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USDA Invests in Rural Community Facilities in 22 States

Projects Will Provide $17.4 Million in Essential Services for More Than 220,000 Rural Americans

WASHINGTON, July 23, 2018 – Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Anne Hazlett today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $17.4 million in 41 projects (PDF, 154 KB) that will provide essential services for rural communities in 22 states.

“Rural America represents a wealth of opportunity – from farms to tourism, forestry, mining and manufacturing,” Hazlett said. “At USDA, our mission is to be a catalyst to bring those opportunities to life – whether building infrastructure, helping communities to attract jobs, accessing additional capital, or improving the quality of life in these towns.”

USDA is making the investments through the Community Facilities Direct Loan Program. The funding helps rural areas purchase, construct or improve essential facilities. An essential community facility is one that provides a necessary service for the orderly development or operation of a rural community, such as schools, libraries, health care facilities, day care centers and infrastructure improvements. For example:

• United Community Health Center, Inc. in Storm Lake, Iowa, is receiving a $1.9 million loan to renovate and expand a health center serving approximately 4,000 people. The current facility lacks adequate exam rooms and sufficient space for the staff to operate at peak efficiency. The expanded number of exam rooms will improve the flow of business by allowing the staff to clean rooms and collect patient information prior to the physician’s consultation. United has also increased its behavioral health services and needs additional treatment space, especially for patients who misuse opioids or other substances.
• The Springerville Municipal Property Corporation in Springerville, Ariz., is receiving a $350,000 loan and a $50,000 grant to purchase a commercial property. The 47,045-square-foot parcel contains a building on Main Street with 10,919 square feet. It will house the police and fire departments. Currently, the two departments are in different locations, and their work spaces are not sufficient for staff and equipment. Co-locating the departments will allow the town to save money on utility and maintenance costs. The loan and grant will serve residents in Apache County, which is one of the poorest in the state.
• The Loogootee Public Library in Loogootee, Ind., will use a $1.1 million loan to construct a new public library for the 5,853 residents of Rutherford and Perry townships. The current 600-square-foot library is too small and lacks sufficient space for meeting rooms, research, special projects or computer connections. The upgraded facility will give schools in the area another resource for their students.

The projects that are being announced today will help improve the quality of life for more than 220,000 rural residents in Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia and Washington.

More than 100 types of projects are eligible for USDA Community Facilities funding. Eligible applicants include municipalities, public bodies, nonprofit organizations and federally and state-recognized Native American tribes. Applicants and projects must be in rural areas with a population of 20,000 or less. Loan amounts have ranged from $10,000 to $165 million.

The Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 Omnibus spending bill increased the budget for the Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant program to $2.8 billion, up $200 million from FY 2017.

In April 2017, President Donald J. Trump established the Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity to identify legislative, regulatory and policy changes that could promote agriculture and prosperity in rural communities. In January 2018, Secretary Perdue presented the Task Force’s findings to President Trump. These findings included 31 recommendations to align the federal government with state, local and tribal governments to take advantage of opportunities that exist in rural America. Increasing investments in rural infrastructure is a key recommendation of the task force.

To view the report in its entirety, please view the Report to the President of the United States from the Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity (PDF, 5.4 MB). In addition, to view the categories of the recommendations, please view the Rural Prosperity infographic (PDF, 190 KB).

USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community services such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.

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OH, WEATHERLY

SHARE NEW SINGLE

"CHASING CALIFORNIA"

NEW ALBUM LIPS LIKE OXYGEN 

AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER

JULY 23, 2018 - Dallas, TX - Oh, Weatherly have shared "Chasing California", the third single off their upcoming album Lips Like Oxygen, out July 27th via Hopeless Records. Fans can watch the single/video on the Hopeless Records YouTube channel: smarturl.it/ChasingCAVisual

Last month, the band shared "I Think I Want You" and before that, the "Here Tonight".

Co-produced by Jake Bundrick of Mayday Parade, Lips Like Oxygen is a deeply personal and emotionally revealing debut full-length from Oh, Weatherly. Speaking to the new record, lead singer Blake Roses said, "What this album means to me is more than just music or simply a combination of nice sounding chords."

Following the passing of his father, Blake began channeling his energy and emotions into helping raise his younger sister as well as a budding relationship with his best friend from high school. Following the first Oh, Weatherly tour, Blake's engagement was broken off, thus beginning the process of healing through his music.

