FEED Validator

Congratulations!

This is a valid RSS feed.

Recommendations

This feed is valid, but interoperability with the widest range of feed readers could be improved by implementing the following recommendations.

• line 44, column 0: description should not contain decoding attribute (15 occurrences) [help]

  					<description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="576" src="https ...
  

• line 44, column 0: description should not contain fetchpriority attribute [help]

  					<description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="576" src="https ...
  

• line 44, column 0: description should not contain sizes attribute (15 occurrences) [help]

  					<description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="576" src="https ...
  

• line 48, column 0: content:encoded should not contain decoding attribute (37 occurrences) [help]

  										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="576" s ...
  

• line 48, column 0: content:encoded should not contain sizes attribute (37 occurrences) [help]

  										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="576" s ...
  

• line 59, column 0: content:encoded should not contain data-recalc-dims attribute (22 occurrences) [help]

  <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" width="780"  ...
  

• line 313, column 0: style attribute contains potentially dangerous content: flex-basis (11 occurrences) [help]

  <div class="wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-b ...
  

• line 394, column 0: content:encoded should not contain aria-hidden attribute (3 occurrences) [help]

  <div style="height:1px" aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer"></div>
  

• line 412, column 0: content:encoded should not contain data-blog-id attribute [help]

  	<div class="wp-block-jetpack-mailchimp" data-blog-id="178305083">
  

• line 413, column 0: content:encoded should not contain aria-describedby attribute [help]

  		<form
  

• line 417, column 0: content:encoded should not contain aria-label attribute [help]

  				<input
  

• line 417, column 0: content:encoded should not contain placeholder attribute [help]

  				<input
  

• line 439, column 0: content:encoded should not contain data-id-attr attribute [help]

  <div class="wp-block-jetpack-button wp-block-button" style="max-width: 100%" ...
  

• line 439, column 0: Non-html tag: mark (4 occurrences) [help]

  <div class="wp-block-jetpack-button wp-block-button" style="max-width: 100%" ...
  

• line 446, column 0: content:encoded should not contain role attribute (3 occurrences) [help]

  			<div class="wp-block-jetpack-mailchimp_notification wp-block-jetpack-mail ...
  

• line 460, column 3: content:encoded should not contain relative URL references: #signup (2 occurrences) [help]

  ]]></content:encoded>
     ^

• line 804, column 0: content:encoded should not contain iframe tag (6 occurrences) [help]

  <iframe title="Percentage Change in Employment, September, 2019 - September, ...
  

• line 804, column 0: content:encoded should not contain script tag (6 occurrences) [help]

  <iframe title="Percentage Change in Employment, September, 2019 - September, ...
  

• line 1394, column 0: content:encoded should not contain data-streamlined-config attribute [help]

