Alex Milan Tracy for Underscore
Explore the Archive
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.
Filter by Topic
Filter by Outlet
Search by keywords
Filter by State
LATEST NEWS FROM THE NETWORK
-
Georgia House passes bill to let pharmacists dispense birth control without prescriptions
March 06, 2026
Supporters said the bill would especially help women in rural areas without an obstetrician. Of Georgia’s 159 counties, 83 lack an OB-GYN.
-
Bill to gut Seminole County rural boundary could apply outside of Central Florida
March 05, 2026
Florida Senate poised to take up the bill this Friday, as developer Chris Dorworth pushes county commissioners to support it.
-
Legislation takes aim at waste from Vermont’s only landfill
March 04, 2026
Advocates in the Northeast Kingdom are supporting a bill that would prioritize protecting their watershed from the potential contamination of forever chemicals.
-
Lawmakers reject tight restrictions on pesticide-coated farm seeds
March 03, 2026
Committee including Democrats says the effort to control “neonics” was too far, too fast despite Gov. Polis’ support.
-
‘It looks bad’: Checkgate investigation reverberates around Wyoming
February 19, 2026
Elected officials, politicians, constituents question timing and location of campaign donations, with one calling it ‘an absolute stain.’
-
Amid fears about ICE, lawmakers consider optional Native American designation on IDs
February 12, 2026
A couple dozen New Mexico lawmakers are pushing a bill that would allow tribal citizens to update their state-issued IDs to reflect their enrollment status.
-
At least four Wisconsin communities signed secrecy deals for billion-dollar data centers
January 26, 2026
Massive data center proposals are often developed in secret. Wisconsin has now joined several states with legislative proposals to make the process more transparent.
-
How a middle-schooler got the Vermont Senate to upgrade its seating
January 22, 2026
Vermont’s state senators lounge in cushy, black leather. But the legislative pages who aid them on the floor have long had to settle for less.
-
Survey: Coastal Georgians prioritize environment, healthcare to lawmakers
January 17, 2026
The Current’s readers rank preferences for legislative action this session.
-
Drought cost Vermont farmers $15.9M
January 14, 2026
The majority of Vermont farmers claim 2025 was the worst drought they’d ever seen. Now, agricultural advocates are asking the state to fiscally support farmers facing climate extremes.
-
Everything you need to know about Montana’s rural health windfall
January 13, 2026
How far could the $1 billion, five-year investment go toward filling the hole left by Medicaid cuts?
-
Expanding broadband in rural Pa. was complicated by rule changes and uncertainty in 2025
December 22, 2025
A $42 billion federal grant program was supposed to expand broadband to every home and business. But cuts and changed rules created new challenges.
-
How a billionaire’s plan to export East Texas groundwater sparked a rural uprising
November 19, 2025
The citizens of six East Texas counties where Trump took around 80 percent of the vote last November are now turning to their state government to protect them from billionaires.
-
Elected officials in rural Ohio submit testimony in favor of state’s ‘drag ban,’ spurring response and a protest
November 14, 2025
The mayor of Greenville, Ohio, calls bill violators ‘degenerates’ in his letter to the state’s House of Representatives.
-
Beginning farmers struggle to find land. Could a new website help?
October 24, 2025
As the state’s farmers age, many are preparing to retire and making plans for their land. A new Republican proposal aimed at supporting small- and medium-sized farms would create a government-run website where retiring farmers could post land for sale or rent.
RURAL NEWS SPOTLIGHT
Sign up to receive our occasional newsletter, Rural News Spotlight. Read a recent issue here.