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Tanya Zuvers asked the judge to declare her three missing sons’ death date 15 years after investigators believe their father killed them. Their father, John Skelton, denies the allegation.

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A Michigan judge on Wednesday declared that three brothers who have been missing since 2010 are dead but ruled there was not enough evidence to find that they were murdered.

Andrew, Alexander and Tanner Skelton − who were 9, 7 and 5 years old − have long been presumed dead, though their bodies have never been found.

Investigators from the Morenci Police Department, Michigan State Police and FBI all testified on Monday that they believe the boys’ father, John Skelton, killed his sons sometime in the early morning of Nov. 26, 2010, about 12 hours before he was supposed to return them to their mother.

Skelton, who is in prison but has not been charged with murder, has long denied allegations that he killed the boys and has suggested they could still be alive in some underground organization.

Here’s what to know about the case, including why the judge decided to declare the date of the boys’ death as five years after they went missing.

Judge sets boys’ death date 5 years after disappearance

During Monday’s hearing, the boys’ mother asked Lenawee County Probate Judge Catherine Sala to declare Nov. 26, 2010, as the date of their deaths so it can be added to their grave markers.

“Their dad showed them no respect,” their mother, Morenci resident Tanya Zuvers, said at Monday’s hearing. “Any loving father would not have done what he did. And I owe them the respect that − we may not have their bodies, but their lives still meant something and there is a place to go.”

But Sala said that the evidence presented was not enough to find that Skelton murdered the boys. Because of that, Sala set their date of death as Nov. 26, 2015. She said she based the date on Michigan law that allows for a person to be legally declared dead if they have not been heard from for five years and their absence is not explained after a diligent search or inquiry.

“No condolences will ever be enough for such losses suffered,” Sala said. “The presentation of evidence, however, does not present clear and convincing evidence that John Skelton murdered his children. The information provided at this trial provides ample opportunity for speculation and theories. But to make such a finding the court would only be joining those voices offering such speculation and theory, given the lack of information.”

Brothers last seen in Skelton’s backyard in 2010

The three brothers were last seen in their father’s backyard in Morenci, Michigan, on Nov. 25, 2010, according to reporting by The Daily Telegram, part of the USA TODAY Network. The next morning, Zuvers reported them missing after Skelton failed to return them to her. An Amber Alert was issued soon after.

Skelton attempted to kill himself and later told police he gave the boys to a woman named Joann Taylor so she could return them to Zuvers. A search for the boys ensued across Michigan and Ohio that week, and two days later Morenci Police Chief Larry Weeks said he wasn’t sure Joann Taylor existed.

On Nov. 30, 2010, Weeks said he wasn’t expecting a positive resolution in the search. That day Skelton, who had previously been in the custody of a mental health facility, was arrested on three counts of parental kidnapping.

Skelton was found guilty of three counts of unlawful imprisonment in July 2011. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison in September 2011.

FBI Special Agent Corey Burras said during Monday’s hearing that investigators reviewing Skelton’s laptop found he had recently created an email address with the name of Joann Taylor and an account on a website where moms could share experiences and exchange ideas. Zuvers also had an account on the website.

Pretending to be Taylor, Skelton would message Zuvers on the site, according to Burras. Skelton also had done online searches in the days leading up to the boys’ disappearance about rat poison and how to break a neck, spine, spinal cord, brain and brain stem, Burras said.

Investigators were able to track Skelton’s cellphone from his home in Morenci down into Williams County, Ohio, and then back to Morenci between about 4 and 6:45 a.m. on Nov. 26, 2010, Burras said. He said that is likely when the bodies were dumped.

Skelton to be released from prison in November

Skelton’s 15-year sentence is slated to end this year, with his release set for November. The 15 years is the maximum allowed under state law for that offense.

Skelton did not attend Wednesday’s hearing but appeared briefly by video on Monday from the prison where he’s housed . Judge Sala gave him the option of staying to watch the proceedings or leave. He opted to leave.

“Everyone else got lawyers. I don’t,” he said.

USA TODAY has reached out to Skelton, who is incarcerated at Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility in Ionia, for comment.

Zuvers couldn’t move to Florida due to sex offender status

Zuvers told the court she thought that she and Skelton had a good marriage until September 2010, when Skelton took the boys to Jacksonville, Florida, for about a week.

She said they had recently talked about moving to Jacksonville, where Skelton has family. However, she told him they couldn’t uproot themselves because the boys had just started school and she did not know how a move to another state would affect her status then as a registered sex offender. That case from 1998 is no longer on the Michigan Sex Offender Registry.

Zuvers and Skelton were estranged following the discourse about where to live and the two have since divorced.

Zuvers described getting a court order for parenting time in Lenawee County, then driving with her mother to Florida, finding an attorney there and meeting with a judge. That judge conferred with a former Lenawee County judge and they agreed that they all should return to Michigan, where a parenting time order would take effect.

After they returned to Morenci, Zuvers said, she and Skelton started working out a parenting time schedule through their attorneys, including him having the boys on Thanksgiving and returning them to her by 3 p.m. the next day.

If the boys were alive today, Andrew would be 23, Alexander 21 and Tanner 19.

This story has been edited to correct first reference to Andrew, change the headline to “declare,” and delete an extraneous word in the subheadline.

Crisis Text Line: provides free, 24/7, confidential support via text message to people in crisis when they text “HOME” to 741741. 

