The Gateway

A look at the state of Illinois’ finances ahead of the governor’s annual budget address, and a report from STLPR's Hiba Ahmed's "field trip" to the Missouri Statehouse with St. Louis Public School families.

The Criminal Justice Ministry in St. Louis is helping hundreds of formerly incarcerated people get back on their feet, many of whom are veterans and have spent at least 10 years in prison. And for some of the nonprofit’s case workers, the service hits close to home. St. Louis Public Radio’s Lacretia Wimbley has more on how the organization is impacting lives through its housing re-entry programs.

Coffee is big business in Ethiopia, where farmers and producers are often exploited. St. Louis Public Radio’s Marissanne Lewis-Thompson shares how a St. Louis University student’s company is attempting to shake up, and humanize, the industry by directly connecting Ethiopian coffee farmers to roasters in the U.S.

The aronia berry, also known as chokeberry is native to North America. And in recent years, it’s gained a following for its reported health benefits and potential market.

Federal prosecutors say they won a historic conviction in the case of Michael Madigan yesterday. The Former Illinois House Speaker was found guilty of wire fraud and bribery. Today, a conversation with Illinois politics reporter Dave McKinney, who has covered this trial from start to finish.

At the beginning of each year, volunteers venture into the night to count the number of people experiencing homelessness across the country. Getting an accurate count is a challenge, though, especially in rural regions. The Midwest Newsroom’s Kavahn Mansouri reports.

The St. Louis Board of Aldermen enter their spring elections break this week with no agreement on how to spend nearly $300 million of Rams settlement money. St. Louis Public Radio reporter Eric Schmid covered the whole saga and joins STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum to discuss what happened.

St. Louis Public Radio’s Hiba Ahmad reports on why some representatives are stopping by schools during this legislative session, and STLPR's Sarah Fentem shares how students at Washington University have worked at a rapid pace to create adaptive tech inventions for people with disabilities.

A number of Hispanic-owned businesses will temporarily close next week as part of a coordinated effort to highlight the contributions of immigrants to the region's economy and culture in the wake of Trump’s mass deportation plans. STLPR's Brian Munoz reports.

When The Kansas City Chiefs take on the Philadelphia Eagles for their third Super Bowl win in a row, tight end Travis Kelce will once again be in the spotlight. His journey from football star in the Midwest, to international fame. Plus, STLPR's Jeremy Goodwin talks to jazz player Donny McClaslin about how he set out to adapt David Bowie’s album “Blackstar,” ahead of his performance with the St. Lo...

The latest on hearings seeking to add abortion restrictions in Missouri, develop a plan for Rams settlement money in St. Louis, and oust the city's Personnel Director. Plus: The University of Missouri is launching a new research center that aims to provide information and context to the often controversial topics of renewable energy and transmission lines that cut through small communities. But Ja...

Sandra Hemme served 43 years in a Missouri prison for a murder she did not commit. One key detail in her exoneration was her false confession. Reporter Sam Zeff checked in with her attorney, Sean O’Brien, to talk about how that detail sets the stage for future exoneration cases.

We have the latest from the St. Louis Board of Aldermen after contentious debate Friday devolved into online accusations over the weekend. Plus, beloved vegan restaurant SweetArt is branching out after 16 years in St. Louis’ Shaw neighborhood with a City Foundry location: Owner Reine Keis speaks with STLPR's Jessica Rogen.

Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe gave his first State of the State Address on this week. St. Louis Public Radio’s Sarah Kellogg and Jason Rosenbaum sat down with Kehoe to discuss his priorities for the state. Plus, St. Louis band Starwolf makes music inspired by synthwave and yacht rock. STLPR's Chad Davis takes us on a journey through their latest album and musical evolution.

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 throug...

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...

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 unconst...

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.