he asked.</p>
  1146.  
  1147.  
  1148.  
  1149. <p>Instead, the company took out bank loans at 8% interest, George said.</p>
  1150.  
  1151.  
  1152.  
  1153. <p>Montana officials finished their initial checks of who qualifies for Medicaid in January, less than a year after the federal government lifted a freeze on disenrollments during the height of the covid-19 pandemic. More than 127,200 people in Montana lost Medicaid with tens of thousands of cases still processing, according to the latest state data, from mid-February.&nbsp;</p>
  1154.  
  1155.  
  1156.  
  1157. <p>Providers who take Medicaid have said their state payments have been disrupted, leaving them financially struggling amid the unwinding. They’re providing care without pay, and sometimes going into debt. It’s affecting small long-term care facilities, substance use disorder clinics, and federally funded health centers that rely on Medicaid to offer treatment based on need, not what people can pay.&nbsp;</p>
  1158.  
  1159.  
  1160.  
  1161. <p>State health officials have defended their Medicaid redetermination process and said they have worked to address public assistance backlogs.</p>
  1162.  
  1163.  
  1164.  
  1165. <p>Financial pinches were expected as people who legitimately no longer qualify were removed from coverage. But the businesses have said an overburdened state workforce is creating a different set of problems. In some cases, it has taken months for people to reapply for Medicaid after getting dropped, or to access the coverage for the first time. Part of the problem, providers said, are long waits on hold for the state’s call center and limited in-person help.</p>
  1166.  
  1167.  
  1168.  
  1169. <p>The problem is ongoing: George said two Guardian residents were booted from Medicaid in mid-March, with the state citing a lack of information as the cause.</p>
  1170.  
  1171.  
  1172.  
  1173. <p>“I have proof we submitted the needed information weeks ago,” he said.</p>
  1174.  
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  1176.  
  1177. <p>Providers said they’ve also experienced cases of inconsistent Medicaid payments for people who haven’t lost coverage. It can be hard to disentangle why payments suddenly stop. Patients and providers are working within the same <a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/medicaid-unwinding-public-assistance-access-problems/">overstretched system</a>.</p>
  1178.  
  1179.  
  1180.  
  1181. <p>Jon Forte is the head of the Yellowstone County health department in Billings, which runs health centers that provide care regardless of patients’ ability to pay. He said that at one point some of the clinics’ routine Medicaid claims went unpaid for up to six months. Their doctors are struggling to refer patients out for specialty care as some providers scale back on clientele, he said.</p>
  1182.  
  1183.  
  1184.  
  1185. <p>“Some have honestly had to stop seeing Medicaid patients so that they can meet their needs and keep the lights on,” Forte said. “It is just adding to the access crisis we have in the state.”</p>
  1186.  
  1187.  
  1188.  
  1189. <p>Payment shortfalls especially hurt clinics that base fees on patient income.</p>
  1190.  
  1191.  
  1192.  
  1193. <p>David Mark, a doctor and the CEO of One Health, which has rural clinics dotted across eastern Montana and Wyoming, said the company anticipated making about $500,000 in profit through its budget year so far. Instead, it’s $1.5 million in the red.</p>
  1194.  
  1195.  
  1196.  
  1197. <p>In Yellowstone County, Forte said, the health department, known as RiverStone Health, is down $2.2 million from its anticipated Medicaid revenue. Forte said that while state officials have nearly caught up on RiverStone Health’s direct Medicaid payments, smaller providers are still seeing delays, which contributes to problems referring patients for care.</p>
  1198.  
  1199.  
  1200.  
  1201. <p>Jon Ebelt, a spokesperson for the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, said Medicaid can retroactively pay for services for people who have lost coverage but are then found eligible within 90 days. He said the state’s average redetermination processing time is 34 days, the average processing time for applications is 48 days, and, when processing times are longer, it’s often due to ongoing communication with a client.</p>
  1202.  
  1203.  
  1204.  
  1205. <p>Ebelt didn’t acknowledge broader Medicaid payment delays, but instead said a provider may be submitting claims for Medicaid enrollees who aren’t eligible. He rejected the idea that individual examples of disruptions amount to a systemic problem.</p>
  1206.  
  1207.  
  1208.  
  1209. <p>&#8220;We would caution you against using broad brush strokes to paint a picture of our overall eligibility system and processes based on a handful of anecdotal stories,” Ebelt said in an emailed response to a KFF Health News query.</p>
  1210.  
  1211.  
  1212.  
  1213. <p>Ebelt didn’t directly answer questions about continued long waits for people seeking help but instead said continued coverage depends on individual beneficiaries submitting information on time.</p>
  1214.  
  1215.  
  1216.  
  1217. <p><a href="https://www.medicaid.gov/sites/default/files/2024-02/medicaid-chip-unwinding-oper-snap-november2023.pdf">Federal data shows</a> Montana’s average call center wait time is 30 minutes — putting it among states with the highest average wait times. Mike White, co-owner of Caslen Living Centers, which has six small assisted living facilities across central and southwestern Montana, said some family members allowed the company to manage residents&#8217; Medicaid accounts to help avoid missing deadlines or paperwork. Even so, he said, the company is waiting for about $30,000 in Medicaid payments, and it&#8217;s hard to reach the state when problems arise.</p>
  1218.  
  1219.  
  1220.  
  1221. <p>When they do get through to the state’s call center, the person on the other end can’t always resolve their issue or will answer questions for only one case at a time.</p>
  1222.  
  1223.  
  1224.  
  1225. <p>“You don’t know how long it&#8217;s going to take — it could be two months, it could be six months — and there&#8217;s nobody to talk to,&#8221; White said.</p>
  1226.  
  1227.  
  1228.  
  1229. <p>Ebelt said long-term care facilities were <a href="https://dphhs.mt.gov/hcsd/medicaidupdates/">provided information</a> on how to prepare for the unwinding process. He said new Medicaid cases for long-term care facilities are complicated and can take time.</p>
  1230.  
  1231.  
  1232.  
  1233. <p>Stan Klaumann lives in Ennis and has power of attorney for his 94-year-old mom, who resides in one of Guardian’s assisted living homes. Klaumann said that while she never lost coverage, the state didn’t make Medicaid payments toward her long-term care for more than four months and he still doesn’t know why.</p>
  1234.  
  1235.  
  1236.  
  1237. <p>He said that since last fall the state hasn’t consistently mailed him routine paperwork he needs to fill out and return in exchange for Medicaid payments to continue. He tried the state’s call center, he said, but each time he waited on hold for more than two hours. He made four two-hour round trips to his closest office of public assistance to try to get answers.&nbsp;</p>
  1238.  
  1239.  
  1240.  
  1241. <p>Sometimes the workers told him that there was a state error, he said, and other times that he was missing paperwork he’d already submitted, such as where money from selling his mom’s car went.</p>
  1242.  
  1243.  
  1244.  
  1245. <p>“Each time I went, they gave me a different answer as to why my mother&#8217;s bills weren&#8217;t being paid,” Klaumann said.</p>
  1246.  
  1247.  
  1248.  
  1249. <p>Across the nation, people have reported <a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/kentucky-medicaid-unwinding-health-insurance-canceled/">system errors</a> and <a href="https://www.mtpr.org/montana-news/2024-02-28/technical-reasons-account-for-two-thirds-of-montanas-medicaid-disenrollment-numbers">outdated contact information</a> that led states to drop people who qualify. At least 28 states paused procedural disenrollments to boost outreach to people who qualify, <a href="https://www.medicaid.gov/sites/default/files/2024-02/november-2023-national-summary-renewal-outcomes.pdf">according to federal data</a>. Montana stuck to its original time frame and has a higher procedural disenrollment rate than most other states, <a href="https://www.kff.org/report-section/medicaid-enrollment-and-unwinding-tracker-overview/">according to KFF.</a></p>
  1250.  
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  1252.  
  1253. <p>Stephen Ferguson, executive director of Crosswinds Recovery in Missoula, said the substance use disorder program doesn’t have a full-time person focused on billing and sometimes doesn’t realize clients lost Medicaid coverage until the state rejects thousands of dollars in services that Crosswinds submits for reimbursement. After that, it can take months for clients to either get reenrolled or learn they truly no longer qualify.</p>
  1254.  
  1255.  
  1256.  
  1257. <p>Ferguson said he’s writing grant proposals to continue to treat people despite their inability to pay.</p>
  1258.  
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  1261. <p>“We’re riding by the seat of our pants right now,” he said. “We are unsure what next month or the next quarter looks like.”</p>
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  1265. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots"/>
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  1269. <p><a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/about-us/"><em>KFF Health News</em></a><em> is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at </em><a href="https://www.kff.org/about-us/"><em>KFF</em></a><em> — the independent source for health policy research, polling, and journalism.</em></p>
  1270. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/some-medicaid-providers-borrow-or-go-into-debt-amid-unwinding-payment-disruptions/2024/03/25/">Some Medicaid Providers Borrow or Go Into Debt Amid ‘Unwinding’ Payment Disruptions</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
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  1274. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">128146</post-id> </item>
  1275. <item>
  1276. <title>Accidental Rancher: Back to the Drawing Board</title>
  1277. <link>https://dailyyonder.com/accidental-rancher-back-to-the-drawing-board/2024/03/22/</link>
  1278. <comments>https://dailyyonder.com/accidental-rancher-back-to-the-drawing-board/2024/03/22/#respond</comments>
  1279. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Eliza Blue]]></dc:creator>
  1280. <pubDate>Fri, 22 Mar 2024 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
  1281. <category><![CDATA[Rural Life]]></category>
  1282. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=124671</guid>
  1283.  
