The Gateway

The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra's IN UNISON chorus this weekend debuts a commission from composer Nathalie Joachim inspired by family dynamics.

The iconic highway Route 66 is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. The so-called “Mother Road” went through large stretches of Illinois and Missouri on its two-thousand-mile trek from Chicago to Los Angeles. Historian Andrew Wanko from the Missouri Historical Society recently spoke with St. Louis on the Air host Elaine Cha about the legacy of Route 66 and its origins in Springfield, Missouri.

Community supported agriculture, or C-S-A boxes, first gained popularity in the 90s. It’s a way for people to support their local farmers… by paying upfront for produce that’s delivered throughout the summer. But today’s food system caters to both convenience and choice. As Harvest Public Media’s Hope Kirwan reports, that’s put pressure on CSA farmers to offer people more buying options.

Research has shown that stable employment after incarceration dramatically reduces the likelihood of someone reoffending. Rebecca Smith brings us the story of one new program that’s helping inmates gain valuable and employable skills, as licensed tattoo artists.

Alarm Will Sound has staked out a unique space within the field of new music, sometimes called contemporary classical. A 25th anniversary concert on Tuesday at the Grandel will feature music that reflects many of the artistic twists and turns Alarm Will Sound has taken.

Illinois continues to see high demand for new data centers, increasing the strain on the state’s utility grid. State lawmakers are considering legislation to rein in new data center proposals.

With recovery from the May 16 tornado stalling, there is growing demand to direct the full 250 million dollars in Rams settlement funds to the hardest-hit areas of St. Louis. STLPR’s Rachel Lippmann breaks down the idea. Plus, Stella Blues bar is poised to reopen, two years after a devastating fire: STLPR's Jessica Rogen introduces us to the group of staff determined to give it back to the community.

STLPR's Sarah Fentem introduces us to Noorishment STL, a group offering STEM workshops that bring hands-on training to high school students. The group’s founders want to ensure teens that careers in medicine and engineering are possible.

Artist and educator Carmon Colangelo is retiring this month after 20 years as the founding dean of Washington University’s Sam Fox School of Visual Arts and Design. As an innovative print-maker, Colangelo mixes media and combines old and new techniques. A survey show of his work is now on view at the Bruno David Gallery in Clayton. He chats with STLPR's Jeremy Goodwin about his approach.

A south St. Louis shop is hoping to make an old-school photography experience new again. St. Louis Public Radio’s Brian Munoz takes you behind the scenes at ‘Analog.’

For the first time in 32 years, Lou Magdits is not on the Rolla City Council. He did not seek re-election after 12 years as Mayor, three terms that followed 20 years representing the city’s fourth ward. Madgits sat down with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jonathan Ahl to talk about his time in office.

Research shows just 14% of Black students in St. Louis are proficient readers. Literacy organizations like Black Men Read are trying to increase those rates by providing free books and tutorials to students in the area. St. Louis Public Radio’s Andrea Henderson takes us into a classroom where Black children get to see people who look like them, encouraging them to read.

Resolutions in several stories we've been following, including over picking a sheriff and a city council member, legislation on income taxes, and a controversial data center project. Plus, why some say the lack of a formal mascot at the University of Illinois is actually harming the campus community.

New restrictions on student loan could hurt students and communities that need professionals like doctors and lawyers the most.

After years of decline in the number of young people picking up smoking, more Gen Z-ers are now turning to cigarettes and other tobacco products. Rebecca Smith takes a look at why.

St. Charles County has developed a reputation as a Republican stronghold over the last two decades. But recent municipal election results point to the fast-growing county becoming more competitive. St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum reports on what the future may hold for St. Charles County politics.

A St. Louis police officer mistakenly called an immigration advocacy hotline to report an arrest, an error advocates say validates immigrants’ concerns about local police acting as independent ICE agents. Plus, a conversation with the attorney for the family of a teenager shot and killed by police in 2024: video released this week shows the initial narrative around the shooting was wrong, and the unarmed boy was shot in the back of the head.

It’s been more than six weeks since Iranian-American Dorsa Derakshani has had any direct contact with her family in Iran. The Mizzou medical student shares what it's been like to watch the war in her home country from Missouri.

East St. Louis historian and civil rights activist Reginald Petty received an Order of Lincoln award Saturday. That’s the state’s highest honor for contributions to the betterment of humanity. St. Louis Public Radio Metro East reporter Will Bauer sat down with Petty to discuss his life’s work — from voting rights in the 1960s to returning to the Metro East and working with the East St. Louis Historical Society.

STLPR's Jonathan Ahl takes us to a new building in Rolla that's bigger than two football fields is the Protoplex, and it has an equally large goal — to be the center of an effort to bring manufacturing back to rural Missouri.