In the Missouri legislature, 2023 was the year of bills targeting trans people. But there is a bigger picture here: For observers of the national picture, Missouri is a bellwether and a trendsetter. We sit down with two trans journalists to talk about what they’re seeing in Missouri in this movement, and this moment. Joining the discussion is Erin Reed, the author of the newsletter Erin in the Morning; and Evan Urquhart, founder of Assigned Media.

With a high violent crime rate and claims of inequitable policing in St. Louis, local leaders are questioning the $100,000 per year Chief Robert Tracy receives from local business owners. “Can the criminals get together and pay the chief?” asked one alderwoman. ProPublica reporter Jeremy Kohler talks about his story on the topic.

Earlier this week, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker delivered his annual budget address that outlined his priorities. Among the priorities in the $52.7 billion state spending plan are more money to address the migrant crisis and education, and tax hikes for businesses and for sports bettors. STLPR Metro East reporter Will Bauer discusses Pritzker’s speech, and we include Pritzker’s address in this episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air.

St. Louis is in an unusual position of having a lot of extra money — primarily from a settlement from the departure of the St. Louis Rams. City leaders also got more positive news last year with a drop in violent crime. Even with the good news, policymakers still have a lot of work to do to fully address some long-standing problems. In a wide-ranging interview on the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones discusses those issues and addresses homelessness, the cause of bad police driving and more.

Like most Illinois Republicans in Springfield, Sen. Jil Tracy, R-Quincy, said she’s largely skeptical of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s $52.7 billion proposed budget. And, Republicans in the Illinois General Assembly are limited in what they can do because they are in the super minority in both chambers. STLPR’s Jason Rosenbaum and Will Bauer talk with Sen. Tracy on the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air.

Jazz great David Sanborn, a Kirkwood native, got his start playing teen hangouts and clubs around St. Louis. Known for his warm sound on alto saxophone, Sanborn has won acclaim as a solo artist and as a collaborator with a long list of stars in the worlds of jazz, rock and pop. He joins STLPR senior reporter Jeremy D. Goodwin to discuss the lively, mid-century St. Louis jazz scene, the magic of genre-bending in music, and ways the music industry has evolved throughout his storied career.

Relationships look differently than they did 50, even 25 years ago. Millennials aren’t getting married at the same ages and rates compared to older generations. And while most people desire companionship, relationships today often vary from the traditional romantic relationships seen in classic films. Dr. Dixie Meyer, professor at St. Louis University and director of SLU’s relationships and brain sciences research laboratory, shares why romance is taking a back seat and how it impacts individuals, families and society.

What do Josephine Baker, Langston Hughes, and Bayard Rustin have in common? They are all Black American trailblazers that have had their queerness understated or erased from their identities or in the retelling of their influence in pivotal historic moments — and they are far from the only ones. Tre’von Griffith co-founded werQfest with his husband, Shelton Boyd-Griffith, to uplift Black, queer artists in St. Louis. For this year’s Black History Month, their mission has expanded with the introduction of the digital campaign, “Black, But Make It Queer.”

Missouri Children's Division Director Darrell Missey talks about where the massive backlog of child abuse and neglect case investigations stands, and other issues affecting children in the state. Last year, St. Louis Public Radio reported that the division's office serving St. Louis and St. Louis County had a backlog of 6,124 cases that remained open after 45 days. Missey describes the division's improvements since then, and where things stand now.

A Missouri researcher’s study of “prosocial” behavior in classrooms is getting a big boost of federal money — but it’s already made a difference in hundreds of classrooms. Now in its fifth year, the program emphasizes kindness, compassion, empathy and respect. University of Missouri researcher Christi Bergin and program director Jen Foster discuss how prosocial behavior can help teachers and students support each other through empathy.

Ragtime evokes images of old-timey saloons and the beginning of the 20th century. The “King of Ragtime” Scott Joplin lived in St. Louis from 1900 to 1902 — during which he published his most popular rags, including “Maple Leaf Rag” and “The Entertainer.” Fast forward to the 21st century: Musician and composer Royce Martin has picked up where Joplin left off with the album, “Memories on Morgan Street.” Royce joins the show to talk about Joplin’s influence on his music and how he ties ragtime and hip-hop together to make a new genre he calls “swagtime.”

Historically Black Colleges and Universities have long cemented their legacy in higher education across the country. A new book edited by NPR Weekend Edition Sunday host Ayesha Rascoe now celebrates that legacy. "HBCU Made” is a collection of personal essays of Black figures including authors, journalists and political figures. Rascoe spoke with STLPR's Marissanne Lewis-Thompson at the Ethical Society of St. Louis on Feb. 8 — an event sponsored by Harris-Stowe State University, St. Louis County Library and STLPR.

Dating is messy, nerve wrecking and oftentimes discouraging. Single St. Louisans have taken to social media to inquire — and vent — about how dating is difficult because of St. Louis being a “small big city.” Brittany Forrest and Simonne Kimble started a community and online platform called Relationship.ish to have open conversations about relationships and create opportunities to network. The duo shared their strategies to finding “the one,” even in a small dating pool.

Though not a household name, a company headquartered in downtown St. Louis is behind some of the most popular local and international destinations. PGAV architects Mike Konzen and Emily Howard discuss what it takes to design buildings including the St. Louis Aquarium, the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame & Museum and the world’s largest aquarium that opened last year — SeaWorld Abu Dhabi.

Throughout most of human history, lunar and solar eclipses were considered to be bad omens, and the fates of many have been determined by the celestial phenomenon. Washington University physicist Manel Errando shares details about the most notable solar eclipses in history, including one that ended a six-year war in Anatolia (present-day Turkey) and another that is credited for propelling Albert Einstein to fame.

Missouri Botanical Garden scientist Charlotte Taylor has named 500 new species of plants. That makes her the most prolific living female botanist — an accomplishment only revealed last year by researchers from Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the University of Cambridge. The researchers found Taylor is the third most prolific female botanist in the field — ever. Taylor discusses her contributions to the field of botany and takes us inside the world of a world-class taxonomist.

Propel Kitchens in Pagedale gives people a second chance by combining career training with care that goes beyond a traditional food industry job. Executive director Kisha Lee and trainee Chavi Jackson share how the program has been able to uplift St. Louisans in vulnerable situations and put them on a path toward success.