  1284. <description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="769" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sam-carter-GHOiyov2TSQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C769&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="One sheep looks head-on while several more graze behind it." decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sam-carter-GHOiyov2TSQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sam-carter-GHOiyov2TSQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C570&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sam-carter-GHOiyov2TSQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C973&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sam-carter-GHOiyov2TSQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sam-carter-GHOiyov2TSQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1153&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sam-carter-GHOiyov2TSQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1537&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sam-carter-GHOiyov2TSQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sam-carter-GHOiyov2TSQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sam-carter-GHOiyov2TSQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sam-carter-GHOiyov2TSQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sam-carter-GHOiyov2TSQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sam-carter-GHOiyov2TSQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C769&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sam-carter-GHOiyov2TSQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C1177&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sam-carter-GHOiyov2TSQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C530&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sam-carter-GHOiyov2TSQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sam-carter-GHOiyov2TSQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C769&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>
  1285. <p>The famous phrase ‘The best laid plans of mice and men’ could easily be amended to ‘The best laid plans of those who labor in agriculture.’ This work truly is a humbling experience in every season. You endeavor to keep all your proverbial balls in the air, then one wind storm, one errant bacteria ingested [&#8230;]</p>
  1286. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/accidental-rancher-back-to-the-drawing-board/2024/03/22/">Accidental Rancher: Back to the Drawing Board</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
  1287. ]]></description>
  1288. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="769" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sam-carter-GHOiyov2TSQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C769&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="One sheep looks head-on while several more graze behind it." decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sam-carter-GHOiyov2TSQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sam-carter-GHOiyov2TSQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C570&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sam-carter-GHOiyov2TSQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C973&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sam-carter-GHOiyov2TSQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sam-carter-GHOiyov2TSQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1153&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sam-carter-GHOiyov2TSQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1537&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sam-carter-GHOiyov2TSQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sam-carter-GHOiyov2TSQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sam-carter-GHOiyov2TSQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sam-carter-GHOiyov2TSQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sam-carter-GHOiyov2TSQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sam-carter-GHOiyov2TSQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C769&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sam-carter-GHOiyov2TSQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C1177&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sam-carter-GHOiyov2TSQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C530&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sam-carter-GHOiyov2TSQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sam-carter-GHOiyov2TSQ-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C769&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>
  1289. <p>The famous phrase ‘The best laid plans of mice and men’ could easily be amended to ‘The best laid plans of those who labor in agriculture.’ This work truly is a humbling experience in every season. You endeavor to keep all your proverbial balls in the air, then one wind storm, one errant bacteria ingested by one sheep, one month without rain can completely upend any semblance of order you might have been cultivating.&nbsp;</p>
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  1293. <p>As someone who wasn’t raised working with and on the land, I still subconsciously expect with enough effort and scheming to find a code I can finally crack so everything will just WORK. But year after year, those secret expectations are dashed against the rocky reality of dealing with livestock and weather, two entities only a fool would claim mastery over.</p>
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  1297. <p>This week provided me with another lesson in this phenomenon. It’s been a quiet time in my little pasture. My ewes are bred and the weather’s been relatively warm and gentle for weeks, so mostly the flock stands around munching hay and growing babies. My husband put a large, round bale feeder in the sheep enclosure, which means I don’t even have to fork hay over the fence right now. Periodic health checks are all that is required.</p>
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  1301. <p>Until this last week, that is, when I came up against the only hard and fast rule I know about ranch life: Even if you expect the unexpected, you will still be surprised pretty regularly. With this in mind I went to check the sheep, and I knew I was going to see something crazy, because nothing crazy had happened in far too long. We were overdue. But, despite this premonition, was I still flabbergasted when the crazy thing I saw was a tiny, black-and-brown lamb leaping and jumping between and beneath the legs and the wooly bellies of the rest of the flock? Yes. Yes, I was.</p>
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  1305. <p>My mind immediately started flipping through the rolodex of possibilities while simultaneously counting backwards through the calendar. “Five months before today would be early September…did the ram get out in September and I forgot?” I asked myself.&nbsp;</p>
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  1309. <p>No, I was pretty sure it wasn’t that. Early September was when we’d weaned the previous spring’s lambs, however. We castrate most of our boy lambs, but I wanted to keep one intact as he was the last baby my oldest shetland ewe will have (she is now officially retired) and I wanted to ensure her genetics remained strong in the flock. I slowly counted forward from the middle of May, when that ram lamb was born, to the beginning of September. Was it possible this surprise baby was the progeny of a barely three-and-a-half month old father?</p>
  1310.  
  1311.  
  1312.  
  1313. <p>Looking from the new baby to my now teenage ram the resemblance was unmistakeable. A quick google search confirmed that although it would be highly unusual, it was possible because reproductive organs in a male sheep aren’t mature until at least 150 days, but spermatogenesis can begin as early as 80-100 days. Great.</p>
  1314.  
  1315.  
  1316.  
  1317. <p>I wrote in a December column that my new breeding management strategy is defined by two criteria–joy and ease. In my opinion, this boils down to two other terms–lamb vigor and disposition. Watching that feisty little lamb dancing like he was the star of his own Broadway show, I had to chuckle. He certainly has vigor covered. And now we know the new replacement ram is <em>very</em> fertile. Plus, as my husband said later, “Your new lambing program has a 100% success rate,” which definitely sounds impressive.</p>
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  1324.  
  1325. <p>In other news, I am restarting my weekly online show, “The Perkins County Almanac,” and I’d love your help. I&#8217;m collecting stories about “Signs of Spring.” How do you know spring has arrived where you live? You can email me at elizabluesings@gmail.com or go the old fashion route and send a postcard to PO Box 133 Bison, SD 57620.&nbsp;</p>
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  1333. <p><em>Eliza Blue lives on a ranch in northwest South Dakota. She’s a musician, mom, author, and shepherd. She writes a column for newspapers in her region and produces audio commentary for South Dakota Public Radio. You can learn more about Eliza on </em><a href="https://www.elizablue.net/"><em>her website.</em></a></p>
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  1337. <p></p>
  1338. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/accidental-rancher-back-to-the-drawing-board/2024/03/22/">Accidental Rancher: Back to the Drawing Board</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
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  1344. <title>Q&#038;A: Who Is Lana Del Redneck?</title>
  1345. <link>https://dailyyonder.com/qa-who-is-lana-del-redneck/2024/03/22/</link>
  1346. <comments>https://dailyyonder.com/qa-who-is-lana-del-redneck/2024/03/22/#respond</comments>
  1347. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Olivia Weeks]]></dc:creator>
  1348. <pubDate>Fri, 22 Mar 2024 09:59:00 +0000</pubDate>
  1349. <category><![CDATA[Arts and Culture]]></category>
  1350. <category><![CDATA[path finders]]></category>
  1351. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=128121</guid>
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  1353. <description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="576" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Untitled-design-4-2.png?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/2024/03/Untitled-design-4-2.png?w=1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Untitled-design-4-2.png?resize=760%2C428&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Untitled-design-4-2.png?resize=768%2C432&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Untitled-design-4-2.png?resize=1024%2C576&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Untitled-design-4-2.png?resize=400%2C225&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Untitled-design-4-2.png?resize=706%2C397&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Untitled-design-4-2.png?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>
  1354. <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>
  1355. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/qa-who-is-lana-del-redneck/2024/03/22/">Q&#038;A: Who Is Lana Del Redneck?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
  1356. ]]></description>
  1357. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="576" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Untitled-design-4-2.png?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/2024/03/Untitled-design-4-2.png?w=1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Untitled-design-4-2.png?resize=760%2C428&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Untitled-design-4-2.png?resize=768%2C432&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Untitled-design-4-2.png?resize=1024%2C576&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Untitled-design-4-2.png?resize=400%2C225&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Untitled-design-4-2.png?resize=706%2C397&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Untitled-design-4-2.png?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>
  1358. <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>
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  1366. <p>LoRae Blackmore is a <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@lanadelredneck2?is_from_webapp=1&amp;sender_device=pc">TikTok creator</a>, river person, and <a href="https://www.blurb.com/b/11871923-poems-of-a-podunk-princess">poet</a> from rural British Columbia. I’ve loved all of her online content for a couple of years now, and – in light of <a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/tiktok-ban-bill-house-vote-03-13-24/index.html">Congress’s proposed TikTok ban</a> – thought Path Finders was about due for a thoroughly Gen-Z edition. </p>
  1367.  
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  1369.  
  1370. <p>Enjoy our conversation about transience, sobriety, and dressing like a princess, below. And enjoy these t-shirts based on LoRae’s <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@lanadelredneck2/video/7278472829362801962?is_from_webapp=1&amp;sender_device=pc&amp;web_id=7309274566111364654">TikTok monologues</a>, right here:</p>
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  1376. <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" width="682" height="730" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Screenshot-2024-03-15-at-12.20.11-PM.png?resize=682%2C730&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-127064" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Screenshot-2024-03-15-at-12.20.11-PM.png?w=682&amp;ssl=1 682w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Screenshot-2024-03-15-at-12.20.11-PM.png?resize=400%2C428&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Screenshot-2024-03-15-at-12.20.11-PM.png?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 682px) 100vw, 682px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Images from Blackmore&#8217;s <a href="https://lana-del-redneck.printify.me/products?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=Center%20for%20Rural%20Strategies&amp;utm_campaign=391bdf6f5f-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2024_03_15_03_18&amp;utm_term=0_-391bdf6f5f-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Printify storefront</a>.</figcaption></figure>
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  1392. <p><strong>Olivia Weeks, The Daily Yonder: Can you just start with a bio? What&#8217;s your hometown like, and where are you now? And then there&#8217;s a ton of country imagery in your online persona – your book is called <em>Poems of a Podunk Princess</em> and your TikTok handle is @lanadelredneck – and I wonder if you can talk a little about where that comes from, too. </strong></p>
  1393.  
  1394.  
  1395.  
  1396. <p><strong>LoRae Blackmore: </strong>I’m from a small town called Creston in BC, Canada. Population 5,000, full of loggers, hockey players, and just good old Canadian hicks. My online persona comes from my very backwoods redneck upbringing. No electric heat, we’d chop and haul wood in the winter for the wood stove. My dad was a trucker and mom worked odd jobs too while raising nine kids. My childhood was running around barefoot through the woods, gardening, canning, changing diapers, going on long hauls with my dad, and going to the river if we were lucky. My online persona comes from that country upbringing combined with my transient deviant Lana-esque adulthood. I moved to Vegas at 18 and fully rejected my backwoods roots for a life of solo travel, reckless behavior and sugar daddies (would not recommend). Over six years I lived in Nevada, California, Idaho, and Washington. Around age 24 I came full circle, feeling an itch for rural living, old trucking songs, and the familiar peaceful simplicity of my childhood. Now I live in Washington with my sister and niece. I go to the river almost daily and spend my time writing and hanging out with family. </p>
  1397.  
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  1400. <p><strong>DY: I think my first exposure to your content was your Spotify playlist </strong><a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/07n9cOMGbi3ucrAmLqoE6a?si=665410724aec4859"><strong>LanaDelRedneck</strong></a><strong>, which has more than 4,000 saves. How would you describe that music niche? Where do Lana Del Rey, Noah Cyrus, and Hank Williams Jr. overlap? Were you surprised when it found such an eager audience?</strong></p>
  1401.  
  1402.  
  1403.  
  1404. <p><strong>LB: </strong>I coined the phrase Lana Del Redneck in 2022 in a video on my old account (<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@allaroundgreatgal?is_from_webapp=1&amp;sender_device=pc">@allaroundgreatgal</a>) for “the depressed artsy indie girls that grew up in tiny redneck towns.” At the time there wasn’t too much mainstream representation of more alternative country culture, and I’d still like there to be more. Country doesn’t have to be a political stance, and I love curating playlists and content that aren’t the typical stereotype of country. To me Lana Del Rey has always been a little country. From her older persona Lizzy Grant, to her highway anthems, she demonstrates how genres can be bent in expression of truth. I think people love that playlist because that’s what it’s doing, combining and bending cultures because for so many people like me, they’re already melded.</p>
  1405.  
  1406.  
  1407.  
  1408. <p><strong>DY: So much of your content is about your near-daily trips to the river – where&#8217;d that ritual come from?</strong></p>
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  1414. <p><strong>LB: </strong>I grew up going to the river but I started going more in my adult life when I first got sober. Cold therapy and just being in the water has been a huge aid in staying sober and has also helped with anxiety. Not only that, just spending time alone in nature is like a meditation, it’s nostalgic and makes me feel like a kid again, just splashing around with nowhere to be and no one to be. So getting sober was a blessing because it reminded me how much I love the water.</p>
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  1426. <p><strong>DY: Your TikTok is such a joy to watch in part because of your campy, hyperfemme aesthetic. How do you think about getting dressed when the plan for the day is to run by Dutch Bros. and then go for a swim?</strong></p>
  1427.  
