Shahla Farzan
Shahla Farzan is a general assignment reporter and weekend newscaster at St. Louis Public Radio. She comes most recently from KBBI Public Radio in Homer, Alaska, where she covered issues ranging from permafrost thaw to disputes over prayer in public meetings. A science nerd to the core, Shahla spent six years studying native bees, eventually earning her PhD in ecology from the University of California-Davis. She has also worked as an intern at Capital Public Radio in Sacramento and a podcaster for BirdNote. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, combing flea markets for tchotchkes, and curling up with a good book.
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With a fraction of millions of American Rescue Plan Act dollars allocated or spent, the city and groups serving the homeless face each other across a divide of paperwork and procedures. -
Teenagers and young adults have experienced record-breaking temperatures for much of their lives. Frustrated with the slow pace of progress among their parents’ generation, some young Missourians are taking action in their communities. -
The wind energy industry is now facing a new challenge: what to do with old wind turbine blades when it’s time to replace them. The answer is found at a recycling plant in a historic Mississippi River town 90 miles north of St. Louis. -
Corrections officials say the move is necessary to stem the flow of drugs into Missouri prisons. But criminal justice reform advocates warn it could violate inmates’ privacy and further isolate them from their families. -
Lake sturgeon are ancient creatures that have survived cataclysmic events over millions of years. But scientists worry they might not survive us. -
Spire officials say another rate hike is needed to cover the cost of employee salaries, after state regulators revised long-standing policies last year. -
Missouri, Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska are among dozens of states that have yet to submit plans for improving air quality in protected areas. Environmental nonprofits are suing the EPA to compel the agency to take action. -
About half of all people released from prison in Missouri return within five years. But decades of research has shown prison education programs can help break the cycle. -
The BA.2 subvariant is about 30% more transmissible than the original omicron variant and is fueling a surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in Europe. However, it does not appear to cause any more severe illness than other forms of the coronavirus. -
Women working full-time in Missouri earn about $10,000 less per year than men, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Women are more likely to work in lower-paying industries and are often forced to leave their jobs due to lack of affordable child care.
