Midwest

There’s a mix of red and blue politics across the Midwest. Statehouse journalists share updates on new and proposed legislation in neighboring states.

At least 21 states are considering legislation to block foreign companies and individuals from purchasing farmland. The issue has gained momentum in recent years.

The National Music Museum has one of the world’s largest and most significant collections of historical instruments — a sort of musical Smithsonian. But it’s far away from the museums on the national mall. It’s in Vermillion, South Dakota.

Wastewater tests are designed to provide an early warning system so that public health officials can ward off outbreaks.

Four years after the last census, almost a dozen small communities in the Midwest are going to be counted again in hopes of getting a new grocery store or more state funding.

Over the past six months, rent prices have decreased in every region except for the Midwest, where a housing shortage and a competitive market are keeping rent high.

When do you feel the most Midwestern? Is it when you’re in the third hour of a goodbye, when you pair chili with cinnamon rolls or when you catch yourself saying “It would be nice out if it wasn’t for the wind.” Call 402-470-6469 to leave a voicemail or tell us below.

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.

Meteorologists and climatologists often have a tough job explaining climate change to the public, especially in places where audiences may be more skeptical of the science. In the Midwest and Great Plains, strong resistance has pushed some out of the field.

Chronic wasting disease — which affects deer, elk and moose — continues to spread throughout the Great Plains and Midwest. Just this year, authorities in western Oklahoma detected the state’s first case in a free-ranging deer.