DES MOINES, Iowa – A study to determine why some small towns in Iowa wither and others thrive is under way at Iowa State University. For more than 30 years, most small Midwest communities have experienced shrinking populations, an exodus of younger people, job losses and fewer community serv ...Read More

BOISE, Idaho – Forests in the Treasure Valley are fighting climate change, according to a new report. In the report, The Nature Conservancy in Idaho and Ecosystem Sciences Foundation's Treasure Valley Forest Carbon Assessment looked at how much carbon dioxide trees in the region have been ab ...Read More

BOISE, Idaho – Idaho lawmakers are holding public hearings Thursday and Friday on proposed science standards for Idaho public schools. At issue: how, or whether, those standards should address climate change. The past two years, legislators have rejected new science standards, which haven' ...Read More

OAKWOOD, Ill. — Illinois is home to only one National Scenic River: the Middle Fork of the Vermillion River. And environmental groups say it's being threatened by toxic coal ash waste that's seeping from a shuttered power plant owned by Dynegy. Earthjustice and Prairie Rivers said they have ...Read More

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Almost two-thirds of babies in the Golden State are born to low-income families, according to a new report, which makes them less likely to have access to high-quality education and health care. The nonprofit group Children Now just released its 2018 California Children' ...Read More

FRANKFORT, Ky. — More young adults in Kentucky are "vaping" than ever before, which is concerning health groups who say electronic cigarettes are not a safe alternative to smoking. Data from the latest Kentucky Health Issues Poll showed nearly half of Kentuckians between the ages of 18 and 2 ...Read More

DENVER — Utility companies in Colorado are making plans to join a regional power grid based in Arkansas, and consumer groups are raising red flags. Xcel Energy, Black Hills Energy, the Western Area Power Administration and Colorado Springs Utilities are proposing to hook up with Little Rock- ...Read More

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Union members across the country are honoring two sanitation workers killed in Memphis 50 years ago today with a moment of silence. Leading up to the deaths of Echol Cole and Robert Walker, workers had complained about unsafe conditions, but were ignored. Their deaths led to ...Read More