Ximena
@Ximena_Bustillo
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Idahoan, french fry loving, Capitol Fox victim. Covering Politics, agencies, food/agriculture/rural policy @NPR 💌xbustillo @npr .org | CoFounder @vocesinternship
BOI➡️DC↔️NYC
Joined August 2014
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Sometimes when I do an interview in Spanish I spend a significant amount of time thinking about how that person would never be interviewed, or how different the interview would be, if they weren’t contacted by a bilingual reporter.
And that hits.
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You’re telling me I survived three years of a pandemic
to be bit by a rabid fox
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@ufonumanah
Hey thanks for this thread, helped me confirm I wasn’t administered all the shots I needed to be yesterday. Twitter can be good!!
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That feel when you get bit by a fox leaving Capitol cause that’s of course something I expect in THE MIDDLE OF DC.
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🚨 BREAKING: The
@EPA
is banning all uses of the pesticide chlorpyrifos on all foods and crops effective within six months.
The pesticide has been widely tied to neurological damage in children and as harmful to farmworkers, especially pregnant women.
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Oregon becomes the latest state to legalize overtime pay for farmworkers:
Oregon Senate passes bill giving farmworkers overtime protection.
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🎉HERE WE GO: After two lovely years at
@politico
& the Ag team I am sad to say that I am leaving, but THRILLED to say that I am joining the amazing team at the
@NPR
Washington Desk later this month!
Ag folks, never fear! I still hope to keep up with all things USDA & farm bill!
Congratulations to the newest members on the Washington Desk
@AshLopezRadio
and
@Ximena_Bustillo
!
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Can someone frame this headline for me?? Local news FTW!!!!
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College students recently lost access to increased SNAP benefits (temp benefit from the pandemic) and food insecurity is credited as a reason students may not even graduate. Still there are restrictions on meal plans. Some colleges have opted to let students “donate” unused funds
New Biden admin proposal would stop colleges from keeping students' unused meal plan funds (e.g. “dining dollars” or “[mascot] bucks”) if they were purchased by a Pell grant or federal student loan.
Didn't realize this was a thing.
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One year ago today I started at NPR and since I have:
- Covered the White House
- Covered the Hill
- Covered Agencies
- Covered an election
- Kept my food/ag/rural niche
- Done :30 second and 6 minute radio pieces
- Reported from 6 states across 3 mediums
Honestly, what fun 💛
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The farmworker that died in Oregon due to heat owed a coyote for the crossing. He asked to work even amid record breaking heat. Coworkers who found him called 911 but couldn’t tell operators where they were because workers often don’t know where they are.
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Okay post 40-minute panel on
@KQED
regarding farmworker labor conditions and the violence in Half Moon Bay I feel like there’s more context needed as to why the focus of the panel was on the labor sector of the victims and crime. So a thread on the politics and layers:
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Anderson Clayton, the youngest party chair in the country, is calling Democrats out for leaving rural communities out to die. Still, she’s hoping to turn North Carolina out for Biden in 2024 touting recent local infrastructure investments. W/
@ElenaMMoore
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🚨SCOOP!
@SecMayorkas
told
@SenOssoff
that the agency plans to begin proposed rulemaking to address aspects of the H-2A and H-2B programs “that may result in the exploitation of persons seeking to come to this country.”
My first for
@NPR
:
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💫PROMOTION ALERT💫 super hype to announce I am no longer just embedded on
@politico
’s Ag team but am joining the team as a full time Food & Ag Policy Reporter! I am also taking over as the new author of Morning Agriculture (which is available free on Mondays so 🌟sub-scribe🌟)!
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The
@latimes
really just rid of what seems to be their WHOLE (skeleton crew) DC bureau?! On the eve of an election? A Senate race? Post that whole speaker thing? I roll my eyes at California being the focus of a lot of western politics/policy but also THERES A REASON FOR THAT
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BREAKING: USDA announces this morning that payments to farmers of color to cancel outstanding debt will begin in June. Approximately 16,000 farmers will be eligible.
