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"There's this sense that decisions about the pandemic are being made in cities and kind of imposed on rural spaces," said Kathy Cramer, an expert on the rural-urban divide at the University of Wisconsin.

Biden's Win Shows Rural-Urban Divide Has Grown Since 2016

In the 2020 election, the rural-urban divide sharpened even further from 2016, with Republicans consolidating power in rural America which could help them hold onto the U.S. Senate.

Anti-mask advocate Heather Tanner, right, tries to persuade Mary Tereilleger, who teaches three-year-olds in Broward County’s Head Start program, that students do not need to wear masks when they return to school next week. This during a protest outside of a Broward County School Board meeting held in Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021, to discuss a possible mask mandate.

Judge Clears Way For Lawsuit Over Florida School Mask Order

A legal battle over Gov. Ron DeSantis’ attempts to prevent school mask mandates will go ahead next week after a circuit judge refused to dismiss the case Thursday. Attorneys for a group of parents are challenging a July 30 executive order by DeSantis that seeks to prohibit county school boards from requiring students to wear masks.

Reggie Brown, of Centralia, carries his daughter, Ocean, 4, on his shoulders as he walks through the floodwaters on Highway 507 with his wife, Jonell Brown, on Friday in Centralia, Wash. The highway had flooded after heavy rains caused the Skookumchuck River to rise about its northern banks.

Pacific Northwest storm causes flooding and landslides and shuts roads

Transportation officials say all mountain passes that connect Western and Eastern Washington likely would remain closed until Sunday because of dangerous conditions.

Kylee Moberg tries to get through a road block on N.M. 94 to get to her friend and horses on Friday. Destructive Southwest fires have burned dozens of homes in northern Arizona and put numerous small villages in New Mexico in the path of danger.

Fires hit Southwest, New Mexico's season 'dangerously early'

New Mexico faces a long and potentially devastating wildfire season, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said Saturday, as Southwestern wildfires cause destruction and force people from their homes.

Arizona Republicans enact a controversial new proof-of-citizenship voting law

Critics warn that the measure will jeopardize the voter registrations of thousands of the state's residents.

Children's books line the shelves at in the Alachua County Public Library in Gainesville, Fla. Friday, April 21, 2023.

Behind scenes of efforts to purge schools of books labeled improper

At the end of the year, when state testing looms and class lists need to be made for fall, Pinellas County Schools is requiring its teachers to scan every book in their classroom libraries for school media specialists to review. This process must be completed by May 26 and is required to comply with state law.Similar scenes are playing out across Florida.

State Struggles To Eradicate Abandoned, Diseased Orange Groves

The cost of fighting a disease that’s ravaging Florida’s citrus industry is triggering growers to abandon their groves. Citrus greening causes orange…

Colorado Businesses Struggle As Toxic Waste Flows Through Animas River

NPR's Melissa Block speaks to Roger Zalneraitis, executive director of the La Plata County Economic Development Alliance, on plans to aid small business owners after the toxic waste spill.

Bob Gualtieri (left), Pinellas County's sheriff and the chair of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Public Safety Commission, presented on Tuesday the commission's findings to the Broward County Public School Board.

Broward School Board Discusses Marjory Stoneman Douglas Commission Recommendations

The chair of the state commission that investigated the Parkland school shooting told the Broward County School Board on Tuesday that school security...

Law enforcement and protesters clash near the site of the Dakota Access pipeline in Cannon Ball, N.D., in November 2016.

2 Years After Standing Rock Protests, Tensions Remain But Oil Business Booms

Legal battles and local tensions persist two years after the North Dakota prairie was filled with thousands of indigenous and environmental protesters opposed to the Dakota Access Pipeline.

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