Broadband creeps into rural U.S.

EAST BURKE, Vt. – Up in rural northern Vermont, it took until the 1960s to run power lines to some towns — decades after the rest of America got turned on.

These days, it’s the digital revolution that remains but a rumor in much of rural America.

Additional Photos

Valerie Houde fills her wood stove while waiting for a dial-up Internet connection in East Burke, Vt. "These companies, they don't care about these little pockets of places," she says. The Associated Press

A sign is displayed during rural electrification in this photo provided by Central Vermont Public Service. In northern Vermont, it took until the 1960s to run power lines to some towns. These days, rural residents await broadband Internet access. The Associated Press/Central Vermont Public Service

Dial-up userJohn Baptist de la Salle: Patron Saint of Teachers

The saint of the day for April 7 is St. John Baptist de la Salle, father of modern education and the patron saint of teachers. He is known for promoting and reforming Christian education, especially among the poor.

John Baptist de la Salle was born at Rheims in France in 1651. He was the oldest of ten children in a noble family. After ordination to the priesthood, he devoted himself to the education of boys and the founding of schools for the poor. He liquidated his personal fortune (about $400,000) and donated it to the poor in the form of bread during the great famine of 1683-1684.

He Instituted the process of dividing students into grades and established the first teacher’s school.