Nebraska

More states in the Midwest and Great Plains are trying to support rural, independent grocery stores through tailored grant programs. Advocates say these businesses are vital for rural communities to thrive.

The Soybean Innovation Lab based at the University of Illinois has laid off 30 employees and expects to shut down in the spring if funding isn't restored. Lab leaders at other Land Grant universities say they have avoided layoffs, but that could change.

The Midwest Newsroom partnered with Emerson College Polling to ask registered voters in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska a wide range of questions ahead of the general election.

Debate over the GOP-backed “Let Them Grow Act” roiled Nebraska’s usually cordial unicameral legislature. With battle lines drawn for and against gender-affirming care, the PAC aims to use its national platform to support state-level candidates who will support their mission.

A state program is meant to help Nebraskans who have been raped, abused, assaulted, or family members reeling from the death of a loved one. It’s helping very few of them, a Flatwater Free Press analysis shows.

Rural areas are losing grocery stores to consolidation faster than their urban counterparts — but some communities have come up with innovative solutions.

Accurate weather information is important for farmers, emergency responders and researchers managing extreme conditions. But many monitoring networks are limited by unstable, patchwork funding.

A Nebraska regulator is asking a news organization to pay thousands of dollars for the to compile a public records request.

Last October, wildfire sparked by an ATV consumed roughly a quarter of this living landmark in the heart of the Nebraska Sandhills. But in a man-made forest, officials say, there’s no roadmap for recovery.

Legislation and programs in states like Nebraska are paving the way to welcome large livestock operations by limiting local control over the facilities. Some rural residents worry about the potential pollution and decreased quality of life that will bring.