Brett Peveto

With flu and RSV showing early season intensity, experts are worried about the return of COVID straining the health-care system. The nursing workforce is smaller than at the beginning of the pandemic, as 100,000 nurses left the job in 2021.

November is National Family Caregivers Month, which focuses on unpaid care work. Home and Community Based Care services play a role in shifting the elderly away from being institutionalized but their funding has been cut in Missouri, which threatens wrap-around services that keep people out of nursing homes.

Wild turkeys were once threatened, but their populations were restored through conservation efforts. The Recovering America's Wildlife Act, which may be on the brink of passage in Congress, would invest $1.4 billion annually in state and tribal plans to restore other animal and plant species in jeopardy.

A new report says nearly all Missouri coal plants are releasing toxins into the groundwater. The report says improper storage of waste materials from coal-fired power plants are causing unsafe levels of groundwater contamination at 91% of U.S. coal plants.

Missouri firearms hunters in 34 counties are required to bring their deer carcass to a sampling location to test for Chronic Wasting Disease, a fatal infectious disease in deer for which there is no cure.

The Missouri State Commission on Teacher Recruitment and Retention has released its recommendations and will hold a series of public-engagement meetings at several locations across the state through Nov. 17.

October has been National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month. Research says one in five students reports being bullied. Missouri has anti-bullying laws for conduct at schools, but experts say ultimately, prevention includes building children's social and emotional awareness.

Friday (10/28) is Vote Early Day, a nationwide celebration intended to encourage people to vote early. Early voting already is underway in Missouri, and voters should be aware of the rules around voting, absentee ballots, and the nuances of ballot initiatives.

The Great Central U.S. "ShakeOut" earthquake drill is set for 10:20 a.m. today (10/20). Participants are encouraged to "drop, cover and hold on" in a drill that simulates how to stay safe in an earthquake.