misc - Taryn Phaneuf

Behind the beans | The Inlander
Do honey bees need their own lobbyists? | Civil Eats
Small farms face growing pains | InHealth magazine
WSU researchers stumble on a new way to breed trees – five times faster | The Inlander
Nutrition education comes easy when it happens in a kitchen | InHealth magazine
The United Nations has granted an entire year to celebrating the humble lentil | The Inlander
Fine wine doesn't come to mind when you think of Idaho but that could soon change | The Inlander
The Moscow Farmers Market has a history of helping new businesses gain traction | The Inlander
Food stamp numbers jump | Bowling Green Daily News

Photo for MinnPost

Corcoran block party doubles as opportunity to rally around a new affordable-housing vision

Jacinto Aguilar has lived in the apartment building on the corner of East 31st Street and 22nd Avenue South for 23 years, watching landlord after landlord come and go. He and his family endured even as conditions worsened and the rent increased.

The cycle continued under Stephen Frenz, a property owner embroiled in a lawsuit brought by tenants over unsafe and unsanitary conditions. Aguilar and some of his neighbors described the conditions of their homes at a neighborhood block party that doubled as an opportunity to rally around several organizations’ vision for affordable housing in Minneapolis. As people grazed at a table of grilled burgers and chicken and children played with bubbles, tenants told of leaks, broken appliances, mold, mice, and roaches.

Everyone had a story. Still, they all want to stay.

“Our children are part of this community. Our kids were born here,” Aguilar, whose primary language is Spanish, said in an interview with the help of an interpreter. He said he’s looked elsewhere, but he’s convinced he would encounter the same issues wherever he went, except maybe without help. “We’re all united here. … I might not have that somewhere else.

Read more at MinnPost.

Overwhelming Need

Getting help for kids with mental health issues frustrates parents and health care providers

The emergency room has become the default destination for kids, from children to teens, needing urgent mental health care in Spokane. With more than a quarter of teens in Spokane County experiencing depression, and many other mental health and behavioral issues not even tallied, the system is frighteningly overburdened, parents and doctors say. The consequences are both immediate and far-reaching. "The mental health issues in Spokane and the Inland Northwest have really blossomed over the last few years to the point of where it's challenging to see medical patients in the emergency room," Dr. Christian Rocholl says. Continue reading at InHealth magazine.

Smoke-free advocates insist they're chipping away at tobacco's longtime grip on Kentucky

With the lowest grad rates in the state students, foster youth need all the help they can get

While advocates and state lawmakers spent the spring of 2014 attempting to restrict smoking in shared public and workplaces, one Warren County woman visited a weekly group aimed at helping her kick the habit she’s held reluctantly for 26 years. In Kentucky, where the adult smoking rate sits at 28 percent (the highest in the country and 10 points higher than the national rate in 2012), proponents of smoking regulations say they’re in for an uphill slog. Continue reading at the Bowling Green Daily News.

Across the state, fewer than half of Washington youths in foster care graduate from high school on time. Graduation rates for foster kids have inched upwards in the past few years, but they remain the lowest of all students, even compared to homeless children. Statewide, 77 percent of high school students graduated in 2014, but just 41 percent of foster youth received diplomas. On any given day, 9,000 to 10,000 children are in foster care in Washington. Continue reading at InHealth magazine.

Branding Kentucky's creative industry
In December 2014, the Kentucky Arts Council published a report describing the economic impact of the creative industry in the state: $1.9 billion in annual earnings in 2013 and more jobs than the auto/aircraft manufacturing industry. Those connected to the study pointed to the state's other failing industries, including coal and tobacco, as reasons to make an effort to grow this under-recognized area.
– Report puts impact of arts in economic terms
– Committee: Americana Music Trail would attract tourists
– Committee aims to uncover 'rich' music history
– Artists lack resources for business

Series: Where we live
A growing population, a major university and an influx of industry and associated infrastructure contribute to a changing environment. In many ways, this small city has embraced its urbanized future.
– Part I: Bowling Green's low cost of living attracts retirees.
– Part II: Longtime homeowners face challenges when rental housing overtakes established neighborhoods.
– Part III: Low-income residents who take long journey toward homeownership build wealth and self-esteem.
– Part IV: For the growing population of foreign-born residents of Bowling Green, a place to live is the top priority.

Corcoran block party doubles as opportunity to rally around a new affordable-housing vision

Overwhelming Need

Getting help for kids with mental health issues frustrates parents and health care providers

Smoke-free advocates insist they're chipping away at tobacco's longtime grip on Kentucky

With the lowest grad rates in the state students, foster youth need all the help they can get

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