Fall is typically a drier time of the year for the Great Plains and Midwest. But drought is once again rearing its head in much of the region, and experts are not seeing relief anytime soon.

PSU women’s basketball was selected in the Coach’s poll released Tuesday to finish first this upcoming season. The Media poll has the team finishing second. While PSU men’s basketball was selected to finish second in the Media poll. In the Coaches' poll, the Gorillas were voted to finish third.

The Midwest Newsroom and its partners found that homeless students eligible for enrollment, transportation and academic support in most rural school districts are not getting these services because the districts are undercounting students without stable housing and not applying for available funds.

Special prosecutors charged former Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody with one count of interference with the judicial process, a low-level felony, for asking a restauranteur to delete text messages after his controversial raid of the Marion County Record.

The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, is tackling political issues even as polarization burdens congregations across the country.

A new survey from The Midwest Newsroom and Emerson College Polling Center asked registered voters in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska about measures on Nov. 5 ballots as well as a variety of political, social and economic subjects.

Crop prices have returned to more normal levels this year — down from record highs. As farmers expect less income this year, that's likely to send ripples through the larger agricultural economy.

Conservationists and cattle ranchers are working together to restore grassland for the lesser prairie chicken. The bird used to roam Kansas, but has lost most of its habitat to crop production.

Demand for homes in Kansas is high, but construction of new homes has been slow for more than a decade. Kansas saw a significant drop in home construction after the Great Recession, contributing to a housing shortage today that drives up prices.

Kansas and Missouri agencies have paid thousands of dollars to Street Cop Training. Since The Midwest Newsroom and KCUR began investigating, police departments in both states have stopped using the private company to instruct officers.