Locally sourced, collaborative reporting from and for rural America.
Featured Story
Brent Fuchs for Oklahoma Watch
Counting the Invisible: Why Rural Homelessness Stays Hidden
Data about the depth of homelessness in rural areas is such a challenge that an accurate number doesn’t exist, according to frontline homeless outreach workers in rural Oklahoma.
LATEST NEWS FROM THE NETWORK
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Did reintroducing wolves in Yellowstone somehow save the park’s aspen trees?
Claims that wolves have rescued Yellowstone National Park aspen trees through a ‘trophic cascade’ oversimplify a complex story.
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Federal Benefit Cuts Push Oklahoma Families Into Eviction Crisis
The recent government shutdown, which included would-be cuts to the federal child care subsidies, Head Start and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, along with furloughs, has created such crises throughout Oklahoma among low and middle-income families.
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The Stats on Abortion Access in Rural America
Nearly 19 million rural Americans live in states with the most restricted access to abortion.
RNN Highlights
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Justin Hardiman for Capital B
Sowing Resilience
Rural communities across the country are grappling with food insecurity. Nine stories reveal how communities are navigating — and reimagining — the systems that have left them hungry.
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Credit: John Stember for Montana Free Press
The Shelter Gap
A three-part series examining barriers to buying, renting and building homes on reservation land in Montana — and highlighting the community benefits of secure housing.
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Illustration by Hrisanthi Pickett
Operation Timeline
What is the Trump administration’s impact on veterans and the military? We are tracking the developments day by day. Explore our timeline.
MORE NEWS FROM THE NETWORK
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An out nonbinary candidate just won a seat in their ruby-red Ohio town by 13 votes. They didn’t believe it, either.
December 09, 2025
Gie May thought their race would help show Wadsworth that other candidates existed besides Republicans. Turns out, voters wanted more than that.
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Agriculture in the classroom grows roots in Essex County
December 09, 2025
Food educators with Cornell Cooperative Extension teach kids about nutrition, food supply and the local farming community.
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Oklahoma Policy Institute: ACA expirations will hit rural residents harder than urban
December 09, 2025
There are existing health access disparities in rural areas, making it harder for people to get care, and the higher cost adds another layer. There’s less access to transportation, reliable internet and fewer insurance providers.
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Nationally recognized Ketchikan paramedic talks rural, on-the-go healthcare
December 08, 2025
Since it began in June of last year, the program has provided care for over one thousand people.
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Refugee advocates brace for impact from federal limits on food aid
December 08, 2025
Nearly 8,000 refugees and asylees have settled in the state over the past decade.
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Hispanic population thrives in one small SD town
December 08, 2025
As diversity in rural areas increase, community members have come together to provide services that benefit those who speak Spanish as their primary home language.
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Crow Tribe looks to ‘reset the clock’ on blood quantum requirements, expand enrollment
December 05, 2025
The proposed legislation would alter things so all existing members would be considered as having 100% Crow “blood.”
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‘We are all targets.’ What happens to children whose parents are detained by ICE in Fresno County?
December 05, 2025
The first five years of life are critical: About 90% of a child’s brain develops during this period, and early trauma—like separation from a parent—can shift a child’s brain from learning to survival mode.
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New report finds Indigenous people are disproportionately affected by gun violence
December 05, 2025
Indigenous people in the U.S. are killed by guns more than nearly any other segment of the population. They rank second behind the Black community.