Fayette

Juneteenth has only been a national holiday since 2021, but KBIA’s Katelynn McIlwain and Rebecca Smith bring us the story of one community in rural Missouri that has been celebrating for the last 25 years.

Today is Juneteenth, and while it’s only been an official federal holiday since 2021, the city of Fayette will be holding its 25th annual celebration this weekend.

One of the only remaining above ground pools in the Midwest could be a step closer to receiving grant money to fund its preservation.

Dr. Brittney Marshall has been working in rural healthcare since her clinical days – now as the resident physician at the Family Medicine Clinic in Fayette. She spoke about why she chooses to work in – and loves rural medicine.

The city of Fayette has approved funding to purchase an incinerator for drug evidence disposal just two weeks after the publication of a KBIA Investigative series that detailed the city’s lack of access to a reliable method of drug evidence disposal.

In the final installment of The Weight of Evidence, we’ll hear from citizens and city officials about how they feel the December 2023 incident was handled - and what recovery resources are available in Fayette.

In the fourth installment of The Weight of Evidence, we hear about drug disposal options for law enforcement and everyday people – and the challenges that can come with it.

In the third installment of The Weight of Evidence, we take a look at Missouri laws around evidence disposal and where the Fayette Police Department may have gone wrong.

In the second installment of The Weight of Evidence, we talk about drug disposal, why it exists and what can happen when it’s not done safely.

In the first installment of The Weight of Evidence, we’ll take a trip to where it all began - a town of 2800 people in North Central Missouri called Fayette.