Summary

• Apple’s iPhone 16e offers a premium feel with excellent camera capabilities and a snappy A18 chip.
• The iPhone 16e lacks key features like a higher refresh rate display and an ultra-wide lens. It’s also priced roughly $100 too high.
• The iPhone 16e caters to iPhone users seeking a budget option, making it ideal for those upgrading from the iPhone 13 or the iPhone 14.

That headline isn’t a slight at Apple.

With the iPhone 16e, Apple has pared down the iPhone 16’s key features in a smart way. It looks like a combination of the iPhone XR and the iPhone 14, only with a far more modern chip, a better display, and a solid camera. But it’s not a perfect phone package and still lacks key features offered by comparably priced Android devices like the Pixel 8a (and soon, the Pixel 9a), including a higher refresh rate display.

However, the iPhone 16e is more than good enough for iPhone users that don’t need the latest and greatest from Apple. This is the phone for people like my parents that walk into their local Apple Store or wireless carrier and ask for “the cheapest iPhone that’s still good.” Still, despite doing a lot of things right, the iPhone 16e is roughly $100 too expensive in the US at $599, and it’s even more pricey in other regions (in Canada, the iPhone 16e costs an astounding $999).

This makes the iPhone 16e feel far less of an entry device than its specs would suggest. Which is a shame, as it’s otherwise a solid addition to the iPhone family.

Price, availability, and specs

Apple’s iPhone 16e starts at $599 from Apple’s website and other retailers. First off, it’s important to note that the device features nearly the same A18 chip as the iPhone 16 (just with one less GPU core). The phone’s Super Retina XDR OLED display measures in at 6.1-inches, with a resolution of 2532 x 1170 pixels at 460ppi. The iPhone 16e’s screen supports HDR, True Tone, Wide color (P3), and features 800 nits of brightness and 1200 nits at peak brightness (HDR).

Regarding its camera, the iPhone 16e’s f/1.6 48-megapixel camera offers 2x telephoto zoom through sensor cropping down to 12-megapixels, alongside image stabilization. On the digital side, the phone can hit 10x digital zoom. On the front, the iPhone 16e features an f/1.9 12-megapixel TrueDepth camera system that’s Face ID compatible in its display notch (there’s no Dynamic Island, however). Video support maxes out at 4K Dolby Vision video recording at 60fps, though most people will probably opt for 1080p 30fps.

The iPhone 16e is offered with 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB of storage. Colors include white and black (which are kind of boring and make me miss the colorful iPhone XR). Other notable specs include IP68 water and dust resistance (a maximum depth of roughly 19ft for up to 30 minutes). And finally, it’s worth mentioning that the iPhone 16e is the first Apple phone to feature its own C1 modem. I haven’t done extensive testing, but I didn’t encounter any connection or speed issues tied to Apple’s first modem (we’ll likely see the C1 in the iPhone 17 series).

What I liked about the iPhone 16e

A solid-feeling device with impressive camera performance

The iPhone 16e feels excellent when you’re holding it in your hand. Its matte rear has a premium look and feel to it (though it is a smudge magnet), and its aluminum sides feel sturdy and smooth. I’m also fond of the lone rear camera bump. The iPhone 16 series camera array is sizable and, especially when it comes to the iPhone 16 Pro, it’s a bit of an eyesore. In contrast, the iPhone 16’s lone lens is understated and sleek, which I appreciate. I hope we see something similar with the iPhone 17 series’ rear camera array despite it featuring multiple lenses.

Shifting to the display, it’s great that Apple opted for an OLED screen with the iPhone 16e’s 6.1-inch screen. When comparing the iPhone 16e’s and iPhone 16’s screens side-by-side, both phones feature great-looking displays, though the former device includes a notch, while the latter features a more modern-looking Dynamic Island. Content is vibrant, whether I’m doom-scrolling on Threads or watching YouTube videos, but I can’t help but miss the iPhone 16 Pro’s higher refresh rate display (more on this later).

On the camera front, I’ve been very impressed with the iPhone 16e’s 48-megapixel shooter. It’s a very similar lens to the iPhone 16, only with a slightly smaller sensor, and its performance has been nearly identical in my experience. Under decent lighting conditions, the iPhone 16e snaps great photos that rival the iPhone 16’s, offering excellent contrast, bright colors that are still true-to-life, and the ability to snap clear photos, even of moving objects and people. Low-light shooting is a little worse than the iPhone 16, but the difference isn’t notable, and the camera seems to handle white balance poorly under challenging lighting conditions. The 2x zoom sensor crop is impressive, too, and rivals the iPhone 16’s in my experience.

Thanks to the A18 chip, performance is solid across the board, and in my roughly one week with the iPhone 16e, I haven’t encountered a single instance of lag. For those that care about benchmarks, the iPhone 16e hits 1,927 for single-core and 4,974 for multi-core on Geekbench 6.

What I didn’t like about the iPhone 16e

Big bezels and a sizable notch could turn some people off

My two most significant issues with the iPhone 16e are its sizable bezels, which I noticed the first time I picked up the smartphone, and its display notch. Both iPhone XR/iPhone 14 era design features make the iPhone 16e look far older than it actually is, similar to how the iPhone SE’s physical Home Button made the 2022-released smartphone look like 2017’s iPhone 8.

It’s also disappointing that Apple opted for a 60Hz screen, just like it was with the iPhone 16. This is far more forgivable than it was with the iPhone 16, given the iPhone 16e aims to be Apple’s entry-level offering. Other downsides include the lack of the Phone 16 series’ Photographic Styles that happen earlier in the photography pipeline. There also isn’t an ultra-wide or zoom lens either, which means you can’t shoot macro shots (though I have found I’ve been able to get very close to subjects when shooting photos).

