Rural development

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.

Although most Kansas schools prepare students and staff for intruders with active-shooter drills, they don't train teachers how to deal with more common violence on campus. Plus: In a Kansas county that’s lost more than half of its population, one restaurant offers a renewed sense of hope — and a cheeseburger worth driving for.

One of the best restaurants in Kansas opens four days a week on the wind-swept plains, an hour beyond the nearest stoplight. In a county that’s lost more than half of its population, Fly Boy Brewery & Eats offers a renewed sense of hope — and a cheeseburger worth driving for.

The Kansas City Chiefs are vying for their second straight Super Bowl win, but something could stand in their way: themselves. Plus: Small towns in Kansas are using AI to better understand their economic outlook and attract more businesses and people.

Communities in western Kansas are trying a new AI tool to help them target economic growth and hopefully fight long-term trends of population loss.

A recent study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows that the population in rural areas is on the rise after a decade of decline. Parts of the Midwest and Great Plains saw increases, but not as much as in some other U.S. regions.

City and county officials are working to save ER services in the southeast Kansas community. If that doesn't work, they're trying to prepare by hiring more ambulance drivers.

Production of utility-scale solar power in Kansas is expected to increase 34 times over in the next four years. But many rural Kansas communities are skeptical of out-of-state developers. Plus: A writer and photographer return to Independence, Missouri, 40 years after documenting daily life in the city.

Most folks in the Kansas City region know Baldwin City for its famous fall festival. But the quaint city is also a college town with connections to Margaret Thatcher, a stop along the Santa Fe Trail, claim to the first armed conflicts of the Civil War and now, home to a charming and vibrant downtown.