David Condos

Temperatures have been over 100 degrees for days at Zion National Park. Is it keeping the tourists away? No, even as two hikers in a nearby state park died of apparent heat-related causes Saturday.

Extreme temperatures boost wildfire danger, and the forecast for some Southwestern states include high winds. That means warnings are being issued for fires that could start and spread quickly.

Towns across the Great Plains are shrinking. Some families in western Kansas are now looking to youth rodeo as a way to preserve their rural lifestyle.

Decades of large scale crop irrigation now means big water problems in drought-stricken areas like western Kansas.

Scientists seeking to learn about prehistoric oceans have flocked to an unlikely place: western Kansas. And today, the fossils embedded in these Great Plains could hold clues about the future of life.

Scientists seeking to learn about prehistoric oceans have flocked to an unlikely place: western Kansas. And now, the fossils embedded in these Great Plains could hold clues about the future of life.

For small towns with dwindling populations and shrinking tax bases, luring travelers to stop and spend a few dollars is a matter of survival. Some turn to quirky roadside tourist attractions.

Installing high-speed fiber internet in rural places like western Kansas is very expensive, even with government subsidies. Some smaller, local broadband providers are finding ways to make it work.

In rural farming regions, dangerous chemicals from fertilizer have made their way into water sources. For some towns, it takes millions of dollars just to get clean water for a few hundred residents.

Cotton farming is inching north into the Midwest. Climate change combined with dwindling water resources and new infrastructure means states like Kansas are becoming cotton country.