Rural vaccinations lag: About 361,000 rural Americans completed their Covid-19 vaccinations last week, according to CDC data, meaning that 31 percent of the rural population is fully vaccinated. That compares with 39 percent of urban residents. (Daily Yonder)
Meat workers mull stoppage: Unionized workers are considering a strike at the Smithfield hog slaughter plant in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, that was a Covid-19 hot spot in spring 2020. (Associated Press)
Broadband funds for tribes: Vice President Kamala Harris, who said the pandemic had compounded the digital divide between rural and urban America, announced the availability of $1 billion in grants to expand broadband access on tribal land. (Commerce Department)
Drought grows in Illinois, Wisconsin: Severe drought expanded in northeastern Illinois and southeastern Wisconsin in the past week, despite rainfall that eased conditions in the eastern part of the Midwest. (Drought Monitor)
Fresh produce at dollar stores: The operators of dollar stores are beginning to sell fresh produce at a small portion of their outlets after years of complaints that the chains, an increasingly common retail food source, fail to offer the healthy foods available at grocery stores. (CNN Business)