Locally sourced, collaborative reporting from and for rural America.
Wyoming student test scores uniformly reach or exceed prepandemic levels for first time
Standardized test results improved in science, math and language arts, while school performance ratings made separate, notable gains. Education chief credits years of focused effort.
LATEST NEWS FROM THE NETWORK
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More Than 100 Indigenous Candidates Running for Local Seats in 2026 Midterm Election
The November midterm election could lead to 17 states with Native candidates elected to local leadership positions.
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Gubernatorial Loans, Data Center Pollution and DA Controversies
Paul Monies updates on the millions in personal loans fueling Republican Mike Mazzei’s campaign for governor, while Brenna Witchey breaks down how expanding data centers could increase power plant pollution across Oklahoma.
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Procedural mistake brings another opportunity to weigh in on development that would change Elliston
More than 300 homes are proposed for a portion of the historic Fotheringay property.
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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Michigan communities invest millions in their rivers. Will it bring returns?
October 20, 2026
Economic impact studies aren’t always completed for such projects, but many point to a 2007 Brookings Institution study that predicted a $3 return for every $1 invested in waterway restoration.
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Monroe Co Sheriff unretires to oppose ex-employee he says is unqualified
October 20, 2026
Sheriff Wes Revels is running a write-in campaign to defeat his former jail sergeant Mike Krause, who won the primary. Krause declared himself independent of the U.S. in 2008.
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North Dakota U.S. House candidates differ on federal oversight of AI
October 20, 2026
Both back local input on data centers, but diverge on the federal government’s role.
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Report finds birth centers improve outcomes. Mississippi has none
October 19, 2026
Mississippi is also among the states with the fewest midwives per births in the nation, according to a new report by the Commonwealth Fund, a non-profit research organization focused on healthcare issues.
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Disaster declaration issued after Ketchikan landslide, storm damage
October 19, 2026
The declaration calls for coordinated efforts between the city and the borough, as well as state and federal assistance, to restore Ketchikan Public Utility’s Ward Cove Electric Substation.
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Missoula County to prohibit sale of kratom in retail food businesses
October 19, 2026
The prohibition on the substance that can have opioid-like effects would apply to convenience stores, grocery stores and other businesses with a retail food license.
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11 claims about the candidates for Wisconsin governor — and the facts
October 19, 2026
Before Wednesday’s debate between David Crowley and Tom Tiffany, read these Fact Briefs from Wisconsin Watch and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
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Franklin County Land Bank celebrates first completed house
October 19, 2026
Modular house in Tupper Lake will soon be followed by projects in other communities.
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Greg Abbott raked in $9 million from data center-related donors as he called for regulations
October 19, 2026
About $4.9 million of the haul came from donors who develop, own or operate data centers, a Tribune analysis found. The other share of the donations came from people and groups with indirect financial ties.