*Note: this episode is built for radio broadcasting and includes breaks filled with music for podcast purposes.

This week on Yonder Radio, we start out with a story from KFF Health News, about the closure of dialysis clinics in rural Nebraska. Arielle Zionts reports that shuttering clinics mean that patients will have to drive several additional hours each way to receive life-saving care.

We’ll continue our visit to the Great Plains with Kristy Bly, who manages the restoration of the Black Footed Ferret with the World Wildlife Fund. Then, we’ll head to western North Carolina, to learn about the tradition of ballad swapping, and its special significance in the wake of Hurricane Helene. Finally, reporter Ilana Newman takes us to the Sandhill Crane Festiva ...