Rural News
Arizona Joins Colorado River Drought Plan, a Move That Could Help Protect California Drinking Water
KTLA | Posted on February 6, 2019Arizona will join a drought plan for the Colorado River, narrowly meeting a federal deadline that threatened to blow up a compromise years in the making for the seven states that draw water from the constrained river. The Arizona House and Senate overwhelmingly supported the legislation and Gov. Doug Ducey promptly signed it, delivering the final puzzle piece needed to avoid potentially more severe cutbacks imposed by the federal government.
Barriers to Rural Practice
Bovine Vet Online | Posted on February 4, 2019One of the biggest things keeping vets out of rural practices is that for many of them, the idea of living in a rural area is not something they have any interest in doing. There's no Target, you have to drive to have a nightlife, and nowhere delivers (unless you're lucky and have a nearby pizza place). That subset of grads will never join a rural practice, no matter what. Of the vets left who may move to a rural area, the biggest barriers are often a financial one and a work-life associated one. Rural practices often offer substantially lower salaries, and they often have small staffs requiring the vet to work longer hours and more days. This combination of working harder for less money drives many vets away from rural areas, or at least to commute to a larger practice in an urban or suburban area in many cases.Keeping those doctors in rural practice is a simple enough thing in concept: just offer better compensation. More doctors come to work, they share case-load, can afford to live, and everybody wins. Unfortunately, a rural practice often has fewer and less affluent clientele, and often can't afford to pay those salaries. To counter that, universities and industry could offer more scholarships for students pursuing a career in rural practice. The VMLRP could receive additional funding to provide funding for vets in a wider variety of practice types, provide more funding to existing recipients, provide funding for more currently un-listed high-need areas, or some combination. There could be more industry, state, and federal grants to help with practice development.
‘Nero’s Bill’ would allow emergency treatment for police dogs
The Enterprise | Posted on February 4, 2019Emergency personnel would be able to treat and transport injured police dogs under a bill filed by a Cape Cod lawmaker. Sponsored by Centerville Republican Rep. Will Crocker, the legislation is dubbed “Nero’s Bill” in honor of Yarmouth Police Sgt. Sean Gannon’s canine.Nero was injured in the April 2018 shooting that killed Gannon, but, under current state law, could not be treated or transported by the Emergency Medical Service providers who responded, according to Crocker’s office. Instead, the dog waited until a retired K9 officer arrived at the scene to help with his injuries and drive him to an emergency veterinary hospital.“Canine police officers are an integral part of the law enforcement community and are considered members of the department,” Crocker said in a statement. “It only seems appropriate that, when it comes to being treated for any injuries incurred while on the job, they should be treated like any other member of the force.”Yarmouth Police Chief Frank Frederickson said the bill would “take away any hesitation for first responders to administer emergency care to operational K9s and transport them to a veterinary hospital without fear of the sanctions that currently exist.”
Timber risks outweigh opportunities, experts say
Capital Press | Posted on February 4, 2019Log and lumber prices aren’t expected to be as volatile in 2019 as last year, but experts still aren’t bullish about the timber industry’s economic outlook. After hitting a record high of $564 last June, the price per thousand board feet of framing lumber dropped 40 percent by the end of the year, to $335, according to the Random Lengths market information service. The shift was brought on by tepid growth in housing starts, a strong supply of lumber and concerns about interest rates, among other factors that are likely to persist in 2019
Washington cougar bill allows training by vetted houndsmen
Capital Press | Posted on February 4, 2019The Humane Society of the United States has endorsed letting vetted hound handlers pursue cougars to stay sharp for when the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife needs dogs to track a big cat menacing people or livestock. Senate Bill 5320 would heighten scrutiny of the handlers used by the state. In exchange, handlers who pass muster could take their dogs out and trail cougars under a training program overseen by Fish and Wildlife.
