As the race for the next mayor of St. Louis heads to the finish line, we preview candidate Cara Spencer. The 20th Ward alderwoman is running against city Treasurer Tishaura Jones in Tuesday’s election.

As the race for the next mayor of St. Louis heads to the finish line, we preview candidate Tishaura Jones. The city treasurer is running against Alderwoman Cara Spencer in Tuesday’s election.

The Fabulous Fox Theatre and Opera Theatre St. Louis will host live performances after a year of cancelations. The changes come after a tumultuous year where productions were canceled because of the pandemic.

The Illinois Department of Corrections halted in-person visitations last March to try and prevent the spread of COVID-19. As more people get vaccinated, advocates and people with incarcerated loved ones say the state needs to figure out a way to allow in-person visits again.

As Missouri adds new groups to vaccine eligibility lists, many city residents continue to make long drives to rural towns to find appointments for the shots. Ever since the vaccine arrived in the state, there have sometimes been more doses than demand in rural areas, while urban centers have found themselves far short.

Some Black Metro East residents are running for city offices to make local government more diverse. In many cases, they are running against white incumbents who have held power for years.

A St. Louis Public Radio investigation in collaboration with APM Reports finds St. Louis officials may have put the city’s homeless population in even greater jeopardy during the pandemic. They cleared homeless encampments last spring and moved residents into temporary shelters including hotels.

The two candidates for St. Louis Mayor have ideas on how to improve the relationship between the city and county, including whether a merger will ever be discussed again. It's a key issue heading into next month's election between St. Louis Treasurer Tishaura Jones and Alderwoman Cara Spencer.

Several groups in the St. Louis region have released sweeping economic development plans over the last year centering on the idea of inclusive development. Black-led organizations say the initiatives are on the right track, but there is a need to rebuild trust in the community.

How to pay for Medicaid expansion is possibly the most contentious issue lawmakers will tackle as they return to the Missouri state capitol this week. Other big items include a statewide prescription drug monitoring program and increasing the gasoline tax.