western Kansas

In western Kansas, rural hospitals have been closing or are perpetually understaffed, leaving residents to drive anywhere from an hour to multiple hours for doctors appointments. Plus: Scientists are working on a new framework that factors climate trends into how we think about drought.

Western Kansas is the place for a quiet, rural lifestyle. But with that comes shortages when you need to see a doctor. Many will drive an hour or more to receive quality health care. But some of the problems may not be easily fixed.

Public media organizations in small towns and rural areas relied more heavily on funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting than their urban counterparts. Now that funding is rescinded, here's how two in Kansas and Missouri are planning for the future.

Many towns in western Kansas lack gyms and fitness centers. Some small communities are building outdoor walking trails to encourage better health and attract new residents.

Western Kansas is running out of the water needed to fuel irrigated agriculture. Why is it so hard for farmers to switch to alternative crops?

The price of beef is at all-time highs, but a major policy initiative of the incoming Trump Administration could drive them higher. In an industry that's already strapped for workers, mass deportations could put some ranchers and feedlots out of business.

Kansas farms have expanded their operations and are now bigger than ever, which has led to an economic boom. But that also means fewer farmers, and that has contributed to depopulation in rural parts of the state that were socially isolated to begin with.

Robert Benecke captured 19th-century western Kansas landscapes before massive European migrations to the area transformed them. In the intervening years, the dust bowl, mass extinction of bison, and expansion of mechanized agriculture have all led to a profusion of trees, ponds and lakes across the Sunflower State.

More than 30 years ago, a group of southwest Kansas counties tried to secede and form their own state called West Kansas. It’s largely forgotten now, but the political divisions that caused it remain.

After nearly a decade of road blocks, Missouri's Public Service Commission approved final plans for the Grain Belt Express line, which will drop off 2,500 megawatts of wind energy in Missouri. Construction could start as soon as 2025.

"It Started With A Horse," which is scheduled to screen at the Kansas City Underground Film Festival, provides an intimate look into the eccentric and unapologetic folk artist M.T. Liggett, whose sculptures can be seen outside Mullinville, Kansas.

The Wizard of Oz has given Kansas something very few other states have: A global brand. But generations after the film’s release, is that brand still a gift? Or has it become a curse that boxes Kansas into an inaccurate, outdated image?