The Gateway

For most people, Walt Disney's name evokes cartoons, castles and the sprawling theme parks in California and Florida. But for a group of students from Western Michigan University, understanding Disney's imagination meant starting somewhere much smaller: a town of roughly 2,000 people in north-central Missouri.

The Missouri Supreme Court has ruled that a new Congressional Map that would have made it more difficult for Democratic Congressman Emanuel Cleaver to be re-elected is subject to a vote. That means that a Donald Trump-backed effort to oust the Kansas City Democrat may have failed. STLPR’s Jonathan Ahl talks with St. Louis Public Radio’s political correspondent Jason Rosenbaum about the decision’s...

Of the more than one million animal-related car accidents across the country each year, more than 3,000 of them happen in Missouri. As Trevor Grandin reports, a recent study by the Missouri Department of Transportation aims to stem the problem with wildlife-friendly infrastructure.

There are nine data centers operating in Missouri today, with another 52 in the works. Illinois already has more than 90. The growth of these facilities is pitting voters against big tech – often with elected leaders caught in the middle.

The Trump administration has eliminated thousands of federal jobs for experts who help farmers with conservation efforts. It's having a negative impact on farmers and their land.

A gnarly looking corn infection that Midwestern farmers dread is also a culinary delicacy in Mexico. Now, more chefs are introducing it to St. Louisans. St. Louis Public Radio’s Kate Grumke dove into the local world of corn smut to understand this emerging menu trend.

St. Alphonsus Liguori Catholic Church, also known as “The Rock” officially welcomed its newest priest this month. One of the few majority-Black Catholic parishes still in existence now has its first Black priest in over 20 years. As St. Louis Public Radio’s Andrea Henderson reports, Father Royce Thomas says he has big plans to revitalize the church.

A program known as the Housing Eviction Law Project, has struggled to meet the high demand for legal representation and fallen far short of the goals set for it by city legislators several years ago. But a new injection of funds could make a massive difference for renters in the city.

Breeding has been a debate for decades, and with shelters overflowing, there’s even more of a reason to adopt a dog rather than buying. But some dog breeders in St. Louis say that they breed ethically, and that buying a dog might not always be a bad thing.

A trip to the grocery store has gotten a lot more expensive in recent years. Ground beef, tomatoes, and coffee have all seen big spikes. Those higher prices can be especially hard on older adults on fixed incomes.

Getting to the dentist or doctor is necessary, but often inconvenient for us humans. Now imagine if you lived at the zoo. From dental X-rays, ultrasounds to CT scans, St. Louis zoo experts work to not only ensure the health of ‌an individual animal, but also its entire species.

As public fervor over data centers continues in the St. Louis region and nationwide, local leaders are trying to put guardrails in place on the developments. St. Louis Public Radio’s Jonathan Ahl spoke with reporters Kate Grumke and Kavahn Mansouri about where we stand now with local data center policies.

The Trump Administration's rules on student visas is hurting international student enrollment and the billions of dollars they add to the Midwest's economy

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.

Money is the driving force behind Data Centers across the country. They can be very profitable. Some of that cash is flowing to communities in Illinois: here's how that has impacted their municipal budgets.

Farming is expensive. And this year, it‘s gotten even pricier with the rising cost of fertilizer and fuel. Equipment prices have also reached historic highs. That’s why many farmers are choosing to fix their old tractors and combines instead of buying new.

People love their pets. Dogs, cats, even smaller companions like rabbits and hamsters are a normal part of many people's everyday lives. But some in the St. Louis region have four-legged family members that aren’t so common. For Tony Jennings, who lives in south St. Louis, it’s his 4-year-old pet, Dior, an alligator.

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 p...

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.