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  1429.  
  1430. <p><strong>LB: </strong>My entire wardrobe is dresses and skirts. I stopped wearing pants 2 years ago because I realized I hate them. I love feeling like a princess and I’d wear prom dresses every day if I could. On river days I’ll wear a short dress and take a towel for the car seat, I don’t love swimsuits. I also never get my face wet so I’ll wear lashes, eyeliner, and a bow or bandana in my hair. I just like feeling pretty and glamorous no matter where I am, and there’s probably something deeper and darker to that sociologically but running around all dolled up just makes me happy and adds flavor to my life. </p>
  1431.  
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  1434. <p><strong>DY: Do you feel any tension in being a certified river rat and nature girl and then making a living on the internet? I am personally so thankful that your monologues are in my feed, but I wonder if one of those existences ever starts to impede on the other. </strong></p>
  1435.  
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  1438. <p><strong>LB: </strong>I feel so lucky to be able to pay my (very minimal) bills from TikTok while sharing my writing and adventures every day. I do get freaked out sometimes when I realize how many people out in the world are aware of my existence and perceiving me every day, but at the same time it feels like I’m on the right path. I’m an introvert and a hermit. I feel like a private simple person but I’m also a very public eccentric person on the internet. So I guess we’ll see where it goes.</p>
  1439.  
  1440.  
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  1442. <p><strong>DY: It seems like a lot of your adult life has been pretty transient. How do you know when it&#8217;s time to leave a place? How do you know where to go next?</strong></p>
  1443.  
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  1446. <p><strong>LB: </strong>In the past it was all very chaotic and not at all calculated, I’d just go from state to state on a whim. I’m a little more mature now, but I do get the itch. I’ve been in Washington for like a year. I think my next place will be somewhere warm. Maybe I’ll get a van.</p>
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  1450. <p><strong>DY: What are you listening to these days?</strong></p>
  1451.  
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  1454. <p><strong>LB: </strong>From my “recently played” tab on Spotify: Loretta Lynn, John Anderson, Tyler Childers, Noah Kahan, Maggie Antone, Colter Wall, and BANKS. I just remembered how much I love BANKS, her music is magic. But yes, most of the time I’m listening to old grandpa music these days. Country is my comfort genre. I have 25 public playlists on Spotify that encapsulate every vibe I’ve been on for like two years. Check ‘em out to see what I’m obsessed with at any given moment.</p>
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  1471.  
  1472.  
  1473.  
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  1475. <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>
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  1512. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/qa-who-is-lana-del-redneck/2024/03/22/">Q&#038;A: Who Is Lana Del Redneck?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
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  1516. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">128121</post-id> </item>
  1517. <item>
  1518. <title>Will the Front Range Trail Ever Be Completed?</title>
  1519. <link>https://dailyyonder.com/will-the-front-range-trail-ever-be-completed/2024/03/21/</link>
  1520. <comments>https://dailyyonder.com/will-the-front-range-trail-ever-be-completed/2024/03/21/#respond</comments>
  1521. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jared Ewy]]></dc:creator>
  1522. <pubDate>Thu, 21 Mar 2024 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
  1523. <category><![CDATA[Cool Places]]></category>
  1524. <category><![CDATA[Travel/Recreation]]></category>
  1525. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=125811</guid>
  1526.  
  1527. <description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="576" height="322" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Untitled-design-9.png?fit=576%2C322&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/2024/03/Untitled-design-9.png?w=576&amp;ssl=1 576w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Untitled-design-9.png?resize=400%2C224&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Untitled-design-9.png?fit=576%2C322&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>
  1528. <p>From Wyoming to New Mexico, about 300 miles of the Front Range Trail are completed. There's a lot to go.</p>
  1529. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/will-the-front-range-trail-ever-be-completed/2024/03/21/">Will the Front Range Trail Ever Be Completed?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
  1530. ]]></description>
  1531. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="576" height="322" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Untitled-design-9.png?fit=576%2C322&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/2024/03/Untitled-design-9.png?w=576&amp;ssl=1 576w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Untitled-design-9.png?resize=400%2C224&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Untitled-design-9.png?fit=576%2C322&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>
  1532. <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">
  1533. <iframe title="Will the Front Range Trail Ever Be Completed?" width="780" height="439" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/U9fG-YsyaAY?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
  1534. </div></figure>
  1535.  
  1536.  
  1537.  
  1538. <p>On the surface, I knew this was going to be a story about a really big, long trail. What I didn&#8217;t know is that, in essence, it&#8217;s a story about the three Ps: patience, planning and people.</p>
  1539.  
  1540.  
  1541.  
  1542. <p>I don&#8217;t know if those are the official Ps of project success, but they’re what the Front Range Trail has going for it.</p>
  1543.  
  1544.  
  1545.  
  1546. <p>The Trail (as it will now be referred to with a capital T) is an 876-mile collection of tributaries surrounding a main line that runs through Colorado from Wyoming to New Mexico. Nobody&#8217;s sure when the idea first came to light, but the minds of Colorado&#8217;s trail planners started working on it approximately 2003. Today, about 300 miles of it have been completed.</p>
  1547.  
  1548.  
  1549.  
  1550. <p>Denver, Colorado Springs and Pueblo have existing trails that they were able to tie into the plan. I went to Castle Rock, Colorado, which is just south of Denver, because they recently finished their section of the Trail. That’s an important accomplishment because now the more urban parts of the state are connected to some beautiful journeys through some more rural areas. You can also end up in Colorado Springs, Pueblo and eventually on to New Mexico.&nbsp;</p>
  1551.  
  1552.  
  1553.  
  1554. <p>But there&#8217;s a lot of work to be done. One could doubt that it&#8217;ll ever get there, especially when you consider a lot of the unfinished areas include private property owners, river access and negotiations that sound impossible. On the other hand, so much has already been accomplished with people determined to push this project across a multitude of finish lines, that a smooth ride across the Centennial State seems pretty plausible.</p>
  1555.  
  1556.  
  1557.  
  1558. <p>Every municipality and every county is a new start and finish. Granted a lot of these places have county roads and other thoroughfares that, for now, are considered part of the trail. But the hope is one day to have a trail for all those modes of transportation that thrive much better anywhere but where cars go.</p>
  1559.  
  1560.  
  1561.  
  1562. <p>And since this story includes people who spent many years of their lives planning trails, helping fund trails, and being trail aficionados in general, I asked them their favorite trail recommendations.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
  1563.  
  1564.  
  1565.  
  1566. <p>Rich Havel, Town of Castle Rock’s trail planner, suggested Abel Tasman in New Zealand. Closer to home, he and his colleague Jeff Smullen agree that Castle Rock’s Mitchell Creek Canyon Trail is a must. Smullen, who’s the Assistant Director of Castle Rock Parks and Recreation, also put in a vote for the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness in Southeastern Colorado. Chris Yuan-Farell of Great Outdoors Colorado suggests The Whole Enchilada that runs along the Colorado River and drops you into Moab. It’s a doozie but there’s a shuttle that takes you to the top of the 32 mile ride.</p>
  1567.  
  1568.  
  1569.  
  1570. <p>There is no projected finish date for the trail. There is, however, available funding through lottery proceeds granted through Great Outdoors Colorado and, just as important, an undying optimism to turn the path less traveled into a space that more people can enjoy.</p>
  1571.  
  1572.  
  1573.  
  1574. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots"/>
  1575. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/will-the-front-range-trail-ever-be-completed/2024/03/21/">Will the Front Range Trail Ever Be Completed?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
  1576. ]]></content:encoded>
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  1578. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
  1579. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">125811</post-id> </item>
  1580. <item>
  1581. <title>Is This TV&#8217;s Next Wandering Rural Hero?</title>
  1582. <link>https://dailyyonder.com/is-tracker-on-cbs-tvs-next-wandering-rural-hero/2024/03/21/</link>
  1583. <comments>https://dailyyonder.com/is-tracker-on-cbs-tvs-next-wandering-rural-hero/2024/03/21/#respond</comments>
  1584. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Keith Roysdon]]></dc:creator>
  1585. <pubDate>Thu, 21 Mar 2024 09:59:00 +0000</pubDate>
  1586. <category><![CDATA[Media]]></category>
  1587. <category><![CDATA[the good the bad and the elegy]]></category>
  1588. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=127841</guid>
  1589.  
  1590. <description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MV5BOTBkZjM0NTAtZWI2Ni00NGI0LWEzNDAtYzUzNzBhMDYyNWQ3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjYwNDA2MDE@._V1_.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/2024/03/MV5BOTBkZjM0NTAtZWI2Ni00NGI0LWEzNDAtYzUzNzBhMDYyNWQ3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjYwNDA2MDE@._V1_.jpg?w=1800&amp;ssl=1 1800w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MV5BOTBkZjM0NTAtZWI2Ni00NGI0LWEzNDAtYzUzNzBhMDYyNWQ3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjYwNDA2MDE@._V1_.jpg?resize=760%2C507&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MV5BOTBkZjM0NTAtZWI2Ni00NGI0LWEzNDAtYzUzNzBhMDYyNWQ3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjYwNDA2MDE@._V1_.jpg?resize=1296%2C864&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MV5BOTBkZjM0NTAtZWI2Ni00NGI0LWEzNDAtYzUzNzBhMDYyNWQ3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjYwNDA2MDE@._V1_.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MV5BOTBkZjM0NTAtZWI2Ni00NGI0LWEzNDAtYzUzNzBhMDYyNWQ3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjYwNDA2MDE@._V1_.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MV5BOTBkZjM0NTAtZWI2Ni00NGI0LWEzNDAtYzUzNzBhMDYyNWQ3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjYwNDA2MDE@._V1_.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MV5BOTBkZjM0NTAtZWI2Ni00NGI0LWEzNDAtYzUzNzBhMDYyNWQ3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjYwNDA2MDE@._V1_.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MV5BOTBkZjM0NTAtZWI2Ni00NGI0LWEzNDAtYzUzNzBhMDYyNWQ3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjYwNDA2MDE@._V1_.jpg?resize=600%2C400&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MV5BOTBkZjM0NTAtZWI2Ni00NGI0LWEzNDAtYzUzNzBhMDYyNWQ3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjYwNDA2MDE@._V1_.jpg?resize=1568%2C1045&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MV5BOTBkZjM0NTAtZWI2Ni00NGI0LWEzNDAtYzUzNzBhMDYyNWQ3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjYwNDA2MDE@._V1_.jpg?resize=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MV5BOTBkZjM0NTAtZWI2Ni00NGI0LWEzNDAtYzUzNzBhMDYyNWQ3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjYwNDA2MDE@._V1_.jpg?resize=706%2C471&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MV5BOTBkZjM0NTAtZWI2Ni00NGI0LWEzNDAtYzUzNzBhMDYyNWQ3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjYwNDA2MDE@._V1_.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>
  1591. <p>Western vistas, close calls, and survivalist skills combine in the CBS series 'Tracker,' which brings police procedurals into the great outdoors.</p>
  1592. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/is-tracker-on-cbs-tvs-next-wandering-rural-hero/2024/03/21/">Is This TV&#8217;s Next Wandering Rural Hero?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
  1593. ]]></description>
  1594. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MV5BOTBkZjM0NTAtZWI2Ni00NGI0LWEzNDAtYzUzNzBhMDYyNWQ3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjYwNDA2MDE@._V1_.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/2024/03/MV5BOTBkZjM0NTAtZWI2Ni00NGI0LWEzNDAtYzUzNzBhMDYyNWQ3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjYwNDA2MDE@._V1_.jpg?w=1800&amp;ssl=1 1800w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MV5BOTBkZjM0NTAtZWI2Ni00NGI0LWEzNDAtYzUzNzBhMDYyNWQ3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjYwNDA2MDE@._V1_.jpg?resize=760%2C507&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MV5BOTBkZjM0NTAtZWI2Ni00NGI0LWEzNDAtYzUzNzBhMDYyNWQ3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjYwNDA2MDE@._V1_.jpg?resize=1296%2C864&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MV5BOTBkZjM0NTAtZWI2Ni00NGI0LWEzNDAtYzUzNzBhMDYyNWQ3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjYwNDA2MDE@._V1_.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MV5BOTBkZjM0NTAtZWI2Ni00NGI0LWEzNDAtYzUzNzBhMDYyNWQ3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjYwNDA2MDE@._V1_.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MV5BOTBkZjM0NTAtZWI2Ni00NGI0LWEzNDAtYzUzNzBhMDYyNWQ3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjYwNDA2MDE@._V1_.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MV5BOTBkZjM0NTAtZWI2Ni00NGI0LWEzNDAtYzUzNzBhMDYyNWQ3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjYwNDA2MDE@._V1_.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MV5BOTBkZjM0NTAtZWI2Ni00NGI0LWEzNDAtYzUzNzBhMDYyNWQ3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjYwNDA2MDE@._V1_.jpg?resize=600%2C400&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MV5BOTBkZjM0NTAtZWI2Ni00NGI0LWEzNDAtYzUzNzBhMDYyNWQ3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjYwNDA2MDE@._V1_.jpg?resize=1568%2C1045&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MV5BOTBkZjM0NTAtZWI2Ni00NGI0LWEzNDAtYzUzNzBhMDYyNWQ3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjYwNDA2MDE@._V1_.jpg?resize=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MV5BOTBkZjM0NTAtZWI2Ni00NGI0LWEzNDAtYzUzNzBhMDYyNWQ3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjYwNDA2MDE@._V1_.jpg?resize=706%2C471&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MV5BOTBkZjM0NTAtZWI2Ni00NGI0LWEzNDAtYzUzNzBhMDYyNWQ3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjYwNDA2MDE@._V1_.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>
  1595. <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>
  1596.  
