Rural News Clips, Oct. 7, 2024
New report on rural career challenges; Rural clerks worry ranked-choice voting will raise costs, undermine voter trust in Oregon; Pro-Trump Christian nationalists on tour to recruit election workers
CAMPAIGN FOR RURAL PROGRESS
KLTV
Non-profit ‘Este Poder’ empowering underserved East Texas communities to vote
Oct. 5, 2024
“Rural voices matter, but they’re sometimes the communities that get the most forgotten, including during elections. Because of this, a local non-profit has made it its mission to change that.”
“Este Poder was founded in 2020. It started with UT Tyler political science graduates Emily Pinal, Belen Iniguez and Lina Ortega coming together to establish the organization.”
“Pinal says their efforts started with door knocking in the smallest communities of East Texas. It was those actions that revealed to them just how left out some of these rural communities were when it came to voting outreach efforts.”
Pinal said some residents told her she was the first canvasser who had ever knocked on their door, and that just that made a big difference.
“Since then, it’s been holding events catered to our most overlooked communities, including those of color and low income. They serve counties like Smith, Gregg, Wood, Cherokee and Nacogdoches.”
“Whether they’re tabling at a local school or event, they make an effort to teach residents about local government, how it works and the importance of civic engagement.”
“Studies by broadcasting organization National Public Radio have shown it’s harder for eligible voters working lower-wage jobs to prioritize political participation over their day-to-day economic needs. Add to that, if they’re from rural areas, travel times for in-person voting become longer, adding more barriers. It’s issues like these Este Poder hopes to help with.”
POLITICS AND ELECTIONS
ProPublica
Election Skeptics Are Running Some County Election Boards in Georgia. A New Rule Could Allow Them to Exclude Decisive Votes.
Oct. 6, 2024
“An examination of a new election rule in Georgia passed by the state’s Republican-controlled election board suggests that local officials in just a handful of rural counties could exclude enough votes to affect the outcome of the presidential race.”
“The rule was backed by national groups allied with former President Donald Trump. It gives county boards the power to investigate irregularities and exclude entire precincts from the vote totals they certify.”
“Supporters of the rule, most of whom are Republicans, say it’s necessary to root out fraud. Critics, most of whom are Democrats, say it can be used as a tool to disenfranchise select buckets of voters.”
“An analysis by ProPublica shows that counties wouldn’t have to toss out many precincts to tip the election if it’s as close as it was in 2020.”
“A judge is expected to decide soon whether the rule will stand.”
NPR
Pro-Trump Christian nationalists are on tour to recruit election workers
Oct. 4, 2024
Lance Wallnau “a former oil industry marketer turned charismatic Christian author and media figure” is hitting swing states on what he calls the Courage Tour. “The tour’s goal is to bolster the courage of attendees' to speak their minds politically and recruit them to serve as local election workers and poll watchers.”
Vice presidential candidate JD Vance has been a guest speaker on the tour.
“Wallnau, along with his wife Annabelle, are just two of several right-wing Christian leaders hosting these revival-style events at which Trump is seen as God’s anointed candidate.”
“Wallnau is well-known in evangelical circles for having popularized a Christian concept called the ‘Seven Mountains,’ which calls on the faithful to take dominion over all areas of culture.”
The Hill
Hurricane Helene aftermath poses election hurdles in critical battlegrounds
Oct. 7, 2024
“Hurricane Helene has thrown up new hurdles for voters and election officials alike in Georgia and North Carolina, threatening disruptions to the voting process in two of the most critical battleground states.”
“Flooding, stormy conditions and power outages have displaced residents, interrupted postal services and impacted election offices across the Southeast. The fallout could complicate early and mail voting in some places and demoralize voters from casting their ballots.”
“Roughly 17 percent of North Carolina’s registered voters are in the disaster areas declared late last month by [FEMA], or nearly 1.3 million voters.”
“The state fully intends for all counties to begin early voting as scheduled on Oct. 17, the state board’s public information director Pat Gannon told The Hill, though some inaccessible or damaged sites may have to be moved or consolidated.”
In Georgia, “some rural communities near the Florida-Georgia line have been hit hard, and rebuilding efforts may take longer than in other, more urban areas.”
“The Georgia secretary of state’s office started working before the storm landed to prepare for potential disruptions, and preparations remain on schedule.”