"This album is a tribute to the lessons I have learned and to the people who mean/meant most to me," Blake continued. "I do not regret anything I have done in my life and would not take back a single thing. I would not have made it here without these experiences driving me. That being said, I no longer expect anything from anyone but myself."

Lips Like Oxygen is the follow up to Oh, Weatherly's 2017 EP Make You Bright. It is now available for pre-order.

Lips Like Oxygen Track Listing:

1.  Here Tonight

2.  The Worst Time

3.  Chasing California

4.  I Think I Want You

5.  Burned Out

6.  Keep On Listening

7.  Dark of the Night

8.  Where Have You Been

9.  Love and Poetry

10. Soaring

Upcoming Tour Dates:

7/29 - The Prophet Bar - Dallas, TX

Follow Oh, Weatherly:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ohweatherly/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ohweatherly

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ohweatherly/

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5 Key Elements For The Next Wave

Of Improved Social Media Networks

Facebook’s data-privacy crisis that prompted Congressional hearings caused some Americans to re-evaluate social media’s importance in their lives. A study by tech research firm Techpinions found 35 percent were using Facebook less since the scandal and 9 percent deleted their accounts due to privacy concerns.

The controversy spawned discussions about flaws in Facebook’s system and problems in general with various social media sites. People want to know how improvements can be made toward better security and functionality as new sites pop up.

“Americans have only recently become concerned that their most personal data is being collected by Facebook, Instagram, Google and others – specifically to help all manner of good and bad actors to ‘target’ them with advertisements and messages about who knows what,” says Scott Relf, CEO and co-founder of PikMobile Inc. (http://pikmobile.info/), an ad-free social media app where one has the option to add paid subscriptions into their news feed.

“These companies are offering a free service, then betraying their users’ trust by selling them out to advertisers.”

Relf says now more users seem to want to protect themselves from companies who exploit them by using data harvesting. Users want to be in control of their own data and to choose what’s on their own news feed, he says.

“Isn’t social media supposed to help people stay connected to their friends and in touch with the news?” Relf asks. “Unfortunately, now people have to worry about their personal information and where it goes, and sort through the distracting clutter and  annoyances on their news feed.”

Relf lists five elements users want in new or improved social media networks:

• A more competitive model. The Facebook data controversy led to more social media users wanting to take more control. “Consumers of social media want to have a choice of services, instead of being forced to choose among four major services that all use the same advertising-driven data harvesting,” Relf says. “Ultimately, only competition in the social media marketplace will force companies to focus on serving their customers’ needs better.”

• Paid subscriptions instead of advertising. Some industry experts say the free- media-with-advertising package is losing steam while interest in sites offering premium subscription content, but without ads, is trending upward. “It has to do with attention spans, more media choices and a desire to cut through the clutter and distractions,” Relf says. “People that prefer no-charge, ad-supported services like AM/FM radio and traditional television may continue to prefer Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, but an increasing number of people prefer to pay either a modest subscription fee to have ad-free services from Netflix, SiriusXM, and Apple Music, or a combination of free content and paid content from pioneers like LinkedIn and Business Insider.”
• Mobile readiness. According to Google, more Americans use mobile devices than use laptops and desktops. “Additionally, mobile users want faster page loads than desktop or laptop users,” Relf says. “Thus, what was not long ago a luxury is now a necessity in the social media game – having an app, a mobile version of a website, or both.”
• Integrated features that encourage interactions, create community. “Online interactions are the fuel on which online communities thrive,” Relf says. “People want friendly communities with things in common. It’s important that you integrate features that foster interactions and encourage users to create exciting content.”

• Ability to monetize content. “Users should be able to choose what they see from their favorite creators, celebrities and organizations,” Relf says. “The premium content subscription model enables creators of great content to be paid for their work, and customers aren’t sold out to advertisers.”

“Trends don’t pop up out of nowhere,” Relf says. “People are now more aware of social media problems and how it can get better. ‘User-friendly’ has taken on added meaning for companies trying to compete for valuable space.”

About Scott Relf

Scott Relf and his wife, Renee, are the co-founders of PikMobile (http://pikmobile.info/), a dual-function mobile app that combines a unique viewing platform and a digital content publishing system. A former senior executive for several large corporations, Relf has expertise in bringing breakthrough products and services into the consumer mass market. He co-founded startup Zave Networks, which was sold to Google in 2011. Relf earned a BA in management and economics from Rice University and an MSBA in management from the Boston University Questrom School of Business.