families

Emma Alexander and her family live in southwest Missouri and come from a long line of Missouri farmers. She and her 16-year-old son Lucas recently sat down and spoke about how farming and its challenges benefit their mental health and well-being.

According to the Missouri Department of Corrections, approximately 19,000 people are released from prison every year. KBIA’s Rebecca Smith brings us the story of one’s man release from prison – after 37 years.

Dr. Crystal Lim is the chair of health psychology at the University of Missouri, and has spent much of her career working with children who are overweight. She spoke about how the treatment of excess weight has changed to focus more of health than size.

Paige Spears has been incarcerated in the Missouri Department of Corrections for nearly 35 years. At the age of 26, he was given a life sentence plus 30 years for an armed robbery he committed in 1988 – where no one was physically injured. He’s now 62. We met up with his family in January-Wabash Park in north county St. Louis recently and spoke about Paige and how his absence for more than 30 years of incarceration has impacted them.

Paige Spears has been incarcerated in the Missouri Department of Corrections for nearly 35 years. At the age of 26, he was given a life sentence plus 30 years for an armed robbery he committed in 1988 – where no one was physically injured. He’s now 62.Betty Cummings is his mother, and still lives in Ferguson, Missouri. She’s now 87-years-old and spoke about how the many years of Paige’s incarceration have impacted her.

The Missouri Legislature has sent bills to the governor’s desk that would limit trans children’s participation in sports and limit them from receiving gender-affirming healthcare. These steps from the government have pushed some families to leave the state.

In a rapidly growing city like Columbia, it can be hard for everyone to find adequate housing to meet their needs. That's why Columbia organizations are…