SUMMARY: The Reptile Room STL, located at 14390 Manchester Road, is a new interactive reptile zoo in St. Louis offering up-close experiences with tarantulas, turtles, lizards, exotic bugs, and more. Founded by Mo Dalal, inspired by a friend’s reptile zoo in Michigan, it encourages visitors, especially kids, to overcome fears and learn about reptiles firsthand. Educational content creator Tarantula Kat collaborates here to dispel myths about tarantulas. Open Fridays to Sundays, the facility is expanding with large enclosures and new animals in preparation for its grand opening in November. Updates are shared on their Instagram and Facebook pages.

Read the full article

The post First-ever interactive reptile zoo comes to STL appeared first on fox2now.com

by Tim Henderson, Missouri Independent
September 5, 2025

Despite the assistance of armed troops in U.S. cities, federal immigration officials recorded fewer daily arrests in August than in July and remain well short of a Trump administration plan for 3,000 arrests a day, according to a new report.

As of Aug. 29, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests averaged 1,055 a day for the month, down 14% from 1,124 a day in July, according to data obtained by Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University. The organization tracks federal immigration data.

“President Trump’s orders recently assigning substantial personnel from the national guard and the U.S. military to target Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. may have been counter-productive in failing to increase total arrests countrywide,” said Susan B. Long, co-founder of TRAC and a professor in the Whitman School of Management, in an e-mail statement.

In a Tuesday decision a federal judge ruled that the Trump administration’s deployment of Marines and National Guard units to Southern California, where they assisted with immigration and other arrests, was illegal.

In May, Stephen Miller, a White House deputy chief of staff, told Fox News that the administration was “looking to set a goal of a minimum of 3,000 arrests for ICE every day and President Trump is going to keep pushing to get that number up higher.”

ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced it would give more financial incentives to state and local police to cooperate with ICE, including reimbursement for salary and benefits for officers trained in the 287(g) program to assist ICE in making arrests, and “performance awards” for “successful location of illegal aliens.”

“By joining forces with ICE, you’re not just gaining access to these unprecedented reimbursement opportunities — you’re becoming part of a national effort to ensure the safety of every American family,” ICE Deputy Director Madison Sheahan said in a statement.

Stateline reporter Tim Henderson can be reached at thenderson@stateline.org.

Missouri Independent is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Missouri Independent maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jason Hancock for questions: info@missouriindependent.com.

The post ICE arrests fell in August despite show of force in DC, Los Angeles appeared first on missouriindependent.com

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Center-Right

The content presents information about immigration enforcement with a focus on the Trump administration’s policies and actions, including the use of military personnel and ICE arrest targets. While it reports on legal challenges and critiques the effectiveness of certain measures, it also includes statements from government officials emphasizing safety and cooperation with law enforcement. The tone is factual with some critical elements but generally aligns with a center-right perspective that supports strong immigration enforcement policies.

SUMMARY: NASCAR driver Joey Gase’s race car features tributes honoring local organ and tissue donors, with handprints, photos, and heartfelt messages from families. The car, supported by Mid-America Transplant, raises awareness for organ donation. Families gathered to remember loved ones who made altruistic decisions to donate after passing, inspiring hope and life for others. Gase shares these stories during races to highlight donors’ bravery and impact. Motivated by his mother’s donation, which helped 66 people, Gase encourages fans to consider becoming donors. The tribute honors local donors’ courage and spreads a message of life and legacy.

On Thursday, NASCAR driver Joey Gase’s car got a new paint job.

St. Louis News: FOX 2 covers news, weather, and sports in Missouri and Illinois. Read more about this story or see the latest updates on our website https://FOX2Now.com

Follow FOX 2 on social media:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/FOX2Now
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FOX2Now/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FOX2Now/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fox2now/
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@fox2now
SnapChat: https://www.snapchat.com/add/fox2now

Source