  1597.  
  1598.  
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  1600.  
  1601.  
  1602.  
  1603. <p>It seems like wide open spaces are irresistible to the makers of TV shows. We’ve seen “Longmire,” “Joe Pickett,” and “Big Sky” – not to mention the “Yellowstone” phenomenon – all capture a place in our national attention span, at least for a little while.</p>
  1604.  
  1605.  
  1606.  
  1607. <p>We’ll see if “Tracker,” a CBS series about a survivalist and finder of lost people has a similar impact.</p>
  1608.  
  1609.  
  1610.  
  1611. <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">
  1612. <iframe title="Tracker Season 1 Extended Trailer" width="780" height="439" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kQg16PnPpF8?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
  1613. </div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">An official trailer for &#8220;Tracker&#8221; on CBS (2024) (via Rotten Tomatoes TV on YouTube). </figcaption></figure>
  1614.  
  1615.  
  1616.  
  1617. <p>When Westerns were the kings of TV in the 1950s and 1960s, we could watch endless stories played out against a backdrop of mountains, deserts, and frontier towns. Before the Lone Ranger or Matt Dillon or the cowboys of “The Virginian” rode off into the sunset, they and dozens of other shows reinforced the idea of the frontier for modern audiences.</p>
  1618.  
  1619.  
  1620.  
  1621. <p>There’s appeal for many in the idea of getting away from “civilization,” at least until roughing it gets a little too rough. One of my favorite elements of the Craig Johnson books that the “Longmire” series is based on is that characters must stand in one particular spot in town to get a cellphone signal. In “Yellowstone,” Kevin Costner’s John Dutton seeks out a spot to make camp where his cell <em>won’t</em> get calls.</p>
  1622.  
  1623.  
  1624.  
  1625. <p>I can’t be the only one who thinks that “Yellowstone” was better when it portrayed life on the Dutton ranch rather than life in the boardroom. The show’s ratings success and its place in our shared pop culture consciousness reinforced that “get away from it all” feeling sought in every episode.</p>
  1626.  
  1627.  
  1628.  
  1629. <p>“Tracker” aims to do the same. Justin Hartley, familiar from “This is Us” and “Smallville,” plays Colter Shaw – now there’s a “last frontier” name if I ever heard one – and as episodes unfold, we learn that he and his siblings grew up “off the grid” with their father and mother. It wasn’t an idyllic life: The elder Shaw was running from his mistakes, apparently, and the kids were traumatized by life on the run.</p>
  1630.  
  1631.  
  1632.  
  1633. <p>But Colter picked up a lot of handy knowledge from those days that he applies to his job as a “rewardist,” an awkward name for what he does: Go into remote areas to find lost hikers or mountain climbers or into small towns to find people who’ve been pulled into a cult.</p>
  1634.  
  1635.  
  1636.  
  1637. <p>He’s a tracker, in other words, and he does so for a price.</p>
  1638.  
  1639.  
  1640.  
  1641. <h2 class="wp-block-heading has-text-align-left">Into the Wild</h2>
  1642.  
  1643.  
  1644.  
  1645. <p>As long as adventures in the wilderness have unfolded on our TVs, there’s been a character who does the right thing … for money. Matt Dillon didn’t earn more than his marshal’s salary, for sure, but bounty hunters and troubleshooters like “Paladin” rode through the wilderness with a reward in mind. Paladin, the main character of “Have Gun, Will Travel,” a show that aired in the late 1950s and early 1960s, charged a princely $1,000 per job. In “Tracker,” Colter Shaw charges amounts up to $50,000 or collects a $20,000 reward offer.</p>
  1646.  
  1647.  
  1648.  
  1649. <div class="wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-layout-4 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex">
  1650. <div class="wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow">
  1651. <p>The scripts for “Tracker” make a special point of showing Shaw making verbal contracts with clients and collecting checks after a person is found. This injects a note of reality into the series. All that equipment Shaw uses and all his “helpers” would not come cheap.</p>
  1652.  
  1653.  
  1654.  
  1655. <p>At some point, someone asks Shaw why he drifts from place to place helping people. That’s the theme of one of the oldest tropes on TV and describes every series from “Lassie” to “The Fugitive” to “The Incredible Hulk,” although Shaw’s jobs are more deliberate in how they have an impact on people than the Hulk’s run-ins.</p>
  1656.  
  1657.  
  1658.  
  1659. <p>“Tracker” also falls in line with the style of many police procedurals, with the hero taking on some new case each week and resolving it by the end of the episode. With “Tracker,” because Shaw isn’t a cop, someone else has to make any arrests.</p>
  1660. </div>
  1661.  
  1662.  
  1663.  
  1664. <div class="wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow">
  1665. <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" width="500" height="739" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MV5BMGY1MzhhNzYtYWQ4MS00OTU0LThlZjEtMmJkYzI2ZmQzYWNlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTM1NjM2ODg1._V1_.jpg?resize=500%2C739&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-127842" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MV5BMGY1MzhhNzYtYWQ4MS00OTU0LThlZjEtMmJkYzI2ZmQzYWNlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTM1NjM2ODg1._V1_.jpg?w=500&amp;ssl=1 500w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MV5BMGY1MzhhNzYtYWQ4MS00OTU0LThlZjEtMmJkYzI2ZmQzYWNlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTM1NjM2ODg1._V1_.jpg?resize=400%2C591&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MV5BMGY1MzhhNzYtYWQ4MS00OTU0LThlZjEtMmJkYzI2ZmQzYWNlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTM1NjM2ODg1._V1_.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A promotional poster for &#8216;Tracker&#8217; (2024) (Credit: CBS via IMDb).</figcaption></figure>
  1666. </div>
  1667. </div>
  1668.  
  1669.  
  1670.  
  1671. <p>There are serialized aspects of “Tracker.” Early in the season, viewers were doled out bits of information about Shaw’s past and his family. Why did his professor father go off the grid? What did Shaw’s older brother Russell do and why is he trying to get in touch with Colter now? What is Shaw’s mother hiding?</p>
  1672.  
  1673.  
  1674.  
  1675. <p>One of the mysteries I hope we solve is who his allies and helpers are. Eric Graise is Bob, his “man in the chair,” as one of the Spider-Man movies referred to this type of character, a technology wizard who can find the answer to any question Shaw calls in from the field, and Robin Weigert and Abby McEnany are a delight as Teddi and Velma, a couple who find cases for Shaw to pursue and worry about him along the way.</p>
  1676.  
  1677.  
  1678.  
  1679. <h2 class="wp-block-heading has-text-align-left">A Certain Set of Skills</h2>
  1680.  
  1681.  
  1682.  
  1683. <p>Shaw’s character is full of outdoors know-how besides the ability to pick up footprints on the terrain, like how long someone can survive hypothermia. He learned all this from his survivalist father. Shaw is also something of a numbers whiz, not unlike Jack Reacher in the “Reacher” series.</p>
  1684.  
  1685.  
  1686.  
  1687. <p>So far in “Tracker” we haven’t seen Shaw rest his ear on a rail to listen for an oncoming train or hold his finger to the wind to read the breeze, but there’s a lot made of his ability to follow tracks over rough ground. And he makes good use of technology – often supplied by his support staff – to find people.</p>
  1688.  
  1689.  
  1690.  
  1691. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" width="780" height="520" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MV5BODAzNzQzZDktMTQ2YS00ZDYxLThlYjctZmIxMjA1OWNlNDQyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjYwNDA2MDE@._V1_.jpg?resize=780%2C520&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-127843" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MV5BODAzNzQzZDktMTQ2YS00ZDYxLThlYjctZmIxMjA1OWNlNDQyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjYwNDA2MDE@._V1_.jpg?resize=1296%2C864&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MV5BODAzNzQzZDktMTQ2YS00ZDYxLThlYjctZmIxMjA1OWNlNDQyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjYwNDA2MDE@._V1_.jpg?resize=760%2C507&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MV5BODAzNzQzZDktMTQ2YS00ZDYxLThlYjctZmIxMjA1OWNlNDQyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjYwNDA2MDE@._V1_.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MV5BODAzNzQzZDktMTQ2YS00ZDYxLThlYjctZmIxMjA1OWNlNDQyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjYwNDA2MDE@._V1_.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MV5BODAzNzQzZDktMTQ2YS00ZDYxLThlYjctZmIxMjA1OWNlNDQyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjYwNDA2MDE@._V1_.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MV5BODAzNzQzZDktMTQ2YS00ZDYxLThlYjctZmIxMjA1OWNlNDQyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjYwNDA2MDE@._V1_.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MV5BODAzNzQzZDktMTQ2YS00ZDYxLThlYjctZmIxMjA1OWNlNDQyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjYwNDA2MDE@._V1_.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MV5BODAzNzQzZDktMTQ2YS00ZDYxLThlYjctZmIxMjA1OWNlNDQyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjYwNDA2MDE@._V1_.jpg?resize=600%2C400&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MV5BODAzNzQzZDktMTQ2YS00ZDYxLThlYjctZmIxMjA1OWNlNDQyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjYwNDA2MDE@._V1_.jpg?resize=1568%2C1045&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MV5BODAzNzQzZDktMTQ2YS00ZDYxLThlYjctZmIxMjA1OWNlNDQyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjYwNDA2MDE@._V1_.jpg?resize=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MV5BODAzNzQzZDktMTQ2YS00ZDYxLThlYjctZmIxMjA1OWNlNDQyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjYwNDA2MDE@._V1_.jpg?resize=706%2C471&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MV5BODAzNzQzZDktMTQ2YS00ZDYxLThlYjctZmIxMjA1OWNlNDQyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjYwNDA2MDE@._V1_-1296x864.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Justin Hartley as Colter Shaw in &#8216;Tracker&#8217; (2024) (Credit: CBS via IMDb).</figcaption></figure>
  1692.  