More to come.
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BREAKING: The BRS Union has voted AGAINST ratifying the tentative agreement brokered between railroad unions, the Biden administration and railroads.
This is the second union to vote against. Tally 6 yes, 2 no.
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SCOOP: House Democrats are making a push to include the extension of universal free meals in Congress’ planned continuing resolution.
In a letter to be sent to leadership they argue the waiver is key to helping students and families amid continued high prices.
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#BREAKING
: Masks are now mandated in Ada County per a Central District Health mandate effective immediately. Ada is the most populated county in Idaho.
Ada County has over 4,000 confirmed cases and 25 deaths.
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✨Personal Friday News Dump: I’m excited to be stepping into Election Week as a full time, salaried reporter at
@politico
keeping tabs on congress and legislation! I am so incredibly thankful for all who have supported, encouraged and advocated for me over these few months.
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Fox update: finally finished rabies series today! So I suppose we are back to being human
#NewProfilePic
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@AnthonyAdragna
IT BIT FROM BEHIND ME WHILE I WAS WALKING. I didn’t even see it. I’m from Idaho. I know to not try and pet it!!
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Gotta keep up with the brand !!!
very on brand for
@Ximena_Bustillo
to make her White House press briefing debut on the first day of
#HispanicHeritageMonth
eyyyyohhhh
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BREAKING NEWS: I am thrilled to announce that I have joined the
@IdahoStatesman
as breaking news reporter!!
.
.
.
Thank you to all who have helped me get this far and who guided me in this decision and next step!
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Hi, a lot has happened but the full fox encounter is forever documented by
@politicongress
. The exclusive, minute by minute, nail-biting, true details here:
Anyways. I am back to doing ag reporting. Keep following me for a cool trip soon!
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🦊 Fox update :(
SAD NEWS on the Capitol Hill fox beat, per DC Health: "The fox responsible for 9 confirmed bites on Capitol Hill yesterday was captured and humanely euthanized so that rabies testing may be done. The fox was an adult female and her kits were found and captured this morning."
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A couple Idaho potato farmers are gaining national attention for their solution to having a surplus of crop: giving them away to anyone to can come with a box, truck or semi.
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NOW: The Senate Judiciary Committee is in a packed room today to discuss farmworkers for the first time in over 10 years. This is the first time an Ag Secretary has testified to this committee is nearly two decades.
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Boise has the only Anne Frank Memorial in the US & is one of the few in the world where the whole Universal Declaration of Human Rights is on permanent, public display. It also has been named one of 11 US sites to get a sapling from the real Anne Frank Chestnut Tree in Amsterdam.
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The Lord 10/10 put me in D.C. to spread the word that Idaho is not in the “Midwest.”
This is my journey now.
This also comes after 22 years of telling folks in Idaho that Mexico and Colombia are in fact Not The Same™️
So maybe I’m just here to spread a good geographic word?
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"...'Ximena???' And you're from Idaho????"
Sir, so many Latinos are.
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NEW TONIGHT: Washington State unveiled temporary heat/air quality protection standards that go into effect when the temp reaches 89°F and includes shade requirements, mandatory paid rest breaks and worker monitoring running from May through Sept.
Recap:
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"Modern-day slavery" is what U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Georgia described the living conditions, sell/trade and assaults of hundreds (maybe thousands) of farmworkers who came to the U.S. to work on Georgia farms.
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What people mentally picture when I tell them I’m from Idaho:
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It’s her first time writing the newsletter and she’s a little nervous so we gotta be nice tomorrow
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This is at least his second picket line while in his role. The last one being a John Deere picket in the fall.
"When working people stand up for you, you can't forget that," Vilsack said. "It's the same fight for a decent shot, a decent shot at a decent life. That's what these people are standing up for."
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Maybe the real verdict is the court security and reporter friends we made along the way 🥲
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🔆In Personal News for 2022: Super excited for this opportunity! Diving in head first to Washington reporting remotely and during a pandemic has been a ✨challenge✨ so I am more than hype to meet more young reporters and learn along side them.
