As climate risks increase, Mississippi River towns look to each other for solutions

Many cities are already investing in nature-based solutions, such as removing pavement, building marshes and making room for rivers to flow.

Now, St. Louis is looking to learn from Missouri’s neighbors in Dubuque, Iowa, on what the city can do with the River Des Peres.

Why downtown St. Louis needs more than just office space to bounce back from the pandemic

The region’s urban core has struggled to rebound since the pandemic, with a slew of companies relocating their offices away from downtown.

Urban centers with more diverse economic sectors have shown to be more resilient coming back from the pandemic.

Barges are very efficient. Does that make them a good climate alternative for shipping?

The transportation sector accounts for about 28% of the greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.

Barge shipping could help significantly reduce that output, but there’s not a full picture of how carbon efficient that transportation mode really is.

Salmonella testing can be a slow process. These researchers want to change that

When most of us go to the grocery store and pick out a carton of eggs or package of chicken, we expect those products will not get us sick — as long as they're cooked properly.

For the most part that's true, but the food supply chain isn't perfect and contamination sometimes happens.

In response, a team of researchers is developing new sensors to detect salmonella contaminiation at many more points in the chicken supply chain.

Wetlands restoration is key to avoiding the worst of future floods along the Mississippi

A changing climate poses considerable threats to many communities, and those along the country's major rivers are no exception, especially during floods.

The floods of today are carrying more water and lasting longer than they once did.

Cities along the countries largest river are now turning to nature to protect their communities and investments along the Mississippi Riverfront.

St. Louis’ economic future requires a lot more trained workers and fast

The St. Louis region has staked a significant portion of its future economic development on technologies and industries that are still emerging.

To make this bet on things like geospatial, advanced manufacturing and agtech successful, the region will need many more workers ready to enter those fields when employers come calling in the next few years.

Pressures on Ukraine's power grid pose a challenge to U.S. aid delivery

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the eastern European country has needed tanks, ammunition and other military aid.

The war has also devastated Ukraine's energy grid, and U.S. aid plays a critical role as the country struggles to keep the lights on.

But finding and sending components for Ukraine’s power sector is easier said than done.

Missouri knew of contamination in Springfield’s groundwater decades before anyone told residents

People living near Litton Industries, a company that did work for the Navy had no idea that a toxic solvent, disposed of improperly, had made its way into their drinking water – until a public apology from the state in 2019.

An investigation from St. Louis Public Radio and the Midwest Newsroom found the company and state regulators knew of the contamination as far back as 1980s and 90s.

An ‘insane’ housing market is hitting military families hard when they have to move

Military families don’t have much of a choice when or where the Defense Department tells them to move.

Families who moved in 2021 and 2022 faced even more challenges than in years past. High inflation and tight housing markets in many parts of the U.S. forced them to spend more time and money just to find a place to live.

The Space Force is scrapping the annual fitness test in favor of wearable trackers

Annual physical fitness tests are a cornerstone of military life. Each service has its own take on the once-a-year assessment required by the Department of Defense.

But the country's newest military branch is ditching that model.

Members of the Space Force, called Guardians, won't have an annual test. Instead, they will get smart rings or other wearable fitness devices to keep track of their physical activity throughout the year.

Fear, hope and relief. One couple's journey from Ukraine to St. Charles

About a week into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Viktor and Svitlana Zribnyak got a phone call from their son in St. Charles that would change their lives.

Volodymyr Zribnyak told his parents they had an hour to pack what they could and leave their home of 40 years.

“We realized there was an opportunity to avoid death,” Viktor said. “I had to act immediately. We collected all of the necessary documents that had been selected in advance, medicine, and left literally within an hour.”

Even in tornado-prone areas, storm shelters aren't required in warehouses

In the U.S., tornadoes cause more annual fatalities than hurricanes and earthquakes combined. Yet there isn't a national standard mandating that large warehouses include storm shelters for workers, even after six died at an Edwardsville Amazon facility in December 2021.

And it wouldn’t cost much for developers to add one or multiple storm shelters to these buildings to protect the lives of workers inside.

Illinois' new congressional maps may favor Democrats, but they carve up cities like O'Fallon

Gerrymandering, a party’s manipulation of district boundaries for political advantage, contributes to polarization in the United States, dividing neighbors, family and friends. Yet few seem to know or care that they’re being manipulated for political power.

“It seems like cherry-picking as far as the representatives are choosing their demographics,” said Charlie Cook, 38, a lifelong O’Fallon resident who opened the Happy Bakery in O’Fallon, IL eight years ago. “I don’t really support the idea of our representation being split that way just because anyone from O’Fallon should be able to go to the same representatives and be heard.”

