The Gateway

St. Louis County Executive Sam Page just won the Democratic primary and is facing minimal opposition in November. But he is also being heavily criticized on a number of fronts.

The Mount Pleasant Homing Pigeon Club has been racing pigeons in St. Louis for more than a century. Members release their pigeons hundreds of miles from St. Louis and then track how long it takes them to make it home. The brawny birds are bred to fly long distances and can be worth thousands of dollars.

African Americans have been disproportionately affected by the coronavirus and its economic impact. Black families in the St. Louis region are facing unprecedented hurdles as the virus worsens already stark disparities.

A group of stakeholders is gathering input on ideas to solve problems in the city's core. Members are planning to deal with several issues including, infrastructure, property maintenance, and safety.

Businesses featuring live music in the St. Louis region have been hit hard by the pandemic. Regulations allow those locations to open their doors with new guidelines. Now, many owners are deciding if the timing is right to reopen.

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.