The Gateway

It takes a lot more than a steady stream of sugar to keep a business going for more than a century — though the sweet stuff is the specialty at the General Candy Co. in Tower Grove South.

We now have a little more insight into why the superintendent of St. Louis Public Schools was fired without cause last week: STLPR's Hiba Ahmed reports. Plus, St. Louis on the Air producer Olivia Mizelle speaks with legendary editor Marty Baron ahead of his visit to St. Louis on the state of journalism, and why the free press and democracy go hand-in-hand.

A former worker in the St. Louis sheriff’s office is suing Sheriff Alfred Montgomery, alleging she was slandered and fired for testifying in the Missouri attorney general’s lawsuit against him: STLPR's Chad Davis has the latest development. Plus, Dara Eskridge recently got a big surprise, when The CEO of Invest STL was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential Rising Stars. Eskridge spoke with St. Louis on the Air host Elaine Cha about her organization’s work to help rebuild north St. Louis.

It is peak pumpkin season. From pumpkin spice lattes to pumpkin pies… the obsession with this orange gourd is enormous…almost as big as the pumpkins raised by a passionate group of Midwestern growers. Harvest Public Media contributor Peter Medlin has their story.

Drones are among a suite of tools used in what’s known as precision agriculture — a type of farming that uses technology to more precisely plant crops and treat them for pests and weeds — ultimately using fewer environmentally harmful chemicals and saving farmers money.

As large data centers move into the St. Louis region, they will require huge amounts of electricity. Experts say this dynamic is fundamentally changing the electric utility landscape in the U.S. STLPR's Kate Grumke speaks with Harvard Law School's Ari Peskoe about it.

It’s been a little over a month since Gov. Mike Kehoe appointed Catherine Hanaway to be Missouri’s attorney general, replacing Andrew Baily, who left to work for the FBI. The Republican officeholder is laying out her priorities around fighting crime – and defending the state’s abortion laws.

Chuck Berry famously sung for Beethoven to roll over and make way for rock and roll. But coming up on the 100th anniversary of his birth, the SLSO will pay tribute to the St. Louis musical icon in a pair of concerts this weekend. STLPR's Jeremy Goodwin talks to some of the rockers who will be playing with the orchestra.

St. Charles recently put a one-year moratorium on data centers after getting community pushback on a one-billion-dollar proposal. St. Louis residents are expressing their concerns about a data center proposed for the Armory building in Midtown. St. Louis Public Radio’s Kavahn Mansouri spoke with Oliver Roberts, co-director of the A-I Collaborative at Washington University, about what residents and policymakers should look for in data center projects.

The Trump administration is promising billions in a bailout for farmers, but will it really solve their economic woes? Harvest Public Media reports.

Missouri has joined over 30 states in banning or limiting the use of cell phones in schools this year. St. Louis Public Radio’s Hiba Ahmad worked with student journalists at Rockwood Summit High School to learn how one school has been navigating the transition.

St. Louis Sheriff Alfred Montgomery has been indicted on five new federal felony charges related to his order to handcuff then-acting Jail Commissioner Tammy Ross. STLPR's Chad Davis has the latest. Plus, a conversation with St. Louis native John O'Leary about “Soul On Fire,” the new movie about his life.

It’s been a little over two weeks since President Donald Trump promoted a highly disputed link between Tylenol use during pregnancy and autism. And reaction remains strong. As St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum reports, the area’s autistic community contends the GOP president is rolling back progress that helped people with the neurological disorder better integrate into society.

Drive down south Jefferson Avenue in St. Louis and you’ll notice the vacant St. Alexius Hospital, just south of Cherokee Street. Neighbors say the property has gone downhill quickly in the three years since it closed. St. Louis Public Radio’s Sarah Fentem reports – people living in the Gravois Park neighborhood want someone to take action and clean up the former medical campus.

The word "agrivoltaics" is a combination of the terms agriculture and photovoltaic and it refers to farming and producing energy simultaneously. Jana Rose Schleis reports how the technology is being deployed across the Midwest.

Alfred Montgomery became St. Louis sheriff in January, touting ambitions to make things better. But his tenure has been plagued with conflicts over spending, transporting detainees for medical care and a removal effort from the Missouri Attorney General. Montgomery sat down with St. Louis Public Radio’s Brian Munoz to explain himself.

A St. Louis grocery store is challenging more residents to ditch excessive waste. This comes as the city pulled the plug on its alley recycling program earlier this year. St. Louis Public Radio’s Marissanne Lewis-Thompson reports on how Local Harvest Grocery is helping its customers reduce waste one plastic container at a time.

The U.S. produces more than a third of the world’s corn, and most of that grain comes from a swath of the central U.S. called the corn belt. St. Louis Public Radio’s Kate Grumke reports some Midwestern farmers are planting a new variety of corn that might be an improvement over what’s in fields now.

Gov. Mike Kehoe announced that members of the National Guard will assist with administrative, clerical, and logistical duties at Missouri’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing facilities. The GOP chief executive says this will free up ICE personnel to pursue immigration enforcement efforts. Plus, a report on hurdles rural communities are now facing in getting connected to the internet.

Cancer treatments and screenings are lowering the disparity rates, but some doctors say the most effective way to reduce it is to start talking about the disease. Dr. Arnold Bullock is a urologist and surgeon at Washington University. He spoke with St. Louis Public Radio’s Andrea Henderson about prostate cancer disparities among Black men and how screenings can save lives.