  			<form data-streamlined-config="[]">
  

Source: https://dailyyonder.com/feed/

1. <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0"
2. xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
3. xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
4. xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
5. xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
6. xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
7. xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
9. xmlns:georss="http://www.georss.org/georss"
10. xmlns:geo="http://www.w3.org/2003/01/geo/wgs84_pos#"
11. >
12.  
13. <channel>
14. <title>The Daily Yonder</title>
15. <atom:link href="https://dailyyonder.com/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
16. <link>https://dailyyonder.com/</link>
17. <description>Rural News and Information</description>
18. <lastBuildDate>Fri, 08 Dec 2023 19:50:13 +0000</lastBuildDate>
19. <language>en-US</language>
20. <sy:updatePeriod>
21. hourly </sy:updatePeriod>
22. <sy:updateFrequency>
23. 1 </sy:updateFrequency>
25.  
26. <image>
27. <url>https://dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/cropped-dy-wordmark-favicon-32x32.png</url>
28. <title>The Daily Yonder</title>
29. <link>https://dailyyonder.com/</link>
30. <width>32</width>
31. <height>32</height>
32. </image>
33. <item>
34. <title>The Smithsonian Is Coming to Town</title>
35. <link>https://dailyyonder.com/museum-on-main-street-smithsonian-small-town/2023/12/08/</link>
36. <comments>https://dailyyonder.com/museum-on-main-street-smithsonian-small-town/2023/12/08/#respond</comments>
38. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Kim Kobersmith]]></dc:creator>
39. <pubDate>Fri, 08 Dec 2023 11:01:31 +0000</pubDate>
40. <category><![CDATA[Arts and Culture]]></category>
41. <category><![CDATA[Cool Places]]></category>
42. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=119041</guid>
43.  
44. <description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="576" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_07-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="People walk between display elements at a Museum on Main Street installation." decoding="async" fetchpriority="high" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_07-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_07-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C428&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_07-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C729&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_07-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C432&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_07-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C864&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_07-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_07-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C675&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_07-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C576&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_07-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C882&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_07-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C225&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_07-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C397&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_07-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_07-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>
45. <p>The prestigious institution's Museum on Main Street exhibits travel to rural communities, highlighting local stories, and inspiring new homegrown installations. </p>
46. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/museum-on-main-street-smithsonian-small-town/2023/12/08/">The Smithsonian Is Coming to Town</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
47. ]]></description>
48. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="576" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_07-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="People walk between display elements at a Museum on Main Street installation." decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_07-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_07-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C428&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_07-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C729&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_07-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C432&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_07-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C864&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_07-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_07-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C675&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_07-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C576&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_07-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C882&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_07-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C225&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_07-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C397&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_07-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_07-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>
49. <blockquote class="wp-block-quote">
50. <p>Montana, 2003: Even though the small town of Cascade only has 712 full-time residents, more than 25,000 people participated in the activities surrounding the Museum on Main Street exhibition, &#8220;<em>Barn Again!&#8221; </em>The Cascade County Historical Society mounted a local exhibition, called &#8220;<em>Horses, Hitches, and Haybales: Work in Barns</em>,&#8221; while the neighboring town of Great Falls displayed farm implements, quilts, photographs of local barns and student artwork. They hosted barn tours, conducted barn surveys, and even sponsored a two-day barn preservation workshop. </p>
51. <cite>&#8211; Museum on Main Street, <a href="https://museumonmainstreet.org/50States-50Stories">50 States / 50 Stories</a></cite></blockquote>
52.  
53.  
54.  
55. <p>Visiting the Smithsonian Museum on Main Street <em>Spark! Places of Innovation</em> exhibit in person, reading and hearing and viewing story after story of communities being bold and innovative in so many ways, was nothing less than inspiring. Framed in the exhibit as critical hotbeds of invention, numerous small towns and rural places are celebrated for their “self-reliant creative traditions.”</p>
56.  
57.  
58.  
59. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" width="780" height="520" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_01.jpg?resize=780%2C520&#038;ssl=1" alt="A woman looks down at large puzzle pieces she is fitting together at a station at the Museum on Main Street exhibit in " class="wp-image-119043" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_01-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C864&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_01-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C507&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_01-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_01-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_01-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_01-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_01-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_01-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C400&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_01-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C1045&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_01-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_01-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C471&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_01-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_01-1296x864.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Through photographs, hands-on interactives, objects, videos, and access to digital content, “Spark!” features innovation stories from 30+ communities across the nation. (Photo: James Kegley/Smithsonian’s Museums on Main Street)</figcaption></figure>
60.  
61.  
62.  
63. <p><em>Spark!</em> highlights a range of community-led initiatives: artistic, social, technological, and cultural. The 2005 community-built broadband network and business development hub of Independence, Oregon, (population 9,842). The collaboration of organizations in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, (population 5,723), that reclaimed a downtown industrial ruin into a community arts venue called “The Piers.” The yogurt company founded by Turkish immigrant Hamdi Ulukaya in New Berlin, New York, (population 2,682), called Chobani.</p>
64.  
65.  
66.  
67. <p>The Smithsonian displays also ask thought provoking questions like, “What does it take for a community to be innovative?” and, “Can you rebuild an ‘ownership economy’ after the big companies are gone?” They tell of challenges transformed into opportunities, creative solutions that make life better in a myriad of ways. </p>
68.  
69.  
70.  
71. <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" width="780" height="604" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_09-1.jpg?resize=780%2C604&#038;ssl=1" alt="Six dancers in flowing dresses stand, arms outstretched, in front of a golden field. " class="wp-image-119087" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_09-1.jpg?w=870&amp;ssl=1 870w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_09-1.jpg?resize=760%2C589&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_09-1.jpg?resize=768%2C595&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_09-1.jpg?resize=400%2C310&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_09-1.jpg?resize=706%2C547&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_09-1.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">&#8220;Spark!&#8221; shares about Wormfarm Institute’s biennial Farm/Art DTour in Sauk County, Wisconsin. The event brings artists and farmers together in a celebration of the connection between land and people. (Photo: Courtesy of Wormfarm Institute)</figcaption></figure>
72.  
73.  
74.  
75. <p>Museum on Main Street (MoMS) is the Smithsonian’s premier program for small towns. For almost 30 years, MoMS has brought rural communities high-quality museum exhibits in partnership with the Federation of State Humanities Councils. The 14 themed exhibits have toured more than 1,900 communities in all 50 states and the territory of Guam. While the median population of host communities is 8,300, no place is too small: Folsom, New Mexico, hosted an exhibit in 2010, when the population of the town was 67.</p>
76.  
77.  
78.  
79. <p>According to the Smithsonian, 52% of cultural organizations are located in small or rural communities. 82% of these organizations operated with budgets of less than $25,000. The idea for a program to intentionally serve these places emerged from a 1991 survey.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
80.  
81.  
82.  
83. <p>“It revealed that rural museums in particular were struggling to do exhibits and collections management,” MoMS staff member Tiffany Cheng explained in an interview with the Daily Yonder. “We fill that gap to help small cultural institutions find resources, do more cultural programming, and celebrate their local story. From that, a host of good things have happened over the years in a ripple effect.”</p>
84.  
85.  
86.  
87. <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Envisioning National and Local Exhibits</h2>
88.  
89.  
90.  
91. <blockquote class="wp-block-quote">
92. <p>Colorado 2010: The Museum on Main Street exhibition &#8220;<em>Between Fences&#8221; </em>inspired a group of unconventional storytellers at the Museum of Colorado Prisons, in Cañon City. There, corrections facility inmates wrote about what it meant to live behind fences. These often-heartbreaking stories, poems, and artworks were compiled into a booklet and shared at the art center, amplifying the voices of a largely unheard community. </p>
93.  
94.  
95.  
96. <p>“Even in these troubled places,/ We all dream of open spaces./ My mind takes me to greener fields/ Where peace and harmony are the yields./ So even though I may feel pain,/ When I’m fenced in it’s a personal gain.”<em> &#8211; excerpt from a poem written by an inmate</em>. </p>
97. <cite>&#8211; Museum on Main Street, <a href="https://museumonmainstreet.org/50States-50Stories">50 States / 50 Stories</a></cite></blockquote>
98.  
99.  
100.  
101. <p>Thanks to their small size and low cost, the MoMS exhibits make a Smithsonian experience available to small communities. The size needed to host a display is only 750 square feet, and they have been housed in museums, libraries, city halls, nature centers, and community colleges. Since its inception in 1994, MoMS exhibits have focused on food, labor, democracy, music, change, water, sports, and immigration.<strong> </strong>New topics are decided in consultation with state and local partners to determine what stories they are excited about sharing.&nbsp;</p>
102.  
103.  
104.  
105. <p>Each exhibit is produced by a team of scholars, designers, writers, multimedia editors, and fabricators pulled together by the Smithsonian. They take two to three years to complete. Four copies of each exhibition are on the road at the same time, and state-level partners reserve them for a year. Humanities councils select the six or seven host sites for the state tour. After a couple of years, exhibits are retired and new ones introduced.</p>
106.  
107.  
108.  
109. <p>Host communities are selected at least a year in advance so they have time to create accompanying exhibits and programming that focuses on how the larger theme connects to the local story. State humanities councils provide support for this work, offering planning meetings, identifying state and local scholars, granting funds, and assisting with publicity. These efforts, usually at low cost or free for hosting sites, make the program accessible for even the smallest cultural institutions.</p>
110.  
111.  
112.  
113. <p>“It&#8217;s definitely gone beyond just providing an exhibition,” said Cheng. “We&#8217;re providing tools and resources for an experience and really enabling the local communities to do their own storytelling and to celebrate that.”</p>
114.  
115.  
116.  
117. <p>Chestertown, Maryland, population 5,532, lifted up local stories around the <em>The Way We Worked </em>exhibition, which was displayed in one of two surviving African American Grand Army of the Republic buildings in the U.S. As organizers explored the intersection of the history of work and race, one outgrowth was the creation and production of a new musical about African American labor experiences in the county.</p>
118.  
119.  
120.  
121. <p>I went to see <em>Spark! </em>at Boyle County Library in Danville, Kentucky, (population 17,240). This “city of firsts” is proud of its own history of innovation in government, education, and medicine. To complement the Smithsonian displays, the library gallery featured an innovative local artist who creates intricate sculptures out of high density foam. The exhibit also sparked an inventor/invention expo for students in grades K-12, a temporary maker space, and a series of wing murals introducing people to innovative businesses and community organizations. </p>
122.  
123.  
124.  
125. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" width="780" height="521" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_08.jpg?resize=780%2C521&#038;ssl=1" alt="A large set of outstretched wings is mounted on a wood-paneled wall. " class="wp-image-119084" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_08-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C866&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_08-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C508&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_08-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C513&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_08-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1027&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_08-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1369&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_08-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C802&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_08-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C684&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_08-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C400&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_08-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C1048&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_08-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_08-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C472&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_08-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_08-1296x866.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Boyle County Public Library and its community partners developed a series of wing murals called “Take Flight” to celebrate local innovation. (Photo: Kim Kobersmith)</figcaption></figure>
126.  
127.  
128.  
129. <p>The underlying premise for these local additions is that each place has a unique history and culture worth celebrating. “I 100% recommend this program to other small towns,” said Christina Farrell, Adult Service Manager at the library. “It has been a wonderful experience.”</p>
130.  
131.  
132.  
133. <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Fostering Engagement</h2>
134.  
135.  
136.  
137. <blockquote class="wp-block-quote">
138. <p>Louisiana, 2017: For Louisiana&#8217;s tour of the Museum on Main Street traveling exhibition &#8220;<em>Water/Ways</em>,&#8221; the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities developed four short films that explored the fragile but critical relationship between people and water. Looking at the impact of flooding and land loss, the film series inspired meaningful conversations about the importance of water and the complex issues facing Louisiana’s coastal communities.</p>
139. <cite>&#8211; Museum on Main Street, <a href="https://museumonmainstreet.org/50States-50Stories">50 States / 50 Stories</a></cite></blockquote>
140.  
141.  
142.  
143. <p>MoMS exhibits share national and local stories about important rural issues, and they are designed to foster more than enjoyment. They are catalysts for important conversations and community engagement.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
144.  
145.  
146.  
147. <p>David Pettyjohn worked in Oklahoma Humanities for 11 years and was instrumental in bringing the first MoMS exhibit to the state. <em>Journey Stories</em> featured tales of immigration and migration, both good and bad, including the Trail of Tears. Its first stop in the state was the Creek Nation Council House.&nbsp;</p>
148.  
149.  
150.  
151. <p>“The exhibit was an opportunity to talk about painful histories within our country,” said Pettyjohn in an interview.&nbsp;</p>
152.  
153.  
154.  
155. <p>A national Youth Innovation in Rural America grant, given to two <em>Spark!</em> sites, inspired Kentucky Humanities to create their own version. Youth from each host community gathered for a Problems and Solvers game, then received a small grant to jumpstart a community solution. Owensboro teens, recognizing the high school transition can be a challenging time for mental health, developed a mentorship program for 8<sup>th</sup> grade students. Boyle County youth identified a lack of relaxed gathering places. After a successful “3<sup>rd</sup> space” event in June, they are looking for a permanent location.</p>
156.  
157.  
158.  
159. <p>“By giving the students a chance to come together to identify problems, develop solutions, and start solving them, we hope they will see themselves as solvers of community problems,” said Kathleen Pool with Kentucky Humanities.</p>
160.  
161.  
162.  
163. <figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img decoding="async" width="780" height="588" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_03.jpg?resize=780%2C588&#038;ssl=1" alt="Children sit in a circle on a blanket." class="wp-image-119082" style="width:810px;height:auto" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_03.jpg?w=932&amp;ssl=1 932w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_03.jpg?resize=760%2C573&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_03.jpg?resize=768%2C579&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_03.jpg?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_03.jpg?resize=400%2C302&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_03.jpg?resize=706%2C533&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_03.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Participants in the Youth Innovation in Rural America program at the Yes! Arts center in Frankfort, Kentucky, learn about being problem solvers. (Photo: Kentucky Humanities.)</figcaption></figure>
164.  
165.  
166.  
167. <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Building Community Capacity</h2>
168.  
169.  
170.  
171. <blockquote class="wp-block-quote">
172. <p>New Jersey, 2011: When the Asbury Park Public Library hosted the Museum on Main Street exhibition &#8220;<em>New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music</em>,&#8221; community members turned out for a massive concert and one-of-a-kind programs. But little did they know they were creating a long-term legacy. Shortly after the exhibition, the local planning committee founded the Asbury Park Music Foundation, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2021.</p>
173. <cite>&#8211; Museum on Main Street, <a href="https://museumonmainstreet.org/50States-50Stories">50 States / 50 Stories</a></cite></blockquote>
174.  
175.  
176.  
177. <p>Host communities are encouraged to capitalize on the fact that MoMS is part of the Smithsonian. The iconic name is widely recognized and respected, and post-exhibit studies show communities benefit from the experience long after the displays have gone.&nbsp;</p>
178.  
179.  
180.  
181. <p>Cheng said host institutions have leveraged their MoMS exhibits to improve the storage of their artifacts, digitally catalog their collections, and increase their pool of volunteers. Nearly 60% of past venues saw an increase in their membership base, and 87% reported an increase in attendance due to the exhibitions and associated programming.</p>
182.  
183.  
184.  
185. <p>“I have always believed this program is more than just an exhibit, but an awesome opportunity for Smithsonian to come to your town,” said Pettyjohn. “It is about capacity building and can change an organization’s path.” </p>
186.  
187.  
188.  
189. <div class="wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-layout-1 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex">
190. <div class="wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow"><div class="wp-block-image">
191. <figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" width="780" height="1040" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_05.jpg?resize=780%2C1040&#038;ssl=1" alt="A street sign reads &quot;Spark! Places of Innovation.&quot;" class="wp-image-119083" style="width:311px;height:auto" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_05-scaled.jpg?resize=972%2C1296&amp;ssl=1 972w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_05-scaled.jpg?resize=570%2C760&amp;ssl=1 570w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_05-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_05-scaled.jpg?resize=1152%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1152w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_05-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C2048&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_05-scaled.jpg?resize=900%2C1200&amp;ssl=1 900w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_05-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C800&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_05-scaled.jpg?resize=450%2C600&amp;ssl=1 450w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_05-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C400&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_05-scaled.jpg?resize=150%2C200&amp;ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_05-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C1600&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_05-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C2091&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_05-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C533&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_05-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C941&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_05-scaled.jpg?w=1920&amp;ssl=1 1920w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_05-972x1296.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Street signs advertise the &#8220;Spark!&#8221; Exhibit in Priest River, Idaho. (Photo: Idaho Humanities Council)</figcaption></figure></div></div>
192.  
193.  
194.  
195. <div class="wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow">
196. <p>Pettyjohn, who now works at Idaho Humanities, has seen that transformation firsthand. Priest River, Idaho, population 1,696, hosted <em>The Way We Worked</em> in a partially restored historic building in the early 2000’s. </p>
197.  
198.  
199.  
200. <p>The exhibit was a catalyst for completing structural renovation, generating local interest and financial support. Now the building is a downtown anchor with offices and a coffeeshop – and serving as host for the <em>Spark!</em> exhibit.</p>
201. </div>
202. </div>
203.  
204.  
205.  
206. <div class="wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-layout-2 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex">
207. <div class="wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow">
208. <p>Wayland, Kentucky, population 258, used the interest they garnered from having <em>Hometown Teams: How Sports Shape America </em>to create the Mountain Sports Hall of Fame. The former high school gym was converted into a small museum featuring the legendary high school basketball players from surrounding counties.</p>
209.  
210.  
211.  
212. <p>“The coordinator still calls to say how much we did for their museum,” said Pool. “Bringing in the Smithsonian really gave them the boost they needed.”</p>
213. </div>
214.  
215.  
216.  
217. <div class="wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow"><div class="wp-block-image">
218. <figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" width="780" height="1040" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_02.jpg?resize=780%2C1040&#038;ssl=1" alt="A navy blue letterman jacket with a W on the chest stands behind trophies and other memorabilia. " class="wp-image-119081" style="width:305px;height:auto" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_02-scaled.jpg?resize=972%2C1296&amp;ssl=1 972w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_02-scaled.jpg?resize=570%2C760&amp;ssl=1 570w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_02-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_02-scaled.jpg?resize=1152%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1152w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_02-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C2048&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_02-scaled.jpg?resize=900%2C1200&amp;ssl=1 900w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_02-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C800&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_02-scaled.jpg?resize=450%2C600&amp;ssl=1 450w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_02-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C400&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_02-scaled.jpg?resize=150%2C200&amp;ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_02-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C1600&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_02-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C2091&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_02-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C533&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_02-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C941&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_02-scaled.jpg?w=1920&amp;ssl=1 1920w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23.09.DY-Smithsonian_02-972x1296.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">&#8220;Hometown Teams&#8221;  in Wayland, Kentucky. Hosting a Smithsonian exhibit helped launch the Mountain Sports Hall of Fame in the former high school gym. (Photo: Kentucky Humanities)</figcaption></figure></div></div>
219. </div>
220.  
221.  
222.  
223. <p>The Museum on Main Street program cements the Smithsonian’s commitment to serve America’s small towns. Its exhibits reveal thriving places brimming with passion and creativity, the kind of rich rural stories that aren’t told widely enough on the national stage.&nbsp;</p>
224.  
225.  
226.  
227. <p>“The MoMS exhibits provide a focal point where everyone can come together for a shared experience,” said Pettyjohn. “The humanities are all about stories that help us understand what it means to be a human being. This program is one of the critical ways I have seen to share them.”</p>
228.  
229.  
230.  
231. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots"/>
232. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/museum-on-main-street-smithsonian-small-town/2023/12/08/">The Smithsonian Is Coming to Town</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
233. ]]></content:encoded>
235. <wfw:commentRss>https://dailyyonder.com/museum-on-main-street-smithsonian-small-town/2023/12/08/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
236. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
239. </item>
240. <item>
241. <title>Q&#038;A: The Connection Between Buffalo Restoration and Native Liberation</title>
242. <link>https://dailyyonder.com/qa-the-connection-between-buffalo-restoration-and-native-liberation/2023/12/08/</link>
243. <comments>https://dailyyonder.com/qa-the-connection-between-buffalo-restoration-and-native-liberation/2023/12/08/#respond</comments>
245. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Ilana Newman]]></dc:creator>
246. <pubDate>Fri, 08 Dec 2023 10:59:00 +0000</pubDate>
247. <category><![CDATA[Environment]]></category>
248. <category><![CDATA[path finders]]></category>
249. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=119684</guid>
250.  
251. <description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="732" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Elsie-DuBray.jpg?fit=1024%2C732&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/2023/12/Elsie-DuBray.jpg?w=2000&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Elsie-DuBray.jpg?resize=760%2C543&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Elsie-DuBray.jpg?resize=1296%2C926&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Elsie-DuBray.jpg?resize=768%2C549&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Elsie-DuBray.jpg?resize=1536%2C1097&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Elsie-DuBray.jpg?resize=1200%2C857&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Elsie-DuBray.jpg?resize=1024%2C732&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Elsie-DuBray.jpg?resize=1568%2C1120&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Elsie-DuBray.jpg?resize=400%2C286&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Elsie-DuBray.jpg?resize=706%2C504&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Elsie-DuBray.jpg?fit=1024%2C732&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>
252. <p>Editor’s Note: This interview first appeared in&#160;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&#160;join the mailing list at the bottom of this article&#160;and receive more conversations like this in your inbox each week. [&#8230;]</p>
253. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/qa-the-connection-between-buffalo-restoration-and-native-liberation/2023/12/08/">Q&#038;A: The Connection Between Buffalo Restoration and Native Liberation</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
254. ]]></description>
255. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="732" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Elsie-DuBray.jpg?fit=1024%2C732&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/2023/12/Elsie-DuBray.jpg?w=2000&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Elsie-DuBray.jpg?resize=760%2C543&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Elsie-DuBray.jpg?resize=1296%2C926&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Elsie-DuBray.jpg?resize=768%2C549&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Elsie-DuBray.jpg?resize=1536%2C1097&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Elsie-DuBray.jpg?resize=1200%2C857&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Elsie-DuBray.jpg?resize=1024%2C732&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Elsie-DuBray.jpg?resize=1568%2C1120&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Elsie-DuBray.jpg?resize=400%2C286&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Elsie-DuBray.jpg?resize=706%2C504&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Elsie-DuBray.jpg?fit=1024%2C732&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>
256. <p><em>Editor’s Note: This interview first appeared in&nbsp;<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&nbsp;<a href="#signup">join the mailing list at the bottom of this article</a>&nbsp;and receive more conversations like this in your inbox each week.</em></p>
257.  
258.  
259.  
260. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
261.  
262.  
263.  
264. <p>Elsie DuBray is a young Oohenunpa Lakota, Nueta and Hidatsa woman currently working on a Master&#8217;s degree in Community Health and Prevention at Stanford University. DuBray brings together her upbringing on a buffalo ranch on the Cheyenne River Reservation with her interest in Indigenous public health, combining traditional knowledge with Western science.&nbsp;</p>
265.  
266.  
267.  
268. <p>I heard DuBray speak at a screening of&nbsp;<a href="https://gather.film/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Gather</em></a>, on the Ute Mountain Ute reservation.&nbsp;<em>Gather&nbsp;</em>follows Indigenous people across the country working to reclaim their foodways. The film was released in 2020, and filmed even earlier.&nbsp;</p>
269.  
270.  
271.  
272. <p>Much has happened in DuBray’s life since the film, where she was shown winning a high school science fair with her research comparing buffalo lipid content to beef lipid content. DuBray’s work has grown and evolved over the years, and in our conversation we focus on her investment in buffalo restoration, bringing a Native identity to higher education, Indigenous public health, and where she hopes to take her work in the future.</p>
273.  
274.  
275.  
276. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
277.  
278.  
279.  
280. <p class="has-text-align-center"><em>This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.</em></p>
281.  
282.  
283.  
284. <p><strong>Ilana Newman, The Daily Yonder: First, can you introduce yourself and tell me about where you&#8217;re from and a little bit about the work that you&#8217;re doing today?</strong></p>
285.  
286.  
287.  
288. <p><strong>Elsie DuBray:</strong> I’m going to introduce myself in my own language first.</p>
289.  
290.  
291.  
292. <p>Han mitakuyepi! Cante wasteya nape ceyuzape ksto. Mahpiya Ile Win emaciyapi na wasituya micaje kin Elsie DuBray. Oohenunpa Lakota na Nueta na Hidatsa hemaca, na Wakpa Waste Oyanke hemantanhan.&nbsp;</p>
293.  
294.  
295.  
296. <p>Hello relatives, I greet you all with a good heart. My name is Mahpiya Ile Win, which in English roughly translates to Blazing Cloud Woman. And my English name is Elsie DuBray. I am Oohenunpa Lakota, Nueta, and Hidatsa from the Cheyenne River Reservation in what is now known as South Dakota. I am currently a Stanford University student.&nbsp; I just completed my undergrad in the spring of this year, and then for some reason, I decided to stay and I&#8217;m now doing my Masters here as well.</p>
297.  
298.  
299.  
300. <p><strong>DY:</strong> <strong>Tell me about the work that you&#8217;re doing now around public health and food sovereignty.</strong></p>
