Locally sourced, collaborative reporting from and for rural America.
Featured Story
Jake Ramsey for Oklahoma Watch
Oklahoma Mother’s Lawsuit Joins Dozens of Others Across the Nation
Magon Hoffman drove 500 miles to New Mexico in 2023 after her unborn daughter received a fatal fetal diagnosis and Oklahoma’s abortion ban left her no legal options at home. Three years later she has filed a lawsuit, joining dozens of women across the country challenging strict state abortion bans in court.
LATEST NEWS FROM THE NETWORK
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Renting Illinois farmland is slightly cheaper in 2026. But farming it remains costly.
Cropland rents dipped for the second consecutive year as farmers face tight margins and rising operating costs.
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Newsom Said He Vetoed the Demonstration State Forest Bill Because of Science. We Asked What the Money Said.
We reviewed a decade of campaign finance reports after Gov. Newsom vetoed AB 2494. Timber interests gave about $235,000; tribal & environmental backers gave almost nothing.
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New rural hospital network helping ND’s rural hospitals survive, thrive
A three-year-old network for collaboration between rural hospitals in North Dakota is winning accolades and giving other states a template to follow that cuts costs, improves patient outcomes and protects the hospitals’ independence.
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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Vice President Vance to visit Fairbanks on Monday, Trump expected in Alaska later this month
October 05, 2026
Trump and Vance have each been making campaign stops across the country in an attempt to boost Republican candidates ahead of the November election.
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Criminal system advocates watch, wait as voters mull $175M jail expansion
October 05, 2026
The $175 million bond and an annual $20 million levy would relieve the mounting pressure at the Yellowstone County jail, group says.
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County without emergency services manager, staff heading into El Niño
October 05, 2026
Focus now on creating new emergency services department, director position.
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North Dakotan leading effort to restore White House access to blocked journalists
October 05, 2026
Bismarck native one of top press freedom lawyers in country.
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Gordonsville police quietly resumed working with ICE a month ago. Why didn’t Town Council know?
October 03, 2026
Gordonsville, with a population of roughly 1,500 on the southeastern edge of Orange County, Virginia, is one of thousands of towns who signed agreements deputizing local police officers to act as immigration agents.
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Agroforestry continues to take root among Adirondack farmers
October 03, 2026
Intentionally integrating trees and shrubs into farming creates both aesthetic and practical benefits for farmers in the region.
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Paris Select Board puts data center development on hold
October 02, 2026
The board approved a 180-day moratorium, directed the Planning Board to draft a ban ordinance and discussed an interim police chief.
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With worker shortage looming, NC pins hopes on community college initiatives
October 02, 2026
Goal of 2 million degreed or certified NC young people by 2030 banks on innovative community college programs including at many rural schools.
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Prop. 417 asks voters to raise county’s spending limit
October 02, 2026
The board approved a 180-day moratorium, directed the Planning Board to draft a ban ordinance and discussed an interim police chief.