Thursday, Nov. 30, 2006

Rural school superintendents show power in battle against school choice

Powerful foes are entering the battle over whether parents should have more school choice, with rural school superintendents coming out against initiatives that would create more private education options.

"Private school choice — whether it comes in the form of vouchers, tax credits, or some other policy option — is becoming less of a Republican-vs.-Democrat issue, in which party affiliation tends to determine the level of state support for the issue, some experts say. Instead, they explain, school choice is increasingly becoming a rural vs. urban issue, with geography mattering more than political leaning," writes Michele McNeil of Education Week.

Republicans generally support school choice, but their strength of support varies, and many Democrats and teachers' unions oppose the idea. Now, rural superintendents are influencing enough legislators to prevent private school choice bills from passing. “The states where we have strong Republican dominance and yet we’ve come up empty have a common denominator: a very strong influence by rural school superintendents,” Clint Bolick, the president of the Alliance for School Choice, told McNeil.

Efforts are meeting opposition in Texas, Missouri and South Carolina, and Bolick's group is now starting to focus on spreading a positive portrayal of school choice in rural communities. "Advocates are working to convince rural residents that their tax dollars are supporting a system of general education, and that failing urban schools cost all taxpayers in the state. School choice proponents say they also need to reach out to rural Republican legislators, who are often influenced by their local superintendents," writes McNeil.

Those who oppose school choice bring traditional values and practical cost reasons to the table. "In many rural communities, the school district is a major employer. Many residents went to the same schools themselves and believe their districts excel. What’s more, in a rural community, the next school may be a very long bus ride away, meaning school choice faces big logistical hurdles," writes McNeil. (Read more)

Meth lab seizures drop in U.S., but workplace use rises in the East

Seizures of methamphetamine laboratories are down 30 percent across the U.S. and there is a 12.4 percent drop in people testing positive for the drug at work, but meth use is up on the east coast, according to a report released to coincide with today's National Methamphetamine Awareness Day.

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy reports that "monthly methamphetamine laboratory incidents have significantly decreased since reaching a high of 2,049 in March of 2004. In 2004, there were about 17,750 meth lab incidents, compared to approximately 12,500 incidents in 2005 — a drop of more than 30 percent." The press release said the drug-test figure compared the first five months of 2006 to the same period one year earlier.

"The number of workplace employees who tested positive for meth dipped dramatically in several Midwest and Western states where the drug so far has provided the largest punch, including Missouri, Iowa and New Mexico," reports The Associated Press. "But it surged along the East Coast, including in Connecticut and Maine, and by a whopping 115 percent increase in the District of Columbia." (Read more)

To read the government report titled "Pushing Back Against Meth: A Progress Report on the Fight Against Methamphetamine in the United States," click here. For information on efforts to combat meth use, visit www.MethResources.gov. Also, for more information on today's awareness events, click here.

Officers at risk for violence in rural California, meth a major factor

Police and game wardens in rural California are at risk for violence, owing largely to the drug trade. "In the past decade, the number of law enforcement officers assaulted in small towns and rural counties has jumped 38 percent, rising from 7,855 to 10,852, FBI crime statistics show. Last year, one of every five law enforcement officers assaulted was on duty in a rural area. And three out of 10 officers murdered in the last decade were slain far from city streets," writes M.S. Enkoji of the Sacramento Bee.

"The potential dangers haunt any cop assigned to patrol vast regions of the state's open space, usually alone and often as long as an hour from the nearest backup," writes Enkoji. "Drugs, particularly the rise in the manufacture and trafficking of methamphetamine, drive rural violence, according to police and criminal justice experts. Population growth is another factor."

Game wardens do more than just check hunting and fishing licenses."Enforcing the state's Fish and Game Code entails everything from busting poachers in the harbors of Los Angeles County to slogging through marijuana crops in mountainous hideaways. The last warden to get shot was on a marijuana eradication operation in 2005 in the Santa Clara County mountains." (Read more)

Higher-skill jobs being outsourced to rural U.S. by foreign companies

International companies are outsourcing jobs to the rural United States because of employees with relatively low wages, work ethic and flexible schedules. It is not unusual for companies to create jobs like call centers in smaller towns, but now higher-level jobs are being sent to rural areas, particularly from foreign businesses, said Harold Sirkin of Boston Consulting, reports Tim Huber of the Associated Press.

Williams Lea, a British outsourcing firm, created an office in Wheeling, W.Va. (pop. 31,419), that processes legal documents for Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, a law firm with 900 lawyers worldwide, reports Huber. Dave Pennino, the firm’s director of marketing, said that clients are dubious until they see that Wheeling has people, decent schools and access to Pittsburgh. He said that they are enthusiastic once they grasp the idea and the company hopes to attract clients by keeping sensitive information in the country. In a little over a year the Wheeling office has employed 37 people and the company hopes to eventually increase its staff to 120.

Service jobs in Ohio County, where Wheeling is located, grew at a rate of only 0.3 percent from 2001 through last year, a rate less than half that of the rest of the state, according to data from West Virginia University. "The county has struggled with a declining population, dropping from more than 50,000 in April 1990 to a bit more than 45,000 by July 2005," writes Huber. "Unemployment has dropped in recent years from 5.4 percent in 2003 to 4.8 percent last year. Yet the area faces a somewhat uncertain future, along with much of the state. The state’s manufacturing sector has lost 3,300 jobs over the past three years and losses in the steel and chemical industries are expected to continue." (Read more)

Set-asides to preserve private land offsetting urban development

Attempts to preserve farms, ranches and forests from industrial and residential development are saving about as much space each year as is lost to sprawl, according to a report released today.

The National Land Trust Census, conducted every five years, shows that the "conservation of private land from 2000 to 2005 averaged 2.6 million acres a year — about half the size of New Jersey, according to the Land Trust Alliance, which represents 1,200 of the USA's 1,667 local, state and national land trusts. This means additional land protected each year exceeds the 2.2 million acres that the Agriculture Department has estimated is converted annually to 'developed land,'" writes Patrick O'Driscoll of USA Today.

"The biggest acreage is in conservation easements, legal pacts between landowners and trusts or government agencies that permanently limit the land's use. The land census says easements have risen 148 percent since the last count. An easement preserves open space permanently as scenic landscape, watershed or wildlife habitat from other development. The landowner, often a rancher or farmer, receives a tax credit in exchange and can continue to graze livestock or grow crops on the property," reports O'Driscoll. (Read more)

For a state-by-state breakdown of total acres conserved from 2000 to 2005 and the number of land trusts during that period, click here. The six-state Southwest region showed the biggest increase in acres conserved, going from fewer than 800,000 to almost two million. States in that region include Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah. To read the report, click here.

Rural family staves off urban sprawl, turns down $10 million for farm

Butler County, Ohio, is like many once-rural areas in the U.S. where a nearby urban area (in this case, Cincinnati) expanded over the years and farms became scattered. However, developers are finding that $10 million is not enough to convince one farming family in the county's West Chester Township to sell its past and pave the way for an urban future.

