Cheyenne’s Celtic Musical Arts Festival took over Depot Plaza downtown this weekend. The usual Fridays on the Plaza offered up high-octane Celtic grunge leading up to a romping good time with Celtic Americana of The Elders, a favorite from my KRFC days. Put together some food, some music, some folk art and even some weekend rain couldn’t […]
Improve a Vaccine—Save a Forest
QS-21 is a promising adjuvant which improves the performance of certain drugs. The trouble is, QS-21 is derived from an evergreen tree (Quillaja saponari) found in limited locations in Chile. It also has some other qualities that limit vaccine effectiveness. Researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York have been working on a synthetic […]
Gen X: Stuck in the Middle with Me
Pew Research Center posted an interesting look at my fellow travelers in “Generation X”. We’re the 34-49 year-olds sandwiched between the younger Boomers and older Millenials, both oversized and over-covered in the media. We are, they point out, the middle child of the modern demography. Gen Xers have also gotten the short end of basic generational […]
Placemaking, not Bailouts, Key to Millenials and Boomers Alike
Last month, in conjunction with the National Planning Conference in Atlanta, the American Planning Association (APA) released results of a new poll. It found interesting similarities of opinion between both young adults (my kids) and younger/potential retirees (my folks). National Poll Dispels Popular Assumptions About Improving Local Economies and Attracting New Residents Millennials, Baby Boomers […]
STaR Award Winner from 2004 Stands Test of Time
This month, the American Planning Association’s National Planning Conference takes place in Atlanta, Georgia. Ten years ago, the Conference was held in Washington, DC, where the APA Small Town & Rural (STaR) Division recognized Coconino County, AZ, for excellence in rural planning. That plan has worn well. Hopefully, a decade from now we’ll be able […]
Talking About the Economic Census
An interesting video bit of PR from the Census Bureau on the 2012 Economic Census: [v=SVns8dKcBrE] How folks in business, economic and political leaders use economic statistics. A bit geeky, like dancing about architecture… .
2012 Economic Census First Look
We’re getting an advance view of the US Census Bureau’s 2012 Economic Census results. The mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction sector of the economy showed tremendous growth from 2007 to 2012 as the number of establishments rose by 26.4 percent, according to the 2012 Economic Census Advance Report released [March 26] by the U.S. Census Bureau. […]
Symposium on Small Towns Set for June
The Center for Small Towns of the University of Minnesota at Morris presents an excellent conference each spring on small town and rural issues. This is where I met Ben Winchester for the first time and started learning about his work (now with Extension) on rural migration. I really wish I could make it back […]
Bring Your Small Town Some First Class Design with CIRD RFP
The Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design (CIRD) is a fascinating partnership of the USDA, Project for Public Spaces, and Orton Family Foundation, working to provide small towns and rural communities (population <50,000) with support on design, planning and creative placemaking. Their competitive technical assistance program is a great opportunity to bring first class design ideas […]
Ag Census Tells Story of Unlimited Potential in Rural America
From Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack: Secretary’s Column: Census of Agriculture Results Tell Story of Unlimited Potential in Rural America USDA released preliminary data from the 2012 Census of Agriculture that provides a snapshot of a rural America that remains stable in the face of difficult economic times. While the data do not paint a […]