The Green Party missed a major benchmark this past election that would have helped them skip a significant hurdle in future races.

State Sen. Karla Eslinger passed on seeking a second term in the Missouri Senate this year. Instead, the former educator now leads the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. She spoke to St. Louis Public Radio’s Sarah Kellogg about her goals for the Department.

The St. Louis County Department of Public Health has expanded its investigation into an E. coli outbreak tied to a local catering company. Plus, a report on how persistent drought has impacted Midwest wildlife.

It’s that time of year when people eat a lot of pumpkin…and most of the pumpkin that goes into these treats comes from a town about 150 miles northeast of St. Louis. Harvest Public Media contributor Joe Deacon gives us a look into how this popular crop figures into the local economy.

For 25 years, Prison Performing Arts has given detainees in Missouri prisons the chance to act and star in theater productions. But what happens after they’re released? St. Louis Public Radio’s Chad Davis reports on how two alumni members are bringing their experiences to new works onstage in St. Louis.

There are hundreds of places to bank in the St. Louis region… but not every community has equal access or comfort. St. Louis Public Radio’s Eric Schmid examines what it takes to sustainably expand banking access.

Perennial crops – ones that don’t have to be re-planted each year — are proven to be good for the soil and, by extension, the environment. Jana Rose Schleis reports how Missouri growers and researchers made the sustainable elderberry a success.

The Missouri Botanical Garden will have its first woman president next year. Kate Grumke sat down with Dr. Lucia Lohmann to learn why she wanted to come back to the Garden and to St. Louis.

Drug companies already have sent 100 million dollars to Missouri to settle lawsuits for their role in the opioid crisis, and the state is set to get hundreds of millions more. St. Louis Public Radio’s Sarah Fentem reports on what communities are doing with the massive payout.

Election Day is behind us, but we'll look at the issues our reporters are still tracking, and how the outcome of the vote is starting to play out. Plus - St. Louis Art Museum is now showing an exhibition of African art that includes a wider selection than museum goers typically see. St. Louis Public Radio’s Jeremy Goodwin reports on its narrative power.