Editor’s Note: This article is republished from Faith & Leadership, an online magazine of the Leadership Education program at Duke Divinity School. In the 1960s sitcom “Green Acres,” wealthy New Yorkers leave the city for rural life. As the show’s twangy theme song says, “Farm living is the life for me.” It’s a funny, lighthearted show — […]
Posted inMedia
Beau of the Fifth Column on Fact, Opinion, and the Democracy In Between
Since starting his channel three years ago, Beau of the Fifth Column has grown his YouTube audience to more than half a million subscribers, connecting with folks from all walks of life and political identities. It isn’t surprising given that he doesn’t shy away from most any topic, whether it’s his almost hourly updates about […]
Posted inRural Life
Q&A: How Investigative Journalism Can Highlight Rural Inequities with Reporter Molly Parker
Editor’s Note: This interview first appeared in Path Finders, an email newsletter from the Daily Yonder. Each week, Path Finders features a Q&A with a rural thinker, creator, or doer. Like what you see here? You can join the mailing list at the bottom of this article and receive more conversations like this in your inbox each week. […]
Posted inGrowth and Development
Rural Rising: Paper Examines What Makes a Thriving Rural America
New research published recently by McKinsey, a management consulting firm specializing in corporations, governments and other entities, identified three key elements necessary for rural communities to thrive: sectors or tradeable industries, workforce, and community and connectivity. According to the paper entitled “Rural rising: Economic development strategies for America’s heartland,” says rural economic development usually ties […]
Posted inMedia
Making Sense of ‘Outer Range’ and Its Many Mysteries
Editor’s Note: A version of this story first appeared in The Good, the Bad, and the Elegy, a newsletter from the Daily Yonder focused on the best, and worst, in rural media, entertainment, and culture. Every other Thursday, it features reviews, retrospectives, recommendations, and more. You can join the mailing list at the bottom of this article to […]
Posted inRural Economy
Turning Tides: Offshore Wind Farms at Odds with Oregon’s Fishing Trade
Commercial fishing fleets in Oregon are worried that two sites the state is considering for offshore wind energy production will reduce their catch and cause economic trouble for coastal communities. “They’re locking up public areas in the ocean for a single-entity user and blocking out all the other users that have historically used that area,” […]
Posted inGrowth and Development
Free Book from the Fed Aims to Highlight Effective Rural Development
UPDATE: The book Investing in Rural Prosperity will serve as a framework for a public event on rural investment sponsored by the New York Federal Reserve Bank on Tuesday, May 24, from 1-5:30 p.m. Eastern time. The live event is in New York City, but if you prefer to attend from a more rural setting, […]
Posted inEnergy
In Their Own Words: Coastal Leaders Push Back Against Location of Wind Energy Plants
There is little doubt that floating offshore wind farms are coming to the southern Oregon coast. The region’s small, ocean-reliant communities are worried about potential damage to sea habitat and the loss of fishing grounds. In February, the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) designated 2,100 square miles of federal water for potential development […]
Posted inHealth
Helping Forest Firefighters Battle a Different Kind of Burnout
This story was originally published by Reasons to Be Cheerful. Wildfire season is back. Over the weekend, hundreds of firefighters fought to contain a wildfire in New Mexico that forced thousands of people to be evacuated and destroyed at least 166 homes. In late April, more than 700 homes were evacuated as a “wall of fire” swept across parts of […]
Posted inCoronavirus
Rural Covid Infections Climb for Fifth Consecutive Week
Explore full-page version of the map The rate of new Covid-19 infections in rural America climbed by a third last week, the fifth increase in as many weeks, according to a Daily Yonder analysis. New infections in metropolitan counties also grew, but at a slightly slower pace. Rural counties reported about 44,000 new infections last […]