1/3: Congrats to the 20 journalists selected for our 2022 Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship! Throughout the year, they'll network and discuss politics and policy with regulators, lawmakers, experts and the best reporters in the business.
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📍Ximena Bustillo is marked safe from Capitol Hill Fox(s)
SPOTTED: two foxes 🦊 from my new office in Rayburn! We’ve named them Pandora(‘s Fox) and Jack (in the Fox).
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Thanks all for the check ins!!
Also I regularly write and report on the food and ag policies and politics that affect everyday people every day if anyone ever wants to chat about that too!!!
Maybe you’ll be lucky and I’ll talk about a certain fox 🦊
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🚨BREAKING: We need IDAHO STUDENTS! We need DONORS! We need SUPPORT! Because we just launched an internship program!!!
A long time coming — Some other Idaho journalists & I created an opportunity for young Idaho Latinos looking to get into news. 🚨
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The Biden admin says creating a rule to protect indoor and outdoor workers from heat is a top priority. But the climate doesn’t wait for federal rulemaking or elections.
My latest w
@andrea_c_hsu
from Yakima, WA:
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Congress is SNEAKY. New text of the reconciliation bill includes $3.1 B in debt relief for “economically distressed borrowers” and an amendment to REPEAL the farmers of color debt relief program stalled in court. It also has $2.2B for farmers who have faced discrimination.
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This story came out a few weeks ago, but folks in the West are still talking about the lack of permanent heat protections for workers — especially farmworkers, construction workers, warehouse workers and other “essential workers” that happen to be majority people of color.
a HUGE % of ppl working outside amid Western heat waves are ag workers, landscape & construction workers (think of all your “booming” city growth.)
Which means demographically, most are Latino or immigrants, in workplaces w/ vastly unequal power dynamics
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ICYMI:
@POTUS
issued a statement in support of California’s Ag Labor Relations Voting Choice Act, a bill that would give farmworkers the right to vote by mail in union elections.
@UFWupdates
recently marched across the state in favor.
@GavinNewsom
vetoed a similar bill last year.
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Uber driver: *25 minutes of silence* Are you from Mexico?
Me: no
Driver: born here?
Me: no, in Colombia
Driver: oh I’ve been to Colombia!
Me: Mission?
Driver: Yeah
This isn’t nature healing this is just me being back on Idaho.
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ALSO please PLEASE note the sound bites of the workers are in Spanish. That means they were likely interviewed in Spanish. Welcome back to the “bilingualism matters if you really want to get at the heart of whose impacted by power, policy and politics” or lack thereof soapbox
The farmworker that died in Oregon due to heat owed a coyote for the crossing. He asked to work even amid record breaking heat. Coworkers who found him called 911 but couldn’t tell operators where they were because workers often don’t know where they are.
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Endlessly proud to have worked alongside the policy reporters in this newsroom. From
@Morning_Ag
w
@RyanMcCrimmon
, covering USDA and Congress w
@hbottemiller
,
@meredithllee
&
@liz_crampton
, creating burgers w
@StevenOverly
and covering int’l trade w
@GavinBade
&
@tradereporter
.
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TLDR; this is a unique workforce. It is traditionally largely undocumented. They rely on their employers for basic needs like housing. The protections are a patchwork of laws and implementation. Often in remote areas. The room for failure to regulate and violence is massive.
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Yes — I know a bill has been introduced by
@RepBera
to reduce the cost of rabies treatment.
No — I do not have a comment.
Yes — My ankle is healed.
No — I have not turned into a fox yet.
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🚨BREAKING:
@USDA
is investing $700 million into new grant programs for farm, meatpacking and grocery store workers who faced personal financial losses due to the pandemic.
Immigration status is not a factor for eligibility.
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Now we don’t know the nature of the workforce in Half Moon. We don’t know motive. There’s a lot to be learned about this specific incident. But what is concerning to advocates and officials is that this is already a vulnerable population that is now further exposed.
