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The Rural Blog

Hard work, generosity and 'extreme networking,' are a few of the reasons the Amish community in Holmes County, Ohio, is thriving. The group's unique ways of supporting new businesses can serve as a model for other places looking to bolster economic mobility.
The loss of independent pharmacies across the country has been a concern for rural residents, but who are the fabled PBMs, or pharmacy benefit managers, how do they operate and what do they gain when they force smaller pharmacies to close, ask Reed Abelson and Rebecca Robbins of The New York Times.
Over the past decade, rural, independent pharmacies faced shrinking profits and many closed. But now, even big chains are struggling to keep the current drugstore model profitable.
The New York Times editorial board offers a compelling piece on the importance of a reporter's shield law and why its protections need to be extended to the federal level. "Safeguarding the anonymity of reporters’ sources is essential . . . . 
Over the past two decades, rural Main Street rehabs have proved challenging to create and sustain, but some entrepreneurs have seen "the blight as an enticement — not a deterrent. . . . Here is a look at three entrepreneurs who challenged the odds on Main Street, and how they fared."
The population of some bigger U.S. cities is shrinking as younger residents move to smaller towns and cities even as Covid-era worries wither, reports Paul Davidson of USA Today. "Since the pandemic, cities with more than 1 million residents have lost adults ages 25 to 44 while towns with smaller populations have gained young people.
When big grocery stores battle for market share, most chains deploy old-timey spies who sleuth prices, quality and customer behaviors. The "old-school tactics are fueling the government’s case against Kroger-Albertsons deal," reports Patrick Thomas of The Wall Street Journal.
As both presidential campaigns vie for votes in Wisconsin, some of the state's rural voters say election rhetoric has become harmfully divisive and tinged with racism, reports Dionne Searcey of The New York Times. In Sauk County, Wisconsin, residents can see their community's partisan divide by tallying neighborhood political yard signs.

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