I also think anyone upgrading from the iPhone SE line might take issue with the iPhone 16e’s lack of a Home Button since, anecdotally, I know several older people who stuck with the positively ancient-looking smartphone solely for the physical button. At the same time, I’d say that those people need to give up the physical Home Button, because at this point, swipe navigation has been around for several years (it’s pretty intuitive, too). Speaking of buttons, while the iPhone 16e features an Action Button, there’s no Camera Control button. While I was initially very into the Camera Control button and its subtle adjustments on my iPhone 16 Pro, I find that I rarely use it now, so as far as I’m concerned, this isn’t a huge loss and makes sense in the context of a lower-end device.

Will the iPhone 16e’s target audience care about these missing features and issues, particularly the less capable camera specs? Probably not, but they’re still worth noting, especially if you’re deciding between buying the iPhone 16e and the iPhone 16. The one exception to this rule is MagSafe. I really don’t understand why Apple didn’t opt to include magnets in the iPhone 16e, especially given how popular MagSafe accessories are. You can buy a third-party MagSafe case to add compatibility to the iPhone 16e, but the magnets likely won’t be strong enough for accessories like my beloved MagSafe PopSocket.

Should you buy the iPhone 16e?

This is an entry-level device for a very specific iPhone user

Would I buy the iPhone 16e? Definitely not. I don’t necessarily need the best of the best all the time, but I’d miss the Dynamic Island and I’m not fond of the sizable bezels. There are other factors, too, like the lack of a higher refresh rate display, and I’ve grown very fond of playing around with Photographic Styles.

I’m clearly not the iPhone 16e’s audience, though. This phone is for people that need a new iPhone and are currently on the iPhone 13, iPhone 14, or maybe the iPhone SE, who don’t want to shell out the money for the pricey iPhone 16. In fact, I’d argue that the iPhone 16e will actually cannibalize the iPhone 16’s sales. It offers all the features that matter to the average person, alongside a cheaper price tag. The iPhone 16e will likely make more sense from a price and feature perspective when the iPhone 17 inevitably launches later this year with a rumored subtle redesign and sought-after upgrades like a 120Hz ProMotion screen.

This device was provided to Pocket-lint by Apple.

Lady Gaga is banging out new look after new look!

The singer debuted another hairstyle — still maintaining her jet-black hue and crisp baby bangs, but bringing the length into a short bob. Lady Gaga sported the new ‘do on Tuesday, March 4, while rehearsing for her Saturday Night Live appearance.

In a joint post with SNL, Lady Gaga sat at a piano in an otherwise busy office. She paired a black baseball hat with her new hair and added glasses to her otherwise all-black outfit. The sketch sees those around her observe as the singer embraces “her process”: making fun of everyone through song.

Later that night, she was also seen out on a date night with her fiancé, Michael Polansky, where she paired her fresh hair with a monochromatic black look, complete with leather boots, a leather jacket and wide dark shades.

She’s been sporting a range of different hairstyles in recent months. In a video from Feb. 20 — a sneak peek of her “Abracadabra” music video — the singer exhibited two different cuts: long blonde locks with her bangs swept from her forehead and mid-length wispy blue hair with her bangs down.

In another video, posted just a day later, she had the same long blonde ‘do, but it quickly contrasted with a long, shaggy pixie cut. Lady Gaga captioned the post, “When my two sides are fighting for the center of attention🖤🤍.”

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Lady Gaga is set to star as both host and musical guest on SNL‘s March 8 show, just weeks after performing at SNL 50: The Homecoming Concert.

During her musical appearance in the long-running sketch comedy show, Gaga’s hair was in long black locks, with the exception of her baby bangs. She performed alongside SNL alum Andy Samberg, and the pair sang “D— in a Box,” an SNL parody song that Samberg first performed with Justin Timberlake in 2009.

LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) – The Marlow Outlaws, a school known for winning in sports in its respective divisions, have added a unique accolade to its history books.

The Outlaws have father-son duos that are now state champions in their own weight division. After Securing a win at state, Tommy Miller joins his dad Ray Miller as a state champ.

Tommy is still looking to catch up with his dad, as he said “It was a very exciting thing, I mean he won three, you know so hopefully I can go get one more and make it three, and we’ll have a bunch of state titles together”. Ray Miller said, “The emotions to be honest I feel like a wrestling mom, I kind of understand what they feel, not being able to be out there. I mean I get more nervous for his matches than I did my own by far”.

While Tommy has hopes of catching his dad in titles, Brantz Bateman said putting his name in the books with his dad feels good, he added “It feels good, I was kind of raised around it and raised up to that and I have a higher standard to win and be successful”. Bateman’s dad Shawn said “Obviously we got more excited for our kids having success than our own.” He added, “We have two totally different styles, he kind of goes for broke and I was more defensive and harder to score on.”

While Tommy spoke about his dad winning three, Keller Kizarr had the same thing to say about his dad. Kizarr said that he was inspired by his dad, and looked up to him, he added “He won three, so I knew I at least had to win one.”

Keith Kizarr, dad of Keller said his emotions from being a former champ and dad of now state champ were exciting and satisfying, Keith added “he’s been a part of wrestling his whole life, I’ve been a part of his coaching and he just wanted to wrestle automatically.”

