Climate Change

Quick-growing blooms of bacteria and algae have long been a hazard in lakes and rivers, because of the toxins they produce. Fueled in part by agricultural runoff, these blooms are also threatening public water systems, making water temporarily unusable, and forcing some cities and towns to take costly preventive measures.

Nebraska ecologist Chris Helzer blends art and science to open people's eyes to an underappreciated ecosystem that is shrinking more and more every year.

Trees and shrubs are invading prairies, hurting the wildlife and making it harder to ranch. Yet it's hard to know the full extent of the problem, so Kansas State University found a way to map it out on the cheap.

Trees and shrubs are invading prairies, hurting the wildlife and making it harder to ranch. Yet it's hard to know the full extent of the problem, so Kansas State University found a way to map it out on the cheap.

Americans are losing their starry views to light pollution. But some communities are make lighting decisions to help preserve night skies – while benefiting wildlife and human health.

Summer afternoon temperatures have cooled off in the middle of the country in recent decades. But hotter nights and winters are still driving more overall warmth in the region.

In western Kansas, rural hospitals have been closing or are perpetually understaffed, leaving residents to drive anywhere from an hour to multiple hours for doctors appointments. Plus: Scientists are working on a new framework that factors climate trends into how we think about drought.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine is developing a framework for assessing drought in a changing climate. It's a difficult task, as what's considered drought is often situational.

The money lets Kansas train more than 1,500 firefighters per year across the state and helps get trucks, generators and hand-tools for rural fire departments.

In bestselling author Michael Grunwald's new book "We Are Eating The Earth," he highlights how agriculture is dramatically contributing to climate change. He's speaking next week at the Kansas City Public Library.

The Kansas River is cleaner today than half a century ago, but pollution and trash remain problems. Kayakers and others who love this river are helping the river's sandbars by hauling away tons of garbage.

Destructive tornadoes have hit states such as Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky and Indiana this season as activity shifts east. Meanwhile, scientists say dry and hot weather in the Great Plains brought on by climate change could be slowing the number of tornadoes there.