The Gateway

In recent weeks, temperatures have plunged into the single digits - creating a dangerous situation for people experiencing homelessness. St. Louis Public Radio's Sarah Fentem takes a closer look at the issue of frostbite - and how one cold night can create health effects that can last a lifetime.

Nearly nine months later, St. Louis programs aimed to help people impacted by the May 16 tornado are only getting started. City officials say they struggled to get the aid programs running. STLPR's Kavahn Mansouri details why, and what's being done about it.

President Donald Trump's second term in office has been marked by a sharp shift in immigration policy and enforcement efforts — including deadly confrontations in Minneapolis. While St. Louis hasn't seen immigration raids like those, and the Trump administration hasn't announced any, community members are still on edge about the possibility.

Dairy farmers are struggling to stay afloat, turning to side hustles including cow cuddling and churn-your-own ice cream events to make ends meet.

Experts are predicting a shortage of airplane pilots in the coming years. A Missouri Community College is trying to meet that need by getting the first class of a new flight school off the ground.

Gregg Favre has spent most of his professional life in public service, including a decade with the St. Louis Fire Department. Four weeks ago, he returned to city employment to head the City Emergency Management Agency. This morning, a sit down with STLPR's Rachel Lippmann.

On a special episode of The Gateway, we're sharing a new podcast from STLPR that's just too exciting to confine to its own feed: check out the first episode of "Meet Me," hosted by Luis Antonio Perez. It's part of a new project about connecting across divides to find a way forward in a moment when division seems to dictate so much. To learn more, visit stlpr.org/MeetMe.

A newspaper published in St. Louis in the early 1900s had a big impact by building support for the Mexican Revolution. This Saturday at the Missouri History Museum, historian Francisco Perez will explore the life and legacy of Ricardo Flores Magón.

Wheat isn't grown as much as it used to be in Missouri. Last year saw only a half a million acres of wheat planted statewide, compared to almost 3 million acres in the 1980s. Production is also down in big wheat states across the Great Plains. With poor profits and drier climates, the hard red winter wheat has been harder to manage. But as Harvest Public Media contributor Calen Moore reports, new innovations could rejuvenate the wheat belt.

Missouri voters enshrined the right to an abortion in the state constitution in November 2024. Shortly after, Planned Parenthood sued the state over the way it regulates abortion. That lawsuit culminated in a trial in Jackson County Court that wrapped up on Monday. Now, Judge Jerri Zhang will decide whether Missouri's abortion regulations can stand.

The word “affordability” has been in the news a lot over the last few years, especially when it comes to the prices we pay at the grocery store. Holly Edgell of the Midwest Newsroom recently spoke to consumers and experts about affordability one year into President Trump's second term.

When Megan Green became St. Louis Board of Aldermen President in 2022, she said reforming tax incentives for development was one of her top priorities. More than three years later, she sat down with St. Louis Public Radio's Kavahn Mansouri to discuss the progress the city has made ... and what more needs to be done.

We have the latest on this weekend's winter storm heading into the region. Plus, local scientists are looking back at the weather in 2025 in Missouri and Illinois, and they say it was a year filled with extremes. St. Louis Public Radio's Senior Environment and Data Reporter Kate Grumke breaks down findings on last year's local climate.

1 in 8 American women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime — often leading to long and arduous treatments that change the way a woman's body looks. Rebecca Smith has more about one option for women after treatment that's helping them regain confidence in their bodies and themselves.

The Trump Administration is using a legal shortcut to make it easier to cut down trees in national forests. Illinois' Shawnee National Forest, the state's only national forest, is an early battleground against the increasingly popular tactic to fast track timber sales across the country.

A Scout from Missouri did more than just make Eagle Scout - he earned every one of the possible 140 merit badges, joining a rare group to ever complete the feat.

This week the Missouri State Board of Education voted to lower St. Louis Public Schools' accreditation status to “provisional.” On the same day, Governor Mike Kehoe signed an executive order requiring state education leaders to create a new way to evaluate school districts. Education reporter Hiba Ahmad breaks down a big week of education news.

Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe gave his second State of the State speech on Tuesday. He says he has wants to eliminate the state income tax, reduce government spending, and allocate more funds to St. Louis for tornado relief. St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum and Sarah Kellogg sat down with Kehoe after his speech to discuss his priorities for 2026.

Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe said in his State of the State Address that he wants Missourians to decide whether to eliminate the state income tax. Plus, allergic reactions from alpha-gal syndrome can be physically dangerous — even deadly. But it can also impact their mental health by making some of their favorite activities more dangerous. Rebecca Smith reports.

Midwestern scientists say the Trump administration has brought big changes to their fields in the last year - especially when it comes to climate change.

More than a year after Planned Parenthood sued to overturn Missouri's abortion ban, the issue heads to trial this week. St. Louis Public Radio's Jonathan Ahl spoke with health reporter Sarah Fentem about what to expect.

Maria Alexandra Machado moved to St. Louis several months ago, after fleeing political persecution in Venezuela under Nicolás Maduro's regime in 2017. Machado is the daughter of a former military intelligence director in Venezuela. She spoke with STLPR's Lacretia Wimbley about her experiences in her home country and perspective on what comes next.

Despite difficulty finding a place to perform, Canaan Wellspring will put on its biggest performance yet to display Palestinian culture — on its own terms. STLPR's Lara Hamdan reports.

