The Gateway

Exposure to a highly toxic weedkiller called paraquat is tied to a person's risk of developing Parkinson's disease. Lawmakers in Missouri and other Midwestern states have tried to pass measures banning paraquat. But as the Midwest Newsroom's Luke Nozicka reports, their efforts have stalled this year.

Silos have dotted the landscape for 150 years. But the tower-like structures on farms that hold fermented feed for livestock are threatened by development and old age. One “silo hunter” in Illinois has been tracking down her grandfather's silos before they disappear.

Some of the special menu items at a restaurant in north St. Louis called Stevie's Jailhouse Kitchen are made with commissary products that 40-year-old Steven Gilliam used while locked away in federal prison. The menu is packed with unique dishes like locked and loaded jailhouse pizza and other seasonal options, and it's recently expanded to include traditional soul food. STLPR's Lacretia Wimbley pays a visit.

Parents of young children know the reality — childcare can cost almost as much as a mortgage. In Missouri and Illinois, families are spending anywhere from 9 to 19 thousand dollars a year to have their child cared for during the day. However, a fix is in the works to update how childcare subsidies are granted.

More than 41,000 Missourians on probation or parole will have their voting rights restored this month. Advocates say the new law is a win, but officials should do even more.

Voters weighed in on a measure to make it harder to pass ballot initiatives, an effort to remove the Missouri income tax, and a rematch between U.S. Rep. Wesley Bell and Cori Bush. We'll talk about the results and what's next.

Lakes and ponds are great places for recreation and enjoying nature. But in more urban areas they lack nearby wetlands that can help keep them healthy. As STLPR's Jonathan Ahl reports, Rolla is the latest place in Missouri to adopt a cheap and easy way to remedy this – by bringing the wetlands to the water.

The next generation faces a difficult agricultural economy in its efforts to take over family farm operations: how steep costs and economic uncertainty are impacting farm succession plans.

Missourians will decide Tuesday whether to make it harder for some constitutional amendments to be enacted. St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum reports on how backers say that the current process drowns out rural voices – but opponents counter that the amendment gives too much power to the state legislature.

On Tuesday, Missourians will decide the fate of a proposed constitutional amendment that gives lawmakers the ability to expand sales and use taxes in order to eliminate the state income tax. While proponents of the measure say it would create growth for Missouri, opponents argue it will increase the cost of living in the state. St. Louis Public Radio's Sarah Kellogg reports.

Overland's mayor is speaking out about the federal enforcement action preceding the deaths of a couple who'd recently left the city due to federal immigration enforcement action there. Plus, a breakdown at what the outcome of the Bush-Bell matchup will say about the future of the Democratic Party.

Two high schoolers represented St. Louis on the national stage at the Jimmy Awards. Langston Casey, a recent graduate of Grand Center Arts Academy, and Julia Gerling, a rising senior at Union High School, headed to the National High School Musical Theatre Awards last month. There, high school actors and actresses are coached and trained by Broadway professionals for scholarships.

A WashU professor says a bipartisan federal bill aiming to make it easier to build housing while targeting corporate landlords who buy up thousands of homes doesn't go far enough.

South St. Louis County residents are speaking out against a proposal to fill a quarry that has sat empty for decades. They worry the project could have negative effects on flooding, traffic and air quality.

Extreme thunderstorms are happening more frequently in Missouri. These often lead to flash floods. Jana Rose Schleis reports on how the increased threat of rising water is changing the work of emergency responders.

The so-called Midwest Exodus of the early 2020s may be over. As the Midwest Newsroom's Holly Edgell reports, housing affordability and social ties play a major role in drawing people to the region.

Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge will soon depart Lambert St. Louis International Airport for the last time as its director. She's retiring after 16 years at the helm. She sat down with STLPR's Abby Llorico to discuss her career and what's next for Lambert.

Dogs in St. Louis' Holly Hills neighborhood have a place they must go on their walks. It's a water fountain set up by a resident to help take care of furry friends on hot days, and also bring the neighborhood together. But the reach goes even farther thanks to a camera that puts the good boys and girls online. St. Louis Public Radio's Marissanne Lewis-Thompson brings us to the hottest spot on Haven street.

The MATI festival — also known as Music at the Intersection —is presenting one hundred artists this weekend across five stages in Grand Center. Hip hop performer and producer Wyclef Jean headlines on Sunday at the Fabulous Fox Theatre. St. Louis Public Radio's Aaron Doerr asked him if he had a specific message for his St. Louis audience.

Ten million dollars of the city's Rams settlement funds will help tackle St. Louis' more than 24-thousand vacant properties. St. Louis Public Radio Economic Development reporter Kavahn Mansouri spoke with Ward 3 Alderman and Recorder of Deeds candidate Shane Cohn about why he pushed to secure the funding to address the city's vacant property problem.

This morning, stories of new territory: how a Grammy-winning artist is reimagining classics at a local festival, the hurdles South Grand business owners face as they work to rebuild, the foreign countries where people without legal status are being sent, and the new perspective on the universe at the Science Center.

The Environmental Protection Agency released new rules regulating the controversial herbicide dicamba earlier this year. While it can be an effective tool for farmers to control weeds, it can also drift in the wind and kill other plants. As St. Louis Public Radio's Will Bauer reports, experts don't expect the new rules to solve all the underlying issues with dicamba.