"I had this thought that if anything comes of this, it's the perfect script for a Hallmark Hall of Fame geriatric romance." In this encore episode, Roz Lewy and Ralph Insinger discuss their book, "Beyond Beyond: A Chance Encounter, an Online Courtship and the Language of Love," which details how the couple fell in love late in life via the exchange of hundreds of emails.

The leaders of a ballot item to legalize abortion in Missouri have a tight time frame to gather more than 171,000 signatures by May. STLPR politics correspondent Jason Rosenbaum sits down with Mallory Schwarz of Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, as well as Lisa Williams, one of thousands of Missourians who signed up to gather signatures.

Three K-12 educators who’ve taught in different U.S. states discuss Missouri social studies standards and challenges around teaching civics, and the practical benefits of focusing on civic participation amid today’s polarized political climate. Then, STLPR’s Jason Rosenbaum talks with Elaine Cha about why we’re tackling this issue and what we’re hearing from listeners.

Missouri’s political parties are in charge of organizing and executing the contests that will choose 2024 presidential delegates. And both Republicans and Democrats have expressed profound irritation that election officials aren’t running the show. The Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air host Jason Rosenbaum talks with Republican Chris Grahn-Howard and Democrat Matthew Patterson about how we got here — and how the selection processes will work.

After decades of disinvestment and a lack of engagement by city leadership, many Black St. Louisans report feelings of hopelessness, unsure of what to do or who to turn to. When problems like crumbling infrastructure and food deserts remain unresolved, people become less interested in local government, and in turn, the work of elected officials goes unchecked. Kelly McGowan believes that civics education is the answer to solving many problems the city faces, and that’s what she aims to provide via her nonprofit Transform 314.

Michael Vines’ grandfather, Harry Beckerman, arrived in St. Louis in 1919. The Jewish immigrant from Poland was escaping violence and oppression and, in north St. Louis, he set up a shoe repair shop. That true story serves as the inspiration for, “Harry Gets Wise,” a new novel deeply rooted in St. Louis history and culture.

Seven out of 10 Missouri students are not reading at fourth grade proficiency, and only one in 10 Black students reads at proficiency expected by that grade. With the “Right to Read” campaign, St. Louis and St. Louis County NAACP chapters aim to boost literacy in the region and raise Black student performance to meet state academic standards. St. Louis NAACP education chair Ian Buchanan and former teacher and literacy advocate Kareem Weaver discuss the importance of implementing educational techniques rooted in the science of reading and promoting collaboration between communities, parents and teachers.

During Black History Month, St. Louis Public Radio is participating in the “Lift Every Voice” initiative, which highlights the lives and accomplishments of more than 50 Black Americans throughout history. The project was created by a familiar voice in St. Louis: Geri Mitchell, who hosted Morning Edition on STLPR from 2013 to 2017. Now the midday host at WAMU in Washington D.C., Mitchell joined St. Louis on the Air to discuss the project, and its goal to call attention to “the countless contributions of African Americans, many of whom were and are still obscured in history.”

Film and TV award season means increased attention to diversity of talent in front of and behind the lens. Critiques about lack of diversity in media production apply to St. Louis, where Black people are the largest non-white population – yet less than 2% of staff in local commercial video production houses. Kyle Montgomery and Quinsonta Boyd of Continuity, a nonprofit that helps more St. Louis creatives from marginalized communities prepare for and start careers in media, share ways they make getting a foot in the door possible.

A majority of the top ten recipients of federal COVID-19 relief funds via Missouri’s State Assistance For Housing Relief program are privately owned property managers or landlords located in St. Louis. Despite receiving up to six and seven figures in aid, many of these companies failed to provide basic maintenance or upkeep of their apartment complexes. Journalist Mike Fitzgerald discusses his latest report on the SAFHR program and the problems that stemmed from the funds being awarded with little accountability.

While elected leaders are celebrating a decline in crime in the region, community members — especially those who've lost loved ones to violent crime — think the celebration is premature and unwarranted. STLPR reporter Lacretia Wimbley discusses her reporting on the topic, including a conversation with Precious Jones, a mother whose son was killed in the summer of 2022.

Celebrating Lunar New Year is a longstanding tradition for Vietnamese St. Louisans. Kris Le and Tila Nguyen speak to the history of the nonprofit St. Louis Vietnamese Community, its place among other AANHPI organizations in the region, and what’s planned for two Vietnamese Lunar New Year events happening this February.

U.S. Rep. Jason Smith, a Republican from Salem, withstood bipartisan scorn of legislation that boosts the Child Tax Credit and provides business tax incentives. STLPR political correspondent Jason Rosenbaum talked with Smith about the legislation and the road ahead it now faces in the U.S. Senate.

Each year, an estimated 60,000 acres of wetlands are lost in the United States. They are the most threatened ecosystem in the country. Shaw Nature Reserve's restoration and land stewardship manager Mike Saxton talks about current threats to wetlands and makes the case for why we should preserve and build upon the few, but critically important, wetlands that remain.

St. Louis’ best theater performances and productions of the year are being honored once again. On Friday, the St. Louis Theater Circle announced its award nominations, covering approximately 100 shows from 2023. Theater critics Michelle Kenyon and James Lindhorst join the show.

A special SLMPD police unit, created to investigate police shootings, was the subject of a damning audit in 2018. Six years later, only portions of that audit have found their way to the public eye. St. Louis Post-Dispatch metro columnist Tony Messenger obtained portions of the audit, which found problems in all 50 of the unit’s investigations between 2014 and 2018. Messenger shares his findings and insights into the ongoing efforts to obtain the full audit.

Caroline Eiseman has donned the big hair of teen dance phenom Tracy Turnblat in more than 100 performances of “Hairspray.” The St. Louis native shares her insights into the role, what it took to land the part and what it will mean when she performs in her hometown later this month.

Was it legal for Starbucks to fire two baristas who fought back against a robbery? This month’s Legal Roundtable convenes to discuss the legal merits behind a wrongful termination suit by a St. Louis Starbacks employee. Attorneys Sarah Swatosh, Eric Banks and Bevis Schock also discuss what’s next for Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s lawsuit against the People’s Republic of China and a purported class action lawsuit over the city's aborted curbside recycling program.

According to Dr. Alex Garza, the best way to prepare for a future pandemic is to improve social resources, such as food access, education and transportation. Garza, who serves as Chief Community Health Officer at SSM Health, shares major takeaways from the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, how pandemics and wars have a “tremendous amount in common,” and the extent to which institutions — and the general public — are ready for future disease outbreaks.