Today marks the beginning of the 2026 Missouri Legislative Session. As St. Louis Public Radio's Sarah Kellogg reports, tax cuts and a smaller state budget are major issues this year, though the specifics of both are yet to be known.

The University of Missouri has lost almost a third of its Black student population over the last decade, and students say a lack of Black faculty is part of the reason. Lilley Halloran reports faculty say hostility from university leadership makes it hard to stay.

Missouri and Illinois Republicans praised President Donald Trump's early Saturday morning decision to invade Venezuela and apprehend its president, while Democrats condemned the strike. Plus, we hear from a figure skater competing for a spot on Team USA in St. Louis this week.

Climate change is affecting many area species. SLU researchers have found for a small bug called the treehopper, it is finding a way to adapt.

For a special edition of The Gateway Podcast, Abby Llorico sits down with STLPR's Visuals Editor, Brian Munoz, for a closer look at the stories behind some of the most poignant and important images from our team this year. We'll be back in your feed with news storytelling January 2.

Economists estimate that it takes six months for college graduates to get a job offer, but with slowing job creation now, that search takes longer. The Midwest Newsroom's Daniel Wheaton checked in with twelve traditional 2025 graduates to understand what the job search looks like for first-timers.

A hub of arts activity grows on Grand Center's eastern edge, after the Kranzberg Arts Foundation spent $50 million dollars repurposing old buildings there. As St. Louis Public Radio's Jeremy Goodwin reports, the nonprofit says it has set the stage, and now it's time for more public and private dollars to take a leading role.

As St. Louis Public Schools continues to develop a plan to consolidate buildings, a student at Washington University has created an exhibit to remember one school that was closed in 2003. St. Louis Public Radio's education reporter Hiba Ahmad takes us to the exhibit in this report.

St. Louis musicians have historically made their mark on the holidays — now Kris Kringle and the Jolly Jingles are putting their ‘North Pole Rock' twist on Christmas classics. St. Louis Public Radio's Brian Munoz hoped to speak with band founder Joe Bubenick about their unique sound, new song, and pandemic-era beginnings. But he wasn't free. So here's Kris Kringle instead.

St. Louis band Foxing has grown from indie newcomers into one of the most lauded emo revival bands out of the Midwest. But after more than a decade, the band is saying goodbye, at least for now. St. Louis Public Radio's Chad Davis went to meet the devoted fans who traveled miles to see one last show, and the guitarist who is grateful for their support.

The St. Joseph Housing Initiative revitalizes vacant properties in underserved St. Louis neighborhoods and renovates them before selling to first-time homebuyers. As St. Louis Public Radio's Lacretia Wimbley reports, the program is making homebuying dreams come true, one renovation at a time.

It's a different kind of club going up on this Tuesday: Two Lindenwood University students are creating a new party culture in St. Louis that doesn't go late into the night, and doesn't involve any alcohol. St. Louis Public Radio's Lara Hamdan reports.

Over the past 40 years, the St. Louis Lambert International Airport chaplaincy has prayed with military families, helped stranded travelers with hotels and supported numerous unhoused people with social services. All through in-kind donations. But as St. Louis Public Radio's Andrea Henderson reports, chaplains say their finances are slowly drying up.

100 years ago in St. Louis, cold winter temperatures brought an annual blanket of thick smog. The air quality was so bad, St. Louis Public Radio's Kate Grumke reports it planted the seeds for a famous Missouri institution.

In the fall of 2023, 540 St. Louis families were selected to receive $500 a month for a year and a half. The guaranteed basic income program, or GBI, aimed to help low-income residents meet basic financial needs. But halfway through the program, a lawsuit temporarily paused the payments. Then other crises hit. The Midwest Newsroom's Naomi Delkamiller reports.

With the cold weather hitting the St. Louis region in the past two weeks, Illinoisans have been using more natural gas to heat their homes. In the last six years, Ameren has been working to renovate its natural gas storage fields to make them more efficient for the company — and, they say, save customers money. St. Louis Public Radio's Will Bauer recently toured one of the fields near Freeburg and has this report.

University of Missouri sociologist Chris Conner has studied and written about conspiracy theories for years. And he says the belief in them is spreading beyond the typical fringe groups — it's our friends and family, too. He shares why so many Americans are adopting even the most extreme-sounding ideas, and how to respond.

The nonprofit organization Feeding America was looking for a better way to distribute billions of pounds of food to food banks each year. It used to use an algorithm to answer that question. It generated a list of food banks based on need, and when a shipment came up, Feeding America called the food bank at the top of the list. But what if a food bank didn't need or want that donation? The answer to that problem is a market economy, of sorts.

Ameren Missouri's new rates for data centers are now in effect. But a consumer advocacy group is asking for a redo. St. Louis Public Radio's Kate Grumke explains the case and the latest updates. Plus, Midwest seniors have two options for Medicare coverage– traditional Medicare through the government, or a private Medicare Advantage plan. While Advantage plans cost less up front, experts say seniors could pay the price with their health.

People with alpha gal syndrome are suddenly unable to eat meat or dairy. It's becoming more and more common in Missouri. In fact – so many people are living with the condition now, some restaurants are adapting their menus to accommodate, as Rebecca Smith reports.

The niche card game was once banned at a downstate Illinois prison, but is back and helping with rehabilitation efforts.

A St. Charles County judge who agreed to resign after being accused of misconduct by the state of Missouri, including for dressing in an Elvis Presley costume while on the bench, appears to have changed his mind. St. Louis on the Air producer Danny Wicentowski has the latest in the case.