301.  
302.  
303.  
304. <p><strong>ED:</strong> So a lot of what I&#8217;m doing in school currently, or at least up until this point has been very related to the work that my family does at home on our buffalo ranch. When I got started here at Stanford, the work I was doing was biochemistry scientific research into lipid analysis of buffalo fat and beef fat and trying to kind of look into the biochemical pathways of a shift away from a traditional diet to a modern diet, and some of the reasons behind the disparate outcomes in native youth and type two diabetes. I went down that hard scientific and Western scientific rabbit hole a bit and found it harmful for me and not ultimately satiating my interest in any way, nor contributing to what I believe to be my responsibility to my community and myself.&nbsp;</p>
305.  
306.  
307.  
308. <p>My understanding of science and my interest in science was not at all independent of my identity as a Lakota woman. Attempting to distill and compartmentalize those things was very painful. And I found that in the manifestation of an eating disorder that really peaked and became most dangerous my freshman year at Stanford, when I was wrapped up in the fast-paced scientific rigor of it all, all amidst this major life transition from being at home on the rez in South Dakota to then coming to Stanford and experiencing so much more homesickness and culture shock than I ever imagined.</p>
309.  
310.  
311.  
312. <div class="wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-layout-3 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex">
313. <div class="wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow" style="flex-basis:33.33%">
314. <p>I took so much for granted at home. I always knew home was beautiful and incredible and that I was so lucky to grow up on my homeland. Still, I was excited to run away to California for a while. And then immediately upon arriving in California, I couldn&#8217;t wait to run away back home. And I got home and had this kind of whole new outlook and this whole new understanding of just how important home is to me. My physical removal from home takes a toll on my physical body and then my mind and my spirit.</p>
315. </div>
316.  
317.  
318.  
319. <div class="wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow" style="flex-basis:66.66%"><div class="wp-block-image">
320. <figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" width="780" height="1040" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/IMG_0639-1.jpeg?resize=780%2C1040&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-119202" style="width:487px;height:auto" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/IMG_0639-1.jpeg?resize=972%2C1296&amp;ssl=1 972w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/IMG_0639-1.jpeg?resize=570%2C760&amp;ssl=1 570w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/IMG_0639-1.jpeg?resize=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/IMG_0639-1.jpeg?resize=1151%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1151w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/IMG_0639-1.jpeg?resize=900%2C1200&amp;ssl=1 900w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/IMG_0639-1.jpeg?resize=600%2C800&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/IMG_0639-1.jpeg?resize=450%2C600&amp;ssl=1 450w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/IMG_0639-1.jpeg?resize=300%2C400&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/IMG_0639-1.jpeg?resize=150%2C200&amp;ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/IMG_0639-1.jpeg?resize=1200%2C1601&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/IMG_0639-1.jpeg?resize=400%2C534&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/IMG_0639-1.jpeg?resize=706%2C942&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/IMG_0639-1.jpeg?w=1536&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/IMG_0639-1-972x1296.jpeg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Elsie DuBray. (Photo provided)</figcaption></figure></div></div>
321. </div>
322.  
323.  
324.  
325. <p>And then in November 2020, my little brother passed away to suicide. And that absolutely rocked my world and everything I thought I knew to be true. And all of the healing that I felt like I had experienced was all kind of pulled out from under me. I felt untethered for the first time in my life. Through whatever hardships I experienced before that, I always felt so grounded in a sense of purpose and responsibility to the buffalo, and yet losing my brother just really rocked me.</p>
326.  
327.  
328.  
329. <p>Through that grieving process, there was a real awakening that shook me enough to parse through all of the hesitation and fogginess of what I wanted or what I was interested in. It showed me the urgency with a kind of stinging clarity I needed to not be distracted or dissuaded by the institutional Western push towards this hyper-medicalization, hyper-STEM application. I&#8217;m making up words now. But the focus on the research and the STEM and the bureaucracy and the institutionalization of it all, I couldn&#8217;t do it anymore.&nbsp;</p>
330.  
331.  
332.  
333. <p>I became very adamant that my interest in the holistic health and well-being of my community deserves to be honored in the way that my community sees fit and that our life experiences dictate, not the syllabus of a chemistry class.</p>
334.  
335.  
336.  
337. <p>I still graduated with a B.S. in Human Biology, but I made my concentration the holistic health and well-being of Indigenous communities. I completed my Native Studies minor, and then I decided to pursue honors in the Center for Comparative Studies and Race and Ethnicity, which is the center that houses Native American studies. My honors thesis became this real kind of reflective think piece about my family and myself. So there are no graphs in my thesis, there are no lipid levels or percentages. There are stories that my dad told me, there are stories of my life, of his life. There&#8217;s narrative, there&#8217;s spirits, there&#8217;s even some poetry.</p>
338.  
339.  
340.  
341. <p>I feel like this is so far removed from the question that you even asked. But it is deeply informative of how I&#8217;m approaching things now and how I came to understand the concept of food sovereignty as a tangible reality, as an embodied personal experience — away from this abstract conceptual textbook. I feel it in my body. I work towards it daily.</p>
342.  
343.  
344.  
345. <p><strong>DY: You grew up on a buffalo ranch on the Cheyenne River Reservation and buffalo, and buffalo restoration, are at the heart of so much of what you are doing now. Can you tell me about how your relationship with the buffalo has developed over time?</strong></p>
346.  
347.  
348.  
349. <p><strong>ED: </strong>It&#8217;s the greatest honor of my life to be able to have been raised at home in the way that I was. Part of that was being around buffalo my whole life, which is a pretty uncommon experience. I think my brother, before he died, may have been the only other young person who has been able to grow up from birth to the present, surrounded by the buffalo. Every day, I began to understand more and more how much of a privilege that is. I grew up thinking it was normal to be able to eat buffalo meat every day. What an absolutely incredible blessing. I think about how all of that from a cellular level, nutritional level, and psychological level has helped me become the person that I am today.&nbsp;</p>
350.  
351.  
352.  
353. <p>I cringe when I think about myself as a kid, and about not wanting to go check the buffalo with my dad because it&#8217;s too hot outside or I&#8217;m scared of snakes. In the last couple of years, I&#8217;ve been a lot more intentional about spending time outside watching the buffalo.&nbsp;</p>
354.  
355.  
356.  
357. <p>I&#8217;ve been so fortunate to be thinking about buffalo restoration my whole life, in a state where there were buffalo. Buffalo restoration was about growing the numbers. I didn&#8217;t think about the very real kind of implications of if something happened and there wasn&#8217;t any buffalo anymore or what happens if there&#8217;s a real threat to the buffalo. That&#8217;s what happened when we lost 300 animals to a cattle disease, Mycoplasma bovis. It has a very high mortality rate. I took for granted the fact that we were out where we had this many buffalo. But what happens when we lose them? And that took a huge toll on me as well. I hadn&#8217;t ever had to directly experience the loss of buffalo like that.&nbsp; We can&#8217;t be people without the buffalo, but I&#8217;ve never had to think about it that way because the buffalo were already there for me.</p>
358.  
359.  
360.  
361. <p><strong>DY:</strong> <strong>Can you speak about why the buffalo are so important, both to the land and to the people?</strong></p>
362.  
363.  
364.  
365. <p><strong>ED:</strong> To my people, buffalo are everything. Buffalo are at the center of our creation story. That&#8217;s something that no one can deny and no one can take away from us. When you are so deeply connected to an intertwined with someone else like that, like our people and the Pte Oyate, the Buffalo Nation, you can see and understand the centrality of them to our culture. If something is the center of your creation story, it&#8217;s going to be the center of your culture and the way you see the world and the way you interact with it and each other and the way you organize and the way you structure yourselves and the way you treat each other. It is because of the buffalo that we have the values that we have. They are the topic of so many of the stories that have been passed down since time immemorial. And you can&#8217;t take that away from somebody and expect them to be okay. The attempted extermination of the buffalo was a very intentional attempted extermination of my people. And it goes beyond just the warfare tactic of attacking somebody&#8217;s food system and understanding the damage that that does to a people. It was going to be more than a starvation situation. It was an attempt at genocide and ethnocide in the fullest of the term. It was to eradicate, or attempt to eradicate, who we are beyond physical bodies getting in the way of conquest.</p>
366.  
367.  
368.  
369. <p>Buffalo restoration is food sovereignty for Lakota people. And food sovereignty is where all of these social justice efforts meet and intersect. To me, it is a tangible mechanism for this radical reconceptualization of what public health looks like. And that&#8217;s what buffalo restoration means to me. And that&#8217;s why I see buffalo restoration as being so important to our people.</p>
370.  
371.  
372.  
373. <p>You can&#8217;t have Land Back without Buffalo Back. People are becoming increasingly aware that Land Back and Native people&#8217;s access to their traditional homelands and stewardship over those lands is a mechanism for combating climate change and cultivating ecological well-being. Part of that is buffalo restoration.</p>
374.  
375.  
376.  
377. <p>Prairies sequester more carbon than a rain forest does and I&#8217;ve seen more and more literature coming out about the importance of prairie restoration. Well, how do you think you&#8217;re gonna restore the prairie without the keystone species of this country? It all comes back to the buffalo and not just for my people, not just for my family, but for the connected liberation of all Indigenous communities.</p>
378.  
379.  
380.  
381. <p><strong>DY:</strong> <strong>Yeah, that all makes sense. Is there anything else you’d want to share?</strong></p>
382.  
383.  
384.  
385. <p><strong>ED:</strong> I just hope I generally give a message of hope and empowerment and encouragement as opposed to a victim narrative because I don&#8217;t believe that to be true at all. I think that this is possible, and I think this is possible because of what I&#8217;ve seen. This futurism is a tangible one and I&#8217;m committed to working towards it with my peers, my friends, and my family.</p>
386.  
387.  
388.  
389. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
390.  
391.  
392.  
393. <div id="signup" class="wp-block-group has-light-gray-background-color has-background is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow"><div class="wp-block-group__inner-container">
394. <div style="height:1px" aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer"></div>
395.  
396.  
397.  
398. <div class="wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-layout-4 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex">
399. <div class="wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow" style="flex-basis:33.33%">
400. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://dailyyonder.com/contact-us/subscribe-daily-yonder/#path-finders"><img decoding="async" width="780" height="780" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/path-finders-icon-edited-1296x1296.png?resize=780%2C780&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-70866" style="width:226px;height:226px" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/path-finders-icon-edited.png?resize=1296%2C1296&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/path-finders-icon-edited.png?resize=760%2C760&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/path-finders-icon-edited.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/path-finders-icon-edited.png?resize=768%2C768&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/path-finders-icon-edited.png?resize=1536%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/path-finders-icon-edited.png?resize=1200%2C1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/path-finders-icon-edited.png?resize=800%2C800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/path-finders-icon-edited.png?resize=400%2C400&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/path-finders-icon-edited.png?resize=200%2C200&amp;ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/path-finders-icon-edited.png?resize=1568%2C1568&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/path-finders-icon-edited.png?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/path-finders-icon-edited.png?resize=706%2C706&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/path-finders-icon-edited.png?resize=100%2C100&amp;ssl=1 100w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/path-finders-icon-edited.png?w=1697&amp;ssl=1 1697w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/path-finders-icon-edited-1296x1296.png?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" data-recalc-dims="1" /></a></figure>
401. </div>
402.  
403.  
404.  
405. <div class="wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow" style="flex-basis:66.66%">
406. <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>
407. </div>
408. </div>
409.  
410.  
411.  
412. <div class="wp-block-jetpack-mailchimp" data-blog-id="178305083">
413. <form
414. aria-describedby="wp-block-jetpack-mailchimp_consent-text"
415. >
416. <p>
417. <input
418. aria-label="Enter your email"
419. placeholder="Enter your email"
420. required
421. title="Enter your email"
422. type="email"
423. name="email"
424. />
425. </p>
426. <input
427. name="interests[9a7205444f]"
428. type="hidden"
429. class="mc-submit-param"
430. value="1"
431. />
432. <input
433. name="merge_fields[SIGNUP]"
434. type="hidden"
435. class="mc-submit-param"
436. value="pathfinder-story"
437. />
439. <div class="wp-block-jetpack-button wp-block-button" style="max-width: 100%"><button class="wp-block-button__link has-background" style="background-color: #274e13; width: 100%; max-width: 100%" data-id-attr="mailchimp-button-block-1" id="mailchimp-button-block-1" type="submit"><mark class="has-inline-color has-white-color">Get Path Finders</mark></button></div>
440. <p id="wp-block-jetpack-mailchimp_consent-text">
441. <sub>By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with the site owner and Mailchimp to receive marketing, updates, and other emails from the site owner. Use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out at any time.</sub> </p>
442.  
444. </form>
446. <div class="wp-block-jetpack-mailchimp_notification wp-block-jetpack-mailchimp_processing" role="status">
447. Processing… </div>
448. <div class="wp-block-jetpack-mailchimp_notification wp-block-jetpack-mailchimp_success" role="status">
449. Success! You&#039;re on the list. </div>
450. <div class="wp-block-jetpack-mailchimp_notification wp-block-jetpack-mailchimp_error" role="alert">
451. Whoops! There was an error and we couldn&#039;t process your subscription. Please reload the page and try again. </div>
452.  
453. </div>
454. </div></div>
455.  
456.  
457.  
458. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots"/>
459. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/qa-the-connection-between-buffalo-restoration-and-native-liberation/2023/12/08/">Q&#038;A: The Connection Between Buffalo Restoration and Native Liberation</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
460. ]]></content:encoded>
462. <wfw:commentRss>https://dailyyonder.com/qa-the-connection-between-buffalo-restoration-and-native-liberation/2023/12/08/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
463. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
466. </item>
467. <item>
468. <title>A Half-Century of Rural Housing: Report Looks at Central Role of Housing in Community Resiliency</title>
469. <link>https://dailyyonder.com/a-half-century-of-rural-housing-report-looks-central-role-of-housing-in-community-resiliency/2023/12/07/</link>
470. <comments>https://dailyyonder.com/a-half-century-of-rural-housing-report-looks-central-role-of-housing-in-community-resiliency/2023/12/07/#respond</comments>
472. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Lia Kvatum]]></dc:creator>
473. <pubDate>Thu, 07 Dec 2023 11:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
474. <category><![CDATA[Housing]]></category>
475. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=119148</guid>
476.  
477. <description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="645" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/darlington1.jpg?fit=1024%2C645&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/2023/11/darlington1.jpg?w=1270&amp;ssl=1 1270w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/darlington1.jpg?resize=760%2C479&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/darlington1.jpg?resize=768%2C484&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/darlington1.jpg?resize=1200%2C756&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/darlington1.jpg?resize=1024%2C645&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/darlington1.jpg?resize=400%2C252&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/darlington1.jpg?resize=706%2C445&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/darlington1.jpg?fit=1024%2C645&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>
478. <p>Home ownership is more prevalent in rural areas, but the rental market can be tight, especially for lower income families. The Housing Assistance Council marks a half century of work with their latest "Taking Stock" report.</p>
479. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/a-half-century-of-rural-housing-report-looks-central-role-of-housing-in-community-resiliency/2023/12/07/">A Half-Century of Rural Housing: Report Looks at Central Role of Housing in Community Resiliency</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
480. ]]></description>
481. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="645" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/darlington1.jpg?fit=1024%2C645&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/2023/11/darlington1.jpg?w=1270&amp;ssl=1 1270w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/darlington1.jpg?resize=760%2C479&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/darlington1.jpg?resize=768%2C484&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/darlington1.jpg?resize=1200%2C756&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/darlington1.jpg?resize=1024%2C645&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/darlington1.jpg?resize=400%2C252&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/darlington1.jpg?resize=706%2C445&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/darlington1.jpg?fit=1024%2C645&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>
482. <p>There’s a reason to celebrate in Darlington, Wisconsin, a town of just under 2,500 that lies about a dozen miles from the Illinois border. The <a href="https://www.darlingtonmeadows.com/">Meadows Apartments</a>, a complex of 32 new affordable apartments, is open for business. Only farm workers and their families are eligible to rent the apartments, which typically go for between $200-900 a month, depending on renter income. There is also a community room onsite and outreach programs available.</p>
483.  
484.  
485.  
486. <p>The complex, which is privately owned but built partially with funds provided by the USDA, addresses a major need facing many rural communities—safe, affordable rental housing for low-income residents.</p>
487.  
488.  
489.  
490. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide"/>
491.  
492.  
493.  
494. <div class="wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-layout-5 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex">
495. <div class="wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow" style="flex-basis:33.33%">
496. <figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img decoding="async" width="583" height="737" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/moreworktobedone1.jpg?resize=583%2C737&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-119161" style="width:258px;height:auto" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/moreworktobedone1.jpg?w=583&amp;ssl=1 583w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/moreworktobedone1.jpg?resize=400%2C506&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/moreworktobedone1.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 583px) 100vw, 583px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo by George Ballis from the online exhibit <a href="https://www.thereismoreworktobedone.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">&#8220;There Is More Work to Be Done.&#8221;</a></figcaption></figure>
497. </div>
498.  
499.  
500.  
501. <div class="wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow" style="flex-basis:66.66%">
502. <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Dig Deeper</h2>
503.  
504.  
505.  
506. <ul>
507. <li><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-primary-variation-color"><em>Explore the Housing Assistance Council&#8217;s interactive report, <a href="https://www.darlingtonmeadows.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">&#8220;Taking Stock: Rural People, Rural Places, Rural Housing.&#8221;</a></em></mark></li>
508.  
509.  
510.  
511. <li><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-primary-variation-color"><em>Visit HAC&#8217;s online photo exhibit, <a href="https://www.thereismoreworktobedone.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">&#8220;There Is More Work to Be Done,&#8221;</a> which <mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-primary-variation-color">celebrates efforts to build &#8220;stronger communities in rural America, both past and present.&#8221;</mark> The exhibit includes the work of photographer and activist George &#8220;Elfie&#8221; Ballis (1925-2010) and five other photographers.</em></mark></li>
512. </ul>
513. </div>
514. </div>
515.  
516.  
517.  
518. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide"/>
519.  
520.  
521.  
522. <p>Affordable housing, particularly for renters of color, is a major issue in the United States and is one of issues highlighted in the recently released <a href="https://takingstockrural.org/">“Taking Stock” report</a>, issued by the <a href="https://ruralhome.org/">Housing Assistance Council</a>, better known as HAC. Founded in 1971, HAC works with hundreds of organizations across the country, offering grants, training and technical assistance, and policy guidance on housing and poverty in rural America.</p>
523.  
524.  
525.  
526. <p>The first report was released in the early 1980s. The latest, released in October 2023, uses data gathered over the last decade to paint a picture of the lives of the 60 million folks who call rural America home. The report also includes historical data covering the last half century and beyond that shows how things have changed over the years &#8212; for better, and for worse.</p>
527.  
528.  
529.  
530. <p>HAC’s Director of Research and Information Lance George explained in an email that the information is meant to be accessible to anyone interested in these issues, “whether you’re a U.S. Senator making policy at the highest levels or a group of concerned citizens in a church basement.”</p>
531.  
532.  
533.  
534. <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" width="707" height="731" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/homeownership-rural-rates.jpg?resize=707%2C731&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-119154" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/homeownership-rural-rates.jpg?w=707&amp;ssl=1 707w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/homeownership-rural-rates.jpg?resize=400%2C414&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/homeownership-rural-rates.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 707px) 100vw, 707px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The rate of home ownership is higher in rural areas than it is in the nation overall. But the graph shows significant differences among various rural demographic groups. (Housing Assistance Council &#8220;Taking Stock&#8221;)</figcaption></figure>
535.  
536.  
537.  
538. <p>The report examines “trends and issues important to rural people, places, and housing.” As is the case for the country as a whole, the results are mixed and depend on where one lives.</p>
539.  
540.  
541.  
542. <p>Housing affordability is a growing problem everywhere. But the report lays bare some rather sobering statistics for small towns and rural areas in particular.</p>
543.  
544.  
545.  
546. <ul>
547. <li>One quarter of all rural households spend more than 30% of their monthly income on housing. More than 40% of those are renters.</li>
548.  
549.  
550.  
551. <li>Of those rural renters who are considered “cost burdened” by housing expenses, nearly 50% spend more than half of their monthly income on housing.</li>
552.  
553.  
554.  
555. <li>Rural renters of color are the hardest hit.</li>
556. </ul>
557.  
558.  
559.  
560. <p>There are other issues, too.</p>
561.  
562.  
563.  
564. <ul>
565. <li>The current rural housing stock is aging and needs updating, particularly for energy efficiency.</li>
566.  
567.  
568.  
569. <li>Housing costs have increased dramatically over the last few decades, and the Covid-19 pandemic only exacerbated the problem.</li>
570.  
571.  
572.  
573. <li>The number of banks across rural America has decreased by half since 1995.</li>
574. </ul>
575.  
576.  
577.  
578. <p>The banking issue is complicated, George said. &nbsp;“More than half of all FDIC insured banks are actually located in rural areas,” he said. “But . . . most lending activity is concentrated within a few, typically larger banks.”</p>
579.  
580.  
581.  
582. <p>The concern is that the remaining large lending institutions may not know or be as invested in a particular community and may be located far from would-be rural borrowers.</p>
583.  
584.  
585.  
586. <p>“Fewer banks just means less access or longer commutes to access these services.”</p>
587.  
588.  
589.  
590. <p>Home ownership is more prevalent in rural areas than urban ones, but about a quarter of occupied rural homes are rentals. And the rental market can be tight because of a lack of affordable properties. The problem will likely only get worse, particularly for those with lower incomes, because of the loss of certain resources that created affordable rentals.</p>
591.  
592.  
593.  
594. <p>While rents in rural areas are typically lower than in urban and suburban areas, more than half of rural renters live below the poverty line, making market rate rents—even in rural areas—beyond their reach.</p>
595.  
596.  
597.  
598. <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" width="600" height="552" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/rental-rate-by-characteristics.jpg?resize=600%2C552&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-119155" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/rental-rate-by-characteristics.jpg?w=600&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/rental-rate-by-characteristics.jpg?resize=400%2C368&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/rental-rate-by-characteristics.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">More than half of rural residents under age 35 rent, while only about 17% of those 65 or older do. White, non-Hispanic rural residents are far less likely to rent that people of other races and ethnicities. (Housing Assistance Council &#8220;Taking Stock&#8221; report)</figcaption></figure>
599.  
600.  
601.  
602. <p>But the news is far from all bad. While it’s still predominantly white, rural America has become much more racially and culturally diverse over the last five decades and will continue to diversify. Most rural Americans live in houses that are safe and affordable. As has been the case for many decades, most own their own homes. There’s been a steep drop in the number of households that don’t have plumbing—in 1970, 14% did not have plumbing. By 2021, that number was less than 1%.</p>
603.  
604.  
605.  
606. <p>But there’s a long way to go, George said.</p>
607.  
608.  
609.  
610. <p>“There are still far too many substandard homes in a nation of such wealth and resources,” he said.</p>
611. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/a-half-century-of-rural-housing-report-looks-central-role-of-housing-in-community-resiliency/2023/12/07/">A Half-Century of Rural Housing: Report Looks at Central Role of Housing in Community Resiliency</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
612. ]]></content:encoded>
614. <wfw:commentRss>https://dailyyonder.com/a-half-century-of-rural-housing-report-looks-central-role-of-housing-in-community-resiliency/2023/12/07/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
615. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
618. </item>
619. <item>
620. <title>Superintendent Laments Hiring Challenges, Grant Concerns in Rural Georgia</title>
621. <link>https://dailyyonder.com/taliaferro-georgia-rural-education-grant-concerns-hiring-challenges/2023/12/07/</link>
622. <comments>https://dailyyonder.com/taliaferro-georgia-rural-education-grant-concerns-hiring-challenges/2023/12/07/#respond</comments>
624. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Nick Fouriezos / Open Campus]]></dc:creator>
625. <pubDate>Thu, 07 Dec 2023 10:59:00 +0000</pubDate>
626. <category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
627. <category><![CDATA[Mile Markers]]></category>
628. <category><![CDATA[repub]]></category>
629. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=119533</guid>
630.  
631. <description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="768" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DY-taliaferro-county-georgia-mile-markers-rural-higher-education.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/2023/12/DY-taliaferro-county-georgia-mile-markers-rural-higher-education.jpg?w=1292&amp;ssl=1 1292w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DY-taliaferro-county-georgia-mile-markers-rural-higher-education.jpg?resize=760%2C570&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DY-taliaferro-county-georgia-mile-markers-rural-higher-education.jpg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DY-taliaferro-county-georgia-mile-markers-rural-higher-education.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DY-taliaferro-county-georgia-mile-markers-rural-higher-education.jpg?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DY-taliaferro-county-georgia-mile-markers-rural-higher-education.jpg?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DY-taliaferro-county-georgia-mile-markers-rural-higher-education.jpg?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DY-taliaferro-county-georgia-mile-markers-rural-higher-education.jpg?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DY-taliaferro-county-georgia-mile-markers-rural-higher-education.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DY-taliaferro-county-georgia-mile-markers-rural-higher-education.jpg?resize=706%2C530&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DY-taliaferro-county-georgia-mile-markers-rural-higher-education.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>
632. <p>Editor’s Note: A version of this story first appeared in Mile Markers, a twice monthly newsletter from Open Campus about the role of colleges in rural America. You can join the mailing list at the bottom of this article to receive future editions in your inbox. “Time to stir up the pot again!” the email reads, as a [&#8230;]</p>
633. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/taliaferro-georgia-rural-education-grant-concerns-hiring-challenges/2023/12/07/">Superintendent Laments Hiring Challenges, Grant Concerns in Rural Georgia</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
634. ]]></description>
635. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="768" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DY-taliaferro-county-georgia-mile-markers-rural-higher-education.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/2023/12/DY-taliaferro-county-georgia-mile-markers-rural-higher-education.jpg?w=1292&amp;ssl=1 1292w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DY-taliaferro-county-georgia-mile-markers-rural-higher-education.jpg?resize=760%2C570&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DY-taliaferro-county-georgia-mile-markers-rural-higher-education.jpg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DY-taliaferro-county-georgia-mile-markers-rural-higher-education.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DY-taliaferro-county-georgia-mile-markers-rural-higher-education.jpg?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DY-taliaferro-county-georgia-mile-markers-rural-higher-education.jpg?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DY-taliaferro-county-georgia-mile-markers-rural-higher-education.jpg?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DY-taliaferro-county-georgia-mile-markers-rural-higher-education.jpg?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DY-taliaferro-county-georgia-mile-markers-rural-higher-education.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DY-taliaferro-county-georgia-mile-markers-rural-higher-education.jpg?resize=706%2C530&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DY-taliaferro-county-georgia-mile-markers-rural-higher-education.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>
636. <p style="font-size:14px"><em>Editor’s Note: A version of this story first appeared in <strong>Mile Markers</strong>, a twice monthly newsletter from Open Campus about the role of colleges in rural America. 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>
637.  
638.  
639.  
640. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
641.  
642.  
643.  
644. <p>“Time to stir up the pot again!” the email reads, as a message from Allen Fort hits my inbox once more.</p>
645.  
646.  
647.  
648. <p>Some readers may remember Fort, an educator for four decades and the superintendent of Taliaferro County, Georgia, whose frustrating attempt to bring broadband to his community we chronicled last year.</p>
649.  
650.  
651.  
652. <p>Back then, Fort was already saying he was tired of all the “<a href="https://www.opencampusmedia.org/2022/05/31/internet-for-all-except-rural-students/?utm_source=mile-markers.beehiiv.com&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=is-the-yak-yak-yak-back-in-rural-georgia" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">yak, yak, yak</a>” that lawmakers gave while promising aid to help rural, poor districts like his without actually bringing any meaningful change.</p>
653.  
654.  
655.  
656. <p>And now, he believes, the “yak” is back. But, first, some context.</p>
657.  
658.  
659.  
660. <p>As I reported previously, Taliaferro County is exactly the type of community that the Biden administration and Congress have promised to support in recent years, setting aside more than $400 billion across two major spending packages in 2021 alone.</p>
661.  
662.  
663.  
