Locally sourced, collaborative reporting from and for rural America.
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Illustration by Ernest Kroi
VA Faces Exodus as 10,000 Employees Resign in September — Here’s the List
Mission-critical’ workers were exempt from deferred resignations, but doctors and nurses are quitting anyway.
LATEST NEWS FROM THE NETWORK
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Top two Kerr County emergency officials say they were asleep as July 4 floods struck
Their statements to state legislators marked the first time county officials have spoken publicly about what they were doing the morning of the disaster that killed more than 100 people in the county.
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Michigan is consolidating election precincts. Will voters face longer lines?
The bigger concern is the movement of polling places, which can often house multiple precincts.
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Mississippi broadband expansion moves forward despite federal changes
Broadband can open up business opportunities, provide access to telehealth care and more jobs, especially in rural areas that often have the lowest rates of high speed internet availability.
RNN Highlights
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Bart Pfankuch for South Dakota News Watch
Powering Rural Futures
Clean energy is creating new jobs in rural America, generating opportunities for people who install solar panels, build wind turbines, weatherize homes, and more. This series led by Canary Media explores how industry, state governments, and education systems are training this growing workforce.
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Winik Sartwell for Carolina Public Press
Deserting Women
Rural North Carolina counties are seeing growing deserts of health services for women at local hospitals, with serious health implications. Multiple pressures are driving this trend. But solutions may be available.
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Alex Ip for The Xylom
“All Hell Breaks Loose”: How Big Oil Ruined a Small Texas Town
Three export terminals that captured half of the U.S. crude oil export industry have formed around Ingleside on the Bay, turning the Texas Coastal Bend town into an unlikely fenceline community. A playing field tilted towards regional officials, Texas Republicans, and foreign energy companies did residents in.
MORE NEWS FROM THE NETWORK
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As Vermont Passes Controversial Education Bill, State’s Rural Schools Fear Closures
July 30, 2025
The new model — used in 46 other states across the country — moves primary authority over how much school districts can spend from the local to the state level. That’s a huge change from the current system, which gives the vast majority of control to local communities.
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How are Wisconsin’s local governments spending millions in opioid settlement payouts?
July 29, 2025
Three years into disbursements, strategies vary — and so does transparency. Some governments submitted required reports only after a reporter asked. Others have yet to spend anything.
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Politicians say they’re fighting Medicaid fraud. Their plan punishes patients, not the providers who steal millions.
July 29, 2025
West Virginia’s members of Congress said they voted for the “Big, Beautiful Bill” to stop Medicaid fraud and save the program for the needy. People who rely on Medicaid weren’t the problem, and now thousands will lose health care.
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Opportunity to Influence County Roads Funding Ahead of Future Ballot Measures
July 28, 2025
This revenue could be used to provide matching funds for transportation projects and to help fund emergency repairs.
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Juneau get its first-ever heat advisory
July 28, 2025
Alaskans generally are not used to such high temperatures since they don’t happen very often. That can make it more dangerous for people with health issues and for pets.
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Olympia fire chief reveals gaps in emergency response times
July 28, 2025
The fire chief emphasized the importance of long-term capital planning, including budgeting for apparatus replacements and infrastructure improvements.
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How wind and solar power helps keep America’s farms alive
July 28, 2025
In some rural counties, clean energy is the largest new source of economic activity, helping stabilize local economies otherwise reliant on agriculture’s unpredictable income streams.
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A group of Catholics revitalized a remote Arizona village before the diocese ordered them to leave
July 28, 2025
More than two dozen residents from Concho and surrounding towns spoke passionately in support of the League of the Blessed Sacrament, saying the newcomers revitalized the community and parish.
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An Infusion Of Fire Aid Is Changing How The Maui Food Bank Does Business
July 28, 2025
The nonprofit also faces the unique challenge of delivering food across water to people on the outer islands of Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi, which are in Maui County.