The Daily Yonder
Rural Clerks Worry Ranked-Choice Voting Will Raise Costs, Undermine Election Trust in Oregon
Oct, 7, 2024
“Voting-reform advocates say ranked-choice voting will give voters more voice in their elections. But clerks of small counties worry that any advantages will be undermined by more cost and confusion.”
The Guardian
‘Coal jobs were out, opiates were in’: how shame and pride explain Trump’s rural popularity
Oct. 6, 2024
Sociologist Arlie Russell Hochschild’s new book, Stolen Pride: Loss, Shame, and the Rise of the Right, “explores what Hochschild calls the ‘pride paradox’: because conservative Americans value personal responsibility, they feel proud when they do well, and blame themselves when they don’t.”
“Hochschild argues that a “pride economy” coexists with the material economy and is almost as important. It also helps to explain Trump’s popularity in many rural and blue-collar areas.”
“Trump shrewdly understands the power of shame and pride, Hochschild argues … Struggling Appalachians, who feel that big-city Americans look down on them, identify with Trump’s pugnacity.”
Shame is ‘almost like coal’, Hochschild says – “a resource to exploit by a charismatic leader”.
Hochschild spent years in America’s whitest and second-poorest district — Kentucky’s 5th Congressional district, in the southeastern part of the state — to research the book.
The Fayetteville Observer
Opinion: Democrats are not conceding rural North Carolina. Kamala Harris can win here.
Oct. 6, 2024
“This election offers a great opportunity for Vice President Harris to win in North Carolina through her economic plan for small businesses, reduction of prescription drugs and increase in affordable housing,” writes retired Rep. Eva Clayton, who lives in rural North Carolina. She writes that she has seen many other rural residents excited to vote for Harris.
“Her plan outlined in response to the Farm Bureau questionnaire to support family farmers, ranchers and other small businesses, and strengthen competition in the agricultural supply chain, is welcomed by the farming communities.”
“We strongly encourage the team of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz to visit North Carolina's rural as well as urban communities.”
The Associated Press
Colorado judge who sentenced election denier Tina Peters to prison receives threats
Oct. 4, 2024
“A rural Colorado county courthouse beefed up security Friday after threats were made against staff and a judge who sentenced former county clerk Tina Peters to nearly nine years behind bars and admonished her for her role in a data breach scheme catalyzed by the lie that the 2020 election was stolen from former President Donald Trump.”
“Courthouse staff in Grand Junction, Colorado, received multiple threats that were being vetted by law enforcement while extra security was provided.”
The Tuscon Sentinel
Arizona organizations look to help Indigenous communities with voting obstacles
Oct. 4, 2024
“A new set of challenges has hindered civic engagement in Indigenous communities across the state. From hours of traveling to get to a polling station to trouble with addresses for mail-in ballots, there are a variety of complex issues at play.”
“In August, the Supreme Court ruled that Arizona could enforce a law requiring voters to show proof of citizenship when registering. The law was introduced in 2022 under Republican Gov. Doug Ducey but was struck down by the courts. The Republican National Committee along with the Arizona GOP lawmakers appealed the ruling, getting it overturned just months before the general election.”
“A month before this ruling, U.S. Rep. Joe Morelle, D-N.Y., and the U.S. Committee on House Administration released an extensive report highlighting the various voting challenges affecting Indigenous communities today.”
The barriers also include insufficient mail service and language assistance, and travel difficulties.
Newsweek
Three Surprising Voter Groups That Could Swing Election for Trump or Harris
Oct. 4, 2024
“While much attention has been given to large voting blocs, often overlooked groups could have a substantial impact” on the upcoming election.
“Polish Americans, rural African Americans, and Latino evangelicals—groups often with distinct concerns and voting patterns—could tip the balance in closely contested battleground states.”
"It is not so much a question of dissuading them from voting Republican but mobilizing them to vote as they have been a Democratic constituency since the Voting Rights Act of 1965,” said Professor Emeritus Iwan Morgan at University College London.
BROADBAND
Broadband Breakfast
Rural Electric Co-ops Want Broadband Data Fixed by FCC Before BEAD
Oct. 4, 2024
“Closing the digital divide requires collecting accurate data to ensure rural areas receive their fair share of the $42.5 billion in broadband expansion subsidies soon to be released by the Commerce Department, a national trade association said.”
