SpaceX ‘pinky promises’ no bad impacts for Louisiana locals — then forced to backtrack
In a tense meeting, SpaceX managers told locals the massive spaceport won’t affect them at all. Then locals pressed for specifics.
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Stories about the people and communities of the Mississippi River Basin, exploring culture, equity, public health, economic opportunities and more
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SpaceX ‘pinky promises’ no bad impacts for Louisiana locals — then forced to backtrack
In a tense meeting, SpaceX managers told locals the massive spaceport won’t affect them at all. Then locals pressed for specifics.
Aging farmers and the government want to save farms, but for many the cost is too high
A federal program promises to pay for farmland preservation. Few landowners are taking advantage.
Researchers, patients optimistic in fight against alpha-gal syndrome
A support group and a lab in the St. Louis area provide resources for people with the allergy to mammal products — and evidence that its effects can be reversed.
Mississippi River mayors help cities navigate rising data center interest
More than three-quarters of member cities in a Mississippi River coalition have been approached to host AI infrastructure.
Inside the private deal between Amazon and one town’s water system
The tech giant promises Ridgeland, Mississippi, its massive data center won’t strain water supplies. But an exclusive look at their agreement shows there are few guarantees.
As data centers expand, advocates call for regulations on lights
The Midwest has more than 600 data centers, with hundreds in development. Light pollution rules would protect migrating birds and nighttime pollinators.
Alpha-gal syndrome is spreading rapidly. Arkansas may hold clues to why it’s spreading, how it functions — and what comes next.
Diagnoses of the severe, tick-borne allergy are rising throughout the basin. The frontlines of the disease offer lessons.
After decades of overhunting and habitat loss, black bears are slowly recolonizing the lower Mississippi River Basin
The Mississippi Alluvial Valley was once the ‘breadbasket’ of black bears
Tourism, entertainment give towns along Mississippi River a reboot
The Great River Road, an artery running from Minnesota to Louisiana, is providing a lifeline to small towns
Census model: More than 800K Mississippi River basin households may not have access to air conditioning
Amid dangerous heat, resources for those without air conditioning vary at the local level
Silos are disappearing from the landscape. One woman wants to hunt them down before they do.
For 150 years, silos have been a fixture of the Corn Belt, but efforts to preserve them have been haphazard.
With a federal plan to dam a river nearly set, fears persist over the effectiveness and downstream impact
The Pearl River nourishes wildlife, communities and Gulf seafood. Critics say the latest flood-control proposal is a real estate development in disguise.