664. <p>State leaders and university officials in Georgia have made similar buzz,promising three things in recent years: countywide wifi connectivity, a fully operational healthcare clinic, and mental health services for the county’s students, the majority of whom are Black or Latino.&nbsp;</p>
665.  
666.  
667.  
668. <p>However, the promised broadband collapsed under a mess of bureaucracy and federal map confusion, as we <a href="https://www.opencampusmedia.org/2022/06/17/despite-pandemic-promises-of-internet-for-all-many-rural-students-remain-disconnected/?utm_source=mile-markers.beehiiv.com&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=is-the-yak-yak-yak-back-in-rural-georgia" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">previously wrote</a>. Despite launching the health clinic, Fort says it never got the support it needed from a <a href="https://www.ajc.com/blog/politics/tired-waiting-taliaferro-starts-its-own-health-care-system/kFX8Jx6l8BNDy0GrahmMbM/?utm_source=mile-markers.beehiiv.com&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=is-the-yak-yak-yak-back-in-rural-georgia" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">publicized partnership with Emory University</a>. </p>
669.  
670.  
671.  
672. <p>Then there was the federal grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration.</p>
673.  
674.  
675.  
676. <p>Awarded in 2019, the $1.5 million HRSA grant was meant to provide Taliaferro County and other counties served by Augusta University with telehealth equipment and virtual access to two health professionals: a family nurse practitioner and a psychiatric nurse practitioner.</p>
677.  
678.  
679.  
680. <p>They were able to find a family nurse to offer those virtual services. But after four years, Augusta University was never able to find somebody to take the psych nurse job and now the grant will end without it ever having been filled.</p>
681.  
682.  
683.  
684. <p>“The specific reason we are being directed to end the program is that the grant is scheduled to end in June 2024 and at the present time, we still do not have the required mental health provider needed to deliver on that part of the grant,” Caroline McKinnon, an associate professor serving as principal investigator on the grant, wrote to Fort in a November 15 email, which he passed along to us.</p>
685.  
686.  
687.  
688. <p>“Even if we were able to hire someone, it is unlikely that we would have much time for that person to work before the end of the grant. Accordingly, we are making the decision now that it would not be ethically reasonable to start services for such a short period of time.”</p>
689.  
690.  
691.  
692. <p>That decision has frustrated Fort, who wrote to me saying it was “quite indicative of today&#8217;s society &amp; government and the way they get the positive publicity in the beginning, then leave…”</p>
693.  
694.  
695.  
696. <div class="wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-layout-6 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex">
697. <div class="wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow">
698. <p>Whether or not his indictment is totally fair is arguable: Particularly for the HRSA grant, I wasn’t able to find many signs of self-promotion (or even a single press release).</p>
699.  
700.  
701.  
702. <p>However, the incident highlights some of the long-simmering trust issues between rural communities and the education institutions that try to help them.</p>
703. </div>
704.  
705.  
706.  
707. <div class="wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow">
708. <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" width="780" height="585" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DY-alan-fort-taliaferro-county-mile-markers-rural-higher-education.jpg?resize=780%2C585&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-119539" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DY-alan-fort-taliaferro-county-mile-markers-rural-higher-education.jpg?w=1292&amp;ssl=1 1292w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DY-alan-fort-taliaferro-county-mile-markers-rural-higher-education.jpg?resize=760%2C570&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DY-alan-fort-taliaferro-county-mile-markers-rural-higher-education.jpg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DY-alan-fort-taliaferro-county-mile-markers-rural-higher-education.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DY-alan-fort-taliaferro-county-mile-markers-rural-higher-education.jpg?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DY-alan-fort-taliaferro-county-mile-markers-rural-higher-education.jpg?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DY-alan-fort-taliaferro-county-mile-markers-rural-higher-education.jpg?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DY-alan-fort-taliaferro-county-mile-markers-rural-higher-education.jpg?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DY-alan-fort-taliaferro-county-mile-markers-rural-higher-education.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DY-alan-fort-taliaferro-county-mile-markers-rural-higher-education.jpg?resize=706%2C530&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DY-alan-fort-taliaferro-county-mile-markers-rural-higher-education.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Taliaferro County superintendent Alan Fort. (Photo by Nick Fouriezos)</figcaption></figure>
709. </div>
710. </div>
711.  
712.  
713.  
714. <p>Colleges and universities in rural areas across the country are in the difficult position of needing to provide more services for their communities — <a href="https://www.opencampusmedia.org/2022/08/11/when-colleges-are-abortion-providers-and-firefighters/?utm_source=mile-markers.beehiiv.com&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=is-the-yak-yak-yak-back-in-rural-georgia" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">everything from abortion providers to firefighters</a> — while working with constrained budgets. </p>
715.  
716.  
717.  
718. <p>Plus, it can be difficult to attract the type of talent needed to make good on promises made, especially as rising housing costs have made some rural places unlivable on the wages institutions can afford to pay.</p>
719.  
720.  
721.  
722. <p>“I’ve been a psych nurse all my career, and everywhere I’ve gone, including Georgia, it’s been problematic. It only got worse during the pandemic,” McKinnon told me over the phone, adding that 153 of 159 counties in Georgia are currently designated as mental health shortage areas.</p>
723.  
724.  
725.  
726. <p>“The fact is that all 6 that don’t have shortages are in the Atlanta metro area.”&nbsp;</p>
727.  
728.  
729.  
730. <p>In this case, McKinnon says they were able to provide some mental health services through a social worker who the university employed for around two years of the grant.&nbsp;</p>
731.  
732.  
733.  
734. <p>Although that social worker wasn’t able to prescribe medication, they were able to offer telehealth therapy-like services that Taliaferro County rarely took advantage of, she says (I asked for documents, but she hadn’t provided them as of press time).</p>
735.  
736.  
737.  
738. <p>“I appreciate the notion that there may be some mistrust issues when universities don’t deliver to rural counties,” McKinnon says. “But that might be a little disingenuous in this case. There were mental health services available to Taliaferro County and other partners, and I don’t know what happened in terms of them never getting people to use the services.”</p>
739.  
740.  
741.  
742. <p>Taliaferro County did its part, Fort argues, providing space and other support for the telehealth equipment, per the grant agreement with Augusta University. He did not offer a comment on McKinnon’s claim that Taliaferro County had participated less than other similar rural Georgia schools that were included in the grant.</p>
743.  
744.  
745.  
746. <div class="wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-layout-7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex">
747. <div class="wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow">
748. <p>Regardless of who exactly is at fault, it’s clear that serious frustration and trust issues remain.</p>
749.  
750.  
751.  
752. <p>“While this school system (it is the poorest county in Georgia) has spent money, given time, provided human resources needed and offered a place to do these things, where we have succeeded in our part, everyone else has not,” Fort wrote in his reply to McKinnon.</p>
753.  
754.  
755.  
756. <p>&#8220;Of course, I am not blaming you, just venting, but the &#8216;system&#8217; has failed Taliaferro County. We have done everything asked of us. We have never asked for it to be free; we have done our part, whether in providing money or manpower, to get these services for our people; everyone else has found a way to quit, leave town, yet on their way out, claim some credit for doing &#8216;something good.'&#8221;</p>
757. </div>
758.  
759.  
760.  
761. <div class="wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow">
762. <div class="wp-block-group has-light-gray-background-color has-background is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained"><div class="wp-block-group__inner-container">
763. <h2 class="wp-block-heading">More Rural Higher Ed News</h2>
764.  
765.  
766.  
767. <p style="font-size:14px"><strong>Exploring the rural broadband gap.</strong> Non-white rural residents frequently have less access to services than white residents do. But a previous study showed that’s not true with broadband speeds. The explanation isn’t easy to come by, <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/why-do-older-white-rural-residents-have-slower-broadband-speeds/2023/11/22/?utm_medium=email" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">the Daily Yonder reports</a>. </p>
768.  
769.  
770.  
771. <p style="font-size:14px"><strong>Building rural support on big campuses.</strong> The Hechinger Report, <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-11-20/often-overwhelmed-on-big-campuses-rural-college-students-push-for-support?utm_source=mile-markers.beehiiv.com&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=is-the-yak-yak-yak-back-in-rural-georgia" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">in an article</a> co-published with <a href="https://flight.beehiiv.net/v2/clicks/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.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.eODSkSiIpAkn6LqUV0FCyo_XR2Y99_qS5VjWV1xJRjE" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">the Los Angeles Times</a>, writes about how universities are building new clubs and resource centers to try to address alienation and reverse high dropout rates. </p>
772.  
773.  
774.  
775. <p style="font-size:14px"><strong>Speaking of support…</strong> Read this <a href="https://uknow.uky.edu/student-news/lewis-honors-college-students-expand-uk-s-health-care-education-reach-rural-populations?utm_source=mile-markers.beehiiv.com&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=is-the-yak-yak-yak-back-in-rural-georgia" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Kentucky News piece</a> about two honors students who founded HealthCare Cats, an organization that now boasts 160 students with the goal of “providing an avenue into college and health care opportunities for rural students of Kentucky.”</p>
776. </div></div>
777. </div>
778. </div>
779. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/taliaferro-georgia-rural-education-grant-concerns-hiring-challenges/2023/12/07/">Superintendent Laments Hiring Challenges, Grant Concerns in Rural Georgia</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
780. ]]></content:encoded>
782. <wfw:commentRss>https://dailyyonder.com/taliaferro-georgia-rural-education-grant-concerns-hiring-challenges/2023/12/07/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
783. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
786. </item>
787. <item>
788. <title>Rural Jobs Grew a Percentage Point in September, but the Longer-Term Trend Is Still a Problem</title>
789. <link>https://dailyyonder.com/rural-jobs-grew-a-percentage-point-in-september-but-the-longer-term-trend-is-still-a-problem/2023/12/06/</link>
790. <comments>https://dailyyonder.com/rural-jobs-grew-a-percentage-point-in-september-but-the-longer-term-trend-is-still-a-problem/2023/12/06/#respond</comments>
792. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Sarah Melotte]]></dc:creator>
793. <pubDate>Wed, 06 Dec 2023 11:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
794. <category><![CDATA[Economy]]></category>
795. <category><![CDATA[data]]></category>
796. <category><![CDATA[employment]]></category>
797. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=119477</guid>
798.  
799. <description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="667" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/8B8tW-percentage-change-in-employment-september-2019-september-2023-copy-.png?fit=1024%2C667&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/2023/12/8B8tW-percentage-change-in-employment-september-2019-september-2023-copy-.png?w=1240&amp;ssl=1 1240w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/8B8tW-percentage-change-in-employment-september-2019-september-2023-copy-.png?resize=760%2C495&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/8B8tW-percentage-change-in-employment-september-2019-september-2023-copy-.png?resize=768%2C500&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/8B8tW-percentage-change-in-employment-september-2019-september-2023-copy-.png?resize=1200%2C782&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/8B8tW-percentage-change-in-employment-september-2019-september-2023-copy-.png?resize=1024%2C667&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/8B8tW-percentage-change-in-employment-september-2019-september-2023-copy-.png?resize=400%2C261&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/8B8tW-percentage-change-in-employment-september-2019-september-2023-copy-.png?resize=706%2C460&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/8B8tW-percentage-change-in-employment-september-2019-september-2023-copy-.png?fit=1024%2C667&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>
800. <p>Less than half of rural counties have as many jobs now as they did before the pandemic, according to a Daily Yonder analysis.</p>
801. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/rural-jobs-grew-a-percentage-point-in-september-but-the-longer-term-trend-is-still-a-problem/2023/12/06/">Rural Jobs Grew a Percentage Point in September, but the Longer-Term Trend Is Still a Problem</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
802. ]]></description>
803. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="667" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/8B8tW-percentage-change-in-employment-september-2019-september-2023-copy-.png?fit=1024%2C667&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/2023/12/8B8tW-percentage-change-in-employment-september-2019-september-2023-copy-.png?w=1240&amp;ssl=1 1240w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/8B8tW-percentage-change-in-employment-september-2019-september-2023-copy-.png?resize=760%2C495&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/8B8tW-percentage-change-in-employment-september-2019-september-2023-copy-.png?resize=768%2C500&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/8B8tW-percentage-change-in-employment-september-2019-september-2023-copy-.png?resize=1200%2C782&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/8B8tW-percentage-change-in-employment-september-2019-september-2023-copy-.png?resize=1024%2C667&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/8B8tW-percentage-change-in-employment-september-2019-september-2023-copy-.png?resize=400%2C261&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/8B8tW-percentage-change-in-employment-september-2019-september-2023-copy-.png?resize=706%2C460&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/8B8tW-percentage-change-in-employment-september-2019-september-2023-copy-.png?fit=1024%2C667&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>
804. <iframe title="Percentage Change in Employment, September, 2019 - September, 2023" aria-label="Map" id="datawrapper-chart-nToYX" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/nToYX/8/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="562" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();
805. </script>
806.  
807.  
808.  
809. <p>Rural America added more than 200,000 jobs over the past year but is still below pre-pandemic employment levels, according to a Daily Yonder analysis.</p>
810.  
811.  
812.  
813. <p>The failure to reach full recovery three and a half years after the start of the pandemic is related to larger trends, including an aging population, lack of childcare, and lower levels of formal education, according to an economist.</p>
814.  
815.  
816.  
817. <p>Rural employment grew to 20.4 million in September 2023, the latest month for which county-level jobs data is available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s an increase of 1% from last year. But rural America still has 64,000 fewer jobs this year than it did the same time in 2019, before the pandemic.&nbsp;</p>
818.  
819.  
820.  
821. <p>Meanwhile, metropolitan counties have gained back more jobs than they lost during the pandemic.</p>
822.  
823.  
824.  
825. <p>“Rural areas took a hit,” said Elizabeth Davis, Ph.D., professor of applied economics at the University of Minnesota.</p>
826.  
827.  
828.  
829. <p>Rural counties haven’t fully recovered from the 2008 financial crisis, much less the drop in employment brought on by the pandemic, Davis said.&nbsp;</p>
830.  
831.  
832.  
833. <p>Every month, the BLS releases data on the number of employed and unemployed people for every county for the preceding 14 months. To take a look at longer employment trends, I compared each month between January of 2020 and September of 2023 to the same month in 2019. The result gives a percentage change in employment from the last full year of pre-pandemic employment. Comparing the same months each year removes seasonal variations that affect employment.</p>
834.  
835.  
836.  
837. <p>Take this graph, for example. The start date is January of 2020, which I compared to the employment numbers of January of 2019. February of 2020 then shows the change since February of 2019, and so on. By September of 2023, employment in urban areas grew by 2%, while rural areas decreased by 0.31%, compared to pre-pandemic employment.</p>
838.  
839.  
840.  
841. <iframe title="Change in Employment Compared to Same Month in 2019" aria-label="Interactive line chart" id="datawrapper-chart-y3Dek" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/y3Dek/8/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="289" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();
842. </script>
843.  
844.  
845.  
846. <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Urban Counties Recovered Faster than Rural Ones, but the Gap Is Closing</strong></h3>
847.  
848.  
849.  
850. <p>At the start of the pandemic in early 2020, rural counties initially didn't suffer as much job loss as urban counties. Employment dropped 13% in April 2020 compared to 2019, while urban counties had a 15% decrease for the same period. </p>
851.  
852.  
853.  
854. <p>(We’re using the <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/guidance/document/defining-rural-population#:~:text=Office%20of%20Management%20and%20Budget%20Definition&amp;text=All%20counties%20that%20are%20not,as%20either%20Metro%20or%20Micro.">Office of Management and Budget (OMB)</a> guidelines to categorize counties as either metropolitan or nonmetropolitan. The OMB metropolitan definition is based on the size of a city in the county and/or the commuting patterns of county residents. Counties not categorized as metropolitan are nonmetropolitan. We are using this nonmetropolitan category as a proxy for rural.)</p>
855.  
856.  
857.  
858. <p>By May, employment nationwide began to recover. Rural counties were actually ahead of urban ones in employment recovery for the first year of the pandemic. After that, urban gains eclipsed rural gains in employment. The graph below shows how that gap widened noticeably in January 2022.</p>
859.  
860.  
861.  
862. <iframe title="Percentage Point Gap Between Rural and Urban Change in Employment" aria-label="Interactive line chart" id="datawrapper-chart-4t2IL" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/4t2IL/5/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="289" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();</script>
863.  
864.  
865.  
866. <p>This graph shows a gap in recovery rates of rural and urban counties. Where the red line is below zero, rural areas were doing better than urban ones. When the red line is above zero, urban areas are doing better. During the second year of the pandemic, urban job recovery outpaced rural recovery by larger margins.</p>
867.  
868.  
869.  
870. <p>As of September of 2023 (the most recent data available), urban employment recovery was 2.5 percentage points higher than rural recovery.</p>
871.  
872.  
873.  
874. <p>Only 43% of rural counties have returned to pre-pandemic or better employment numbers, while about two-thirds of urban counties have. If we break that analysis into different sizes of urban/metropolitan counties, we find that the suburbs of major and medium-sized metro areas did the best. Small metros (under 250,000 residents) were the worst-performing metropolitan counties. And rural/nonmetropolitan places were the least likely to have fully recovered.&nbsp;</p>
875.  
876.  
877.  
878. <iframe title="Percent of Counties Back to 2019 Employment Level" aria-label="Column Chart" id="datawrapper-chart-dJf3W" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/dJf3W/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="289" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();</script>
879.  
880.  
881.  
882. <p>Rural counties made up 95 of the top 100 counties with the most employment loss. Six percent (122) of rural counties have 10% fewer jobs now than they did in 2019, compared to only 0.7% of urban counties.</p>
883.  
884.  
885.  
886. <p>But the good news is that the rural/urban gap has been narrowing over the past few months. Five out of the nine months in 2023 saw a decrease in the disparity between rural and urban counties. The gap was 3 points in January, compared to 2.5 points in September of this year.</p>
887.  
888.  
889.  
890. <iframe title="Percentage Change in Employment Since September 2019" aria-label="Table" id="datawrapper-chart-Iuc1X" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/Iuc1X/3/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="769" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();</script>
891.  
892.  
893.  
894. <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Possible Factors: <strong>Lack of Childcare, Lower Levels of Formal Education, Older Populations </strong></h3>
895.  
896.  
897.  
898. <p>Davis, the University of Minnesota professor, said it can be hard to generalize about rural employment because rural areas are so different from each other. But there are a few demographic factors she said might be at play in employment recovery. </p>
899.  
900.  
901.  
902. <p>“We hear a lot of employers concerned about the lack of childcare because they can’t find workers,” Davis said. “They hear from their workers and their families that they can’t find childcare so they can’t work, or can’t work full time.”</p>
903.  
904.  
905.  
906. <p>Davis said it’s challenging to sustain childcare centers in rural areas because the market is smaller. There may not be enough families with young children who can afford to pay for childcare to sustain such businesses.&nbsp;Lower wages and higher <a href="https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/99149/insights_on_access_to_quality_child_care_for_families_living_in_rural_areas_1.pdf">costs of transportation</a> in rural areas can also affect household decisions about childcare.</p>
907.  
908.  
909.  
910. <iframe title="How Is Your County Doing?" aria-label="Table" id="datawrapper-chart-NB64k" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/NB64k/2/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="795" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();</script>
911.  
912.  
913.  
914. <p>A greater share of the rural population is also moving into retirement, which reduces the number of employed people.&nbsp;</p>
915.  
916.  
917.  
918. <p>“The aging of the workforce is happening faster in rural areas than urban areas,” Davis said.&nbsp;</p>
919.  
920.  
921.  
922. <p>The median age of the rural population is 43, compared to 36 for the urban population, according to the <a href="https://www.census.gov/newsroom/blogs/random-samplings/2016/12/a_glance_at_the_age.html#:~:text=Rural%20America%20is%20older%20than,participation%2C%20educational%20attainment%20and%20earnings.">Census</a>.&nbsp;</p>
923.  
924.  
925.  
926. <p>Not only are employers having trouble finding employees of working age who can afford childcare, but lower levels of formal education in rural America can also shrink the pool of potentially employable people.&nbsp;</p>
927.  
928.  
929.  
930. <p>Although education levels are on the rise in small towns and rural places, they still haven’t caught up with urban levels. Twenty-one percent<a href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/chart-gallery/gallery/chart-detail/?chartId=106147"> of rural residents over the age of 25 have a bachelor’s degree</a>, up from 15% in 2000. The share of the urban population with a bachelor’s degree increased from 26% to 36% during the same time period, which widened the gap between rural and urban education levels.</p>
931. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/rural-jobs-grew-a-percentage-point-in-september-but-the-longer-term-trend-is-still-a-problem/2023/12/06/">Rural Jobs Grew a Percentage Point in September, but the Longer-Term Trend Is Still a Problem</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
932. ]]></content:encoded>
934. <wfw:commentRss>https://dailyyonder.com/rural-jobs-grew-a-percentage-point-in-september-but-the-longer-term-trend-is-still-a-problem/2023/12/06/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
935. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
938. </item>
939. <item>
940. <title>How Do You Vote Under a Failed Electoral System?</title>
941. <link>https://dailyyonder.com/the-lesser-of-two-evils/2023/12/06/</link>
942. <comments>https://dailyyonder.com/the-lesser-of-two-evils/2023/12/06/#respond</comments>
944. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Claire Carlson]]></dc:creator>
945. <pubDate>Wed, 06 Dec 2023 10:58:00 +0000</pubDate>
946. <category><![CDATA[Politics and Government]]></category>
947. <category><![CDATA[keep it rural]]></category>
948. <category><![CDATA[politics]]></category>
949. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=119564</guid>
950.  
951. <description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="684" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/elliott-stallion-1UY8UuUkids-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C684&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/2023/12/elliott-stallion-1UY8UuUkids-unsplash-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/elliott-stallion-1UY8UuUkids-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C508&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/elliott-stallion-1UY8UuUkids-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C866&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/elliott-stallion-1UY8UuUkids-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C513&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/elliott-stallion-1UY8UuUkids-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1026&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/elliott-stallion-1UY8UuUkids-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1368&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/elliott-stallion-1UY8UuUkids-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C802&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/elliott-stallion-1UY8UuUkids-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C684&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/elliott-stallion-1UY8UuUkids-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C400&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/elliott-stallion-1UY8UuUkids-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C1047&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/elliott-stallion-1UY8UuUkids-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/elliott-stallion-1UY8UuUkids-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C472&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/elliott-stallion-1UY8UuUkids-unsplash-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/elliott-stallion-1UY8UuUkids-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C684&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>
952. <p>Thinking of our preferred political candidate as “the lesser of two evils” might help us in the short term. But what if we imagined a different future?</p>
953. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/the-lesser-of-two-evils/2023/12/06/">How Do You Vote Under a Failed Electoral System?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
954. ]]></description>
955. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="684" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/elliott-stallion-1UY8UuUkids-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C684&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/2023/12/elliott-stallion-1UY8UuUkids-unsplash-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/elliott-stallion-1UY8UuUkids-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C508&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/elliott-stallion-1UY8UuUkids-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C866&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/elliott-stallion-1UY8UuUkids-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C513&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/elliott-stallion-1UY8UuUkids-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1026&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/elliott-stallion-1UY8UuUkids-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1368&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/elliott-stallion-1UY8UuUkids-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C802&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/elliott-stallion-1UY8UuUkids-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C684&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/elliott-stallion-1UY8UuUkids-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C400&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/elliott-stallion-1UY8UuUkids-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C1047&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/elliott-stallion-1UY8UuUkids-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/elliott-stallion-1UY8UuUkids-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C472&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/elliott-stallion-1UY8UuUkids-unsplash-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/elliott-stallion-1UY8UuUkids-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C684&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>
956. <p class="has-small-font-size"><em>Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/keep-it-rural/">Keep It Rural</a>, an email newsletter from the Daily Yonder. Like what you see? <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/qa-wheres-the-water-gone-on-learning-to-forget-with-lucas-bessire/2023/01/27/#signup">Join the mailing list</a> for more rural news, thoughts, and analysis in your inbox each week.</em></p>
957.  
958.  
959.  
960. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
961.  
962.  
963.  
964. <p>In just over one year, we will be entering a new presidential term very likely led by current president Joe Biden or former president Donald Trump, lest death or surprise alternative candidates materialize.</p>
965.  
966.  
967.  
968. <p>For some people (especially young and first-time voters) these choices seem bleak, and I’ve heard stirrings that some might abstain from voting altogether. This isn’t surprising: America’s voter turnout is usually low, with the past three big election cycles (2018, 2020, and 2022) garnering 49%, 66%, and 46% voter turnout respectively, according to Pew Research <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2023/07/12/voter-turnout-2018-2022/">data</a>. This is definitely the case in rural America where voter turnout is lower than urban areas for reasons from the <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/lack-of-access-to-infrastructure-hurts-voter-participation-in-rural-america/2023/04/11/">lack of convenient voting infrastructure</a> to more <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/qa-why-is-the-government-losing-rural-americas-trust/2022/01/14/">animosity toward the government</a>.&nbsp;</p>
969.  
970.  
971.  
972. <p>This last point I want to hone in on, because I’ve been chewing on a version of it myself for the past several months now.&nbsp;</p>
973.  
974.  
975.  
976. <p>Anarchism is an anti-state political philosophy with a vision for a world without government. The philosophy has long been present in rural communities and is perhaps exemplified best by the late folk singer and labor organizer Utah Phillips who lived by the motto that his body was a ballot:</p>
977.  
978.  
979.  
980. <p>“‘Cast that body ballot on behalf of the people around you every day of your life, every day. And don’t let anybody ever tell you you haven’t voted,’” Phillips told fellow Nevada City, California resident and writer Carolyn Crane in an article for <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/voting-first-time/">The Nation</a> of the motto he was once told by a another anarchist.</p>
981.  
982.  
983.  
984. <p>This 2004 conversation marked the first time Phillips would vote, because in the wake of former president George W. Bush’s first term, amid the Iraq War, he thought the state of the world had become too bleak not to vote.&nbsp;</p>
985.  
986.  
987.  
988. <p>“What’s the best chance they’ve got to keep them from being bombed and killed? I don’t know. [2004 presidential candidate John] Kerry is an unknown quantity. Bush is a known quantity. A crapshoot, isn’t it? But I’m going to stand in for one of these people. And if I’m wrong, I’m wrong by myself,” Phillips said.&nbsp;</p>
989.  
990.  
991.  
992. <p>We’re facing a similar crisis now amid the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, with the real&nbsp; possibility of another Trump presidency. A great <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2024/01/donald-trump-second-term-policies/676176/">package</a> of forthcoming articles from The Atlantic articulates what could happen if Trump is reelected thanks to the conservative Supreme Court he successfully nominated in his first term. He’s threatened, time again, that he will not appoint any White House aides and cabinet officials who might restrain him as they did his first term. Legal experts fear his <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/election-deniers-focus-recruitment-in-out-of-the-way-places/2023/09/13/">stolen-election fervor</a>, his hate toward anyone outside his far-right bubble, will <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/04/us/politics/trump-2025-overview.html?campaign_id=9&amp;emc=edit_nn_20231205&amp;instance_id=109342&amp;nl=the-morning&amp;regi_id=34241548&amp;segment_id=151748&amp;te=1&amp;user_id=b720c6999df8b8c26ddd5e5ccd27b9d6">create</a> a much more radical, and more effective, presidency than his first.&nbsp;</p>
993.  
994.  
995.  
996. <p>I know a lot of people who are angry at President Biden for a lot of reasons – his <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/world/biden-netanyahu-bear-hug-disaster/">“bear-hug”</a> of support for Israel, the erosion of abortion rights thanks to the dissolution of Roe v. Wade, and the inability to make good on a promise to cancel student loan debt, to name just a few. The direct responsibility he holds in the outcome of these issues varies, with the conservative Supreme Court and tumultuous Congress less than helpful to his efforts.&nbsp;</p>
997.  
998.  
999.  
1000. <p>Voters are understandably disappointed to have just two viable presidential choices, or in some places only one if the community you live in is dominated by a political party, like in many rural areas.&nbsp;</p>
