Brian Munoz
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fiat lux | visuals editor at @stlpublicradio, @npr network | 🇲🇽 🇺🇸 | @stlprguild | formerly: @usatoday, et. al | forever @siuc | tips? → bmunoz@stlpr.org
Articles by Brian Munoz
Photos: An inside look at Election Day voting, key races in Missouri and Illinois
Voters across Missouri and Illinois are making their voices heard in the 2026 midterm elections. St. Louis Public Radio's photojournalists bring you a look inside at the people shaping the moment throughout the region. A voters walks into a polling location to cast his midterm ballot at the International Institute on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, in St. Louis’ Tower Grove East neighborhood. Mike Byrd, a 68-year-old voter from East.
Photos: St. Louis City SC raises historic U.S. Open Cup champion banner
St. Louis City SC raised its first championship banner Wednesday, celebrating its 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup title — the club’s first trophy since beginning play in 2023. City SC defeated the Columbus Crew last week in a nail-biting penalty shootout after a scoreless 120 minutes. The nail-on-the-coffin kick came from City midfielder Daniel Edelman, cementing a 5-3 scoring difference between teams. The win is the city's first since 1988. “It means everything.
Rolla's jail has housed hundreds of ICE detainees. There are now only 5 left Original
The Phelps County Jail — which has held hundreds of detainees on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s behalf in the last year and a half — has drastically reduced its populations of people in ICE custody this month. The jail in Rolla has transferred out most of its detainees held solely on federal immigration detainers, according to Abide in Love cofounder Lucy Behrendt.
With midterms looming, ICE agents investigate suspected voter fraud across Missouri
Federal immigration agents are investigating suspected voter fraud in Missouri as part of a nationwide effort by the Trump administration in the weeks leading up to the midterm elections. In two social media posts on Sept.
With midterms looming, ICE agents investigate suspected voter fraud across Missouri
Federal immigration agents are investigating suspected voter fraud in Missouri as part of a nationwide effort by the Trump administration in the weeks leading up to the midterm elections. In two social media posts on Sept.
With midterms looming, ICE agents investigate suspected voter fraud across Missouri
Federal immigration agents are investigating suspected voter fraud in Missouri as part of a nationwide effort by the Trump administration in the weeks leading up to the midterm elections. In two social media posts on Sept.
With midterms looming, ICE agents investigate suspected voter fraud across Missouri
Federal immigration agents are investigating suspected voter fraud in Missouri as part of a nationwide effort by the Trump administration in the weeks leading up to the midterm elections. In two social media posts on Sept.
Photos: United States men beat Chile as international friendly boils over in St. Louis
The United States Men's National team beat Chile, 4-2, on Tuesday night in front of a packed crowd of 21, 680 at Energizer Park. The match ended on a sour note after Chile’s Leandro Hernández kicked U.S. goalkeeper Brian Schwake after he had secured the ball. Hernández was confronted by an American player and the benches poured onto the field with members of each side pushing and shoving each other before a brief restart and the final whistle.
Thousands of Catholics come to St. Louis to see Fulton Sheen get closer to becoming a saint
For the first time, an American-born Catholic bishop is one step away from becoming a saint. And tens of thousands of people came to St. Louis to see it happen. The Catholic Church held a beatification Mass for Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen on Thursday at the Dome at America's Center. The faithful from 49 states and 10 countries came to the ceremony that bestows on Sheen the title "Blessed" and his own feast day. It also means he is nearly a saint.
Greater St. Louis Hispanic Festival kicks off 30th annual celebration in Soulard
The Greater St. Louis Hispanic Festival kicked off for the 30th year in Soulard Park on Friday with a dash of colorful papel picado and fast-paced dance lessons amid sweltering heat that had festivalgoers clamoring for fresh aguas frescas. The festival had humble beginnings and ran only on $500 its first year, according to Elisa Bender, the executive director of the Hispanic Festival Inc., the organization that runs the event and Fiesta in Florissant.
An Afghan man helped the U.S. fight the Taliban. ICE took him on terrorism allegations
An Afghan man spent years helping the U.S. military fight the Taliban, then made a new life legally in St. Louis County. Now, he's in custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and facing deportation proceedings on allegations he aided a terrorist organization.
An Afghan man helped the U.S. fight the Taliban. ICE took him on terrorism allegations
An Afghan man spent years helping the U.S. military fight the Taliban, then made a new life legally in St. Louis County. Now, he’s in custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and facing deportation proceedings on allegations he aided a terrorist organization.
St. Louis Zoo's endangered American red wolf pups join wild pack in North Carolina
Three critically endangered American red wolf pups born at the St. Louis Zoo are now growing up alongside a new wild wolf family in North Carolina — a first for the zoo and a rare opportunity to add genetic diversity to one of the world’s most endangered mammal populations. The seven-day-old pups were removed from a litter at the zoo’s Sears Lehmann Jr. Wildlife Reserve in Franklin County last April and transported to the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in northeastern North Carolina.