The Outlaws have something very special to put in their history books, as well as the families. Throughout the three duo’s they have a total of 12 individual state titles, five team championships, and two dual-state championships.

Copyright 2025 KSWO. All rights reserved.

A Ukrainian mother who lost her only son fighting Russia has accused Donald Trump of ‘blackmail’ and implored the US President: ‘Do not force us to kneel’.

Yuliia Piskova, 48, said Washington is ‘humiliating’ her nation after it halted weapons supply, shut down intelligence sharing and demanded Volodymyr Zelensky beg for peace.

Her son, Ruslan Piskovyi, 21, who halted a promising career in kickboxing to take up arms, was shot in the head near Bakhmut, Donetsk, on April 18, 2023.

Father Valerii Piskovyi, 53, was also fighting on the front line, but retired after the loss of their only child.

Now, after tens of thousands of Ukrainians died alongside him defending their land, Mrs Piskova asks why their most important ally is abandoning them.

Trump is forcing Zelensky to sign a lucrative minerals deal that will give Washington access to their precious metals without any security guarantees against Russia.

He has ignored pleas that Putin will simply break any ceasefire, as he has done dozens of times before, and suggested Ukrainians dying on the frontline want peace at any cost.

But the US President and his Vice President, JD Vance, have never even visited Ukraine during the war and know nothing of the sentiment of the people who back Zelensky and refuse to bow to Putin.

‘What Trump is doing is blackmail,’ said Mrs Piskova, of Kyiv, when asked what she makes of Washington suspending military aid while taking no action against Putin.

‘They are forcing us, a country suffering from an aggressor, to simply fall to our knees. This is humiliating for us.

‘For me personally, as for a mother of a fallen son who went to fight from the first day of the full-scale war, and for many other families, who stood up to defend our land because we were attacked.

‘And now, with all these deaths, all the efforts of volunteers and soldiers, you are bringing us all to our knees.

‘This is wrong. We are ready for talks. The soldiers are tired – they are also ready to take some kind of pause, just to have some silence. But do not force us to kneel. We won’t kneel.’

Ruslan was a European Championship finalist and World Championship silver medallist kickboxer before he took up arms against Putin’s illegal invasion in February 2022.

Ukrainians have been fighting for the American ideals of democracy and freedom from the tyranny of Russia which moved to overthrow it after they sought closer ties with the West.

Putin underestimated Kyiv’s resistance and is also struggling to sustain the war effort.

But since coming to power, instead of leaning heavily on Moscow, Trump has instead turned his fire on Ukraine.

He sees the minerals deal as vital to his peace plan and publicly humiliated Zelensky in the Oval Office last week for deigning to ask for security guarantees with it. Now Kyiv has been forced to grovel to accept the terms after their weapons supply and intelligence was cut off.

‘Maybe it’s a first step toward security as business partners,’ Mrs Piskova said of the deal. ‘But not in a way that Ukraine suffers from it, you know?

‘Because if we look at history, for centuries, Ukraine has always been used, humiliated in some way and we don’t want that.

‘We have a generation of young people who are fighting for justice and for their right to live here, in Ukraine.

‘And I wouldn’t want them to suffer the way our ancestors did centuries ago, to be humiliated like that.’

Trump has lashed out at suggestions he is aligning with Russia, stating that he gave Ukraine Javelins in his last term and that Russia ‘got nothing except sanctions and grief’.

Mrs Piskova said: ‘I have a question — what grief? I don’t consider that grief…

‘They are suffering? We are the ones who are suffering, we are the ones facing disaster.

‘So many families have lost their homes, some were killed along with their entire families, many have lost loved ones — a son, a husband.

‘We are at war. Do you want to stop it? Then ensure there are guarantees that they won’t attack again. Because Russia will attack.’

The many benefits of breastfeeding are well-studied and documented—but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. As a mom of a seven-week-old, I am currently living through those challenges—for instance, I don’t have time to do much else besides breastfeed! Luckily, I have had support throughout my breastfeeding journey thus far, including access to a lactation consultant at the hospital where I gave birth, which happens to be in a suburban area of a big city in Florida. My husband and I also work from home, making the task far more manageable.

But sadly, that’s not the case for parents who live in rural areas of the country, as one new study recently outlined.

What Does the Research Say About Breastfeeding in Rural Areas?

The new University of Missouri study, published in the Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic and Neonatal Nursing, found that many nursing parents living in rural settings don’t always benefit from resources that might help them breastfeed. The result is that they end up not breastfeeding for as long as suburban and urban-based parents.

Karry Weston, PhD, RN, led the research team behind the study; she and her team determined that rural parents lack pragmatic knowledge about breastfeeding (in other words they don’t have a realistic understanding of the hard work that goes into breastfeeding once their children are born), and have a poor understanding of a newborn’s nutritional needs. These issues are only exacerbated by the fact that parents in rural areas are more likely to have limited or no support in continuing to breastfeed. 

As a result, parents living in rural areas were more likely to stop breastfeeding and turn to formula feeding in the first days or weeks of their child’s life. 

A Lack of Resources and Support Leads to Lower Rates of Breastfeeding Success

To create the study, Dr. Weston and her team looked at first-time moms living in rural areas, and with low socio-economic status, for the study. They learned that in addition to feeling unsure about the basics of breastfeeding, such as proper latching technique and whether the baby was getting enough breast milk, parents felt that the pressure to return to work soon after giving birth was also a major hurdle toward realizing long term breastfeeding success.

