City council in Fremont, Nebraska, unanimously approves plans that would expand proposed size of poultry plant and hatchery. The new plans state that the plant would cover an area of 360,000 square feet, up substantially from the earlier proposed size of 250,000 square feet. The other amended plan is for an associated hatchery. [node:read-more:link]
As we approach the end of 2016, charities across America will be passing the hat. As usual, people should do their homework and make sure they give to a group that will use their money as intended. That means cross the Humane Society of the United States (doesn’t run a single pet shelter) and PETA (wastes money on juvenile street theater) off your list if you’re a discerning donor. It turns out things aren’t much better overseas. According to PETA Germany’s financials—viewable here if you sprechen some Deutsch—almost half the group’s donations are spent on staff salaries. [node:read-more:link]
If you're shivering from unusually teeth-rattling cold this holiday season, global warming is probably the last thing on your mind. "The local weather conditions people experience likely play a role in what they think about the broader climate," says Utah State University researcher Peter Howe. "Climate change is causing record-breaking heat around the world, but the variability of the climate means that some places are still reaching record-breaking cold. [node:read-more:link]
A new study that inventories and tracks high concentrations of plastic in the Great Lakes could help inform cleanup efforts and target pollution prevention. Researchers found that nearly 10,000 metric tons -- or 22 million pounds -- of plastic debris enter the Great Lakes every year from the United States and Canada. [node:read-more:link]
The 2015 ERS County Typology Codes classify all U.S. counties according to six categories of economic dependence: farming, mining, manufacturing, Federal/State government, recreation, and nonspecialized counties. ERS developed this typology to help characterize the socioeconomic diversity of rural America. Counties are usually classified as dependent on a particular sector when the share of employment or earnings in that sector is markedly above the average. [node:read-more:link]
Politicians from both sides of the aisle are fond of blaming outsourcing and imported manufac-tured goods for U.S. manufacturing job losses. While it is correct that U.S. manufacturing has lost jobs during a period of solid U.S. job growth “the fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.” Between 2000 and 2015, U.S. manufacturing lost 29.6 percent of total sector employment, or 4.7 million production jobs, as the nation experienced a 9.1 percent job gain outside of manufacturing. Over the time period, agriculture lost 76,000 jobs for a 8.5 percent loss. [node:read-more:link]
The Census Bureau put the spotlight on rural America today when it released the results of its latest American Community Survey, the data that gives us the closest look at changes in American demography, economics, work, and lifestyles. Meanwhile, the survey showed that the Census-defined rural population remained steady from last year.The press release that announced the new Census data focused on rural information, noting that rural Americans are more likely to own their own homes, live in the state where they were born, and to have served in the military. [node:read-more:link]
The deadly fire that struck the resort town of Gatlinburg, Tennessee, has halted the tourism trade, which provides up to half the jobs in the city and surrounding county. Even for businesses that were not damaged, cash registers will be silent until at least Friday. Residents say they are confident the economy will bounce back. [node:read-more:link]
To prevent humans from abusing opioids, under the new mandate veterinarians in New Hampshire will have to check the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program database before prescribing medications to their pet patients. And therein lies the problem. "It's inappropriate and illegal for someone who's not a human medical professional to make a medical determination about human beings," Stephen Crawford, DVM, the state veterinarian who serves on the New Hampshire Board of Veterinary Medicine, told the Union Leader. [node:read-more:link]
Patti Ruby is a rarity among military spouses. She has been able to stay in her chosen career, speech pathology, for nearly 13 years, through the birth of her three children and a cross-country move, from Virginia to California. Last week, the family moved again, to Florida. Ruby said she thought a new Florida law that provides temporary occupational licenses to military spouses would make it easy for her to get back to work. But she realized last month that she may not be eligible. [node:read-more:link]
