Missouri residents impacted by historic uranium exposure are now eligible for federal compensation, thanks to a new expansion of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. Learn how this change affects the St. Louis community.

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RECA Expansion Brings Hope

Missouri lawmakers and advocates marked the expansion of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) on Wednesday, extending eligibility to St. Louis residents affected by historic uranium processing at Mallinckrodt Chemical Works during the Manhattan Project. The updated law also highlights the struggles of impacted communities near Coldwater Creek and West Lake Landfill.

The new RECA provisions follow bipartisan efforts and years of advocacy. In 2022, Rep. Cori Bush’s push in the House prevented the bill’s removal during negotiations. The law’s expansion is expected to benefit affected residents and workers, including approximately 4,000 Navajo mine laborers from over 1,000 mines. Program administration will be handled by the U.S. Department of Justice, which is preparing new applications for compensation, according to Sen. Josh Hawley.

Applicants can expect updated instructions to be posted on the Department of Justice website soon. Lawmakers hope other exposed communities will be included in future RECA expansions. For more, read about the RECA expansion and local impact.

AROUND TOWN

A St. Louis County judge has ordered Urban Chestnut Brewing’s founders to pay over $300,000 in unpaid loans. Co-owners David Wolfe and Florian Kuplent must pay lender Lester Nydegger $330,680.33 after missing loan payments for about seven years, per a recent court ruling. Urban Chestnut, which filed for bankruptcy protection last fall and was acquired for $2.55 million in 2024, faces additional legal claims over other unpaid debts. The brewery’s founders have not commented publicly. Read the full article for details.

Dardenne Prairie welcomes The Quarter Butcher, a new whole-animal butcher shop specializing in local meats. Family owners Ryan and Eleni Sommerkamp opened the shop in early July, offering pasture-raised beef, pork, and chicken sourced directly from area farms and processed in-house. Shoppers can view butchering through a cut room window and ask questions about sourcing and preparation. The shop plans to expand its product selection, bringing education and quality meats to the St. Charles County community. Read more here.

At Incarnate Word Academy’s basketball camp, Napheesa Collier tops Caitlin Clark as local favorite. Collier, an alumna of Incarnate Word and Jefferson City native, leads the WNBA in scoring with 23.9 points per game for the 17-3 Minnesota Lynx, and her jerseys outnumbered Clark’s at the 2025 camp despite Clark’s national popularity and recent boost to WNBA visibility. Collier, now 28, also serves as WNBA Players Association vice president and helps promote women’s basketball, all while maintaining strong St. Louis ties. Read more about the local connection and national spotlight.

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Millennium Hotel Site to Be Redeveloped

The long-vacant Millennium Hotel in downtown St. Louis has been sold to the locally based Gateway Arch Park Foundation, which plans to demolish the property and launch a $670 million redevelopment. The hotel closed in 2014 and has stood empty near the Gateway Arch for nearly a decade.

The 4.2-acre site will become a 1.3 million-square-foot mixed-use development featuring residential, office, retail, and public spaces, according to the foundation. City records value the site at $8.1 million with $289,000 in annual property taxes. Read more details about the redevelopment plans here.

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City Museum Unveils the Labyrinth

The City Museum in downtown St. Louis has opened the Labyrinth, a new 2,400-square-foot maze-like attraction, marking its largest addition since 2018. The exhibit features industrial artifacts, slides, and passageways inspired by a Belgian installation seen in 2015.

Repurposed materials such as syrup tanks, ship lights, and fire suppression pipes create the structure’s winding, dimly lit corridors. The centerpiece is a slide descending from the fourth to the second floor, ending near the aquarium. Phase 2 will introduce softer textures. For more details, see the City Museum Labyrinth feature.

QUICK HITS

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe signed 13 bipartisan education bills on Wednesday, including laws that extend substitute teaching opportunities for retirees to 2030, restrict student cellphone use, and allow homeschoolers to participate in public school extracurricular activities.

Missouri firefly numbers appear to be up this year after recent wet weather. Still, experts warn that long-term population levels remain sharply lower than they were decades ago due to habitat loss, pesticides, and other environmental pressures.

City of St. Louis will host two open houses and a bike network workshop in July to showcase the draft Transportation and Mobility Plan, inviting resident input and celebrating extensive community involvement over the past year.

The Spirit of St. Louis Task Force urged churches and other private nonprofits impacted by the May 16 tornado to submit FEMA public assistance applications by 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, July 9, or risk missing the aid deadline.

Missouri Highway Patrol reported a 16-year-old girl died and four teens sustained serious injuries in a high-speed crash involving a stolen car Tuesday night in Velda City, with the driver fleeing the scene on foot.

GENERATING BUZZ

A discussion is underway about the best late-night food options, particularly for those with limited schedules. The conversation highlights the desire for diverse dining choices beyond traditional sandwiches and college fare. Participants are seeking recommendations for late-night eats within a 25-minute radius of downtown. The discussion explores the challenges of finding quality food after 9 PM and the need for more diverse options. Check it out.

NEIGHBORHOOD EVOLUTION

Picture this: It’s the 1940s, you’re walking down St. Louis Avenue through The Ville, and the sidewalks buzz with folks heading to the Armstrong Club or dropping by Annie Malone’s Poro College campus. Sumner High—the pride of Black St. Louis—sits right there near Pendleton, producing star scholars and jazz legends. The Ville thrived as a self-sufficient Black neighborhood packed with Black-owned pharmacies, tailors, and bakeries, all centered around anchor institutions like Homer G. Phillips Hospital. Fast forward to now, and The Ville feels almost hidden in plain sight. Streets like Annie Malone Drive are quieter. The once-busy Homer G. Phillips is now apartments. Empty lots dot what were once vibrant corners—the scars of redlining and urban renewal in the ‘60s and ‘70s, when highways carved up communities and so many families left, chasing jobs or pushed out by policy shifts. But the legacy lingers—residents still gather for the annual Ville Jazz Festival at Tandy Rec Center, the grand brick facades of Sumner and Poro College stand tall, and if you look close on blocks like Kennerly or Aldine, you’ll see neighbors tending community gardens or kids shooting hoops, echoing the spirit of those who made The Ville a cultural heartbeat decades ago.