"At 90 years old, Bill Honerlaw has never been on a bus, a train or a plane. He hasn't set foot in a grocery store in 20 years. He calls computers 'the worst thing that ever happened.' Honerlaw is set in his ways, which might explain why he's holding on to 113 acres of farmland that first came into his family more than 80 years ago. His two nephews aren't parting with their 145 acres just across the road, either. Never mind that their land is in the middle of growing suburbia, surrounded on all sides by residential developments," writes Amy Saunders of The Cincinnati Enquirer.

The eldest Honerlaw views the urban sprawl coming forth from Cincinnati as "a damn mess" with clogged roads, carbon-copy shopping centers and houses built within a few feet of each other. "As Butler County sprawls with more housing, offices, hotels and shopping malls, Honerlaw and his family are a rare breed. They're holding onto some of the region's largest, most coveted tracts of undeveloped land," writes Saunders. "In the grand scheme of things, it really doesn't matter to the Honerlaws that their spread with horses, cows and fields of corn, soybeans, wheat and hay could someday make them rich."

Bill's nephews, Steve and Jeff Honerlaw, "say their children have learned responsibility through farm work. The kids feed livestock after school, participate in 4-H and help farm and harvest the crops," writes Saunders. Says Steve: "We love the area, and our kids love it. So what do you do with a pile of money? It doesn't matter what they offer. We're not interested in selling." (Read more)

Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2006

Telecom to boost rural broadband in Indiana, after legislative battles

Verizon plans to provide 70,000 customers in 69 southern Indiana communities with high-speed Internet, in a state that recently rejected a telecom-backed bill to make it difficult for governments to offer broadband. Similar battles are being played out in other states.

Broadband through digital subscriber lines "will be offered to nearly all Verizon-served markets south of Interstate 70 that do not already have DSL, as well as northern Indiana areas west of Valparaiso and west of South Bend and Elkhart," reports The Associated Press. "Verizon also plans to offer its new fiber-based video service -- FiOS TV -- to residents in Fort Wayne and New Haven starting next year."

An Indiana law approved earlier this year permits companies to provide cable-like TV services without seeking approval from cities. "Under previous Indiana law, cable companies had to negotiate agreements with communities to provide services," AP reports. "Those in the cable TV industry and some consumer advocates opposed changing that, saying the local agreements often required that companies serve rural or low-income areas, not just wealthier suburban ones. Proponents of the new deregulation law said it would spur competition and investment and allow underserved areas to enjoy the benefits of high-speed Internet access." (Read more)

Earlier this year, the Indiana legislature passed an extensive telecom bill without original language that would have prevented cities from offering broadband Internet service. Small cities such as Sellersburg, just north of Louisville, have gone into the broadband business because Verizon and other companies would not.

Rural interests, net-neutrality advocates oppose Michigan legislation

A proposed law in Michigan would let telephone companies offer television service without asking cities and counties for approval, and opponents worry that it would undermine national efforts to require Internet service providers to offer equal access to all Internet sites, the concept known as "net neutrality."

"Supporters of the bill say easing for phone companies' entry to offer TV services will increase competition, leading to lower prices and greater access to high-speed Internet service because customers will be able to package all their digital communications--television, phone, and the Internet," writes Tom Siebert of Online Media Daily. "But opponents . . . argue that the current Michigan bill would allow telecoms to choose where to build out their lines, potentially serving lucrative population centers and leaving poorer or more rural areas without broadband access." (Read more) The House bill is pending in the Senate.

"Backers say streamlining the outdated system would stimulate competition in Michigan, where all but about 50 communities have just one cable provider," reports David Eggert of The Associated Press. "Local communities oppose the legislation because of fears it would let providers cherry-pick wealthier customers and ignore seniors and low-income and rural residents." (Read more)

A few tobacco auctions survive despite end of program; burley exported

Kentucky's tobacco auctions are barely surviving in a climate where electronic sales are taking off and there is no longer a federal program of quotas and price supports.

Many growers began selling leaf directly to cigarette companies even before the program's repeal, which was expected to spell the end of the auction system. "But not all burley growers got contracts and some who have them grow more leaf than a cigarette-maker might want in a year," writes Jim Jordan of the Lexington Herald-Leader. "So auctions have taken place in Danville, Harrodsburg, Mount Sterling and now Lexington -- wherever enough burley can be assembled to lure buyers." (Herald-Leader photo inside Big Burley Warehouse in Lexington)

Much of the tobacco being sold at such auctions will wind up overseas in China and Japan, and will typically bring a lower price due to high shipping costs, said Scott Althauser, the Burley Tobacco Growers Cooperative Association's vice president for leaf. "Unlike years past, yesterday's auction had no auctioneer's chant. Bidding was done with hand-held computers," writes Jordan. (Read more)

Native American women get high-tech breast screenings in Dakotas

Native American women in North and South Dakota got breast screenings without leaving their rural reservations, thanks to telemedicine from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The use of digital mammography instead of films, and adding satellite capability, allowed the women to get immediate reactions from radiologists. "From March to July 2006, a mobile mammography unit owned by Indian Health Service visited seven American Indian reservations in North Dakota and South Dakota and performed 515 digital mammograms," says Newswise, a research-reporting service. "The average time between sending the films and obtaining a report for these women was 50 minutes."

"Only about 10 percent of Native American women over age 40 get a yearly mammogram. In many cases, women live on rural reservations where they must drive as far as 100 miles to have a mammogram. After the test, it can take up to a week before a woman receives the results. If additional tests are needed, it is often difficult to arrange for that follow up." (Read more)

Cattle crime increases in North Dakota, spurs call for tougher laws

Cattle grazers in North Dakota are calling for tougher livestock laws to crack down on everything from animals being stolen to forged documents in sales transactions.

Many cattle grazers are starting to feel the effects of crime in their pocketbooks, as the loss of even one steer via theft or fraud can cost them about $800. It is time to update the state's laws so they address today's criminals, Darryl Howard, chief brand inspector for the North Dakota Stockmen's Association, told Blake Nicholson of The Associated Press. "Presenting fake bills of sale, unlawful proof of ownership, unlawful branding ... these days, we don't deal with rustling so much in the old sense of the word as we do with fraud. Just about all of the laws that we specifically deal with, the penalties are 1940s, 1950s, and we're to the point where we need to jump ahead at least 50 years."

The association voted this month to seek tougher laws and it will present detailed proposals to lawmakers. Many of the cattle grazers see tougher laws as the answer and cite the effectiveness of recent cold medicine restrictions on reducing the number of methamphetamine labs in the state, reports Nicholson. (Read more)

Tuscaloosa paper stops presses to cover Tide football coach's firing

There is no bigger story in Alabama than the leading state university's head football coach getting fired, especially in the town where the university is based, so The Tuscaloosa News (circulation 33,858) stopped its presses to catch up with news that Coach Mike Shula was out of a job with the Crimson Tide.

In a column headlined "Stop the presses!" Executive Editor Doug Ray writes, "We did, with more than 20,000 copies of Monday’s edition printed and 6,000 of them already on their way to readers. Drivers who were headed to Greene, Fayette and Pickens counties turned their trucks around and came back to The Tuscaloosa News as we replated the press with a new headline: 'Shula fired' in 180-point type.

