RURAL

Governor Cooper, I believe you should veto this bill. And to every lawmaker in Raleigh: Then do what is right. Reject partisanship. Uphold the veto. Let’s show the people of WNC that their leaders are as strong, resilient, and determined as they are.

There will be dollars coming from Raleigh and from Washington to help places like Ashe County and for that we are grateful. But local people, those of us who have raised generations here, need to make sure that those dollars are used to provide for everyone in our community. 

With LGBTQ+ youth facing startlingly high rates of mental illness, especially in rural communities, we talked with mental health professionals and local activists about how to make change. They say anti-LGBTQ+ policymakers at the state and local level are contributing to the problem. 

With abortion, public education, and decency on the ballot, the NC Democratic Party chair believes rural voters can be convinced to break up with Republicans.  

Nearly 500,000 North Carolinians have enrolled in the state’s Medicaid expansion program, nearly 40% of whom live in rural communities. The five counties that have seen the highest enrollment rates are also rural, with enrollment rates nearly double the state average.

In an election year where abortion is set to loom large, Down Home NC is organizing and knocking on doors in rural North Carolina with in-depth conversations focused on issues rather than candidates.

This isn’t just a rhetorical question. It carries real consequences for the González Mendoza family—and thousands of H2-A visa recipients across the state. North Carolina is home to the fifth-most H2-A workers in the country, nearly 15,000 migrants who labor in the agricultural sector with few protections.

In an interview with Cardinal & Pine, Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers said he believes that the county and town should receive most if not all of the $12 million, if it’s recovered by Stein’s lawsuit.

Despite bipartisan support, Republican leaders in Congress have blocked additional funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program, which will run out of money on May 1. Without it, most families in the program will lose a vital utility. 

There was little federal guidance when Maysville’s water supply tested positive for dangerous ‘forever chemicals’ in 2019. So town officials acted on their own. Soon after Schumata Brown was named town manager of Maysville, N.C. in 2016, he visited many of the town’s 1,000 residents, nearly all of whom he knew by name, and drank…