Category: Rural Headlines

EXCERPT: “Land O’ Lakes CEO Beth Ford called for $100 billion in government spending to expand high-speed Internet access to rural and underserved areas, and close the ‘digital divide’ that is costing residents their jobs, education, and progress. Speaking at the Fortune Global Forum, Ford was echoed by HP CEO Enrique Lores, who said the coronavirus pandemic has ...

EXCERPT: “The gap between city and rural access to broadband has always been apparent, but it was made painstakingly clear during the coronavirus pandemic. In response, several organizations partnered to launch the American Connection Project (ACP) interactive Wi-Fi map. The map provides a free resource to help the public locate more than 2,300 free Wi-Fi ...

EXCERPT: “The nation’s pandemic hotspots have shifted to rural communities, overwhelming small hospitals that are running out of beds or lack the intensive care units for more than one or two seriously ill patients. And in much of the Midwest and Great Plains, hospital workers are catching the virus at home and in their communities, seriously ...

EXCERPT: “Bankers in rural parts of 10 Plains and Western states are showing more enthusiasm for the state of their local economies than they have since the coronavirus pandemic began, according to a new monthly survey of bankers in the region. The Rural Mainstreet Survey’s overall index surged to 53.2 in October, up from 46.9. in ...

EXCERPT: “Minnesota will be opening a number of saliva testing sites around the state in the coming days and weeks, said MDH Assistant Commissioner Dan Huff. A site at Duluth Entertainment Convention Center is currently open and runs Wednesday through Sunday; a facility at Winona Mall will open Wednesday and run Wednesday through Sunday; a facility at ...

EXCERPT: “The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is partnering with local public health officials and other community partners to offer access to free, no-barrier COVID-19 testing the week of Oct. 12 in Anoka, Faribault, Luverne, Alexandria, Aitkin, and St. Cloud. As always with no-barrier testing opportunities, this testing will be free, available to anyone who wants ...

EXCERPT: “Today, the LeadingAge Minnesota Foundation (LAMF) is releasing a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a rural grant project called Connected Communities for Healthy Aging. This grant program will fund two Connected Communities pilots to design and implement a local coordinated system of care that supports the physical, emotional, and social needs of seniors in the ...

EXCERPT: “Minnesota communities, schools and their partners are invited to apply for funding on local projects that enhance transportation goals, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation. More than $6.2 million is available in federal funding through the Transportation Alternatives program in Greater Minnesota (each region has a sub-targeted fund). This program offers a competitive grant ...

EXCERPT: “Now that more Minnesota school districts are opting for either full-time remote instruction or a hybrid model that requires students to log on from home for part of the week, many advocates, families and school officials are increasingly worried about the lack of equity in the virtual classroom this fall. About three weeks into the ...