Southwest Airlines will now carry naloxone on flights — that’s in part due to the efforts of Ballwin resident John Gaal who has lobbied the airline to include the opioid overdose-reversal drug in its emergency kits. Gaal witnessed the medication’s ability to save lives first-hand when he stepped in to administer naloxone to a fellow passenger on a Southwest Airlines flight in October 2022. He reflects on that moment, the importance of greater access to the drug and what needs to happen next for flight crews to better respond to overdoses while in the air.

Wayne Pratt joined St. Louis Public Radio in June 2014. For nearly a decade he anchored morning newscasts at the station and later, became host of the station's weekday morning podcast "The Gateway." After a national search, Wayne was selected and promoted to the position of Broadcast Operations Manager. He joins us to talk about his experiences of being on the air in St. Louis for about 10 years.

Wayne Pratt joined St. Louis Public Radio in June 2014. For nearly a decade he anchored morning newscasts at the station and later, became host of the station's weekday morning podcast "The Gateway." After a national search, Wayne was selected and promoted to the position of Broadcast Operations Manager. He joins us to talk about his experiences of being on the air in St. Louis for about 10 years.

On January 24, Louisiana bounty hunter Wayne Lozier was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison. St. Louis on the Air featured his case in October, exploring the dramatic story of bounty hunters, bail, and body cameras. In this rebroadcast, Katie Kull, courts reporter for the St. Louis Post Dispatch, describes her experience covering Lozier’s trial from the courtroom. She discusses the bounty hunter industry, Lozier’s defense, and the trial’s dramatic verdict. We also provide an update on Lozier’s sentencing last week.

After months of crowdsourcing recipes that reflect the cultural and culinary diversity of St. Louis, the Global Foods Market Cookbook is published and available for purchase at the grocer’s storefront in Kirkwood. Shayn Prapaisilp, chief operating officer of Global Foods Market, Inc. shares a sample of the recipes featured in the Global Foods Market Cookbook, as well as personal stories from the chefs themselves.

Earlier this week, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson delivered his final State of the State speech. In this episode of the “Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air” from the Missouri State Capitol, Parson talks with STLPR reporters Jason Rosenbaum and Sarah Kellogg about his priorities and legacy. We also hear analysis of his speech, and hear the Democratic reaction from Rep. Ashley Aune.

The city of St. Louis has brought a lawsuit against six Missouri residents who the city says are running a massive illegal rooming house operation in nearly every neighborhood in south city. Riverfront Times staff writer Ryan Krull shares how the operation may have been heavily subsidized by taxpayers through pandemic relief funding, why it took so long for the city to take action, and the effect the lawsuit may have on other problem landlords operating in St. Louis. Tower Grove East resident Joe Goodman, who lives near two of the defendant’s properties, also joins the conversation.

The untimely death of Antoinette “Bonnie” Candia-Bailey and allegations of mistreatment while serving as Lincoln University’s vice president of student affairs has sparked conversation about hostile work environments and bullying across industries — particularly with employees that are part of marginalized communities. Wash U sociology professor Adia Harvey-Wingfield discusses research on who’s most likely to face such situations and how to avoid further tragedy.

In his final State of the State Address, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson outlined his priorities for the year and reflected upon his legacy. In edition to the Governor's speech, this episode includes pre- and post-analysis from STLPR journalists Sarah Kellogg and Jason Rosenbaum.

The historic, four-story building at 3509 Page Boulevard is an example of abandonment. Built in 1927, the former ABC Auto Sales and Investment Company building’s roof is crumbling onto the sidewalk, and it’s been broken into, boarded up, and broken into again. St. Louis developer Paul McKee has been ordered to repair the building in a first-time ruling on one of hundreds of properties he owns under his NorthSide Regeneration project. Attorney Peter Hoffman discusses the ruling and what it may mean for other neighborhoods where McKee owns property.

There are few hairstyles more divisive than the mullet. The hairdo has historically been scoffed at by the mainstream yet has thrived in its fringes. The mullet — known by some as "the Missouri Compromise" — has been associated with professional or aspiring hockey stars, 80s pro wrestlers and hair metal rockers. Barber Sir Carrawell and hairstylist Onawa Brown share their thoughts on the retro hairdo and why they think it’s made it from the fringe back into pop culture.

Trans kids and their families are being targeted by dozens of proposed bills in the Missouri legislature. But deciding how, when, and why to transition is actually a conversation parents and kids have been having for years — without lawmakers. In this rebroadcast from March 2023, three sets of parents, as well as their children, each trans boys between the ages of 9 and 11, discuss what it’s like to grow up trans in Missouri, from how they chose their own names, to their thoughts on why so many adults in the state legislature don’t accept them the way they are.

The St. Louis Reparations Commission has been extended until September 9. In this encore broadcast of St. Louis Public Radio, we listen back to a July conversation with commission members Gwen Moore and Kayla Reed.

While Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri is happy to accept volunteer mentors from all walks of life, they are seeking more Black men to “step up” to mentor the Black boys enrolled in their program. Ericka Sanders, Vice President of Volunteer Recruitment and mentor Andre Walker share their experiences along with data behind the importance of mentoring and representation.

This fall, St. Louis University will launch a program that will allow students to graduate with a B.S. and M.S. in speech-language pathology in five years, one year sooner than a traditional six-year track. The effort comes after projections from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics that the profession is expected to grow 19% by 2032. Dr. Travis Threats, professor and chair of St. Louis University’s Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, and graduate student Lucy Heller join the show.

Road rage is very commonplace, and it can also be very scary. St. Louis clinical psychologist Dr. Helen Friedman breaks down the reasons why road rage is so prevalent, how we can curb it, and ways to stay safe and avoid confrontation with others on the road.

Tiny Desk-inspired “Sessions of St. Louis” features local musicians performing one-take, no-audience concerts in intimate settings. St. Louis Gram creative director Natalia Parr describes the origin and goals of the series, and singer/songwriter Alexia Simone talks about her experience with “Sessions” as an artist.

Irish musician Eimear Arkins travels all over the world, but calls two places home: St. Louis, Missouri, and County Clare, Ireland. She shares how her new album “Here & There” celebrates her connections to both places, how to practice the Irish tradition of lilting, and the significance of singing in the Irish language.