  1693.  
  1694.  
  1695. <p>“Tracker” takes place in several picturesque locales. The pilot, which aired after the Super Bowl, takes place in Oregon, around the city of Klamath Falls. Later episodes revolve around Missoula, Montana, and Mount Shasta, California.</p>
  1696.  
  1697.  
  1698.  
  1699. <p>With future episodes named “St. Louis” and “Lexington,” two cities, we’ll see how remote and rural upcoming “Tracker” stories will be.</p>
  1700.  
  1701.  
  1702.  
  1703. <p>One thing that “Tracker” has in common with series like “Longmire” and “Big Sky” and “Joe Pickett” is that they’re all based on books by established authors. “Tracker” is taken from “The Never Game,” a 2019 thriller by author Jeffrey Deaver that has so far spawned three sequels. Deaver is maybe best known as the author of the Lincoln Rhyme “Bone Collector” books.</p>
  1704.  
  1705.  
  1706.  
  1707. <p>Deaver’s other works aren’t confined to remote locales like most of Johnson’s and CJ Box’s novels are, but so far “Tracker” – with a pilot written by Ben H. Winters that sets the tone on showing appreciation and respect for the great outdoors, and its dangers – seems very familiar to those previous hits.</p>
  1708.  
  1709.  
  1710.  
  1711. <p><em>Tracker is currently airing <a href="https://www.cbs.com/shows/tracker/">on CBS</a> and is available to stream on <a href="https://www.paramountplus.com/shows/tracker/">Paramount+</a> and <a href="https://pluto.tv/en/on-demand/series/tracker-ptv3/details/season/1">Pluto TV</a>.</em></p>
  1712.  
  1713.  
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  1728. <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>
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  1765. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/is-tracker-on-cbs-tvs-next-wandering-rural-hero/2024/03/21/">Is This TV&#8217;s Next Wandering Rural Hero?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
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  1769. <post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">127841</post-id> </item>
  1770. <item>
  1771. <title>The Last All Black Town in the West</title>
  1772. <link>https://dailyyonder.com/the-last-all-black-town-in-the-west/2024/03/20/</link>
  1773. <comments>https://dailyyonder.com/the-last-all-black-town-in-the-west/2024/03/20/#respond</comments>
  1774. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Lane Wendell Fischer]]></dc:creator>
  1775. <pubDate>Wed, 20 Mar 2024 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
  1776. <category><![CDATA[Rural Life]]></category>
  1777. <category><![CDATA[Yonder Report]]></category>
  1778. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=125455</guid>
  1779.  
  1780. <description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="536" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-group-travel-scaled-e1709841435361.jpg?fit=1024%2C536&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/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-group-travel-scaled-e1709841435361.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-group-travel-scaled-e1709841435361.jpg?resize=760%2C398&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-group-travel-scaled-e1709841435361.jpg?resize=1296%2C678&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-group-travel-scaled-e1709841435361.jpg?resize=768%2C402&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-group-travel-scaled-e1709841435361.jpg?resize=1536%2C803&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-group-travel-scaled-e1709841435361.jpg?resize=2048%2C1071&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-group-travel-scaled-e1709841435361.jpg?resize=1200%2C628&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-group-travel-scaled-e1709841435361.jpg?resize=1024%2C536&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-group-travel-scaled-e1709841435361.jpg?resize=1568%2C820&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-group-travel-scaled-e1709841435361.jpg?resize=400%2C209&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-group-travel-scaled-e1709841435361.jpg?resize=706%2C369&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-group-travel-scaled-e1709841435361.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-group-travel-scaled-e1709841435361.jpg?fit=1024%2C536&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>
  1781. <p>On the plains, descendants of the first Black settlers in Nicodemus, Kansas are working to preserve and share a story of grit, perseverance, self-governance, and homecomings. </p>
  1782. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/the-last-all-black-town-in-the-west/2024/03/20/">The Last All Black Town in the West</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
  1783. ]]></description>
  1784. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="536" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-group-travel-scaled-e1709841435361.jpg?fit=1024%2C536&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/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-group-travel-scaled-e1709841435361.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-group-travel-scaled-e1709841435361.jpg?resize=760%2C398&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-group-travel-scaled-e1709841435361.jpg?resize=1296%2C678&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-group-travel-scaled-e1709841435361.jpg?resize=768%2C402&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-group-travel-scaled-e1709841435361.jpg?resize=1536%2C803&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-group-travel-scaled-e1709841435361.jpg?resize=2048%2C1071&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-group-travel-scaled-e1709841435361.jpg?resize=1200%2C628&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-group-travel-scaled-e1709841435361.jpg?resize=1024%2C536&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-group-travel-scaled-e1709841435361.jpg?resize=1568%2C820&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-group-travel-scaled-e1709841435361.jpg?resize=400%2C209&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-group-travel-scaled-e1709841435361.jpg?resize=706%2C369&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-group-travel-scaled-e1709841435361.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-group-travel-scaled-e1709841435361.jpg?fit=1024%2C536&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>
  1785. <div style="color:#32373c" class="wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-drop-cap drop-cap-letter gb-font-size-3 gb-block-drop-cap"><div class="gb-drop-cap-text"></div></div>
  1786.  
  1787.  
  1788.  
  1789. <p class="has-drop-cap">Wagon wheel impressions still mark the earth of the western Kansas prairie, where, beginning in 1877, Black former slaves journeyed across the plains. Those ruts, a physical reminder of the former slaves’ brave and challenging escape from new post-Reconstruction oppressions in the American South, and their dreams of true independence, self-determination and self-governance.&nbsp;</p>
  1790.  
  1791.  
  1792.  
  1793. <p>But wagon wheel ruts aren’t the only reminder of that dream; they lead to the small, unincorporated community of Nicodemus, Kansas, the oldest, and last remaining, all Black town in the American West.&nbsp;</p>
  1794.  
  1795.  
  1796. <div class="wp-block-image">
  1797. <figure class="alignright size-large"><img decoding="async" width="780" height="1040" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/angela-bates_nicodemus-kansas-edited-972x1296.jpg?resize=780%2C1040&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-125489" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/angela-bates_nicodemus-kansas-edited.jpg?resize=972%2C1296&amp;ssl=1 972w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/angela-bates_nicodemus-kansas-edited.jpg?resize=570%2C760&amp;ssl=1 570w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/angela-bates_nicodemus-kansas-edited.jpg?resize=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/angela-bates_nicodemus-kansas-edited.jpg?resize=1152%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1152w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/angela-bates_nicodemus-kansas-edited.jpg?resize=900%2C1200&amp;ssl=1 900w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/angela-bates_nicodemus-kansas-edited.jpg?resize=600%2C800&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/angela-bates_nicodemus-kansas-edited.jpg?resize=450%2C600&amp;ssl=1 450w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/angela-bates_nicodemus-kansas-edited.jpg?resize=300%2C400&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/angela-bates_nicodemus-kansas-edited.jpg?resize=150%2C200&amp;ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/angela-bates_nicodemus-kansas-edited.jpg?resize=1200%2C1600&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/angela-bates_nicodemus-kansas-edited.jpg?resize=400%2C533&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/angela-bates_nicodemus-kansas-edited.jpg?resize=706%2C942&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/angela-bates_nicodemus-kansas-edited.jpg?w=1238&amp;ssl=1 1238w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/angela-bates_nicodemus-kansas-edited-972x1296.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">(Photo courtesy of Angela Bates)</figcaption></figure></div>
  1798.  
  1799.  
  1800. <p>Angela Bates is a fourth-generation descendent and historian of the community’s original settlers. Bates has dedicated much of her life to preserving and sharing the story of her hometown, her community, and her ancestors.</p>
  1801.  
  1802.  
  1803.  
  1804. <p>“It’s my personal family story and it’s the nation’s story,” Bates said in an interview with the Daily Yonder. </p>
  1805.  
  1806.  
  1807.  
  1808. <p>“It’s the only town that historically represents that time period at the end of reconstruction.”</p>
  1809.  
  1810.  
  1811.  
  1812. <p>Today, thanks to the work of Bates and other Nicodemus descendants, the community and its history remain intact through the establishment of the <a href="https://www.nicodemushistoricalsociety.org/">Nicodemus Historical Society</a>, the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/nico/index.htm">Nicodemus National Historic Site</a>, and the <a href="https://kbfa.org/">Kansas Black Farmers Association</a>.</p>
  1813.  
  1814.  
  1815.  
  1816. <p>Though fewer than 25 residents live in Nicodemus today, hundreds of descendants from all corners of the country return to the prairie town to commemorate their families&#8217; stories during their annual <a href="https://www.nicodemushomecoming.org/">Homecoming Emancipation Celebration</a>, which has been held every summer since 1878.</p>
  1817.  
  1818.  
  1819.  
  1820. <p>In February, Bates and the Nicodemus Historical Society premiered their original documentary “Ellis Trail to Nicodemus, The End of the Journey to the Promise Land,” which includes re-enactments of the original settlers&#8217; journey to Nicodemus and interviews with their descendants.</p>
  1821.  
  1822.  
  1823.  
  1824. <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Ho For Kansas!</strong></h3>
  1825.  
  1826.  
  1827. <div class="wp-block-image">
  1828. <figure class="alignright size-large"><img decoding="async" width="780" height="1040" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus_go-to-kansas.jpg?resize=780%2C1040&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-125481" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus_go-to-kansas-scaled.jpg?resize=972%2C1296&amp;ssl=1 972w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus_go-to-kansas-scaled.jpg?resize=570%2C760&amp;ssl=1 570w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus_go-to-kansas-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus_go-to-kansas-scaled.jpg?resize=1152%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1152w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus_go-to-kansas-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C2048&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus_go-to-kansas-scaled.jpg?resize=900%2C1200&amp;ssl=1 900w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus_go-to-kansas-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C800&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus_go-to-kansas-scaled.jpg?resize=450%2C600&amp;ssl=1 450w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus_go-to-kansas-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C400&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus_go-to-kansas-scaled.jpg?resize=150%2C200&amp;ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus_go-to-kansas-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C1600&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus_go-to-kansas-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C2091&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus_go-to-kansas-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C533&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus_go-to-kansas-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C941&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus_go-to-kansas-scaled.jpg?w=1920&amp;ssl=1 1920w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus_go-to-kansas-972x1296.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">(Courtesy of Nicodemus National Historic Site)</figcaption></figure></div>
  1829.  
