Locally sourced, collaborative reporting from and for rural America.
Featured Story
C. Loberg for National Park Service
Fat Bear Week Begins with Family Groups and Sow Power
Welcome to Fat Bear Week, Day 1! The annual competition returns with a new focus on bear families, including mothers raising cubs and the challenges they face.
LATEST NEWS FROM THE NETWORK
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Arizona community colleges lower expectations for Workforce Pell as state approves first programs
The new federal aid program could expand access to short-term workforce training, but Arizona colleges are taking a cautious approach to its rollout.
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109 locks, 35 miles: Engineering the Black River Canal
How 19th-century builders connected Rome to Lyons Falls.
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Virginia sought search warrants in Florida in the Natural Bridge Zoo case involving Asha the elephant; an unidentified prosecutor said no
A Florida document says a prosecutor there found the Virginia request “insufficient” but does not elaborate. No one is saying, either, although it’s unusual for one state not to recognize another state’s warrants.
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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Offshore wind job training built for a boom is facing down a bust
September 22, 2026
Workforce programs try to ride out the legal, administrative and economic headwinds of the Trump administration.
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Smithfield move: How to preserve rural areas as metro grows
September 21, 2026
How the addition of a pork processing plant to the state’s largest industrial park has sparked conversation about “responsible growth” in the Sioux Falls metro area.
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Food and Environment Reporting Network
Meet America’s De Facto Food Safety Chief
September 21, 2026
While D.C. dithers, California Assemblyman Jesse Gabriel is quietly forcing Big Food to clean up its act nationwide.
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Law enforcement across the state have adopted Flock Safety cameras. Lawmakers say the company is dodging their questions.
September 21, 2026
As police departments across West Virginia rapidly deploy Flock Safety’s automated license plate readers, state lawmakers are raising serious concerns about digital security, accuracy, and data privacy. So far, Flock has sidestepped the questions.
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NC leaders call Chemours deal historic, but nearby well owners are still skeptical
September 21, 2026
Residents in Cedar Creek and Gray’s Creek say the $590 million PFAS settlement will matter only if it produces reliable, safe drinking water at home.
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Educational consulting firm to invest $15 million in Danville, create 22 jobs
September 21, 2026
The company, TECHnista, develops K-12 curricula to teach students about the advanced manufacturing and defense industries.
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What 200 readers told us about what’s most important in Virginia local elections
September 21, 2026
Healthcare, democracy and data centers were top concerns heading into this year’s midterms.
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‘Where they belong’: Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes bring home the remains of three members
September 21, 2026
The emotional repatriation of Christine Redstone, Peter Howe and Richard Morgan marked the end of a 136-year separation.
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Has the farm bill hit a dead end?
September 21, 2026
What was once a bipartisan slam dunk has now become a hyper-politicized game of chicken, with hunger, nutrition, and conservation programs on the line.