As food insecurity grows, the surging cost of fuel has driven up prices across the food supply chain.
Health
Posted inRural
Central Missouri’s Fitzgibbon Hospital files bankruptcy, highlighting growing strain on rural hospitals
Fitzgibbon Hospital will remain open during Chapter 11 proceedings and while a sale to a private buyer is finalized, but years of losses and cuts to services reflect challenges facing rural healthcare providers.
Posted inHealth
Rural lifeline or potential monopoly? MU Health Care plan would allow expansion even if competition shrinks
Proposed legislation would give MU Health Care broad freedom to expand across 25 mid-Missouri counties. Experts warn it may not be needed for rural hospital acquisitions and could harm competition.
Posted inHealth
‘The dirt is contaminated.’ Across Kansas City’s urban neighborhoods lead lurks in the soil
On both sides of the state line, city leaders are working to clean up lead contamination of vacant lots to improve public health and encourage economic development.
Posted inRural
Rehab or license plate readers: Counties are spending Missouri’s $900 million opioid settlement in wildly different ways
Some communities are using their share of opioid settlement funds on treatment, transportation and recovery, while others are investing in D.A.R.E. programs and law enforcement, or not spending the money at all.
Posted inHealth
Children’s Mercy seeks massive expansion of its downtown campus. Here’s why
The pediatric hospital will launch the multiphase project as it continues expanding into communities well beyond the Kansas City area.
Posted inRural
Tenants unions gain ground across Missouri as renters fight for affordable housing
Renters across Missouri are forming tenants unions to fight rent increases, evictions and limited affordable housing options.
Posted inHealth
Sticker shock: Missourians gamble on higher out-of-pocket costs for their Affordable Care Act plans in 2026
Bronze plan selections surge in Missouri’s Affordable Care Act marketplace for 2026, new data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services show.
Posted inHealth
New federal student loan caps are likely to make region’s doctor shortages worse
Starting this summer, the federal government will cap the amount students can borrow through federal loan programs. For many would-be doctors it won’t be enough to cover the cost of school.
Posted inHealth
Rural Missourians far more likely to be uninsured than urban residents
Rural Missourians rely more on Medicaid but are still more likely to be uninsured than urban Missourians, as lack of employer coverage and access barriers take hold across the state.