EXCERPT: “Those living in rural areas face several challenges when it comes to accessing legal care; challenges that oftentimes affect their health and can prevent them from getting out of unsafe situations. A model that’s been successful in Alaska may address some of those legal challenges. Michele Statz, associate professor at the University of Minnesota Medical ...

The data show that the choices students make in high school and that paths they take after high school can predictably guide them to specific states of meaningful workforce participation later on. November 2023 By Kelly Asche, Senior Researcher | Marnie Werner, VP of Research & Operations For a print version of this report, click ...

EXCERPT: “Allison Roderick has a warning and a pledge for rural residents of her county: The water from their wells could be contaminated, but the government can help make it safe. Roderick is the environmental health officer for Webster County in north-central Iowa, where a few thousand rural residents live among sprawling corn and soybean ...

EXCERPT: “Blandin Foundation has awarded a $1 million, three-year grant to the Greater Minnesota Housing Fund to launch a comprehensive rural housing project designed to address the Grand Rapids and Leech Lake areas’ acute housing challenges. The project will build or preserve more than 400 units and address the entire housing system, from updating all ...

EXCERPT: “The city of Marshall’s aquatic center has long been a go-to place for swim lessons and family fun, but the center’s 1930s-vintage main pool and supporting facilities have been showing their age. The bath house and concessions building have code compliance issues, mechanical systems are deteriorated, plumbing systems need regular repairs and water line breaks ...

EXCERPT: “Matt Varilek is fortunate as the new commissioner of Minnesota’s Department of Employment and Economic Development to have internet that is fast enough for him to have remote meetings at home in rural Benton County. But not everyone in Greater Minnesota has that ability, which is why delivering broadband across the state is a passion ...

EXCERPT: “Gov. Tim Walz has announced that 36 cities, townships and counties across Greater Minnesota will receive nearly $24 million in Small Cities Development Program grants, with Bagley, Fosston and Kelliher on the list of recipients. The grants will be used for residential and commercial property rehabilitation, upgrading public facilities and other economic development projects. Bagley will ...

EXCERPT: “As this summer has shown, the massive smoke plumes generated by wildfires can dirty the air of regions many miles away. Now a new study is raising the question of whether that pollution is contributing to suicides in rural America. Researchers found a correlation between air pollution from “drifting” wildfire smoke and a rise in ...

  September 2023 By Marnie Werner, VP of Research & Operations We are officially in a new fiscal year here at the Center for Rural Policy and Development and with it comes a new research agenda. The list of issues to research in rural Minnesota seems never-ending and unfortunately, we only have so many hours ...

EXCERPT: “In rural areas where hospitals have shuttered, like Pickens County, the nearest surviving facilities are long drives away, ambulance coverage is sparse, and residents in the throes of medical emergencies often find their situations even more precarious. In May, the rural health research and policy centers released the results of an effort by the Maine ...