"Here is how the story broke: Mike Raita, a sports reporter on ABC 33/40, broke into a telecast after midnight to say he had learned that Mike Shula had been fired . . . Dwayne Fatherree, editor of our Internet sites, was watching and called David Wasson, our executive sports editor, at home. Wasson saw the same announcement rebroadcast and called Cecil Hurt, sports editor and lead UA sports columnist. Within 10 minutes, Hurt was able to independently verify the information with his sources." (Read more)

Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2006

Exurbs are growing fast, but many lack jobs, requiring long commutes

Exurbs, or communities on the urban fringe, are growing at a rapid pace across America, and many people put up with commutes of an hour or longer to follow a rural lifestyle at home, according to a new study.

Using a definition of exurbs as communities that have "at least 20 percent of their workers commuting to jobs in an urbanized area, exhibit low housing density, and have relatively high population growth," the study by the Brookings Institution analyzed data from 1990 to 2005 in the 88 metro areas with 500,000 or more population. "As of 2000, approximately 10.8 million people live in the exurbs of large metropolitan areas. This represents roughly 6 percent of the population of these large metro areas. These exurban areas grew more than twice as fast as their respective metropolitan areas overall, by 31 percent in the 1990s alone," according to the study. Exurbs can be inside or outside a metro area's official boundaries.

The Louisville metropolitan area has 13 exurban counties, the most of any metro area. Marcus Green of The Courier-Journal focuses on the approximately one-fourth of residents in those counties who start their commute before 6 a.m., and on the nature of the counties -- many still dependent on agriculture, with only spotty development. Many "lack the large employers that would significantly boost local taxes and create jobs. Even when workers want to find work closer to home, they discover that their counties often lack similar employment opportunities," writes Green. (Read more)

Other cities with many exurb counties are Atlanta, Richmond and Washington, all with 11. The metro areas with the most exurban population are Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown, N.Y., 32 percent; Little Rock, Ark., 24 percent; Grand Rapids, Mich., 23 percent; and Greenville, S.C.. and Madison, Wis., with 22 percent. Next come Birmingham, Ala., and Knoxville, Tenn., with 21 percent. The study shows that "the South and Midwest are more exurbanized than the West and Northeast" and that "South Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Maryland have the largest proportions of their residents living in exurbs," from 9.5 to 7.5 percent. Texas has an exurban population of 6 percent, but the largest actual number of exurbanites -- almost 1.25 million. Click here to download the study.

The Tennessean first reported on the study Sunday, painting a picture of exurbs around Nashville (19 percent exurban) being strained by the influx of people. "Planners said that while moving to the exurbs can be less expensive for home and land buyers, it can be more expensive for local governments," Lee Ann O'Neal wrote. "Providing schools, roads, fire, police and other services for the growing areas can be costly because the homes are spread out over larger areas than homes in urban neighborhoods." (Read more)

Folks who moved to rural areas find downsides, want more services

Americans are moving to rural areas in increasing numbers to replace the hustle and bustle of metro life with the quiet and relaxing evenings of country life. However, now some are finding that they miss city services, so trouble is brewing.

Contra Costa County, California, is a prime example of a predominantly rural area located rather close to cities, but the 162,000 people living in the county's unincorporated areas are starting to complain about crumbling roadways, no public parks, nearby refineries and potential safety issues for kids wanting to ride bicycles or play basketball in the street, reports Danielle Samaniego of the Contra Costa Times. Is rural life not all that these residents suspected, or were they simply mistaken in thinking they would enjoy it?

While some residents are complaining about the lack of city features, others enjoy the freedom to park their boats and other items right in their frontyard. "With other neighborhoods . . . everything is so manicured, with sidewalks and everything, and here you don't have that and people like that," said Sharon Muhlenkort, a resident of an unincorporated neighborhood outside of Walnut Creek, Calif., told Samaniego. "It's a real rural feeling ... there's still horses within a stone's throw around here."

Some cities are even encountering opposition in their attempts to annex rural, unincorporated communities. "Residents of Sandmound Slough near Oakley launched a successful campaign against annexation of their neighborhood and neighboring Dutch Slough into the city. In their plight, residents said they valued their independence and settled in the remote Delta area for the rural atmosphere and autonomy from local government," writes Samaniego. (Read more)

Community journalism: Reporter helps build a house, writes about it

A reporter for The Coalfield Progress in Norton, Va., helped build a Habitat for Humanity house, then wrote a story that gave a first-hand account of a program designed to improve the community. It's an example of how community journalists can play two roles, volunteer and reporter.

"During the few hours I volunteered I could already see the house becoming a home," Shortt wrote. "When I arrived walls were barren but by the time I left many walls were receiving the final coat of primer and some were being covered by a final coat of paint." (Read more) To read Shortt's story on the home's dedication, click here. (Coalfield Progress photo: Homeowner Tami Adams, right rear, and children.)

In an e-mail, Shortt told The Rural Blog that she saw herself as a volunteer first. "In fact, by the time I was reporting my hands were solid white from primer and my hair had nice amounts of white paint streaked through it. I love volunteering and I love my job -- it just so happens that I had the chance to combine the two," she wrote. "My editor wrote the original article about the Habitat house being built and the need for volunteers. The second I read his article I knew I wanted to help. . . . I told my editors I would be helping to paint the house and asked if they would like me to write a first-person account on my experience."

Mine-safety advocates want better dust control to reduce black lung

Mine-safety advocates are battling with the growing coal industry in an effort to limit miners' exposure to coal dust and in turn reduce the amount of black lung disease hotspots.

"Coal is a component of the country's future energy plan, with more than 100 coal-burning power plants now in the permit stages or under construction. With modern technology and a shift toward strip mines, many miners and doctors thought black lung disease might vanish," writes Kari Lydersen of The Washington Post. Recent studies confirm the disease's ongoing persistence especially in Appalachia, and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health is calling for more dust control.

"Bruce Watzman, vice president of safety and health for the National Mining Association, a national trade group, said the industry plans to use personal dust monitors -- devices each miner wears to immediately log dust levels -- once research is complete and the devices are commercially available. He said that development and testing of the devices, which will cost about $7,000 each, has taken 'longer than anyone expected,'" writes Lydersen, adding that the group opposes lowering the legal dust limit.

Miners' advocates say that in addition to the industry needing stricter limits, relying on companies to self report dust control efforts is not adequate. Although recent surveys show a 3 percent overall rate of black lung disease, compared with 10 percent or more in the 1960s, the fact that coal production is on the rise in smaller, nonunion mines poses concerns for both people in the industry and the black lung clinics operating across the country, reports Lydersen. (Read more)

Energy demand leads to innovative ways to make biodiesel in Virginia

"Useful research percolates through university energy labs, but the real biofuel revolution is brewing in Virginia's rural garages and the kitchen sinks, experts say," reports The News Leader in Staunton, Va.

