Rural Economy

Flock Safety cameras have sparked bipartisan uproar with many worried that the cameras, which scan license plates, infringe on privacy. Misuse of the cameras and their data has been documented across Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska. Also, more farmers are fixing up their decades-old equipment rather than buying new.

Communities are killing data center proposals faster than ever. But in a struggling small town, the idea of investment measured in billions of dollars can dwarf anything city leaders had ever hoped to attract previously. Hear the appeal data centers may have to places the information age has so far left behind.

City officials are tempted by what a massive data center could mean for the eroding tax base of Osawatomie, Kansas, even as some residents revolt against the proposal.

A report from the University of Missouri highlights gains for communities with renewable energy infrastructure.

This summer, students in Western Michigan University's "Walt's Pilgrimage" class visited the small Missouri town of Marceline, discovering the inspiration behind Disney's fantastical worlds.

The eight-state highway's origins started in Springfield, Missouri, a century ago on April 30, 1926. The route helped keep some Missouri and Kansas towns afloat during the Great Depression and after World War II.

As many attorneys in rural areas reach retirement age, there aren’t enough new ones that want to take on the jobs. A Kansas law will offer incentives to hopefully get a new generation of lawyers to fill the roles.

In February, ICE agents detained three people in Milan, a town of about 1,800 people in north-central Missouri. The sudden disappearances of the community members has pushed several households to consider leaving town, which could spell doom for businesses that rely on Hispanic customers.

Rural communities have been turning to nonprofits and other strategies to keep grocery stores open. But one of those new stores is closing in Kansas, which shows how challenging it can be to provide food in small towns.

A Kansas City cookbook author gives us a glimpse of her warm kitchen this winter season. Plus, while many people go online or to the mall to shop for presents, some rural towns go all out to try and attract holiday shoppers.

Winter holiday festivals have become a regular way to grow revenue for America’s smallest towns. And with more people shopping online, those events are key to pulling people away from their screens and into stores.

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.