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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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Ohio cafe will host drag story hour despite online hate campaign
April 13, 2026
Coterie Lounge and Café in West Chester is standing strong in the face of hate posts on social media and calls to boycott the space.
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A bi candidate runs to unseat Ohio House Speaker Matt Huffman in rural Ohio
April 10, 2026
Democrat and Lima Pride Alliance Co-Founder Jeff Givan faces an uphill battle in a region that voted overwhelmingly for Trump.
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Ohio school board member resigns following our questions about his social media posts denying the Holocaust
March 11, 2026
Social media posts show a now-former Little Miami board member denying the Holocaust and supporting Hitler before voting to remove anti-hate poster.
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A trans candidate in rural Ohio lost two elections and was doxxed. She’s running again for ‘a better path forward’
February 10, 2026
‘I am in the most red district in rural Ohio, and we are fighting like hell’
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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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Winter discussion sessions in Knox County give rural LGBTQ+ Ohioans a voice
February 02, 2026
The first session took attendees from ‘discomfort to comfort’.
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Oberlin becomes 15th Ohio city to ban conversion therapy on minors
January 21, 2026
The college town passed the ordinance after some modifications reacting to a federal appeals court decision that struck down Michigan’s statewide ban.
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Queer-owned farm-to-table businesses reclaim history in a former rural Ohio gay bar
January 08, 2026
They hope to help improve health outcomes and build community in a place that hasn’t always been welcoming to the LGBTQ+ population.
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Rural Ohio trans candidate nearly drops out of race after being targeted online, wins seat in Republican stronghold
December 15, 2025
Amy Heutmaker pledges to heal political divide in her rural Ohio township.
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An out nonbinary candidate just won a seat in their ruby-red Ohio town by 13 votes. They didn’t believe it, either.
December 09, 2025
Gie May thought their race would help show Wadsworth that other candidates existed besides Republicans. Turns out, voters wanted more than that.
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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.
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A new LGBTQ+ organization forms in rural Ohio town known as the setting of ‘Glee’
November 04, 2025
Lima was the setting for hit TV series and GLAAD award-winner “Glee” and is now the home of Lima Pride Alliance.
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Ohio teacher who was suspended for having LGBTQ+ books in her classroom loses her court case
October 16, 2025
Cahall, who has taught in the small Southwest Ohio village for over 30 years, filed a lawsuit against the district challenging her suspension.
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A Stage for Everyone: Rise Up Arts Alliance builds safe space in rural Ohio
October 03, 2025
That spirit of inclusion extends to its work with The Penguin Project Foundation, a theater program for children with disabilities.
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Wadsworth, Ohio’s first out nonbinary candidate runs for City Council
June 17, 2025
Two years ago, Wadsworth, Ohio, saw armed Nazis descend on a drag storytelling hour. Now, the small Medina County town will see its first out nonbinary candidate on the November ballot.
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