Beyond aprons and roadside diners, women helped power and preserve Route 66. Edwardsville resident Cheryl Eicher Jett’s new book “Aprons Away: Women’s Work on Route 66” — which first premiered as a play — chronicles untold stories of more than 80 women who worked along the Mother Road’s 2,448-mile stretch. We talk with the author about some histories of the women who shaped the landmark, including some from the St. Louis area.

When the Riverfront Times abruptly closed its newsroom and ceased print publication, it marked the end of an era for the alt-weekly that had chronicled St. Louis arts, culture and public affairs for decades. But the newspaper’s history lives on through the archival efforts led by Washington University Libraries. Miranda Rechtenwald, curator of local history in the Department of Special Collections at WashU, discusses how the partnership came together, the importance of preserving local publications and how the general public can engage with the collection.

Each year, the Landmarks Association of St. Louis recognizes projects for its "Most Enhanced Awards." This year, awardees include a former gas station-turned-piano-cafe, a classic shotgun-style brick home and a senior living facility in East St. Louis. Landmarks executive director Stuart Keating talks about why the renovations of those and other cultural institutions like Powell Hall and Uncle Bill’s made the cut for this year. We also meet an awardee, architect Max Bemberg. Keating and Bemberg share their insights into what “most enhanced” means in St. Louis and what these buildings can teach us.

For more than 20 years, so-called “troubled” kids and teens from across the country have been sent to Change Academy at the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. Now, former students of the youth treatment center are suing, alleging physical assault by its staff, and sexual abuse by fellow residents. Midwest Newsroom reporter Luke Nozicka shares the details of his new investigation into those allegations, and what former students and staff say about years of abuse they witnessed.

U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, talked about his new book, “The Crisis of the Common Good: The Search for Meaning and Connection in a Broken America," at an event at St. Louis County Library last week. STLPR politics correspondent Jason Rosenbaum talked with him.

One year ago, a few dozen Phelps County residents met at Public House Brewing Company in Rolla to share their thoughts about the U.S. Immigration and Customs detention of immigrants at the Phelps County Jail. That meeting led to the creation of Abide in Love: an organization that’s since supported hundreds of people detained by ICE — along with their spouses and children. Today, the nonprofit has grown across Missouri and Oklahoma. STLPR Rolla correspondent and newscast editor Jonathan Ahl shares what the organization has accomplished this past year and what they hope to do moving forward.

Now in its 40th season, Circus Flora is going back to high school for its “Fly High” show, which runs June 4-21. Circus Flora artistic director and executive director Jack Marsh previews the show, where classrooms are “filled with a mix of world-class acrobats, aerialists, jugglers and class clowns.” We also meet Chad Damiani, an influential figure in the modern clown scene in Los Angeles, who teaches clowning across the country. Ahead of his Circus Flora debut, Damiani talks about the nature of modern clowning and what it means to perform in St. Louis, in a more traditional circus, for the first time.

St. Louis Bosnians will paint the city blue, white and yellow in welcoming the Bosnia and Herzegovina national soccer team on Saturday at Energizer Park. It’s the team’s first appearance in St. Louis since 2014. Ahead of the friendly against Panama, we talk with Elvir Kafedžić, assistant coach for St. Louis City 2 and founder of the St. Louis Dragons youth club, about what this match means for the city's Bosnian diaspora.

Dive into a good beach read this summer with recommendations from Lauren Brickey of St. Louis Public Library and Heather Neill of St. Louis County Library.

During the final hours of the Missouri General Assembly, the GOP-controlled legislature approved a measure moving school-related elections from April to November. Critics contend it will politicize local education. But state Rep. Richard West says it will prompt more people to decide on high-stakes contests, especially around bond issues. West, a Republican from Wentzville, talks about the legislation on “The Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air.”