AgClips
Recent AgClips
Lagging internet left rural South Carolina biz stranded. Lawmakers seek to fix ‘digital divide’
Greenville News | Posted onMarch 13, 2019 in Rural NewsOrders were coming in and business was brisk, yet dozens of jobs hung in the balance for a rural S.C. manufacturer — all because of lagging internet. “The company was growing, but we could not reliably communicate with our (global) customers ... because of either insufficient or unreliable service,” said David Cline, owner of Piedmont CMG, near Ware Shoals.
Consumers are asked to fill in the gaps on how fast rural internet is.
Daily Yonder | Posted onMarch 13, 2019 in Rural NewsThree national groups combine their resources to create a new app to measure broadband speeds around the country. All they need now is you and your smart phone.The National Broadband Map has been decommissioned. The latest report from the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) has serious flaws, researchers say. And private efforts to measure access speeds tend to underrepresent rural areas and cause confusion about what speed is available and what consumers actually pay for.
Illinois Acting state ag director seeks funding for broadband in rural areas
Illinois News Network | Posted onMarch 13, 2019 in Rural, SARL Members and Alumni NewsRural Illinois residents could be a step closer to getting access to high-speed internet access, but state leaders still need to come up with the money and a plan to make it happen. Illinois Department of Agriculture Acting Director John Sullivan sees a need for broadband in the rural parts of Illinois and is working to get funding for it.There is a need to implement rural broadband in the state, said to Rick Holzmacher, director of governmental affairs at the Illinois Rural Broadband Association. He said broadband access could drive the economy.
Maryland Senate approves statewide ban on foam food containers and cups to protect environment
Baltimore Sun | Posted onMarch 13, 2019 in SARL Members and Alumni NewsMaryland’s senators approved a bill that would ban polystyrene foam food containers and cups starting next year.If the bill eventually becomes law, Maryland would be the first state to enact a ban on the products. Some local governments in Maryland — most recently Anne Arundel County — have banned them.
Maine Senate rolls out plan to give relief from high prescription prices
Press Herald | Posted onMarch 13, 2019 in Rural NewsParty leaders will submit a handful of bills, that would allow bulk importation of medications from Canada, regulate pharmacy benefit managers – the middlemen who can exclude certain medications from insurance plans – create more transparency in drug prices, and permit individuals to import drugs from Canada.
Why Eating Roadkill Makes Roads Safer for People and Animals
Pew Trust | Posted onMarch 13, 2019 in SARL Members and Alumni NewsIt’s taco night at the Lindskoog household in this suburban community 20 miles west of Boise. Nate Lindskoog has seasoned the red meat sizzling in his cast-iron skillet with a mixture of chili powder and Himalayan pink salt. In a few minutes, he will wrap it in corn tortillas and top it off with lime-soaked avocados. The 36-year-old father of six isn’t making carne asada with meat he bought from a butcher or at the grocery store.
N.Y. lawmakers propose giving teens right to vaccinate without parental consent
Times Union | Posted onMarch 13, 2019 in SARL Members and Alumni NewsNew York lawmakers are planning to introduce a bill that would allow children as young as 14 to get vaccinated without their parents' consent. Proposed by Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy and Sen. Liz Krueger, the bill would enable older children to protect themselves from preventable diseases such as measles, meningitis and human papillomavirus in the event their parents opt out of vaccinating them.
Former Coal Mining Towns Turn to Tourism
PEW | Posted onMarch 13, 2019 in Rural NewsThe same Main Street winds through the old mountain mining towns of Cumberland, Benham and Lynch, crosses a river and runs alongside a creek. The early 20th century coal mining boom drew people to this remote corner of southeast Kentucky, until coal’s dizzying decline sent them away. Today, Main Street hints at a roaring past and the potential for change.Poor Fork Arts & Crafts, which sells Appalachian handcrafted and vintage items, the Back Street Bar and a senior center sit alongside empty storefronts, vacant lots and boarded-up spaces.
Washington House approves minimum wage parity for disabled workers
AP News | Posted onMarch 13, 2019 in Rural NewsThe Washington House has passed a bill that would require physically or mentally disabled workers to be paid the same minimum wage that other workers in the state receive.Under current law, employers can receive special certificates from the state's Department of Labor and Industries to pay wages below the minimum wage for workers with disabilities. In the application, employers must not the nature of the disability and how it affects the work performed, and the pay rate may not be less than 75 percent of the minimum wage unless a lower rate is determined to be justified.
Fate of Native Children May Hinge on U.S. Adoption Case
Pew Trust | Posted onMarch 13, 2019 in Rural NewsA case before a federal appeals court could upend an historic adoption law meant to combat centuries of brutal discrimination against American Indians and keep their children with families and tribal communities. For the first time, a few states have sued to overturn the federal Indian Child Welfare Act, which Congress enacted in 1978 as an antidote to entrenched policies of uprooting Native children and assimilating them into mainstream white culture.Now, in a country roiled by debates over race and racial identity, there’s a chance the 41-year-old law could be overturned by the U.S.