rural

Police: Remains found in Macon County likely missing college student

Human remains discovered in rural Macon County on Monday are believed to be those of missing college student Aniah Blanchard, numerous law enforcement officials said. Early on Monday, Auburn Police officials received information on the possible whereabouts of Blanchard’s remains, Macon County Sheriff Andre Brunson said during a news conference. Brunson said Auburn PD officials … Continued

November 26, 2019

A bipartisan solution to the net neutrality impasse could boost Telehealth

Telemedicine holds the potential to reshape health care delivery in rural America. Advances in technology and broadband connectivity could open up a world in which farmers and factory workers in rural Black Belt counties have the same access to world-class medical specialists that residents of the world’s largest and wealthiest cities already take for granted. … Continued

October 15, 2019

Rural Alabama is worth fighting for

Our rural communities truly are the backbone of our nation. They clothe us and feed us, and they manufacture many of the goods we use every day. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, nearly 60 million Americans live in rural communities. For too long, these 60 million Americans have been fighting global forces alone. … Continued

September 17, 2019

Civic Engagement Summit to be held in Birmingham

The national leadership development program Young People For is holding a Civic Engagement Summit in Birmingham from August 30 to September 1 to focus on how young people can make a difference through participating in elections. At the summit, the group will set a “collective 2030 vision” for access to voting and the court system. … Continued

August 16, 2019

A Washington success story

One of the first actions I took after being elected in 2013 was to visit all the hospitals in Southwest Alabama. Big and small, rural and urban, I visited them all. And I spoke directly with doctors and hospital leadership about issues they and their communities faced. I did this because the importance of hospitals … Continued

August 13, 2019

New data indicates that Democrats will have to do better with rural voters to take back control of the Senate in 2020

Tuesday, One Country Project (OCP) released new, original data they claim shows the correlation between Presidential and Senate election outcomes, proving the Democratic road to victory is contingent upon rural support. Open Country Project says that if Democrats continue to perform poorly with rural voters they will not retake the Senate even though Republicans are … Continued

August 1, 2019

Ivey awards grants to provide high-speed internet to several communities

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Monday announced that she has awarded more than $1.14 million in grants to provide access to high-speed internet in several Alabama communities. The six grants are the second round of awards presented by Ivey under the Alabama Broadband Accessibility Fund. In the latest round, some providers were awarded more than … Continued

July 16, 2019

Kayo — one man saw mill — last generation

As we travel down the road of life, we often meet extraordinary people, who enrich our path beyond measurable standards. This is an amazing story about a rare, yet simple man named Kayo, who in my estimation is a legend. One day his skills, trade and livelihood will be extinct like so many other rural treasures, … Continued

June 13, 2019

Every citizen in Alabama deserves high-speed broadband

Alabama’s economy is booming with record low unemployment, wages on the rise and new industries continuing to choose our state to expand their businesses. However, we are lagging in providing critical broadband infrastructure to all our citizens. For too long, the expansion of fast, reliable internet service has been concentrated in larger cities while rural … Continued

May 6, 2019

A big win for Alabama rural hospitals

A handful of stories in Washington generally get about 90 percent of the media’s attention. Don’t get me wrong, many of those stories are important, but much of my time in Washington is also focused on getting things done for Alabama that don’t make the front page. This week we got a big win on … Continued

April 30, 2019