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August 19 in History: From Augustus' Death to the Salem Witch Trials and a Failed Soviet Coup

4 days 7 hours ago
On August 19, 14 CE, Augustus, the first Roman emperor, died and brought an end to one of the most important political lives in ancient history. His death mattered because he had transformed Rome from a republic shaken by civil war into an empire with a more stable central government. That change affected law, military organization, taxation, public building, and the way power was passed on. It still matters today because the Roman Empire shaped later ideas about citizenship, state authority, infrastructure

Why Late Summer Feels Like Life Snaps Back Into Routine

4 days 7 hours ago
The shift back into routine often feels personal, but it is also deeply social. A single week can bring fuller calendars, earlier alarms, packed lunchboxes, crowded roads, and inboxes that suddenly demand answers. Even people without children or school ties often feel it. Somehow, life seems to tighten its schedule all at once. That return to routine in late summer is not just a habit. It grows out of school systems, work culture, family patterns, and the way people use free time. For many, it

Libraries Beg Brendan Carr To Back Off Plan To Make U.S. Broadband Shittier, More Expensive

4 days 8 hours ago
Back in June, Trump FCC boss Brendan Carr announced he’d be reviewing the FCC E-Rate program with an eye on “reforms.” Generally, when Brendan Carr promises “reforms,” usually what he means is either “I’m going to destroy this program,” or “I’m going to illegally make changes to this congressionally-mandated program that ensures telecom giants like AT&T get more money […]
Karl Bode

Violent crime in US fell at record pace in 2025

4 days 8 hours ago
Violent crime in the United States fell by an estimated 9.3% in 2025, marking the largest year-to-year decline in the national violent crime rate since the FBI began estimating crime in 1936, according to new national data. The estimated murder and nonnegligent manslaughter rate also fell 18.1%, to 4.1 killings per 100,000 people — tying […]
Amanda Watford

Missouri education board wary of $300 million school funding increase

4 days 9 hours ago
Missouri education officials are preparing to ask lawmakers for roughly $300 million more for public schools next year, setting up a potentially difficult budget fight as the state faces a projected revenue shortfall. The numbers are yet to be finalized, but the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s preliminary report shows that recent changes to […]
Annelise Hanshaw

If we care about students, we must broaden Missouri’s teacher pipeline

4 days 10 hours ago
Genis Tobias smiles as she kneels next to a young learner and watches him sign his message to a classmate. Just months ago, this learner relied almost entirely on repeating words and phrases he heard from others, a common experience for learners demonstrating what is known as echolalia. Now he is beginning to communicate independently, […]
Jeannine Butler

Wednesday, Aug. 19 - The most magical place underground

4 days 10 hours ago
Imagine having ‘The Most Magical Place on Earth’ in your basement. A Metro East area man has done just that, creating a near perfect replica of Disney World’s Magic Kingdom with Lego. St. Louis Public Radio’s Marissanne Lewis-Thompson transports us to a Magic Kingdom all the way in O’Fallon, Illinois.