“The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, representing more than 900 electric cooperatives, warned [last] week that faulty data from the Federal Communications Commission could cause rural communities to miss out on vital funding.”
“NRECA warned that the current broadband maps, which rely heavily on self-reported data from providers, misrepresented the actual availability of high-speed internet in many rural areas.”
“This could result in entire communities being unfairly classified as “served” with broadband, making them ineligible for BEAD and other federal programs like ReConnect. NRECA stressed the need for more precise, on-the-ground data to ensure that federal funds are directed where they are most needed.”
“To improve the accuracy of the FCC’s maps, NRECA proposed that the FCC allow consumers to submit their own speed tests to challenge provider claims of broadband service. They also recommended incorporating third-party verification to assess the actual quality and reach of broadband service, particularly in hard-to-serve rural areas.”
COURTS
The Hill
Supreme Court won’t weigh Michigan ban on state funding for private schools
Oct. 7, 2024
“The Supreme Court will not weigh whether Michigan’s ban on public dollars for private schools can stand, allowing a decades-old amendment to the state’s constitution to remain intact.”
“Five families and a parental choice advocacy group sued Michigan over a 1970 state constitutional amendment that bars direct or indirect public financial support for sectarian schools. They claim the provision violates the U.S. Constitution’s guarantee to equal protection.”
“Michigan is one of 37 states with such a provision.”
ABC News
Supreme Court steps into a fight over plans to store nuclear waste in rural Texas and New Mexico
Oct. 4, 2024
“The Supreme Court agreed on Friday to step into a fight over plans to store nuclear waste at sites in rural Texas and New Mexico.”
“The justices said they will review a ruling by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that found that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission exceeded its authority under federal law in granting a license to a private company to store spent nuclear fuel at a dump in West Texas for 40 years. The outcome of the case will affect plans for a similar facility in New Mexico.”
“Political leaders in both states oppose the facilities.”
“A plan to build a national storage facility northwest of Las Vegas at Yucca Mountain has been mothballed because of staunch opposition from most Nevada residents and officials.”
“The push for temporary storage sites is part of the complicated politics of the nation’s so far futile quest for a permanent underground storage facility.”
DISASTERS
USA Today
Hospitals urge emergency steps on IV fluid shortage after Hurricane Helene
Oct. 7, 2024
“Hospitals are urging the White House to help shore up supplies of IV bags after a North Carolina factory closed due to flood damage wrought by Hurricane Helene.”
Rural hospitals tend to get the short end of the stick during healthcare supply-chain shortages.
“Several hospitals have implemented conservation plans and warned the public of potential disruptions since Baxter International temporarily closed a manufacturing site in Marion, North Carolina, about 35 miles east of Asheville.” (pop. 7,500)
“The Marion factory supplied 60% of the nation's IV fluids to health facilities. The factory also ships peritoneal dialysis solutions to dialysis centers.”
“The AHA, which represents nearly 5,000 hospitals and health care organizations, wants the Food and Drug Administration to declare a shortage of IV solutions and allow hospitals and health systems to prepare sterile IV solutions in their own pharmacies.”
It’s unclear when the plant will be back up and running.
The New York Times
For Some Children, Hurricane Helene’s Ruin ‘Could Take Years to Get Over’
Oct. 7, 2024
“Tens of thousands of children across the Southeast remain out of their classrooms one week after Helene, the deadliest hurricane to strike the mainland United States since Katrina. They are cut off from academics, friends and stabilizing routines.”
“Even when they reopen, students in the hardest hit regions, like western North Carolina, could face long-lasting academic and emotional setbacks, according to youth development experts.”
The New York Times
At a Tennessee Plastics Plant, Sorrow and Uncertainty in Helene’s Wake
Oct. 6, 2024
More than a week ago, nearly a dozen factory workers were swept away during Hurricane Helene Impact Plastics Inc., in rural Erwin, Tenn. “But nine days after the tragedy, little clarity has emerged about what happened, what role the company, Impact Plastics Inc., played and even how many employees may have died.”
“Erwin, a small mountain town of about 6,000 people, has seen a large influx of Latinos in recent years. They make up about 8 percent of the population, lured by work in strawberry and tomato fields and in factories like Impact Plastics’.”
Some of the confirmed dead were Mexican immigrants. There were “reports of Spanish speakers trying, in vain, to communicate with English speakers during the chaotic evacuation.”
