South Dakota's licensed Native American foster homes jumped 44% after new rules made it easier for relatives and family friends to become licensed kinship caregivers.

Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers joins Republican counterparts in suing to block the Trump administration's reclassification of marijuana to a less restricted federal category.

Kansas lost 10,300 low-income children from its food assistance program after federal legislation tightened work requirements and shifted costs to the state.

New Mexico is tripling its loan repayment program for physicians to up to $300,000 to combat a shortage of more than 5,000 health care professionals statewide.

The U.S. Supreme Court approved a settlement ending a 13-year water dispute between Texas, New Mexico and the federal government over Rio Grande irrigation rights.

Oregon kindergarteners entered school this year at record low vaccination rates, with only 85.6% up to date on required shots as nonmedical exemptions climb steeply.

The U.S. Forest Service and South Dakota signed a five-year agreement to jointly manage national forest lands through timber harvesting, prescribed burning, thinning, and habitat restoration.

Governor Spencer Cox issued an executive order Friday requiring state agencies to prioritize protecting the Great Salt Lake and water quality when evaluating data center projects, responding to public opposition to a massive proposed facility in northern Utah.

Oklahoma higher education officials approved new policies Friday allowing universities to propose three-year bachelor's degree programs with as few as 90 credit hours for state review.

Federal regulators pause the proposed merger of Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern, requesting more details about competitive impacts and public interest concerns by late July.