rural area news stories on Newser

Unhealthiest Places in US Often Rural, Not Urban

Kevin Spak — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 15:41:05 CDT

It turns out being a country mouse may be bad for your health. People who live in rural parts of the US may be significantly less healthy than those living in cities and suburbs, according to a new study from the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. The study found...

Time Warner Tries to Charge $12K Installation Fee

Kevin Spak — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 11:02:00 CDT

Time Warner is more than happy to install Mark Williams' cable: For the low-low price of $12,000. The cable company justifies the cost using the “long driveway” clause in its contract with the town of Lee, Mass., Failure Magazine reports, because Williams' house is a half-mile from its nearest...

Kyrgyzstan Sheep Will Get Passports

M. Morris — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 12:46:30 CST

Kyrgyzstan is about to launch a program that will issue passports to millions of residents of the largely rural country—its 4.25 million sheep. "From their birth to their slaughter, it will be possible to recognize a sheep's pedigree by using laser scanning," the first deputy PM told parliament....

Now Driving Innovation in India: the Poor

Harry Kimball — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 13:04:50 CDT

Indian engineers once did little but cater to Western companies, while consumers at home made do with hand-me-down products from the developed world. That is changing in a big way as foreign economies crater and the 1.1 billion consumers of the subcontinent reveal a taste for, well, consuming. And...

Rural Alaskans Fight to Survive

Matt Cantor — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 12:50:24 CST

With some villagers paying $400 for a week's groceries and $1,500 for a month’s heat, rural Alaskans are literally fighting to survive, CNN reports. Milk can cost $10 a gallon and eggs $22 a dozen, and the long trip by snowmobile to the store means running through $50 in...

'Womyn's Lands' Dwindle as Gays Go Mainstream

Harry Kimball — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 17:48:00 CST

So-called "womyn's lands" are quietly persisting across North America but face a cultural shift as modern gays embrace mainstream society, the New York Times reports. Founded in the 1970s to give lesbians man-free, safe, non-judgmental communities, the roughly 100 groups have seen membership dwindle and populations age. “In 20 to...

New Wi-Fi Will Make Web Service Rural

Jonas Oransky — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 16:14:14 CDT

A new device will link rural areas to the Internet at low cost and without cables, Technology Review reports. Intel has tested the Wi-Fi platform in Africa, Asia and South America, and will sell it this year for less than $500. What makes it work? The router and antenna are...

FCC to Re-Test Wireless Internet Devices

Zach Samalin — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 00:20:20 CST

After a series of unsuccessful tests, the Federal Communications Commission is heading back to the lab to assess a new round of devices for broadcasting high-speed Internet in the white space available in between TV airwaves. The prototypes come from a coalition of top-tier bidders, including Microsoft, Philips, and Intel,...

Country Life Often Opposite of Healthy

Kevin Spak — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 11:23:23 CST

Rural America isn’t all hearty farmland, Newsweek writes: Many country areas are “food deserts,” supplied mainly by convenience stores. With supermarkets distant and healthy food more expensive than junk, impoverished residents often become unhealthy—hungry and fat. “A nutritionist will just say, 'Buy more fruits and vegetables,' when, in...