  1830.  
  1831. <p>After the conclusion of the Civil War and Reconstruction in the late 1870s, it became clear to many Black southerners that, while slavery had been abolished, oppression, poverty, and violence persisted. </p>
  1832.  
  1833.  
  1834.  
  1835. <p>Many migrated to northern cities, where jobs and opportunities were more accessible. Others hoped to move West, where they could build communities – by Black Americans for Black Americans – from the ground up. There, they hoped to partake in a self-determined, agrarian way of life, outside of the systemic racism that was built into the fabric of almost every already established town and city in the nation.</p>
  1836.  
  1837.  
  1838.  
  1839. <p>Against this backdrop, two men – W.H. Smith, a Black reverend, and W.R. Hill, a white land developer from Indiana – founded the Nicodemus Town Company in order to promote the town to former slaves who lived and labored in the green fields of Kentucky and Tennessee.&nbsp;</p>
  1840.  
  1841.  
  1842.  
  1843. <p>Flyers about Nicodemus were dispersed to Black communities in the region. For just $5, residents could purchase a plot of land.</p>
  1844.  
  1845.  
  1846.  
  1847. <p>By early summer in 1877, several families had become the first settlers in the community, and by the end of the summer over 300 train tickets were purchased for a ride out west. Families packed what they could carry and boarded trains headed to Ellis, Kansas, the closest railroad station to Nicodemus. From there, settlers loaded up on wagons to travel 35 miles north to Nicodemus.</p>
  1848.  
  1849.  
  1850.  
  1851. <p>Nicodemus was framed as the “Promise Land” and the “Western Eden,” with rich soil and an enjoyable, mild climate. Anyone who has ever spent a winter or summer on the plains could tell you this is an exaggeration. After arriving, many of the settlers were disappointed. The land was nothing more than a treeless, dry prairie.&nbsp;</p>
  1852.  
  1853.  
  1854.  
  1855. <p>A sign from the historic site bears the following exchange:&nbsp;</p>
  1856.  
  1857.  
  1858.  
  1859. <p>“Where is Nicodemus?” settler Willna Hickman asked her husband Daniel upon arrival.&nbsp;</p>
  1860.  
  1861.  
  1862.  
  1863. <p>“That is Nicodemus,” he responded, pointing to several billows of smoke rising from underground dugouts.&nbsp;</p>
  1864.  
  1865.  
  1866.  
  1867. <p>The first winter was especially hard. Without any lumber, tools, or supplies residents were forced to make do by carving additional dugouts into the Kansas sod. Many only survived with the help of the <a href="https://www.pbpindiantribe.com/about/the-last-buffalo/">Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation</a>, who provided meat, supplies and indigenous wisdom for surviving a harsh winter on the plains.&nbsp;</p>
  1868.  
  1869.  
  1870.  
  1871. <div class="wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-layout-6 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex">
  1872. <div class="wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow" style="flex-basis:33.33%">
  1873. <p>Despite these conditions, Nicodemus quickly became a bustling farming community of 700-800 residents. Each of the town’s businesses — which included several general stores, hotels, delivery companies, implement companies, doctors&#8217; offices, churches, a school, a bank, and two newspapers, the <em>Western Cyclone</em> and the <em>Nicodemus Enterprise</em> — were established, owned, and operated by members of the community.</p>
  1874. </div>
  1875.  
  1876.  
  1877.  
  1878. <div class="wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow" style="flex-basis:66.66%">
  1879. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" width="780" height="618" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-history-family.jpg?resize=780%2C618&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-125468" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-history-family.jpg?resize=1296%2C1026&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-history-family.jpg?resize=760%2C602&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-history-family.jpg?resize=768%2C608&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-history-family.jpg?resize=1536%2C1217&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-history-family.jpg?resize=1200%2C950&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-history-family.jpg?resize=1024%2C811&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-history-family.jpg?resize=1568%2C1242&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-history-family.jpg?resize=400%2C317&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-history-family.jpg?resize=706%2C559&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-history-family.jpg?w=2000&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-history-family-1296x1026.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Members of an early Nicodemus family posed in front of their improved homestead. They have added a roofed patio to the front of the house and seem to have purchased an ox. (Photo courtesy of Nicodemus Historical Society)</figcaption></figure>
  1880. </div>
  1881. </div>
  1882.  
  1883.  
  1884.  
  1885. <p>The community was notably self-governed. Some residents went on to become the first Black public officials in the county and state.&nbsp;</p>
  1886.  
  1887.  
  1888.  
  1889. <p>The organization of an all-Black township and, following that, a county organized by members of that township caused a stir in the region. “[White folks in the area] did not want all of the Black folks to govern them or the county,” Bates said.&nbsp;</p>
  1890.  
  1891.  
  1892.  
  1893. <p>W.R. Hill, the white land developer who helped settle Nicodemus, even worked to prevent the Black township’s growing influence. He made sure Nicodemus was located on the eastern border of the county and that his township, Hill City, was located in the center. Hill City remains the seat of Graham County today, where influential government offices, departments, and courts are located.</p>
  1894.  
  1895.  
  1896.  
  1897. <p>In 1887, three railroad companies were prospecting the area to extend their rail lines out West. If the railroad passed through Nicodemus, it would all but ensure Nicodemus’ continued economic growth.&nbsp;</p>
  1898.  
  1899.  
  1900.  
  1901. <div class="wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-layout-7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex">
  1902. <div class="wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow">
  1903. <p>The community newspapers did their best to entice more settlers to make Nicodemus more attractive to the railroad. Simultaneously, residents voted to raise $16,000 to support rail line expansion and reserved land for the project.&nbsp;</p>
  1904.  
  1905.  
  1906.  
  1907. <p>But when the railroad company began to lay the track, they bypassed the thriving community.</p>
  1908. </div>
  1909.  
  1910.  
  1911.  
  1912. <div class="wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow">
  1913. <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" width="714" height="456" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-history-town-1883.jpg?resize=714%2C456&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-125467" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-history-town-1883.jpg?w=714&amp;ssl=1 714w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-history-town-1883.jpg?resize=400%2C255&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-history-town-1883.jpg?resize=706%2C451&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-history-town-1883.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 714px) 100vw, 714px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A buslting community stands near the first stone church and Williams General Store on Washington Street in early Nicodemus. (Photo Courtesy of Angela Bates)</figcaption></figure>
  1914. </div>
  1915. </div>
  1916.  
  1917.  
  1918.  
  1919. <p>Bates believes W.R. Hill strategically undermined the community’s hopes for a rail stop. Hill was “in cahoots” with the railroad companies, Bates said. “I believe his influence is what caused the railroad to bypass Nicodemus and then establish the town of Bogue.”</p>
  1920.  
  1921.  
  1922.  
  1923. <p>Bogue, Kansas didn’t exist before the railroad moved through the area. It was built by the railroad company just four miles west of Nicodemus and marked the beginning of the end for the community.</p>
  1924.  
  1925.  
  1926.  
  1927. <p>“All that hope, everything, was blighted when they bypassed Nicodemus,” Bates said.</p>
  1928.  
  1929.  
  1930.  
  1931. <p>Many Nicodemus merchants packed up and moved to Bogue, where they could benefit from the new railroad stop.&nbsp;</p>
  1932.  
  1933.  
  1934.  
  1935. <p>For those that remained in Nicodemus, the calamitous impacts of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression drove more families to look for opportunities elsewhere. Some moved to the Eastern part of the state, others west to California or north to Detroit. Nicodemus faced the same fate as many other rural communities: it began to shrink.</p>
  1936.  
  1937.  
  1938.  
  1939. <p>But Nicodemus never died out, thanks to the community’s persevering traditions and spirit.</p>
  1940.  
  1941.  
  1942.  
  1943. <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Coming Home to Nicodemus</strong></h3>
  1944.  
  1945.  
  1946.  
  1947. <p>The historic community built by the hard-working settlers of Nicodemus is being preserved by the latest generation of residents, led by the dedicated Angela Bates.</p>
  1948.  
  1949.  
  1950.  
  1951. <p>LueCreasea Horne, sixth-generation descendent and Park Ranger at Nicodemus Historical Site, praised Bates for being a trailblazer in the community.</p>
  1952.  
  1953.  
  1954.  
  1955. <p>“She doesn&#8217;t get all of the credit that she deserves,” Horne said. “She was the one lining us up and telling us we have something special here and we need to start preserving that. Without Angela, we would not be where we are right now.”</p>
  1956.  
  1957.  
  1958.  
  1959. <p>In 1956, when Bates was four years old, her family left Nicodemus for California. She remembers returning to visit every summer for the annual Emancipation Celebration.</p>
  1960.  
  1961.  
  1962.  
  1963. <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" width="780" height="585" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas_emancipation-celebration-homecoming-buffalo-soldiers-scaled.jpg?resize=780%2C585&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-125482" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas_emancipation-celebration-homecoming-buffalo-soldiers-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas_emancipation-celebration-homecoming-buffalo-soldiers-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C570&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas_emancipation-celebration-homecoming-buffalo-soldiers-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C972&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas_emancipation-celebration-homecoming-buffalo-soldiers-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas_emancipation-celebration-homecoming-buffalo-soldiers-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas_emancipation-celebration-homecoming-buffalo-soldiers-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas_emancipation-celebration-homecoming-buffalo-soldiers-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas_emancipation-celebration-homecoming-buffalo-soldiers-scaled.jpg?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas_emancipation-celebration-homecoming-buffalo-soldiers-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas_emancipation-celebration-homecoming-buffalo-soldiers-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas_emancipation-celebration-homecoming-buffalo-soldiers-scaled.jpg?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas_emancipation-celebration-homecoming-buffalo-soldiers-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas_emancipation-celebration-homecoming-buffalo-soldiers-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C1176&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas_emancipation-celebration-homecoming-buffalo-soldiers-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C530&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas_emancipation-celebration-homecoming-buffalo-soldiers-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas_emancipation-celebration-homecoming-buffalo-soldiers-scaled.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">During the Nicodemus Homecoming parade, it isn&#8217;t uncommon to see dedications like this group of men riding horseback to honor the history of Buffalo Soliders, who served in Black regiments of the Army that were established during the Civil War.  (Photo courtesy of Nicodemus National Historic Site)</figcaption></figure>
  1964.  
  1965.  
  1966.  
  1967. <p>The celebration, first held in 1878, just one year after the town&#8217;s founding, commemorates the abolition of slavery and the rich community born of restored Black freedom.&nbsp;</p>
  1968.  
  1969.  
  1970.  
  1971. <p>Today, the event is more than just an average community gathering, it’s a Homecoming. For one week each summer, the population grows from around 25 to over 1,000, as descendents from across the country reunite with their cousins, grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends in the small Kansas town.</p>
  1972.  
  1973.  
  1974.  
