Category: Rural Headlines

EXCERPT: “Norman County and Mahnomen County have some of the highest rates of teenage pregnancies in Minnesota, according to the 2023 Minnesota Adolescent Sexual Health Report. The latest report is the first look at teen pregnancy rates after the pandemic. While both counties have some of the highest rates of pregnancies for those between the ages ...

EXCERPT: “‘Can you lift your arms?’ physician Luke Van Oeveren asked. An elderly woman stared blankly at him from the back of an ambulance, where she sat strapped onto a stretcher. After a moment, she complied, but when Van Oeveren added another instruction to the cognition test, she became confused. ‘Close your eyes and lift your ...

EXCERPT: “Those living in rural areas face several challenges when it comes to accessing legal care; challenges that oftentimes affect their health and can prevent them from getting out of unsafe situations. A model that’s been successful in Alaska may address some of those legal challenges. Michele Statz, associate professor at the University of Minnesota Medical ...

EXCERPT: “Allison Roderick has a warning and a pledge for rural residents of her county: The water from their wells could be contaminated, but the government can help make it safe. Roderick is the environmental health officer for Webster County in north-central Iowa, where a few thousand rural residents live among sprawling corn and soybean ...

EXCERPT: “Blandin Foundation has awarded a $1 million, three-year grant to the Greater Minnesota Housing Fund to launch a comprehensive rural housing project designed to address the Grand Rapids and Leech Lake areas’ acute housing challenges. The project will build or preserve more than 400 units and address the entire housing system, from updating all ...

EXCERPT: “The city of Marshall’s aquatic center has long been a go-to place for swim lessons and family fun, but the center’s 1930s-vintage main pool and supporting facilities have been showing their age. The bath house and concessions building have code compliance issues, mechanical systems are deteriorated, plumbing systems need regular repairs and water line breaks ...

EXCERPT: “Matt Varilek is fortunate as the new commissioner of Minnesota’s Department of Employment and Economic Development to have internet that is fast enough for him to have remote meetings at home in rural Benton County. But not everyone in Greater Minnesota has that ability, which is why delivering broadband across the state is a passion ...

EXCERPT: “Gov. Tim Walz has announced that 36 cities, townships and counties across Greater Minnesota will receive nearly $24 million in Small Cities Development Program grants, with Bagley, Fosston and Kelliher on the list of recipients. The grants will be used for residential and commercial property rehabilitation, upgrading public facilities and other economic development projects. Bagley will ...

EXCERPT: “As this summer has shown, the massive smoke plumes generated by wildfires can dirty the air of regions many miles away. Now a new study is raising the question of whether that pollution is contributing to suicides in rural America. Researchers found a correlation between air pollution from “drifting” wildfire smoke and a rise in ...