Public News Service

Missouri’s child poverty rate could climb sharply as pandemic-era supports and food assistance programs expire, according to a new report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Almost 15% of Missouri children already live in poverty and nationally, the report found, without programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the number could reach one in four.

As federal cuts force schools to scale back electives – and Missouri faces an $84 million gap in delayed federal funding – an advocate for after-school learning says STEM programs are emerging as a way to keep students learning and future-ready.

A new report from a farm industry alliance showed high-tech ag practices in Iowa and the Midwest do not reduce pesticide and fertilizer use as much corporate ag operations suggest. Instead, some small farmers say precision agriculture takes a one-size-fits-all approach to the state's diverse croplands.

What started on Labor Day in Kansas City and St. Louis is now headed to the Missouri Capitol, where labor and community groups plan to protest on Wednesday, what they call an illegal attempt by lawmakers to redraw the state’s congressional map.

Iowa families could soon face tougher times putting food on the table.

Missouri’s 26 rail trails spanning 460 miles and anchored by the 240-mile Katy Trail could be affected as Congress works on the next surface transportation bill, up for reauthorization in 2026.

The Environmental Protection Agency has overturned a 2024 ruling that sought to protect some of Iowa's largest waterways that provide drinking water for half a million people.