Word In Black — a digital news collaborative that includes 10 Black newspapers across the U.S., including the St. Louis American — has moved from pilot to public benefit corporation. STLPR race, identity, and culture reporter Andrea Henderson speaks to what the change means for local Black publishers, and for Black journalists serving African American communities across the country.

The latest Sauce Magazine issue is a treat for fans of soups and sweets. Sauce writer Ileana Martinez runs down her favorite winter soups, including Doenjang Jjigae at Joo Joo Restaurant & Karaoke, and the Sopa de Pollo (chicken soup) at Merendero Las Catrachitas. Then, we meet chocolate maker Flynn Edgerton, featured on Sauce’s list of “Ones to Watch,” who has found a home for his passion at Sump Coffee.

St. Louis County Councilwoman Kelli Dunaway has announced that she will not seek another term in office. The Chesterfield Democrat represents the council’s 2nd District and says that political turmoil during the COVID-19 pandemic played a significant role in her decision not to run again. On the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, she also discusses rifts that developed between Democrats on the council.

U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer is opting to retire in 2024, bringing an end to a congressional career in which he became a major figure on financial services issues. The St. Elizabeth Republican’s decision will likely prompt a sizable GOP primary to represent the state’s 3rd District, which takes in portions of the St. Louis area. On this episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, Luetkemeyer reflects on his career and the future of the district.

U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt has more experience as a Missouri state senator than a U.S. senator, but after his first year in Washington he says he’s seen a big difference with how Congress handles funding for the federal government. In this wide-ranging interview on the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, Schmitt discusses the latest budget standoff, funding for Ukraine, support for Israel and more.

Are you the sort of Midwesterner who goes outside when tornado sirens go off to watch Mother Nature get crazy? Then you might be exactly who the National Weather Service - St. Louis wants to train to be a storm spotter. Meteorologist Matt Beitcher shares details on upcoming classes and how storm spotters can help save lives by collecting and sharing real-time weather data.

On December 29, 2013, Donnie Erwin drove off from his home in Camden County, Missouri. It was the last time the 59-year-old Army veteran was seen alive. His fate became a mystery that persisted for the next decade — and ended last month, when police announced they had recovered Erwin’s vehicle and remains from the bottom of a pond within miles of his home. James Hinkle, a freelance videographer and operator of the Echo Divers YouTube channel, located Erwin’s car. Hinkle takes us behind the scenes of his search; and Erwin’s sister, Yvonne Erwin-Bowen, shares her reflections about her brother’s life.

The show explores the groups and people working to meet the needs of the foreign-born people who building new lives here in St. Louis. We examine first the stories of two asylum seekers, Karla Mera and Juan Carlos Lopez, who fled their home country of Belize. Next, we get to know three local groups working with these populations, and who share their hopes/concerns about a plan to bring migrants from Chicago to St. Louis. The panel includes Carlos Ruiz Martinez, Director of Client Support Services at the MICA Project, Sarah Caldera Wimmer, Director of Emotional and Physical Wellness at LifeWise STL, and Kris Walentik, an immigration attorney with St. Francis Community Services, a ministry of Catholic Charities.

While the U.S. was on the brink of Civil War, a secret organization of Black men convened in St. Louis to plot an insurrection. We take a look at that clandestine plan and how an insubordinate war hero ticked off President Lincoln with his antics to free enslaved Missourians with Cicely Hunter of the Missouri Historical Society and Cathy Hart from the Friends of Father Dickson Cemetery.

Music therapy can reduce stress and anxiety, improve memory, elevate mood, and contribute to pain management and physical rehabilitation. For kids who live with life-altering medical conditions, and find themselves in and out of the hospital for procedures and treatments, music therapy might be one of the only places they can truly let loose to speak, or sing, their truth. The St. Louis nonprofit the Song Society facilitates songwriting sessions, as well as recording and performance opportunities, to offer outlet to such kids, teens and their families.

It seems that, nowadays, you can’t open a social media app without seeing zodiac content about specific sun signs or having folks worried about Mercury going into retrograde. But for millennia, the practice of astrology was more than pop culture fodder to consume. Astrologer Jade Moore tracks the cosmos personally and professionally at her store Sincerely, the Craft in Midtown. She joins the show to give a crash course on astrology’s history, culture and practice.

A newly unearthed ancient temple in Italy complicates the history of paganism and Christianity in the Roman Empire. Douglas Boin, a history professor at Saint Louis University, talks about his team’s discovery of an imperial cult temple that dates back to the fourth century.

Missouri lawmakers opened the 2024 session this week with GOP majority leaders of the House and Senate expressing optimism that they can accomplish major policy initiatives. That's despite election year pressures and a softening budgetary picture that may make it challenging to have a productive session. STLPR statehouse reporter Sarah Kellogg discusses what's ahead for this year's term in Jefferson City.

A recent vote by St. Louis Public Schools board members means fewer kids will have a St. Louis College Kids Savings account through the City of St. Louis’ College Kids program. Our guests dive into the origin of the program, and why it's drawn scrutiny from journalists and critics. They also explore how children’s savings accounts can help kids see higher education as an option, not just a possibility.

Since legal sales of medical marijuana started in Missouri in 2020 and adult recreational cannabis in 2023, business around all things marijuana has become a billion-dollar business. Missouri Independent journalist Rebecca Rivas talks about her recent coverage of Missouri’s cannabis industry, including a 60,000-product recall – and how lawsuits and politics could shape the industry in 2024.

In the fall of 2022, a Missouri law went into effect that opened school officials to possible criminal charges if they provide “explicit sexual content” to students. That has had a chilling effect on librarians, and it resulted in Missouri removing the third highest number of books from library shelves, following Florida and Texas. STLPR reporter Kate Grumke talks with Mernie Maestas, the lead librarian for the Wentzville School District in St. Charles County.

When Central Visual and Performing Arts High School student Ray Strickland performed his original song “Time for Change” at the St. Louis Teen Talent Competition in 2023, he sang in recognition of his cousin who he lost to gun violence, of George Floyd, who was murdered shortly after Strickland wrote the song, and in reflection of the mass shooting at his school months earlier. He shares what he is up to now and his belief in the power of the “universal language” of music.

D.B. Cooper’s 1971 airplane hijacking did more than just create an American crime legend: He inspired copycats, including in St. Louis in 1972. The St. Louis caper forms the core of University of Missouri history professor John Wigger's new book, “The Hijacking of American Flight 119: How D.B. Cooper Inspired a Skyjacking Craze and the FBI’s Battle to Stop It." Wigger interviewed McNally, who was released from federal prison in 2010, and more than a dozen retired FBI agents. Wigger spoke with St. Louis on the Air producer Danny Wicentowski.