  1975. <p>“[Nicodemus] was always an intimate part of my genealogical and physical connection,” Bates said. “I think that’s true with most descendants.”</p>
  1976.  
  1977.  
  1978. <div class="wp-block-image">
  1979. <figure class="alignright size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" width="780" height="1248" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-water-tower-edited-810x1296.jpg?resize=780%2C1248&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-125491" style="width:810px;height:auto" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-water-tower-edited-scaled.jpg?resize=810%2C1296&amp;ssl=1 810w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-water-tower-edited-scaled.jpg?resize=475%2C760&amp;ssl=1 475w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-water-tower-edited-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C1229&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-water-tower-edited-scaled.jpg?resize=960%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 960w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-water-tower-edited-scaled.jpg?resize=1280%2C2048&amp;ssl=1 1280w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-water-tower-edited-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C1920&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-water-tower-edited-scaled.jpg?resize=640%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 640w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-water-tower-edited-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C2509&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-water-tower-edited-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C640&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-water-tower-edited-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C1130&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-water-tower-edited-scaled.jpg?w=1600&amp;ssl=1 1600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-water-tower-edited-810x1296.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">(Photo by Lane Wendell Fischer)</figcaption></figure></div>
  1980.  
  1981.  
  1982. <p>Before Horne’s family moved back to Nicodemus in 1989 when she turned 12, they traveled from Topeka, Kansas to attend the Homecoming.&nbsp;</p>
  1983.  
  1984.  
  1985.  
  1986. <p>“We knew it was Homecoming time when my mom and my grandma would take me and my brothers to the store to get new summer outfits,” Horne recalled. “We had to be fly and fresh because we had cousins coming in from California, and Detroit and all over the place.”</p>
  1987.  
  1988.  
  1989.  
  1990. <p>“I have so many fond memories of driving in and seeing that blue Nicodemus water tower,” she said.</p>
  1991.  
  1992.  
  1993.  
  1994. <p>The event was a confluence of culture. Horne recalls listening to her aunts and uncles tell old town histories, practicing new dance moves brought by her cousins from the cities and swapping stories about what life was like in different parts of the country.</p>
  1995.  
  1996.  
  1997.  
  1998. <p>Homecoming also meant bunking up in crowded households. After all, there were few local hotels for folks to stay during the celebrations. “Of course, nobody had a bed,” Horne said. “We all had to sleep on the floor. But that togetherness, that fondness and just being so happy to see each other created memories that we still all share.”</p>
  1999.  
  2000.  
  2001.  
  2002. <p>Being one of the handful of local residents today, Horne has taken on the role of host, typically opening up her home to over 20 family members during the celebration.</p>
  2003.  
  2004.  
  2005.  
  2006. <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Taking the “Preservation Baton”</strong></h3>
  2007.  
  2008.  
  2009.  
  2010. <p>As for Bates, her connection wavered a bit as she entered adulthood. She only returned for the Homecoming once after starting her own family. But in 1979, after her parents retired and bought a home back in Nicodemus, Bates&#8217; annual summer visits started again.</p>
  2011.  
  2012.  
  2013.  
  2014. <p>She became increasingly involved in the community’s historical preservation efforts, which at that time were led by Bates’ cousin, former halfback for the Green Bay Packers, Veryl Switzer.&nbsp;</p>
  2015.  
  2016.  
  2017.  
  2018. <p>“It’s time for you to take the preservation baton,” Switzer said to Bates.&nbsp;</p>
  2019.  
  2020.  
  2021.  
  2022. <p>“So I stepped up to the plate,” Bates said. “I started the historical society in 1988 and then in 1989 I moved to the area and have been here ever since.”</p>
  2023.  
  2024.  
  2025.  
  2026. <p>With the establishment of the Nicodemus Historical Society, Bates began collecting photographs and documents from descendants in Nicodemus and across the country. She worked with the University of Kansas to set up a repository at their research library to hold and preserve the materials.</p>
  2027.  
  2028.  
  2029.  
  2030. <p>“We’ve got thousands of documents, it’s so unbelievable,” Bates said.&nbsp;</p>
  2031.  
  2032.  
  2033.  
  2034. <p>Bates and the Historical Society have also organized a collection of over 20 programs, as well as exhibits and presentations for every season and topic, Bates said. “From the railroad all the way down to quilting.”</p>
  2035.  
  2036.  
  2037.  
  2038. <p>Another of Bates’ goals was designating Nicodemus as a National Historic Site with the National Park Service, which requires an Act of Congress.</p>
  2039.  
  2040.  
  2041.  
  2042. <p>Bates was not intimidated. She spoke with then-Senator and presidential hopeful Bob Dole, who was a former resident of nearby Russell, Kansas.&nbsp;</p>
  2043.  
  2044.  
  2045.  
  2046. <p>“And she helped write that legislation,” Horne said.&nbsp;</p>
  2047.  
  2048.  
  2049.  
  2050. <p>In 1996, Nicodemus became a National Historic Site.&nbsp;</p>
  2051.  
  2052.  
  2053.  
  2054. <p>The site includes five buildings that represent the “Spirit of Nicodemus:” Township Hall, St. Francis Hotel, the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the First Baptist Church and the Nicodemus School District #1 Schoolhouse.</p>
  2055.  
  2056.  
  2057.  
  2058. <div class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow aligncenter" data-effect="slide"><div class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_container swiper-container"><ul class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_swiper-wrapper swiper-wrapper"><li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"><figure><img decoding="async" width="780" height="585" alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-125464" data-id="125464" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-townhall_1-scaled.jpg?resize=780%2C585&#038;ssl=1" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-townhall_1-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-townhall_1-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C570&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-townhall_1-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C972&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-townhall_1-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-townhall_1-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-townhall_1-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-townhall_1-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-townhall_1-scaled.jpg?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-townhall_1-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-townhall_1-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-townhall_1-scaled.jpg?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-townhall_1-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-townhall_1-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C1176&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-townhall_1-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C530&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-townhall_1-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-townhall_1-scaled.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Five historic buildings represent spirit of Nicodemus. &#8220;Self-government&#8221; — Nicodemus Township Hall, built in 1939 with support from the Works Progress Administration. The hall served as a multi-purpose community building for meetings and dances, and rollerskating. Today it serves as the Historic Site&#8217;s visitors center.(Photo by Lane Wendell Fischer/The Daily Yonder)</figcaption></figure></li><li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"><figure><img decoding="async" width="780" height="585" alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-125476" data-id="125476" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-AME-church-hotel-scaled.jpg?resize=780%2C585&#038;ssl=1" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-AME-church-hotel-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-AME-church-hotel-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C570&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-AME-church-hotel-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C972&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-AME-church-hotel-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-AME-church-hotel-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-AME-church-hotel-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-AME-church-hotel-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-AME-church-hotel-scaled.jpg?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-AME-church-hotel-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-AME-church-hotel-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-AME-church-hotel-scaled.jpg?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-AME-church-hotel-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-AME-church-hotel-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C1176&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-AME-church-hotel-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C530&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-AME-church-hotel-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-AME-church-hotel-scaled.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">&#8220;Home and Business&#8221; — The St. Francis Hotel served many functions in the community. At one time or another the building had been home to its original owners  Zachary T. and Jenny Fletcher, the Switzer family, the town&#8217;s first hotel, the first post office, the first school house, and a stage coach station. The western wall shows local limestone bricks used to construct the house. A recent hailstorm, caused structural damage to the exposed brick. (Photo by Lane Wendell Fischer/The Daily Yonder)</figcaption></figure></li><li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"><figure><img decoding="async" width="780" height="585" alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-125477" data-id="125477" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-AME-church-exterior-scaled.jpg?resize=780%2C585&#038;ssl=1" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-AME-church-exterior-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-AME-church-exterior-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C570&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-AME-church-exterior-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C972&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-AME-church-exterior-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-AME-church-exterior-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-AME-church-exterior-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-AME-church-exterior-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-AME-church-exterior-scaled.jpg?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-AME-church-exterior-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-AME-church-exterior-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-AME-church-exterior-scaled.jpg?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-AME-church-exterior-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-AME-church-exterior-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C1176&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-AME-church-exterior-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C530&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-AME-church-exterior-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-AME-church-exterior-scaled.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">&#8220;Faith&#8221; — The African Methodist Episcopal Church was established in 1878. The building pictured here was acquired by the church in 1910. In 2021, church was fully restored and is open to the public. (Photo by Lane Wendell Fischer/The Daily Yonder)</figcaption></figure></li><li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"><figure><img decoding="async" width="780" height="585" alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-126539" data-id="126539" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/NICO_First_Baptist_Church.png?resize=780%2C585&#038;ssl=1" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/NICO_First_Baptist_Church.png?w=800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/NICO_First_Baptist_Church.png?resize=760%2C570&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/NICO_First_Baptist_Church.png?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/NICO_First_Baptist_Church.png?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/NICO_First_Baptist_Church.png?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/NICO_First_Baptist_Church.png?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/NICO_First_Baptist_Church.png?resize=706%2C530&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/NICO_First_Baptist_Church.png?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Since 1877, when services were originally held in a dugout, members of Nicodemus&#8217; First Baptist Church have gathered every Sunday. The dugout was quickly replaced by a sod church, then a limestone church, then the present historic building in 1907. A brick building was constructed north of the church, where services are held today. (Photo by Chris Light/Wikipedia)</figcaption></figure></li><li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"><figure><img decoding="async" width="780" height="585" alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-125465" data-id="125465" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-school-scaled.jpg?resize=780%2C585&#038;ssl=1" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-school-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-school-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C570&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-school-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C972&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-school-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-school-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-school-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-school-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-school-scaled.jpg?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-school-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-school-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-school-scaled.jpg?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-school-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-school-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C1176&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-school-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C530&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-school-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-school-scaled.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">&#8220;Education&#8221; — Zachary and Jenny Fletcher quickly established the first school in a dugout. Then, the community constructed the first formal school house in Graham County: School District Number 1. The original building was later destroyed by a fire, and was replaced by the current building. (Photo by Lane Wendell Fischer/The Daily Yonder)</figcaption></figure></li></ul><a class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-prev swiper-button-prev swiper-button-white" role="button"></a><a class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-next swiper-button-next swiper-button-white" role="button"></a><a aria-label="Pause Slideshow" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-pause" role="button"></a><div class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_pagination swiper-pagination swiper-pagination-white"></div></div></div>
  2059.  
  2060.  
  2061.  
  2062. <p>Visitors are welcomed by Park Ranger Horne, who initially worked as a guide for site when it opened in 1996.&nbsp;</p>
  2063.  
  2064.  
  2065.  
  2066. <p>“I always try to get the visitor to understand how awesome it was that these folks, with just a little bit of money they were able to save up, bought their train ticket to get out and then bought a lot of land,” Horne said. “They built a beautiful utopia for themselves out here just years after being emancipated.”</p>
  2067.  
  2068.  
  2069.  
  2070. <p>She enjoys continually learning about her ancestors’ stories and sharing them with visitors through talks and tours.&nbsp;</p>
  2071.  
  2072.  
