Rural Remix

 How does a community balance historic extractive industries like logging, fishing, agriculture, and mining with tourism and recreation? It’s not as simple as wanting to move away from extraction and toward tourism. In this episode, we’re headed to Ilwaco, a small town on the coast of Southwest Washington. The communities of Pacific County have historically relied on fishing and logging, and the t...

Welcome to the Beyond the Clock Podcast! Ash Hanson from Department of Public Transformation and Anna Claussen from Voices for Rural Resilience are your hosts on a journey into the hearts, minds, and imaginations of rural artists, cultural workers, and change-makers across the country. In this episode, Anna and Ash converse with rural Minnesota-based artist and “slow-cycle change” champion, Nancy...

Low snowpack, drought, flooding, wildfires, warmer winters. Climate change is causing temperature shifts and natural disasters that affect outdoor recreation and the small town economies that depend on recreation. In this episode, we’re headed to New Hampshire ski towns with Daily Yonder reporter Julia Tilton and learning about how winter recreation economies in New England are changing because of...

This week, Daily Yonder reporters Claire Carlson and Julia Tilton unpack a recent conversation Claire had with former USDA official Jonathan Coppess, who served under President Barack Obama. Discussion points include changes at the USDA, what Coppess thinks journalists get wrong when covering agriculture, and why the government breaking a contract is the same as us breaking a contract with ourselv...

National parks capture the imagination of many travelers and road trippers seeking the Great Outdoors. But what do national parks do for the communities that serve as their gateways? We take a trip to New River Gorge National Park, the newest national park in the national park system, with Daily Yonder reporter Sarah Melotte, to learn about what Fayetteville, West Virginia is dealing with around t...

Housing is one of the biggest challenges for popular destination communities around the country. Second home owners and vacation rentals drive up prices in our recreation communities and locals get priced out. In this episode we’re headed to Moab, Utah, to learn about the Community Land Trust and the work they’re doing to support affordable housing. We’ll also visit Taos, New Mexico with Daily Yon...

Introducing the Rural Reporter’s Notebook, a behind-the-scenes look at rural stories from across the country. An evolution of their coverage on the Keep It Rural podcast, Daily Yonder reporters Claire Carlson and Julia Tilton host this biweekly series. Bringing in voices from inside and outside the Daily Yonder’s newsroom, Claire and Julia unpack today’s biggest headlines and what they mean for li...

Introducing the Rural Reporter’s Notebook, a behind-the-scenes look at rural stories from across the country. An evolution of their coverage on the Keep It Rural podcast, Daily Yonder reporters Claire Carlson and Julia Tilton host this biweekly series. Bringing in voices from inside and outside the Daily Yonder’s newsroom, Claire and Julia unpack today’s biggest headlines and what they mean for li...

In our first episode we talk to a few people who study the recreation industry and how it intersects with rural communities. We start out in Montezuma County, Colorado, Ilana’s home in Southwest Colorado and also visit Monte Vista, Colorado, another small town in Southern Colorado. These two communities are not necessarily known as tourism destinations, but the towns are invested in recreation dev...

Welcome to the  Beyond the Clock  Podcast, where rural stories take center stage! In this podcast, Ash Hanson from Department of Public Transformation and Anna Claussen from Voices for Rural Resilience are your hosts on a journey into the hearts, minds, and imaginations of rural artists, cultural workers, and change-makers across the country. In this episode, Anna and Ash converse with Beyond the...

From slashing electric vehicle infrastructure to cutting grants for farmers, the Trump administration’s attempt to “trim the fat” off government spending has caused chaos and confusion in Washington D.C. and beyond. Claire and Julia break down how two spending freezes have affected folks on the ground in rural America.(Photo credit Claire Carlson)

President Donald Trump has made it a priority in the first weeks of his second administration to cut diversity, equity and inclusion—DEI—programs across the federal government. Universities and corporations are largely following suit. On this episode of Keep it Rural, Daily Yonder reporters Claire Carlson and Julia Tilton are joined by Lane Wendell Fischer, a small-town Kansas native and Yale Univ...

