Midwest Newsroom

Climate data suggests heat waves might be getting more frequent. Inconsistent building codes and the cost of implementing climate resilient practices mean that many homes aren't prepared to keep us cool in hazardous heat.

Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska are part of an emerging “extreme heat belt” that could deliver more scorching days within 30 years. So far, there’s no unified plan to make our dwellings safe in the dangerously high temperatures to come.

Officials agree that clearing the backlog at Missouri’s Children’s Division won’t be easy or quick. “I think this is a business decision when it comes down to it," says one Lee's Summit lawmaker. “If we value the children of Missouri, we have to do more.”

As the nation learns more about the raid of the Marion County Record, staffers at the publication keep working while advocates for press freedom offer support and demand answers from the local police.

A Kansas gardener is suing for the right to sell honey and fruit from her Ottawa yard. Plus: In an effort to reach zero carbon emissions by 2050, the Biden administration is offering more tax credits for carbon capture sequestration and utilization, but the cost is high.

On Friday, the Supreme Court handed down a decision that dismayed millions of people who were hoping for debt relief through President’s Biden program. Many of those borrowers live in the Midwest states that brought the case to the high court.

Legislatures in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska, passed new laws decried by LGBTQ+ communities and their allies. Still, the month of June brought exuberant Pride celebrations around the region.

For two years, federal funds have been available for states to extend postpartum health care from two months to a full year for moms on Medicaid. The policy is popular across the Midwest, with Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska all adopting an extension. Iowa remains hesitant.

As wildfires burn in eastern Canada, smoke and pollutants drift over the heavily impacted Northeast and into the Midwest. Poor air quality levels in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska, may be hurting people with more sensitive breathing conditions.

Worrying about paying bills and potential eviction are just two of the many stressors that come with renting on a low income in Omaha, where affordable housing is in short supply.

Debate over the GOP-backed “Let Them Grow Act” roiled Nebraska’s usually cordial unicameral legislature. With battle lines drawn for and against gender-affirming care, the PAC aims to use its national platform to support state-level candidates who will support their mission.

The departure of the churches in Kansas and Nebraska comes as UMC congregations around the country are debating the UMC position “that all people are of sacred worth and are equally valuable in the sight of God.”