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Rural Affairs

A ‘Green Glacier’ is Burying Prairies, Threatening Ranchers and Wildlife

By | April 23, 2024 | 4
An eastern red cedar catches fire. Controlled fires, such as this one on grassland managed by Kansas State University scientists, are needed to save prairies from becoming woodland and shrubland.

A “Green Glacier” is grinding across the Great Plains, burying some of the most threatened habitat on the planet beneath dense junipers and shrubland.

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Newspapers in Rural Areas are Folding, Leaving Vast News Deserts

By | April 15, 2024 | 0
News editor and co-publisher Will Brumleve sits at his desk at the Ford County Chronicle in front of awards and text from the First Amendment. He and co-founder Andrew Rosten launched the newspaper in Paxton, Illinois, in 2020, one of the few new papers in the U.S. in recent years.

The U.S. has lost more than 2,800 newspapers since 2005, many in rural areas. Now some journalists are trying to provide local news with new business models.

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Kansas Farmer Brings Renewable Energy Future to Concordia

By | April 3, 2024 | 0
Bruce Graham, former head of the Renewable Energy Department at Cloud County Community College in Concordia, Kansas, stands in front of a wind turbine.

A Kansas farmer has built a renewable energy program at Cloud County Community College, embracing sustainability workforce training to confront climate change.

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Energy Efficiency Program Helps Rural Businesses Keep the Lights On 

By | March 12, 2024 | 1
Rows of solar energy panels atop a white, flat roof of a small building.

The Rural Energy for America Program is providing crucial funding for rural development projects looking to enhance energy efficiency and sustainability.

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‘Lifeblood of the Community’: States Invest to Save Rural Grocery Stores

By | March 8, 2024 | 0
General Manager Brian Horak walks down an aisle at Post 60 Market in Emerson, Neb.

In Kansas, 1 in 5 rural grocery stores closed between 2008 and 2018. No new store has opened in half of the 105 communities that lost grocers over that time.

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About Flatland

Powered by Kansas City PBS, Flatland is your local nonprofit news source committed to providing context and solutions to some of our region’s biggest challenges. Founded in November 2013 through a gift from the Hale Family Foundation, Flatland produces multimedia stories that examine local news, highlight rural affairs and explore Kansas City history.

Flatland serves as a founding member of the Kansas City Media Collective, encouraging collaboration amongst Kansas City nonprofit news outlets to strengthen our community’s ever-changing media landscape.

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