‘It’s racial profiling’: ICE detains Sikeston rodeo-goers after beer ID checks
An unknown number of people were detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the Sikeston Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo after local law enforcement said attendees seeking wristbands to purchase alcohol presented identification that prompted additional scrutiny. Sikeston’s Department of Public Safety said four people came to ICE’s attention over immigration-related matters during the four-night rodeo, though officials have not said whether all four were detained Saturday.
‘It’s racial profiling’: ICE detains Sikeston rodeo-goers after beer ID checks
St. Louis Public Radio | By Brian Munoz Published August 9, 2026 at 2:12 PM CDT Updated August 9, 2026 at 5:16 PM CDT At least four people were detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the Sikeston Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo after local law enforcement said attendees seeking wristbands to purchase alcohol presented identification that prompted additional scrutiny.
Photos: A look inside St. Louis-area watch parties on primary election night
Voters across the St. Louis region took to the polls on Tuesday to decide who will represent them in many of the area's top offices. Incumbent U.S. Rep. Wesley Bell quashed former Congresswoman Cori Bush's bid to regain the congressional seat she lost to Bell in 2024. The 2024 race for Missouri's First District was one of the most expensive primaries in U.S. history, largely backed by the pro-Israel lobbyist group American Israel Public Affairs Committee..
Mourners decry Overland couple's killing in Guatemala, call for ICE accountability
Hundreds of community members gathered outside Overland City Hall onSunday night to mourn the killings of former Overland residents Glendy González de la Cruz and Nixon Perez Paz in Guatemala. The couple was found bound and shot dead in a sugarcane field weeks after González de la Cruz took her three young daughters and rejoined her husband Nixon following his ICE deportation last year.
Mourners decry Overland couple's killing in Guatemala, call for ICE accountability
Hundreds of community members gathered outside Overland City Hall onSunday night to mourn the killings of former Overland residents Glendy González de la Cruz and Nixon Perez Paz in Guatemala. The couple was found bound and shot dead in a sugarcane field weeks after González de la Cruz took her three young daughters and rejoined her husband Nixon following his ICE deportation last year.
Overland mayor says he wasn’t told about ICE operation that led to couple's death in Guatemala
Overland residents Nixon Giovanni Pérez Paz and Glendy Marisol González de la Cruz were shot and killed in Guatemala last week, shortly after González de la Cruz self-deported to join her husband who had been deported after an ICE stop last April. The gruesome deaths have shaken the community both in the St. Louis region and in Guatemala.
Overland couple shot dead in Guatemala after local ICE stop led to deportations
Lee este reporte en español. An Overland couple who had recently returned to Guatemala was found bound and shot to death in a sugarcane field. Nixon Giovanni Pérez Paz and Glendy Marisol González de la Cruz were killed weeks after González de la Cruz self-deported to be with her husband, who was deported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement last year. Their 14-month-old daughter, Giovanni, was found crying beside her mother's body in southern Guatemala.
Pareja de Overland asesinada en Guatemala después de deportaciones por ICE
Read this story in English. Una pareja de Overland que había regresado recientemente a Guatemala fue encontrada atada y muerta a tiros en un cañaveral. Nixon Giovanni Pérez Paz y Glendy Marisol González de la Cruz fueron asesinados apenas unas semanas después de que González de la Cruz se regresó a Guatemala para reunirse con su esposo, quien había sido deportado el año pasado por el Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas de Estados Unidos, conocido como ICE.
Overland couple shot dead in Guatemala after local ICE stop led to deportations
An Overland couple who had recently returned to Guatemala was found bound and shot dead in a sugarcane field. Nixon Giovanni Pérez Paz and Glendy Marisol González de la Cruz were killed just weeks after González de la Cruz self-deported to be with her husband, who was deported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement last year. Their 14-month-old daughter, Giovanni, was found crying beside her mother’s body in southern Guatemala.
Photos: St. Louis Bosnians grateful for World Cup run as United States knocks team out
Bosnia and Herzegovina’s historic run in the FIFA World Cup came to a close Wednesday as the team fell to the United States, 2-0, in a physical match at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Yet, in St. Louis, Bosnia fans were grateful for the opportunity to be competitive on the world’s biggest stage. In fact, their deepest run in the global tournament.
Then ICE arrived: Inside the rural Illinois traffic stop that upended 3 immigrants' lives Original
A new trove of records obtained by St. Louis Public Radio reveal the minute-by-minute breakdowns of a June 9 traffic stop that landed three immigrant teenagers from Collinsville in deportation proceedings and for the youngest, put in federal custody and transported to Texas.
