Rural America
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Firefighters Are Worth More than $13.45/Hour
Federal wildland firefighters are leaving the workforce because the risks of the job outweigh the poor pay. It couldn't happen at a worse time.
Jonathon Golden
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How the Covid Land Rush Is Hurting New Farmers
The pandemic has inspired city dwellers and investors to buy land in rural areas. That’s driving up farmland prices and pushing some beginning farmers out of the market.
Sadie Morris
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How Cuts to Unemployment Benefits Will Hurt Rural People
Republican governors in at least 22 states are ending federal unemployment assistance. The cuts will hit hard in rural areas and communities of color.
Aallyah Wright
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In the Southeast, Climate Change Finds a Landscape Already Ravaged by Inequality
Meet the groups demanding climate justice that fits the region's unique needs.
Paul Gordon
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Why Climate Plans Must Include Farmers of Color
Proposed legislation would give farms resources to fight climate change. Will farmers of color get equal access?
Hadassah Patterson
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When Wildfire Prevention Destroys Wildlife Habitat
As Western towns cut back nearby forest fuels to deter wildfires, new houses continue to sprawl relentlessly into the surrounding wildlands.
Pepper Trail
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For the Nez Perce, a Proposed Gold Mine Is a Symbol of Broken Promises
The U.S. government stole Nez Perce treaty land to make way for gold miners in the 1860s. A century and a half later, gold mining again threatens the tribe’s homeland.
Marcie Carter
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"It's a Nightmare": Inside America's Rural Housing Crisis
Across Wisconsin, low-income people are struggling to find quality, affordable housing.
Jack Kelly
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In Dairy Country, a Network of Hmong and Latino Workers Fight Covid-19
Dairy production in Wisconsin relies on immigrant labor, a contradiction in a state that has seen the rise of nativist, anti-immigrant politics.
Esther Honig
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As Meatpackers Stoked Fears of a Shortage, U.S. Meat Exports Increased
Citing imminent shortages, the meat industry lobbied to keep packing plants open as Covid-19 tore through workers’ ranks. At the same time, U.S. meat exports increased.
Madison McVan
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Why 40 Years on the Superfund List Hasn’t Saved Tar Creek
Residents of northeastern Oklahoma continue to be poisoned by toxic mine runoff from one of the nation’s first Superfund sites.
Tara Lohan
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Caught in the Drain: How a Plan to Reuse Wastewater Could Strangle the Santa Fe River
As climate change tightens its grip on the arid West, water managers are focusing on wastewater as a source of “new” water for cities.
Denise Fort
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Toward a World Without Roadkill: Appalachians Make the Case for Wildlife Crossings
In Appalachia, highways fracture the habitat of bears, elk, deer and other wildlife. Locals are pushing to make roads safer for animals and drivers.
Frances Figart
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How a Rural Colorado Community Self-Organized a Successful Vaccination Effort
Immigrant community groups, forced to organize by the constant threat of ICE, have played a central role as vaccine information networks.
Dave Marston
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Study: “Salmon Remain on the Brink of Extinction. And Time Is Running Out.”
Between dams and warming waters, West Coast populations of wild salmon have plunged by 98%. What will it take to stop the decline?
Tara Lohan
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“In for a Fight": Rural Wisconsinites Resist Influx of Industrial Hog Facilities
Despite local efforts to block new Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), corporate agriculture interests are legislating and intimidating their way out of accountability.
Simon Davis-Cohen
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Boycotting the Boycotters: In Oil-Friendly States, New Bills Aim to Block Divestment from Fossil Fuels
You may divest from fossil fuels — but you may not be able to do business with the state of Texas.
Erika Bolstad
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A Pesticide-Laced Flea Collar Has Been Linked to Almost 1,700 Pet Deaths. Why Hasn’t the EPA Issued a Warning?
Some experts say the collar reveals a fundamental problem with EPA’s pesticide regulation process.
Johnathan Hettinger