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Rural Reporting Project

Steve Fisch / Special to CapRadio

Farm buildings sit on the floor of the Sierra Valley, which straddles Sierra and Plumas Counties. This area is the subject of CapRadio’s Rural Reporting Project in summer 2020.

Steve Fisch / Special to CapRadio

Just like other parts of California, the effects of the coronavirus pandemic are reverberating throughout rural communities. But the type and scale of impact is different, and so are the ways people are coping.  

This summer, CapRadio and North State Public Radio are teaming up to explore the effects of COVID-19 in Plumas and Sierra counties, two rural areas along California’s Sierra Nevada. We’re collaborating with community partners to listen, learn and report the unique challenges rural places are facing, and their creative solutions.

Thanks to our community partners:

 

Stories related to: Rural Reporting Project

Nina Sparling / CapRadio

Rural California Ranchers Deal With Uncertainty As Meatpacking Plants Struggle With COVID-19

August 11, 2020

COVID-19 has caused massive disruptions to the beef industry, as slaughterhouses started reporting cases of the virus just weeks into the pandemic. That made life harder for Sierra cattle ranchers.

AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli

In Rural California, Some Students Resort To Distance Learning In Parking Lots Near WiFi Connections

August 4, 2020

Spotty cell phone coverage and challenging internet access has made schoolwork extra challenging in places like Plumas and Sierra counties.

Nina Sparling

Cyclists And Shop Owners Hope Downieville Mountain Bike Race Returns

July 28, 2020

For the past 25 years, thousands of cyclists have descended on the Sierra County town of Downieville in the last weekend of July. But the race's cancellation because of COVID-19 isn't just a let down for cyclists, it’s a big hit for local business.

Photo courtesy of TyAnna Farmer

How Rural California Teens Are Rising Above The Let-Down Of A Canceled Summer

July 21, 2020

COVID-19 affects everybody, old and young. But for teenagers, trapped at home all summer is even more excruciating. From getting grounded to organizing protests, rural Sierra Nevada teens are spending their time in shelter-in-place in different ways.

Nina Sparling

From Food Banks To Honor Fridges, Rural Sierra Communities Get Creative To Feed Themselves

July 14, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has put extraordinary pressure on places where we eat and buy food. Low-income rural communities have been hit especially hard, leaving empty grocery stores and residents looking for local options.

Photo courtesy the Quincy Feather Bed Inn

'Go Plumas,' And Take Along Your Best Behavior

July 13, 2020

Quincy has been hit hard by the rolling impacts of the coronavirus crisis — the college suddenly closed, iconic events canceled, weddings called off, businesses shuttered. If visitors come, hospitality business owners say it will help the community.

Nina Sparling

'It’s A Way Of Life': Rural California Towns Deal With Loss Of Income, Identity As Coronavirus Cancels Summer Events

July 7, 2020

COVID-19 has kept many Northern California mountain towns normally bustling with tourists quieter than usual this July Fourth. It has left locals worried about the economy and less than excited to spend the weekend socially distant.

Q&A: Plumas County Public Health On Low COVID-19 Case Numbers, Ongoing Testing

June 23, 2020

NSPR’s Andre Byik recently spoke with Lori Beatley, public information officer in Plumas County, to ask what the low case numbers may mean, and what officials hope to learn about the virus as mass testing is conducted in the county.

Photo courtesy of Plumas County Public Health

Rural Californians Balance Restarting Tourism Economy With Risk of Outbreak

June 15, 2020 | Bob Moffitt

Residents who live in areas of California that haven’t been hit as hard by COVID-19 are facing a challenge: How do you reopen the economy when tourists from places with more cases are your number one source of revenue?

 

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