Cami Koons

Missouri has some of the highest rates of tobacco usage in the country, the lowest cigarette tax and some of the most lax smoking policies. Some rural health departments and activists are pushing their own policies to change those statistics.

Produce auctions, which have been around for hundreds of years, allow farmers who need to travel via horsepower to sell into a larger, more profitable market.

The Kansas Sky Energy Center is projected to supply enough energy to power 30,000 homes annually for 25 years. The proposal faces pushback from local landowners over the loss of prime farmland and an overloaded stormwater system.

Most folks in the Kansas City region know Baldwin City for its famous fall festival. But the quaint city is also a college town with connections to Margaret Thatcher, a stop along the Santa Fe Trail, claim to the first armed conflicts of the Civil War and now, home to a charming and vibrant downtown.

The number of seniors living in rural America is rising, but resources are decreasing and facilities are closing. So residents of towns like Cuba, Missouri, and Louisburg and Osawatomie, Kansas, are rallying to provide elders with services and support.

Located about 10 miles north of I-70, Lexington's population is roughly the same as it was in the 1860s. The town's biggest tourist attraction is the Battle of Lexington state historic site, but community members want to draw visitors to the rest of town.

Vanessa Woods, a former professional ballet dancer, suffered an injury that ended her career. So she formed a company, Vitality in Motion, that brings movement classes to retirement communities, while also providing work for dancers when they're not performing.

Located 48 miles southeast of Kansas City, Ottawa became a registered historic district in 1972. Its downtown maintains that feel with colorful Victorian facades, a stunning courthouse, the world’s oldest operating movie theatre and a wide variety of shops, restaurants and businesses.

Atchison is still in the early years of its revitalization, adding more public art, renovating historic buildings, and rethinking its downtown area. But leaders are optimistic about changing how both locals and tourists think about their community.

The Missouri tourist town once faced the same stress as many rural areas, with a declining population and abandoned buildings. But a conscious effort to fix the downtown's infrastructure and beautify public spaces has turned the economy around.