Another surprising challenge that parents who want to breastfeed run up against in rural communities has to do with social and cultural norms in these areas. According to Dr. Weston, many rural families and communities—especially among older generations—frown upon breastfeeding. 

“This can add an extra layer of pressure onto a mother working to establish successful breastfeeding,” she tells Parents. “We all need to be more supportive of new mothers—no matter how they choose to feed their infants,” Dr. Weston urges.

How Rural Parents Can Achieve Their Breastfeeding Goals

Parents who live in rural areas shouldn’t feel forced to give up breastfeeding if they don’t want to. More support from family and friends is obviously one important key that will help them breastfeed for a longer stretch.

Education from day one is also essential in reversing the trend of rural parents giving up on breastfeeding early on—and that could like more information given out at hospitals, or more affordable access to lactation consultants. 

“I think we need to make sure that rural mothers are equipped with breastfeeding information and resources before being discharged from the hospital,” Dr. Weston tells Parents. 

From being comfortable with latching their newborn, to learning how to use a breast pump or self-express their breast milk, there are a lot of practical tips rural parents should be taking home with them that they simply are not, according to Dr. Weston.

“Another major finding from my study was that women were not aware that the normal amount of breast milk produced in the first week is only 1 to 2 ounces,” she adds. “They would give up if they only pumped that amount because they thought their infant was not getting adequate nutrition.” 

Dr. Weston explained that none of the women knew that counting wet diapers was an easy way to determine if your baby is getting enough breast milk early on.

In addition to gaining practical knowledge at the hospital, Dr. Weston says all families should have information about breastfeeding resources available to them, both in-person and online-doctors, pediatricians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals can guide breastfeeding parents toward literature that can keep them informed and up-to-date with the latest breastfeeding education, for instance.

What Is Being Done to Support Rural Parents on a Larger Scale

Clearly inroads must be made to support rural families at the grassroots level. Meanwhile, Anjana Solaiman, DNP, NNP-BC, IBCLC, C-EFM, assistant professor at the University of Maryland School of Nursing, says larger-scale programs can help combat the problem as well.

The reality is that rural areas are slower to receive outreach and updated information, and therefore slower to experience change when it comes to stigmas around breastfeeding.

“Educational initiatives targeting both healthcare providers and the community are crucial for promoting breastfeeding in rural areas,” Solaiman tells Parents. “Training healthcare providers to offer consistent and supportive breastfeeding advice can bridge the knowledge gap, while community education campaigns can shift cultural perceptions and normalize breastfeeding.”

Compounding the problem is that designated lactation consultants may not be available at many small hospitals in rural communities, according to Willow spokesperson (a company that makes a hands-free pump), Dr. Laurie Jones. Jones is a pediatrician and clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Arizona School of Medicine, and the founder of Dr. MILK (Mothers Interested in Lactation Knowledge), a breastfeeding support network.

“The cost of having International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLC) may be too high,” Dr. Jones explains, which is why they are fewer of these professionals working in rural areas.

Nicole Peluso, IBCLC and Manager of Lactation Services and Perinatal Education at Aeroflow Breastpumps, would add that lack of insurance coverage is another huge hurdle rural parents face. 

“In most states, Medicaid and Blue Cross Blue Shield policies generally do not cover lactation support by a lactation consultant,” she explains—a policy may cover support via a doctor or midwife, but while these professionals specialize in some postpartum care they are not always experts in breastfeeding.  

Even when a parent has coverage, a lactation consultant may not be within a reasonable driving distance. That’s where the increasing use of telehealth services comes in handy. Still, as Peluso notes, “Many moms do not know about it.” Getting more parents informed about telehealth services is key in those circumstances—many more services might be available remotely than parents realize.

Finally, Medha Nicky Rishi, Founder of MissPoppins, an online parenting support resource, points to non-flexible work schedules among lower-income individuals as a reason for breastfeeding rates dropping off. 

Current Resources for Breastfeeding Parents in Rural Areas

The good news is that there are some resources that are currency available for anyone who wants breastfeeding help. 

Sascha Mayer, Cofounder, Chief Experience Officer at Mamava, wants parents to know that the USDA WIC office offers lactation support through peer counselors and certified lactation consultants (CLCs).

“You can contact your local WIC clinic to make an appointment or the Office on Women’s Health also offers a helpline at (800) 994-9662 with trained breastfeeding counselors who will answer the phone,” she advises.

Peluso advises anyone currently looking for help to consider telehealth options, which may be especially beneficial for parents who are experiencing challenges around breastfeeding upon returning to work, but have other caregiving duties, don’t drive or don’t have gas money, or any other reason that might make it easier to receive help at home.

Lactation specialist with Miss Poppins Valentina Guzman agrees, saying, “In small towns, lactation consultants are simply harder to find, but the internet is filled with valuable information—from blogs and research articles to instructional videos.”

How To Advocate For Change

Overall, important steps toward positive change are being made, even if resources in these rural areas still have a long way to go.  

“We’re seeing progress with the PUMP Act and other legislation to protect and support breastfeeding moms in the workplace,” says Dr. Jones.

But breastfeeding parents who live in rural parts of the country will still face many challenges if they want to nurse their babies. Peluso encourages patients and providers to band together and lobby for insurance coverage for lactation support. And Guzman urges parents to advocate for better workplace lactation policies to support breastfeeding efforts.

