Investigate Midwest

1 week ago | investigatemidwest.org | Lauren Cross |Investigate Midwest

If you live in a small town, you probably have fewer grocery stores than you did 30 years ago — and fewer choices inside them. Independent grocers have disappeared, replaced by big national chains that now decide what’s on the shelves, how much it costs, and who gets to profit. In 1990, the top four grocery chains controlled just 13% of nationwide sales. By 2019, the top four retailers — Walmart, Kroger, Costco, and Ahold Delhaize — controlled 34% of U.S. grocery sales, according to the USDA.

1 week ago | arkansasadvocate.com | Juan Vassallo |Investigate Midwest

by Juan Vassallo, Investigate Midwest, Arkansas Advocate June 16, 2025 As Jill Trapp steered her pickup truck down the red dirt roads of southeast Oklahoma, she raised a hand to greet a passing neighbor — a calf roper who once made it to the National Finals Rodeo. She drove on, passing a modest cowboy church where Sunday sermons share space with country music and the smell of brisket.

1 week ago | thefacts.com | Investigate Midwest |Mónica Cordero

Champaign, IL (Investigate Midwest)Membership gives you sneaks peeks into major investigations and behind-the-scenes insights -- plus, you help sustain investigative journalism. kAm(9:=6 !C6D:56?E s@?2=5 %CF>AVD :?4C62D6 @7 E2C:77D \\ 2?5 C6E2=:2E@CJ E2C:77D 7C@> @E96C 4@F?EC:6D \\ H:== =:<6=J >62? 76H6C &]$] 28C:4F=EFC2= 6IA@CED[ E96 AC6D:56?E 92D 4@?D:DE6?E=J DF886DE65 E92E p>6C:42? 72C>6CD 42?

2 weeks ago | sentientmedia.org | Juan Vassallo |Investigate Midwest

This story was originally published on Investigate Midwest. As Jill Trapp steered her pickup truck down the red dirt roads of southeast Oklahoma, she raised a hand to greet a passing neighbor — a calf roper who once made it to the National Finals Rodeo. She drove on, passing a modest cowboy church where Sunday sermons share space with country music and the smell of brisket.

2 weeks ago | agdaily.com | Juan Vassallo |Investigate Midwest

While Tyson says its growers obtain water from ‘lawfully acquired sources,’ the state’s permitting system allows poultry operations to pump water without permits. As Jill Trapp steered her pickup truck down the red dirt roads of southeast Oklahoma, she raised a hand to greet a passing neighbor — a calf roper who once made it to the National Finals Rodeo. She drove on, passing a modest cowboy church where Sunday sermons share space with country music and the smell of brisket.