Two men at the forefront of Virginia's energy revolution are Christopher Bachmann, a professor at James Madison University's Department of Integrated Science and Technology, and Gerald Spraker, a beef farmer, who is one of the state's more innovative farmers. Spraker is planning to use "The Dr. Pepper Method" to produce biodiesel, which uses a 2-liter bottle, vegetable oil, lye and an alcohol catalyst — usually methanol or ethanol — to isolate the glycerin. The farmer hopes to create "a reactor that could handle about 50 gallons of waste oil per day from a nearby fish-fry restaurant," writes Joel Banner Baird.

Such processes require a bit of finesse and the occasional trial and error, cautions Bachmann, who adds that sometimes people might wind up making soap instead. "The lye crystals don't dissolve right away; you've to mix them in thoroughly. Some people rush through it. But if you have chunks — even at the molecular level — you'll be making soap," Bachmann told Baird. While the whole process sounds rather scientific, this new innovation in biodiesel production actually uses equipment discarded from other industries.

"Bachmann's colleagues scrounge stainless steel barrels and connecting pipe from industrial auctions. They tinker with decades-old centrifuges. They collaborate with farmers who are willing to give it a try, even at the risk of setbacks and failure. Spraker wants to give it a shot. After all, he installed solar hot water heaters on his home back in 1983. He envisions amber waves of canola plants thriving in highway median strips — fodder for diesel engines," writes Baird. (Read more)

Coverage of congressional races didn't measure up to advertising time

Voters in seven major television markets in the Midwest got more political information from advertising than from news coverage in the month before the midterm congressional elections -- and horse-race and strategic reporting was three times as heavy as reporting on policy issues, a study has found.

Newscasts in Cleveland, Columbus, Chicago, Detroit, Madison, Milwaukee and Minneapolis-St. Paul "aired almost 4 1/2 minutes of paid political ads during a 30-minute broadcast, while only offering 1 minute 43 seconds of election news coverage," writes Zachary Goldfarb of The Washington Post.

The study was conducted the Midwest News Index, a project of the University of Wisconsin, with funding from the Joyce Foundation, "a leading philanthropy in the area of political and government reform," says the MNI press release. "Local broadcasters failed in their responsibility to provide an adequate amount of substantive election coverage, which might have helped counterbalance the waves of negative ads," said Larry Hansen, president of the foundation. To read the release, click here.

"News stories, on average, lasted 76 seconds, shorter than the 89 seconds recorded in a similar study in 2002," the Post reported. "About two in five election stories aired during the final week of the campaign. While much of the attention was focused on the horse race for Congress, one in four election stories in the Midwest looked at the state's gubernatorial race." (Read more)

The Midwest News Index also regularly surveys TV broadcasts from the state capitals of Lansing, Mich., and Springfield, Ill., but those more rural markets were not included in the October survey.

Monday, Nov. 27, 2006

Rural immigrants boost economies, but differences pose challenges

Rural immigrants can help floundering rural economies but may sometimes be too much for a small town to handle, according to a report by the Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire, titled "Building Knowledge for Rural America’s Families and Communities in the 21st Century."

"A comparison of recent immigrants in rural areas suggests that, compared to their more urban counterparts, they are more likely to be Hispanic (and Mexican-origin in particular), more likely to be married, less well educated but still skilled, more likely to be employed but also more likely to be underemployed, more likely to be poor but less likely to receive food stamps when they are poor, and more likely to be homeowners," writes the author, Leif Jensen of Pennsylvania State University.

Rural America is graying, and new immigrants may replenish the work force because they are more likely than natives to be adults of working age. About 12 percent of rural natives 65 or older, while only 3.2 percent of rural immigrants since 1990 are over 65. However, immigrants are at a disadvantage in education. About half of rural immigrant adults have not completed high school. Providing adequate education for immigrant children may be difficult in rural areas because of small budgets and lack of personnel for programs such as English as a second language.

"Although less well educated,immigrant workers may bring a pool of human capital that can contribute to the revitalization of rural economies," writes Jensen. Sixty-five percent of rural immigrants are employed, but many are under-employed and may be among the working poor. Rural immigrants are more likely to be living in poverty than rural immigrants or natives, especially those who are newly arrived.

"Communities need resources, and need to be rewarded for being proactive in being as accommodatingas possible," writes Jensen. "Local, state and federal policies and programs also need to be better informed by solid research on the causes, nature and consequences (both positive and negative, short- and long-term) of immigration to rural areas." To read the full report, click here.

States' restrictions on cold medicines drive meth labs south to Mexico

New state laws restricting acces to cold medicines and other chemicals used to make methamphetamine have sent meth labs into Mexico. "Authorities now estimate that 80 percent of the methamphetamine on U.S. streets is controlled by Mexican drug traffickers, with most of the supply smuggled in from Mexico. Methamphetamine seizures at the U.S.-Mexico border jumped 50 percent from 2003 through 2005, from 4,030 to 6,063 pounds," writes Richard Marosi of the Los Angeles Times.

Rural areas in the United States have long struggled with meth. "The rural fringes of California metropolitan areas . . . which once were centers of methamphetamine production, remain important distribution hubs," writes Marosi "But the number of 'superlab' discoveries in California has dropped from 125 in 2003 to 12 through mid-October this year, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. Nationwide, the numbers have dropped from 130 to 19 during the same period."

Now meth is now a growing problem for rural Mexico. There have been outbreaks of addiction and drug-related crimes and violence. Aside from social consequences, fumes from the labs pollute the air and labs have caught fire. Remote agricultural lands are difficult for authorities to patrol and neighbors may not recognize the signs of a meth lab. "The number of labs discovered by Mexican authorities nearly tripled from 2002 to 2005, from 13 to 37, and methamphetamine seizures more than doubled, to 2,169 pounds, during the same period," writes Marosi. "U.S. authorities believe the numbers are a fraction of actual activity, as signs of an extensive production infrastructure have surfaced in the last year or so. Among those signs: Mexico's importation of cold medicines jumped suddenly in recent years, from 92,000 tons in 2002 to 150,000 tons in 2005." (Read more)

Farmland values rising; there's a story in what's happening in your area

The price of agricultural land is on the rise in the U.S., especially in states like Kentucky, thanks to low interest rates, a stable economy and a growing demand for farmland for nonagricultural uses, reports Laura Skillman of the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture.

"Figures released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture this fall show Kentucky’s farmland gained in value by 10 percent between 2005 and 2006," writes Skillman. "This is the largest percentage increase since 1980 and the largest dollar increase ever. The average price, according to the report, was $2,750 per acre in Kentucky and $1,900 per acre nationally."

Rental rates between landowners and farmers have increased more slowly because they are not as fluid as land values, Richard Trimble, a UK extension agricultural economist, told Skillman. USDA reports that Kentucky agricultural land is renting for about $78 per acre this year, up from $73 in 2005. Trimble predicts that farmland values will continue to rise in 2007. (Read more)

This is an easy story for rural media to localize, by talking with the local property-valuation office. The state and national data reported by Skillman can help put local data in context.

U.S. and German farmers rely on creativity, illegal immigrants for survival

U.S. farmers found on a recent trip to Germany that they have some things in common with German farmers, including the need for more creativity to stay afloat and a dependence on illegal immigrants.