As a new parent living in an apartment building, I was always terrified that one day I would get The Knock. IYKYK. If you don’t know, it’s the fear that a neighbor is going to come over and complain that your baby is too loud. It’s a risk of living in close quarters and, sadly, it’s a situation no one can really do much about. So when I saw a recent post on Reddit’s “Am I The Assh*le” forum — “AITA if I knock on a neighbor’s door? (Screaming newborn) — I felt that familiar rush of adrenaline. Fortunately, that panicked mix of shame and indignation was quickly replaced with a heartened sense of relief.

“AITA if I go to youngish (mid-20s) neighbors and offer to help with their newborn?” wrote u/BlacksheepNZ1982.

Well. That was not what I was expecting!

Blacksheep goes on to explain that she doesn’t know the couple well, but that they’ve lived next door for the past few years. Moreover, they explain, the baby came early and the mother was in the hospital for a few weeks.

“I can hear baby screaming all hours of the day and night,” they continued. “How do I offer help without sounding condescending? Can I just ask them if they need a break? Don’t want it to end badly in any way if I don’t offer. Family is there often but I’m heartbroken for them that it doesn’t sound like an easy time for them. I don’t care about babies screaming; if I don’t have a window open I can’t hear it. AITA for imposing? Should I just let them do it themselves?”

Overwhelmingly, people encouraged Blacksheep to follow their instinct to go be helpful, though many warned (postpartum hormones being what they are) to proceed with sensitivity and delicacy.

“It would be quite easy for it to come across as though you don’t think they are coping as parents and that can really upset some new parents if it makes them feel criticized/inadequate. Especially mums with all the hormones!” wrote one. “Might be best to pop over for another reason and then say in passing that you can help out, rather than going over specifically for that reason.”

Many suggested stopping by to ask about something unrelated (“I’m running to the store: do you need anything?”), or bringing food along with the offer. Others thought a note might go over a little better (you never know when a knocked door will interrupt a nap).

Some folks offered their own experiences in similar situations.

“My mom still tells the story about one of her friends who rang their neighbours door and went ‘Take. Her,’” recalls one redditor. “She tells it to normalize needing help, and asking for it. Letting your neighbors know you are available will already be supportive.”

“My mom loves to tell the story of how her neighbor kept her sane when I was an incredibly colicky baby,” says another. “Basically the woman next door with two young kids and very little English knocked on her door and essentially told my mom to give the baby to her, and for my mom to go on a walk. Forty years later and half a world away, they’re still friends.”

(We’ll admit: that one got us a little teary.)

After getting some very lovely advice, Blacksheep edited the post to share their plan: “I will offer to walk the dog with mine and to get groceries when I go, either in person if I see them at a good time or in a card with my number. Then I will ask how it’s going, say that that my newborn stages were tough and that I am here for a coffee/walk/supervise while she has a shower – whatever she needs.”

Too often, new parents don’t get the community they need when they’re in the trenches of the newborn stage. It’s so nice to see some neighbors really stepping up to be that support system.

A father and son duo who attacked their neighbour with a machete and a plank of wood covered in nails over a parking row have been jailed for 20 years. 

George Ripley Snr – who is a grandfather – and George Ripley Jnr, ‘took revenge’ by viciously attacking a neighbour with a machete and lock knife.

A court heard the ‘cowardly and barbaric’ attack took place in September last year which has left the victim’s head in a different shape and a left hand that ‘can’t even lift a teacup’.

Both Ripleys, from Basildon in Essex, had a feud with their neighbour since they moved in next door at the end of 2023.

Basildon Crown Court heard that Ripley Snr, 44, and Jnr, 22, armed themselves with a machete, lock knife and plank of wood with protruding nails and attacked the man on September 10, 2024.

The attack resulted in the neighbour’s hand being injured and it is so weak it will never recover – and he will not be able to return to work as a scaffolder. 

After being confronted by another local, the father and son fled the scene and tried to clean their clothes and vehicle to destroy forensic evidence, the court heard.

Both men went on to admit wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, along with possession of bladed articles and offensive weapons. 

Prosecuting, Matthew Paul told the court that ‘bad blood’ developed between parties with several incidents taking place in the months leading up to the attack.

This included the victim telling neighbours he had been threatened by Ripley Snr with a knife.

Another neighbour witnessed Ripley Snr shouting on the phone ‘shouting c*** several times’, and he said ‘come here and I will cut your throat and kill you’. 

Mr Paul said: ‘He then walked over to the garden table and picked up a machete on the table, and it was very similar in size, shape and appearance that was used to attack the victim on September 10.’

On the day of the attack, a neighbour overheard a row between the three men, went up to his window and saw Ripley Jnr holding a machete and Ripley Snr kicking the victim. 

Another neighbour heard Ripley Snr shout ‘I’m going to f*****g get you, you need to hear this’.

Mr Paul continued: ‘The attack started when the Ripleys drove at him in the pick up truck as if to run him down. 

‘They got out and got a plank of wood with nails sticking out. [Snr] then struck him over the head with it, and he fell to the ground and while he was no the ground they continued to attack.

‘Both men then had knives; Jnr produced a machete and repeatedly struck at him with it. [The victim] suffered extensive defensive injuries to his hands from the attack. 

‘Snr thrust at him with a lock knife. It was the victim’s good luck that a neighbour came out of his house and intervened, telling the defendants to stop, asking “what the hell they were doing”.’

Mr Paul said the neighbour witnessed the parties ‘covered in blood’ and that he was ‘astonished by the level of violence that was being used’. 

Ripley Snr, as he walked away, reportedly told the neighbour ‘sorry, this shouldn’t have happened’. 