Sam Goodwin was just thirteen countries away from reaching his goal of visiting every country when he traveled to Syria. His visit took a wrong turn when he was wrongfully accused of espionage and held in the country’s notorious prison system. Goodwin’s forthcoming book about his captivity shares the ways coincidence and connection led to his release.

50 years after the Endangered Species Act was passed, the Missouri Botanical Garden continues their plant conservation efforts within the garden grounds and in the wild. Matthew Albrecht, director of Missouri Botanical Garden’s Center for Conservation and Sustainable Development, and Becky Sucher, senior manager of the garden’s Living Collections share the successes in plant conservation and how the noticeably changing weather patterns affects their work at the garden and in the field.

2023 was a year of change in St. Louis politics as Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner resigned from an office in turmoil and the Board of Aldermen was cut in half. STLPR journalists Jason Rosenbaum, Brian Munoz, Will Bauer, Rachel Lippmann and Sarah Kellogg break down the top political stories of the year.

The St. Louis Board of Aldermen went through a major political and structural transformation in 2023. St. Louis Board of Aldermen President Megan Green discusses some of the highlights of the past year and what to expect from her aldermanic colleagues in 2024.

On Monday morning, a St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officer drove his SUV through the front wall of a local gay bar. The incident ended with Bar:PM co-owner Chad Morris in handcuffs, under arrest and charged with felony assault. Attorneys Mark Smith, Kalila Jackson and Dave Roland discuss this case, and others, in this Legal Roundtable episode.

Yes, radio stations have photojournalists — and they’re vital to the stories St. Louis Public Radio produces. Interim Digital Editor Brian Munoz and photojournalist Tristen Rouse have wrapped up collecting STLPR’s “Year in Photos.” They join the show to discuss what happens behind the lens, and how it’s led to some of their favorite images among the thousands they’ve captured in 2023.

In this encore, listen back to our September interview with columnist and commentator Michael Harriot. Harriot's debut book, “Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America,” offers a compelling retelling of American history. Harriot discusses why he tackled a sweeping retelling of American history, and also shares his experiences from covering protests in Ferguson in 2014 and St. Louis in 2017.

St. Louis-based dining critics & food writers dish on STL’s 2023 trends and highlights, and talk about what’s to come in 2024. Guests include Meera Nagarajan (Sauce Magazine), Ian Froeb (St. Louis Post-Dispatch), and Holly Fann (Eater, St. Louis Magazine).

On Oct. 25, more than a dozen of Fatima Elkabti’s family members were killed in Gaza City in a single Israeli airstrike. The war is taking a toll on the Palestinian American, wife and mother. And, it comes at a time when the Washington University creative writing grad is writing a book that’s preserving her family’s history of displacement — and drawing parallels to today.

In 2023, we said goodbye to a number of remarkable people who lived and worked in the St. Louis region. In this episode, we honor those we lost this year by listening back to conversations with them or by hearing from those who knew them well.

When war erupted in the Gaza Strip, Linda Badran decided it was time to co-found a local chapter of the non-profit aid group Palestine Children’s Relief Fund. She wants to rally fellow St. Louisans who want to see an end to the war and contribute to the healing, and recovery, of the thousands of children being harmed by violence.

When war erupted in the Gaza Strip, Linda Badran decided it was time to co-found a local chapter of the non-profit aid group Palestine Children’s Relief Fund. She wants to rally fellow St. Louisans who want to see an end to the war and contribute to the healing, and recovery, of the thousands of children being harmed by violence.

In its 68th season, the St. Louis Chamber Chorus is taking a musical tour around the globe. This Sunday’s concert at the Second Presbyterian Church in the Central West End adds to that theme and will feature the premiere of “Seeking You,” a new Christmas song composed by Kerensa Briggs that uses text from a poem of the same name by Charles Anthony Silvestri. Briggs and St. Louis Chamber Chorus Artistic Director Philip Barnes join the show.

In its 68th season, the St. Louis Chamber Chorus is taking a musical tour around the globe. This Sunday’s concert at the Second Presbyterian Church in the Central West End adds to that theme and will feature the premiere of “Seeking You,” a new Christmas song composed by Kerensa Briggs that uses text from a poem of the same name by Charles Anthony Silvestri. Briggs and St. Louis Chamber Chorus Artistic Director Philip Barnes join the show.

The new book “Black St. Louis” explores the life of Black people, from the founding of the city to the start of the 21st century. Through colorful imagery and detailed documentation, co-authors Calvin Riley and NiNi Harris tell the stories of enslaved people, night-club owners, soldiers and everyday Black St. Louisans.

Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis are using nature as inspiration to combat the growing problem of plastic pollution. In this encore episode, we learn how they’re using a $3.6 million grant to develop sustainably sourced plastics by mimicking natural materials like spider silk fibers.

In 2018, writer Robert Langellier and botanist Neal Humke cut down every tree across 19 acres in Pioneer Forest. Their aim was to restore one of the Ozarks' rarest ecosystems: a glade. While it may seem counterintuitive to cut down trees in a time of climate change, restoring glades helps ensure biodiversity. In this encore episode, Langellier talks about the conservation effort. Humke, land stewardship coordinator for the L-A-D Foundation (which privately owns the land in the Pioneer Forest) discusses the non-profits’ work there and the importance of glades.

Congress is poised to give final approval to the National Defense Authorization Act, a customarily popular and bipartisan bill. But, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley voted “no” and he’s accusing congressional leadership of abandoning St. Louis-area victims poisoned by nuclear contamination from the Manhattan Project. Hawley talks with STLPR senior environmental reporter Kate Grumke about his opposition to the bill.

December 8 was the last day for the staff of The Southern Illinoisan. Its new owner, Paxton Media Group, eliminated the entire staff of unionized workers. The decision blindsided its longtime workers, and marks the end of an era. Former editor-in-chief Jackson Brandhorst discusses what happened at The Southern, what's been lost, and where the paper's former journalists and staff go from here.