Johnna Miller, director of media development for the American Farm Bureau Federation, writes about the trip in The Prairie Star of Great Falls, Mont., a newspaper for farmers and ranchers in Montana and Wyoming. She discusses creative approaches being taken in the U.S. and compares those with Germany.

"These days, it can take creativity for farmers to keep their operations profitable," writes Miller. "Roadside stands, pick-your-own operations and farmers' markets seem to be sprouting up all over, helping producers eke out more dollars. . . . The average farm operation in Germany is less than 100 acres (the average U.S. farm is more than four times bigger), so it is easy to understand why innovation would be important. One farmer on the tour uses a robotic milker for his 60-cow herd. The cows decide when they're ready to be milked, walk into a mechanical stall and little robotic arms go to work, cleaning the udder, attaching the milking nozzles, pumping the milk and offering the cow a little treat."

Miller writes that hundreds of small German farms are part of an agri-tourism network. "Guests can help milk the cows or feed the calves, goats and domesticated deer. Weekly barbecues, horseback riding and nearby hiking trails throughout fairytale countryside bring families back year after year."

While getting creative can keep farming operations afloat in both countries, they both depend on foreign workers. U.S. farmers want Congress to allow such workers to remain. "Germany has similar problems. A new rule there calls for 10 percent of all seasonal workers to be Germans. That has been tough for farmers to follow, even though the nation's unemployment rate is approaching 12 percent," writes Miller. "So whether they are near Hamburg, Germany, or Hamburg, Arkansas, it appears farmers need to come up with a creative approach to help lawmakers understand their labor dilemma." (Read more)

Study hopes to better define Trail of Tears, a historic set of rural routes

Mention the Trail of Tears to young people and you may get a bewildered look. A study recently approved by Congress aims to change that by providing a clearer picture of what happened 168 years ago, and could encourage tourism in the many rural areas along the forced-march routes.

"The study called for by Congress would better define the routes taken by more than 15,000 members of the Cherokee, Creek and other tribes who were forced from their homes in 1838 to make way for white settlement. Untold hundreds and perhaps thousands of American Indians died during the removal to Indian Territory in what is now Oklahoma," reports Bill Poovey of The Associated Press.

Aside from the Congressional study, other related projects in the works include an education and research center and a possible movie. The education and research center is slated for "a bluff at the junction of the Tennessee and Hiwassee rivers in East Tennessee, where the Blythe Ferry once operated and thousands of Cherokees and Creeks were taken by force to begin the journey," notes Poovey.

The National Park Service supervises the historic trail and one of its pamphlets elaborates on what occurred in 1838: "Families were separated -- the elderly and ill forced out at gunpoint -- people given only moments to collect cherished possessions. White looters followed, ransacking homes as Cherokees were led away." The Trail of Tears Association offers further details and links to extensive maps.

"Research was limited when Congress created the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail in 1987 in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Tennessee. . . . There were no routes recognized in North Carolina or Georgia, even though up to three-quarters of the Cherokees likely started from those states. The official trail markers also leave out two major arteries in Arkansas and water routes in eastern Tennessee," Poovey reports. (Read more)

Eight states look at commercial spaceports; New Mexico farthest along

"Eight states, including Texas, Wisconsin and Utah, are considering commercial spaceports, with some hoping for a slice of the rapidly emerging space-tourism industry. But space observers say that New Mexico -- whose poverty rate trails only Louisiana and Mississippi -- has the most government support and private interest." writes Nicholas Riccardi of The Los Angeles Times.

Bill McCamley, a county commissioner in Las Cruces, "hopes to jump-start the economy in his hometown of 82,000 by campaigning for a state-funded spaceport to send millionaire tourists into orbit," Riccardi reports. "He has big hopes for Spaceport America, currently little more than an expanse of desert, a concrete launch pad and two temporary mission-control trailers. He's one of dozens of believers who envision paparazzi and space enthusiasts staying at local hotels and mingling with engineers and scientists who would transform this swath of mobile homes and chile farms into a high-tech hub."

At the earliest, construction on the spaceport would begin late next year because local residents still have to weigh in a proposed tax to help fund the project. The state legislature has approved $100 million to help finance the project, which carries an estimated price tag of $225 million. McCamley and other supporters keep citing the transformation that occurred 50 years ago in Huntsville, Ala., which went from being a poor rural area to the home of the Marshall Space Flight Center, reports Riccardi. "A recent study commissioned by the state found that a fully operational spaceport could create 5,000 jobs."

The port's first rocket "launched seven hours late, corkscrewed and crashed back to Earth. Boosters argued that occasional setbacks are normal in the space race," Riccardi reports, quoting Lonnie Sumpter, executive director of the New Mexico Spaceport Authority: "That's why there's a term for this in the aerospace industry. Test flight." (Read more)

Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2006 (Last scheduled update until Monday, Nov. 27)

N.Y. to upgrade rural courts; non-lawyer judges sit, as in many states

New York’s top judicial officials released a plan Tuesday that demands changes in the state's 300-year-old system of town and village courts, like those in the town of Colchester, right, where court is in the garage. The plan calls for more training and monitoring of justices and transcriptions of court proceedings. (Photo by James Estrin, The New York Times)

Critics of the current system say the state has "two types of justice: a modern and professional one for the cities and a second, rudimentary and sometimes abusive one for suburban and rural areas," writes William Glaberson of The New York Times. "The State Assembly is to begin a broad examination of the justice court system at a hearing next month. That hearing is to tackle several of the most serious concerns, like the fact that three quarters of the town and village justices are not lawyers."

"The justice courts are a sprawling system of more than 1,200 courts that are often the first — and frequently the only — stop in the state legal system for people in the 57 counties outside New York City. Dating from colonial times, the courts occupy something of a time warp, with often poorly trained justices, sometimes convening in town firehouses or highway department garages — or their own kitchens — and dispensing a form of justice unlike any other in the state."

"The courts usually handle landlord-tenant cases, small civil cases, traffic infractions and misdemeanors. Yet these courts have considerable powers to jail people, evict tenants and set bail in cases as serious as murder and rape. They handle 2 million cases a year and collect $210 million in fees and fines," reports Glaberson. Judicial officials are requesting that the state Legislature put $10 million in next year's budget to make the reform plan a reality. (Read more)

About 20 other states have similar rural and small-town courts with non-lawyer judges, though their number has declined in recent decades. Courts with non-lawyer judges are usually municipal courts, magistrate courts or justice courts, after the venerable term "justice of the peace." For state-by-state information, click here for the judicial-selection section of the American Judicature Society's Web site.

Legendary rural paper Grit changes to show new ways of country life

"Ever since the electric light bulb was invented, a monthly newspaper called Grit has been the source of helpful hints and happy stories for rural Americans. 'Grit' is a reference both to the sometimes-grueling life on farms and in small towns, and to the resilience and resourcefulness of the people who live there. Now, Grit is modernizing its look and the way it portrays country living," writes Ted Landphair of the Voice of America, a multimedia service that broadcasts in 44 languages.