1001.  
1002.  
1003.  
1004. <p>This limited choice is because in almost every state, whichever candidate wins the popular vote is given every single electoral vote assigned to the state, a number determined by the state’s population. If you vote against the popular candidate in your community, your vote is not counted toward the total number of votes a certain candidate gets from the states. This is the difference between the electoral college – the system the United States currently votes under – and a direct popular vote. It’s what people reference when they say Hillary Clinton got more popular votes but less electoral votes against Trump during the 2016 election. In this country, you don’t have to be popular to win.&nbsp;</p>
1005.  
1006.  
1007.  
1008. <p>The electoral college has restricted voter options so much that you <em>can’t </em>be an issue voter, as many young people are showing a <a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/11/26/1215298017/what-young-voters-want-in-2024">tendency</a> to be, only a party voter. The push to “vote blue no matter who,” for example, can be an unbearably restrictive plea that leaves people feeling like there’s no way to influence the issues they care about if their candidate is not part of the Republican or Democratic parties. As rural sociologist Loka Ashwood put it in a Daily Yonder <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/qa-why-is-the-government-losing-rural-americas-trust/2022/01/14/">interview</a>, “parties mediate the power of any one vote through a web of bureaucracy that constrains the direct action important to the people who go to the polls.”</p>
1009.  
1010.  
1011.  
1012. <p>So what option is there? Does choosing a president always have to be a choice between the “lesser of two evils,” which is itself a flawed framework? Unless a viable third candidate arises in the next year, or a movement is able to effectively reign the <a href="https://scholarlycommons.law.hofstra.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1561&amp;context=faculty_scholarship">strategic power of withholding a vote</a> (perhaps dubious, but an anarchist’s favorite move), I don’t know what other option there is. Utah Phillips’ choice to vote for either Kerry or Bush feels similar to the decision we’ll make next year, but unlike in 2004, at least both Biden and Trump are known quantities. We have seen, and can predict with more certainty, what each of their presidencies would bring. Is there one that might do less harm?&nbsp;</p>
1013.  
1014.  
1015.  
1016. <p>The only way this cost-benefit analysis is palatable to me is if I look beyond next year’s election. Much of the pessimism about the state of our country and our world comes out of a failure to imagine what could be different.</p>
1017.  
1018.  
1019.  
1020. <p>The electoral college has failed us spectacularly and it will take an unbelievable amount of work to change the way our votes count. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try: Progress is and always will be an ongoing process.&nbsp;</p>
1021. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/the-lesser-of-two-evils/2023/12/06/">How Do You Vote Under a Failed Electoral System?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
1022. ]]></content:encoded>
1024. <wfw:commentRss>https://dailyyonder.com/the-lesser-of-two-evils/2023/12/06/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
1025. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
1028. </item>
1029. <item>
1030. <title>Coastal Oregon County Tackles ‘Urban Scale’ Housing Issues</title>
1031. <link>https://dailyyonder.com/coastal-oregon-county-tackles-urban-scale-housing-issues/2023/12/05/</link>
1032. <comments>https://dailyyonder.com/coastal-oregon-county-tackles-urban-scale-housing-issues/2023/12/05/#respond</comments>
1034. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Claire Carlson]]></dc:creator>
1035. <pubDate>Tue, 05 Dec 2023 11:01:00 +0000</pubDate>
1036. <category><![CDATA[Housing]]></category>
1037. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=119427</guid>
1038.  
1039. <description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="680" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/greetings-from-seaside.png?fit=1024%2C680&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/2023/12/greetings-from-seaside.png?w=1072&amp;ssl=1 1072w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/greetings-from-seaside.png?resize=760%2C505&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/greetings-from-seaside.png?resize=768%2C510&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/greetings-from-seaside.png?resize=1024%2C680&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/greetings-from-seaside.png?resize=400%2C266&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/greetings-from-seaside.png?resize=706%2C469&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/greetings-from-seaside.png?fit=1024%2C680&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>
1040. <p>Cloudy skies loomed over the small coastal town of Seaside, Oregon, on a November morning earlier this year, but the rain stayed away as a group of residents, healthcare workers, and city officials gathered outside of what was, up until a few months ago, a Red Lion Inn.&#160; The group was gathered to celebrate the [&#8230;]</p>
1041. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/coastal-oregon-county-tackles-urban-scale-housing-issues/2023/12/05/">Coastal Oregon County Tackles ‘Urban Scale’ Housing Issues</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
1042. ]]></description>
1043. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="680" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/greetings-from-seaside.png?fit=1024%2C680&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/2023/12/greetings-from-seaside.png?w=1072&amp;ssl=1 1072w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/greetings-from-seaside.png?resize=760%2C505&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/greetings-from-seaside.png?resize=768%2C510&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/greetings-from-seaside.png?resize=1024%2C680&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/greetings-from-seaside.png?resize=400%2C266&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/greetings-from-seaside.png?resize=706%2C469&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/greetings-from-seaside.png?fit=1024%2C680&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>
1044. <p>Cloudy skies loomed over the small coastal town of Seaside, Oregon, on a November morning earlier this year, but the rain stayed away as a group of residents, healthcare workers, and city officials gathered outside of what was, up until a few months ago, a Red Lion Inn.&nbsp;</p>
1045.  
1046.  
1047.  
1048. <p>The group was gathered to celebrate the former hotel’s new role as an affordable housing development for people struggling with chronic homelessness and as transitional housing for the local hospital’s workforce.&nbsp;</p>
1049.  
1050.  
1051.  
1052. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" width="780" height="519" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/4318aa68-2b40-4558-a1f9-4ba868939127.jpg?resize=780%2C519&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-119471" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/4318aa68-2b40-4558-a1f9-4ba868939127-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C863&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/4318aa68-2b40-4558-a1f9-4ba868939127-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C506&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/4318aa68-2b40-4558-a1f9-4ba868939127-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/4318aa68-2b40-4558-a1f9-4ba868939127-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1023&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/4318aa68-2b40-4558-a1f9-4ba868939127-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1364&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/4318aa68-2b40-4558-a1f9-4ba868939127-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C799&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/4318aa68-2b40-4558-a1f9-4ba868939127-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/4318aa68-2b40-4558-a1f9-4ba868939127-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C400&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/4318aa68-2b40-4558-a1f9-4ba868939127-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C1044&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/4318aa68-2b40-4558-a1f9-4ba868939127-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C266&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/4318aa68-2b40-4558-a1f9-4ba868939127-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C470&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/4318aa68-2b40-4558-a1f9-4ba868939127-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/4318aa68-2b40-4558-a1f9-4ba868939127-1296x863.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The exterior of the former Red Lion Inn in Seaside, Oregon.&nbsp;(Photo by Claire Carlson)</figcaption></figure>
1053.  
1054.  
1055.  
1056. <p>While Seaside is one of several small towns in northwest Oregon’s Clatsop County that is known for its bucolic tourism industry, the region is struggling with a lesser-known but dire housing shortage where <a href="https://www.clatsopcounty.gov/county/page/clatsop-county-groups-awarded-386-million-address-homelessness#:~:text=One%20out%20of%2040%20individuals,homeless%20youth%20in%20rural%20Oregon.">one out of every 40</a> individuals is homeless. This is the highest per capita homelessness rate of any county in the state of Oregon. </p>
1057.  
1058.  
1059.  
1060. <p>There are plenty of theories why this coastal county’s housing problem has gotten so bad, but officials say it boils down to one key issue: a lack of money for rural affordable housing development.</p>
1061.  
1062.  
1063.  
1064. <p>“We have urban-scale problems in a rural area, but we only have rural-level resources to address it,” said Elissa Gertler in a Daily Yonder interview. Gertler was appointed housing manager for Clatsop County earlier this year. Her position is newly made to tackle the region’s housing issues.&nbsp;</p>
1065.  
1066.  
1067.  
1068. <p>Gertler says these “urban-scale problems” come in the form of tourism, which at its summer peak can nearly double the population of Clatsop County from <a href="https://www.clatsopcounty.gov/media/10096">41,000 year-round to 80,000</a>. Vacation homes dot the shoreline, and finding an affordable long-term rental is tough, locals say. The median home sale price in Clatsop County in October of 2023 was $539,000, according to <a href="https://www.redfin.com/county/2328/OR/Clatsop-County/housing-market">data</a> from the real estate company Redfin.</p>
1069.  
1070.  
1071.  
1072. <figure class="wp-block-pullquote"><blockquote><p>“We have urban-scale problems in a rural area, but we only have rural-level resources to address it.”</p></blockquote></figure>
1073.  
1074.  
1075.  
1076. <p>Oregon also has some of the strictest building regulations in the country, which makes any new development difficult. Building on the coast is even more challenging because of tsunami zones and national forest land that limit where new construction can occur.</p>
1077.  
1078.  
1079.  
1080. <p>This is where the Red Lion Inn comes into play. The building, purchased earlier this year by the state’s health care plan CareOregon that serves Oregonians on Medicaid, doesn’t face the construction challenges that other affordable housing projects contend with on the coast because it’s already built. The Red Lion Inn just needs renovation, which began in early November when the project’s leaders and county officials gathered at a ceremonial “groundbreaking” event.&nbsp;</p>
1081.  
1082.  
1083.  
1084. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" width="780" height="519" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/933cc6ca-d7f0-4efe-a7c3-4ae5127f35b0.jpg?resize=780%2C519&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-119455" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/933cc6ca-d7f0-4efe-a7c3-4ae5127f35b0-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C863&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/933cc6ca-d7f0-4efe-a7c3-4ae5127f35b0-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C506&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/933cc6ca-d7f0-4efe-a7c3-4ae5127f35b0-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/933cc6ca-d7f0-4efe-a7c3-4ae5127f35b0-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1023&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/933cc6ca-d7f0-4efe-a7c3-4ae5127f35b0-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1364&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/933cc6ca-d7f0-4efe-a7c3-4ae5127f35b0-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C799&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/933cc6ca-d7f0-4efe-a7c3-4ae5127f35b0-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/933cc6ca-d7f0-4efe-a7c3-4ae5127f35b0-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C400&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/933cc6ca-d7f0-4efe-a7c3-4ae5127f35b0-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C1044&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/933cc6ca-d7f0-4efe-a7c3-4ae5127f35b0-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C266&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/933cc6ca-d7f0-4efe-a7c3-4ae5127f35b0-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C470&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/933cc6ca-d7f0-4efe-a7c3-4ae5127f35b0-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/933cc6ca-d7f0-4efe-a7c3-4ae5127f35b0-1296x863.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">CareOregon employees and Clatsop County officials pose with sledgehammers and hard hats in the lobby of what used to be the Red Lion Inn.&nbsp;(Photo by Claire Carlson)<br></figcaption></figure>
1085.  
1086.  
1087.  
1088. <p>Once finished, 55 rooms will be available for rent: 37 for workforce housing and 18 for low-income housing. The building should be move-in ready by late spring of 2024, according to the project’s leaders. Rent hasn’t been determined yet, but the tentative number named at the groundbreaking event for workforce housing was $1,100 per month, utilities included. This number could change before next spring, project leaders emphasized.</p>
1089.  
1090.  
1091.  
1092. <p>The Red Lion Inn housing project is one glimmer of hope in a rural area that’s been struggling to gain access to resources to address their housing needs.</p>
1093.  
1094.  
1095.  
1096. <p>In March of 2023, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek <a href="https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2023/03/200-million-housing-homelessness-package-clears-legislature.html">signed into law</a> a $200 million spending package to address the state’s homelessness crisis. The state’s most populous counties – Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington – were granted between $4,000 and $6,000 for every unsheltered person. Even though Clatsop County has the highest rate of homelessness in the state, it received just $1,500 per unsheltered person.&nbsp;</p>
1097.  
1098.  
1099.  
1100. <p>Clatsop officials petitioned the state for more money and in September were given <a href="https://www.clatsopcounty.gov/county/page/clatsop-county-groups-awarded-386-million-address-homelessness">$3.8 million</a>, more than any other rural Oregon county. About one-third of this money went to Clatsop Community Action to convert the Columbia Inn in Astoria to a homeless shelter, one-third to LIFEBoat Services to pay for shelter beds, and the last third to fund a <a href="https://www.oregon.gov/oem/pages/housing-emergency-executive-orders.aspx">multi-agency coordination group</a> for planning between local and state housing services.&nbsp;</p>
1101.  
1102.  
1103.  
1104. <figure class="wp-block-pullquote"><blockquote><p>“We are dependent on our partnership with the state in a way that I think the large urban areas don&#8217;t have to be [because] they have more local tools.” </p></blockquote></figure>
1105.  
1106.  
1107.  
1108. <p>But the struggle to get this money highlights an issue all too familiar to rural communities: <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/study-rural-communities-still-at-disadvantage-when-competing-for-govt-grants/2023/10/16/">inequitable access to state and federal grants</a>. Learning about what grants are available is the first hurdle that rural counties must overcome, then devoting the time and money to apply for them is its own struggle. In small counties with limited resources to devote to this process, it can be extremely difficult to compete with metro areas for the same money.&nbsp;</p>
1109.  
1110.  
1111.  
1112. <p>Gertler, the Clatsop County housing manager, said Oregon Housing and Community Services has been working with Clatsop County to understand this issue and remove barriers to the grant application process, but nothing has changed yet, even though smaller counties depend on state money in a way cities don’t have to.</p>
1113.  
1114.  
1115.  
1116. <p>“We are dependent on our partnership with the state in a way that I think the large urban areas don&#8217;t have to be [because] they have more local tools,” Gertler said. These tools include non-profit, faith-based, and other local organizations that organize around homelessness in cities. These organizations exist in Clatsop County, too, but not to the same extent as in Oregon’s metro areas.&nbsp;</p>
1117.  
1118.  
1119.  
1120. <p>One resource that does operate in Clatsop County is Helping Hands, a non-profit organization that provides low-barrier emergency shelters and long-term recovery services to people struggling with homelessness, mental health issues, or addiction. They provide more than 350 beds to unsheltered people in five Oregon counties, rural and urban. But they’ve struggled to get state funds, too.&nbsp;</p>
1121.  
1122.  
1123.  
1124. <p>“[The state] makes all the [funding] decisions based off of the people who are on fire, the people who need [help] the most,” said Alan Evans, president of Helping Hands, in a Daily Yonder interview. Evans said they’ve been left out of grant funding from the state because they prioritize a long-term recovery model versus short-term mental health and addiction solutions. Helping Hands relies primarily on donations and a limited number of grants to operate.&nbsp;</p>
1125.  
1126.  
1127.  
1128. <p>“We&#8217;re a community-based organization that believes investing in people to be sustainable in a community is the number one thing,” Evans said. “To find out that the funding streams available don’t support that, [that points to] the deeper issue of why we&#8217;re having this [housing] problem.”</p>
1129.  
1130.  
1131.  
1132. <p>The Red Lion Inn project is an attempt to solve part of this problem, focusing mainly on housing for local healthcare providers and some housing for low-income people.&nbsp;</p>
1133.  
1134.  
1135.  
1136. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" width="780" height="519" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/1b507f09-972e-4df7-b102-80fe7da851af.jpg?resize=780%2C519&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-119468" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/1b507f09-972e-4df7-b102-80fe7da851af-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C863&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/1b507f09-972e-4df7-b102-80fe7da851af-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C506&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/1b507f09-972e-4df7-b102-80fe7da851af-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/1b507f09-972e-4df7-b102-80fe7da851af-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1023&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/1b507f09-972e-4df7-b102-80fe7da851af-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1364&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/1b507f09-972e-4df7-b102-80fe7da851af-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C799&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/1b507f09-972e-4df7-b102-80fe7da851af-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/1b507f09-972e-4df7-b102-80fe7da851af-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C400&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/1b507f09-972e-4df7-b102-80fe7da851af-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C1044&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/1b507f09-972e-4df7-b102-80fe7da851af-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C266&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/1b507f09-972e-4df7-b102-80fe7da851af-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C470&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/1b507f09-972e-4df7-b102-80fe7da851af-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/1b507f09-972e-4df7-b102-80fe7da851af-1296x863.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">CareOregon CEO Eric Hunter reveals the new logo of the affordable housing development that will take the place of the Red Lion Inn, to be called Hawk’s Eye Apartments. (Photo by Claire Carlson) </figcaption></figure>
1137.  
1138.  
1139.  
1140. <p>The workforce housing will provide short-term, motel-style rooms for healthcare workers moving to Clatsop County to work at Providence Hospital, located in Seaside. Like many rural communities, Clatsop County faces a dearth of healthcare providers, especially for specialty care like rheumatologists, gastroenterologists, and psychiatrists. The hospital recently hired its first pediatrician, according to Pamela Cooper, director of finance at Providence Hospital. She is closely involved in the hospital’s hiring and onboarding process for new employees, and has taken on a role her colleagues call the “landlord wrangler.”&nbsp;</p>
1141.  
1142.  
1143.  
1144. <p>“When [new employees] take on a job and they move to the area, they usually don&#8217;t have the money right away to buy a home,” Cooper said in a Daily Yonder interview. “And they don&#8217;t have the income history if they&#8217;re right out of school, or sometimes they have to sell another home, or maybe they don&#8217;t know exactly where they want to purchase. And so they need what we call transitional time to be in a rental.”&nbsp;</p>
1145.  
1146.  
1147.  
1148. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img decoding="async" width="780" height="519" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/4a87ddbb-5548-4467-a953-0aab24b22ae6.jpg?resize=780%2C519&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-119447" style="width:810px;height:auto" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/4a87ddbb-5548-4467-a953-0aab24b22ae6-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C863&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/4a87ddbb-5548-4467-a953-0aab24b22ae6-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C506&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/4a87ddbb-5548-4467-a953-0aab24b22ae6-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/4a87ddbb-5548-4467-a953-0aab24b22ae6-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1023&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/4a87ddbb-5548-4467-a953-0aab24b22ae6-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1364&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/4a87ddbb-5548-4467-a953-0aab24b22ae6-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C799&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/4a87ddbb-5548-4467-a953-0aab24b22ae6-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/4a87ddbb-5548-4467-a953-0aab24b22ae6-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C400&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/4a87ddbb-5548-4467-a953-0aab24b22ae6-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C1044&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/4a87ddbb-5548-4467-a953-0aab24b22ae6-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C266&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/4a87ddbb-5548-4467-a953-0aab24b22ae6-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C470&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/4a87ddbb-5548-4467-a953-0aab24b22ae6-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/4a87ddbb-5548-4467-a953-0aab24b22ae6-1296x863.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Providence Hospital’s director of finance Pamela Cooper at the November 9 groundbreaking event at the former Red Lion Inn.&nbsp;(Photo by Claire Carlson)<br></figcaption></figure>
1149.  
1150.  
1151.  
1152. <p>These rentals are extremely hard to find on the Oregon coast, which is why Cooper’s role in establishing agreements with local landlords to rent to her employees is so essential. The Red Lion conversion project promises to add a significant number of rental properties available to the pool of options Cooper has already created, which should help improve the region’s access to quality healthcare.&nbsp;</p>
1153.  
1154.  
1155.  
1156. <figure class="wp-block-pullquote"><blockquote><p>“It is a small step in solving the problem, but it is going to get perpetually worse if we don&#8217;t support all the programs that provide [housing] services in the community.”</p></blockquote></figure>
1157.  
1158.  
1159.  
1160. <p>As for the Red Lion Inn project’s 18 low-income housing rentals, they promise to provide stable housing to people struggling with mental health and addiction. On-site management from Clatsop Behavioral Health will be made available for the supportive housing tenants.&nbsp;</p>
1161.  
1162.  
1163.  
1164. <p>While the project won’t solve Clatsop County’s homelessness crisis, community members say it’s a step in the right direction, and addresses the adjacent issue of rural healthcare access.</p>
1165.  
1166.  
1167.  
1168. <p>“I think [the Red Lion project] is something that’s direly needed,” Evans from Helping Hands said. But without continued support for every level of Clatsop County’s housing crisis – from homelessness resources to providing more housing to middle-class residents – the area will continue to suffer, according to Evans.</p>
1169.  
1170.  
1171.  
1172. <p>“It is a small step in solving the problem, but it is going to get perpetually worse if we don&#8217;t support all the programs that provide [housing] services in the community,” he said.&nbsp;</p>
1173. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/coastal-oregon-county-tackles-urban-scale-housing-issues/2023/12/05/">Coastal Oregon County Tackles ‘Urban Scale’ Housing Issues</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
1174. ]]></content:encoded>
1176. <wfw:commentRss>https://dailyyonder.com/coastal-oregon-county-tackles-urban-scale-housing-issues/2023/12/05/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
1177. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
1180. </item>
1181. <item>
1182. <title>Study: Rural, Urban Communities Agree on More Issues Than Expected, but Differences Remain</title>
1183. <link>https://dailyyonder.com/study-rural-urban-communities-agree-on-more-issues-than-expected-but-differences-remain/2023/12/05/</link>
1184. <comments>https://dailyyonder.com/study-rural-urban-communities-agree-on-more-issues-than-expected-but-differences-remain/2023/12/05/#respond</comments>
1186. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Liz Carey]]></dc:creator>
1187. <pubDate>Tue, 05 Dec 2023 10:58:00 +0000</pubDate>
1188. <category><![CDATA[Politics and Government]]></category>
1189. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=118375</guid>
1190.  
1191. <description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="597" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-08-at-11.44.26-AM.png?fit=1024%2C597&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/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-08-at-11.44.26-AM.png?w=2400&amp;ssl=1 2400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-08-at-11.44.26-AM.png?resize=760%2C443&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-08-at-11.44.26-AM.png?resize=1296%2C756&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-08-at-11.44.26-AM.png?resize=768%2C448&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-08-at-11.44.26-AM.png?resize=1536%2C896&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-08-at-11.44.26-AM.png?resize=2048%2C1195&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-08-at-11.44.26-AM.png?resize=1200%2C700&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-08-at-11.44.26-AM.png?resize=1024%2C597&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-08-at-11.44.26-AM.png?resize=1568%2C915&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-08-at-11.44.26-AM.png?resize=400%2C233&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-08-at-11.44.26-AM.png?resize=706%2C412&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-08-at-11.44.26-AM.png?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-08-at-11.44.26-AM.png?fit=1024%2C597&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>
1192. <p>A survey found that urban and rural communities feel similarly on a large number of political and economic issues, with inflation being a number one concern for both.</p>
1193. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/study-rural-urban-communities-agree-on-more-issues-than-expected-but-differences-remain/2023/12/05/">Study: Rural, Urban Communities Agree on More Issues Than Expected, but Differences Remain</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
1194. ]]></description>
1195. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="597" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-08-at-11.44.26-AM.png?fit=1024%2C597&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/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-08-at-11.44.26-AM.png?w=2400&amp;ssl=1 2400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-08-at-11.44.26-AM.png?resize=760%2C443&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-08-at-11.44.26-AM.png?resize=1296%2C756&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-08-at-11.44.26-AM.png?resize=768%2C448&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-08-at-11.44.26-AM.png?resize=1536%2C896&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-08-at-11.44.26-AM.png?resize=2048%2C1195&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-08-at-11.44.26-AM.png?resize=1200%2C700&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-08-at-11.44.26-AM.png?resize=1024%2C597&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-08-at-11.44.26-AM.png?resize=1568%2C915&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-08-at-11.44.26-AM.png?resize=400%2C233&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-08-at-11.44.26-AM.png?resize=706%2C412&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-08-at-11.44.26-AM.png?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-11-08-at-11.44.26-AM.png?fit=1024%2C597&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>
1196. <p>Despite being portrayed as having vastly different ideologies, people in rural communities have a lot of opinions in common with their urban counterparts, a new study from the<a href="https://www.americancommunities.org/new-survey-breaks-down-americas-complicated-landscape/"> American Communities Project</a> has found.</p>
1197.  
1198.  
1199.  
1200. <p>The survey questioned more than 5,000 people across 15 different community types to show a more complex picture of how rural and urban residents view issues. </p>
1201.  
1202.  
1203.  
1204. <p>The three-year project, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, used Ipsos to conduct opinion surveys with Americans both on the phone and in online surveys.</p>
1205.  
1206.  
1207.  
1208. <p>What was interesting, researcher Dante Chinni said in an interview with the Daily Yonder, is how much rural residents&#8217; opinions were similar to those of urban residents.</p>
1209.  
1210.  
1211.  
1212. <p>“When we see things where they agree, we&#8217;re…interested,” Chinni said. “It was kind of interesting, not only the differences between local and national, but how uniform they were.”</p>
1213.  
1214.  
1215.  
1216. <p>The study found that residents in rural communities felt that the biggest issue in their lives locally was inflation. A poll conducted earlier this fall by the Center for Rural Strategies (which publishes the Daily Yonder) also identified <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/rural-voters-in-swing-states-present-untapped-potential-new-poll-suggests/2023/11/01/">inflation and the cost of living as the biggest concern among both rural and urban residents. </a> </p>
1217.  
1218.  
1219.  
1220. <p>When it came to the biggest issue facing the country, inflation was also the top of the list as well. Similarly, in urban areas, residents said inflation was the biggest issue locally and nationally. Only in communities in the African American South, a rural subcommunity within ACP’s 15 community categories, did anything else come close to inflation as an issue. For residents in those communities, guns and crime nearly tied with inflation as a top local and national issue.</p>
1221.  
1222.  
1223.  
1224. <p>Similarly, nearly 90% of residents in rural categories said they thought their life was on the right track when asked, and about the same percentage felt the country as a whole was on the wrong track. Urban residents agreed with both of those statements in about the same percentages.</p>
1225.  
1226.  
1227.  
1228. <p>Across the board, residents in both rural and urban areas agreed with the statement “Americans have a lot more in common with each other than is generally believed.” While the percentages ranged from 60% to 81%, on average across the different community types 69.6% agreed.</p>
1229.  
1230.  
1231.  
1232. <p>“I think people really want this to be true,” Chinni said. “They want there to be more in common whether or not there actually is. There&#8217;s some stuff in this survey that does suggest at least that there&#8217;s a desire for there to be commonality.”</p>
1233.  
1234.  
1235.  
1236. <p>Similarly, the survey found residents in both rural and urban communities agreed with the statement “Obtaining an abortion should be a decision made by a woman in consultation with her doctor, without government’s involvement,” and disagreed with the statement “The U.S. government should cut social programs in order to lower taxes.”</p>
1237.  
1238.  
1239.  
1240. <p>“What’s interesting is how abortion was widely accepted by at least 50% of the population, across the community types, even in (more rural conservative areas) where you would think that they would be less okay with abortion,” Ari Pinkus, one of the researchers on the project, said in an interview with the Daily Yonder. </p>
1241.  
1242.  
1243.  
1244. <p>“It could be the way we asked the question because people don&#8217;t like to get in the way of a woman and her doctor, but it&#8217;s still notable that abortion is a topic of unity in the population.”</p>
1245.  
1246.  
1247.  
1248. <p>Still, contrasts exist. The study found a divide when residents were presented with some value statements. In statements like “The right to own a firearm is central to what it means to be an American,” residents in more rural communities were more likely to agree, whereas those in urban counties were more likely to disagree.&nbsp;</p>
1249.  
1250.  
1251.  
1252. <p>“The gun question is one where people in rural communities are much more likely to see owning a gun as part of what it is to be an American, whereas in urban communities, they see that differently,” Chinni said. “It&#8217;s an interesting way of phrasing the question, but… it really does put it in its most elemental context (and illustrate) the differences in these communities.”</p>
1253.  
1254.  
1255.  
1256. <p>Chinni and Pinkus said more research needs to be done to examine the cause of the differences and what can be done to bring the country back together. Identifying where the cultural differences are, how they come about, and what can be done to address them can be the start to bridging that rural/urban gap, they said.</p>
1257. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/study-rural-urban-communities-agree-on-more-issues-than-expected-but-differences-remain/2023/12/05/">Study: Rural, Urban Communities Agree on More Issues Than Expected, but Differences Remain</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
1258. ]]></content:encoded>
