SpaceX ‘pinky promises’ no bad impacts for Louisiana locals — then forced to backtrack

In a tense meeting, SpaceX managers told locals the massive spaceport won’t affect them at all. Then locals pressed for specifics.

Delaney Nolan, The Lens Oct 13, 2026

Agriculture

Aging farmers and the government want to save farms, but for many the cost is too high

A federal program promises to pay for farmland preservation. Few landowners are taking advantage.

Jana Rose Schleis, KBIA Oct 8, 2026

Community

Researchers, patients optimistic in fight against alpha-gal syndrome

A support group and a lab in the St. Louis area provide resources for people with the allergy to mammal products — and evidence that its effects can be reversed.

Rose LaForest, Nine PBS Oct 1, 2026

Jess Savage

Jess Savage worked with the Desk as a Report for America corps member from 2024-2026. They focused on environmental and queer topics and graduated from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. They were awarded the Pulitzer Center Campus Consortium Fellowship to report on landscape-scale ecological restoration in England and its effects on local farmers. They studied ecology at the University of Vermont as an undergraduate. Jess is based in Chicago, and they love to ride their bike around the city.