The paper began in rural Williamsport, Pa., and recently moved to Topeka, Kan., but it never stopped dishing out the latest down-home advice on everything from indoor plumbing to tasty holiday treats. A less gritty face emerged two months ago when the publication adopted a glossy format and deemed itself the keeper of a new lifestyle called "rural chic," reports Landphair.

"More than 80 percent of tractors sold in the United States this year will be under 50 horsepower," Grit publisher Bryan Welch told Landphair. "That means the vast majority of husbandry of the land in non-urban America is being conducted on smaller parcels of property by people who are doing it as a form of recreation, a form of art, as a lifestyle choice." The publisher says Grit is aiming its efforts toward that audience "to stimulate them and entertain them and give them cool things that they can do on their property."

Rural America's new residents are "not dirt farmers, mill workers, or small-town clerks at the feed store, scraping out a living," writes Landphair. "The publishers kept the name Grit in part because, they say, it still takes plenty of determination to leave the urban cultural centers, coffee shops, big libraries and sports teams for the chance to raise chickens and gather your own breakfast eggs, walk your dog without a leash, get to know your neighbors, and awaken each country morning to a mockingbird's call." (Read more)

Farm families should prepare for transitions; rural media should help

Widows and other survivors often face uncertainty when deciding a farm's future after an owner dies, and careful planning and communication with Cooperative Extension Service agents can help them deal with it. This is a story for all rural media, which can localize it by contacting a local extension agent.

“Men die younger than women so typically what happens is the wife is left to manage the farm,” says Suzanne Badenhop, family-resource management specialist with the University of Kentucky . “Some may know what to do, some may not.” In Kentucky, women own 10 percent of farms. “Preparing for this inevitable time can not only ease the stress involved but can also give the next generation the peace of mind in knowing what will become of the farm,” writes Laura Skillman of the UK College of Agriculture.

Questions to consider include: "Who will manage the farm? Are you going to farm it or rent it to someone else to farm? Do you want to sell it? If you sell, what are the tax consequences? Are there other heirs that could force you to sell? Does a child plan to take over the farm? Many of these questions can be answered before someone is left to make these decisions on his own. Farmers can turn to attorneys, accountants, financial planners and Extension personnel," writes Skillman.

"Talking to these professionals can help ensure that heirs who remain on the farm and off-farm heirs are treated fairly without being forced to sell. Some options can include taking a life insurance policy to provide an inheritance for off-farm heirs while deeding the land to the one who remains on the farm. Gifting of the land in increments can also be an option that can be discussed with professionals. Additionally, these professionals can help farmers understand and reduce possible tax implications of transitioning the farm."

People who inherit farms and wish to continue using the land for agriculture purposes should contact the local Farm Service Agency, which handles a variety of federal farm programs, and local extension agents.

Rural Nebraska hopes to retain college students with ethanol classes

Several Nebraska colleges are collaborating with the state's ethanol industry to develop a curriculum for interested students in hopes that the state's rural areas can retain them following school.

Todd Sneller, administrator of the Nebraska Ethanol Board, told Peter Shinn of the Brownfield Network that the effort will help both the ethanol plants and the rural areas where many of them are located. "It's become fairly evident that with the rapid expansion of ethanol plants we're going to be needing those skill-sets out in the communities in which plants are located," Sneller said. "In many cases, those plants are located in very small communities."

Nebraska’s ethanol industry employs about 1,000 people, but that number could triple by 2015, reports Shinn. No Nebraska college has a program specifically for ethanol. Northeast Community College in Norfolk is spearheading this effort, which is banking on a $2 million National Science Foundation grant. If that grant is awarded, the Nebraska Ethanol Board will match it, reports Brownfield.

"According to Sneller, the challenge of building home-grown education to provide qualified employees for the ethanol industry is a regional problem. He said the Nebraska Ethanol Board has been working on the issue for the past two years with nearby officials of the nearby states of Iowa, Minnesota and North Dakota," writes Shinn. (Read more)

'Act of God' released genetically modified rice in Mo., Ark., Bayer claims

A company that genetically engineered rice is blaming farmers and an "act of God" for the country's rice supply being contaminated this past summer by the inadvertent release of the unapproved crop variety.

Bayer CropScience of Research Triangle Park, N.C., laid that blame in response to a lawsuit filed by hundreds of farmers in Arkansas and Missouri who claim they will lose millions of dollars from the contamination, reports Rick Weiss of The Washington Post. The company says farmers' careless acts led to the contamination, but an attorney representing some of the farmers said they had no reason to cause any contamination from the variety known as LL601.

"The U.S. Department of Agriculture is investigating how the variety escaped from test plots into farmers' fields, where it was quietly amplified for years until its discovery," writes Weiss. "The day the contamination was announced in August, Bayer asked the government to approve the variety. A decision is still pending. Meanwhile, lawsuits have been filed on behalf of about 300 rice farmers." (Read more)

Wal-Mart defends drug plan from criticism by Community Pharmacists

Wal-Mart's two-month-old generic drug program is not offering all of the cost savings the company claims, and relatively few people are trying the program, according to a survey of 600 Florida consumers released Tuesday by the National Community Pharmacists Association.

While Wal-Mart is offering generic drugs for $4 per prescription in 38 states, only 5 percent of the consumers surveyed said they have taken advantage of the program; 60 percent said it does not offer all the cost savings advertised; 18 percent said their prescription was not covered, and others said the $4 fee was not cheaper than their current prescription costs, according to a NCPA press release.

Wal-Mart spokesperson Kevin Gardner told John L. Moore of The Morning News in Springdale, Ark., near Wal-Mart headquarters, that the claims are unwarranted. “The drugs on this list represent 25 percent of prescriptions Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club fill nationwide,” Gardner said. “We’ve been clear from the beginning, the drugs in the program aren’t an exhaustive list of generic drugs offered.” (Read more)

MTV seeks high-school newspaper to cast as 'The Paper' in reality show

MTV is casting a new reality show that looks to chronicle the adventures of aspiring journalists at a high-school newspaper. It has put out a call for volunteers; we think rural high schools should take note and volunteer if interested, because production companies may tend to favor urban and suburban locales.

"MTV News & Docs is casting for a new pilot called 'The Paper,' which chronicles the inner workings and outside lives of a high school newspaper staff. They are looking for 'an interesting, probing, inquisitive high school newspaper staff to share their lives with us ... and a proud, dedicated school that's willing to open up their doors to our producers,'" according to the California Newspaper Publishers Association.

Any high-school newspaper wanting to make a pitch should call casting director Claresa Mandola at 212-654-7345 or write her at claresa.mandola@mtvstaff.com. (Read more)

Here's a Thanksgiving prayer for farmers, other workers and the hungry

The Kentucky Resources Council sent out a Thanksgiving greeting with the following prayer of thanks and hope from Marian Wright Edelman's book "Guide My Feet." It's suitable for dinner tomorrow.

God, we thank you for this food
for the hands that planted it
for the hands that tended it
for the hands that harvested it
for the hands that prepared it
for the hands that provided it
and for the hands that served it.
And we pray for those without enough food
in your world and in our land of plenty.

Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2006

Recommended reading, watching for Thanksgiving: 'Everlasting Stream'

Walt Harrington had never shot a rabbit until he began spending Thanksgiving with his in-laws in Southern Kentucky, where his wife's family tradition calls for the men to hunt rabbits while the women prepare the holiday meal. "A high-profile Washington Post reporter with a taste for manicures and expensive suits, he felt silly in his borrowed hunting gear, not quite knowing how to hold the shotgun [father-in-law] Alex had given him as a gift. And he worried about whether he would get along with Alex's hunting buddies Bobby, Lewis and Carl -- three rough-edged, African American, country men who seemed to have nothing in common with the white city slicker. Little did he know that over the next two decades, these four 'good ol' country guys' would change not only his opinions about hunting, but his feelings about the things that mattered to him most," says a press release from Kentucky Educational Television, which brings Harrington's book to TV this week.

The book is The Everlasting Stream: A True Story of Rabbits, Guns, Friendship, and Family, published by Atlantic Monthly Press. Former President Bush wrote in a blurb for it, "This beautifully written book captures the meaning of life. It is a book about the wonders of hunting, but it is much more. It is a book about life’s true values. In the process of pointing out the joys of hunting with his Kentucky friends, none of whom are rich with money, all of whom are rich with humor and grass-roots values, Walt Harrington makes the reader understand the importance of family." Publishers Weekly said of the book, "This does for hunting what A River Runs Through It did for fly-fishing."

The KET release says, "Walt came to appreciate the value of old-fashioned friendship and masculinity, the complexities of guilt and responsibility, and the enduring magic of a memorable moment." The moment that provided the name for the book and TV show came in Lawson's Bottom near Bakerton, as the hunting party gathered around what the locals called "an everlasting stream" springing from a hillside and flowing toward the nearby Cumberland River. Harrington had an epiphany in which he saw the stream as metaphor, commingling the essential experiences of life -- past, present and future, he said in an interview with Glasgow native Bill Goodman on KET's "One to One" show that aired Sunday.

"We cleaned the rabbits in the spring, and as was often the case when we were all done, someone would have a bottle of whiskey and we would share swigs from the bottle of whiskey, and the men all stood around the bed of the truck . . . with the little stream tinkling there next to us, and I was standing back, and for whatever reason it was a kind of perfect moment," Harrington recalled. Later, he said, "As they laughed and they joked, they seemed to be in the moment, yet they were telling stories that went back decades. Then they would be back in the moment, and there was no separation between the past and the present, and I would even say the future. It was all of a single piece. For whatever reason, standing back and watching that, I experienced the sense of it, and I literally realized 'There's something more going on here than I have appreciated.' And it was not at that moment that I set out to understand it, but it was at that moment that I literally realized that I should be thoughtful and careful about what was going on in front of me, and I should be watchful of the more profound meaning of it all," far beyond his initial image of the four Kentuckians as "country characters from Central Casting." To watch the interview, click here.

The Everlasting Stream airs on KET2 at 3 and 10 p.m. tomorrow, and on KET1 at 9 p.m. Thanksgiving night. It premiered Sunday at Barren County High School in Glasgow, and the hunting party was there, reports Cassandra Groce of the Glasgow Daily Times, who also took the photo at left. From left are Lewis Stockton, Bobby Elliott, Carl Martin, Harrington and father-in-law Alexander Elliott. The book's first chapter is on Harrington's Web site.

Harrington wrote Crossings: A White Man's Journey Into Black America, which won the Gustavus Myers Center Award for study of human rights in the U.S.; American Profiles: Somebodies and Nobodies Who Matter; At the Heart of It: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives; and Intimate Journalism: The Art and Craft of Reporting Everyday Life, for journalists who want to write literary journalism about ordinary folks. He heads the journalism department at the University of Illinois.

Deer-hunting season spells big bucks for West Virginia's rural areas

The kickoff of gun season for bucks excited deer hunters on Monday in West Virginia, but it also spelled the start of a multi-million dollar economic boost for the state's rural and urban areas that try to cater to the sport in every way possible.

The two-week season produces a $233 million economic impact every year for the Mountain State, Hoy Murphy, public information officer with the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, told Fred Pace of The Register-Herald in Beckley. More hunters than ever before could visit roadside diners, gas stations, supply shops and hotels along the state's rural routes, since the DNR is noticing an increase in deer hunting across ages and genders.

Murphy told Pace that the season is especially vital to the state's many rural communities. “A large amount of their annual incomes comes from this hunting season,” he said. “Many rural businesses are depending on it, but no matter what business you’re in, you benefit by deer hunting season in West Virginia.” (Read more)

New map shows rural population losses, often mitigated by immigration

Four midwest states are blanketed with rural population loss in a new Economic Research Service report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that provides a snapshot of trends during the last five years.

The report's centerpiece is a color-coded map of trends outside metropolitan areas, showing that Kansas leads in terms of population loss in the midwest U.S. from 2000-2005. The three other states covered almost entirely in red (representing losses) are Nebraska and the Dakotas. Nevada housed the most rural population growth during the time period monitored by the research service. Since the same midwest states seeing losses also netted the heaviest portion of farm program payments, that begs the question about whether such programs are actually boosting rural areas.

"The map also sheds some light on why the immigration debate is extremely important to rural America. Midwestern counties that experienced population growth during that same time frame, usually did so as a result of international migration, which accounted for between 18 to 28 percent of total non-metro population growth for the West, South, and Northeast. The rest, originated from metro areas, as more people moved to small-town places," according to the USDA report.

Conn. writer hears Kentuckian Berry's preaching on power of small farms

"With Connecticut losing its farmland at a frightening rate -- more than 7,000 acres a year by one estimate -- we would be well advised to connect with Wendell Berry. For the last 40 years, Kentucky farmer and writer Berry has been a tireless advocate not only for small farms, but also for the cultural and community ties that they engender," writes William Major for the Hartford Courant.

"Perhaps no writer has done as much to defend the twin ideals of stewardship and responsibility for the environment. No other American thinker in recent memory has grappled with the place of agriculture in a world more disposed toward industrialism and the unreflective dogma of unlimited growth. In the early 1960s, Berry left the literary life of New York City to return to his boyhood home in Henry County, Ky., to farm, write and think about the complex relationship between people and the land."

Berry defines his life and work mindset as "a practice, a set of attitudes, a loyalty, and a passion ... a way of thought based on land." His writings promote the idea of local, land-based economies where rural residents take charge and gain empowerment through their work, notes Major, a professor of English at the University of Hartford.

"What would such an economy look like?" asks Major. "It must be made up of small farms and consumers who buy their meat and produce close to home from people they know and with whom they can converse. It is also a system made up of small industry and other enterprises that work within the natural limits and carrying capacities of the land, one that fosters a sense of independence for workers and families. In short, Berry's is an argument for a humane economy, one that might enrich and enliven communities rather than tear them apart." (Read more)

Land, new technology needed for nation's 2025 renewable-energy goal

Here's a future Wendell Berry doesn't welcome, because it smacks of industrial agriculture: Farmers are one key to ensuring the success of the nation's push for 25 percent renewable energy use by 2025, and despite concerns like Berry's, many of them are welcoming anything that promises a boost to farming.

