The Gateway

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.