The Gateway

There's a headstone in the central Illinois town of El Paso for the first Black man to cast a ballot in the state, but historians aren't sure if that's where David Strother is actually buried.

Since Missouri streamlined enrollment in its full-time virtual learning program for K-through-12 students following the COVID-19 pandemic, enrollment has quadrupled. Growth in demand for online education comes at a time when more teachers appear frustrated with being in a classroom.

One of the world’s great migrations has begun. The eastern monarch butterfly is flying south, through the central U.S., to overwinter in Mexico. A decade ago, a federal task force laid out a plan to help monarchs along their journey by returning roadsides to native habitat, including Interstate 35 that goes through part of Missouri. Harvest Public Media’s Rachel Cramer explores what happened to the “Monarch Highway.”

The Black Rep is celebrating 50 years. Founder and producing director Ron Himes says each season he’s just surviving, but the theater’s mission to expose communities to Black stories will be its continued legacy. St. Louis Public Radio’s Andrea Henderson takes us behind the scenes of one of the largest African American professional theater companies in the country.

St. Louis Development Corporation CEO Stephen Westbrooks says for downtown St. Louis to feel like a neighborhood, it needs nearly double its current population. He says new incentives can get it there.

Missouri's congressional map is in turmoil following contradictory orders from a U.S. Supreme Court justice and a federal judge in St. Louis.

For most people, Walt Disney's name evokes cartoons, castles and the sprawling theme parks in California and Florida. But for a group of students from Western Michigan University, understanding Disney's imagination meant starting somewhere much smaller: a town of roughly 2,000 people in north-central Missouri.

The Missouri Supreme Court has ruled that a new Congressional Map that would have made it more difficult for Democratic Congressman Emanuel Cleaver to be re-elected is subject to a vote. That means that a Donald Trump-backed effort to oust the Kansas City Democrat may have failed. STLPR’s Jonathan Ahl talks with St. Louis Public Radio’s political correspondent Jason Rosenbaum about the decision’s impact.

Of the more than one million animal-related car accidents across the country each year, more than 3,000 of them happen in Missouri. As Trevor Grandin reports, a recent study by the Missouri Department of Transportation aims to stem the problem with wildlife-friendly infrastructure.

There are nine data centers operating in Missouri today, with another 52 in the works. Illinois already has more than 90. The growth of these facilities is pitting voters against big tech – often with elected leaders caught in the middle.

The Trump administration has eliminated thousands of federal jobs for experts who help farmers with conservation efforts. It's having a negative impact on farmers and their land.

A gnarly looking corn infection that Midwestern farmers dread is also a culinary delicacy in Mexico. Now, more chefs are introducing it to St. Louisans. St. Louis Public Radio’s Kate Grumke dove into the local world of corn smut to understand this emerging menu trend.

St. Alphonsus Liguori Catholic Church, also known as “The Rock” officially welcomed its newest priest this month. One of the few majority-Black Catholic parishes still in existence now has its first Black priest in over 20 years. As St. Louis Public Radio’s Andrea Henderson reports, Father Royce Thomas says he has big plans to revitalize the church.

A program known as the Housing Eviction Law Project, has struggled to meet the high demand for legal representation and fallen far short of the goals set for it by city legislators several years ago. But a new injection of funds could make a massive difference for renters in the city.

Breeding has been a debate for decades, and with shelters overflowing, there’s even more of a reason to adopt a dog rather than buying. But some dog breeders in St. Louis say that they breed ethically, and that buying a dog might not always be a bad thing.

A trip to the grocery store has gotten a lot more expensive in recent years. Ground beef, tomatoes, and coffee have all seen big spikes. Those higher prices can be especially hard on older adults on fixed incomes.

Getting to the dentist or doctor is necessary, but often inconvenient for us humans. Now imagine if you lived at the zoo. From dental X-rays, ultrasounds to CT scans, St. Louis zoo experts work to not only ensure the health of ‌an individual animal, but also its entire species.

As public fervor over data centers continues in the St. Louis region and nationwide, local leaders are trying to put guardrails in place on the developments. St. Louis Public Radio’s Jonathan Ahl spoke with reporters Kate Grumke and Kavahn Mansouri about where we stand now with local data center policies.

The Trump Administration's rules on student visas is hurting international student enrollment and the billions of dollars they add to the Midwest's economy

Imagine having ‘The Most Magical Place on Earth’ in your basement. A Metro East area man has done just that, creating a near perfect replica of Disney World’s Magic Kingdom with Lego. St. Louis Public Radio’s Marissanne Lewis-Thompson transports us to a Magic Kingdom all the way in O’Fallon, Illinois.

Money is the driving force behind Data Centers across the country. They can be very profitable. Some of that cash is flowing to communities in Illinois: here's how that has impacted their municipal budgets.

Farming is expensive. And this year, it‘s gotten even pricier with the rising cost of fertilizer and fuel. Equipment prices have also reached historic highs. That’s why many farmers are choosing to fix their old tractors and combines instead of buying new.

People love their pets. Dogs, cats, even smaller companions like rabbits and hamsters are a normal part of many people's everyday lives. But some in the St. Louis region have four-legged family members that aren’t so common. For Tony Jennings, who lives in south St. Louis, it’s his 4-year-old pet, Dior, an alligator.

It was vaudeville star W-C Fields who warned, “never work with animals or children.” St. Louis Public Radio’s Rachel Lippmann set off to find out what happens when St. Louis Shakespeare Festival ignores that old axiom of show business.

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.