Then ICE arrived: Inside a rural Illinois traffic stop that upended 3 teens’ lives
New records obtained by St. Louis Public Radio reveal the minute-by-minute breakdowns of a June 9 traffic stop that landed three immigrant teenagers from Collinsville in deportation proceedings and, for the youngest, in federal custody in Texas.
The Grove’s bars fight back as St. Louis mayor pushes early closures during Pride weekend
Multiple bar owners in the Grove say they are planning on staying open late this weekend, despite an announcement from St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer last week that they agreed to close at midnight during Pride celebrations. “We are celebrating us being queer,” said John Arnold, who owns Just John.
How 3 St. Louisans became heroes when a U.S. World Cup watch party went dark
Folarin Balogun may have scored two goals in the United States' first World Cup game Friday night, but many fans in south St. Louis crowned a different MVP. More than a thousand fans flocked to the Amsterdam Tavern's outdoor watch party on Morgan Ford Road to watch the U.S. take on Paraguay. Picture it: Ten minutes into the game, the mood couldn't have been higher. The U.S. scores early. Beer is flowing and flying through the air.
How 3 St. Louisans became heroes when a U.S. World Cup watch party went dark
Folarin Balogun may have scored two goals in the United State’s first World Cup game Friday night, but many fans in south St. Louis crowned a different MVP. More than a thousand fans flocked to the Amsterdam Tavern’s outdoor watch party on Morgan Ford Road to watch the U.S. take on Paraguay. Picture it: Ten minutes into the game, the mood couldn’t have been higher. The U.S. scores early. Beer is flowing and flying through the air.
St. Louis nonprofits' new database tracks local immigration enforcement
A new database created by a coalition of local nonprofits is tracking federal immigration enforcement action in the greater St. Louis region and eastern Missouri. "Public understanding of immigration enforcement is often limited by a lack of accessible, localized data," said Sara Ruiz, executive director of the Ashrei Foundation. The nonprofit also runs the Rapid Response Hotline.
$4,500 for tickets? How much St. Louis soccer fans are spending on the World Cup
St. Louis has a few features that are emblematic of the city’s culture: the Gateway Arch National Park, Provel cheese, free museums — and soccer. The beautiful game’s history runs through St. Louis, which many fans assert is America’s true soccer capital, despite what some other cities claim.
Collinsville teens ‘kidnapped’ by ICE while on the way to work in central Illinois
Jesus Alexis Cruz, 16, was on the way to his job with two other Collinsville teens when central Illinois police pulled over the trio for a traffic stop, according to Cruz family spokesperson Anna Marie Bell. Cruz, along with 19-year-olds Hector Cruz Sanchez and Jonathan Godoy, is in the United States without legal status. Bell alleges police took the vehicle the teens were in and subsequently called U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to pick up the teens to circumvent the Illinois Trust Act.
Bosanska i Panamska zajednica u St. Louisu slave kulturu uoči SP nakon remija 1:1
Read this story in English. Subotnja utakmica Bosne i Hercegovine protiv Paname nije bila obična utakmica za Milu Mujdžić i njenog sina Nermina Hajrizija. Mujdžić je tokom 1990-ih došla u područje St. Louisa iz Bosne, bježeći od genocida. Iako St. Louis od tada smatra svojim domom, subotnja utakmica djelovala je kao prava domaća utakmica. „Ovo je moj dom i slavim sa svojim komšijama, sa svojom zajednicom“, rekla je Mujdžić.
St. Louis’ Bosnian and Panamanian communities celebrate cultures in 1-1 World Cup lead-up
Pročitajte ovu priču na bosanskom jeziku. Saturday’s Bosnia and Herzegovina match against Panama wasn’t a regular game for Mila Mujdzic and her son Nermin Hajrizi. Mujdzic came to the St. Louis area from Bosnia in the 1990s fleeing the Bosnian genocide. While she’s called St. Louis home since then, Saturday's match also felt like a home game. “This is my home, and I'm celebrating with our neighbors, with our community,” Mujdzic said.
Maplewood Richmond Heights school janitor deported despite community outcry
A Maplewood Richmond Heights School District janitor was deported to Nicaragua on Thursday after being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for more than two weeks. Boanerges Flores-Bravo; his wife, Alba Del Socorro Matamoro-Hernandez, and their now 8-year-old daughter, Mauren, fled Nicaragua four years ago to escape political persecution in Nicaragua. They applied for asylum at the U.S. border and were allowed to enter the country.
Colombian president blasts U.S. government after St. Louis man died in ICE custody Original
Colombian President Gustavo Petro has called for a formal diplomatic protest of the United States government in response to Brayan Garzón-Rayo’s death in a Rolla jail last year. “A young Colombian man committed suicide in an ICE detention camp run by the U.S. government,” Petro wrote in Spanish in a social media post on Wednesday. “He wanted to call his mother, but was not permitted to do so.
