Today 52 immigrants from 21 countries became new Americans during a naturalization ceremony at Brentwood High School.  Here’s their story.

SOURCES: The data for this interactive graphic was compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, the Missouri Department of Economic Development and the Illinois Department of Employment Security.

It was adapted by Post-Dispatch interactive designers Brian Williamson and Erica Smith. The graphic, a snapshot of area employment, reflects the counties and cities where the employed and unemployed reside and not, necessarily, the business locations where they work or worked.

A graphic of the national employment scene, designed by TIP Strategies, provided the inspiration for the map.

When it first made its bid for Anheuser-Busch last year, few St. Louisans had ever heard of InBev, the Belgian-Brazilian hybrid that had rapidly grown into one of the world’s top brewers. As part of a four-day Post-Dispatch series starting Sunday, we trace here the evolution of what is now Anheuser-Busch InBev, one year after the deal that created the world’s biggest brewer.
—Jeremiah McWilliams

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch is partnering with 100 Neediest Cases to help more than 14,000 St. Louis families this year, during the holiday season.

Watch the video by Huy Mach

Every month, the St. Louis Police Department releases crime data from the previous month. I take that information, pull out the homicides and add them to our city homicide map.

The data released today included one November 2008 homicide, one June 2009 homicide, one July 2009 homicide and 18 October 2009 homicides. (Homicides are recorded on the map according to the date of the incident, but the November, June and July deaths likely were not classified as homicides until last month.)

Our data goes back to 2005; and this is the bloodiest October we have seen in the city. It also pushes the year’s total past 100. Looking at the numbers for the past four years, St. Louis averages 14 homicides in November and 11.75 homicides in December. If those numbers hold true for 2009, the annual total will exceed the number of homicides reported in 2005, 2006 and 2007.

We…

Twenty-two World War II veterans from St. Louis flew to Washington,DC to see their memorial.  See their pictures, hear their words.

Kirkwood voters decide on a smoking ban in the city on Tuesday. Voters and residents voice their opinions on the topic.

Watch the video by Huy Mac