Locally sourced, collaborative reporting from and for rural America.
Featured Story
Jaymie Baxley for NC Health News
Medicaid’s retroactive safety net is shrinking — patients, hospitals could feel the fallout
Uncompensated care costs have contributed to the closure of nearly 200 financially struggling hospitals in rural communities across the United States. At least 12 rural hospitals in North Carolina have shuttered since 2010, according to data from the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at UNC Chapel Hill.
LATEST NEWS FROM THE NETWORK
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Oklahoma had a bumper wheat crop, but it’s not alone. Here’s what that means for producers
Winter wheat is Oklahoma’s top crop, and the Southern Great Plains produced plenty of it last year, despite mid-harvest rains. But it wasn’t the only area with strong yields.
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What happens when a neighborhood is built around a farm
Urban planners are borrowing rural principles like integrating food production into daily life. Instead of isolation between farms and cities, agrihoods blend both.
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What’s needed to protect sage grouse? Less grazing.
Two tribes are proving that reducing the impact of cattle on landscapes may be the key to saving the iconic bird.
RNN Highlights
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Justin Hardiman for Capital B
Sowing Resilience
Rural communities across the country are grappling with food insecurity. Nine stories reveal how communities are navigating — and reimagining — the systems that have left them hungry.
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Illustration by Hrisanthi Pickett
Operation Timeline
What is the Trump administration’s impact on veterans and the military? We are tracking the developments day by day. Explore our timeline.
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John Stember for Montana Free Press
The Shelter Gap
A three-part series examining barriers to buying, renting and building homes on reservation land in Montana — and highlighting the community benefits of secure housing.
MORE NEWS FROM THE NETWORK
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Low-income West Virginians could lose access to 28% of affordable housing unless lawmakers step in
February 05, 2026
About 200 subsidized housing properties in West Virginia are nearing the end of federal affordability protections within the next five to ten years, unless lawmakers step in with state support.
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Struggling small beef farmer sees opportunity in food hub
February 05, 2026
A local farm in Westport has seen success from working with a local food hub as federal funding cuts create business challenges.
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Dupre is out as candidate. UPS store not a valid address, NC election board says.
February 05, 2026
NC State Board of Elections rejects Dupre candidacy over use of nonresidential address. Some want crackdown on other voters who do this.
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Trans-owned plant shop The Leaf Lounge takes root in rural Ohio
February 04, 2026
By collaborating with other local businesses, Kayden Warner sows the seeds of a greener community space in Fremont.
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Skaters on Lake Champlain rescued when ice began drifting
February 04, 2026
Ice began drifting on Lake Champlain, causing dangerous conditions for skaters who needed to be rescued.
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A Rural South Carolina County Quietly Approved a $2B Data Center During the Winter Storm
February 04, 2026
Data centers are the nation’s fastest-growing energy demand driver, but developers are using nondisclosure agreements to keep projects hidden.
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City officials request public health study as odor concerns persist in west Hollister
February 04, 2026
Public Works Director says wastewater odor to last through mid-March.
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‘An agency out of control’: Planned ICE detention processing warehouse in Roxbury sparks bipartisan backlash
February 04, 2026
Residents in the Morris County area are pushing back. If completed, it could become the largest immigrant camp in the state.
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South Dakotans’ biggest needs, according to 211 calls
February 04, 2026
The Helpline Center began making its data on caller needs and geographies available to the public on its data dashboard three years ago, a few years after the line became available to all South Dakotans.