News from rural America.

States are waiting to hear how much money they'll get from the Rural Health Transformation Program, the DHS is incentivizing local law enforcement to join the federal immigration crackdown and Texas is creating its own Appalachian Trail.

TRANSCRIPT

For the Daily Yonder and Public News Service, this is the news from rural America.

A deadline's looming for the federal government to say which projects will get funding under the Rural Health Transformation Program.

With hundreds of rural hospitals and clinics barely hanging on and big Medicaid cuts coming, state proposals advocate for medication-delivering drones, telehealth at local libraries, and even church-hosted wellness events.

Sarah Jane Tribble reports for KFF Health News.

It's not just for rural hospitals, but it's for all sorts of rural activities to improve health outcomes across America.

The five-year plan is part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a law that also drastically cuts safety net spending.

Tribble notes the program's funding equals a third of the estimated loss to Medicaid on which rural providers depend.

This $50 billion rural health transformation program will not offset the nearly $1 trillion Medicaid spending reduction.

Federal officials have promised to announce awards by December 31st, but some Democratic led states say they're afraid they could lose out if the process involves retaliation.

The Trump administration wants local law enforcement to join the federal immigration crackdown.

As Anya Slepian reports, it's offering big incentives that could appeal to cash strapped rural counties.

The Department of Homeland Security says it will reimburse salaries, benefits and overtime for state, county and local officers to partner with ICE to track down undocumented migrants.

But Justin Smith with the National Sheriffs Association says even those perks may not persuade many rural departments.

It doesn't change the priorities.

If you're still having other local crime issues in your community, that's still where you're going to be focused.

There are currently more than twelve hundred federal and local cooperation agreements across 40 states.

But critics say local police already have more than enough to do.

Smith says communities have to prioritize.

That's where those conversations come down of realistic expectations of what the role of local police is.

And it's not a black and white line.

I'm Anya Slepian.

They say everything's bigger in Texas and the folks behind a recreational trail aimed to prove it.

Becky Irvin is leading the ambitious X-Tex project, a proposed 1500-mile route connecting hikers, bikers and equestrians with the state's wild places.

Irvin says even though Texas is the second largest of the lower 48, these kinds of opportunities are limited. 95 to 97 percent of Texas is privately owned, which means on average, there's about 4 percent of land that Texans can access.

Irvin says supporters want X-Tex to become a long distance destination trek, much like the Appalachian Trail.

Second to California, Texas is the most biodiverse state in the country.

You will get to see how diverse the flora, the fauna, the weather is."

For the Daily Yonder and Public News Service, I'm Roz Brown.

For more rural stories, visit dailyyonder.com.