Hollywood film producer and director Reginald Hudlin is the mind and energy behind cult classics “House Party” and “Boomerang” as well as “Marshall,” starring the late Chadwick Boseman. He also has producing credits on the Quentin Taratino film “Django Unchained.” Hudlin credits his interests in the arts to his upbringing in East St. Louis, Illinois. STLPR arts and culture senior reporter Jeremy D. Goodwin sat down with Hudlin to talk about his childhood heroes, his take on how Hollywood’s reception of Black stories have evolved overtime, and his new movie “Candy Cane Lane,” starring Eddie Murphy.

Children of immigrants often face heritage language loss. St. Louis parents and community members are taking practical steps to maintain linguistic and cultural connection across generations.

John Goodman has worked in Hollywood for nearly 50 years, but he’s always kept St. Louis close to his heart. The Affton native will be in town on Dec.17 for the Repertory Theater of St. Louis' “Rally for The Rep.” The benefit show’s proceeds will help the theater raise $2.5M to make up for its current budget shortfall. In this episode, Goodman reflects on the power of theater performance, his career highlights, and how growing up in St. Louis has informed many of his movie and television roles over the years.

Ki Chapman was searching for a way to get active and found her way back to a favorite childhood pastime — jumping double Dutch. Since discovering the 40+ Double Dutch Club, she’s become the captain of the St. Louis chapter double Dutch is more than just a game. For Chapman, it’s shown her new ways to give back to her community and connected her with jumpers across the country.

In October, the City of St. Louis made two national rankings for LBGTQ+ friendliness, but each list told a different story. One list named it among the most friendly to the queer community. The other list named St. Louis as one of the most unfriendly. We explore what’s behind that discrepancy with panelists Avi Ivaturi, peer support organizer at St. Louis Queer Support Helpline; Midwest Rainbow Research Institute Executive Director Inoru Morris; and Nick Dunne, LGBTQIA+ and Arts Liaison for the City of St. Louis.

Isaiah Maxi has been hiking all over Missouri’s state parks — and he's not doing it alone. He documents his journeys on his Facebook group, “The Journey to 100 Hiking Friends,” charting his connections across the state. We talked with him in March when he was about one-third of the way to his goal. This past weekend, he accomplished (and surpassed) his mission by meeting 113 new friends — and a total of six dogs.

Hamas' October 7 attack and the ongoing war in Israel is impacting St. Louis' Jewish community in different ways. Galit Lev-Harir was in Israel on October 7. She experienced the aftermath of Hamas’ campaign of massacres and kidnapping, and says supporting Israel has never been more important. Hineni founder Tasha Kaminsky and others have joined their voices with Palestinians in demanding a ceasefire, and an end to Israel's military response.

Missouri Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick recently got into a high-profile dispute with fellow Republican statewide — Attorney General Andrew Bailey. It was over a fiscal note the auditor’s office wrote about several initiative petitions that would legalize abortion. The Missouri Supreme Court sided with Fitzpatrick. In this excerpt of the Politically Speaking podcast with STLPR’s Sarah Kellogg and Jason Rosenbaum, Fitzpatrick defends his actions, reflects on one year in office and more.

Research on women’s health has been underfunded for decades. As central as it is to human life, the reproductive process is especially poorly understood by scientists. Washington University bioengineer Michelle Oyen argues that it’s critical for scientists to study women’s health, and she hopes her research will contribute to improved maternal and fetal health outcomes.

There are about 415 St. Louis area restaurants, entertainment venues, stores and more highlighted in the second edition of “Lost Treasures of St. Louis.” Among other gone-but-not-forgotten entries, the coffee table book features the Floating McDonalds, St. Louis Arena and Famous-Barr. Stories about the Millennium Hotel, Casa Gallardo, and the Admiral are also shared. Co-author Cameron Collins — and listeners — share their memories.

Brian Owens and his father, Thomas, became internet darlings 10 years ago with a YouTube video of them performing a rendition of “A Change is Gonna Come.” That video has gained more than 107 million views and landed them on the Today Show in June. Now, the Owenses are hitting the stage as a supporting act for jazz sensation Samara Joy. Brian and Thomas Owens preview their “Duets With Dad” show and upcoming album set to release on Father’s Day 2024.

In Madison County, Illinois, an apprenticeship program helps students with disabilities build skills for work – and life – after they graduate. The program has shown success, and now leaders hope their model gets implemented elsewhere. The coordinator of the program at Collinsville High School, a parent whose son went through the program, and STLPR reporter Will Bauer join the show.

A new lawsuit against the University of Missouri claims the university’s healthcare system violated disability law by refusing to provide certain gender-affirming care to two transgender boys. Attorneys Nicole Gorovsky, Patti Williams and Arindam Kar discuss this case in this November 2023 edition of the Legal Roundtable. They also tackle other legal questions, including whether the city of St. Louis owes compensation to a man it accidentally held in jail for eight months after the charges against him were dropped.

The “wanted” policy in the St. Louis region allows police to make an arrest without a warrant or knowledge about the person they're arresting. Tim Reinhardt experienced that first-hand, and is now suing the Chesterfield Police Department. Reinhardt’s attorney, Jack Waldron, calls the wanted system a “substitute for doing police work.” Maureen Hanlon of ArchCity Defenders provides an update on what changed a year after a federal appeals court found the wanted policy legal but “fraught with the risk of violating the Constitution.”

This year alone Arch Grants has awarded over $1.8 million to local startups and small businesses. Since 2012, the organization has backed and mentored hundreds of companies to attract and retain promising businesses — and to breathe new life into St. Louis’ economy. Arch Grants Executive Director Gabe Angieri and 2023 Arch Grants recipient Pierre Paul, the CEO and founder of We Hear You, share how these investments can benefit the entire region.

With the end of 2023 approaching and cold weather keeping us indoors, what better time to dig into some of the best books of the year? Jennifer Alexander of St. Louis County Library and Ted Reidy of St. Louis Public Library share their top picks.

Abortion rights supporters scored a legal victory last week when the Missouri Supreme Court declined to take up cases regarding ballot summaries and costs for initiative petitions that would put making abortion legal in front of Missouri voters. STLPR Politics Correspondent Jason Rosenbaum discusses recent developments and a timeline for when voters may be able to cast a ballot on this issue.

“Missouri Weird & Wonderful” presents readers of all ages with a kid-friendly tour through the Show Me State. Author Amanda E. Doyle and illustrator Dan Zettwoch, two longtime St. Louisans, discuss highlights from the book, which closes with a scavenger hunt for famous Missouri people and things.