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Coming to you live from my rental car in about an hour to give an Election Day preview with some colleagues! Tune in
@NPR
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Okay so we have a largely undocumented population. They are least likely to speak up if there are signs of violence from coworkers or employers because they fear loosing their jobs, housing, care, and ability to be in the US. Violence and violations can happen at multiple levels.
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☀️Good morning! 👋 I am
@NPR
/
@nprpolitics
’ reporter that will be in the Manhattan Criminal Court to cover the first ever trial against a sitting or former U.S. President on air and in print. This is a historic moment.
Catch up here:
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Washington must be slow today with the amount of comment requests I’m getting. At least y’all are distracting me :)
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NOW: The
@WhiteHouse
is directing OSHA to launch the rulemaking process to create a federal heat standard.
Also, as a part of the new White House action on heat, OSHA will prioritize heat-related interventions and workplace inspections on days when the heat index exceeds 80°F.
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NEW: Data from the last three years shows Black farmers received the lowest amount of direct loan approvals from USDA each year. Advocates say there’s more they need from USDA beyond the court-stalled debt relief to end discrimination and increase access.
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Happening Now: Ukrainian President
@ZelenskyyUa
is greeted by
@POTUS
and
@FLOTUS
for his first trip abroad since the Russian invasion began. The two presidents, joined by
@VP
, will hold a meeting before attending a press conference later this afternoon.
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ICYMI: The new members of the Senate Ag Committee came in swinging with two bills for farmers of color. The bills, especially Warnock’s, have received praise from USDA and a portion is included in the House Committee’s Covid package to be marked up today.
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Today I emailed two sources in Spanish upon request and interviewed two more in Spanish not on request and this is why bilingual journalists are important. The flexibility allows me to reach out to more voices and to help them be comfortable when telling me their experiences.
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My hair grew and got curly so i figured it was time for a new headshot
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BREAKING: Its debt relief take 2!
@USDA
is rolling out $3.1 billion in relief for farm loan borrowers - an effort born out of the push for justice for Black farmers.
About 38,000 could see relief.
Nearly $800 m has already gone out to 12,000 borrowers. Let's see the breakdown:
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Let’s start w the basics. Farm labor largely takes 3 forms: undocumented, documented & H-2A visas. Visas are limited to seasonal ag. So things like dairies and mushroom farms that require year around work as opposed to a harvest season don’t get them. Nearly 50% is undocumented.
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Today’s news takes us to Baltimore where
@SecretaryPete
and
@POTUS
are highlighting repairs to the Baltimore Potomac tunnel. Buttigieg says it accounts for 13 hours of delays a year and by the end, will be able to connect DC and Baltimore via a 30 minute commute.
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Notable for
#ag
Senate Committee: The addition of
@CoryBooker
and
@SenatorWarnock
marks the first time in history two African-Americans will serve simultaneously on the panel. They are the second and third African-Americans to ever serve on the Senate Ag Committee per release.
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SPOTTED: Is this an Idaho flag???? On the steps of the US Capitol?
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Think about the range. We are talking anything from wage theft to human trafficking all in one sector.
Even if workers know their rights — they have to be encouraged to speak up. Even if they do speak up there have to be the resources and enforcement. There are gaps here too.
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Railroad workers are heartbroken over the failed sick leave talks and blame Biden for the outcome in negotiations
"He (Biden) kind of cut us off at the knees on our ability to have some real negotiations or real change after voting no."
via
@andrea_c_hsu
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Seems more like advice for hiring managers than applicants tbh
Budding Journalists: You don't need to take down an institution to make a difference in the lives of readers. Impact comes in all sizes. Don't underestimate the influence a short feature, or a 600-word news story, or a well-done Q.& A. or even a brief, can have on someone's life.
