News from rural America.

Rural schools face budget woes even as the White House aims to dismantle the Department of Education, postal carriers argue against proposed USPS changes, fiber networks to improve rural internet may be supplanted by Musk's satellites, and PLAY BALL!

TRANSCRIPT

For the Daily Yonder and Public News Service, this is the news from rural America.

The White House wants to dismantle the Department of Education.

While Congress would need to approve it, rural school districts, more dependent on its funds, fear the worst.

Former Roseburg, Oregon teacher, Mickey Hall, worries teachers could walk away.

The chilling effect is, oh my gosh, why would anybody go into education?

I mean, first of all, they don't pay enough, and secondly, now they're not even hiring people, so I'm not gonna do that.

Many rural school districts face budget cliffs as pandemic funds phase out.

Others could lose their part of $200 million federal dollars due to Congress's failure to reauthorize the Secure Rural Schools Act.

Superintendent Jamie Green at California's Trinity Alps District says the government is undermining a keystone of rural communities.

Rural schools are not failing.

We're working as hard as we can for those children.

A resolution against privatizing the Postal Service is moving in Congress after rallies in communities big and small defending the institution.

For the second time, the Trump administration has floated selling the USPS for parts of it.

Brian Renfro is with the Letter Carriers Union.

This is an attack that is disproportionate to the people that live in rural America, which is over 50 million people.

In Missouri, Kirby Ricketts has been with the Rural Letter Carriers Association for more than 12 years.

If it's not cost-effective to take that bag of medicine or that prescription that last mile, they're not gonna do it if there's not money in it for 'em.

The Biden administration aimed to boost rural internet with fiber networks, but the current Commerce Department is changing the rules and queuing up Elon Musk's Starlink satellite system to claim millions of dollars already allocated.

Drew Garner with the Benton Institute for Broadband and Society says fiber is more expensive up front, but much cheaper and more reliable over time, which can boost benefits.

Fiber is correlated with increased entrepreneurship, increased business revenues, increased uses of telehealth.

Rural households are less likely to have high-speed internet access than their urban and suburban peers.

Finally, April showers bring May flowers, but for baseball fans, it's the start of a season that's too much and never enough.

At the drop of a ball cap, fond memories are conjured up for 1951's shot heard 'round the world.

With the Brooklyn Dodgers trailing the New York Giants in the bottom of the ninth, Bobby Thompson hit a game-winning home run. (crowd cheering)

For the Daily Yonder and Public News Service, I'm Roz Brown.

For more rural stories, visit dailyyonder.com.