The Monroe County News

6 days ago | albianews.com | Amanda Luhn

Americans spend an average of 5 hours and 16 minutes per day on their phones. But there’s no cell service at Charit Creek Lodge in Tennessee, and that’s exactly the point. As more families seek meaningful connections away from screens, slow travel and digital detox vacations become the trend. Hike-in lodges combine both of those. They’re rustic, hard to reach and off the grid. For many families, that’s not a downside; it’s the draw.

3 weeks ago | albianews.com | Robin Opsahl |Brooklyn Draisey

The Iowa Capitol on Feb. 25, 2025. (Photo by Kathie Obradovich/Iowa Capital Dispatch)Lawmakers could wrap up the 2025 session as early as Wednesday – but there are still several spending and final policy measures left on the chambers’ calendars before legislators can head home. Before ending the session, lawmakers must approve the state’s budget, the collection of bills funding Iowa’s state departments, agencies as well as meeting other spending obligations.

3 weeks ago | albianews.com | Clark Kauffman

A dog at Wuanita Swedlund's kennels in Farmington, Iowa, as photographed by USDA inspectors. (USDA photo courtesy of Humane World for Animals)Iowa is again ranked near the top of the list in the annual “Horrible Hundred” tally of states with the most dog breeders and brokers cited by regulators.

3 weeks ago | albianews.com | Cami Koons

Rep. Steven Holt, R-Denison, hugs landowner and activist Kathy Stockdale after the Iowa Senate passed legislation dealing with the use of eminent domain in carbon capture pipeline projects the night of May 12, 2025. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch)Iowa senators voted 27-22 late Monday to pass a bill to limit the ability of carbon sequestration pipelines to use eminent domain, sending it to the governor’s desk after a drawn-out debate.

3 weeks ago | albianews.com | Alec Sills-Trausch

Alaska is a relatively empty state. Its population doesn’t even reach 750,000 people, most of its land doesn’t have roads, and flights are almost the most common method of transportation for many. But thanks to tourism, the number swells by almost each year as visitors flock to cruise ships, national parks, and far-reaching majestic landscapes in search of "the wild," wildlife, and new horizons. I’ve been to Alaska three times in the past four years, totaling more than a month in the state.