St. Louis

Newly elected Pope Leo XIV lived in St. Louis, Missouri, in the 1970s while studying to become a priest. He was in a parish near what is today the medical campus of St. Louis University

St. Louis, Missouri, was ranked 21st worst city across the country for its ozone levels this year, while Kansas City was ranked 34th worst for its ozone levels. Now, the Trump administration is trying to roll back air pollution and other environmental regulations, which experts say could harm public health.

Gospel Music Hall of Fame leaders hope to expand the museum from one building to a plaza, according to the first draft of a proposed master plan. Last year, former Missouri Gov. Mike Parson approved $2 million to go toward developing the museum.

A new Missouri law gives a state board control over the St. Louis Police Department, instead of the mayor, similar to the system in Kansas City. The lawsuit calls it an unfunded mandate because it requires the city to spend a certain percentage of its budget on police.

Soman Chainani’s best-selling “The School for Good and Evil” series was adapted into a Netflix movie in 2022. His debut graphic novel, “Coven,” marks the return of a trio of witches from the successful series.

The exhibition, featuring the work of South Asian immigrants, highlights the challenges many face moving to and living in the United States. "Our stories reverberate in different tones, but we all have similar stories," says fabric artist Mee Jay.

Planned Parenthood announced Friday that staff had begun offering surgical abortions in St. Louis, but the Missouri health department had rejected a plan that would allow doctors to dispense abortion medications — even though it was similar to what was approved before.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department will no longer be under the control of the mayor’s office and instead will be overseen by a governor-appointed board. It's similar to the Confederate-era system that manages Kansas City Police.

The people who killed Andrew Ameer in a 2020 carjacking used the Lyft app to set up a carjacking and ambush. The Missouri Court of Appeals ruled earlier this month that Lyft is subject to liability, setting up potentially “billions of dollars in damages” in similar cases.

As Missouri lawmakers enter the second half of the legislative session, they are considering bills to amend or repeal the voter-approved measure that ended the state’s near-total abortion ban. They also must pass a state budget. Plus: Layoffs and court-ordered rehiring have all but paralyzed the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development agency.

Murphy leaves behind two eagles and a rock he raised as his own. The World Bird Sanctuary said it found him dead of a head injury after the region's storms and tornadoes.

The bill now goes to Gov. Mike Kehoe, who made the state takeover of St. Louis Police one of his priorities. St. Louis' two police unions support the legislation, but the city mayor and police chief testified against it.