rural-issues
USDA to spend $500M extending high-speed internet to rural America
The current funding stream was targeted to upgrade existing infrastructure, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said.
Rural leaders fear they’ll miss out on infrastructure money | Analysis
The local leaders we have in rural communities are just trying to do their best,” he said. “They’re just making sure that the roads have gravel on them
Candidates, constituents of rural Pa. call for ‘their own Bill of Rights’
Several of the candidates said that residents of rural Pennsylvania don’t feel “heard” in Harrisburg.
Federal coronavirus aid posed barriers to rural small businesses, lawmakers hear
Rural small businesses have largely missed out on federal coronavirus assistance and many may not survive without another round of aid tailored to small-town and agricultural enterprises, members of a U.S. House small business subcommittee heard Wednesday.
‘We have to fix this’ Sens. Casey, Collins hear rural home healthcare concerns
The home health care system in rural America needs a facelift. This was the consensus of both lawmakers and a panel of witnesses who testified Wednesday before the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging.
Could a state cell phone tax power Pa.’s rural broadband expansion?
As a starting point, Grange president Wayne Campbell suggested that a $.75 to $1 surcharge per-month on every cell phone user could finance small, matching state grants for local broadband projects.
While the state farm bill is a start, Pennsylvania’s agriculture leaders see further reforms
At a House Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee hearing Wednesday, lawmakers heard more potential small fixes to aid farmers, big issues that needed some action, and hope that the PA Farm Bill was taking root.
Rural Pa.’s immigrant workforce is growing, new study finds
The share of immigrant workforce in rural parts of Pennsylvania has grown by 75 percent between 2000 and 2016, a new study has found. Using 2016 American Communities Survey data, the report by Penn State University and the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, found that 3.5 percent of the rural workforce — defined as those between […]
Bill that allows hunting in Pennsylvania on three Sundays a year is closer to reaching Gov. Tom Wolf’s desk
The bill pitted rural lawmakers, hoping to keep countrysides clear of orange vested hunters for at least one day a week, against the National Rifle Association and pro-hunting groups.
The number of disabled people who live at state-run centers has dwindled. That doesn’t mean closing them isn’t controversial
Why is closing state centers for the disabled controversial? Funding is tight, change is scary, and many are not happy with the process.