The Gateway

Missouri is among states that have deployed National Guard troops and law enforcement agents to the US-Mexico border as part of Operation Lone Star. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott launched the operation in 2021, saying the Biden administration was not doing enough to keep undocumented immigrants and illegal drugs out of the country. Journalist Kallie Cox tells Managing Editor Holly Edgell it's being described as an effort of "political theatre."

Most agricultural crops like corn, wheat or barley are replanted into the ground every single year. It’s a lot of work, and hard on the soil where they're grown. Perennial crops, like Kernza, can stay on the land for several years, offering environmental benefits. But there’s not that much of it being grown right now. St. Louis Public Radio’s Eric Schmid reports on how researchers hope to change that with more consumer products made with Kernza, like beer.

Over the last two weeks, school officials and law enforcement have been bombarded with threats of violence against schools in the St. Louis region. St. Louis Public Radio’s Brian Moline spoke with reporter Lacretia Wimbley about the toll these threats are taking on students, teachers and law enforcement.

Politically minded comedian Sarah Silverman debuts her new stand-up show tonight at the Stifel Theatre. St. Louis Public Radio’s Jeremy Goodwin speaks with Silverman about her comedy.

One year ago today, Illinois got rid of cash bail under new legislation called the SAFE-T Act. Now, if the state or county want to keep someone in jail, prosecutors have to convince a judge that the accused criminal should remain detained at a pre-trial hearing. St. Louis Public Radio’s Will Bauer sat down with Chief Judge Andrew Gleeson at the St. Clair County Courthouse to see how the new system has worked so far.

IVF patients in Missouri fear a state law that says life begins at conception could put the procedure at risk. But a local attorney says laws protect the procedure, for now. St. Louis Public Radio’s Sarah Fentem speaks to fertility lawyer Tim Schlesinger.

Sam Altman is the co-founder and CEO of OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT. He’s also a St. Louis native. Altman was back in his hometown Friday, the day after the launch of the newest model of ChatGPT. He started his day at his alma mater, John Burroughs School in Ladue, talking to students and teachers. Later he sat down to talk with St. Louis on the Air host Elaine Cha.

There’s a fruit that grows throughout nearly half of the U.S. that most people have never tried. It’s called the paw paw. While the fruit trees are native to much of the Midwest and East Coast, you won’t find them in many grocery stores. St. Louis Public Radio’s Kate Grumke reports on the push to popularize the elusive paw paw.

With plenty of great barbecue restaurants around the St. Louis area, James Beard award winning chef Gerard Craft knew it didn’t make sense to compete--so instead, he’s charting a different path with the new Niche Food Group restaurant, Expat BBQ, opening today at City Foundry.

Missourians will vote on an amendment to put abortion rights in the state Constitution, after the Missouri Supreme Court put it back on the ballot. STLPR’s Brian Moline and Jason Rosenbaum discuss. Plus -- Jazz musician Esperanza Spalding says she’s a perfect fit for this weekend’s Music at the Intersection festival. St. Louis Public Radio’s Jeremy Goodwin spoke with Spalding about her expansive style.

The Missouri Supreme Court will meet this morning to decide if an amendment to the state constitution that would protect some abortion rights will go in front of voters.

The shooting death of Sonya Massey by a Sangamon County Illinois Sheriff’s Deputy in July has prompted nationwide outrage. Massey, an unarmed Black woman, was shot and killed by Sean Grayson in her central Illinois home in July after she called for help. But as Farrah Anderson reports, Massey’s death wasn’t Grayson’s first issue as a police officer.

Agriculture is a notoriously tough career path. Farmers need to be able to take care of crops, livestock and a business. As Jana Rose Schleis reports from Sedalia, youth agricultural groups are now teaching members how to manage both animals and money.

The Missouri Department of Revenue updated the process that Missourians must go through to change gender markers on a state ID. A new rule requires either a court order or proof of gender reassignment surgery. But as Anna Spidel reports: advocates, health law experts and LGBTQ+ Missourians say the new regulations could create serious problems for transgender, nonbinary, and intersex people in the state.

When Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft blocked Governor Mike Parson’s emergency order banning the sale of hemp-derived drugs, he delayed the ban by at least six months. As Harshan Ratanpal reports, the looming ban leaves farmers and businesses in Missouri’s hemp industry holding their breath.

When someone wants to add chicks to their backyard farm or populate a larger operation, they often order from hatcheries. For the past 100 years, those hatcheries have used the U.S. Postal Service to ship live baby birds around the country. Increasingly, customers and suppliers say slow deliveries are causing birds to arrive dead. The Midwest Newsroom’s Kavahn Mansouri investigates.

The Western U.S. has seen decades of disputes over water. Now climate change could bring more water scarcity to the Midwest. That’s left states like Missouri wondering if the thirst for water could be headed this way. St. Louis Public Radio’s Kate Grumke reports.

The Mark Twain National Forest includes more than 1.5 million acres of land across southern Missouri and hosts more than half a million visitors a year. Vince Keeler is the new forest supervisor as of this month. He sat down with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jonathan Ahl to talk about his vision to manage the land in terms of conservation and recreation.

61 years ago this week—the Jefferson Bank protests paved the way for the region’s very own civil rights movement. St. Louis Public Radio’s Marissanne Lewis-Thompson reports the demonstrations are the center of the new play “We Shall Not Be Moved: The Jefferson Bank Protest.”

In about a month, the longtime arts center in Alton will be moving from its current building — with no official plan to return. What’s led to the departure of the Jacoby Arts Center from that building has some Metro East residents worried about what’s to come. St. Louis Public Radio’s Will Bauer reports on the uncertainty for a staple of downtown Alton.