Jonathan Ahl
Jonathan Ahl reports from the Rolla Bureau for St. Louis Public Radio. His duties also include covering central and southern Missouri for Harvest Public Media. Before coming to St. Louis Public Radio in November of 2018, Jonathan was the General Manager for Tri States Public Radio in Macomb, Illinois. He previously was the News Director at Iowa Public Radio and before that at WCBU in Peoria, Illinois. Jonathan has also held reporting positions in central Illinois for public radio stations. Jonathan is originally from the Chicago area. He has a B.A. in Music Theory and Composition from Western Illinois University and an M.A. in Public Affairs Reporting from the University of Illinois at Springfield. He is an avid long distance runner, semi-professional saxophonist and die-hard Chicago Cubs fan.
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Small town farm shows are reacting differently to COVID-19 restrictions. Some canceled, some went virtual and some are carrying on as usual.
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The decreasing number of farmers, improvements in technology and alternatives implemented during the pandemic are leading some to predict the end of the in-person gatherings focused on farm life.
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Low pay rates exacerbated by the pandemic have left the facilities around the state short-staffed to the point they have empty beds while still having waiting lists.
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Currently $20 million of the state’s annual $400 million in gaming revenue goes toward veterans. A state lawmaker wants voters to increase that share.
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The Missouri governor's State of the State address also included calls to invest $400 million in water and wastewater systems, investments in agriculture and telehealth upgrades and economic development.
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Small towns far from big cities rely upon federal grants to help them, but numerous definitions of what the government considers rural make that complicated.
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There are lots of grants and proposals promising to help rural America. But the definition of "rural" isn't always clear, and where a town falls in the pecking order can decide its access to funds.
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A new report found the percentage of farms that are small and family owned remained unchanged from 2011 to 2020, holding steady at 89% of all farms.
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Missouri’s senior senator traveled to six small towns to talk about economic development and health care issues facing rural areas.
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Instead of applying crushed limestone to balance pH levels in fields, some farmers are trying crushed basalt. It can trap carbon and could help fight climate change.