“Family members of the victims and survivors have told advocates of immigrants that the workers were told not to leave the factory even as the downpour began.”
Politico
The next disaster: Few in Helene’s wake are insured for flood damage
Oct. 2, 2024
“Hundreds of thousands of people across parts of the Southeast will struggle to rebuild their homes after Hurricane Helene for one reason … less than 1 percent of households have flood insurance through the federal program that sells almost all of the nation’s flood policies.”
“The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Flood Insurance Program covers 4.6 million homes and businesses.”
“Helene is highlighting the major gaps in U.S. flood insurance and their consequences as climate change amplifies flood risk both from coastal storm surge and rapidly overflowing rivers in Boone and other inland areas.”
“Flood insurance is sold separately from homeowners’ insurance, which typically does not cover flood damage.”
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Washington State Standard
As federal funding for crime victims plummets, advocates ask WA lawmakers for help
Oct. 7, 2024
“The main funding source for victim services in Washington is projected to be cut in half before the end of next year. It’s called the Victims of Crime Act State Plan.”
About 70% of all victim services funding flowing through Washington’s Office of Crime Victims Advocacy comes from the state plan.”
“A few years ago, the state plan was funded entirely through federal dollars from the Victims of Crime Act. But the federal money has been steadily declining — from $74.7 million at its high in 2018 to about $17.8 million last June, the lowest amount in a decade.”
“Rather than taxes, the dollars come from fines, forfeited bonds and other financial penalties in certain federal cases, which makes the federal funds volatile.”
“A few years ago, the state decided to kick in $40 million to keep funding for the state plan steady — but those supplemental funds are set to expire in June 2025.”
The funds are particularly critical in rural areas, where survivors have few resources.
EDUCATION
The Hechinger Report
College Uncovered: The Rural Higher Education Blues
Oct. 3. 2024
“Rural young people who aspire to a higher education have long had fewer choices than their urban and suburban counterparts, contributing to far lower rates of college-going. Now many of the universities that serve them are eliminating large numbers of programs and majors.”
“That means the already limited number of options available to rural students are being squeezed even further, forcing them to travel even greater distances to college than they already do or give up on it altogether.”
“This divide is further widening the gap that’s playing out in politics between rural America and urban and suburban places.”
“But there are some new attempts being made to help rural students who want to go to college.”
The podcast (with transcript) has more.
HOUSING
Maine Morning Star
Mainers who qualify for state’s pilot rent relief program can apply starting this month
Oct. 7, 2024
“Applicants who are eligible for Maine’s first rent relief program will soon be able to apply to receive subsidies from the independent state agency, Maine State Housing Authority. If eligible, applicants could receive up to $800 per month paid directly to their landlords to help with rising housing costs.”
“The Eviction Prevention Program, authorized in the supplemental budget last year, will be open for applications mid to late October.”
“Applicants who live in subsidized housing or use federal housing vouchers will not be eligible for the program.”
Daily Montanan
Wages up, housing still out of reach, says Montana labor report
Oct. 6, 2024
“A 2024 report on labor in Montana said the economy is continuing to expand, unemployment remains low, and wage growth is increasing and has outpaced inflation.”
“Montana ranks 2nd in the nation for fastest wage growth since 2020,” according to the report.
“But Montanans earning median wages still can’t buy median-priced homes, and housing affordability isn’t expected to improve in short order.”
According to a state report released last month, “the high cost of housing and low availability of childcare workers are a couple of challenges for the economy.”
Nearly 60% of counties are childcare deserts. “The most significant unmet demand is in more rural areas, and four counties have no licensed provider at all.”
Also, the average cost of a home has shot up 70% in the past five years.
JOBS
ABC News
Rural workers optimistic, innovative but lack tech and access to training: report
Oct. 4, 2024
“A new report looks at the barriers and opportunities for rural workers to stay and thrive in their hometowns.”
“The Generating Rural Opportunities in the Workforce report, a joint effort by the University of Phoenix Career Institute and the Center on Rural Innovation, found that workers living in rural areas are more than twice as likely to feel limited in their employment opportunities, 35% compared to 14% for folks living in cities and suburbs.”
“Sixty percent of rural workers feel pursuing a career is out of reach.”
“Nearly 70% of rural workers would leave their community to pursue employment, compared to just over half of workers in urban and suburban areas.”
