Rural

The population in U.S. nonmetropolitan (nonmetro) counties stood at 46.2 million in July 2015—14 percent of U.S. residents spread across 72 percent of the Nation's land area. Nonmetro population declined by just 4,000 from July 2014 to July 2015 after 4 years of population losses averaging 33,000 yearly, according to the latest county population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. The 2014-15 improvement in nonmetro population change coincides with rural economic recovery and suggests that this first-ever period of overall population decline (from 2010 to 2015) may be ending. [node:read-more:link]

Job Losses for First Time in Five Years. Survey Results at a Glance: • For a ninth straight month, the Rural Mainstreet Index fell below growth neutral. • Almost one-third of bank CEOs see slow or negative rural growth as the biggest economic threat to their bank over the next five years. • Approximately nine of ten bankers see low agriculture commodity prices as the greatest challenge to the rural economy for 2016. Farmland prices remained below growth neutral for the 30th straight month. [node:read-more:link]

New England’s dairy farmers remain the backbone of the region's agriculture but fight for survival in an age of baby greens and artisan cheese.
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A man whose loose bull wandered onto a road and was hit by a car, killing the driver, is facing an involuntary manslaughter charge, the prosecutor said, and farmers are worried about the harm a conviction could do to the state’s agriculture economy.  Farmers and friends packed a legal proceeding at a courthouse Monday in support of bull owner Craig Mosher, whose lawyer has called the car crash “a horrible accident.” [node:read-more:link]

New York state may soon allow pet owners to spend eternity with their furry companions.  The state Legislature has passed a bill allowing cemeteries, except for religious ones, to offer people the option of being buried with the cremated remains of a dog, cat or other tame domesticated animal.  Cemeteries wouldn't be required to allow pet remains. [node:read-more:link]

A rancher jumped on his horse and lassoed a man who was trying to steal a bicycle in the parking lot of an Oregon Wal-Mart.  Robert Borba was at the Eagle Point store loading dog food and a camping tent into his truck when he heard a woman screaming that someone was trying to steal her bike. The 28-year-old said he quickly got his horse, Long John, out of its trailer. He grabbed a rope, rode over to the man who was reportedly struggling with the bike gears and attempting to flee on foot. [node:read-more:link]

Specifically, 85 percent of U.S. wireline connections meet the current 25 mbps download threshold, while only 14 percent of wireless connections do so. Satellite connections typically max out at about 15 mbps. In addition, wireless coverage is sometimes spotty and can vary by provider and geography. [node:read-more:link]

Bills that allow people to break into vehicles to save children and animals have been signed into law by Gov. John Kasich and a third will likely become law. The first law protects people from civil liability and damages. Protection from civil liability would only apply if the person also calls the police or 9-1-1 and believes leaving the child or animal in the vehicle would lead to injury or death.  The law's supporters said it would reduce the number of heatstroke-related deaths among children by allowing good Samaritans to act without hesitation. [node:read-more:link]

Though young graduates moving out of the state isn't a new phenomenon, it's an issue that has become increasingly important as some of Connecticut's biggest businesses begin pondering whether to leave. Many companies say attracting and retaining young talent, with the technological skills the baby boomer generation lacks, is vital to their economic future. [node:read-more:link]

By its own calculations, this city of 50,000 on the Ohio River has the highest drug overdose death rate in a state ranked No 1 in the nation for overdose deaths. The city’s overdose death rate, at 119 per 100,000 last year, is nearly 10 times the national rate. It’s not a statistic that Huntington advertises in tourist brochures or welcome packages for students attending the local college, Marshall University. But Mayor Steve Williams said the worsening heroin problem was becoming so plain to everyone that “we had to define it, before it defined us.” [node:read-more:link]