The Gateway

Craft brewers thrive on being local. That has prompted the University of Missouri to study the feasibility of growing certain varieties of hops in the state. And in southern Illinois, the owners of a microbrewery are using unusual ingredients to flavor their beer.

Stray Rescue is calling the last few months, "the summer of violence." The no-kill animal rescue organization in St. Louis says it's receiving more requests for help with cases of abuse than usual, and those cases are more severe.

There is excitement in the birdwatching community about a rare sighting in Missouri. Officials say a bird usually found in other areas has been spotted in the state for the first time.

Researchers at the University of Illinois are figuring out how to expand a new saliva-based COVID-19 test to other colleges and universities throughout the state. The Food and Drug Administration has given emergency authorization to the technology developed on the Urbana campus.

The school year is starting remotely for many students after pushback from parents and teachers. Online learning during the pandemic could be a different experience now, compared to the spring.

MBz Live has been blending rapping and melody to make party music for years. But the south St. Louis rapper’s latest work is focused on police brutality. He says living in a region plagued by inequality and racial divisions has inspired his new music.

There is confusion among many Missouri voters about mail-in and absentee voting. That includes how to make sure those votes will count in November's election.

A public art installation in St. Louis is raising awareness about the needs of those with cancer. Painters have decorated "42 doors of hope" to offer inspirational messages to patients and their loved ones.

Illinois has been selling legal marijuana for more than six months and the industry is flourishing. The pandemic is delaying the next round of cannabis-related licenses. There is also a question about the social equity portion of the regulations designed to bring minorities into a business dominated by white men.

A Rolla business owner used the coronavirus shutdown to fix up an old steam engine and passenger car. The 1923 steam engine has been on display in a city park for more than 60 years.

St. Louis has very few environmental activists of color. They have felt isolated in their work, deal with more microaggressions than white colleagues and have proposed ideas that end up getting dismissed.

Earlier this summer, the Missouri Coalition for the Environment, the Missouri chapter of the Sierra Club and other St. Louis environmental groups issued anti-racism statements in solidarity with the George Floyd protests. But these groups are almost entirely staffed by white people and do minimal outreach in communities of color.

The Mark Twain National Forest is deploying a herd of goats to eat non-native plants. It's a natural and cheap alternative to using herbicides and mowing.

More than 60,000 people in Missouri who have served time in prison are unable to vote because they are on probation or parole. Tracy Stanton with EX-incarcerated People Organizing-MO, or EXPO-MO, is working to change that.

Black therapists have been in high demand since the killing of George Floyd. They offer a space for Black people to feel heard and valued. Many patients are using sessions to discuss police brutality, racial trauma, and other anxieties.

Some are against wearing masks during the pandemic. Doctors and public health experts insist face coverings could slow the spread of coronavirus by keeping it from traveling out of a person's mouth.

Farms have been slow to use solar power because of start-up costs and other issues. But the technology appears to be catching on with more farmers in Missouri thanks to a USDA grant program.

In an upset, activist Cori Bush has unseated longtime Congressman Lacy Clay in Missouri's 1st Congressional District. The surprise result in yesterday's Democratic primary also ends a family political dynasty. Also, we examine how small colleges in Missouri and Illinois plan to make it through the pandemic.

Monument Lab recently gathered 750 crowdsourced maps of St. Louis monuments, both real and imagined. A Washington University professor of African and African American History says those maps reflect the city’s lingering divides.

Horse racing has resumed without fans at Fairmount Park. It had been delayed for months because of the pandemic. Online betting is helping to generate some revenue but is likely not enough for the track to survive.

St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner faces one of her former top assistants, Mary Pat Carl, in the Democratic primary on Tuesday. Gardner beat Carl in 2016. Both have visions for using the criminal justice system as a tool for second chances.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department collects a lot of information on how it uses force. But it doesn’t release most of the data. Researchers say those details are crucial for understanding how officers interact with the public.

Curators from the Missouri Historical Society are keeping track of how St. Louisans are coping with the coronavirus pandemic. The project includes photos, videos and journal entries.

Longtime Congressman Lacy Clay faces progressive Cori Bush in the Aug. 4 Democratic primary. Clay easily defeated Bush two years ago. He’s favored again. We also examine the Democratic primary for St. Louis treasurer.

Most hospitals have severely limited visitor access to the Intensive Care Unit to reduce the risk of spreading the coronavirus. Not being able to see sick loved ones, especially those who are terminally ill, can take a psychological toll on families and make it more difficult to make decisions about care.