1260. <wfw:commentRss>https://dailyyonder.com/study-rural-urban-communities-agree-on-more-issues-than-expected-but-differences-remain/2023/12/05/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
1261. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
1264. </item>
1265. <item>
1266. <title>Commentary: VA’s Plan to Cut Ambulance Payments Will Hurt Rural Veterans and Communities</title>
1267. <link>https://dailyyonder.com/commentary-va-plan-to-cut-ambulance-payments-will-hurt-rural-veterans-and-communities/2023/12/04/</link>
1268. <comments>https://dailyyonder.com/commentary-va-plan-to-cut-ambulance-payments-will-hurt-rural-veterans-and-communities/2023/12/04/#respond</comments>
1270. <dc:creator><![CDATA[William Enyart and Doug Jameson]]></dc:creator>
1271. <pubDate>Mon, 04 Dec 2023 11:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
1272. <category><![CDATA[Health]]></category>
1273. <category><![CDATA[Transportation]]></category>
1274. <category><![CDATA[commentary]]></category>
1275. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=118887</guid>
1276.  
1277. <description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="608" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ambulance-crop.jpg?fit=1024%2C608&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ambulance-crop.jpg?w=1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ambulance-crop.jpg?resize=760%2C452&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ambulance-crop.jpg?resize=768%2C456&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ambulance-crop.jpg?resize=1024%2C608&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ambulance-crop.jpg?resize=400%2C238&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ambulance-crop.jpg?resize=706%2C419&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ambulance-crop.jpg?fit=1024%2C608&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>
1278. <p>The Veterans Administration wants to pass the cost for ambulance transport on to other agencies and local governments. Funding that gap will hit rural areas hard.</p>
1279. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/commentary-va-plan-to-cut-ambulance-payments-will-hurt-rural-veterans-and-communities/2023/12/04/">Commentary: VA’s Plan to Cut Ambulance Payments Will Hurt Rural Veterans and Communities</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
1280. ]]></description>
1281. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="608" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ambulance-crop.jpg?fit=1024%2C608&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ambulance-crop.jpg?w=1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ambulance-crop.jpg?resize=760%2C452&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ambulance-crop.jpg?resize=768%2C456&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ambulance-crop.jpg?resize=1024%2C608&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ambulance-crop.jpg?resize=400%2C238&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ambulance-crop.jpg?resize=706%2C419&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ambulance-crop.jpg?fit=1024%2C608&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>
1282. <p>More than one quarter of all military veterans live in rural areas where health care has too often become a challenge to access.</p>
1283.  
1284.  
1285.  
1286. <p>Sustaining necessary health infrastructure has grown increasingly difficult as declining rural populations have caused many hospitals and the medical practices associated with them to close down. Nearly 140 rural hospitals have closed since 2010, with 19 closing in 2020 alone. This increases the distance rural residents must travel for medical appointments and procedures.</p>
1287.  
1288.  
1289.  
1290. <p>Many of our rural-living veterans, due to their service experience or age, require an ambulance to travel from home to a medical facility. Their condition is such that they require a trained medical professional to monitor their health on the long drive. And, of course, many veterans make that trip via ground or air ambulance on an emergency basis.</p>
1291.  
1292.  
1293.  
1294. <p>With more than 15 million veterans eligible for VA care, there are many thousands of ground and air ambulance trips each year and they come at a large financial cost. The VA has quietly decided that the cost today is too great for it to bear, and so has put in place plans to slash reimbursements to veterans for ambulance trips. Beginning in early 2024, reimbursements will be significantly reduced to veterans who receive ambulance rides to VA-approved hospitals. Those who receive ambulance rides to non VA-approved hospitals will see reimbursements cut to near zero.</p>
1295.  
1296.  
1297.  
1298. <p>Why is this happening? According to many who watch the VA closely, the plan is to create a funding gap – a crisis – that will compel other government entities to step forward and fill that void. Some combination of state, county and municipal government would see the crisis unfold and then rush forward with a funding solution because to do this to veterans is unthinkable.</p>
1299.  
1300.  
1301.  
1302. <p>Our first concern is that government does not move that fast and its budgets – most all set annually &#8212; are not elastic, it can’t just find the money. It is possible relatively well-off areas would be able to respond, but that doesn’t account for other, more numerous and vast areas that haven’t been blessed with the same bounty of services and wealth. By that we mean rural areas where so many of our fellow veterans live.</p>
1303.  
1304.  
1305.  
1306. <p>That leads to an even greater concern of how affected veterans might respond. Knowing costs are out of reach, will they simply forego medical treatment? Or, might they attempt another, less safe way to travel to a medical facility?</p>
1307.  
1308.  
1309.  
1310. <p>Finally, all of this leads to concerns surrounding the private ambulance industry, especially those that provide service to rural areas. Veterans comprise a large percentage of their business, which means VA funding is a large component of their revenue. Turn off that revenue and they may be forced to exit some areas. Rural areas are at greatest risk, and loss of those services will harm the entire community. Few if any have the financial means to adequately backfill lost ambulance services.</p>
1311.  
1312.  
1313.  
1314. <p>The VA’s cost cutting move is a disaster in the making, but there is a way out. First, congressional leaders should publicly call for a study to be done that examines the effect that changes to ambulance reimbursement would have on our veterans’ health. Second, congressional working groups should be established and informed by veterans’ affairs experts from the local, state and federal levels to determine the possibility of non-VA funding of ambulances for veterans. And, finally, the VA must pause the date that its reimbursement cuts will go into effect until the results of these efforts are fully known and examined publicly.</p>
1315.  
1316.  
1317.  
1318. <p>To bring the VA around to this approach, a stick (versus a carrot) is required. Bi-partisan legislation has been introduced in both chambers of Congress that will prevent the VA from implementing its rule that will cut reimbursements to veterans. The VA rule is scheduled to take effect in February so our legislators need encouragement to swiftly bring the bills to a vote so that they can become law.</p>
1319.  
1320.  
1321.  
1322. <p>This is an enormous crisis in the making whose impact will extend far beyond veterans to their families, friends and the communities in which they live. Action is needed now, before Congress adjourns for the end-of-year holidays, if we are to avert this disaster and determine the fate of this issue with compassion and common sense on behalf of our veterans.</p>
1323.  
1324.  
1325.  
1326. <p>Our Veterans through their heroic service to our country have earned better treatment from their government. Foremost in their minds should not be their ability to pay for an ambulance ride to receive the medical treatment they require.</p>
1327.  
1328.  
1329.  
1330. <p><em>William Enyart is the retired adjutant general of the Illinois National Guard and a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Doug Jameson is a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars National Committee.</em></p>
1331. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/commentary-va-plan-to-cut-ambulance-payments-will-hurt-rural-veterans-and-communities/2023/12/04/">Commentary: VA’s Plan to Cut Ambulance Payments Will Hurt Rural Veterans and Communities</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
1332. ]]></content:encoded>
1334. <wfw:commentRss>https://dailyyonder.com/commentary-va-plan-to-cut-ambulance-payments-will-hurt-rural-veterans-and-communities/2023/12/04/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
1335. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
1338. </item>
1339. <item>
1340. <title>Remembering Our Earliest Supporters</title>
1341. <link>https://dailyyonder.com/remembering-our-earliest-supporters-joe-and-helen-pickering-challenge/2023/12/04/</link>
1342. <comments>https://dailyyonder.com/remembering-our-earliest-supporters-joe-and-helen-pickering-challenge/2023/12/04/#respond</comments>
1344. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Dee Davis]]></dc:creator>
1345. <pubDate>Mon, 04 Dec 2023 10:58:00 +0000</pubDate>
1346. <category><![CDATA[From Our Team]]></category>
1347. <category><![CDATA[newsmatch]]></category>
1348. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=119222</guid>
1349.  
1350. <description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="576" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Joe-and-Helen-Pickering.jpeg?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/2020/12/Joe-and-Helen-Pickering.jpeg?w=1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Joe-and-Helen-Pickering.jpeg?resize=760%2C428&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Joe-and-Helen-Pickering.jpeg?resize=768%2C432&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Joe-and-Helen-Pickering.jpeg?resize=706%2C397&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Joe-and-Helen-Pickering.jpeg?fit=1024%2C576&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Joe-and-Helen-Pickering.jpeg?fit=1024%2C576&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>
1351. <p>We'll match another $10,000 of your donations in honor of Joe and Helen Pickering, faithful readers of the Daily Yonder and among its very first financial supporters.</p>
1352. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/remembering-our-earliest-supporters-joe-and-helen-pickering-challenge/2023/12/04/">Remembering Our Earliest Supporters</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
1353. ]]></description>
1354. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="576" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Joe-and-Helen-Pickering.jpeg?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/2020/12/Joe-and-Helen-Pickering.jpeg?w=1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Joe-and-Helen-Pickering.jpeg?resize=760%2C428&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Joe-and-Helen-Pickering.jpeg?resize=768%2C432&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Joe-and-Helen-Pickering.jpeg?resize=706%2C397&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Joe-and-Helen-Pickering.jpeg?fit=1024%2C576&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Joe-and-Helen-Pickering.jpeg?fit=1024%2C576&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>
1355. <div class="wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-layout-1 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex">
1356. <div class="wp-block-button has-custom-width wp-block-button__width-100"><a class="wp-block-button__link has-white-color has-text-color has-link-color has-text-align-center wp-element-button" href="#donate">DONATE NOW</a></div>
1357. </div>
1358.  
1359.  
1360.  
1361. <p><span style="font-size: var(--newspack-theme-font-size-base); background-color: var(--newspack-theme-color-bg-body); color: var(--newspack-theme-color-text-main); font-family: var(--newspack-theme-font-body);">When we realized we needed to ask for year-end Daily Yonder reader donations, among the first contributions was a gift from Joe and Helen Pickering, my mother- and father-in-law. It is tricky to ask your family for support, but it means the world when it shows up in the mail.</span></p>
1362.  
1363.  
1364.  
1365. <div class="wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-layout-8 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex">
1366. <div class="wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow" style="flex-basis:55%">
1367. <p>Joe was in the Navy in World War II. Helen was editor in chief of the Stanford Daily when the boys were overseas. They met at school. She went from journalism, to motherhood, to running the Congressional office of Pete McCloskey, to being a food writer for the Palo Alto Weekly, and became longtime board member of the Silicon Valley Planned Parenthood and the Tahoe-Baikul Institute. Joe played football for the Stanford freshman team, started a business, became a community leader, my pal, and at 90 the bongo percussionist for the Avenidas Ukulele Band.</p>
1368. </div>
1369.  
1370.  
1371.  
1372. <div class="wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow" style="flex-basis:45%">
1373. <figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img decoding="async" width="780" height="908" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/pickerings-portrait.jpeg?resize=780%2C908&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-119226" style="width:350px;height:auto" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/pickerings-portrait.jpeg?w=952&amp;ssl=1 952w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/pickerings-portrait.jpeg?resize=653%2C760&amp;ssl=1 653w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/pickerings-portrait.jpeg?resize=768%2C894&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/pickerings-portrait.jpeg?resize=880%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 880w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/pickerings-portrait.jpeg?resize=400%2C466&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/pickerings-portrait.jpeg?resize=706%2C822&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/pickerings-portrait.jpeg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" data-recalc-dims="1" /></figure>
1374. </div>
1375. </div>
1376.  
1377.  
1378.  
1379. <p>Helen lived to 90 and Joe to 92. That last year Joe issued a Daily Yonder challenge. <strong>He donated $5,000 to be matched by other readers.</strong> Maybe a week later he doubled up and matched it himself.</p>
1380.  
1381.  
1382.  
1383. <p>His daughter Mimi and I would like to continue the challenge Joe started and offer <strong>to match up to $10,000 in reader contributions to the Daily Yonder</strong> as our way to honor Joe and Helen Pickering, who took great joy from life and read the Daily Yonder faithfully.</p>
1384.  
1385.  
1386.  
1387. <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="donate">Make Your Donation</h2>
1388.  
1389.  
1390. <div
1391. class="untiered wp-block-newspack-blocks-donate wpbnbd wpbnbd--frequency-based wpbnbd--platform-wc is-style-alternate wpbnbd-frequencies--3"
1392. id="6573c63979d79"
1393. >
1394. <form data-streamlined-config="[]">
1395. <input type="hidden" name="_wp_http_referer" value="/feed/" /> <input type='hidden' name='newspack_donate' value='1' />
1396. <input type='hidden' name='after_success_behavior' value='' />
1397. <input type='hidden' name='after_success_button_label' value='Continue browsing' />
1398. <input type='hidden' name='after_success_url' value='' />
1399. <div class='wp-block-newspack-blocks-donate__options'>
1400. <div class='wp-block-newspack-blocks-donate__frequencies frequencies'>
1402. <div class='wp-block-newspack-blocks-donate__frequency frequency'>
1403. <input
1404. type='radio'
1405. value='once'
1406. id='newspack-donate-once-33948'
1407. name="donation_frequency"
1408. checked='checked' />
1409. <label
1410. for='newspack-donate-once-33948'
1411. class='wpbnbd__button freq-label'
1412. >
1413. One-time </label>
1414. <div class='input-container'>
1415. <label
1416. class='donate-label'
1417. for='newspack-once-33948-untiered-input'
1418. >
1419. Donation amount </label>
1420. <div class='wp-block-newspack-blocks-donate__money-input money-input'>
1421. <span class='currency'>
1422. $ </span>
1423. <input
1424. type='number'
1425. min='5'
1426. name='donation_value_once_untiered'
1427. value='20'
1428. id='newspack-once-33948-untiered-input'
1429. />
1430. </div>
1431. </div>
1432. </div>
1433.  
1435. <div class='wp-block-newspack-blocks-donate__frequency frequency'>
1436. <input
1437. type='radio'
1438. value='month'
1439. id='newspack-donate-month-33948'
1440. name="donation_frequency"
1441. />
1442. <label
1443. for='newspack-donate-month-33948'
1444. class='wpbnbd__button freq-label'
1445. >
1446. Monthly </label>
1447. <div class='input-container'>
1448. <label
1449. class='donate-label'
1450. for='newspack-month-33948-untiered-input'
1451. >
1452. Donation amount </label>
1453. <div class='wp-block-newspack-blocks-donate__money-input money-input'>
1454. <span class='currency'>
1455. $ </span>
1456. <input
1457. type='number'
1458. min='5'
1459. name='donation_value_month_untiered'
1460. value='15'
1461. id='newspack-month-33948-untiered-input'
1462. />
1463. </div>
1464. </div>
1465. </div>
1466.  
1468. <div class='wp-block-newspack-blocks-donate__frequency frequency'>
1469. <input
1470. type='radio'
1471. value='year'
1472. id='newspack-donate-year-33948'
1473. name="donation_frequency"
1474. />
1475. <label
1476. for='newspack-donate-year-33948'
1477. class='wpbnbd__button freq-label'
1478. >
1479. Annually </label>
1480. <div class='input-container'>
1481. <label
1482. class='donate-label'
1483. for='newspack-year-33948-untiered-input'
1484. >
1485. Donation amount </label>
1486. <div class='wp-block-newspack-blocks-donate__money-input money-input'>
1487. <span class='currency'>
1488. $ </span>
1489. <input
1490. type='number'
1491. min='5'
1492. name='donation_value_year_untiered'
1493. value='180'
1494. id='newspack-year-33948-untiered-input'
1495. />
1496. </div>
1497. </div>
1498. </div>
1499.  
1500. </div>
1501. </div>
1502. <p class='wp-block-newspack-blocks-donate__thanks thanks'>
1503. Your contribution is appreciated. </p>
1504.  
1505. <button type='submit' style="border-color: #dd3333; background-color: #dd3333; color: white;">
1506. Donate Now </button>
1508. </form>
1509. </div>
1510.  
1512.  
1513.  
1514. <div class="wp-block-group is-style-default is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow"><div class="wp-block-group__inner-container">
1515. <p style="font-size:14px">Note, contributions from individuals are eligible to be matched up to $1,000 per donor from November 1 to December 31, 2023, to a combined total of at least $13,000, through the NewsMatch national-matching program. The Daily Yonder is eligible to receive an additional $10,000 in matching funds thanks to support from the Wyncote Foundation.  These matching funds run concurrently, which means every dollar we raise, up to $10,000, is matched twice. Monthly recurring donations are matched at the 12-month value of the donation, up to $1,000. For more details about eligibility <a href="https://support.newsmatch.org/article/559-which-donations-are-eligible-to-be-matched-by-newsmatch">see NewsMatch guidelines</a>. </p>
1516.  
1517.  
1518.  
1519. <p style="font-size:14px">The Daily Yonder is a project of the Center for Rural Strategies, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Gifts may be tax deductible; consult a tax adviser for more information. </p>
1520.  
1521.  
1522.  
1523. <div style="height:5px" aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer"></div>
1524. </div></div>
1525.  
1526.  
1527.  
1528. <div class="wp-block-group is-style-border has-light-gray-background-color has-background is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained"><div class="wp-block-group__inner-container">
1529. <div style="height:5px" aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer"></div>
1530.  
1531.  
1532.  
1533. <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Another Way to Give</h2>
1534.  
1535.  
1536.  
1537. <p>There&#8217;s another way you can support the Daily Yonder, and it doesn&#8217;t cost a penny. We&#8217;re looking for reader testimonials to use in future messages during our donor campaign. If you want to help, <strong>send us a short comment about why you read the Yonder, what value you see in the content we produce, or the way the Yonder helps you understand rural America</strong>. Submit your comment using the form below or email us at <a href="mailto:news@dailyyonder.com">news@dailyyonder.com</a>. </p>
1538.  
1539.  
1540. <div class="wp-block-jetpack-contact-form"><a href="https://dailyyonder.com/remembering-our-earliest-supporters-joe-and-helen-pickering-challenge/2023/12/04/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Submit a form.</a></div></div></div>
1541.  
1542.  
1543.  
1544. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots"/>
1545. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/remembering-our-earliest-supporters-joe-and-helen-pickering-challenge/2023/12/04/">Remembering Our Earliest Supporters</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
1546. ]]></content:encoded>
1548. <wfw:commentRss>https://dailyyonder.com/remembering-our-earliest-supporters-joe-and-helen-pickering-challenge/2023/12/04/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
1549. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
1552. </item>
1553. <item>
1554. <title>Who’s Buying Nebraska? After Shopping Spree, Mormon Church Is Top Land Purchaser</title>
1555. <link>https://dailyyonder.com/whos-buying-nebraska-after-shopping-spree-mormon-church-is-top-land-purchaser/2023/12/04/</link>
1556. <comments>https://dailyyonder.com/whos-buying-nebraska-after-shopping-spree-mormon-church-is-top-land-purchaser/2023/12/04/#respond</comments>
1558. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Destiny Herbers / Flatwater Free Press]]></dc:creator>
1559. <pubDate>Mon, 04 Dec 2023 10:58:00 +0000</pubDate>
1560. <category><![CDATA[Agriculture]]></category>
1561. <category><![CDATA[repub]]></category>
1562. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=119006</guid>
1563.  
1564. <description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="707" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Mormon-church-Photo-2-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C707&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/2023/11/Mormon-church-Photo-2-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Mormon-church-Photo-2-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C525&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Mormon-church-Photo-2-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C895&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Mormon-church-Photo-2-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C530&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Mormon-church-Photo-2-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1060&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Mormon-church-Photo-2-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1414&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Mormon-church-Photo-2-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C828&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Mormon-church-Photo-2-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C707&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Mormon-church-Photo-2-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C1082&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Mormon-church-Photo-2-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C276&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Mormon-church-Photo-2-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C487&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Mormon-church-Photo-2-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Mormon-church-Photo-2-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C707&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>
1565. <p>Editor&#8217;s note: A version of this article originally appeared in Flatwater Free Press, Nebraska&#8217;s first nonprofit, independent newsroom. Early in the summer of 2018, a nonprofit few Nebraskans have heard of bought a 22,613-acre chunk of land in Garden County. The next year, the nonprofit, tied to a P.O. Box in Salt Lake City, picked [&#8230;]</p>
1566. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/whos-buying-nebraska-after-shopping-spree-mormon-church-is-top-land-purchaser/2023/12/04/">Who’s Buying Nebraska? After Shopping Spree, Mormon Church Is Top Land Purchaser</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
1567. ]]></description>
1568. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="707" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Mormon-church-Photo-2-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C707&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/2023/11/Mormon-church-Photo-2-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Mormon-church-Photo-2-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C525&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Mormon-church-Photo-2-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C895&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Mormon-church-Photo-2-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C530&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Mormon-church-Photo-2-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1060&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Mormon-church-Photo-2-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1414&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Mormon-church-Photo-2-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C828&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Mormon-church-Photo-2-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C707&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Mormon-church-Photo-2-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C1082&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Mormon-church-Photo-2-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C276&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Mormon-church-Photo-2-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C487&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Mormon-church-Photo-2-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Mormon-church-Photo-2-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C707&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>
1569. <p class="has-small-font-size"><em>Editor&#8217;s note: A version of this article originally appeared in <a href="https://flatwaterfreepress.org/whos-buying-nebraska-after-shopping-spree-mormon-church-is-top-land-purchaser/">Flatwater Free Press</a>, Nebraska&#8217;s first nonprofit, independent newsroom.</em></p>
1570.  
1571.  
1572.  
1573. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>
1574.  
1575.  
1576.  
1577. <p>Early in the summer of 2018, a nonprofit few Nebraskans have heard of bought a 22,613-acre chunk of land in Garden County.</p>
1578.  
1579.  
1580.  
1581. <p>The next year, the nonprofit, tied to a P.O. Box in Salt Lake City, picked up another 3,331 acres of county land, buying it from a Colorado investment company.</p>
1582.  
1583.  
1584.  
1585. <p>The unknown nonprofit grabbed two more pieces of county land on the same day in March 2020, adding 10,278 acres to its mushrooming total. Then, two years later, it added still more land in this rural Nebraska county tucked between Chimney Rock and Lake McConaughy.</p>
1586.  
1587.  
1588.  
1589. <p>Before anyone really knew it, the nonprofit owned most of northern Garden County.&nbsp;</p>
1590.  
1591.  
1592.  
1593. <p>Not even the assessor could calculate the nonprofit’s total acres, an employee in the Garden County Assessor’s Office said.&nbsp; The organization simply owns too many parcels, through too many sales, for county officials to comb through the records.&nbsp;</p>
1594.  
1595.  
1596.  
1597. <p>“You’ll have to ask Farmland Reserve Inc.,” she said politely before hanging up the phone.</p>
1598.  
1599.  
1600.  
1601. <p>Farmland Reserve Inc., a nonprofit owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as the Mormon church, has been quietly buying up ranch land in Nebraska’s Sandhills for the past three decades.</p>
1602.  
1603.  
1604.  
1605. <p>The Garden County shopping spree, coupled with more buys in four neighboring counties, made the church Nebraska’s top single buyer of land in the past five years.&nbsp;</p>
1606.  
1607.  
1608.  
1609. <p>The church bought a whopping 57,500 acres – double the amount of the second largest buyer– between 2018 and 2022, according to a Flatwater Free Press analysis of data gathered by a University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Journalism and Mass Communications data journalism class.</p>
1610.  
1611.  
1612.  
1613. <p>The Mormon Church now owns about 370,000 total acres of zoned agricultural land in Nebraska. It could soon become Nebraska’s largest landowner – passing Ted Turner, who has famously long occupied that No. 1 spot – if church representatives continue to buy land at their current pace.</p>
1614.  
1615.  
1616.  
1617. <p>How much land is 370,000 acres? It’s almost exactly the total amount of land in Douglas and Sarpy counties combined.</p>
1618.  
1619.  
1620.  
1621. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" width="780" height="520" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Mormon-church-Photo-1.jpg?resize=780%2C520&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-119009" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Mormon-church-Photo-1-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C864&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Mormon-church-Photo-1-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C507&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Mormon-church-Photo-1-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Mormon-church-Photo-1-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Mormon-church-Photo-1-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Mormon-church-Photo-1-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Mormon-church-Photo-1-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Mormon-church-Photo-1-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C400&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Mormon-church-Photo-1-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C1045&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Mormon-church-Photo-1-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Mormon-church-Photo-1-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C471&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Mormon-church-Photo-1-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Mormon-church-Photo-1-1296x864.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The Mormon Church’s Winter Quarters Nebraska Temple is seen here on Friday morning, Nov. 17, 2023, in Omaha, Nebraska. The Mormon Church is one of the largest land owners in Nebraska.
1622. (Photos by Ryan Soderlin for the Flatwater Free Press)</figcaption></figure>
1623.  
1624.  
1625.  
1626. <p>The church sees its land buys as a force for good, an investment in agriculture “to generate long-term value to support the Church’s religious, charitable, and humanitarian good works,” said a Farmland Reserve spokesman.&nbsp;</p>
1627.  
1628.  
1629.  
1630. <p>The nonprofit owned by the church also pays property taxes like any other ag producer in the state, and state and federal income taxes, too, the spokesman noted – though an unknown amount of revenue is given to the church itself, which doesn’t have to pay taxes on passive investments.&nbsp;</p>
1631.  
1632.  
1633.  
1634. <p>The Nebraska Farmers Union sees the church as another out-of-state corporation that arrives, drives up prices and makes buying harder for smaller farmers.</p>
1635.  
1636.  
1637.  
1638. <p>“All of the land that the Mormon church owns is land that individuals in Nebraska do not have the opportunity to own,” said John Hansen, president of the Nebraska Farmers Union.</p>
1639.  
1640.  
1641.  
1642. <p>Unlike other nonprofits in the U.S., religious organizations don’t have to publicly report their income or assets, including real estate. The church has never given a total accounting of their properties, in Nebraska or globally, while amassing a fortune<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-mormon-church-amassed-100-billion-it-was-the-best-kept-secret-in-the-investment-world-11581138011">&nbsp;exceeding $100 billion.</a></p>
1643.  
1644.  
1645.  
1646. <p>“Even for those of us who follow the church closely, we’re in the dark when it comes to specific church financial information,” said Patrick Mason, professor of Mormon history and culture at Utah State University.</p>
1647.  
1648.  
1649.  
1650. <p>But watchdog groups have made estimates by identifying church-owned companies, often through registered addresses.&nbsp;</p>
1651.  
1652.  
1653.  
1654. <p><a href="https://www.truthandtransparency.org/news/2022/04/05/lds-church-has-most-valuable-private-real-estate-portfolio-in-the-us-evidence-suggests/">An early 2020 nationwide analysis</a>&nbsp;of real estate holdings connected to the Mormon church by Truth and Transparency found approximately 365,000 acres of land zoned for agriculture in Nebraska. The Flatwater Free Press analysis of county assessor records show that the church continued to add acres at a slower pace in 2021 and 2022.&nbsp;</p>
1655.  
1656.  
1657.  
1658. <p>Farmland Reserve Inc. confirmed that it is currently ranching on about 365,000 acres in the Sandhills. The church doesn’t plan to continue expanding its ranching operation, the spokesman said, but it may buy row crop land to lease to local farmers.</p>
1659.  
1660.  
1661.  
1662. <p>The Nebraska land is just one slice of the 1.7 million acres of American real estate the Mormon church is now estimated to own.</p>
1663.  
1664.  
1665.  
1666. <p>And that 1.7 million-acre total is most likely an undercount, said Truth and Transparency co-founder Ryan McKnight, because it only includes corporations definitively traced back to the church.</p>
1667.  
1668.  
1669.  
1670. <p>“They were able to go completely under the radar in terms of the largeness. Anecdotally people do think ‘Oh, the Mormon church, you know, owns a lot of land,’’ McKnight said. “I don’t know that people really have a grasp of how vast it is.”</p>
1671.  
1672.  
1673.  
1674. <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Layers of Church Business</strong></h2>
1675.  
1676.  
1677.  
1678. <p>The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2023/08/25/lds-church-sees-its-billions-grow/#:~:text=Those%20holdings%20are%20worth%20at,major%20stakes%20in%20private%20equity.">Salt Lake Tribune</a>&nbsp;estimates that the church’s investment holdings exceed $160 billion. Truth and Transparency’s co-founder,&nbsp; Ethan Gregory Dodge said he believes it owns at least another $100 billion in U.S. real estate.</p>
1679.  
1680.  
1681.  
1682. <p>Combined, the church’s estimated wealth equals the net worth of roughly two Warren Buffetts.</p>
1683.  
1684.  
1685.  
1686. <p>The church uses both nonprofit and for-profit subsidiary corporations to manage its business operations under a variety of names.&nbsp;</p>
1687.  
1688.  
1689.  
1690. <p>Historically, the church has had a sprawling and complicated corporate structure. Sam Brunson, professor of nonprofit tax law Loyola University Chicago School of Law and member of the church, said that as best he can tell, a description of the structure is not public anywhere.</p>
1691.  
1692.  
1693.  
1694. <p>“The church is remarkably untransparent about its finances,” Brunson said.&nbsp;</p>
1695.  
1696.  
1697.  
1698. <p>The church likely originally purchased land in Nebraska through its nonprofit, Farmland Reserve Inc., to use a loophole in a Nebraska law that once banned for-profit corporations – but not nonprofits – from owning farmland in Nebraska, Brunson said.&nbsp;</p>
1699.  
1700.  
1701.  
1702. <p>Why did that law, Initiative 300, allow the Mormon church such an easy workaround?&nbsp;</p>
1703.  
1704.  
1705.  
1706. <p>“You can only slay so many dragons with one swing of the sword,” said Hansen, who helped put Initiative 300 into place.</p>
