Stories from yesterday's ruling by the Iowa Supreme Court that unanimously struck down the state's band on gay marriage invariably mentioned that this all happened in a rural state. "Iowa became the third state in the country and the first from the rural heartland to legalize same-sex marriage...," began the story in the Washington Post.  The Associated Press story noted that only Massachusetts and Connecticut had permitted same-sex marriage prior to Iowa. Then:

John Logan, a sociology professor at Brown University, said Iowa's status as a largely rural, Midwest state could enforce an argument that gay marriage is no longer a fringe issue. "When it was only California and Massachusetts, it could be perceived as extremism on the coasts and not related to core American values. "But as it extends to states like Iowa, and as attitudes toward gay marriage have evidently changed, then people will look at it as an example of broad acceptance," Logan said.

Meanwhile, in Carroll, Iowa, Jackie Pudenz at Bridal Country is trying to figure out how to reconfigure her store. "We're thinking it may be totally different for us now," said Pudenz "We have had men come in and try on gowns. I've pretty much seen a lot of things. Now that it's actually law, it takes on whole different aspect." The Carroll Daily Times Herald reports that local elected officials promise to try to change the state constitution — and that Republicans will use the issue to help mobilize the party. 

Dr. Yvette Roubideaux, Rosebud Sioux, has been appointed director of the Indian Health Service, within the Department of Health and Human Services.

Well known for her extensive work on diabetes and health policy in Indian country, Roubideaux is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine.

Roubideaux, 46, decided to become a doctor in order to help improve the quality of healthcare for American Indians. She recalls waiting between four to six hours to see Indian Health Services physicians as a child. In a profile by the National Institute on Health, she describes the IHS system as severely underfunded and understaffed.

Roubideaux provided testimony before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs in 2000 for the reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act. Republican lawmakers repeatedly voted against the Act during the G.W. Bush administration.  Leaders in Indian country are hopeful that Roubideaux’s appointment will lead to the eventual passing of this legislation.

Roubideaux received her MD from the Harvard Medical School and a Masters in Public Health from the Harvard School of Public Health. She also served on President Obama’s transition team.

A recipient of several awards for her work on diabetes and health policy for American Indians, she was co-editor of the American Public Health Association’s book, “Promises to Keep: Public Health Policy for American Indians and Alaska Native in the 21st Century."

The Washington Post's Federal Eye lists all the top appointments at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Reporter Ed O'Keefe notes that most of the new hires at USDA have something in common: They either worked for former South Dakota Sen. Tom Daschle; they worked for former Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar; they worked for the Barack Obama presidential campaign.

Lindsay Daschle, the senator's daughter, will serve as USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack's confidential secretary. (Photo above, left, along with Linda Daschle.) Denise Scott will be an executive assistant to Vilsack; she was a special assistant to Salazar. (Which leads the Yonder to wonder what the difference is between a special and an executive assistant??)

The Post has a list of  13 top appointments, so you might see somebody you know. 

The Obama Administration has announced three more appointments to offices that will be important to rural America. A South Dakota farmer, Dallas Tonsager, has been nominated to be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Rural Development. Tonsager is 54 and he served two terms as president of the South Dakota Farmers Union. He was co-chair of Barack Obama's rural advisory committee during the 2008 campaign; he was also appointed to the board of the Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation by George Bush.

Federal Communications Commission commissioner Jonathan Adelstein has been nominated to head the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service. The RUS will handle the $2.5 billion set aside in the stimulus bill to help pay for rural broadband projects. His photo is above.

A former aide to North Dakota Sen. Kent Conrad has been nominated to be USDA undersecretary for farm and foreign agricultural services. James Miller will be in charge of the Farm Service Agency, which distributes farm subsides, the Risk Management Agency, which handles crop insurance, and the Foreign Agricultural Services, which promotes U.S. products overseas. Miller is now chief of staff for the National Farmers Union.