Locally sourced, collaborative reporting from and for rural America.
Featured Story
Eric Shelton for Mississippi Today
‘The heart of the community’: Jefferson County schools provide more than an education
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.
LATEST NEWS FROM THE NETWORK
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A new town on Friant Road? Fresno County planners to vote Thursday on $1.1 billion project near Millerton
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
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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MAHA Moms Built a Movement. MAGA Bros Have Taken It Over
Forget regulating food—manly MAHA cares about meat, testosterone, and erectile disfunction.
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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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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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.
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Nearly 8,000 Matanuska Electric users have unclaimed cash waiting
September 15, 2026
MEA members can check an online list to see if they have a waiting payout.
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VTDigger launches 2026 Vermont general election guide
September 15, 2026
Explore the candidates and races on Vermont’s Nov. 3 ballot, examine campaign finance data and find everything you need to cast your vote.
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Comanche Nation rejects pay raises for elected leaders
September 15, 2026
Comanche Nation voters rejected pay raises for tribal leaders over the weekend.
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South Dakota voter guide
September 15, 2026
Everything to know about registering and voting in statewide elections, and who and what are on the ballot.
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Record high waitlists for child care assistance have shut women out of work, promotions
September 15, 2026
Now a Trump administration proposal could make the problem worse.