1707.  
1708.  
1709.  
1710. <p>Initiative 300 was ruled unconstitutional in 2007. By that point, the church had already purchased more than 200,000 acres of Nebraska ag land under Farmland Reserve Inc.</p>
1711.  
1712.  
1713.  
1714. <p>AgReserves Inc., a for-profit corporation also owned by the church, now manages ranches on Farmland Reserve land in Nebraska.&nbsp;</p>
1715.  
1716.  
1717.  
1718. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" width="780" height="520" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-1.jpg?resize=780%2C520&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-119010" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-1-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C864&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-1-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C507&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-1-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-1-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1025&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-1-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1366&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-1-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-1-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-1-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C400&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-1-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C1046&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-1-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-1-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C471&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-1-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-1-1296x864.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The sign at the entrance to Rex Ranch. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as the Mormon church, now owns this ranch and a total of at least 365,000 acres of Nebraska agricultural land. In the past five years, it is the No. 1 buyer of ag land by acre in Nebraska. Photo by Carrie Ryan, courtesy of AgReserves</figcaption></figure>
1719.  
1720.  
1721.  
1722. <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>What are They Doing with all of that Land?</strong></h2>
1723.  
1724.  
1725.  
1726. <p>Rex Ranch, AgReserves’ sprawling 365,000-acre cow-calf operation, covers most of northern Garden County and stretches through the Sandhills into Grant, Hooker, Morrill and Sheridan counties.</p>
1727.  
1728.  
1729.  
1730. <p>Despite its unusual size, the ranch has gone largely unnoticed by Nebraskans in the 30-plus years it’s been owned by the church.</p>
1731.  
1732.  
1733.  
1734. <p>Hansen, for example, said he had heard rumors that the Mormon church owned “a lot of land in northwest Nebraska” but didn’t know about Rex Ranch – and had no idea that the Mormon church has bought more ag land than anyone in recent years.&nbsp;</p>
1735.  
1736.  
1737.  
1738. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" width="780" height="390" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-2.jpg?resize=780%2C390&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-119012" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-2-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C648&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-2-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C380&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-2-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C384&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-2-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-2-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-2-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C600&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-2-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C512&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-2-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C784&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-2-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C200&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-2-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C353&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-2-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-2-1296x648.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Rex Ranch employees moving cow-calf pairs through a ranch pasture. Through a nonprofit, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as the Mormon church, has bought up a large part of Garden County and swaths of four other rural Nebraska counties. It’s the No. 1 buyer of ag land by acre in Nebraska over the past five years. Photo by Carrie Ryan, courtesy of AgReserves</figcaption></figure>
1739.  
1740.  
1741.  
1742. <p>Dale Bills, a spokesman for Farmland Reserve, said that the Rex, and its employees, are very much a part of the local community. The Rex’s employees live on the land they work and regularly participate in the Nebraska Cattlemen’s Association and Nebraska Grazing Lands Coalition.</p>
1743.  
1744.  
1745.  
1746. <p>AgReserves hires ranch hands to work at Rex Ranch through public job postings. The church generally wants to be well integrated in the communities where it operates, said Mason, the Utah State University professor.</p>
1747.  
1748.  
1749.  
1750. <p>Farmland Reserve did not share specific details about staffing at Rex Ranch, but Mason said he would be “not at all surprised if all of the management are LDS (church members).”</p>
1751.  
1752.  
1753.  
1754. <p>Austin Anderson, Rex Ranch’s current general manager, previously worked at another&nbsp;AgReserves cattle ranch in Florida. His brother Tyrell, who attended the church’s Brigham Young University,&nbsp;<a href="https://krirm.tamuk.edu/anderson-brothers-a-family-heritage-plus-winter-newsletter-now-online/">manages Ted Turner’s Blue Creek Ranch nearby</a>.</p>
1755.  
1756.  
1757.  
1758. <p>Rex Ranch sources more than 90% of its purchases for feed, tools, equipment, and other ranching inputs from local suppliers, Bills said. Employees also volunteer with local schools, nearby ranches, 4-H clubs and at county fairs.</p>
1759.  
1760.  
1761.  
1762. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" width="780" height="520" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-6-1.jpg?resize=780%2C520&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-119018" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-6-1-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C864&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-6-1-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C507&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-6-1-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-6-1-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-6-1-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1366&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-6-1-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-6-1-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-6-1-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C400&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-6-1-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C1046&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-6-1-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-6-1-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C471&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-6-1-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-6-1-1296x864.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[1] A Rex Ranch cowboy at the end of a workday. [2] A Rex Ranch employee putting out mineral feed supplement for cattle. [3] A Rex Ranch neighbor lends a helping hand sorting calves. A spokesman for the company tied to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints emphasized the ranch’s local and community ties.  The beef raised on the ranch is either sent to a charitable grocery store for church members, or sold for profit on the open market. Photos by Carrie Ryan, courtesy of AgReserves</figcaption></figure>
1763.  
1764.  
1765.  
1766. <p>AgReserves also operates the more widely known Deseret Ranches of Florida, and is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tampabay.com/news/business/corporate/st-joe-co-selling-382834-acres-in-northwest-florida/2151305/">believed to be Florida’s largest private landowner</a>.&nbsp; Other operations span more than 30 states, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Mexico and the United Kingdom.</p>
1767.  
1768.  
1769.  
1770. <p>Produce and meat from the church’s various farms go in two directions, Brunson said: to a charitable grocery store for church members called the Bishop’s Storehouse, or to the open market where they’re sold for profit.</p>
1771.  
1772.  
1773.  
1774. <p>Members of the church can access food assistance at the Bishop’s Storehouse, but members of the public&nbsp;<a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/utahs-social-safety-net-is-the-church-of-jesus-christ-of-latter-day-saints-what-does-that-mean-if-youre-not-one">must get permission from the individual presiding bishop</a>&nbsp;to receive food.&nbsp;</p>
1775.  
1776.  
1777.  
1778. <p>“The church’s sort of cascading PR message that they would give out on why they own so much farmland is ‘Oh, it’s about our principle of self-sufficiency,’” said Truth and Transparency’s McKnight.</p>
1779.  
1780.  
1781.  
1782. <p>AgReserves primarily sells products in the U.S. and abroad. On its website, it describes itself as “a preeminent supplier of premium-quality nuts and olive oil” and “meeting the demand of today’s beef consumers.”</p>
1783.  
1784.  
1785.  
1786. <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>So Does the Church Pay Taxes?</strong></h2>
1787.  
1788.  
1789.  
1790. <p>The short answer: Yes.&nbsp;Sort of.</p>
1791.  
1792.  
1793.  
1794. <p>The church’s agriculture businesses pay both income and property taxes, though the structure is complicated.&nbsp;</p>
1795.  
1796.  
1797.  
1798. <p>“We pay both real property taxes and personal property taxes … just like any other ag producer or rancher,” said Bills, spokesman for Farmland Reserve.</p>
1799.  
1800.  
1801.  
1802. <p>In Nebraska, the structure of corporations seems to work like this: the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints owns Farmland Reserve Inc., which owns the land ranched by AgReserves Inc.</p>
1803.  
1804.  
1805.  
1806. <p>When AgReserves Inc. makes profit ranching it pays income taxes like a normal company.&nbsp;</p>
1807.  
1808.  
1809.  
1810. <p>Then AgReserves pays rent to Farmland Reserve Inc, which pays tax on a portion of that income.</p>
1811.  
1812.  
1813.  
1814. <p>But AgReserves also sends an unknown amount of profits directly to the church. The church doesn’t pay income taxes on that money because it is considered passive investment income.&nbsp;</p>
1815.  
1816.  
1817.  
1818. <p>Religious organizations are exempt from paying property taxes on land used directly for their non-profit mission, Brunson said. The church’s properties that hold temples, for example, are not taxed.</p>
1819.  
1820.  
1821.  
1822. <p>But the church’s ag land isn’t eligible for that religious tax exemption since it’s a business run by a for-profit corporation. It’s paying property taxes on its ag land in all five Nebraska counties, county officials confirmed.&nbsp;</p>
1823.  
1824.  
1825.  
1826. <p>But there’s still a big difference between the Mormon church’s agricultural arm owning Nebraska ranch land versus a small rancher owning it, Hansen said.&nbsp;</p>
1827.  
1828.  
1829.  
1830. <p>“As they say, in real estate, location, location, location. In the case of agriculture, it’s ownership, ownership, ownership and ownership matters,” Hansen said. “Ownership creates different kinds of relationships with the land, and how the land is thought of and managed.”</p>
1831.  
1832.  
1833.  
1834. <p>The Nebraska Farmers Union opposes the church’s investment into farmland and ranch land, Hansen said, as it opposes all outside investor ownership of Nebraska ag land.&nbsp;</p>
1835.  
1836.  
1837.  
1838. <p>“We’re not going after the Mormon church specifically,” Hansen said. “We’d go after the Catholics or the Methodists if they were doing exactly the same thing.”</p>
1839.  
1840.  
1841.  
1842. <p>In fact, the Mormon church isn’t the only religious organization buying Nebraska land. Divine Word Missionaries Inc, the largest missionary order of the Catholic Church, also appears in the Flatwater Free Press’s&nbsp;<a href="https://flatwaterfreepress.org/whos-buying-nebraska-top-farmland-buyers-by-money-and-land/">Top 100 Buyers by Acre</a>&nbsp;list at No. 93, having purchased 2,833 acres of Nebraska farmland in the past five years.</p>
1843.  
1844.  
1845.  
1846. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" width="780" height="343" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-3.jpg?resize=780%2C343&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-119016" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-3-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C570&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-3-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C334&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-3-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C338&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-3-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C675&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-3-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C900&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-3-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C527&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-3-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C450&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-3-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C689&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-3-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C176&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-3-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C310&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-3-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Rex-Ranch-Photo-3-1296x570.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Cow-calf pairs grazing at a pond on the Rex Ranch, which is owned by a nonprofit tied to the Church of the Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The church has bought 57,500 acres of agricultural land – almost all ranch land – in the past five years. That’s double the amount of land any other organization in Nebraska has bought in that time. Photo by Carrie Ryan, courtesy of AgReserves</figcaption></figure>
1847.  
1848.  
1849.  
1850. <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Why Ranching?</strong></h2>
1851.  
1852.  
1853.  
1854. <p>Former church president Gordon B. Hinckley explained its farming plans in the 1991&nbsp;<a href="https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1991/04/the-state-of-the-church?lang=eng">State of the Church</a>. “We have felt that good farms, over a long period, represent a safe investment where the assets of the Church may be preserved and enhanced, while at the same time they are available as an agricultural resource to feed people should there come a time of need,” Hinckley said.</p>
1855.  
1856.  
1857.  
1858. <p>The church’s focus on ranching comes down to two factors, a good economic investment and preparedness for upheaval, said Betsy Gaines Quammen, historian and author of “American Zion: Cliven Bundy, God and Public Lands in the West.”</p>
1859.  
1860.  
1861.  
1862. <p>Stockpiling food and resources to be prepared for upheaval before a religious event is a central part of Mormon theology, Quammen said.</p>
1863.  
1864.  
1865.  
1866. <p>“Mormons are really big on being prepared for a disaster,” said Dodge, who was raised Mormon. “They believe that before Christ comes, there’s going to be a lot of disasters … and they would advise their members to have a year’s worth of food storage. I still have six months worth.”</p>
1867.  
1868.  
1869.  
1870. <p>Farmers and ranchers were virtuous characters throughout Mormon history, Quammen said. There’s a mystique around working the land, and many members of the church view agriculture as a noble pursuit.&nbsp;</p>
1871.  
1872.  
1873.  
1874. <p>“The church has people with the expertise to run and manage ranches, because they’ve been doing it for a long time,” Brunson said.</p>
1875.  
1876.  
1877.  
1878. <p>Working the land was a form of worship for early Latter-day Saints, Mason said. They believed that God entrusted the Earth to humans to develop, and turning wilderness into productive land is a religious duty.</p>
1879.  
1880.  
1881.  
1882. <p>AgReserves also prioritizes sustainable management of resources, Bills said. Ranch managers work with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission to monitor range health and protect wildlife habitat.</p>
1883.  
1884.  
1885.  
1886. <p>“We are unconditionally committed to the humane treatment and care of our cattle because it’s the right thing to do. Humane treatment of all animals on our ranch is a reflection of our level of humanity,” Bills said.</p>
1887.  
1888.  
1889.  
1890. <p>Land ownership is also a solid long-term investment strategy, Mason said. Church leadership is not bound to shareholders or quarterly reports, and they see returns in 50 years as just as important as the next five.</p>
1891.  
1892.  
1893.  
1894. <p>“Currently, we aren’t looking to expand our ranching operations,” Bills said. “Any future investment we may make in Nebraska would be row crop land for lease to local farmers.”</p>
1895.  
1896.  
1897.  
1898. <p>Over the past five years though, the church has continued to buy land at a higher rate than any other organization in Nebraska. Mason said he expects the church “won’t be stopping anytime soon.”</p>
1899.  
1900.  
1901.  
1902. <p><em>Flatwater Free Press reporter Yanqi Xu contributed to the data analysis tied to this story.</em></p>
1903.  
1904.  
1905.  
1906. <p></p>
1907. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/whos-buying-nebraska-after-shopping-spree-mormon-church-is-top-land-purchaser/2023/12/04/">Who’s Buying Nebraska? After Shopping Spree, Mormon Church Is Top Land Purchaser</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
1908. ]]></content:encoded>
1910. <wfw:commentRss>https://dailyyonder.com/whos-buying-nebraska-after-shopping-spree-mormon-church-is-top-land-purchaser/2023/12/04/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
1911. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
1914. </item>
1915. <item>
1916. <title>45 Degrees North: The Flip Side of Gas Stoves</title>
1917. <link>https://dailyyonder.com/45-degrees-north-the-flip-side-of-gas-stoves/2023/12/01/</link>
1918. <comments>https://dailyyonder.com/45-degrees-north-the-flip-side-of-gas-stoves/2023/12/01/#respond</comments>
1920. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Donna Kallner]]></dc:creator>
1921. <pubDate>Fri, 01 Dec 2023 11:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
1922. <category><![CDATA[Energy]]></category>
1923. <category><![CDATA[Environment]]></category>
1924. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=118944</guid>
1925.  
1926. <description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="576" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IMG_20231126_152223.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/2023/11/IMG_20231126_152223.jpg?w=1920&amp;ssl=1 1920w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IMG_20231126_152223.jpg?resize=760%2C428&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IMG_20231126_152223.jpg?resize=1296%2C729&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IMG_20231126_152223.jpg?resize=768%2C432&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IMG_20231126_152223.jpg?resize=1536%2C864&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IMG_20231126_152223.jpg?resize=1200%2C675&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IMG_20231126_152223.jpg?resize=1024%2C576&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IMG_20231126_152223.jpg?resize=1568%2C882&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IMG_20231126_152223.jpg?resize=400%2C225&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IMG_20231126_152223.jpg?resize=706%2C397&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IMG_20231126_152223.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>
1927. <p>The holidays can be a great time to share family recipes, traditions, and perspectives on life that sometimes puzzle our loved ones – like the rural devotion to gas stoves.</p>
1928. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/45-degrees-north-the-flip-side-of-gas-stoves/2023/12/01/">45 Degrees North: The Flip Side of Gas Stoves</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
1929. ]]></description>
1930. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="576" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IMG_20231126_152223.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/2023/11/IMG_20231126_152223.jpg?w=1920&amp;ssl=1 1920w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IMG_20231126_152223.jpg?resize=760%2C428&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IMG_20231126_152223.jpg?resize=1296%2C729&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IMG_20231126_152223.jpg?resize=768%2C432&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IMG_20231126_152223.jpg?resize=1536%2C864&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IMG_20231126_152223.jpg?resize=1200%2C675&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IMG_20231126_152223.jpg?resize=1024%2C576&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IMG_20231126_152223.jpg?resize=1568%2C882&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IMG_20231126_152223.jpg?resize=400%2C225&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IMG_20231126_152223.jpg?resize=706%2C397&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IMG_20231126_152223.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>
1931. <p>Like many rural people, last winter I heard that the federal government <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-01-09/us-safety-agency-to-consider-ban-on-gas-stoves-amid-health-fears">might</a> consider a ban on gas stoves. And I completely missed the <a href="https://twitter.com/HoehnSaricCPSC/status/1613200634194415616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1613200634194415616%7Ctwgr%5E7f8cdbd9545f6585ce1a55f0b544800146e7fba9%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mediamatters.org%2Ffox-news%2Fright-wing-media-figures-become-gas-stove-devotees-after-health-concerns-arise">statement</a> that the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission was not, in fact, looking to ban gas stoves but is studying ways to reduce potential indoor air quality hazards from gas appliances. As a result of that oversight, I did something completely out of character for me:</p>
1932.  
1933.  
1934.  
1935. <p>I decided to replace my gas stove <em>before</em> it fails completely.&nbsp;</p>
1936.  
1937.  
1938.  
1939. <p>To be more accurate, first I stewed and fretted for a few months. My gas stove is 30 years old. I don&#8217;t think its remaining useful life will exceed mine. What if, on the dark day that it dies, new gas stoves are no longer available? Don&#8217;t they know <em>why</em> gas stoves make sense in rural areas like mine?</p>
1940.  
1941.  
1942.  
1943. <p>For those who&#8217;ve never lived out yonder, it can be hard to understand how often we deal with <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/45-degrees-north-where-were-always-ready-for-an-outage/2022/06/07/">power outages</a>. Unless we have a whole-house generator or some other power source, a lot of us must be prepared for extended electrical outages, which can happen any time of year. When you&#8217;re outside the area of a municipal water system, you rely on a <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/45-degrees-north-well-thats-a-deep-subject/2023/05/19/">private well</a> for water. It takes electricity to pump water from a well to faucets. So we keep big jugs of water on hand for unexpected outages and fill buckets with water when the weather forecast hints at the potential for disruption in our electrical supply. That&#8217;s water we need for drinking, cooking, washing dishes, and washing our bodies, which can get pretty rank after working to clean up storm damage.&nbsp;</p>
1944.  
1945.  
1946.  
1947. <p>I heat that water on a gas stove purchased after electric igniters replaced continuous pilot lights. That change, as I recall, was to increase energy efficiency and decrease harmful emissions.&nbsp;</p>
1948.  
1949.  
1950.  
1951. <p>During an electrical outage, I cannot use my oven because there&#8217;s no way to light it manually. But I can light the stovetop burners the old school way: A box of kitchen matches sits by the stove 24/7/365.&nbsp;</p>
1952.  
1953.  
1954.  
1955. <p>Our fuel comes from a 500-gallon pressurized Liquid Propane (LP) gas tank – a common feature on rural properties. LP gas flows from the tank through supply lines to the on-demand water heater that is the heart of our radiant heating system, and to our kitchen stove. </p>
1956.  
1957.  
1958.  
1959. <p>It took me a while to notice that most of what I read about gas stove emission concerns did not distinguish between two very different types of fuel – natural gas and LP. <a href="https://www.consumerreports.org/appliances/indoor-air-quality/is-your-gas-range-a-health-risk-a6971504915/"><em>Consumer Reports</em></a> used natural gas ranges and cooktops for testing and said their experts “expect the results would be similar when using propane, given the similar combustion of the two gasses.” <a href="https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/have-a-gas-stove-how-to-reduce-pollution-that-may-harm-health-202209072811"><em>Harvard Health Publishing</em></a><em> </em>didn&#8217;t address LP at all. The <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35081712/#article-details">Stanford study</a> it cited specifically addressed methane and nitrogen oxide emissions from <em>natural gas </em>residential stoves, cooktops and ovens.</p>
1960.  
1961.  
1962.  
1963. <p>But there are big differences between natural gas and LP.</p>
1964.  
1965.  
1966.  
1967. <p>According to the <a href="https://www.eia.gov/outlooks/steo/report/perspectives/2023/10-winterfuels/article.php">U.S. Energy Information Administration</a>, natural gas is the most widely used residential heating fuel in the U.S. (46% of homes). The percentage of homes using electricity as a primary heating fuel has grown to 42% (up from 38% 10 years ago). Propane is the primary heating fuel in a smaller share of homes nationally, but is used widely in the upper Midwest and Northeast. Like here at 45 degrees North, where the winter heating season can last six months.&nbsp;</p>
1968.  
1969.  
1970.  
1971. <p>When natural gas lines were run through our area, we hoped those lines would reach us. We had heard that natural gas is cheaper than propane. No surprise: They stopped short of our address. I guess there are too few potential customers out here to make it profitable.</p>
1972.  
1973.  
1974.  
1975. <p>Since natural gas wasn&#8217;t an option for us, I didn&#8217;t really pay more attention to it until I started researching new stove options.</p>
1976.  
1977.  
1978.  
1979. <p>According to <a href="https://www.need.org/Files/curriculum/infobook/PropaneS.pdf">National Energy Education Development</a>, raw natural gas contains about 90% methane. It&#8217;s a non-renewable fossil fuel that releases carbon dioxide when it burns and methane if it leaks – environmental impacts that can&#8217;t be ignored forever. Natural gas stove emissions of nitrogen dioxide, benzene and other gasses affect indoor air quality and pose potential health risks.&nbsp;</p>
1980.  
1981.  
1982.  
1983. <p>All the years that we heated the old farmhouse with <a href="https://www.lung.org/clean-air/indoor-air/indoor-air-pollutants/residential-wood-burning">wood</a> took a toll on my lungs. And <a href="https://www.lung.org/clean-air/indoor-air/indoor-air-pollutants/radon">radon</a> didn&#8217;t help. Potential health risks associated with natural gas might be enough to make me think twice about choosing it, particularly if we had small children. But for us and many like us, natural gas isn&#8217;t an option.</p>
1984.  
1985.  
1986.  
1987. <p>Liquid propane, on the other hand, is considered a very clean burning fossil fuel and suitable for use in indoor settings. It was approved as an alternative fuel under the Clean Air Act, as well as the National Energy Policy Act of 1992. About 90% of the LP gas used in this country is produced in the United States. LP may be more expensive than natural gas, but it&#8217;s about twice as <a href="https://reviewed.usatoday.com/home-outdoors/features/natural-gas-vs-propane">energy efficient</a> per cubic foot. It&#8217;s delivered to the tank on my property by a friendly guy who checks our supply on a regular schedule and fills the tank before it&#8217;s empty.&nbsp;</p>
1988.  
1989.  
1990.  
1991. <p>The Propane Education &amp; Research Council says using propane produces <a href="https://propane.com/environment/">52% fewer greenhouse gas emissions than using an equivalent amount of electricity</a> generated from the grid (although the exact reduction depends on how your electricity is generated). As for the impact on propane-fueled cooking appliances on indoor air quality, the organization says gas stove headlines <a href="https://propane.com/2022/10/24/gas-stove-headlines-bend-facts-to-fit-narrow-energy-and-climate-agenda/">bent the facts</a> in favor of electric appliances. “We certainly must work to eliminate the presence of harmful emissions in and near homes,” they say. “No matter what fuel source you’re using — gas, electricity, or wood — <a href="https://propane.com/2022/12/14/watch-4-propane-cooking-myths-debunked-bwp/">cooking can contribute indoor air pollutio</a>n. That’s why it’s vital to pair your cooktop with a quality range hood.”</p>
1992.  
1993.  
1994.  
1995. <p>So when we shopped early Black Friday sales for a new stove, we bought a new hood. This one has a greater intake area than our old hood to increase the air exchange. And I&#8217;ll be using it more – much more – than I used the hood it&#8217;s replacing. To be honest, I hardly ever turned that one on unless something in a fry pan was filling the kitchen with smoke.</p>
1996.  
1997.  
1998.  
1999. <p>Now that I&#8217;m not so concerned that the government is coming to take my gas stove, I probably could talk myself into making do with the one I have for a while longer. It still works. Over the years, we replaced the oven igniter twice. When the oven temperature setting marks wore off the oven dial, I used fingernail polish to mark the knob. That was in the late 1990s. I can, more or less, set the dial where it needs to be.</p>
2000.  
2001.  
2002.  
2003. <p>But the oven temperature regulation has gotten finicky. That makes it hard to multitask without risking burned bottoms on cookies and muffins. The enamel on the oven floor is pitted. I manage to sweet-talk the oven door into closing more or less completely most of the time. But one of these days that door connection will snap. Probably during a holiday baking marathon.&nbsp;</p>
2004.  
2005.  
2006.  
2007. <p>Or it could fail when the snow is deep. When our washing machine croaked we had to shovel and trim a rose bush buried by the snowplow before we could back the pickup close enough to the porch steps to get a replacement into the house. I don&#8217;t blame businesses for not wanting to deliver appliances so far out in the country, especially in winter. But since delivery isn&#8217;t an option for us, we decided to buy a new stove before winter snow begins to accumulate.&nbsp;</p>
2008.  
2009.  
2010.  
2011. <p>Our new stove doesn&#8217;t even <em>have</em> a dial for the oven temperature. The control panel for the oven has settings I&#8217;ve never used. That new hood will probably work overtime while I learn the difference between conventional, convection and air fryer oven modes. The “edge-to-edge” cooktop is supposed to be more stable under large pans – things like my pressure canner and Bill&#8217;s giant kettle for homebrewing beer. The increased BTUs available from one large “power burner” should decrease the time it takes to bring those large pots to a boil. There&#8217;s even an oval burner and griddle centered between the four round burners – perfect for fried eggs, grilled cheese, patties made from home-canned fish. We should be able to cook a batch of pancakes in half the time.&nbsp;</p>
2012.  
2013.  
2014.  
2015. <p>And I can light those burners with a match when the power is out. Out here, that&#8217;s really important.</p>
2016.  
2017.  
2018.  
2019. <p><a href="https://parade.com/living/gas-stove-safety"><em>This article</em></a><em> has 15 helpful gas stove safety tips.&nbsp;</em></p>
2020.  
2021.  
2022.  
2023. <p><em>Donna Kallner writes from Langlade County in rural northern Wisconsin.</em></p>
2024. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/45-degrees-north-the-flip-side-of-gas-stoves/2023/12/01/">45 Degrees North: The Flip Side of Gas Stoves</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
2025. ]]></content:encoded>
2027. <wfw:commentRss>https://dailyyonder.com/45-degrees-north-the-flip-side-of-gas-stoves/2023/12/01/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
2028. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
2031. </item>
2032. <item>
2033. <title>Movie Examines American Dream Through the Lens of Diminishing Rural Healthcare</title>
2034. <link>https://dailyyonder.com/movie-examines-american-dream-through-the-lens-of-diminishing-rural-healthcare/2023/12/01/</link>
2035. <comments>https://dailyyonder.com/movie-examines-american-dream-through-the-lens-of-diminishing-rural-healthcare/2023/12/01/#respond</comments>
2037. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Liz Carey]]></dc:creator>
2038. <pubDate>Fri, 01 Dec 2023 11:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
2039. <category><![CDATA[Arts and Culture]]></category>
2040. <category><![CDATA[Yonder Report]]></category>
2041. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=118661</guid>
2042.  
2043. <description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/noom-peerapong-2uwFEAGUm6E-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/noom-peerapong-2uwFEAGUm6E-unsplash-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/noom-peerapong-2uwFEAGUm6E-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C507&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/noom-peerapong-2uwFEAGUm6E-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C864&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/noom-peerapong-2uwFEAGUm6E-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/noom-peerapong-2uwFEAGUm6E-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/noom-peerapong-2uwFEAGUm6E-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/noom-peerapong-2uwFEAGUm6E-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/noom-peerapong-2uwFEAGUm6E-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/noom-peerapong-2uwFEAGUm6E-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C400&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/noom-peerapong-2uwFEAGUm6E-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C1045&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/noom-peerapong-2uwFEAGUm6E-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/noom-peerapong-2uwFEAGUm6E-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C471&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/noom-peerapong-2uwFEAGUm6E-unsplash-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/noom-peerapong-2uwFEAGUm6E-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>
2044. <p>“If Dreams Were Lightning” asks “What is a community if it doesn't have something as essential as a place to go when you're sick?"</p>
2045. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/movie-examines-american-dream-through-the-lens-of-diminishing-rural-healthcare/2023/12/01/">Movie Examines American Dream Through the Lens of Diminishing Rural Healthcare</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
2046. ]]></description>