"As many as 100 million acres of cropland and pastures would have to be dedicated to cultivating biomass fuels like switchgrass to support a national goal of 25 percent renewable energy use by 2025, a University of Tennessee study says. Moreover, new commercial technologies will be needed to turn switchgrass, wheat, rice and forest products into ethanol fuel, now principally made from corn, and their byproducts into feedstock for power generation," reports Duncan Mansfield of The Associated Press.

"But the rewards could be great. The study projects $700 billion in new economic activity, including: a $180 billion growth in net farm income over the next 20 years; creation of 5.1 million jobs to support renewable energy enterprises; and government savings of more than $15 billion in crop subsidies," continues Mansfield. "The report, released last week, concludes that not only could U.S. farmers, ranchers and foresters produce 25 percent of the nation's energy needs, but they could do it while still meeting the nation's demand for food, feed and fiber." (Read more) To read the study, click here.

An article by Alan Scher Zagier of The AP describes how wind energy is helping Midwest farmers who once relied on hogs or soybeans to make a living. “There’s not a lot of money in rural America," said Frank Schieber, a Missouri farmer. "We’re not going to get another factory. It’s a shot in the arm." Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa even require that local utilities devote a percentage of their "portfolio to renewable energy sources such as wind or solar power," notes Zagier. (Read more)

Justice Department schedules national Meth Awareness Day Nov. 30

A series of activities are planned to educate college students and others about the dangers methamphetamine poses to users and communities on Nov. 30, as part of the U.S. Department of Justice's National Methamphetamine Awareness Day.

Justice Department officials, including U.S. attorneys and Drug Enforcement Administration agents, are set to host an array of activities throughout the country, with help from local and state agencies. The special day comes on the heels of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, which reported the average age for first-time meth users being 18.9 years in 2002, 20.4 years in 2003, and 22.1 years in 2004.

The department’s meth awareness Web site includes more information on activities and an educational presentation called “Meth 101." The site includes links to local U.S. Attorney’s Offices and DEA Field Offices that are willing to help groups plan local events for Nov. 30. The Web site also includes a section on “meth mouth” that describes the drug's long-term effects on teeth and gums.

Monday, Nov. 20, 2006

'Macaca' sees a friendlier side to the mountains of southwest Virginia

A racially insensitive comment by U.S. Sen. George Allen about a volunteer who was videotaping him for challenger James Webb probably cost him his seat and his party the majority in the Senate. At Breaks Interstate Park on the Kentucky line, Allen addressed S.R. Sidarth, right, a 20-year-old of Indian descent, as "macaca or whatever his name is" then said "welcome to America and the real world of Virginia."

"Allen's actions that day stood out because they were not representative of how I was treated while traveling around the state," Sidarth wrote in The Washington Post. "Everywhere I went, though I was identifiably working on behalf of Allen's opponent, people treated me with dignity, respect and kindness. I cannot recall one event where food was served and I was not invited to join in the meal. In southwest Virginia, hospitality toward me was at a high point. The night before the incident in Breaks, I stayed at the home of Jewel Jones, Webb's aunt, in Gate City on the Tennessee border. I was treated like family even though I was a guest for only half a day, and I received a grand tour of the area where Webb's ancestors have lived for more than a century. The following day, at the picnic in Breaks, even after Allen's comments highlighted my outsider status, I was not allowed to depart without eating, because as one woman put it, 'Political differences are set aside at the dinner table.' In the same spirit, I was given accurate directions to Allen's next event, held in Bluefield the following morning."

"I am proud to be a second-generation Indian American and a practicing Hindu. My parents were born and raised in India and immigrated here more than 25 years ago; I have known no home other than Northern Virginia," Sidarth wrote. "The larger question that this experience brings up is: How far has society progressed on the issues of race and openness? . . . By 2050, according to most projections, the United States will be a minority-majority nation. But the fact that Allen believed I was an immigrant, when in fact I am a native Virginian, underlines the problems our society still faces." (Read more)

Tennessee court to decide whether dimension stone is a 'mineral'

For decades, many landowners in Appalachia and other rural areas have struggled with the fact that they don't own the coal, oil, natural gas and minerals on their properties. Now, a Tennessee court will decide whether a lease for all the minerals on tract includes stone cut for construction and ornamentation.

“Demand for the rocks has surged across the country as stone has become more popular in houses, commercial buildings and landscaping,” writes Bill Poovey of The Associated Press. Landowners “say if the mineral rights owners are allowed to take the rocks, their scenic bluffs and mountain land covered with hardwoods and evergreens will be ruined by blasting and bulldozers. . . . It’s a legal fight that could have implications for many landowners who don’t own the mineral rights in their land.”

Tennessee produces relatively little coal, so it has not seen major conflicts between surface owners and mineral owners like those in Kentucky. But the southeastern quadrant of Tennessee's Cumberland Plateau (white and gray on the map) has much Crab Orchard Sandstone, a sturdy but easily cut rock that is a favorite for building construction, especially in scenic locales. (The stone is named for, and is primarily quarried at, the hamlet of Crab Orchard, just east of Crossville.) Poovey reports that about 35 states produce “dimension stone,” the term used to distinguish the material from crushed rock, and that production “rose about 19 percent between 2001 and 2005, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.” The leading producer is Indiana, known for its fine-grained Bedford Limestone.

The Tennessee dispute has prompted activists to organize. Tracy McDaniel of Dunlap, whose family bought 66 acres on Fredonia Mountain in Sequatchie County north of Chattanooga decade ago, “predicted that a court ruling that a rock is a mineral means a life-altering change for her family, a change from solitude to 'dynamite and dozers and heavy equipment',” Poovey writes, quoting McDaniel: “People have told us, 'You’ve got a lot of money in rock.' That’s not what we bought it for.” (Read more)

Kentucky miners return to work quickly despite drug-related suspensions

A new Kentucky law designed to create safer conditions in coal mines is resulting in some suspensions, but the state is allowing miners who fail or refuse drug tests to return to work with few questions asked.

The law that went into effect July 12 mandates that miners who test positive for drugs, or who refuse to take a drug test, be suspended unless they enter an employee-assistance program or win an appeal for reinstatement. As of last week, 123 miners had been suspended for failed or refused tests, and 53 of the 66 who appealed won their reinstatements. Many of those reinstated tested positive for cocaine, marijuana or a narcotic painkiller not prescribed to them, reports R.G. Dunlop of The Courier-Journal.

"But state officials are permitting miners to return to work without first investigating to determine whether they have criminal records related to drugs or alcohol, or showed signs of substance abuse at previous jobs," Dunlop writes for the Louisville newspaper. "And following reinstatement, miners do not have to undergo random drug testing. Instead, they're told to submit to testing at a time and place of their choosing. Experts say background checks are important to disclose histories of drug abuse, and that evaluations and random testing are essential to keep substance abusers out of the mines."

State officials told the the Kentucky Mining Board on Thursday that the Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet lacks the time and funds &