drought

Years of drought conditions in the Midwest and Great Plains have opened the door for pests and diseases that are killing trees. Now people working in parks and forests are planting new species they hope can survive the changing conditions.

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.

Missouri lawmakers are making it more difficult to take water out of the state without a permit, after raising concerns about drought and water scarcity in the west.

All six U.S. regional climate centers will remain online through a new contract deadline in mid-June. Four of the centers, which are overseen by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, were abruptly closed last week after their funding ran out.

The closure of four of the six Regional Climate Centers across the U.S. occurred after funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ran out. A recent report stated that the Trump administration plans to propose a 25% cut to NOAA's budget next fiscal year.

Another year of dry conditions could hurt production for farmers growing crops and raising livestock in the region.

New Madrid, Missouri, seems obsessed with the fault lines under its surface, but few residents in the area have insurance in case a big earthquake hits again. Plus: Some places in southwest Kansas may only have 25 years of water left. One proposal to help would take river water from near Kansas City and move it to western Kansas.

Droughts in top coffee-growing countries have shrunk the supply of beans. Supermarket brands like Nescafé and Folgers have already raised prices — but the world keeps drinking more and more coffee.

Legal agreements govern the Great Lakes and some river systems in the U.S., but the Mississippi River doesn’t have a compact. Some mayors on the waterway think it’s time to change that.

State lawmakers want farmers in western Kansas to take action by 2026 to halt declines in the Ogallala aquifer. But the region’s whole agriculture system is built to produce irrigated grain at a high volume.

Doctors who treat eating disorders in Kansas City are seeing more cases among younger people. But resources for "accepting" treatments are not meeting the demand. Plus: Wildlife in the Midwest and Great Plains are suffering from persistent drought.