Author

Sophie Hurwitz
Sophie Hurwitz is a reporter from St. Louis. A recent graduate of Wellesley College, she focuses on historically-rooted solutions journalism. She currently works as an education and criminal justice system reporter for the St. Louis American, and is a former fellow with New Voices Magazine and the Jewish Women's Archive.
Workers on strike at St. Louis nursing home plagued by understaffing, deficiencies
By: Sophie Hurwitz, Tessa Weinberg and Allison Kite - November 8, 2021
CLAYTON, Mo. — A group of nursing home workers have been on strike for days to protest unfair labor practices and what they say are dangerous violations and deficiencies at three understaffed St. Louis-area facilities. On Monday, Blue Circle Rehab and Nursing workers and union members protested outside their employer’s corporate office, calling on St. Louis […]
St. Louis asks appeals court to force protestor to pay attorney fees for suing police
By: Rebecca Rivas and Sophie Hurwitz - October 5, 2021
An attorney for the city of St. Louis argued in court Tuesday that a woman who sued a police officer for excessive force must pay $57,000 in attorneys fees the city spent on the case. Kristine “Kris” Hendrix filed a lawsuit in 2017 claiming that two St. Louis officers used excessive force, tasing her repeatedly […]
Missouri students head back to the classroom in the shadow of the Delta surge
By: Rebecca Rivas, Tessa Weinberg and Sophie Hurwitz - August 24, 2021
Fourth graders Addison, Reagan and Lauren Harper are no strangers to catastrophes or challenging circumstances. Five days after they were born in May 2011, a tornado swept through Joplin and leveled their home, destroying a chance at normalcy for their family — along with the entire community — for a long time. Ten years later, […]
After 30 years, Missouri reforms HIV transmission criminalization law
By: Sophie Hurwitz - August 5, 2021
Six years ago, college student Michael Johnson was sentenced to 30 years in prison by a St. Charles County judge for “recklessly exposing” his sexual partners to HIV. Five and a half years into that sentence, he was released in 2019 after outcry around his case brought a national spotlight to Missouri’s laws criminalizing HIV […]