The Gateway

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.

In the U.S., industries and cities used to pollute rivers so heavily that at least one – in Ohio – caught fire a dozen times. But half a century ago, a series of landmark federal laws started reining in water pollution. As a result, some rivers across the country are bouncing back to life.

Miles Davis and John Coltrane made some of the most beloved jazz recordings during a collaboration that began in the mid-1950's. Both artists would have celebrated their 100th birthdays this year. STLPR's Jeremy Goodwin has the story of a tribute concert in St. Louis this weekend.

The Missouri legislature passed very few education changes this past session, despite about 10 bills making it close to the finish line. St. Louis Public Radio's Lilley Halloran reports on where things fell apart and what the future may hold.

Fifteen people say they were physically assaulted by staff, and some sexually abused by other residents, at Change Academy at Lake of the Ozarks, a youth residential treatment center in Missouri that takes in children from across the country.

The state's spending plan is nearly flat compared to last year's, as lawmakers grappled with economic headwinds tied to federal policy changes and the Iran war.

This spring, Missouri lawmakers sparred over whether to build – and how to fund – construction of new nuclear power plants. And as Jana Rose Schleis reports, the potential for new multi-billion dollar nuclear projects has reignited a 50-year-old debate.

St. Louis Shakespeare Festival's fast-moving production of "The Tempest" in Forest Park sets the story to the tune of sea chanteys and folk songs, performed live on two stages. As St. Louis Public Radio's Jeremy Goodwin reports, the production evokes the magic encountered by its characters … with music.

Millions of immigrants apply for asylum in the United States every year, which protects them from deportation. But judges in a Missouri immigration court deny the majority of asylum claims they consider. A story of the obstacles facing asylum seekers from The Midwest Newsroom.

The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to weaken protection of majority-minority districts could lead to Missouri Republicans dismantling the St. Louis-based 1st Congressional District. But while some GOP officials are supportive of that move, St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum reports that another Missouri redistricting gambit carries significant risk for Republicans.

Juan Baltazar is one of five people who died during last year's May 16 tornado. He was known in the St. Louis community for his warm personality – and his wood-roasted corn. As St. Louis Public Radio's Andrea Henderson reports, Baltazar's loved ones say his untimely death has been difficult for the family to grasp.

Contractors are slated to demolish hundreds of homes damaged or destroyed by the May 2025 tornado in the coming months. Residents are in for a dusty summer, and experts say neighbors should take precautions to keep their lungs healthy. STLPR's Sarah Fentem reports.

A 29-year-old Florissant man who came to the U.S. when he was four years old is now being deported to Mexico. ICE agents detained Victor López Delara after a traffic stop earlier this year. Now his fiancee and two children are preparing to follow him back to Mexico. St. Louis Public Radio's Chad Davis spoke with López Delara by phone from the Ste. Genevieve County Jail

The Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri says a routine immigration appointment upended his family's life for a year. Reverend Deon Johnson shares how a separation following the appointment affected their children, how Johnson navigated it as an immigrant himself, and why he's choosing to share his story.

The Mississippi River is lined with decades-old levees that sit right on the river bank. But some researchers say those levees are doing a poor job of preventing floods — especially as climate change makes historic flooding events more common and more severe. As St. Louis Public Radio's Katie Grawitch reports, a new setback levee system near Spanish Lake is one of many getting a makeover that will help it guard against flooding.

One year after the tornado that devastated parts of the St. Louis Region, especially north St. Louis, survivors of the storm and people remembering loved ones talk about moving forward. STLPR's Lacretia Wimbley joins a family on their first trip to a garden named in honor of one of the tornado's victims. Plus: Takeaways from the 2026 Missouri Legislative Session

Black homeowners are considering their paths forward after the May 16 tornado, and for many, those plans don't include another home. STLPR looks into how that could impact generations to come. Plus, we look into what the City needs to do to prepare for another storm.

Nearly a year ago, an EF3 tornado tore through neighborhoods and homes in St. Louis. Roofs are still tarped. Windows still boarded. Many families are still displaced and waiting for aid. St. Louis Public Radio's “Meet Me” project invited residents to an open mic to share their stories of that day — and every day since. =