St. Charles County Republicans are facing their most competitive primary for county executive in years. And St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum reports, the three major contenders are concerned that the County's growth may be coming to an end.

Detainees at the St. Louis County jail learned to tickle the ivories this spring. St. Louis Public Radio's Lacretia Wimbley reports the piano lessons help to boost the spirits of residents at a jail that has struggled to provide them with enough recreation time.

Recorder of Deeds Michael Butler is not seeking another term in the office, which keeps vital records like birth certificates and real estate transactions. STLPR'S Rachel Lippmann takes a look at the candidates seeking to fill the job.

As the U.S. population ages, the number of people with dementia is expected to climb in the coming decades. More than 120,000 Missourians live with Alzheimer's disease, while even more provide unpaid care. As the Midwest Newsroom's Luke Nozicka reports, a Missouri couple is working to persuade lawmakers their support is critical to early detection and intervention.

As immigration enforcement from the Trump Administration has increased across the country, St. Louisans have found ways to help immigrant families who fear deportation. St. Louis Public Radio's Chad Davis reports on how grassroots groups and other organizations have been teaming up and recruiting volunteers.

The Bosnia and Herzegovina men's soccer team went further in the FIFA World Cup this year than it ever had before the U.S. knocked them out last week. For many in St. Louis' large Bosnian community, all the hubbub has resulted in a deepened sense of connection that they hope will endure far beyond the end of the soccer tournament.

A researcher at WashU is part of the effort to show how mRNA vaccines can better protect against the flu.

STLPR obtained records on a rural Illinois traffic stop led to three Collinsville teens landing in ICE custody.

The founders of Kansas City's Red Tail Academy are trying to grow the relatively small number of Black people in the aviation industry. Brandon Azim visits the flight school to find out how.

Of the 100 bills that Missouri lawmakers passed this year, none dealt with data centers. But that wasn't due to a lack of effort from some lawmakers. And with the topic only gaining momentum statewide, the issue is likely to reappear next session.

Last fall, St. Louis pivoted from building a light rail line that runs from north city to south city, to a bus line instead. This week, the final route for the bus rapid transit Green Line was approved. But as St. Louis Public Radio's Rebecca Thiele explains to Marissanne Lewis-Thompson, there's still a long way to go before the city can start work on the project.

The Missouri Department of Conservation manages nearly a million acres of land across the state. The department employs conservation agents with full law enforcement powers to protect wildlife, property and people. And, as Will Firra reports, some of those agents get some extra four-legged help.

Data centers have become a lightning rod for local governments in Missouri. Public forums have turned into shouting matches where people decry the developments and demand they be stopped, or at least put on hold until regulations are in place. But in Rolla, an invited group of business, government, and academic leaders came together to speak positively about the controversial developments.

Billions of dollars in wind farm projects all over Illinois are on hold. That's having a huge impact on the energy grid and the economy.

This month, a native berry is ready to pick throughout the Midwest. Juneberries — also called serviceberries — have a sweet, nutty flavor. But most people have never tried them. St. Louis Public Radio's Kate Grumke reports on a new push to get Juneberries onto plates.

Companies such as Amazon and Google are looking for land to build new data centers in Missouri. That means more residents packing meetings and message boards, looking for answers.

Last summer was the first time Missourians exposed to radioactive waste could apply for compensation under a federal program. But parents whose children died after living near the waste don't get to see that money. St. Louis Public Radio's Lacretia Wimbley spoke with two moms who lost their daughters to cancer and hope for a change.

St. Louis leaders are teaming up with Missouri's federal delegation to try to get much-needed money for tornado recovery efforts. But as St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum explains, getting Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Relief funds to the city won't be an easy or quick task.

While a lot of student research projects end up in a storage bin in the attic, one that some Illinois 8th graders worked on is now state law.

Today, the region boasts one of the largest Bosnian communities in the world. And that community has had a lot to boast about recently, with the city hosting the Bosnia-Herzegovina national soccer team in the lead-up to the World Cup. Plus, how St. Louis is showing up this World Cup.

Composer Andre Previn's 1995 opera “A Streetcar Named Desire” puts playwright Tennessee Williams' story onstage with an intense, mood-shifting score. Opera Theatre of St. Louis' new production is the first collaboration between its new artistic director, Patricia Racette — and its Principal Conductor, Daniela Candillari. St. Louis Public Radio's Jeremy Goodwin spoke with them about the show.

Development of large-scale data centers is booming across the Midwest. The number of data centers in Illinois is set to nearly double, while Missouri already has 91 of them, mostly centered around St. Louis and Kansas City. But water and energy usage are rallying some communities against data centers. As Harvest Public Media's Abigail Bottar reports, local and state governments are rushing to regulate this growing industry.

One year ago, a man detained by ICE in the Phelps County Jail died. That led a group of concerned residents in Rolla to form Abide in Love — an organization dedicated to helping immigrants and their families. The movement has spread to seven chapters across three states. St. Louis Public Radio's Jonathan Ahl was there as members of the group celebrated the one-year commitment to their efforts.