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In 2022, USDA granted direct loans to 36% of Black-identifying farmers compared to 72% who identified as white. Asian & Black identifying farmers were accepted at lowest rates, denied & withdrew at highest. Here’s why & attempts to fix it
@nprpolitics
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This month I will have a series of stories diving into historical/present discrimination out of USDA's lending practices, how the department is attempting to address the issues and how the solutions are reaching the ground.
But first a primer
@nprpolitics
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If you’re from Idaho, especially the Treasure Valley, you KNOW about this. But
@natsfert
’s deep dive into Idaho-Oregon weed consumerism is spot on and a must read. (You know she’s for real bc she mentions the Snoop concert and counted license plates too!)
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NEW: There has been an agreement to include $4 billion for western water infrastructure and to combat drought (specifically also colorado and through bureau of reclamation) that will be included in the Dem reconciliation package.
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Nonononononono
Normalize being paid and compensated for your work
Normalize being paid and compensated for your work
Normalize being paid and compensated for your work
Normalize being paid and compensated for your work
Normalize being paid and compensated for your work
One other layer...for future journalists...your first few years feel unpaid. I made 16.5k my first two years and worked harder than I’ve ever worked. There is a reason not everyone makes it in this business. I don’t have time for those of you who don’t understand grind ✌🏼
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Two Idahoans walk up to a potato bar at a potato conference
and are disappointed to not find fry sauce.
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I declare the future of journalism as: Strong
Journalism + Communications students hearing from NPR reporter
@Ximena_Bustillo
‘19 on finding her career in D.C journalism!
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Today, the House Ag Committee holds its first-ever hearing on farmers of color and discrimination at USDA. This is a subject that has a lot of history, so before we dive into it today let's see how we got here:
A🧵but ofc read the stories for a bigger picture:
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We affirm the following resolution: The Talkin’ Broncos bring The Hammer for
@boisestatelive
and
@getinvolvedBSU
.
#likewhenyouseeit
#BRONCOSHOME
#boisestate
#broncos
#B
#Homecoming2018
#wearebroncos
#debateus
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Farm labor is really difficult for federal and state agencies to regulate. Even if the laws are in place, workers may not know their rights or which rights apply. And DOL and state agencies struggle to keep tabs of every farm due to limited resources and the remote nature.
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Phew last week was so much I almost forgot to share this nugget of ✨personal news✨!! I am sooo excited to get to learn from other food/ag passionate reporters, visit one of the best regions of the U.S. and find more ways to cover this vital topic!
Meet the 15 journalists who will participate in
@oregonstate
's Food and Agriculture Media Fellowship in August. We're looking forward to hosting them:
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Five minutes into landing in Boise and my Uber driver is talking about the excessive heat from last summer and how abnormal and damaging it was. Not only for ag but residents who don’t have AC. Concerns are on the snowpack and spring rain forecasts currently.
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Uhm this is our EIGTH hire out of this program 🥲
Endless love to all who have supported us and these interns’ dreams!
🎶🎶And on the 11th day of Christmas Idaho gave to me….
🎤Another Voces Intern in a full time job!!
We are so excited for
@camposv571
to hit your TV screens on
@IdahoNews6
with all of the news from Caldwell! Send her tips!!
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Found my New York haven for huckleberry drinks and fries (bonus points for
@BoiseState
gear💙)
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Kelly so far is up by more than 5 %. If I am correct, he only beat his last opponent in 2020 by 2.4 percentage points. The margins could change as ballots continue to be counted.
He is expected to host an event tomorrow morning
@nprpolitics
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Listen I don’t KNOW I have a monopoly on bringing Idahoans to NPR/DC but I’ve got to to be up there 😊 Truly what energizes me 99% of the time is getting to see more kids from Idaho (journalism or not) get to come through these spaces! Also not even all of them cause pic limits!!
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TRAVEL THREAD: In Georgetown, Delaware this afternoon where a plane with immigrants sent by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to land. The plane is already delayed. Folks including media others are gathering in the tiny airport. More TK.
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Q: Who knew masks were fashionable?
A: Everyone that has been asking you to wear them the last few weeks.
#MaskUpIdaho
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