Analysis: If someone you know is taking (or considering) horse dewormer for COVID, share this
By Heather Chapman The Rural Blog Demand is surging nationwide for ivermectin, an anti-parasitic drug typically used for livestock, based…
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COVID vaccination rates increasing dramatically across nation; new vaccine rates higher for rural
The Rural Blog New coronavirus vaccination in rural and urban counties increased dramatically last week. Rural counties still have a…
Appalachian Voices report shows region needs billions to clean up abandoned coal mines
A new report found that it will cost Appalachian states billions to clean up abandoned coal mines, much more than…
Ike Adams, whose humor-laced newspaper column chronicled Kentucky’s Appalachian culture, dies at 72
Funeral services were held this week for Ike Adams, whose byline was familiar to readers of many newspapers in Appalachian…
The Rural Blog: Overcrowding, lack of resources spur rural-jail death spike; incarceration is ‘catch-all’
The Rural Blog America’s smallest jails have some of the highest death rates in the nation, spurred by overcrowding and…
Longtime Kentucky editor, ‘Humble Reporter’ Bill Mardis, dies at 89; worked until his death Feb. 2
Few people have been identified with a rural daily newspaper as Bill Mardis, editor emeritus of the Commonwealth Journal in…
Rural Blog: Quick hits — top 10 ag stories of 2020 (school closures, country music, bike paths, more)
Here’s a roundup of stories with rural resonance: Small banks helped businesses win more Paycheck Protection Plan loans. Read more…
Commentary: Graham casts ‘mainstream media’ as primary evil; not true really — but all have sinned
By Al Cross Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues “The Lies of Mainstream Media” is the headline over the…
National briefs: Russian interference, farm bailout package, the wall, reinstatement of death penalty
Russia and election security The Republican-led Senate Intelligence Committee concluded this week that Russia targeted election systems in all 50…
The Rural Blog: Research links depression, suicide to chronic disease especially for rural seniors
Research increasingly links depression and suicide to chronic disease, especially among seniors in rural U.S. “Rural America has some of…
Blaming the cow — farts or belches — is a diversion from serious discussion about climate change
The Rural Blog Fact-checking the role of cow farts in climate change: The Green New Deal has generated a surprising…
Hemp industry booms on CBD’s reputed health benefits, supported by users but not much science
Hemp industry booms on CBD’s reputed health benefits, supported by users but not very much by science The reputed health…
Rural colleges make big changes to stay afloat; ‘What’s a university without a history major?’
The Rural Blog Many public universities in smaller towns are in crisis mode as enrollment and state funding continue to…
The Rural Blog: Farmers urge president to suspend tariffs on Mexico in face of NAFTA negotiations
More than 60 companies and organizations representing American dairy farmers and cheesemakers wrote an open letter to President Trump praising him for…
The Rural Blog: U.S. Ag Secretary Perdue says farmworker visa program to be overhauled
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue says the farmworker visa program will be overhauled, but it’s unclear exactly how the departments of…
Rural Blog: Appalachia at high risk of HIV, hep C, but many factors hamper testing, monitoring, treatment
Bloodborne diseases like HIV and hepatitis C are an increasing threat to public health in Appalachia, but the stigma associated…
The Rural Blog: Fact-checking the President’s State of the Union Address on rural issues
In his first State of the Union address last night, President Trump struck an optimistic tone heavy on American exceptionalism,…
Coal’s future still bleak as utilities shift to cheaper natural gas, wind and solar; market forces prevail
“A year after Donald Trump was elected president on a promise to revive the ailing U.S. coal industry, the sector’s…
Rural Blog: Appalachian youth have no loyalty to coal, seek alternatives to stay home, CSM reports
Teddy Martin, a former Eastern Kentucky coal miner who teaches at a vocational school in Hindman, is trying to teach…
The Rural Blog: Majority of children consume one sugary drink a day; links to obesity, poor health
Nearly two-thirds of children ages 2-19 consume at least one sugary drink per day, says a study by the Centers…
Death rates from drug overdoses forging new trend — more now in rural than large metropolitan areas
Death rates from drug overdoses in rural areas have surpassed those in large metropolitan areas, reversing a historical trend, Jeanne…
Gallup poll shows older Americans happier in Hawaii, Arizona; Kentucky near bottom of list
The Rural Blog Older Americans are happiest in Hawaii and least happy in West Virginia and Kentucky, says the annual…