StoryCorps’ Great Thanksgiving Listen encourages people to talk and listen to one another over the holiday break. These conversations can be between any two people and they help build an oral history of what life is like today. St. Louis Public Radio’s Jonathan Ahl and Miya Norfleet shared some of the conversations recorded in the StoryCorps’ Airstream trailer this fall in St. Louis.

Brown recluse spiders are infamous for their necrotic venom. But how dangerous are they, really? Missouri Botanical Garden senior entomologist Tad Yankoski says the arachnids get an unnecessarily bad wrap. He shares why you should stop worrying about brown recluses and learn to appreciate the spider.

Holiday shopping is here, and trying to figure out what to get, and where, can be overwhelming. Black Friday deals traditionally draw shoppers to big box stores and massive e-commerce sites, but small business owners want consumers to consider shopping local for their gift giving needs. Lisa Potts, vice-president of Delmar Main Street, and serial entrepreneur Dallas Holland join the show to share the benefits of shopping local and keeping dollars close to community.

At least 105 people have died behind Missouri prison bars this year, and that's just one sign that things are not right in the state's prisons. The Missouri Justice Coalition is holding a series of statewide town halls, with its most recent stop in St. Louis. The nonprofit’s founder and director Michelle Smith discusses what she's learned at the town halls, and shares her thoughts on the group's goals for legislation and what has to change in the state’s 21 prison

When Carol Daniel announced her retirement from KMOX in April, it signaled the end of a 40-year, award-filled career in media. But Daniel is back behind the mic as senior producer and host at Nine PBS. Carol Daniel’s new podcast, "Listen, St. Louis" premiered this month, with a focus on the region's complex challenges and the people working to address them. Carol reflects on her new role and what audiences can expect from her post-KMOX.

In the St. Louis region, eviction filings are happening at a faster rate than before the coronavirus pandemic. An in-depth report by journalist Mike Fitzgerald explores the reasons why. Fitzgerald discusses the current eviction crisis alongside Kennard Williams, organizing manager with the group Action St. Louis.

St. Louis County is going through a period of relative government tranquility, especially compared to past years. But county officials are still dealing with steep challenges, including a budgetary gap and lingering questions about collaborating with the City of St. Louis. On the latest episode of the “Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air,” St. Louis County Councilwoman Lisa Clancy talks about the county’s big challenges.

It’s been about five years since a serious proposal to combine St. Louis and St. Louis County was on the table. But interest in ending the so-called “Great Divorce” remains high, even though there are a lot of details to work out. We open our mailbag with St. Louis Public Radio reporter Chad Davis to discuss some of the opportunities and challenges for a city-county reunion.

Former U.S. Sen. Bill Bradley of New Jersey will return to the St. Louis area this weekend to receive the Stan Musial Lifetime Achievement Award for Sportsmanship. On the “Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air,” the Crystal City, Missouri, native and two-time NBA champion discusses his Jefferson County upbringing, his long-standing push for racial equity and whether he thinks the NBA will ever return to St. Louis.

New restaurants in the St. Louis region are enticing customers with a bevy of savory cocktails and fresh flavor combinations. Sauce Magazine Executive Editor Meera Nagarajan runs down her favorite new spots to eat and drink and shares how she and her team tackled the daunting task of tasting and ranking all 40 sandwiches at the Gramophone.

Clinical psychologist Dr. Marva Robinson discusses how to navigate complex family dynamics and divisive topics that may come up during gatherings this holiday season.

The St. Louis General Strike of 1877 was a pivotal moment in labor history. It involved hundreds of railroad, factory and transit workers who were able to grind commerce to a halt. A new play, “1877,” shares that story and premieres this week at the Missouri History Museum. Playwright Colin McLaughlin and actors Josh Mayfield and Courtnei Morris join the show.

The International Institute of St. Louis recently launched an effort to attract Latin American immigrants to the region. Their plans have garnered criticism from St. Charles County officials this week. Karlos Ramirez, vice president of the institute's Latino Outreach Program, talks about how immigrants can boost the city’s population and contribute to its workforce. International Institute President and CEO Arrey Obenson discusses how the St. Charles proposal hurts their efforts at creating a welcoming region.

The marathon hat trick is a goal that some committed distance runners aim for but few have achieved. To accomplish this feat runners must complete 100 marathons, a marathon in all 50 U.S. states, and a marathon on all seven continents. Fewer than 60 runners have completed the marathon hat trick and only three of them are Black. Two of those three are from St. Louis: Tony Reed and Lisa Davis. A documentary, “We Are Distance Runners: The Marathon Hat Trick,” is about their story and it screens Wednesday evening as part of the St. Louis International Film Festival.

Missouri shows little progress in cutting rates of new cancer cases, according to the latest American Lung Association report. The ALA also found the state ranked fourth in the nation for lung cancer patients receiving no treatment after diagnosis. Kavahn Mansouri, investigative reporter with the NPR Midwest Newsroom, and Laura Turner, advocacy director for the American Lung Association in Missouri, dig into these statistics and other takeaways from the report.

In marathon running, the hat trick entails three accomplishments: doing at least 100 races… running in each of the U.S.’s 50 states… and completing a marathon on all 7 continents — which means marathoning in Antarctica. Among the fewer-than-60 runners worldwide who’ve achieved that feat, only 3 are Black. And two of those three are St. Louis natives. They’re also alumni of the same grade school – a decade apart, but the very same building! Lisa Davis and Tony Reed are the focus of the documentary, “We Are Distance Runners: The Marathon Hat Trick,” which screens at the Alamo Drafthouse as part of the St. Louis International Film Festival

In 1833, Gustave Koerner fled his homeland of Germany and came to the United States. He settled in Belleville, Illinois and became an attorney, served on the Illinois Supreme Court and was lieutenant governor. He was also a confidant of Abraham Lincoln. The 170 year old home where Koerner lived still stands and there are renewed efforts to restore and preserve it. In an interview recorded on location, producer Alex Heuer talks with two people behind the effort.

On July 12, 1973, a fire in the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis destroyed 80% of U.S. Army records between 1912 and 1960. It was one of the largest destructions of federal records in the history of the county. To explore the legacy of the fire, producer Danny Wicentowski goes searching for his grandfather’s records, which were burned in the fire. He also talks to firefighter Captain David Dubowski, archives specialist Eric Kilgore, and Jessie Kratz, historian of the National Archives.

