Alex Milan Tracy for Underscore
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The dozens of independent, nonprofit and nonpartisan news organizations that make up the Rural News Network are developing the broadest news alliance reporting on rural America. These newsrooms are pursuing coverage that provides a more complete picture of what it means to live and work in these communities.
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LATEST NEWS FROM THE NETWORK
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From toothpaste to beer bottles to industrial batteries, the world relies on Wyoming’s ‘white gold’
May 16, 2025
But shifting market and political forces challenge state’s otherwise reliable and expanding trona mining industry.
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An $80M cleanup made Muskegon Lake trendy. Will ‘eco-gentrification’ follow?
May 14, 2025
Not long ago, the shore of the 4,232-acre Muskegon Lake, a drowned river mouth that connects the city to the big waters of Lake Michigan, was so fully dominated by polluting factories that you could tell which ones were operating by the color of the water that day. It took decades of activism and more than $80 million to repair the damage, mostly on the public dime.
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Trump asks Congress to cut at the heart of the West
May 12, 2025
The White House wants to alter life for U.S. hunters, anglers, RVers, off-road-vehicle drivers, backpackers, birdwatchers and hikers.
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Nebraskans throw tons of glass into landfills each year. Some are trying to change that.
May 07, 2025
Nebraska City is one of roughly two dozen towns and cities in the state that now offer glass recycling — a practice that comes with environmental, and sometimes economic benefits. But difficulties transporting it have forced some rural communities to scrap glass recycling, advocates say.
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Mendocino County braces for early, intense wildfire season amid federal cuts
May 05, 2025
The majority of Mendocino County is state and private land, and Cal Fire is preparing earlier than ever for the coming fire season.
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Trump Budget Proposal Portends Deep Cuts to Public Lands
May 05, 2025
Recommendations include new consolidated wildfire service, more tasks in state hands, less science.
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Human killings of wolves are on the rise in Washington
May 01, 2025
The wolf population is in decline for the first time since the species returned to the state. In southwestern Washington they’ve been wiped out.
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Hawaiʻi Farmers And Ranchers Face $46 Million In Federal Funding Cuts
April 23, 2025
The USDA decision has led to lost jobs, confusion and a setback on climate initiatives in the agricultural sector.
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Amid Ongoing Threats to Local Food Systems, Alaska Native and Rural Alaskan Leaders Imagine Alternatives
April 23, 2025
Cascading environmental, economic, and political factors are making it increasingly challenging to put food on the table in rural Alaska. These communities are looking to the past, and the future, for solutions.
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Every day is Earth Day for Indigenous people
April 22, 2025
A worldwide survey finds 89 percent of the world’s people believe their country should do more to fight climate change.
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Report: Wildlife Refuge System ‘at risk’ with no units fully resourced amid DOGE uncertainty
April 18, 2025
Federal trove of wildlife habitat that includes seven Wyoming units is in shambles, the department’s chief says.
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Behind the Plants: Living in the Shadow of Industry on Cancer Alley
April 17, 2025
Between Baton Rouge and New Orleans lies a 150-mile stretch along the Mississippi River known as Cancer Alley. This region hosts over 150 petrochemical facilities and oil refineries—the highest concentration of such industries in the Western Hemisphere.
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Trump directive creates chaos on the Colorado River
April 17, 2025
The Gila River Indian Community received $105 million for water conservation in 2022 but lost it briefly this year after Trump froze federal funding.
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Slammed by northern Michigan ice storm, foresters wonder what’s next
April 15, 2025
In the aftermath, people across the region are still figuring out what the wreckage means for the forest itself and for those who rely on it.
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A beautiful disaster: profiles of Washington Island residents impacted by Winter Storm Frannie
April 14, 2025
Washington Island is a small community of only about 700 people. Geographical isolation makes for close bonds that were put to the test when the Island weathered two historical winter storms in two consecutive years.
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