Hundreds of migratory bufflehead ducks on Green Bay, WI. (Adobe Stock photo) If you're a bird, spring break travel is in full swing along the Mississippi River Flyway. "Spring migration is underway. . . making the river and its floodplain a hotspot for waterfowl and soon-to-arrive songbirds," reports Madeline Heim of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "The Mississippi plays a critical role guiding these birds across the country and providing them habitat to rest." Below is a short primer on the flyway and the highlights of what birds can be spotted during their spring tour. What is the ..read more

Bobbie Foust Bobbie Foust, for decades a fixture in West Kentucky journalism, is the winner of the 2024 Al Smith Award for public service through community journalism by a Kentuckian, presented by the Institute for Rural Journalism at the University of Kentucky and the Bluegrass Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. Foust has edited three newspapers in the region and reported for others, and though she just turned 90, she is still covering city council meetings according to her decades-old approach: “Be honest, be accurate; be open with people, be kind when I can, but p ..read more

Eric Meyer with his weekly newspaper Eric Meyer and the staff of the Marion County Record in Marion, Kansas, are the winners of the 2024 Tom and Pat Gish Award for courage, integrity and tenacity in rural journalism, presented by the Institute for Rural Journalism at the University of Kentucky. Meyer and his weekly newspaper have become a touchstone for freedom of the press since August 2023, when local police raided his office and his home and confiscated computers, reporters’ notes and cell phones, ostensibly investigating charges of identity theft and illegal use of a computer. It ..read more

The community development conference, "Radically Rural," is offering rural journalists an opportunity to attend the 2024 summit in Keene, New Hampshire, Sept. 25-26, free of charge. The funding covers registration, travel, lodging and meals for the summit. To apply to be a sponsored journalist, submit this brief application. The application deadline is Friday, May 24 at 11:59 p.m. E.T. The Knight Foundation alongside the Lenfest Institute for Journalism is underwriting these spots. This 7th annual event is about learning and connecting with rural journalists from across the country, sharing ..read more

Some consumers have given up their iced lattes to save cash. (Adobe Stock photo) Americans are exasperated by grocery prices that have remained high despite U.S. inflation numbers trending down. Besides shopping sales and driving from store to store for deals, many citizens are ditching more brand names and drive-up habits to save money. "Some consumers are hitting their limits," report Heather Haddon and Jesse Newman of The Wall Street Journal. "Restaurant chains and some food manufacturers are reporting sliding sales or slowing growth that they attribute to consumers' inability— or ..read more

Dairy farmers want to avoid being labeled an 'avian flu hotspot.' (Adobe Stock photo) Dairy farmers don't want Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers on their farms even if they're tracking down avian flu. While the dairy industry's opposition to CDC intervention makes it harder for investigators to understand how long and far H5N1 has traveled within dairy herds and work to contain it, farmers and some agriculture officials are claiming federal government overreach, report Meredith Lee Hill, David Lim and Marcia Brown of Politico. Texas is one state where CDC investi ..read more

Nearly 100,000 children lost parents to a drug overdose or gun violence in 2020. (Adobe Stock photo) Over the past 20 years, the number of U.S. children who have faced a parent's death from drug overdose or firearms has increased at an alarming pace. These children are left to grapple with a loss that impacts how they thrive or don't thrive throughout their developmental years and into adulthood. "Nearly 100,000 children lost parents to a drug overdose or gun violence in 2020 alone – almost three times more than in 1999," reports Deidre McPhillips of CNN. "Overall, more than 1 millio ..read more

Babies and children are missing needed check-ups because of coverage loss. (Adobe Stock photo) Government red tape has caused millions of children to lose their health care coverage. Joyce Frieden of MedPage Today reports, "A total of 4.16 million fewer children were enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP at the end of last year compared with the month before each state began its Medicaid and CHIP 'unwinding' process, a report from Georgetown University's Center for Children and Families found. While some families most likely moved to different coverage, many did not. Joan Alker, the center's ..read more

Food sold in some Latin countries features bold warning labels. (Adobe Stock photo) To help Americans improve their diets, the Food and Drug Administration is "considering requiring food manufacturers to put new labels on the front of packages," report Andrea Petersen and Jesse Newman of The Wall Street Journal. "The labels might flag certain health risks, such as high levels of salt, sugar or saturated fat." With the alarming rise in diabetes and cardiovascular disease in the United States, the FDA is exploring distinctive labeling on the front and back of packaging to help American ..read more

Graphic by Lori Hays, Farm Journal Most humans have a healthy fear of apex predators, which makes sense, but there's another animal that needs to be on the human "danger" list -- wild pigs. "More humans are killed annually by wild pigs than by sharks, a startling new study reveals. By slice, puncture, hook, and gouge, the global number of fatalities from wild pig attacks is rising by the decade," reports Chris Bennett of Farm Journal. John J. Mayer, lead author of the study and wild pig research pioneer, told Bennett, "It's not sharks, wolves, or bears that kill the most people — it's ..read more