The court additionally heard that the Ripleys had tried to wash the clothes they were wearing to ‘destroy evidence’. 

Mr Paul added: ‘The defendants were taking revenge about the front the victim had made about the parking issues.’

In a statement read to the court, the victim said he has been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). 

He said: ‘Every time I have a shower it causes me to have flashbacks. When the shower water runs off my head it reminds me of the blood running off my head. I hardly sleep anymore; When I do, I feel like I am being pinned down so hard I can’t breathe. It’s made me feel helpless.

‘My left hand is awful; I can’t pick up a teacup, let alone a kettle because it barely has any strength. I’ve been advised that it will never go back to how it was and I just need to make it as usable as I can.’

Mitigation for both Ripleys argued there was a level of provocation against the pair and disputed it was an act of revenge, though their response was ‘nasty’ and indefensible. 

Kevin Toomey, for Ripley Jnr, said he had never offended before which was to his credit, while Christopher Martin for Ripley Snr said he was a grandfather and had made good use of his time in prison.

Judge Samantha Leigh told the duo: ‘This was a cowardly attack perpetrated by you, to show who was boss in the area. The attack is nothing less than barbaric.’ 

The judge jailed Ripley Snr for 12 years and seven months with an extended three years on licence, while Ripley Jnr was jailed for eight years. Both must serve two thirds of their sentence before being eligible for parole.

Some third-graders from a local elementary school came to my farm for a tour, and I saw it as an opportunity to test their knowledge. So, before they arrived, I tied some carrots to a small maple tree by the vegetable garden.

When we walked past the tree, I said, “There it is, kids: the carrot tree.” They didn’t question it, and no one said a word. It made perfect sense to them. Why not a carrot tree? After all, apples grow on trees too.

Later in the tour, I pulled a carrot out of the ground, and a bunch of little noses scrunched up. Some of the kids were a bit concerned that food came out of the dirt like that, and I think they preferred carrots from a tree because it was cleaner. I apologized for tricking them and explained how carrots are actually grown.

Many of us are a little disconnected from our food, but my point is this – I believe every kid should go on a farm tour at least once, because the future of food production begins and ends with the next generation. The average age of a farmer in the U.S. is 58.1 years old and rising. If we want to build up our local-food systems, we’ll need to spark interest in young people early on, so we’ll have the bandwidth and brain power over the next few decades to grow the food.

We’ll also need to teach kids where exactly food in the stores comes from and why local food is important. We need to help them see – and remind ourselves – that stronger local and regional food-production systems will limit the inherent risks and waste of transporting food from faraway places. Local growing systems will also help us face droughts and floods while improving food security, food sovereignty, and community health and resilience. Historically, supporting local farms and producing your own food were the only options. As we move ahead, it needs to be reemphasized.

As we throw back to a past when local farms were supported by necessity, we need, at the same time, to embrace the expertise that’ll allow us to keep up with food production in an uncertain future. The landscape of farming is changing; it’s become more complex as we’ve learned more about soil health and the importance of microorganisms, carbon cycles, and the impacts of intensifying weather events. The farmer of the future must grow and raise food while becoming an amateur scientist – an agronomist, a botanist, a biologist, and even a climatologist – to be successful and, more importantly, sustainable.

There can be large farms on hundreds or thousands of acres growing a single crop, such as corn, and small farms growing a variety of vegetables on an acre or two for a farmstand or local farmers market (or simply to share with family and friends). Regardless of scale, we need to assess our own communities for where we are, where we want to go, and what tools will help us get there. We need to have conversations with farmers, local government representatives, grocery stores, restaurants, food banks, hospitals, schools, neighbors, and more. Let’s perform an honest inventory and assessment of our capacity to produce local food, and then figure out how to get where we want to be.

Getting Your Bearings

The journey toward self-reliance in local food begins with asking yourself these important questions: What are the current production capabilities in your area? How many large and small farms exist in your region? You’ll need several small and midsized farms growing a range of fruits and vegetables to supply the local-food economy with enough variety to provide a healthy diet. If the supply side is sufficient, there must still be demand for local-food products to sustain it, including “value-added” products. Performing an honest self-assessment is a good place to start evaluating resources and gaps.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Census of Agriculture can give you important information about the current farming landscape in your county, such as the number of farms and acres in farming, the types and market value of products sold, farming-related income and expenses, the percentage of farms that use no-till practices or farm organically, the percentage of those that sell directly to consumers, and much more. Because the USDA website is complicated, it may be easiest to find a good summary of your county stats by performing an online search for your county and state alongside the phrase “census of agriculture county profile.” A PDF summary of stats for your county should appear as one of the first search results. These data are updated every five years and the summaries provide useful information in a tight, presentable package.

An organization called Community Food Strategies offers a nice, web-based template for a “community food snapshot” that you can use to create an overview of your current local-food environment, including information about community health, equity, access to broadband, farm economy, and ecosystem health. Both “snapshots” from Community Food Strategies and the USDA can be presented to stakeholders as you organize and build a local-food movement so you can begin to change the food system from the ground up.

The important thing is to understand your community’s local-food potential. Who are the producers of food products in your region, and what types of farming operations do they have? How much of the food that’s eaten locally can be grown locally? Keep in mind the bigger picture of food and consumer trends, demographics, and markets. Within this larger context, you can identify the greatest barriers and opportunities for building a thriving local-food economy and the steps that’ll work for your community. A local-food assessment is a powerful tool to achieve this.

