Locally sourced, collaborative reporting from and for rural America.
Arctic drilling in Alaska won’t get environmental review in new proposal
The Interior Department will soon publish a ‘categorical exclusion’ that will rubber stamp oil and gas development in Alaska’s remote National Petroleum Reserve.
LATEST NEWS FROM THE NETWORK
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‘Watershed moment’: Vermont secures $92.7M and new restrictions for teens in Meta settlement
The sum is the largest single-company settlement in state history, Vermont’s attorney general noted, and marks a “watershed moment” for social media users across the country.
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Meta to pay Texas $1 billion in child safety case
As part of Texas’ settlement, the tech giant behind Facebook and Instagram will apply stricter age verification measures and institute a daily two-hour limit for teens.
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Trump’s plan to lower beef prices could cost Oklahoma producers long-term
The national cattle herd is the smallest it’s been since the 1950s because of hard droughts. Despite a tight beef supply, consumer demand is strong leading to high beef and cattle prices.
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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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.
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Gordon Hodges for Door County Knock
Locked Out: Door County’s affordable housing shortage
An in-depth series on Door County’s affordable housing shortage, examining its causes, shrinking availability and the roadblocks to building more.
MORE NEWS FROM THE NETWORK
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Trump proposal could unleash ATVs across Wyoming’s national forests
August 26, 2026
Another Forest Service plan angers conservationists who say it unbridles motorized travel and threatens wildlife, natural resources.
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Jeffersonville data center zoning explained: How Meta got approved
August 26, 2026
The long-planned Meta data center isn’t subject to the same zoning authority as other developments in Jeffersonville.
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Why Vermont’s housing shortage can’t be explained by population size alone
August 25, 2026
A majority of Vermont households – roughly 70% – contain just one or two people. In fact, the average number of people living in each year-round home in Vermont has been on a steady decline for decades.
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Old rift reopens as Trump administration amends Grand Teton pathway decision
August 25, 2026
Conservation groups decry the federal government’s do-over as both a dubious procedural maneuver and threat to wildlife. But longtime trail advocates are pleased.
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Rural Virginia communities face real and lingering consequences from labor and delivery unit closures
August 25, 2026
Mothers and their children are at greater risk for negative health outcomes as their access to care shrinks in central Virginia and across the country.
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Gasoline hits $26 per gallon in the northwest Alaska village of Shungnak
August 25, 2026
Shungnak is about 280 river miles east of Kotzebue, up the Kobuk River, or 150 miles as the airplane flies. Air travel is the only reliable, year-round form of transportation.
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Proposition 12 Is the Animal Welfare Law With Nine Lives
August 25, 2026
The law survived sustained attacks from Congress, the Trump Administration and Big Pork. How is it so resilient?
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Local schools make cellphone policies stricter
August 25, 2026
Two principals say they believe their policies are helping students engage more fully with their schoolwork.
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Oklahoma State Auditor Flags $25 Million in Questionable Federal Spending Across Three Agencies
August 25, 2026
Although the questioned costs decreased dramatically from fiscal year 2023, which boasted $93 million, the federal government can still demand a refund from the state of every questioned dollar.