Commentary: Telling Stories. Weaving Community. Laughing With the ‘Happy Hookers’
At seven, Madeline Matson loved being the youngest rug hooker among the self-proclaimed “Happy Hookers.” Decades later, a gathering of women in craft brought back familiar fun, warmth, and connection.
Yonder Radio 6/25/26 (Podcast version, no breaks) – Yonder Radio
Yonder Radio airs on the radio across rural America and online via podcast platforms. Listen and subscribe.
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What Happened in Rural News This Month?
Test your knowledge with a quick 8-question quiz, then explore where to go next to stay informed about the stories shaping rural communities across the country.
We Mapped Rural Data Center Development – and Opposition. Here’s What We Found.
Though the majority of data centers are located in urban or suburban areas, rural communities face unique challenges in the data center development landscape.
Bringing Health Care Training Closer to Home for Rural Students
One program in Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri is hoping to bring more doctors and dentists to rural communities.
Insurance Doesn’t Cover Wheelchair Ramps. In Idaho, a Church Group Finds a Solution.
In Weiser, Idaho, free community wheelchair ramps help residents who need mobility devices access the world.
Yonder Radio: Data Center Regulation, A Border Wall in Big Bend, and Rural Assembly Everywhere
Plus, fighting coastal erosion in Washington’s cranberry country, and music from heavy metal guitarist Gabe Mangold.
Q&A: Ukrainian Folk Band Yagódy
The band talks the rural roots of their music, and its role in resisting a war that has decimated rural life in their country.
Jonesborough, Tennessee, Has a Uranium Problem
A promise of jobs and economic development is not enough to convince people of rural Jonesborough, Tennessee, that a depleted uranium facility is worth the potential risks. They want more safety checks.
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More Rural Stories
In Idaho, a Community Addresses a Cat-Astrophe
A trap-neuter-release program in Weiser, Idaho, addresses a rapidly increasing cat colony.
In Wyoming’s Historic ‘Apple City,’ Local Food Scene Puts Down New Roots
Microproducers, regenerative farming education, a community co-op, and a teeming farmers market grow in Lander — once home to the state’s most bountiful apple orchards.
Trump’s $50B Rural Health Bet Meets a Healthcare Desert in North Carolina
Republicans promise that $50 billion in new health funding will help rural America. But it’s not expected to aid the years-long effort in North Carolina’s Martin County to reopen its only hospital.
Q&A: Ben Durheim on Understanding Rural Places, Local Symbols, and the Rural-Urban Divide
A professor of theology discusses his new book, ‘Each in Our Own Language: Symbolization and Social Ethics in Rural America.’
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