rural development

The USDA's Rural Development agency has provided billions of dollars each year to small towns, farmers and businesses. Now staffing upheaval and budget cuts brought on by the Trump administration may be eating into the agency’s effectiveness.

For small towns with dwindling populations and shrinking tax bases, luring travelers to stop and spend a few dollars is a matter of community survival. Some turn to quirky roadside tourist attractions. And the community pride these offbeat sites generate can be just as valuable as the money they bring in.

For Kansans living in Liberal, Dodge City and Hays, there’s only one airline that flies to and from the local airport. So when that airline filed paperwork this spring to terminate services, it sent shockwaves through these remote towns.

Hesston, Kansas, native and Dallas businessman Brad Heppner has plans to bring a grocery store, retail and chapel to his home town along with his "technology-enabled fiduciary financial institution." As he faces allegations of fraud and the SEC investigates his former business, Kansas legislators continue to support his unique business.

COVID relief money was supposed to be a lifeline for small towns recovering from the pandemic, but some found the paperwork too daunting and missed on on the funds.

Small towns far from big cities rely upon federal grants to help them, but numerous definitions of what the government considers rural make that complicated.

19 million Americans still don’t have access to broadband internet, including much of the High Plains region.In this modern age, hundreds of small towns…

Sidney, Nebraska, has prospered while many rural cities have struggled. For decades, the city has been home to Cabela’s, a major outdoor retail chain....

President Donald Trump spent the campaign pledging to revive rural communities, where many voters have felt ignored by previous administrations. But...

People that live in rural areas are more connected to the internet than they’ve ever been, but they still lag well-behind their urban and suburban...