Diagnoses of alpha-gal syndrome are rising throughout the Mississippi River basin. Story by Arkansas Times’s Elizabeth Cline (@elizabethlcline.bsky.social) https://arktimes.com/arkansas-blog/2026/09/02/tick-tick-boom-alpha-gal-syndrome-the-severe-tick-borne-allergy-is-spreading-rapidly 

TICK, TICK, BOOM! Alpha-gal syndrome is spreading rapidly. Arkansas may hold clues to why. - Arkansas Times

As an epicenter of a mysterious tick-borne illness, The Natural State offers a window into what’s driving its rise, how it functions — and what comes next.

arktimes.com

Black bears are starting to recolonize the lower Mississippi River basin. Story by bsky@tennesseelookout.com’s Cassandra Stephenson https://tennesseelookout.com/2026/08/27/after-decades-of-overhunting-black-bears-are-slowly-recolonizing-the-lower-mississippi-river-basin/ 

After decades of overhunting, black bears are slowly recolonizing the lower Mississippi River basin • Tennessee Lookout

Officials with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency say black bears are slowly recolonizing Middle and West Tennessee.

tennesseelookout.com

Desk reporter Héctor Alejandro Arzate explains why this summer’s “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico fell below earlier predictions. Read the full story at the link below. https://lailluminator.com/2026/08/13/dead-zone-gulf/

Meet Lina Tran! She is the Desk’s new assistant editorial director. She will edit our expanding lineup of content, with a particular focus on digital and social media. Join us in welcoming Lina to the Desk!

Meet Annika McGinnis! She is the Desk’s new data journalist. She will work with our reporters to enhance their data work and visual presentation, while producing stories using her deep experience and knowledge of water issues. Join us in welcoming Annika to the Desk!

In two places at once? You might have caught Desk staff and reporters at today’s Report For America National Gathering in New Orleans, Louisiana. You might also have seen us in Columbia, Missouri. Today was a day when our staff from across the Basin had the chance to rep the Desk!

We hope to see you at the Missouri State Fair! Desk Social Media Producer Dominique Hodge is sharing a booth with the University of Missouri’s School of Natural Resources and the Missouri Water Center. Stop by to learn more about our reporting, Missouri watersheds and how to stay connected with us.

Meet Stella Mayerhoff (@stellamayerhoff.bsky.social)! She is KAXE/KBXE’s Mississippi River Headwaters Reporter and Report for America Corps member. She is thrilled to be back in the Midwest and extend her love of science in her reporting. Join us in welcoming Stella to the Desk!

Meet Claire Carlson (@clairecarlson.bsky.social)! She is MinnPost’s Drinking Water Reporter. Claire is excited to explore Minnesota communities’ relationship with water and other topics, such as PFAS contamination or climate change impacts on drinking water. Join us in welcoming Claire to the Desk!

Meet Elizabeth Cline! She covers climate and environment for the ArkansasTimes and a Report for America Corps member. Elizabeth enjoys connecting readers with nature and communicating complex environmental issues in clear ways. Join us in welcoming Elizabeth to the Desk!

Meet Cheree Franco (@chereefranco)! She is Verite News’s Ag and Water Reporter and a Report for America Corps member. She plans to cover everything from urban farmers and farmers markets to local and regional implications of national policy like the Farm Bill. Welcome Cheree to the Desk!

Meet Maria Peralta Arellano! She is WXPR’s Water Quality and Environmental Reporter and Report for America Corps member. She is excited to learn more about PFAS and other key issues affecting her home state of Wisconsin. Join us in welcoming Maria to the Desk!

Meet Rose LaForest! She is Nine PBS’s Agriculture Reporter and a Report for America Corps member. Rose will cover farming, food science, agriculture technology and rural issues. Join us in welcoming Rose to the Desk!

AI-generated social media posts are spreading misinformation about solar panels nationwide. Story by Delaney Nolan of The Lens https://thelensnola.org/2026/06/30/unfounded-fears-hamper-louisianas-solar-boom/ 

Unfounded fears hamper Louisiana’s solar boom | The Lens

Misinformation, spread by social media and AI-generated content, derails solar projects

thelensnola.org

Thank you for filling out our survey! Your responses are helping us innovate and grow to meet your needs and the needs of communities across the basin. We will use your insights and feedback to sharpen our website and our storytelling.

