The Gateway

Getting to the dentist or doctor is necessary, but often inconvenient for us humans. Now imagine if you lived at the zoo. From dental X-rays, ultrasounds to CT scans, St. Louis zoo experts work to not only ensure the health of ‌an individual animal, but also its entire species.

As public fervor over data centers continues in the St. Louis region and nationwide, local leaders are trying to put guardrails in place on the developments.

St. Louis Public Radio’s Jonathan Ahl spoke with reporters Kate Grumke and Kavahn Mansouri about where we stand now with local data center policies.

The Trump Administration's rules on student visas is hurting international student enrollment and the billions of dollars they add to the Midwest's economy

Imagine having ‘The Most Magical Place on Earth’ in your basement. A Metro East area man has done just that, creating a near perfect replica of Disney World’s Magic Kingdom with Lego. St. Louis Public Radio’s Marissanne Lewis-Thompson transports us to a Magic Kingdom all the way in O’Fallon, Illinois.

Money is the driving force behind Data Centers across the country. They can be very profitable.

Some of that cash is flowing to communities in Illinois: here's how that has impacted their municipal budgets.

Farming is expensive. And this year, it‘s gotten even pricier with the rising cost of fertilizer and fuel.

Equipment prices have also reached historic highs. That’s why many farmers are choosing to fix their old tractors and combines instead of buying new.

People love their pets. Dogs, cats, even smaller companions like rabbits and hamsters are a normal part of many people's everyday lives. But some in the St. Louis region have four-legged family members that aren’t so common. For Tony Jennings, who lives in south St. Louis, it’s his 4-year-old pet, Dior, an alligator.

It was vaudeville star W-C Fields who warned, “never work with animals or children.” St. Louis Public Radio’s Rachel Lippmann set off to find out what happens when St. Louis Shakespeare Festival ignores that old axiom of show business.

Exposure to a highly toxic weedkiller called paraquat is tied to a person’s risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.

Lawmakers in Missouri and other Midwestern states have tried to pass measures banning paraquat.

But as the Midwest Newsroom’s Luke Nozicka reports, their efforts have stalled this year.

Silos have dotted the landscape for 150 years.

But the tower-like structures on farms that hold fermented feed for livestock are threatened by development and old age.

One “silo hunter” in Illinois has been tracking down her grandfather’s silos before they disappear.