  2073. <div class="wp-block-image">
  2074. <figure class="alignright size-large"><img decoding="async" width="780" height="520" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-luecreasea-horne-nhs.jpg?resize=780%2C520&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-125466" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-luecreasea-horne-nhs.jpg?resize=1296%2C864&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-luecreasea-horne-nhs.jpg?resize=760%2C507&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-luecreasea-horne-nhs.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-luecreasea-horne-nhs.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-luecreasea-horne-nhs.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-luecreasea-horne-nhs.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-luecreasea-horne-nhs.jpg?resize=600%2C400&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-luecreasea-horne-nhs.jpg?resize=1568%2C1045&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-luecreasea-horne-nhs.jpg?resize=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-luecreasea-horne-nhs.jpg?resize=706%2C471&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-luecreasea-horne-nhs.jpg?w=1776&amp;ssl=1 1776w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-luecreasea-horne-nhs-1296x864.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">(Photo Courtesy of Nicodemus National Historic Site)</figcaption></figure></div>
  2075.  
  2076.  
  2077. <p>“Unfortunately, folks deal with Hollywood,” Horne said, saying that many people don’t get to see representations of Black homesteading or land ownership. “Being able to tell people about this dream — and it still is a dream for many, today — is important.”</p>
  2078.  
  2079.  
  2080.  
  2081. <p>This passion certainly runs in the family, because Horne’s mother also works to promote representation and justice for today’s Black farmers in Kansas.</p>
  2082.  
  2083.  
  2084.  
  2085. <p>JohnElla Holmes, Ph.D, serves as the CEO and President of the Kansas Black Farmers Association (KBFA), which was founded and based in Nicodemus.</p>
  2086.  
  2087.  
  2088.  
  2089. <p>Bates helped found the organization in 1999 to garner local support for <em>Pigford v. Glickman, </em>a class action lawsuit that alleged the USDA racially discriminated against Black farmers seeking farm loans and assistance.&nbsp;</p>
  2090.  
  2091.  
  2092.  
  2093. <p>Today, KBFA trains new farmers, youth, women, and veteran farmers to use regenerative agriculture practices, and provides guidance for accessing USDA programs and grants. It also assists in national grassroots efforts to support Black and Indigenous farmers of color.</p>
  2094.  
  2095.  
  2096.  
  2097. <p>From founding the Historical Society, to establishing the Historic Site, to helping organize KBFA, Bates considers the preservation of Nicodemus nearly complete.&nbsp;</p>
  2098.  
  2099.  
  2100.  
  2101. <p>She plans to retire from her work later this year, she said.&nbsp;</p>
  2102.  
  2103.  
  2104.  
  2105. <p>“Angela did what nobody else wanted to do. She sacrificed a good job, retirement benefits, her entire life to live out here and make sure that Nicodemus is preserved and lives on past us,” Holmes said. “Because of her, we still have Nicodemus.”</p>
  2106.  
  2107.  
  2108.  
  2109. <p>When asked who she will pass the baton to, Bates said that the race is practically finished.</p>
  2110.  
  2111.  
  2112.  
  2113. <p>Each of the organizations she’s had a hand in will continue under their various boards, the Historic Site will continue to run with funding from the parks system and folks can continue to donate documents to the repository at the University of Kansas.&nbsp;</p>
  2114.  
  2115.  
  2116.  
  2117. <figure class="wp-block-jetpack-image-compare"><div class="juxtapose" data-mode="horizontal"><img decoding="async" id="125474" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-AME-church-renovation.jpg?ssl=1" alt="" width="800" height="500" class="image-compare__image-before"/><img decoding="async" id="125475" src="https://i2.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-AME-church-interior_1-scaled.jpg?ssl=1" alt="" width="2560" height="1920" class="image-compare__image-after"/></div><figcaption>In 2021, the A.M.E. Church was fully restored and opened to the public. (Left: Photo courtesy of National Park Service by Will Pope; Right: Photo by Lane Wendell Fischer/The Daily Yonder)</figcaption></figure>
  2118.  
  2119.  
  2120.  
  2121. <p>“She’s forgotten more than I’ll ever know about Nicodemus,” Horne said, “She saw where she wanted Nicodemus to go, and she’s had to drag some people along with her, but she’s gotten it done.”</p>
  2122.  
  2123.  
  2124.  
  2125. <p>Bates then proceeded to read off a laundry list of projects to be completed: installing new signage in front of the historic buildings and other parts of town, constructing a veteran’s memorial near the visitor center and the release of an upcoming documentary. Perhaps retirement isn’t so near afterall.&nbsp;</p>
  2126.  
  2127.  
  2128.  
  2129. <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Sharing the Legacy of Nicodemus</strong></h3>
  2130.  
  2131.  
  2132.  
  2133. <iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=450&#038;href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2F100085621414607%2Fvideos%2F500317611947080%2F&#038;show_text=false&#038;width=800&#038;t=0" width="800" height="450" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe>
  2134.  
  2135.  
  2136.  
  2137. <p>In February, Bates and the Historical Society premiered the documentary, “Ellis Trail to Nicodemus, The End of the Journey to the Promise Land.”&nbsp;</p>
  2138.  
  2139.  
  2140.  
  2141. <p>The project has been a long time coming for Bates, who wrote the script for the documentary’s reenactments.&nbsp;</p>
  2142.  
  2143.  
  2144.  
  2145. <p>“It was a dream of mine back in the early nineties,” Bates said, sharing that she initially wrote the script for a project with Disney, which fizzled out on Disney’s end.</p>
  2146.  
  2147.  
  2148.  
  2149. <p>But a few years ago, as Bates was planning a living re-enactment of the Ellis Trail journey, the dream resurfaced.</p>
  2150.  
  2151.  
  2152.  
  2153. <p>“I thought to myself, well, if we’re going to do this, we need to film it,” Bates said.</p>
  2154.  
  2155.  
  2156.  
  2157. <p>Bates and the Historical Society secured funding from the Trust for Public Lands, the National Parks Foundation, the Dane G. Hansen Foundation, Robert Brogden Buick GMC, and other private donors.&nbsp;</p>
  2158.  
  2159.  
  2160.  
  2161. <p>Then she connected with Nick Abt, a filmmaker based in Wichita, Kansas who was hired to shoot the re-enactment and interviews.</p>
  2162.  
  2163.  
  2164.  
  2165. <p>The film centers around the experience of Emma Williams, and her family’s wagon journey to Nicodemus. As the story goes, Williams – a shared great-grandparent of Bates, Horne, Holmes and many of the film’s cast members – was pregnant when she traveled over the Kansas prairie with her parents Tom and Zerina Johnson, her brother, and her sister Ella.&nbsp;</p>
  2166.  
  2167.  
  2168.  
  2169. <p>Williams left her husband Charles back in Kentucky. He said he’d meet her there in the spring and gave her a single yellow rose to take on the journey.&nbsp;</p>
  2170.  
  2171.  
  2172.  
  2173. <p>Emma Williams is played by descendant Heather Alexander, and her sister Ella is played by LueCreasea Horne.</p>
  2174.  
  2175.  
  2176.  
  2177. <p>“I’ve always known the story of the Ellis Trail,” Horne said. “But it was surreal to actually walk [it]. It gave me a newfound appreciation for my ancestors who made that trip all the way from Kentucky, and then Ellis over here.”</p>
  2178.  
  2179.  
  2180.  
  2181. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" width="780" height="520" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-group.jpg?resize=780%2C520&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-125471" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-group.jpg?resize=1296%2C864&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-group.jpg?resize=760%2C507&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-group.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-group.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-group.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-group.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-group.jpg?resize=600%2C400&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-group.jpg?resize=1568%2C1045&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-group.jpg?resize=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-group.jpg?resize=706%2C471&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-group.jpg?w=2048&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-group-1296x864.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Cast members of &#8220;Ellis Trail to Nicodemus,&#8221; most of whom are direct descendants of the Black settlers who made the original horse-and-wagon journey along the Ellis Trail.  (Photo by Nick Abt via Ellis Trail To Nicodemus on Facebook)</figcaption></figure>
  2182.  
  2183.  
  2184.  
  2185. <p>Horne recalled a particularly moving scene in which her character consoles her pregnant sister, who is nervous about the trip.</p>
  2186.  
  2187.  
  2188.  
  2189. <p>“Once you got in the clothing and in the place, you almost transport yourself back in time,” Horne said.</p>
  2190.  
  2191.  
  2192.  
  2193. <p>“We were walking through that tall, native grass, trying to keep up with the wagons and the horses in the heat wearing long dresses for probably less than a mile,” she continued. “But these folks walking those 30 plus miles &#8230; they think they&#8217;re gonna come to a town, and when they arrive there&#8217;s nothing here.”</p>
  2194.  
  2195.  
  2196.  
  2197. <p>Shortly after arriving, Williams gave birth to the first baby born in Nicodemus.</p>
  2198.  
  2199.  
  2200.  
  2201. <p>“The story ends with her standing on the banks of the Solomon River, wondering if she had made the right decision to leave her husband,” Bates said. “It does beg a sequel, don’t you think?”</p>
  2202.  
  2203.  
  2204.  
  2205. <p>Bates said she had seen the yellow rose once in her younger years, which was dried and pressed in a Bible, and handed down through the generations. But the whereabouts of the flower are unknown today.</p>
  2206.  
  2207.  
  2208. <div class="wp-block-image">
  2209. <figure class="alignright size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" width="780" height="1206" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-promo.jpg?resize=780%2C1206&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-125484" style="width:810px;height:auto" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-promo.jpg?resize=838%2C1296&amp;ssl=1 838w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-promo.jpg?resize=492%2C760&amp;ssl=1 492w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-promo.jpg?resize=768%2C1187&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-promo.jpg?resize=994%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 994w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-promo.jpg?resize=1200%2C1855&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-promo.jpg?resize=663%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 663w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-promo.jpg?resize=400%2C618&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-promo.jpg?resize=706%2C1091&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-promo.jpg?w=1325&amp;ssl=1 1325w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/nicodemus-kansas-ellis-trail-promo-838x1296.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">(Photo via Ellis Trail To Nicodemus on Facebook)</figcaption></figure></div>
  2210.  
  2211.  
  2212. <p>The film premiered with two showings at Frontier Stage Theatre in Hill City, Kansas on February 17 and at the Old Cowtown City Museum in Wichita, Kansas on February 24.&nbsp;</p>
  2213.  
  2214.  
  2215.  
  2216. <p>“I’m glad this story will finally be available to the public,&#8221; said Bates’ brother James Earl Bates, who recently moved back to Nicodemus from Belgium with his wife.</p>
  2217.  
  2218.  
  2219.  
  2220. <p>“I’m gonna be there with bells on,” said Holmes. “This is a story that adds a sense of pride and resilience, not just for African Americans, but for all of us that are in rural communities.”</p>
  2221.  
  2222.  
  2223.  
  2224. <p>Bates hopes to share the documentary in other venues across the state and country, as well as PBS and other streaming services. More updates will be posted on the Nicodemus Historical Society website and Facebook page, Bates said.&nbsp;</p>
  2225.  
  2226.  
  2227.  
  2228. <p>“The whole concept of Nicodemus and what it stands for – everybody in this nation should understand the significance of African Americans in the West,” Bates said. “We want to make sure that people are aware of that.”</p>
  2229. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/the-last-all-black-town-in-the-west/2024/03/20/">The Last All Black Town in the West</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
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