Missourians will not be able to enshrine St. Louis sheriff elections in constitution
An effort to ask Missouri voters if the St. Louis sheriff should be elected failed to make it across the finish line in the legislative session that ended Friday. Because the St. Louis sheriff is already an elected position, there won’t be a change to the status quo, even with the exclusion of St. Louis from the ballot measure.
How STLPR reported 'Torn,' a series marking one year since the deadly May 2025 tornado
A deadly EF3 tornado tore through the St. Louis region on May 16, 2025 — and our community changed forever. St. Louis Public Radio journalists began reporting in tornado-affected neighborhoods immediately after the storm, documenting the damage and experiences of residents navigating the aftermath. As our reporting progressed, we found more questions than answers. Was St. Louis prepared for a storm of this magnitude? How would the city rebuild neighborhoods that long faced disinvestment?
Analog revives an old-school photo booth experience in a new south St. Louis space
Inside a small storefront in St. Louis’ Tower Grove South neighborhood, a camera shutter and lights pop off, and a 70-year-old machine hums to life. About three minutes later, a strip of developed film with four photos on it shoots out of the machine. Two St. Louisans are betting people will wait for that process, especially in an era of instant photography.
Who gets to name St. Louis’ interim sheriff? A judge rules it’s the city
A St. Louis circuit judge ruled that Mayor Cara Spencer has the authority to fill a vacancy in the sheriff’s office — but will be required to “meaningfully include” the Board of Aldermen and Comptroller Donna Barringer. In a decision issued Monday, St. Louis Circuit Judge Thomas A. McCarthy rejected arguments that either the mayor or Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe alone has the authority to appoint a temporary replacement for ousted Sheriff Alfred Montgomery.
A St. Louis judge denies ousted Sheriff Alfred Montgomery’s request for a new trial
Ousted St. Louis Sheriff Alfred Montgomery will not get another trial, retired St. Louis Circuit Judge Steven R. Ohmer ruled Friday. The decision is the latest in the months-long civil saga between the embattled former sheriff and Missouri. Last December, Ohmer removed Montgomery from office after the state brought a quo warranto against Montgomery that included six arguments for why the then-sheriff should be taken out of office.
A student farming program is expanding in urban schools. Here’s what city kids get out of FFA
Agriculture employment grew 10% nationwide between 2010 and 2024, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data. That means potential jobs for people who grew up far from traditional agriculture. Christine White, the chief program officer with the National FFA Organization, said FFA chapters across the country serve students in urban, technology-forward settings.
Mosses are the underdogs of the plant world. These scientists are trying to protect them
In order for a species to get legal protection under the Endangered Species Act, scientists need to first collect detailed information on it, including where it occurs and the threats it faces. More than 1,600 species of plants and animals are currently protected under the act, but of those, only one moss is on the list.
He posted bail for a traffic violation. A Missouri jail turned him over to ICE anyway
Jose "Julian" Morales Calderon was driving to his St. Louis-area home from Planet Fitness with his sister on Tuesday when he saw lights flashing behind him. The St. Ann Police Department confirmed the Mexican man was pulled over for a traffic violation. The department turned Morales Calderon over to St. Charles County police after discovering there was a warrant out for his arrest. Lily Barcenas, his 21-year-old girlfriend, said she paid Morales Calderon's $450 bond.
ICE rumors drive fear in St. Louis following Minneapolis killings
Lee este reporte en español. Frozen exhales rise in the cold air outside Union Station as several dozen protesters chant: "Say it once, say it twice, we will not put up with ICE!" The rally and march took place weeks after federal immigration agents in Minneapolis shot and killed poet Renee Nicole Good on Jan. 7. Government agents shot and killed ICU nurse Alex Pretti on Jan. 24.
St. Louis' Energizer Park to host Olympic soccer during LA 2028 Summer Games
The Olympics are coming back to St. Louis. The LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games announced Tuesday that six additional venues across the country will host matches for the 2028 Olympic soccer tournament — including St. Louis City SC's Energizer Park. "We are a soccer town to our core, but the Olympic Games transcend, uniting us as Americans, sport fans and citizens of the world," said Mayor Cara Spencer in a release.
America's top figure skaters dazzled St. Louis. I left with a new love for the sport.
January 12, 2026 I’ll admit it: this past week was my first real foray into competitive figure skating. Only later did it dawn on me — much to my regret — that I’d been blissfully unaware I was rubbing elbows with figure-skating luminaries like Olympian-turned-commentator Adam Rippon and Cordero Zuckerman, better known to fans as Denali Foxx of RuPaul’s Drag Race, whose breakout persona fuses drag and figure skating.
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