A project to divert water away from the Missouri River in North Dakota has sparked a new fight in a decades-long conflict about how to manage the river’s water in times of drought.
Rural
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.
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.
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.
‘Forever chemicals’ surge past federal limits in some Missouri water systems
New EPA data show contamination across the state. But removing the forever chemicals could cost millions and take years.
A Missouri pilot program reimagines rural hospitals as the central hub for more than health care
The Missouri pilot program taps a federal waiver to allow rural hospitals to use funding for things like home repairs, utility costs or food assistance in hopes of improving rural Missourians’ health and saving hospitals money.
‘Time is everything’: Federal grant will support blood transfusions at the scene of crashes
Researchers at the University of Missouri School of Medicine get millions of dollars from the U.S. Department of Transportation to study the impacts of performing blood transfusions at crash sites where there are severe injuries.
Missouri and Kansas families pay nearly 10% of their income on employer-provided health insurance
A new report found that nearly 10% of median household income in Missouri and Kansas goes toward deductibles and premiums. At that level, economists say those households are underinsured.
After years of patching holes, new federal requirements are forcing Missouri to upgrade its social services systems
As the state races to meet new requirements laid out in the Trump administration’s cuts to social services, lawmakers are being asked to fund new staff and technology upgrades to meet the demands.
Another Missouri Planned Parenthood clinic closes its doors, citing funding challenges and a shift to telehealth
The Rolla clinic is keeping its staff and shifting most of its care to telehealth appointments. Patients who need in-person care are now being referred to other providers in the area or Planned Parenthood clinics in Springfield and St. Louis.