The federal government plans to send more debt relief payments to Black farmers in recognition of how the USDA and local farm credit offices denied generations of people loans and foreclosed on their properties. For many, the money will be too late to reverse the decades of damage caused by discrimination in farming.
Many hemp growers in the Midwest are finding it more difficult than anticipated to sell the crop for industrial uses. That has led to a drop in the number of licenses in at least one state.
Most states don’t allow transgender people to correct their names on marriage documents. Some lawmakers and advocates are working to change that in Illinois.
Twenty-five percent of Illinois marijuana sales tax revenue goes to grants for underserved communities. There appears to be some success, but many say a lot can be improved to help community organizations.
The head of the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force says it’s time for the region to adjust to a “new normal.” Dr. Alex Garza’s comments come as the group stops weekly briefings with reporters after more than a year.
The tense relationship between the city of St. Louis and the organizations that provide services to homeless people has prompted the St. Louis Continuum of Care to consider breaking off to form its own independent nonprofit.
The Jesuits have committed to raising $100 million to go towards the Descendants Truth & Reconciliation Foundation. The new organization formed by descendants of formerly enslaved people and the Catholic order of priests with ties to St. Louis University is an effort to atone for involvement in slavery.
Black people in the region want Juneteenth to be a day to educate people about the Black plight. President Joe Biden has signed a law making it a national holiday.
More than 100 schools in Missouri have installed new air cleaning technology with the hopes of keeping students and staff safe from the virus that causes COVID-19. But scientists are skeptical.
Optimism among many Missouri Republicans following last weekend’s Lincoln Days event is being tempered by the primary race to replace U.S. Senator Roy Blunt, who is not seeking re-election.
Doctors have found new ways to utilize support animals, in physical and speech therapy, and in substance abuse programs. Now educators are using the strategy to help ease teachers, students and staff back into the classroom after roughly a year of online learning.
Many are struggling with anxiety about resuming certain pre-pandemic activities, even after they have been fully vaccinated. A study from the American Psychological Association shows nearly half of respondents feel uneasy about returning to in-person interactions after the pandemic.
Several new St. Louis leaders are changing the way the city used tax incentives to leverage growth in thriving areas to help other parts of the city. It's part of a vision for more equitable development.
A new vision of Shakespeare's "King Lear" is coming to Forest Park. St. Louis Shakespeare Festival is setting the classic play in northern Africa 30 years in the future. The aim is to attract a diverse audience some say is long overdue in American theater.
Linn County, in north central Missouri, has a coronavirus case level five times the state average. Meanwhile, employees at coal-fired power plants in Illinois are fighting new clean energy legislation.
Increasingly, farmers don’t own the land they work. That’s particularly true in the country’s breadbasket and can have environmental consequences. Farmers who rent appear less likely to use conservation practices.
Animal disease labs expanded testing capacity during the COVID-19 outbreak. The lessons learned by those scientists could help prevent another pandemic.
Two recent university graduates invented a robot that could help farmers improve their crops and avoid the dangerous job of having to go inside grain bins.
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