The St. Louis region is already home for many Latinos and more are moving here

The overall population in the St. Louis region has barely budged in the past 10 years, but there has been robust growth in minority communities, particularly Latinos.

Their population grew nearly 50% in the past decade across the 14-county St. Louis region defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, adding about 35,000 people to eclipse 100,000.

Latinos were one of the only groups to add people in every part of the region.

Slate of Black candidates wins spots in Metro East municipal governments

A slate of Black candidates across the Metro East notched victories in municipal elections in April 2021. Many of them were running for elected office for the first time and vying for spots that had mostly been held by white residents.

The political newcomers saw an opportunity to transform their locally elected councils and boards into ones that better reflect the people who reside in their communities.

Lax oversight of coal plant demolitions could leave Illinois communities vulnerable

Environmentalists in Illinois worry that having few regulations for coal-fired power plant demolitions will increase the chance for a toxic disaster when these facilities are dismantled.

Since 2009, 12 of the state’s 23 remaining coal power plants have closed, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. More are set to come offline this decade.

The plant closures leave behind property with massive buildings and smokestacks laden with heavy metal byproducts, like mercury, arsenic and lead, from decades of burning coal. Most are still standing.

Madison County court allowed eviction cases to proceed despite Illinois' statewide ban

The Madison County Circuit Court allowed landlords to file hundreds of eviction cases despite an order from the governor banning filings during the coronavirus pandemic.

In late April, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker barred individuals and organizations from filing residential eviction actions in court to help keep people who may have fallen behind on rent for their homes during the state’s stay-at-home orders. The decision to continue eviction proceedings renters confused and frustrated after thinking they were safe from official filings.

The 2020 Census is underway, but nonbinary and gender-nonconforming respondents feel counted out

The U.S. Census Bureau started collecting responses to this year's headcount en masse, sending individual letters requesting a response to the headcount homes across on March 12.

The survey, which happens once every decade in the U.S., collects the most comprehensive data about the demographic makeup of the country.

One small but vulnerable population in the U.S. won’t be counted in the survey this time around, however. That’s because of how the question that asks about people’s sex appears on the form. The 2020 headcount only asks if people are “male” or “female.”

Uncovering the underground railroad’s hidden past in the Metro East

On the outskirts of this St. Clair County village, a small green sign reveals how many people live there — about 750. The small community is about five square blocks and sits a few thousand feet from the Mississippi River.

Yet for a village with less than 1,000 residents, there are 12 churches. The oldest, the Quinn Chapel A.M.E. Church, was established in 1825 as a Methodist church.

It stands apart for its role in the Underground Railroad, helping slaves in Missouri escape to freedom.

What employers and workers need to know about legal recreational marijuana in Illinois

Ahead of the new year, local businesses and employers across Illinois are trying to determine how legal recreational marijuana will impact them.

The law change, which came only six months ago, is forcing many employers to rethink how their workplaces handle drug policy and testing.

Lawmakers in Springfield wrote parts of the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act to protect a workplace’s existing drug policy, but many employers are still unclear about their responsibilities.

Belleville’s old homes are attracting new residents: Here’s who’s moving in and why

Emily Smith is fascinated by older homes. It’s an interest she’s had since she was a child. As an 8-year-old, she carried around a disposable camera in her backpack just to snap pictures of buildings she liked.

“I’ve always had a fascination with old homes and their character, and the craftsmanship and how it’s like basically living in a piece of art,” she said.

This man wants East St. Louisans to know their history

Reginald Petty knows the stereotypes of East St. Louis well. A native of the city, he has heard the way many people talk about it.

“'Oh, it’s a high crime rate,'” he said. “'Don’t go to East St. Louis. Be careful.'”

He admits the city has its issues but said crime rates don’t define the city. Petty prefers to focus on East St. Louis’ positive narratives as a city rich with black cultural heritage. After all, he says, the “City of Champions” produced famous athletes, musicians and other celebrities.

A journalist recalls the transformational experience of covering 9/11

Tragedies often make us think of first responders – firefighters, paramedics, police officers – but we rarely consider how emergencies affect the journalists who cover them.

Terry Sheridan, now WSHU’s news director, reported on the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. Eric Schmid spoke with Terry about his experience 17 years later.

Unsheltered

The 2018 Dow Jones News Fund Interns investigate homelessness in Phoenix, Arizona.

The large scale multimedia project focuses on the some of the many challenges, like substance abuse and access to healthcare, that Phoenix's unsheltered homeless population faces daily.

Missing Representation

About 80% of all public school teachers in the United States are white, while the students in those classrooms are far more diverse.

What problems and issues arise from majority white teaching staffs? And why should you care?