The Gateway

Like most of the nation, there seems to be a coffee shop on every corner in St. Louis. But what many may not know is that St. Louis was considered the largest inland coffee hub in the United States one hundred years ago.

Missouri voters back in November approved Proposition A, which included mandatory earned paid sick leave. Months later, the Republican-led state legislature repealed the paid sick leave policy, citing hardship for businesses. A proposed constitutional amendment could bring it back.

The St. Louis-area was experiencing a shortage of nearly 20,000 seats prior to the tornado, according to the Gateway Early Childhood Alliance. That number has grown since the May 16 tornado. 44 centers were in the path of the storm and 40 of them were damaged.

The Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis starts its 10th season tomorrow night with “A Streetcar Named Desire” at the Grandel Theatre in Grand Center. The 11-day festival continues with special performances and other events throughout the weekend.

The Delmar divide can be seen from above - there are fewer trees in lower-income, majority-Black neighborhoods in St. Louis. In recent years, nonprofits have been working to even things out. The May 16 tornado changed that work overnight.

The St. Louis Art Place Initiative was founded in 2019 to help artists buy homes with affordable down payments and mortgages. Its goal is to build at least 20 such homes in the Gravois Park neighborhood. So far, two artists are living in Art Place homes and the nonprofit plans to complete six more houses by the end of the year.

Sumner is the first high school west of the Mississippi River to graduate Black students. This year is its 150th anniversary. At a recent celebration, alumni say Sumner is here to stay and will fight to keep it open.

The Connections to Success program is helping St. Louisans of various ages to find economic independence. That includes finding out what paperwork is needed to obtain an ID card, learning about relationship love languages or how to set and reach realistic goals.

The so-called Crown Act was signed by Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe on July 9. Missouri became the 28th state to pass legislation that makes it illegal to discriminate based on the texture or style of one's hair.

While most high school football fields sit quiet in the dog days of summer, one in the Metro East is bursting with music and motion. Dive inside the world of drum corps and its ties to the Metro East.