Midwest Newsroom

Corn and soybean harvests are starting just as the fuel farmers need to reap is shooting up in price. Plus, older Americans on fixed incomes are hit especially hard when food costs spike.

Data centers that power AI are exploding across the Midwest — and so is opposition to them. Now, people across the political spectrum want to see stricter regulation and more transparency.

Big tech companies are facing formidable opposition from a coalition of people across the political spectrum. Meanwhile, local elected officials find themselves scrambling to draft regulations and defend themselves against accusations of secrecy.

Inflation in food prices can hit even harder for people in their 60s and older as they also juggle fixed incomes, health problems and changes in federal law. Experts say the age group is a “forgotten population” when it comes to food insecurity.

International students have traditionally been able to stay in the country for as long as they needed to finish their academic programs. The Trump administration is changing that policy, leaving Missouri and Kansas students and college officials worried about the future.

With most foreign students paying full tuition, campuses will lose out as the numbers of international students decrease. Meanwhile, students worry as new restrictions about how long they can stay in the U.S. are set to go into effect.

Midwest lawmakers have tried and failed to ban paraquat, a toxic weedkiller that’s been tied to Parkinson’s disease. One state senator plans to keep fighting. Plus: The federal government has released new rules controlling how farmers can use the controversial herbicide dicamba.

Lawmakers in 13 states have proposed banning or restricting paraquat, a toxic herbicide that researchers have tied to an increased risk of developing Parkinson's disease. But efforts to outlaw it have failed across the Midwest.

Childcare costs in Missouri and Kansas can now rival a mortgage for working families, but two Midwestern lawmakers are fighting to change that. Plus: After the Affordable Care Act tax credits lapsed, healthcare premiums spiked for millions of farmers and ranchers.

Giving birth without a doctor or midwife present or foregoing prenatal care are increasingly popular practices. They’re attracting people who mistrust the healthcare system or believe in all-natural approaches to birthing.

Childcare can be nearly as expensive as a mortgage in some Midwest states, but legislation sponsored by two lawmakers aims to reduce that cost by increasing subsidy eligibility and funding new childcare centers.

People living in homeless encampments say Missouri and Kansas cities have been more aggressive about enforcement since a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision. Plus: Latino communities in Wichita are on edge after immigration agents asked a bus full of people to present proof of citizenship.