The recent Los Angeles wildfires have highlighted something rural people already knew: no place is safe from fire as climate change exacerbates the conditions that make sparks fly. This reality makes federal disaster relief more important than ever, but the new Trump administration could make it harder for victims to get government help. Photo: Noah Berger/AP

On the heels of the news that 2024 was the hottest year on record — beating out 2023 for the top spot — Daily Yonder reporters Claire Carlson and Julia Tilton reflect on winter past and future. Claire shares stories from her holiday travels to rural Pennsylvania, where her grandparents met as young people on a frozen toboggan slide that hasn’t run since 2014. Julia shares stories from her grandmot...

Host Sara June Jo-Sæbo explores the transformative power of Recovery Court in Southwest Virginia, an innovative alternative to incarceration for individuals struggling with addiction. Through deeply personal stories from participants and judges, “On the Rebound” reveals how the program combines accountability, compassion, and fitness to support recovery and examines the pervasive impact of drug cu...

Donald Trump is preparing for his second term in the White House by making nominations for key Cabinet positions. Daily Yonder reporters Claire Carlson and Julia Tilton discuss two of Trump’s picks – those slated to lead the Environmental Protection Agency and the US Department of Agriculture if approved by the Senate. Julia provides background on Lee Zeldin, the former New York Congressman Trump...

North Cove, Washington once had the fastest eroding shoreline on the West Coast. For the 72 cranberry farmers who call the area home, the erosion was an existential threat to the local community and economy. That was, until Connie Allen and her late husband David Cottrell got involved. Daily Yonder reporters Claire Carlson and Julia Tilton bring you the story of “Wash Away No More”, a grassroots e...

The Associated Press called the presidential election in favor of former president Donald Trump at 5:34 am on November 6th, the morning after Election Day. But even before that, political pundits and TV reporters had plenty to say about rural voters and their role in re-electing Trump.  Now that the numbers are in, host Olivia Weeks examines these assertions in the latest episode of Backroad Ballo...

Former President Donald Trump’s re-election to the White House has many looking at rural America to understand his victory. Daily Yonder reporter Claire Carlson is joined by Keep it Rural producer and fellow reporter Julia Tilton to discuss why focusing on small-town voters alone is misleading. They break down data analyzed by the Daily Yonder to show that rural voters are only part of Trump’s suc...

Once upon a time, it was not unheard of for a voter to cast a Republican vote for president and a Democratic vote for a down-ballot candidate like a congressman or state representative – or vice versa. In the 1970s and 80s, an estimated 25% of voters split their ballots this way. Now, this type of voter is rarer than ever because of the political polarization that defines modern-day American polit...

In the newest episode of the Backroad Ballots podcast, we asked our staff what they are paying close attention to between now and the election. Host Olivia Weeks interviewed Daily Yonder publisher Dee Davis, and Daily Yonder reporters Claire Carlson and Sarah Melotte about election denial , how Democratic policy affects rural America, campaign communication, whether rural voters are truly over rep...

This week, Daily Yonder reporter Claire Carlson talks about the dangers of misinformation in the wake of hurricanes Helene and Milton. As Claire points out, a lot of the misinformation comes from climate change deniers.

We bring you a special Keep it Rural this week. Claire speaks with her colleague, Daily Yonder reporter Sarah Melotte about the devastating hurricane Helene. Sarah is currently unable to get to her home in Bakersville, North Carolina. She lives in the western part of the state where roads in and out are completely flooded. Claire talked with her about what it’s been like to see her community reeli...

Daily Yonder reporter Claire Carlson talks about some of the hidden and not so hidden benefits of rest stops on American highways.

Salmon have always had a perilous journey returning home to spawn. Daily Yonder reporter Claire Carlson explains how climate change has made their mere existence perilous.