Great Plains (IA KS ND NE MO SD)

"The newspaper’s motto reads “Real data. Real value. Real news.” But there is nothing real about it."

"A multimillion-dollar bank stabilization project proposed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers could protect one of the densest collections of ceremonial and burial mounds still existing in North America."

"The project, which could expand wind power, was supposed to be done by 2018. The holdup? The American burying beetle."

"A company proposing an $8 billion carbon dioxide pipeline through eastern South Dakota says the project would be good for the environment. ... While that’s true, participating ethanol plants could still emit about 7 million metric tons of additional carbon dioxide annually. That’s because the pipeline would only capture some — not all — of the CO2 emitted by the plants."

"Companies and others responsible for some of America's most toxic waste sites are using a federal health agency’s faulty reports to save money on cleanups, defend against lawsuits and deny victims compensation, a Reuters investigation found."

"On a sweltering summer day in central Kansas, farm fields shimmer in the heat as Clint Brauer watches a team of bright yellow robots churn up and down the rows, tirelessly slicing away any weeds that stand in their way while avoiding the growing crops."

"The federal government announced a $241.5 million settlement with Marathon Oil on Thursday for alleged air quality violations at the company’s oil and gas operations on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota."

"Rising waters on the Blue Earth River in Minnesota washed out a portion of the Rapidan Dam near the town of Mankato, 50 miles southwest of Minneapolis, as floods inundated parts of the Midwest."