Locally sourced, collaborative reporting from and for rural America.
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Walker Livingston for Carolina Public Press
Halting the loss of farmland in Western NC
Henderson is largest farming county in Western NC, but like other areas has been rapidly losing farmland. Some hope to reverse that.
LATEST NEWS FROM THE NETWORK
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For early grade reading gains, states look to Mississippi and consider holding students back
Years later, as education officials across the country have taken notice of Mississippi’s literacy gains, more states have adopted their own retention policies.
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Drone shows, food and a waterskiing squirrel: Here’s what to expect at the Alaska State Fair
Fair officials say no major security changes are planned this year despite several high-profile incidents last year, though they are seeking funding for entrance metal detectors and could prohibit weapons on the fairgrounds next year.
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Inside the Groton Hotel: A historic property gets new life
From the early-1900s tin ceiling to the wood flooring underfoot, the new management of the historic Groton Hotel hopes to keep it just that — historic.
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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Nitrate Is Poisoning the Corn Belt
August 20, 2026
Farm pollution goes largely unaddressed despite grievous risks.
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Fiestas en la Calle 2026 llevará música, comida, baile y cultura latinoamericana a Weaver Street en Carrboro
August 19, 2026
El festival crea un espacio acogedor donde familias, vecinos y miembros de la comunidad pueden descubrir, conocer y celebrar tanto las tradiciones latinoamericanas como sus expresiones contemporáneas.
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North Carolina invests in fast-track training to combat child care worker shortages, center closures
August 19, 2026
The General Assembly is spending $1.5 million to expand free, two-week child care worker training academies statewide.
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Proposed new fees, regulations for hunting, fishing, boating and camping draw mixed reactions from Virginians
August 19, 2026
Some folks do not want to pay more than they are already. Others see it as a ‘necessary evil.’ The Virginia Board of Wildlife Resources is set to decide in meetings on Wednesday and Thursday.
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Wyoming Freedom Caucus loses at least 14 incumbent lawmakers
August 18, 2026
Meanwhile, the hard-line caucus failed to pick up new seats in some districts, early results show.
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They wanted to restore wild oyster reefs to the Maine coast. Could it be done?
August 18, 2026
A team in Phippsburg has been working for nearly a decade to get wild oysters to regenerate in Maine’s cold, turbulent waters.
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School districts struggle to sell bond measures
August 18, 2026
Failed votes raise questions about 60% supermajority and voting rules.
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Food and Environment Reporting Network
Zach Lahn Is MAHA’s Great Farm Country Hope. Is He the Populist Hero He Claims to Be?
August 18, 2026
He’s running for Iowa governor on promises to bust up Big Ag. But some farmers are questioning his authenticity.
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The Hollowing of the Appalachian Press, from Pittsburgh to Birmingham
August 18, 2026
What happens when newspapers shutter in the most isolated communities in the country?