Locally sourced, collaborative reporting from and for rural America.
Featured Story
Rogelio V. Solis for Mississippi Free Press
Inside the Private Deal Between Amazon and Ridgeland’s Water System
Earlier this year, Amazon announced that its unfinished data center in Ridgeland—a city of 25,000 just north of Jackson—would use an estimated 93 million gallons of water per year.
LATEST NEWS FROM THE NETWORK
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Enlace Latino NC launches its 2026 Election Guide with Spanish-language resources for North Carolina voters
The guide is part of Tu Voto es Poder, the news outlet’s annual election information and civic education initiative.
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At least 9 Waushara Co Sheriff’s employees donated to GOP candidate
In the run-up to the primary, the Republican primary winner received $2,700 from nine employees in the department. If he is elected, they would report to him when he becomes sheriff in January.
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Festival in Martinsville is seventh for Southern Virginia Latino Association
With one of the highest Hispanic population percentages in the region, the city marks heritage month.
RNN Highlights
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Rachel Livinal for The Merced FOCUS
Young Brains, Huge Stakes: How transitional kindergarten is shaping San Joaquin Valley’s youth
As California expands transitional kindergarten statewide, this four-part series examines whether San Joaquin Valley schools can meet the needs of young learners.
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Lily Smith for Flatwater Free Press
Priced out of the Good Life
Nebraska paychecks are stagnant. Home prices continue to spiral. It’s pricing out a generation of buyers.
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Courtesy of U.S. Senate
Cardinal News 250: Virginia’s stories. A nation’s birth.
The project spotlights Virginia’s overlooked contributions to America’s march to independence ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary, or semiquincentennial.
MORE NEWS FROM THE NETWORK
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Fall Foliage Report: Sept. 12-22
September 16, 2026
I LOVE NY’s Fall Foliage Report provides regular updates on seasonal color changes throughout the region.
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A new town on Friant Road? Fresno County planners to vote Thursday on $1.1 billion project near Millerton
September 16, 2026
Former – and aspiring Madera County Supervisor Frank Bigelow’s family hopes to create a fortress next to Friant for aging seniors – but air quality and wildlife concerns loom.
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Rural Missouri families face longer drives, riskier births as maternity wards vanish
September 16, 2026
In some rural Missouri counties, patients travel more than an hour to reach a delivery hospital. Doulas, mobile health programs and telehealth are trying to fill some of the gaps.
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Food and Environment Reporting Network
MAHA Moms Built a Movement. MAGA Bros Have Taken It Over
September 16, 2026
Forget regulating food—manly MAHA cares about meat, testosterone, and erectile disfunction.
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Why Hawai‘i’s Hurricane ‘Force Field’ Seems To Be Down
September 16, 2026
Hawai‘i was once considered a place that somehow dodged hurricanes. Lala and Lowell have changed that. What’s happening in the Pacific?
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‘The heart of the community’: Jefferson County schools provide more than an education
September 15, 2026
In a rural Mississippi county where 1 in 3 children is food insecure, schools are filling roles that extend well beyond the classroom. The story is part of a Rural News Network collaboration examining what rural schools mean to their communities.
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Black Caucus Launches Effort to Boost Voting Among Black, Rural and Young Voters in Midterms
September 15, 2026
Voter engagement efforts will cover outreach across Georgia and Mississippi, as well as target voters in 16 congressional districts that are likely to determine control of the House.
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Endangered salmon may soon swim freely up a downeast river. But as the climate changes, a comeback isn’t guaranteed
September 15, 2026
Cherryfield rallied to remove the last dam on the Narraguagus after decades of habitat rehabilitation by local conservationists and landowners. They are committed to decades more.
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¿Qué pueden hacer los ciudadanos para observar el proceso electoral en Carolina del Norte?
September 15, 2026
En Carolina del Norte, una persona que quiera observar el proceso electoral tiene distintas opciones, dependiendo de su participación.