Rural Kansas

As small town populations decline, people in places like western Kansas look for ways to keep their rural farming and ranching lifestyle alive for the next generation. Some families think youth rodeo might be part of the answer.

Attorneys in rural Kansas are getting older and have larger workloads. A statewide task force will try to find solutions.

While Republican Sen. Jerry Moran has the clear advantage in November's election, Democratic nominee Mark Holland says he's not giving up on rural Kansas — and plans to visit all 105 counties before Election Day.

Four years after fighting off a controversial chicken processing plant, the growing Leavenworth County community approved a deal with little fuss to bring in Topeka-based Hill’s Pet Nutrition with a 10-year, 100% tax abatement.

Rural foster parents have the same struggles all rural Kansans do, but more legal deadlines adds additional stressors in their life.

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.

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.

Visit a small town that hopes to be known one day as the UFO Capital of Kansas.

For towns with only a few hundred residents, keeping tap water clean and safe can pose a crippling expense. The predicament is likely to become more common in western Kansas as farm chemicals seep into dwindling water supplies.

In rural places like western Kansas, the physical distance between support services and victims of domestic and sexual violence adds to the psychological and cultural barriers that might keep someone from seeking help.