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Refugee and immigrant communities in the U.S. are losing loved ones to opioids — and often, people in these communities have a hard time talking about it openly. St. Louis-based coalition ECORN is working to build in-language, culturally appropriate resources and data to help.

Ballroom culture, now a mainstay in popular culture. Not to be confused with waltzing, swinging or doing the two-step — ballroom scene has become a global phenomena. It’s championed by Black and brown LGBTQ artists in dance, music and fashion. Filmmaker Bobby Best captured St. Louis’ ballroom scene in his latest documentary film, “Tens Across the Board,” which was produced by the founder of Tens Ballroom, Maven Lee.

Early childhood educators are bracing for September 30. That’s when the Child Care Stabilization Program — funding allocated as part of the American Rescue Plan Act — will end, leaving hundreds of St. Louis and Metro East facilities in a lurch. Providers Aimee Washington-Hart, Paula-Breonne Vickers and Shona Lamond share what it will take to get early childhood education and the support and funding necessary to keep facilities open.

Jamie Corley founded the Missouri Women and Family Research Fund in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court Dobbs decision, which led to Missouri’s ban on most abortions. Corley, a Republican who has worked for several high-profile GOP lawmakers, has put forth six ballot initiative petitions that would chip away at the state’s ban. She shares the details of her proposals and makes the case that the current abortion law is too extreme for most Missouri conservatives.

Danny Jacobs thought he knew his father Richard Jacobs. But after his father’s death, Danny began to discover that the man he knew as a manipulator, liar and fabricator had even more layers. Danny and his childhood best friend Darren Grodsky returned to St. Louis to search for the truth behind Richard Jacobs’ life, which is the subject of the new podcast “How to Destroy Everything.”

St. Louis is among the few cities that don't regulate short-term rentals. That’s left the city’s Assessor Michael Dauphin to investigate units to see if they’re being operated as a business, or if they’re being controlled by absentee landlords or LLCs. City legislators are working on a bill that could change how people use platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo. Ward 4 Alderman Bret Narayan adds his insight on the challenge of regulating short-term rentals, and shares updates on the bill’s status.

Since it opened in April 2022, St. Louis ramen shop Menya Rui has received plenty of local acclaim, and the long lines of diners waiting to experience the delicious house-made noodles are about to get longer. Food & Wine has named chef-owner Steven Pursley one of this year's 11 “Best New Chefs.” In this encore episode, Pursley discusses his experience connecting with his roots in Japan and what he learned about the different types of ramen during his time there.

It’s no question that St. Louis is heating up. The region is part of a “heat belt” that is forming across the Midwest and parts of the South, which will face heat indexes of 125 degrees or higher in about 30 years. As we unpack our sweaters in anticipation of cooler, autumnal temps, you may want to consider whether your home can take the heat. Holly Edgell, managing editor of the Midwest Newsroom at NPR shares her recent reporting on the personal and environmental dangers of “hot houses.”

GM workers in Wentzville were among the first United Auto Workers in the nation to strike for higher pay. Sonya Wagner, who has worked at General Motors Co.'s Wentzville Assembly plant for 10 years, shares why she is on the picket line and what she and her colleagues demand. Also, Washington University sociologist Jason Rosenfeld provides insight on how this strike fits into the larger labor movement in the U.S.

The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra begins its 144th season this week with one big change — the orchestra is not performing in Powell Hall. SLSO Music Director Stéphane Denève and President and CEO Marie-Hélène Bernard discuss the ongoing renovation and expansion of Powell Hall and the highlights of the upcoming 2023-24 season.

Columnist and commentator Michael Harriot’s debut book, “Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America,” offers a compelling retelling of American history. Harriot discusses how his upbringing in the “middle room” of his grandfather’s home in South Carolina informed his self-education. He also talks about his experience covering protests in Ferguson in 2014 and St. Louis in 2017.

Charles the great horned owl lost both his mate and their eggs in December. It was tough news for Mark H. X. Glenshaw, the naturalist who has documented Charles’ life for 17 years. However, things are now looking up for Charles. Glenshaw shares the details in this encore “owl prowl” edition of the show.

Each September, hundreds of professional artists participate in Paint Louis. The annual music and graffiti festival brings people to the riverfront to pick and paint a two-mile section of the downtown St. Louis floodwall — also known as the Mural Mile. Part of the Paint Louis festival is “Paint Littles,” an area expressly for kids where they get to spray their masterpieces on the walls of an abandoned weigh station building. STLPR audio engineer Aaron Doerr brings us the scene.

Food pantries at local St. Louis Colleges are reporting an increase in student visits. Shannon Quinn, case manager at UMSL's Advocacy and Care Center, and Jo Britt-Rankin discuss changes to federal food assistance programs and how University Missouri campuses are helping students secure their basic needs.

The fate of two buildings along the Mill Creek Valley footprint — the historic, predominantly Black neighborhood that was raised in 1959 to make way for “urban renewal” in downtown St. Louis — has sparked calls for protest this week after t St. Louis University submitted a proposal for demolition to the city of St. Louis. Vivian Gibson, author of “The Last Children of Mill Creek, shares her thoughts and experiences with attempts to preserve and honor her childhood neighborhood.

In his new book, "Changing Models for Journalism: Reinventing the Newsroom," Global Investigative Journalism Network co-founder Brant Houston explores the deep transformation that journalism has undergone in the last decade, including the decimation of traditional newsrooms, changing revenue streams, corporate ownership and investors, and the surge in nonprofit newsrooms and collaborations.

Visit any grocery store and you can expect that the produce, meat and other products that line the shelves are not contaminated. But sometimes that’s not the case. STLPR economic development reporter Eric Schmid discusses how locally-based researchers are part of a team developing ways to more quickly identify salmonella in the chicken supply chain. Salmonella is one of the top pathogens that cause foodborne illness.

Washington University has unveiled a new policy that removes federal student loans from their undergraduate financial aid packages. The policy takes effect fall 2024, but it has already garnered attention across the nation as a way to make a path to higher education less burdensome. Ronné Turner, Wash U’s vice provost for admissions and financial aid, shares the benefits for students and how the no-loan policy can impact generational wealth.

12,000 people gathered in Grand Center this past weekend for the 3rd annual Music at the Intersection festival. The lineup included big names like Herbie Hancock, Smino, Taj Mahal, and Thundercat, as well as local talents like Sir Eddie C, Renee Smith, and the Marquise Knox Band featuring the Funky Butt Horns. Producers Miya Norfleet and Emily Woodbury spoke with festival-goers about why they came out — and what they think of St. Louis’ music scene.

A world-premiere is hitting St. Louis theater for the the 10th anniversary of the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival’s “Shakespeare in the Streets.” Rather than Shakespeare, the bard of this particular play, “The Game’s Afoot,” is St. Louis Post-Dispatch sports columnist Benjamin Hochman. Hochman spent months interviewing dozens of people in St. Louis’ soccer community, and he discusses what it means to combine St. Louis, soccer and Shakespeare.