Bringing the Community Together

Neighborhoods and communities must work together to visualize and materialize the production, distribution, and access to food they want. Here are some examples. Together, we can come up with even better ideas uniquely suited to our own communities.

Asking local restaurants and grocers to carry more local produce is perhaps the easiest part of a local-food campaign. Speak with your wallet. According to the National Restaurant Association, local food is the No. 1 trend in the restaurant industry today, and that certainly works in your favor. But the goal is also to attract and support local-food processors and “value-added” producers (especially those that incorporate local grains or produce), such as bakeries or producers of salsa and hot sauce, because they contribute to circular economic development, another important part of the local-food economy. Keep at it: See if you can help get local food into schools or hospitals. Help local school groups take field trips to farms.

Start a farmers market if you don’t already have one, or volunteer to help those that currently exist. This could be as simple as showing market managers (and farmers) how to take better pictures of vegetables for a website or social media. Organize and promote a weekend-long farm tour across the region and include a map so people can plan their route. You can even host an annual Business of Farming Conference, where speakers and farmers get together to share best practices, such as marketing, recordkeeping, or forming cooperatives.

Microbreweries and local brewers are now a booming industry in many towns and regions across the country, and they can be an important spark for a broader, flourishing local-food scene. Don’t underestimate the power of local beer. Better yet, the spent grains can be composted or fed to local livestock, such as pigs and poultry, to keep them out of the landfill. What other projects that reduce food waste can your community engage in?

Toward a Sustainable Future

A local-food movement builds demand by continually reminding people why it’s important to eat fresh, local food from local farmers. It also requires a plan for developing regional food-production capacity through education, training, and workshops, and your plan could include various manuals and toolboxes. Value-added producers and food trucks need access to a shared commissary kitchen – put it in the plan. Organize, advocate, and build community. Anyone who eats is a stakeholder, and an investment in local food is an investment in community health.

A local-food guide (in print and online) is a great place to start. Tell people where they can purchase food from local farms (restaurants, grocers, and farmstands). Provide a brief profile of all participating farms in the region and whether they offer regular farm tours or have a farm store. List the farmers markets in your area, the days and times of operation, and which farmers you can expect to find there. Highlight markets that accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) cards. Link farmers to markets and create connections within the local-food system.

Do you know someone who’d like to get started with small-scale food production? Connect them with resources. Just about every city and county in the country has untapped sources for education in agriculture, including your local farm extension office. You can find experienced growers and teachers at your local garden supply stores and gardening clubs and at community and state colleges. Almost every region of the country has experienced growers who can offer practical classroom and field instruction or mentoring in fruit, vegetable, meat, and egg production.

Look to other cities with thriving local-food movements and translate the successful parts to your community. Asheville, North Carolina, for example, is aiming to become a leader in agriculture technology (AgTech) research and development, which it hopes will drive economic development while helping local farmers and producers. The city is asking questions, such as how to attract and grow AgTech businesses in the region, and how to attract entrepreneurs and companies working to improve efficiency and productivity on the farm and in the value chains.

A North Carolina organization near me, Dogwood Health Trust, commissioned a report to answer some of these questions. The surrounding area is a leader in controlled-environment agriculture, with greenhouses covering hundreds of acres. It has agricultural organizations, including the Utopian Seed Project, which is trialing hundreds of varieties of okra and other food crops to find the best varieties suited to the region and climate, focusing on biodiversity and crop resilience. What can be replicated where you live? What is your area already doing? The key is understanding the assets already in your community and building on them to create economic development in agriculture.

The USDA recently released a report that the farmers’ share of the U.S. food dollar dipped below 15 cents in 2022. This means that for every dollar you spent on food, the farmer received just 15 cents. Most of that dollar went to companies along the supply chain, including processors, distributors, marketers, and retailers. Circular economic development refers to a system where more money stays in the local economy, from farmer to producer to consumer. It’s a closed-loop system, in which all aspects of production begin and end in the region, from agriculture; to manufacturing and production; to distribution, marketing, and retail; and, finally, to consumption and waste reclamation. It’s a key concept and argument for local-food systems, because it keeps money flowing through the local economy rather than going straight off to some faraway multinational corporate headquarters.
How can you help that happen?

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Robert Turner is a science writer focused on food and farming, environmental science, and new technologies that improve food security, food sovereignty, and community resilience. He owns and operates an organic farm in the mountains of western North Carolina.

Originally published in the April/May 2025 issue of MOTHER EARTH NEWS and regularly vetted for accuracy.

Lady Louise Windsor often enjoys a ski break with her family during the winter months, but this time she has gone without her parents, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.

The 21-year-old is currently on a break from St Andrews University and the royal headed to her usual skiing haunt in St Moritz, Switzerland. Although Lady Louise didn’t head off with her parents, she was joined by her godmother, Francesca Schwarzenbach, who is a close friend of both Edward and Sophie.

In exclusive photos obtained by HELLO!, Lady Louise was seen in her signature teal ski suit alongside a pair of black with black thermals. A white helmet and black boots topped off her look.

When she wasn’t enjoying the slopes, the royal was seen in a stunning purple jumper alongside a pair of brown trousers. Louise added a sunhat and a chic pink neck scarf to top off the ensemble.

Meanwhile, Francesca looked beautiful in an all-brown look that even featured an oversized belt.

Francesca wasn’t Lady Louise’s only companion for the trip, as the student was seen alongside a small group of her friends, who matched the royal’s sartorial presence.

Keep scrolling to see more of the photos…