Desk reporter Héctor Alejandro Arzate explains how this summer’s “dead zone” in the Gulf will be larger than average. Full story in the link. https://www.wwno.org/coastal-desk/2026-06-29/this-summers-dead-zone-in-the-gulf-will-be-larger-than-average-but-task-force-claims-progress-is-being-made 

Desk reporter Madeleine Heim discusses how Mississippi River towns are redefining themselves. Visit her story at the link below. https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/environment/2026/07/08/towns-along-mississippi-now-mix-tourism-entertainment-with-tradition/90373481007/ 

More than 800,000 Mississippi River basin households may not have access to air conditioning amid dangerous heat. Story by Tennessee Lookout’s Cassandra Stephenson https://tennesseelookout.com/2026/07/07/census-data-model-nearly-50k-tennessee-households-may-not-have-access-to-air-conditioning/ 

Census data model: Nearly 50K Tennessee households may not have access to air conditioning • Tennessee Lookout

Data released by the U.S. Census Bureau in May estimated that about 2% of Tennessee households have no access to any kind of air conditioning.

tennesseelookout.com

Thank you to @dailyyonder.bsky.social for picking up our recent story about farmer-led planning. Check it out on your local public radio station, or hear it here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/43veKEzVgsDE4k0PtdGOuz?si=qXkylZc6RfONdo31zObinQ&nd=1&dlsi=56bb0974c2144d02 

Last chance! Guide our coverage and tell us what’s important to you. Let our Desk reporters, editors and staff know how we can improve. → Take the survey: https://tally.so/r/A7956l 

We still want to hear from you! The Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk is running a short reader survey to better understand our audience, sharpen our website, hear what's working and what's missing. Take the survey before it closes in two days! → Take the survey: https://tally.so/r/A7956l 

Three more days until our survey closes! The Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk is running a short reader survey to better understand our audience, sharpen our website, hear what's working and what's missing. → Take the survey: https://tally.so/r/A7956l 

China has started buying U.S. soybeans again under trade deal with Trump, but farmers say the future remains "daunting." Desk story by the Tennessee Lookout's Cassandra Stephenson.

Tennessee soybean farmers get morale boost from better prices, but future remains ‘daunting’ • Tennessee Lookout

Crops are in the ground, the weather is cooperating, soybean prices are up slightly from 2025, and China — the biggest buyer of U.S. soybean exports — is once again placing orders after a trade agreement ended the country’s purchasing freeze last fall. But while morale is higher among Tennessee soybean farmers as the 2026 […]

tennesseelookout.com

We partnered with advanced @mujschool students to investigate the rise of data centers. The team interviewed 50 experts to explain why companies like Amazon, Google and Meta are moving into rural areas. Find their stories and a community toolkit at missouribusinessalert.com/data-centers/.

Fierce debates in city council chambers ensue as communities call moratoriums and elections in an attempt to stop data center expansion. Story by Missouri Business Alert’s Sterling Sewell and Max Quinn @mobusinessalert.bsky.social

Where legislatures lag, local officials are stopping data centers altogether

In Missouri and many other states, data center regulatory efforts have been stymied. That’s prompting fierce debates in city council chambers.

missouribusinessalert.com

As data center proposals pop up, ordinary citizens are working to spread information about developments. Story by Missouri Business Alert’s Finnegan Belleau and Dylan Barbee @mobusinessalert.bsky.social

Ordinary people fill information gaps when data centers come knocking

Companies like Amazon and Google are often coming to small towns amid the boom in generative artificial intelligence. That has forced residents to fill an information gap left by the decline of local media.

missouribusinessalert.com

We want to hear from you! The Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk is running a short reader survey to better understand our audience, sharpen our website, hear what's working and what's missing. → Take the survey: https://tally.so/r/A7956l 

Subscriber Survey

tally.so

The Natural Resources Conservation Service lost a third of its staff last year. The federal agency helps farmers protect soil and water and fight climate change. Advocates say these goals are in jeopardy. Story by WWNO’s Eva Tesfaye.

The agency that helps farmers protect the environment lost a third of its staff last year. And more cuts could be coming.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service is a federal agency that helps farmers protect soil and water and fight climate change. Advocates say those goals are in jeopardy.

wwno.org

If you follow the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk, we'd love five minutes of your time. We're running a short reader survey to better understand our audience, sharpen our website, hear what's working and what's missing. → Take the survey: https://tally.so/r/A7956l 

For 150 years, silos have been a fixture of the Corn Belt, but efforts to preserve them have been haphazard. Marianne May is on a mission to document the dozens of silos her grandfather designed and built in Illinois. Story and audio by Northern Public Radio's Jess Savage.

Silos are disappearing from the landscape. She wants to hunt them down before they do

Silos are threatened by development and old age. One “silo hunter” in McHenry County has been tracking down her grandfather’s silos before they disappear.

northernpublicradio.org