The Gateway

The Chief Executive Officer of Niche Food Group says many restaurants will close over the winter without more financial support and a regional plan. Gerard Craft discusses how the region’s restaurant owners are trying to stay in business during the coronavirus outbreak.

A licensed counselor has launched a wellness mobile to give young girls access to safe therapy to help address trauma and anxiety. Girls have access to 15-minute mental health check-ins, virtual sessions, and a wellness kit.

Food service, nursing homes, janitorial. Industries whose workers are essential. Those workers say they’re risking their health and safety during the coronavirus pandemic as they have to go to work every day. Some say limited hazard pay, long hours and losing coworkers has left them drained and exhausted.

Staged versions of Charles Dickens’ short novel “A Christmas Carol” are reliably popular every December. With theaters closed this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, some creative people in St. Louis are finding new ways to adapt Dickens’ story to fit the times and keep the tradition intact.

The expansion of absentee voting in Missouri is set to go away at the end of the year. Some election officials and lawmakers want to permanently change how Missourians can vote early.

The St. Louis region lacks a cohesive approach to coronavirus restrictions. Area counties have different regulations to deal with the pandemic. Those differences are severe for businesses along country borders.

Information from Johns Hopkins University shows the pace of coronavirus infections in the U.S. continues to increase. And as state health officials continue to battle the outbreak, the virus has claimed the life of a former Illinois state senator.

Those on the frontlines at St. Luke’s Hospital in Chesterfield have been working overtime for months to care for patients with the coronavirus. Nurses, therapists and others are trying to cope emotionally and physically while admitting more sick patients every day.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson says the state has hired a private health care company to provide temporary workers and additional beds for hospitals overrun with coronavirus patients.

The Missouri legislature is expected to discuss expanding Medicaid in the 2021 session, which begins next month. That’s after voters approved the concept in August. But some lawmakers might try to limit expansion or put a stop to it.

The number of COVID-19 patients in St. Louis area hospitals is at its highest level since the start of the pandemic. The head of the St. Louis Area Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force says if the trend continues, hospitals will reach maximum COVID patient capacity in about a week.

About half of America’s ethanol plants shuttered as gasoline demand plunged at the beginning of the pandemic. Most have reopened, but there are questions about returning to pre-coronavirus production levels once the outbreak is over

Interest in outdoor education for younger students is growing. In part, because of digital fatigue from the pandemic. Nature education and forest preschools have long been popular in parts of Europe.

With fewer and smaller Thanksgiving gatherings this year, local turkey producers, particularly smaller ones that supply specialty birds, are making sales during the pandemic. Also, many families are opting to dine only with household members this holiday to curb the spread of the virus.

More passengers are expected to go through St. Louis Lambert International Airport this holiday season, compared to previous months during the pandemic. The overall numbers are expected to be down from last year and likely won’t be back to pre-coronavirus levels until a vaccine is widely distributed.

The pandemic has isolated many nursing home residents as officials implement strict no visitor rules to slow the spread of coronavirus. Several families are worried about the impact another spike in COVID-19 cases could have on their loved ones.

The first female mayor in St. Louis history will not seek a second term. Lyda Krewson is leaving elected office after more than two decades. Also, we examine some unexpected challenges with a Missouri law allowing cameras inside nursing homes

Female farmers are at a disadvantage when it comes to agricultural equipment. Most of the tools are designed for tall, heavy, and strong male bodies. But there is an effort to design farm tools and machinery for women.

A St. Louis University professor and census expert is weighing-in on what to expect when the numbers from the 2020 headcount are released. There are questions about whether the data will be tainted by the pandemic and political fighting over how the census was conducted.

Many parents and educators in the U.S. are worried about a lost school year because of the pandemic. But German parents, whose children returned to school full-time this fall, don’t have the same concerns.

Missouri is using federal stimulus money to help small meat processors increase capacity during unprecedented challenges brought by the coronavirus pandemic.

Data from the St. Louis Federal Reserve shows married women are leaving the workforce in huge numbers. It appears many are staying home to care for elderly relatives and children during the pandemic.

Governor Mike Parson won handily in last week’s election and other Republicans swept the four state offices on the ballot. The party also maintained supermajorities in the House and Senate. The results give Republicans the ability to control the direction of state policy for years.

The Missouri chapter president of Minorities for Medical Marijuana says dispensaries opening across the state highlight the lack of diversity in the licensed industry. Marne Madison also says there are plenty of opportunities for entrepreneurs of color to launch ancillary cannabis businesses.

Many in the St. Louis-area are celebrating President-elect Joe Biden's apparent victory, but others say all legal challenges need to play out before a winner is declared. Also, a St. Louis artist is using animated short films, poems and illustrations to supplement his music.