Missouri reports 9,300 feral hogs killed in 2018
AP News | Posted on February 4, 2019The Missouri Department of Conservation says more than 9,000 feral hogs were killed in the state last year. The department on Friday reported that along with partner agencies and private landowners, it killed roughly 9,300 hogs in 2018.
In Kansas and Missouri, why are rural lawmakers interfering in cities’ affairs?
Kansas City Star | Posted on February 4, 2019Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly made rural redevelopment a central part of her first speech to lawmakers.“The majority of our 105 counties lost population last year, and for many years prior to that,” she said. “Whether it’s roads, broadband, housing, or agriculture, they need our support.”Maybe they’ll get it. The Kansas House has a new committee aimed at revitalizing rural areas. Across the state line in Missouri, Gov. Mike Parson wants $5 million to expand broadband internet. “We currently have about 10 school districts and many rural communities that lack access to high speed broadband,” he told the legislature. “That is unacceptable.”Such appeals to rural development in Kansas and Missouri are pretty common. Perhaps, though, it’s a good time to ask a fundamental question: Why?Why should urban and suburban areas care about, or help pay for, rural development of broadband, schools, housing or anything else?But the problem now is obvious: Those closest to rural culture are leaving for the cities, in droves. One-fourth of Kansas counties have fewer than 3,000 residents. Some rural Kansas counties may be all but abandoned by 2064, according to one study. At that point, 80 percent of all Kansans will live in urban or suburban communities. Most people living in cities and the suburbs are quite happy to help out their rural neighbors, by supporting school districts with 170 students, or backing taxes for rural roads and bridges, or better internet service.What they do object to, increasingly, is the interference of rural lawmakers in local urban affairs, from guns and taxes to trash bags and labor laws. Because rural interests are over-represented in our politics, that interference often becomes law, and it rankles.
Nebraska housing program helps rural workers
Sioux City Journal | Posted on January 29, 2019A couple in northeast Nebraska is the first to find housing through the state's rural housing program, which aims to help rural communities increase housing opportunities to better retain workers.The state's $7 million Rural Workforce Housing Fund gives nonprofit development organizations matching grants to construct or rehabilitate housing in rural parts of the state. The goal is to create housing options for middle-income workers who don't qualify for other housing assistance programs but don't have enough for a down payment.
Washington:New bill would create rural development investment funds
Columbia Basin Herald | Posted on January 29, 2019Proposed Senate legislation would create rural development and opportunity zone funds and extend tax reductions to certain timber activities. Private investment companies could apply to join these funds that would provide capital for businesses in qualifying areas. The prime sponsor of Senate Bill 5423, District 1 Sen. Guy Palumbo, D-Maltby, reworked the measure from what he proposed last year, noting it won’t cost the state any money. SB 5423 would create a tax incentive for Rural and Small Business Investment Companies (RBICs) and Small Business Investment Companies (SMBICs). In this case, the incentive is for investment in specific opportunity zones in Washington.“This is the way that tax preferences should be written,” said Palumbo. “This one has such strong sideboards and accountability that it theoretically shouldn’t cost the state anything.”
Union firefighters oppose rangeland protection associations in Washington
Capital Press | Posted on January 29, 2019The prospect of ranchers, farmers and other rural landowners organizing into firefighting associations continues to get a cold response from unionized firefighters. State lawmakers should exhaust other ways to extend fire protection to remote areas before authorizing rangeland fire protection associations, Washington State Council of Fire Fighters lobbyist Bud Sizemore said."Right now, our feeling is it could be somewhat of a drain on existing resources rather than a big help," he said. The council represents 130 local firefighter unions. The state could look at enlarging existing fire agencies, he said. "Those structures are already there."Oregon and Idaho have long had rangeland associations. The volunteer organizations — 24 in Oregon and nine in Idaho — are intended to mobilize landowners to put out wildland fires in places far removed from the nearest fire station.Washington has some 363,000 acres that aren't within any fire agency's boundaries, according to the Department of Natural Resources. Fire agencies may still respond to keep fires from spreading to protected land.