News from the past 14 days. Please visit the News Archive for earlier stories.
Regional Rural Development Centers to Spearhead New National Agricultural and Rural Development Policy Center
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May 17, 2012 -- Southern Rural Development Center article reports that the nation’s four Regional Rural Development Centers were recently chosen by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture/United States Department of Agriculture to establish the National Agricultural and Rural Development Policy Center (or NARDeP).
Country is Separating by Education
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May 16, 2012 -- Daily Yonder article discusses how when it comes to education, the rich are getting richer, as people with college degrees flock to a small number of U.S. counties, a demographic divide with serious economic consequences.
Endangered Rural Post Offices Get a Reprieve
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May 15, 2012 -- MSNBC article reports that the financially struggling U.S. Postal Service sought Wednesday to tamp down concern over wide-scale cuts, revealing it will seek to keep thousands of rural post offices open with shorter hours.
Speak Your Piece: 4G in Three Years
May 11, 2012 -- Daily Yonder article reports that there was good news out of Washington, D.C. this week. There is a new $300 million fund that will put rural communities closer to broadband service on mobile phones.
Rural Post Offices Won't Close, but Hours Will be Cut
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May 9, 2012 -- CNN Money article reports that the U.S. Postal Service is backing off a previous plan to close thousands of post offices, and will instead cut hours at 13,000 rural facilities in an effort to save $500 million a year.
HUD Launches Overhaul of Consolidated Planning Process
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May 8, 2012 -- Today, HUD is launching the eCon Planning Suite, a set of 21st Century data and technology tools to help communities ensure that scarce federal dollars are targeted to where they are needed most and can achieve the biggest impact.
Rural Utilities Service; Announcement of Grant and Loan Application Deadlines and Funding Levels; Revolving Fund Program
Top Story Federal Register
May 8, 2012 -- The Rural Utilities Service announces its Revolving Fund
Program application window for Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 to establish a fund that will finance water or wastewater systems for rural communities.
Learn more about: USDA Revolving Fund Program
USDA Rural Utilities Service Community Connect Grant Program – Preregistration for May 14th and May 24th Informational Webinars
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May 8, 2012 -- For those interested in learning more about the Community Connect Grant Program and application process, the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) is hosting two informational webinars scheduled for May 14th and May 24th from 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. ET.
Rural Employment in Swing States
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May 7, 2012 -- Daily Yonder article discusses how swing states with high unemployment are expected to be the place where the 2012 presidential race is won or lost and eight swing states have rural unemployment rates higher than the national average.
