May 09 Watch 6:51 White House tries to close the digital divide in rural America with more broadband access The so-called “digital divide” remains a major issue in America when it comes to providing high-speed internet, particularly in rural and other low-income communities. The Biden administration on Monday announced new commitments from 20 internet providers to help close that… Continue watching
Apr 09 In rural areas with health care shortages, these doctors are answering the call By Corey Meador Despite some early hopes that isolation might protect rural areas of America from the worst of the pandemic, COVID-19 has infiltrated small communities in every corner of the country. And many of those places… Continue reading
Nov 12 Advisory group worried about rural census, crunched timeline By Mike Schneider, Associated Press The Census Scientific Advisory Committee said Thursday during a virtual meeting that, given they have low Internet access, residents of rural areas are particularly at risk of being undercounted since field operations ended two weeks earlier than planned. Continue reading
Jun 13 Protests in Trump country test his hold in rural white areas By Thomas Beaumont, Associated Press The protest movement over black injustice has quickly spread deep into predominantly white, small-town America, notably throughout parts of the country that delivered the presidency for Donald Trump. Continue reading
Jun 07 George Floyd protests spread to smaller, mostly white towns By Grant Schulte, Associated Press While the rallies in major cities nationwide have grabbed headlines, people living in smaller and mid-sized cities have also raised their voices to call for change. Some of those protests have turned violent. Continue reading
May 08 Watch 7:11 Coronavirus hasn’t hurt these areas of the U.S. — but its economic impact has By Stephanie Sy, Lena I. Jackson, Casey Kuhn While COVID-19 has devastated parts of the U.S., including hot spots like New York, New Jersey and Louisiana, many counties in Western states have few cases and no deaths. Some officials and residents in those areas feel that pandemic restrictions… Continue watching
Mar 31 Those without broadband struggle in a stay-at-home nation By Tali Arbel, Michael Casey, Associated Press While more people have been connected in recent years, tens of millions still lack access to high-speed internet because phone and cable companies hesitate to invest in far-flung rural areas. Continue reading
Mar 25 Rural America watches pandemic erupt in cities as fear grows By Gillian Flaccus, Associated Press Those living in rural America fear the spread of the disease to areas with scarce medical resources, the social isolation that comes when the only diner in town closes its doors and the economic free fall that's hitting hard in… Continue reading
Jan 01 Watch 7:42 Local newsrooms across the country are closing. Here’s why that matters Across the country, local newspapers are printing fewer pages, less frequently -- and sometimes collapsing entirely. Recent studies paint a grim picture of the decline in local newspapers and the impact it has on American politics. Jeffrey Brown reports and… Continue watching
Nov 11 Watch 7:11 With emphasis on arts, rural communities challenge national narrative of decline By Jeffrey Brown Americans have been drawn to rural areas in recent years partly due to the appeal of a higher quality of life. These regions have not traditionally been known as art hubs, but some residents say that trend is changing. Jeffrey… Continue watching