Rural development

Western Kansas has the potential to capitalize on our region’s growing energy demands even as rural populations shrink. There’s plenty of land, wind and sun to be a center for renewable energy production. But skepticism is bringing these projects to a halt.

The hyperscale data center would go in eastern Independence, near schools and an ammunition plant. A growing number of residents are trying to stop city officials from providing any tax incentives to the company to keep it from being built.

Rider demand is up in many communities, but there’s a gap between what the Nebraska Department of Transportation can fund and the growing needs of transit agencies around the state.

Efforts in Barton County may offer a blueprint for solving a housing shortage across Kansas. The county commission has tapped economic development funds and other resources to help housing developments in three communities.

The one-room schoolhouse was moved from a property north of Merna in Custer County to its new home east of Broken Bow to become part of a historic exhibit.

In late July, the Postal Service cut back on services in 540 of Missouri’s ZIP codes by reducing mail collection from morning and evening to morning-only collection. And residents have already noticed the shift.

Federal dollars will help bring internet connection to rural communities across the U.S. But new guidance from the Trump administration is asking states to consider the lowest-cost options. What's the status of efforts to fund broadband infrastructure?

More than 100 rural grocery stores in Kansas closed their doors from 2008 to 2018. But an initiative that invests in rural communities is keeping small groceries afloat.

Talks of overhauling the U.S. Postal Service have picked up since President Donald Trump began his second term. With service cutbacks already underway and privatization on the table, rural residents are bracing for more disruptions. Plus: There are more than 40 species of fireflies in Missouri, but for the past few years, people have been concerned about the populations diminishing.

The processing plant in Seward is expected to create 75 new jobs, increasing the state’s dairy workforce, and is projected to process 1.8 million pounds of milk a day.

As a new Postmaster General with ties to FedEx assumes control of the agency, postal workers and their customers are bracing for either scenario, especially as corporate America weighs in.

Some rural Missouri towns like Oak Grove don’t have control over their main streets because they happen to be state highways. When they attempt downtown revitalization projects like planting trees and improving walkability, the Missouri Department of Transportation can make things complicated.