The Gateway

Following President Donald Trump issuing executive orders for federal agents to begin enhanced immigration enforcement, some attorneys in the St. Louis region are helping immigrants and people without legal status prepare family emergency plans and legal documents. STLPR's Andrea Henderson reports.

This month, Missouri began enforcement of a distracted driving law: using a cell phone behind the wheel without hands-free technology can come with fees of hundreds of dollars. The Missouri Department of Transportation reports – distracted driving costs about 100 lives in the state each year. Randall Siddens is one of them. STLPR's Abby Llorico speaks with his wife Adrienne about navigating through her grief to enact change at the state level.

The New Madrid Seismic Zone, centered near the Southeast Missouri county of the same name, sees hundreds of earthquakes a year--but as Harshawn Ratanpal reports, the people of the town of New Madrid have bigger problems.

Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day, a time to honor the millions of people murdered by the Nazis. Students in middle school and high school will soon be learning some of that history through music, in a curriculum created by the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum. Three contributors to the project speak to STLPR's Jeremy Goodwin about what they took away--and hope students do, too.

St. Louis County Executive Sam Page is encountering a familiar problem. After the latest election, he only has one reliable ally on the St. Louis County Council — and a host of adversaries who want to exert their power over Missouri’s largest county. St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum reports on why voters could have the final say over who gets the upper hand.

Illinois residents have until February 14th to cast their ballot in the contest to pick the state’s next flag. St. Louis Public Radio’s Will Bauer spoke with members of the flag commission and a flag design expert about the process, and why the details matter.

Missouri gamblers soon won’t have to cross the state line to bet on their sports teams, but public health experts worry gambling on your smartphone makes it too easy to slide into addiction. Zach Dyer with KFF Health News reports from the Metro East.

Donald Trump’s first day back in the oval office included issuing pardons to more than 1,500 people charged with attacking the U.S. Capitol at the end of his last term. Plus: A case in federal court is aiming to dismantle a decades-old wetlands law, best known for its nickname: "swampbuster." Harvest Public Media's Rachel Cramer reports on why a landholding company says the wetlands law is unconstitutional and how sustainable agriculture groups are pushing back

Larger retail pharmacies are closing stores around the country, including in St. Louis. That leaves some communities vulnerable to becoming “pharmacy deserts.” A new pharmacy in north St. Louis hopes to fill the need created when a big chain drug store closed.

Prosecutors in Illinois are required by law to publicly release a report if they determine they won’t bring charges against a police officer for killing someone. But Madison and St. Clair counties are some of the more populous counties in the state not doing so. St. Louis Public Radio Metro East reporter Will Bauer and Invisible Institute reporter Sam Stecklow discuss.

President elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services wants cities and towns to stop adding fluoride to drinking water. St. Louis on the Air host Elaine Cha spoke with Dwight McLeod, dean of A.T. Still University’s Missouri School of Dentistry & Oral Health, about what fluoride has meant to public health.

President Elect Donald Trump has promised mass deportation of immigrants and refugees when he takes office. That will hit some agricultural industries—including meatpacking—especially hard. Harvest Public Media’s contributor Ted Genoways reports on what that may mean for workers and consumers.

The federal government is investing millions of dollars into projects that involve growing hemp. But there’s a lot of work to do before its potential can be realized.

More than 28 billion glass bottles and jars end up in U.S. landfills every year, but a company in St. Louis is collecting some of those glass items and giving them new life. St. Louis Public Radio’s Ulaa Kuziez takes us to a glass processing center in North St. Louis.

Missouri Department of Social Services director Robert Knodell is leaving state government next week to become city manager of Poplar Bluff. The southeast Missouri native became well known in state political circles for leading the House Republican Campaign Committee. But in an in-depth conversation with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum, Knodell detailed what drew him to lead the complex and challenging agency.

For the first time since 2018, Missouri lawmakers will work with a new governor. While outgoing Gov. Mike Parson pushed a more budget-focused agenda, Gov.-elect Mike Kehoe already has established policy goals. STLPR's Sarah Kellogg has a preview on the issues expected to be front and center this year.

St. Louis was only about halfway to breaking the record for inches of snow Sunday, but it did break a record for the amount of water that fell. The latest on how the region is dealing with continued frigid temperatures. Plus: Female athletes are getting more concussions, and St. Louis doctor wants to know why. Dr. Jamil Neme, director of the Concussion Clinic at SSM Health St. Louis University Hospital, speaks with STLPR's Marissanne Lewis-Thompson.

The need for inpatient mental health care for pediatric patients has grown in recent years. Health officials say a proposed facility in Webster Groves could provide much-needed treatment, but as St. Louis Public Radio’s Sarah Fentem reports, some neighbors are concerned about where the proposed hospital will be built.

Greater St. Louis Inc.’s outgoing CEO has been one of the St. Louis region's most vocal champions. Just days before beginning his next gig, Jason Hall sat down with St. Louis Public Radio’s Eric Schmid to discuss his career, what he sees for this region, and why he’s headed to Ohio.

St. Louis Public Radio Editor Brian Moline speaks with health reporter Sarah Fentem about why patients still can’t get an abortion in Missouri even after the passage of Amendment 3. Plus, St. Louis boosters have worked in recent years to elevate its reputation as a “foodie destination.” That’s despite the region being ignored by one of the world’s pre-eminent culinary institution– the Michelin Guide, which recently released its new list of star-earning U.S. restaurants. STLPR's Abby Llorico explores why some local restaurateurs think the omission could be a good thing.