Category: Rural Headlines

EXCERPT: “When Karen Olson’s mother was in her mid-80s, her dementia was getting worse. Her physical health was also declining. She needed around-the-clock care, which was more than the family could provide her at home. So, Olson said the family reluctantly decided to move her to the Twin Valley Living Center, the nearby nursing home. ...

EXCERPT: “For people who live in cities, having access to wireless internet is often taken for granted. But for the farmers who live in rural areas of the United States, access to broadband can be a dire and critical need. ‘Thirty percent of farmers don’t have access to broadband,’ says Beth Ford, CEO of dairy co-op ...

EXCERPT: “Kandiyohi County, Minn., is taking fresh aim at a long-sought goal of widening the availability of high-speed Internet service, especially to neighborhoods that remain unserved or underserved. The County Board voted Tuesday to help fund an engineering study that will examine the feasibility of bringing broadband to rural homes and businesses in Dovre, Mamre and ...

EXCERPT: “As the temperatures climbed into the 70s Wednesday morning, six high school students ran around with a handful of kids from Winona State University’s Children’s Center as the little ones shouted their advertisements for a lemonade stand by the campus gazebo. The students, who make up WSU’s second cohort of its Aspiring Teachers of ...

EXCERPT: “Last winter, as the 2019 legislative session approached, advocates for Minnesota cities and counties, especially those in rural areas, hoped for an increase in the amount of financial aid local governments receive from the state to help them cover their budgets. While cities and counties already receive millions of dollars in state aid every year, ...

EXCERPT: “Justin Forde believes the viability of wireless broadband service for sparsely populated rural areas is visible from the top of the Farmers Cooperative Elevator that towers over this Red River Valley farming community. On a recent hazy June afternoon, standing on top of the 190-foot tall grain elevator, Forde showed visitors the gadgetry that ...

EXCERPT: “The number of drivers cited for seat belt violations declines for a fifth straight year during the annual ‘Click It or Ticket’ campaign. Between May 20 and June 20 in 2018, Minnesota law enforcement issued over 4600 seat belt citations and 141 for child seat violations. That’s nearly 2,000 fewer than in 2017 and less ...

EXCERPT: “While air quality in Minnesota is generally good, a new joint analysis by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) found that air pollution that does occur plays a measurable role in deaths and hospitalizations across the state. The report, titled ‘Life and Breath: How Air Pollution Affects ...

EXCERPT: “Calls to combat Minnesota’s child care crisis intensified this year as advocacy groups, chambers of commerce, business development organizations and parents made the case to lawmakers that they needed to do something to close gaps in care options across the state. Lawmakers took note. As part of a two-year $48 billion spending plan, they ...