Photo by Greg Kocher/Lexington Herald-Leader Letcher County may create a river trail along the Kentucky River for tourists and canoeists like these who gathered on the Kentucky River in 2011 in Clark County for a rally.

Peddling a New Solution - When thinking of the economic forces that drive the country, the mountain biking industry probably doesn’t come to mind. However, researcher Jeff McNamee and other rural Oregonians think biking’s the business their area needs. The timber industry is unable to support many of Oregon’s small towns these days, leaving many searching for the next big thing. McNamee recently conducted a study on the economic impact of three major mountain biking events that took place in the towns of Bend and Oakridge. All together, the events led to $2.6 million in direct tourism spending, $3.7 million in sales and 52 local jobs. This comes only weeks after Travel Oregon issued a report showing a $400 million annual economic impact from bike-related travel.

Bikeoregon.org says that this research couldn’t come at a better time, and hopes policy makers will soon take attention to this trend.

Row Your Boat - A new tourist attraction could be coming to Letcher County, Kentucky. Officials in the county are currently mulling over a plan that would open a water trail throughout the county, giving canoeists a new river to explore.  This would make the 5th trail for nature lovers in Letcher to enjoy, as trails for all-terrain vehicles, hikers, bikers and horseback riders have already been approved.

Terrence Ray, who recently organized a canoe run for Letcher County's Watershed Organization, Headwaters Inc. to survey the area, recognizes there are challenges ahead, particularly the trash in the water. "That's probably the biggest obstacle at this point; a lot of the stuff there is probably 20 years old and has been in there a long time."

Jerry Collins, who participated in the canoe run, still admires the rivers natural beauty. "It's the best it has ever looked.”

Photo by Sam Upshaw Jr.; The Courier-Journal Dr. Ron Waldridge II has a 'team huddle' with medical assistant Wilma Collins as they go through their pre-patient planning process at his practice in Shelbyville, Ky. He says he cannot take on more patients.

Is There a Doctor in the House? – Are there enough doctors in rural areas of Kentucky to support the state’s new Medicaid expansion? The expansion will grant access to 308,000 residents who earn 138 percent of the federal poverty level or less, but the federal government lists 47 of the state’s counties are short on healthcare professionals. Despite this, Stephen Williams, Chief Executive Officer of Norton Healthcare, remains hopeful that the new measure will succeed. “I doubt this will turn into a huge problem — although there may be pockets.”

Plans purposed to deal with the issue include increased reliance on community health centers, and attracting more nonphysician health care providers to areas in need.

Gene Blevins, Reuters People look through the wreckage of their neighborhood after a tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, on May 20.

Disaster in Oklahoma – Today the nation is focused on Moore, OK, where a tornado left a trail of destruction two miles wide and seventeen miles long. At least 43 have died, and 230 have been injured. Governor Mary Fallin said this morning, that the storms were the “most horrific storms and disasters that this state has ever faced."

The town of Joplin Missouri, which dealt with a similar natural disaster in 2011, has brought together a team of public safety officials that will be sent to help Moore and the surrounding area recover. Joplin also plans to pitch in in the coming days. 

Rural Center at a Crossroads – The fate of North Carolinas Rural Economic Development Center hangs in the balance as N.C. Senate Republicans take aim at defunding the organization. Proponents of zeroing out the institution say that the organization has become bloated and inefficient over the years, as their board of directors has grown to over fifty members, and the state has no control on how the money is spent. “There is a need to change how it’s set up, to streamline the process.” Says Sen. Harry Brown

However, the center itself says that defunding the organization would cripple rural development. The organization has awarded over $2 billion in grants and created 33,000 jobs since its inception in 1987. “Why would you want to defund it and do away with it? I’m afraid the special needs of rural North Carolina will get lost in that reorganization.” Says Larry Wooten, president of the state’s farm bureau.