A support group and a lab in the St. Louis area provide resources for people with the allergy to mammal products — and evidence that its effects can be reversed.
Joanne Moore moved out of her house in Corona, Tennessee more than a decade ago, due to lack of usable water and increased flooding. Others have left the area, too, and she worries the river community’s history will be lost with the population. Credit: Lucas Dufalla, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
We hope you didn't miss us too much yesterday - we're switching the newsletter from Tuesday to Wednesday, so expect us in your inbox midweek from now on.
We've been busy digging into stories and two of our new reporters have published their very first pieces for the Ag & Water Desk! Lucas Dufalla with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette looked into Mississippi River towns that are losing population, which it turns out is many of them. The challenges that make people move away, like decreased economic opportunities and increased flooding, are particularly acute on so-called "islands" -- communities along state borders that are isolated from the rest of their respective states due to changes in the course of the Mississippi River over time.
In Corona, Tennessee, which is located on the Arkansas side of the river, Joanne Moore has struggled to upkeep a house that has flooded but also doesn't have clean water. She moved away in 2007 and worries that as others leave, too, the place's cultural heritage will disappear.
“We’re losing a lot of history, a different type of history,” she said. “We’re losing a way of life.”
Estefania Pinto Ruiz with KWQC also published her first piece, on a recent survey that found that Latino voters who live near the Mississippi River value the river and are worried about pollution.
The poll was done by the Hispanic Access Foundation and found that 83% of participants described the Mississippi River as a national treasure and 52% said they felt responsible for it.
“We wanted to highlight Latino perspectives,” said Vanessa Muñoz, the Hispanic Access Foundation’s waterways manager. “Oftentimes we're left out of conversations when it comes to policy changes.”
September is gearing up to be a busy month, too, with reporters focusing on aging dams, drought and insect decline. We can't wait to share those stories in the weeks to come.
Thanks as always for keeping up with us, and stay tuned.