“And nearly two-thirds of rural Gen Z workers and over half of rural millennials feel held back in their careers because of where they live, according to the GROW report.”
“Rural workers are just as optimistic about the future of their careers as their nonrural counterparts (68% vs. 71%). They're just not optimistic that they can stay in their hometown for their careers.”
Amanda Weinstein, the director of research at the Center on Rural Innovation “said there’s a high level of interest in entrepreneurship among rural folks, but ‘there is a bit of a mismatch’ with the tools and opportunities they’ve been given.”
LIBRARIES
The Washington Post
Who uses public libraries the most? There’s a divide by religion, and politics.
Oct. 4, 2024
YouGov has some new stats on who uses the nation’s public libraries the most.
Republicans are less likely to visit the library than Democrats, but rurality (where people have less access to libraries) may account for a lot of that gap.
RENEWABLE ENERGY
Bay Journal
Solar industry electrifies pushback in rural areas of Chesapeake Bay region
Oct. 7, 2024
“Solar may be the cheapest and easiest-to-install energy source driving the nation’s push for renewable power. But in rural hamlets across the Mid-Atlantic, efforts to unleash widespread sun-based power are encountering pushback from local officials and residents.”
“Solar developers often look to the rural U.S. to host their sprawling arrays because that’s where the open land is. And the potential new neighbors of those projects say it puts a disproportionate burden on their communities — such as the loss of prime farmland, disruption of bucolic views and increased stormwater runoff.”
“To the frustration of solar developers and environmental groups, local leaders are rejecting many solar farms. The opposition is slowing the solar industry’s rollout in Maryland and Virginia and has kept Pennsylvania among the lowest-ranking states in solar adoption.”
“Renewable energy projects in general are facing more friction nationwide. An analysis by USA Today found that in 2023, for the first time, more solar and wind projects were blocked by local governments than approved.”
Canary Media
Solar farms don’t hurt nearby property values, new research finds
Oct. 7, 2024
“A newly published study examining property values near dozens of large Midwest solar farms has found no significant negative impact — and even a slight positive effect — from the projects, according to the data.”
The study, “published in the December 2024 issue of the journal Solar Compass, looked at property values surrounding 70 utility-scale solar projects in the Midwest and found they actually had a minor positive effect — increasing values by 0.5% to 2%.”
REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS
The 19th and Kaiser Health News
Catholic hospital offered a bucket and towels to woman it denied abortion, California AG says
Oct. 4, 2024
“In California, where abortion rights are guaranteed, there’s a loophole. The growth of Catholic hospital systems, which restrict reproductive health care, has left patients with no other option for care.” This is often the case in small towns and rural areas.
Catholic hospitals “are aggressively expanding nationally by acquiring secular hospitals.”
Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka, California (pop. 26,000), turned away a woman who “needed an emergency abortion to prevent hemorrhaging and infection.”
“California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit against the Catholic hospital detailing [Anna] Nusslock’s dangerous experience and alleging the hospital violated multiple state laws when it discharged Nusslock — with an offer of a bucket and towels — to go elsewhere for what he described as standard medical care.”
The nearby hospital where Nusslock ultimately got medical care is closing its birth center this month, meaning “Providence will be the only hospital within about 85 miles to offer labor and delivery.”
WATER RIGHTS
The Center Square
Counties call for rural groundwater management despite some voters rejecting it
Oct. 4, 2024
“Four rural Arizona county supervisors are asking for more regulation when it comes to pumping rural groundwater, something that their constituents denied them in 2022.”
“It is long past time for the Arizona Legislature to approve a balanced, commonsense, and customizable rural management framework to protect the water future of our rural Arizona communities—most who have no other options to round out their water portfolios,” reads a joint statement from Coconino County Supervisor Patrice Horstman, La Paz County Supervisor Holly Irwin, Mohave County Supervisor Travis Lingenfelter and Yavapai County Supervisor Dona Michaels.
“Most of rural Arizona’s groundwater lies outside of an Active Management Area or an Irrigation Non-Expansion Area, meaning that the water supply is neither monitored nor regulated.”
“Opponents of AMAs have said they are an overreaction to the problem of water conservation and carry a reputation for stunting businesses looking to locate or expand within its jurisdiction.”
“The biggest draw on rural basins is agriculture as commercial farming is one of the biggest economic drivers in those communities, with agricultural use of rural basins reaching up to 99% of the overall groundwater use.”