2047. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/noom-peerapong-2uwFEAGUm6E-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/noom-peerapong-2uwFEAGUm6E-unsplash-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/noom-peerapong-2uwFEAGUm6E-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=760%2C507&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/noom-peerapong-2uwFEAGUm6E-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1296%2C864&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/noom-peerapong-2uwFEAGUm6E-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/noom-peerapong-2uwFEAGUm6E-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/noom-peerapong-2uwFEAGUm6E-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/noom-peerapong-2uwFEAGUm6E-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/noom-peerapong-2uwFEAGUm6E-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/noom-peerapong-2uwFEAGUm6E-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C400&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/noom-peerapong-2uwFEAGUm6E-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C1045&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/noom-peerapong-2uwFEAGUm6E-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/noom-peerapong-2uwFEAGUm6E-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C471&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/noom-peerapong-2uwFEAGUm6E-unsplash-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/noom-peerapong-2uwFEAGUm6E-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" /></figure>
2048. <p>An abandoned hospital that serves paranormal investigators instead of patients. A green bus that has lines of people waiting for medical treatment when it comes to town. A coal miner struggling to breathe fighting with the coal mine that made him sick.</p>
2049.  
2050.  
2051.  
2052. <p>These are the realities of healthcare in rural Appalachia as illustrated by the new film by Ramin Bahrani, “If Dreams Were Lightning.”</p>
2053.  
2054.  
2055.  
2056. <p>As a child, filmmaker Bahrani traveled to rural areas in North Carolina and Virginia with his father, a doctor, as he treated patients who wouldn’t otherwise have access to healthcare. Now, he has trained his camera lens on the realities facing people in rural communities.&nbsp;</p>
2057.  
2058.  
2059.  
2060. <p>Drawn to the issue by the increase in rural hospital closures in recent years, Bahrani wanted to illustrate the rural healthcare landscape in a human way. Focusing on Appalachia, the film looks beyond talking heads and experts citing facts and figures.</p>
2061.  
2062.  
2063.  
2064. <p>“The rapid closure of hospitals in rural America and specifically in this region of Appalachia are so ingrained in (Ramin) and important to him,” Pamela Ryan, one of the film’s producers said in an interview with the Daily Yonder. “He is a director who integrates a lot of humanism into his work… We knew from the start that this was going to be something where you learned about the issues at hand by the people who were living it day-to-day.”</p>
2065.  
2066.  
2067.  
2068. <p>Originally, said Jason Orans, another of the film’s producers, the focus was just on rural hospital closures and how that affects the communities around them.</p>
2069.  
2070.  
2071.  
2072. <p>&#8220;If a company buys up five factories and closes one, some jobs go away,” Orans said in an interview with the Daily Yonder. “ But when the same thing happens with a hospital, it&#8217;s not just jobs that are lost&#8230; what happens to all those people that had counted on the hospital as a center not only for health care but for the health of their community in some ways.&nbsp; What is a community if it doesn&#8217;t have something as essential as a place to go when you&#8217;re sick?&#8221;</p>
2073.  
2074.  
2075.  
2076. <p>As shooting continued, however, the filmmakers realized there was a story to tell that centered more on the rural vision of the American Dream. Subjects in the movie say the life they are living now is not what they envisioned their future to be and doesn’t resemble their vision of the American Dream.</p>
2077.  
2078.  
2079.  
2080. <p>“Everybody we interviewed just kept on talking about this unshakeable idea that America is the greatest country on earth,” Orans said. “It&#8217;s this lovely idea that we all grew up with. But sometimes you have to take a really hard look and say, ‘Well…what about this part of it?’ [Lack of rural healthcare access] is just this terrible thing that we all take for granted.”</p>
2081.  
2082.  
2083.  
2084. <p>The film follows two women, lifelong friends, who travel the backroads of Appalachia in a mobile healthcare clinic bus, The Health Wagon. When they arrive in a town, they face long lines of people hoping to get access to the services they provide.</p>
2085.  
2086.  
2087.  
2088. <p>“They&#8217;re really fighting the good fight for these communities in Southwest Virginia that without them would just have such tremendous barriers to basic care,” Ryan said. “I think that to many audiences, it&#8217;s clear, the Health Wagon is incredibly noble and the work they&#8217;re doing is tremendous… But it&#8217;s also still a band-aid fix compared to the comprehensive change that&#8217;s really needed in our country.”</p>
2089.  
2090.  
2091.  
2092. <p>That fix is illustrated in some of the stories the film tells – a veteran who is diagnosed with cancer after a trip to the Health Wagon but doesn’t have access to continued care. A woman who admits she never goes to the doctor as she waits at a clinic for tooth extraction. A man caring for his bed-ridden wife who knows any medical issue for him would be more than they could financially survive.</p>
2093.  
2094.  
2095.  
2096. <p>But instead of anger or resentment, most of the subjects seem resigned to their situation, Ryan said.</p>
2097.  
2098.  
2099.  
2100. <p>“I think there are people who have seen multiple generations of their family struggle in the same way,” she said. “So while it may not be what they expected, I think it&#8217;s maybe also not unexpected… This is not a community of people who by and large are railing at the world. They get through day to day. They take care of their family and friends as best they can. They did not spend a lot of time expressing rage.”</p>
2101.  
2102.  
2103.  
2104. <p>The film debuted earlier this year at the Telluride Film Festival and has been shown at several other film festivals this year. In January of next year, the film will be shown on PBS channels, Ryan said. Working with PBS, she said, gives the participants in the film more access to view it as opposed to something like Netflix or Max.</p>
2105.  
2106.  
2107.  
2108. <p>“We&#8217;re particularly excited that this one will find a home on PBS,” she said. “With PBS, if you&#8217;ve got a pair of rabbit ears, you can tune into it.”</p>
2109.  
2110.  
2111.  
2112. <p><em><a href="https://dailyyonder.com/author/liz_carey/">Liz Carey </a>covers healthcare and related issues for the Daily Yonder.</em></p>
2113. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/movie-examines-american-dream-through-the-lens-of-diminishing-rural-healthcare/2023/12/01/">Movie Examines American Dream Through the Lens of Diminishing Rural Healthcare</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
2114. ]]></content:encoded>
2116. <wfw:commentRss>https://dailyyonder.com/movie-examines-american-dream-through-the-lens-of-diminishing-rural-healthcare/2023/12/01/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
2117. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
2120. </item>
2121. <item>
2122. <title>Housing Prices Have Plateaued in Rural Moab Valley, but Only by a Little</title>
2123. <link>https://dailyyonder.com/housing-prices-have-plateaued-in-rural-moab-valley-but-only-by-a-little/2023/12/01/</link>
2124. <comments>https://dailyyonder.com/housing-prices-have-plateaued-in-rural-moab-valley-but-only-by-a-little/2023/12/01/#respond</comments>
2126. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Sophia Fisher / The Moab Times-Independent]]></dc:creator>
2127. <pubDate>Fri, 01 Dec 2023 10:58:00 +0000</pubDate>
2128. <category><![CDATA[Housing]]></category>
2129. <category><![CDATA[repub]]></category>
2130. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=118988</guid>
2131.  
2132. <description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="750" height="500" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/47-housing-3.png?fit=750%2C500&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/2023/11/47-housing-3.png?w=750&amp;ssl=1 750w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/47-housing-3.png?resize=600%2C400&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/47-housing-3.png?resize=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/47-housing-3.png?resize=706%2C471&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/47-housing-3.png?fit=750%2C500&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>
2133. <p>This story was originally published by the Moab Times-Independent. For Kaitlin Myers, the developments were at opposite ends of the Moab Valley but signaled the same trend. One was a small subdivision just a mile from the San Juan County border in Spanish Valley. The other, ensconced in downtown Moab, was a block of condominiums [&#8230;]</p>
2134. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/housing-prices-have-plateaued-in-rural-moab-valley-but-only-by-a-little/2023/12/01/">Housing Prices Have Plateaued in Rural Moab Valley, but Only by a Little</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
2135. ]]></description>
2136. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="750" height="500" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/47-housing-3.png?fit=750%2C500&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/2023/11/47-housing-3.png?w=750&amp;ssl=1 750w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/47-housing-3.png?resize=600%2C400&amp;ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/47-housing-3.png?resize=400%2C267&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/47-housing-3.png?resize=706%2C471&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/47-housing-3.png?fit=750%2C500&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>
2137. <p class="has-text-align-center"><em>This story was originally published by the <a href="https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/the-state-of-moabs-housing-in-2023/">Moab Times-Independent</a>. </em></p>
2138.  
2139.  
2140.  
2141. <p>For Kaitlin Myers, the developments were at opposite ends of the Moab Valley but signaled the same trend.</p>
2142.  
2143.  
2144.  
2145. <p>One was a small subdivision just a mile from the San Juan County border in Spanish Valley. The other, ensconced in downtown Moab, was a block of condominiums next to the Center Street Ballpark.</p>
2146.  
2147.  
2148.  
2149. <p>Miles apart, one in unincorporated Grand County and the other in the heart of Moab, the two luxury developments connoted to Myers the crisis that would — had already begun — subsuming or intensifying all other crises: housing.</p>
2150.  
2151.  
2152.  
2153. <p>“We’ve always kind of seen luxury subdivisions come in, but for me … those were two big indicators that that is firmly the direction we’re heading now,” said Myers, the executive director of the Moab Area Community Land Trust.</p>
2154.  
2155.  
2156.  
2157. <p>Those developments took shape in 2020 and 2021 amidst the Covid-19 pandemic when real estate values in Moab and throughout the West soared.</p>
2158.  
2159.  
2160.  
2161. <p>Two years later, local housing experts agree that the sizzling market has fizzled somewhat: prices have plateaued and inventory is rising, partly due to an influx of construction projects.</p>
2162.  
2163.  
2164.  
2165. <p>But that doesn’t mean housing in Moab is any more affordable. Data demonstrate that home prices still exceed pre-pandemic levels and far outstrip local wages. One-third of residential units are second homes. Experts agree that there’s still plenty to be done to address the affordability crisis, and a new Moab-area housing plan is calling on local governments to keep tackling the challenge — full steam ahead.</p>
2166.  
2167.  
2168.  
2169. <p>“I think the last two years have just really gone to show that housing is so out of reach for the majority of residents,” Myers said. “…We’re just seeing [that] housing is so unattainable for people, even if you are making a decent wage now.”</p>
2170.  
2171.  
2172.  
2173. <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>‘A Shotgun Market’</strong></h2>
2174.  
2175.  
2176.  
2177. <p>That’s not to say that housing was particularly affordable in 2020 or 2021. At that time, Moab — alongside many other Western communities and rural resort towns — was experiencing a booming real estate market.</p>
2178.  
2179.  
2180.  
2181. <p>“2021 was just a shotgun market,” said Rachel Moody, an associate broker with Berkshire Hathaway. “Everything was just moving so fast you couldn’t keep up with it.”</p>
2182.  
2183.  
2184.  
2185. <p>Moody said properties were metaphorically flying off the shelves, even in farther-flung areas such as Pack Creek and Flat Iron Mesa. She remembers receiving 23 offers for a Rim Village condo, 13 for a house in Castle Valley.</p>
2186.  
2187.  
2188.  
2189. <p>That’s also when Moab’s housing values, already on an upward trend, started to spike.</p>
2190.  
2191.  
2192.  
2193. <p>According to data from the Utah Realtors Association and Zillow Home Value Index, housing values and sales prices both skyrocketed about $100,000 from 2020 to 2021 alone. Previously, it had taken four years for values to rise that much.</p>
2194.  
2195.  
2196.  
2197. <p>“For a short time, people were paying cash sight unseen at aspirational prices,” said Moab City Planning and Zoning Director Cory Shurtleff. Having grown up in Utah, Shurtleff said he saw “means that I have not seen in the West before.”</p>
2198.  
2199.  
2200.  
2201. <p>The demand in turn fueled development. Shurtleff previously told The Times-Independent that the conversion of downtown parcels into luxury condominium developments, a trend that started around 2019, increased “exponentially” during the pandemic.</p>
2202.  
2203.  
2204.  
2205. <p>But much of that behavior changed abruptly in spring 2022. That’s when the Federal Reserve started a roughly yearlong hike of its interest rates from near zero to higher than 5%, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. The resultingly high mortgage costs stifled buying.</p>
2206.  
2207.  
2208.  
2209. <p>“You’ve gone from a complete seller’s market to pretty much a buyer’s market,” Moody said. “…Everything just changed. It was a total whiplash.”</p>
2210.  
2211.  
2212.  
2213. <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>From Sizzle to Fizzle</strong></h2>
2214.  
2215.  
2216.  
2217. <p>Since that boomerang moment, local housing experts agree that Moab’s home prices have plateaued as the real estate market cooled.</p>
2218.  
2219.  
2220.  
2221. <p>“A lot of people put brakes on,” Moody said. She estimated that much of the Moab market has dipped about 10% in price.</p>
2222.  
2223.  
2224.  
2225. <p>But that doesn’t necessarily mean affordability has increased. Higher federal interest rates translate to more expensive mortgage payments.</p>
2226.  
2227.  
2228.  
2229. <p>“Even if costs are coming down, when you’re looking at a 7% interest rate it might as well be a $700,000 house [with the lower rates],” Myers said.</p>
2230.  
2231.  
2232.  
2233. <p>Plus, local officials agreed that the housing prices retain a higher baseline than pre-pandemic years.</p>
2234.  
2235.  
2236.  
2237. <p>“People are building what maybe would have been a 2010-15 attainable home, same product, same quality, but it … is now being priced at a luxury pricing,” Shurtleff said.</p>
2238.  
2239.  
2240.  
2241. <p>He and Moody agreed that $400,000 to $500,000 is now the base price for almost any Moab home. In 2015, however, average home values lay below $300,000.</p>
2242.  
2243.  
2244.  
2245. <p>“You’ve got a higher price you’re working with now in 2023 just across the board,” Moody said.</p>
2246.  
2247.  
2248.  
2249. <p>But local wages don’t seem to have kept up. According to the Moab Area Affordable Housing Plan, a household in 2021 needed to earn nearly $150,000 to afford an average-priced home. But the same year, average Grand County incomes were only $40,000.</p>
2250.  
2251.  
2252.  
2253. <p>“We weren’t seeing that [gap] before 2021,” Myers said. “I think when we were looking at workforce housing in the 2018-2021 window … we were still thinking of potential workforce families as those making in the less-than-$100,000 range … now we’re just seeing [that] housing is so unattainable for people even if you are making a decent wage.”</p>
2254.  
2255.  
2256.  
2257. <p>Moody also predicted that housing prices could simply spike again the next time interest rates fall.</p>
2258.  
2259.  
2260.  
2261. <p>“If you have enough inventory, it could keep your prices stable,” she said. “If interest rates go back down and everybody buys everything up, you’re going to get back to a position of supply and demand issues.”</p>
2262.  
2263.  
2264.  
2265. <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Construction, but What Kind?</strong></h2>
2266.  
2267.  
2268.  
2269. <p>At the same time, Moab is certainly gaining real estate inventory, local experts and officials agreed — partly from a cooled-off market and partly from a flood of construction.</p>
2270.  
2271.  
2272.  
2273. <p>Bill Hulse, Grand County’s building official and floodplain administrator, told the Grand County Commission in October that his office saw about the same number of construction permits this year as last, but a larger proportion was earmarked for residences rather than hotels or big commercial projects.</p>
2274.  
2275.  
2276.  
2277. <p>Data from the county building department demonstrates that in 2021 and 2022, the last year full data was available, unincorporated Grand County and Moab together saw 121 and 91 new units, respectively. Those values exceed almost any years ranging back to 2014.</p>
2278.  
2279.  
2280.  
2281. <p>“We have a lot of new construction right now and the new construction is from pent-up demand,” Moody said. She said her brokerage now has 133 residential units for sale, compared to 12 to 15 in early 2022.</p>
2282.  
2283.  
2284.  
2285. <p>“2023 is definitely the year of inventory,” she added.</p>
2286.  
2287.  
2288.  
2289. <p>And there’s likely more coming. Elissa Martin, the director of Planning and Zoning for Grand County, said there’s an “astonishing” number of approved but unbuilt units in the Moab Valley. Shurtleff said he’s fielding more and more calls from developers offering affordable projects, and that accessory dwelling units are seeing steady interest.</p>
2290.  
2291.  
2292.  
2293. <p>“We’re starting to see more and more creativity that way within the housing realm,” he said.</p>
2294.  
2295.  
2296.  
2297. <p>But in many cases, it can be hard to tell what kind of housing is coming online. While multiple large developments providing workforce or income-restricted housing are in the works — Arroyo Crossing and several High Density Housing Overlay projects, for example — there’s no system to track small subdivisions and one-off projects from building permit to sale price and beyond.</p>
2298.  
2299.  
2300.  
2301. <p>Noelle Gignoux, a former Grand County planning technician, noted at an Oct. 30 Grand County Planning Commission meeting that the county is exceeding the construction goals in its 2017 housing plan, but “there’s no really great way to track the value of houses that are being built and who’s living in them.”</p>
2302.  
2303.  
2304.  
2305. <p>“We know just anecdotally,” Gignoux said, “… a lot of [the units developed] were high-end developments and were also second homes.”</p>
2306.  
2307.  
2308.  
2309. <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>The Road Ahead</strong></h2>
2310.  
2311.  
2312.  
2313. <p>As the housing market quiets local housing experts are honing their recommendations to local governments on how to address the affordability crisis.</p>
2314.  
2315.  
2316.  
2317. <p>The Moab Area Housing Task Force, which created the affordable housing plan, was clear in its directive: deed restrictions, deed restrictions, deed restrictions.</p>
2318.  
2319.  
2320.  
2321. <p>“We lean heavily in favor of deed restrictions in this plan,” said Laura Harris, a development specialist for the Housing Authority of Southeastern Utah and chair of the task force, at the October 30 planning commission meeting.</p>
2322.  
2323.  
2324.  
2325. <p>Currently, nearly 600 units throughout the county are deed-restricted for local occupancy or income. The plan calls for an increase to 1,500 by 2030 through a community-wide program that ideally offers incentives to participating homeowners.</p>
2326.  
2327.  
2328.  
2329. <p>Myers, who’s also the vice-chair of the housing task force, said deed restrictions are the only way to ensure that new construction serves locals, not second homeowners.</p>
2330.  
2331.  
2332.  
2333. <p>“Short-term rentals, you can use a business license or something to regulate that,” she said. “You can regulate where that use can go. But you can’t regulate against second homes in a land use code.”</p>
2334.  
2335.  
2336.  
2337. <p>Currently, one-third of Grand County’s housing stock is taxed as a second home, according to data from the Grand County Assessor’s Office.</p>
2338.  
2339.  
2340.  
2341. <p>Several experts said there’s also a need for more direct forms of subsidy.</p>
2342.  
2343.  
2344.  
2345. <p>That’s the take of Wilf Sommerkorn, the deputy executive director of nonprofit Utah Land Use Institute.</p>
2346.  
2347.  
2348.  
2349. <p>“To really address the affordable housing crisis, there’s got to be something done on the finance side of it,” he said.</p>
2350.  
2351.  
2352.  
2353. <p>Moody agreed. She said she wishes the Federal Reserve could offer lower interest rates for first-time homebuyers and low-income households.</p>
2354.  
2355.  
2356.  
2357. <p>Myers said she thinks subsidies — federal, state or local — are specifically needed in Moab to offset the relatively high cost of materials and labor.</p>
2358.  
2359.  
2360.  
2361. <p>“We can’t change interest rates, we can’t change construction prices, so the cost to build is going to stay the same,” she said. “The only way to bring that price down is to put subsidy in.”</p>
2362.  
2363.  
2364.  
2365. <p>Myers said the community needs to “proactively and aggressively” pursue more affordable housing policies, such as subsidies and deed-restricted developments. Otherwise, she said, the market will continue to provide luxury second homes such as the two developments that set off her internal alarm bells in 2021.</p>
2366.  
2367.  
2368.  
2369. <p>“Something that someone from Park City told me within my first few weeks of moving to Moab is that you need to start working on addressing these things yesterday, because when you start losing the soul of your community, you’ll never get it back,” Myers said. “I feel like that’s what we’ve actively watched happen. I think Moab’s doing a lot more than people think to more proactively solve our housing crisis, but there’s still a lot of work to do.”</p>
2370.  
2371.  
2372.  
2373. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots"/>
2374.  
2375.  
2376.  
2377. <p><em>This reporting project is made possible by a grant from the Center for Rural Strategies, which publishes the Daily Yonder, and Grist.</em></p>
2378. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/housing-prices-have-plateaued-in-rural-moab-valley-but-only-by-a-little/2023/12/01/">Housing Prices Have Plateaued in Rural Moab Valley, but Only by a Little</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
2379. ]]></content:encoded>
2381. <wfw:commentRss>https://dailyyonder.com/housing-prices-have-plateaued-in-rural-moab-valley-but-only-by-a-little/2023/12/01/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
2382. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
2385. </item>
2386. <item>
2387. <title>Study: Rural Hospitals in Missouri Offer Services to Overcome Barriers to Care</title>
2388. <link>https://dailyyonder.com/study-rural-hospitals-in-missouri-offer-services-to-overcome-barriers-to-care/2023/11/30/</link>
2389. <comments>https://dailyyonder.com/study-rural-hospitals-in-missouri-offer-services-to-overcome-barriers-to-care/2023/11/30/#respond</comments>
2391. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Liz Carey]]></dc:creator>
2392. <pubDate>Thu, 30 Nov 2023 11:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
2393. <category><![CDATA[Health]]></category>
2394. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://dailyyonder.com/?p=117488</guid>
2395.  
2396. <description><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="519" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/nappy-dcBO4nt4MRE-unsplash-scaled-e1697737447784.jpg?fit=1024%2C519&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/2023/10/nappy-dcBO4nt4MRE-unsplash-scaled-e1697737447784.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/nappy-dcBO4nt4MRE-unsplash-scaled-e1697737447784.jpg?resize=760%2C385&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/nappy-dcBO4nt4MRE-unsplash-scaled-e1697737447784.jpg?resize=1296%2C657&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/nappy-dcBO4nt4MRE-unsplash-scaled-e1697737447784.jpg?resize=768%2C389&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/nappy-dcBO4nt4MRE-unsplash-scaled-e1697737447784.jpg?resize=1536%2C778&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/nappy-dcBO4nt4MRE-unsplash-scaled-e1697737447784.jpg?resize=2048%2C1038&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/nappy-dcBO4nt4MRE-unsplash-scaled-e1697737447784.jpg?resize=1200%2C608&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/nappy-dcBO4nt4MRE-unsplash-scaled-e1697737447784.jpg?resize=1024%2C519&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/nappy-dcBO4nt4MRE-unsplash-scaled-e1697737447784.jpg?resize=1568%2C794&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/nappy-dcBO4nt4MRE-unsplash-scaled-e1697737447784.jpg?resize=400%2C203&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/nappy-dcBO4nt4MRE-unsplash-scaled-e1697737447784.jpg?resize=706%2C358&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/nappy-dcBO4nt4MRE-unsplash-scaled-e1697737447784.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/nappy-dcBO4nt4MRE-unsplash-scaled-e1697737447784.jpg?fit=1024%2C519&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>
2397. <p>According to the researchers conducting the study, lack of national healthcare policy forces rural providers to do “a lot of downstream patchwork that occurs to help people get the care they need.”</p>
2398. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/study-rural-hospitals-in-missouri-offer-services-to-overcome-barriers-to-care/2023/11/30/">Study: Rural Hospitals in Missouri Offer Services to Overcome Barriers to Care</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
2399. ]]></description>
2400. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure><img width="1024" height="519" src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/nappy-dcBO4nt4MRE-unsplash-scaled-e1697737447784.jpg?fit=1024%2C519&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/2023/10/nappy-dcBO4nt4MRE-unsplash-scaled-e1697737447784.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/nappy-dcBO4nt4MRE-unsplash-scaled-e1697737447784.jpg?resize=760%2C385&amp;ssl=1 760w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/nappy-dcBO4nt4MRE-unsplash-scaled-e1697737447784.jpg?resize=1296%2C657&amp;ssl=1 1296w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/nappy-dcBO4nt4MRE-unsplash-scaled-e1697737447784.jpg?resize=768%2C389&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/nappy-dcBO4nt4MRE-unsplash-scaled-e1697737447784.jpg?resize=1536%2C778&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/nappy-dcBO4nt4MRE-unsplash-scaled-e1697737447784.jpg?resize=2048%2C1038&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/nappy-dcBO4nt4MRE-unsplash-scaled-e1697737447784.jpg?resize=1200%2C608&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/nappy-dcBO4nt4MRE-unsplash-scaled-e1697737447784.jpg?resize=1024%2C519&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/nappy-dcBO4nt4MRE-unsplash-scaled-e1697737447784.jpg?resize=1568%2C794&amp;ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/nappy-dcBO4nt4MRE-unsplash-scaled-e1697737447784.jpg?resize=400%2C203&amp;ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/nappy-dcBO4nt4MRE-unsplash-scaled-e1697737447784.jpg?resize=706%2C358&amp;ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/nappy-dcBO4nt4MRE-unsplash-scaled-e1697737447784.jpg?w=2340&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/nappy-dcBO4nt4MRE-unsplash-scaled-e1697737447784.jpg?fit=1024%2C519&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>
2401. <p>For rural hospitals in Missouri providing social services like transportation, housing assistance and food is a part of improving patients’ health, a <a href="https://showme.missouri.edu/2023/mu-researchers-study-barriers-and-facilitators-to-accessing-health-care-in-rural-missouri/">new study</a> from the University of Missouri has found.</p>
2402.  
2403.  
2404.  
2405. <p>Julie Kapp, lead researcher on the study, said providing these core services in rural communities may lead to better health outcomes for residents.</p>
2406.  
2407.  
2408.  
2409. <p>The study found that rural health care organizations in that state are increasingly providing these basic social services to their patients.&nbsp;</p>
2410.  
2411.  
2412.  
2413. <p>Whether it was providing transportation to and from health care settings or helping patients with cleaning supplies and gently used mattresses, the innovative solutions met patients where they were and provided care above and beyond normal hospital practices.</p>
2414.  
2415.  
2416.  
2417. <p>“Early results of enhanced care coordination suggest promise for improved patient well-being and reductions in key social determinants of health barriers, but this field is still emerging and it’s too early to tell definitively,” Kapp said in an email interview with the Daily Yonder. “Our focus was more on what rural health organizations were doing and identifying innovations when possible.”</p>
2418.  
2419.  
2420.  
2421. <p>Researchers talked to officials at 14 rural health care organizations across the state to determine what challenges rural Missourians face in accessing care as well as what innovative solution organizations are providing to help patients overcome them.</p>
2422.  
2423.  
2424.  
2425. <p>Of those interviewed, 100% said they provided transportation services, while 86% said they offer mental health services. The study found that 79% provided food assistance, 71% said they offer housing assistance, and 50% provided dental services. Three quarters of the hospitals surveyed offered as many as seven essential services to their rural clients.</p>
2426.  
2427.  
2428.  
2429. <p>Something as simple as providing food assistance can make a difference in a patient being able to do what is necessary to improve their health, Kapp said.</p>
2430.  
2431.  
2432.  
2433. <p>“Doctors often recommend prescription medications be taken on a full stomach, but for someone struggling with food insecurity, that might not always be an option,” she said.</p>
2434.  
2435.  
2436.  
2437. <p>The innovations varied from organization to organization, Kapp said. In one Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), when local transportation services were stopped due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the center developed its own transportation model. Another used its warehouse space to gather items like toiletries, furniture and bedding that would have otherwise gone to a landfill to give to patients in need.</p>
2438.  
2439.  
2440.  
2441. <p>“What was surprising to me, and inspiring, was to hear how these organizations were identifying innovative ways to provide care to their patients while working within a fractured U.S. healthcare system,” Kapp said. “Each county has its own unique context and challenges and resources.”</p>
2442.  
2443.  
2444.  
2445. <p>And each county was different, she said. In one county, as pandemic lockdowns forced people to isolate, a behavioral health organization figured out a way to drop food at their clients’ doorsteps to ensure they had enough to eat. Another FQHC reported it works with housing authorities to make sure patients have a place to live, while working with other resources to make sure patients have clothes to wear.</p>
2446.  
2447.  
2448.  
2449. <p>The study shows, Kapp said, how rural health care organizations have to take on new roles in order to improve the health outcomes of their rural constituents and provide basic services.</p>
2450.  
2451.  
2452.  
2453. <p>“One of the main takeaways of this research is that health care is more broad today than before, and it incorporates basic social services that are often not thought of as health care related,” Beau Underwood, a doctoral student who collaborated with Kapp on the study said in a statement. “We need to think beyond just what happens in the doctor’s office, and part of that is thinking about if patients have transportation to get to the doctor’s office in the first place, or if there is even a physician in the patient’s area.”</p>
2454.  
2455.  
2456.  
2457. <p>But as more rural hospitals face closure, providing those services can put a strain on the healthcare system, she said.<a href="https://chqpr.org/Reports.html">&nbsp;</a></p>
2458.  
2459.  
2460.  
2461. <p><a href="https://chqpr.org/Reports.html">A July report</a> from the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform, found that a third of Missouri’s rural hospitals (19) are at risk of closing because of “serious financial problems.” Eight of those were considered at risk of “immediate closure,” the report found.</p>
2462.  
2463.  
2464.  
2465. <p>Providing those extra services, Kapp said, depends on the community.</p>
2466.  
2467.  
2468.  
2469. <p>“Rural hospitals are having to make do with limited resources,” she said. “We found a variety of ways organizations were addressing these challenges. Organizations often seek grants to fund these resources. Some organizations were just getting by and doing the minimum, such as referrals, while others were creatively problem solving and being proactive. One organization said it best ‘If you’ve seen one rural community, you’ve seen one rural community. Because they all have different resources.’”</p>
2470.  
2471.  
2472.  
2473. <p>Kapp said the study shows the broken nature of our healthcare system.</p>
2474.  
2475.  
2476.  
2477. <p>“The U.S. is the only high-income country without universal health care,” Kapp said.&nbsp;</p>
2478.  
2479.  
2480.  
2481. <p>“Our health care system is very fragmented, and we spend more money than any other high-income country in the world on health care, while our health outcomes, such as life expectancy, are among the worst of our peer countries…we are already paying more than any other country on healthcare, but we are not getting more for it. Until this issue is addressed at the national policy level, there is a lot of downstream patchwork that occurs to help people get the care they need.”</p>
2482. <p>The post <a href="https://dailyyonder.com/study-rural-hospitals-in-missouri-offer-services-to-overcome-barriers-to-care/2023/11/30/">Study: Rural Hospitals in Missouri Offer Services to Overcome Barriers to Care</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a>.</p>
2483. ]]></content:encoded>
2485. <wfw:commentRss>https://dailyyonder.com/study-rural-hospitals-in-missouri-offer-services-to-overcome-barriers-to-care/2023/11/30/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
2486. <slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
2489. </item>
2490. </channel>
2491. </rss>

If you would like to create a banner that links to this page (i.e. this validation result), do the following:

1. Download the "valid RSS" banner.

2. Upload the image to your own server. (This step is important. Please do not link directly to the image on this server.)

3. Add this HTML to your page (change the image src attribute if necessary):

   <a href="http://www.feedvalidator.org/check.cgi?url=https%3A//dailyyonder.com/feed/"><img src="valid-rss-rogers.png" alt="[Valid RSS]" title="Validate my RSS feed" /></a>

If you would like to create a text link instead, here is the URL you can use:

http://www.feedvalidator.org/check.cgi?url=https%3A//dailyyonder.com/feed/

Home · About · News · Docs · Terms