St. Louis sound healer Aria Thome knows how devastating it is to experience rejection from a traditional faith community. She was raised Roman Catholic and worked as a choir director in the Catholic Church for many years. When she came out as transgender, she lost her job, her community and some family members. By offering a series of free, monthly sound healing and breathwork sessions for those who have experienced religious trauma, Thome hopes to help people heal and build a supportive, welcoming community for people of all backgrounds.

St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell last week dropped his bid for U.S. Senate to challenge U.S. Rep. Cori Bush in the upcoming Democratic primary for Missouri’s 1st Congressional District. He said he’s entering the race, in part, because of Bush’s comments that are critical of Israel. STLPR Political Correspondent Jason Rosenbaum talks with Bell, and later we get analysis from Jason and hear from Rep. Bush.

Nikki Giovanni has challenged and inspired people of all ages as an acclaimed poet, writer, and activist. Her life, lived with insistent fidelity to who she is as a Black American woman, reflects insights and wit that reach across the miles she’s traveled and the experiences she’s been through. She’s coming back to St. Louis on November 9 to deliver the keynote address for the 2023 St. Louis Racial Equity Summit.

More than 400 flower farmers converge in St. Louis this week for the first-ever Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers conference, which is focused on urban flower farming. Miranda Duschack and Mimo Davis of Urban Buds, a flower farm located in Dutchtown, discuss the booming (and blooming) world of urban flower farming.

Are you guilty of bringing home leftovers only to pitch them in the trash days later? If so, you're not alone. The amount of food waste overall in our region equals the weight on nearly 1,000 adult blue whales. — 667,000 tons each year. The Green Dining Alliance and Missouri Botanical Garden partnered to see how much food could avoid landfills with specific techniques and strategies in local restaurants. We talk with people involved with the effort and with the chef/owner of a local restaurant.

Jesuits relied on enslaved labor for their missions in Missouri, including for the founding and sustaining of Saint Louis University. A three year research project uncovered this history. Now, Robin Proudie, a direct descendant, is working to preserve her ancestors' heritage and advocate for their commemoration. Christopher Tinson, chair of SLU’s African American Studies Department, talks about what it’s like to teach this history to his students.

It's been almost a full year since Bobby Bostic walked out of prison on November 9, 2022, overcoming a 241-year sentence for a robbery he committed at 16 in 1995. Bostic has spent his first year free teaching writing classes in three juvenile offender facilities in St. Louis, a mission he wrote about in a Marshall Project essay titled, "Here’s How I Use My Story to Teach Incarcerated Kids That Writing Matters." Bostic was also recently named as one the Kranzberg Arts Foundation 2024 Artists in Residence.

For centuries history has primarily been told from the perspective of white men. What was traditionally considered a “reliable source” has not included the voices of Black people and other people of color. Over the last decade tables have started to turn, and more historians are recognizing there is a lot of work to be done in addressing the interpretation of Black history. Cicely Hunter of the African American History Initiative at the Missouri Historical Society, Pam Sanfilippio of Gateway Arch National Park’s museum services, and Vivian Gibson, author of “The Last Children of Mill Creek” discuss the difficulties faced when attempting to provide inclusive interpretation of American history that spotlights the unique experiences of Black Americans.

German immigrants helped shape Missouri’s culture in myriad ways, as detailed in the book “Explore Missouri's German Heritage” and the documentary it inspired. Author W. Arthur Mehrhoff details the people, places and ideas that influenced the Show-Me State’s cultural heritage.

Since the 2018-2019 school year Hazelwood School District’s investigations into student residency have jumped 8-fold over the last five years. These investigations disrupt students – especially those who face unstable housing – and affect their access to a range of educational and other services mandated by federal law. A joint investigation by the Midwest Newsroom and St. Louis Public Radio published today examines that trend, and its consequences.

Missouri gave Iron County more than $3 million to recover after the devastating December 14, 2005 flood triggered by the bursting of the Taum Sauk reservoir. Today, the money is nearly gone. Its funded projects included a coffee shop and bike park, but they made little impact to repair the damage. Tony Messenger, a columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, investigated the fund and found that most of the money has gone to insiders. Whistleblower Erich Jett, who worked for the board overseeing the fund, reveals what he saw as early as 2015 that led him to raise an alarm.

The fastest rising hip hop star from St. Louis is arguably Sexyy Red. The northside native is currently on the road performing the “Hood Hottest Princess Tour.” Arts reporter Chad Davis and “St. Louis on the Air” producer Miya Norfleet share their reflections on the rapper’s hometown stop at Chaifetz Arena on October 30.

Abraham Lincoln had political ambitions from a very early age. NPR Morning Edition co-host Steve Inskeep’s new book, “Differ We Must: How Lincoln Succeeded in a Divided America,” details sixteen interactions with people who differed from him — and who helped him become a savvy politician. The book contains several St. Louis-area connections, including Lincoln’s interactions with Owen Lovejoy of Alton, Joseph Gillespie of Edwardsville, and Jessie Benton Frémont who was in St. Louis at the start of the Civil War.

St. Louis drivers routinely blast through intersections. Is the problem the drivers or is it the infrastructure? We talk about speed humps and other measures being proposed to calm traffic with panelists: St. Louis Community Mobility Committee Co-Chair Liz Kramer; CBB Principal and Transportation Engineer Shawn Leight; and St. Louis Complete Streets Program Manager Scott Ogilvie.

An increased interest in all things spooky means Halloween is right around the corner. Horror films are a perfect way to get into scary mode, but there is room for the genre all times of the year. Alex Rafi, associate professor of media production at St. Louis University, shares what makes horror an important storytelling genre.

Palestinian graduate student Intimaa Abuhelou came to St. Louis University last year to pursue her master's degree. When she last heard from her family in Gaza, they were sheltering at a United Nations Relief and Works Agency school. Intimaa shares what she’s heard from her family in Gaza and what it’s like to be in St. Louis during the most recent Israel-Hamas war. (Editor’s note: No one story can capture all perspectives, experiences, or emotions connected to this conflict. If you have a personal connection to what's happening in Israel, the Gaza Strip, or the West Bank — and you want to share your experience — send an email to: talk@stlpr.org.)

Missouri House Majority Leader Jon Patterson is slated to become speaker in 2025 — and he’s receiving more attention this week after current House Speaker Dean Plocher became embroiled in a controversy over his expense reimbursements. In the debut episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, STLPR Political Correspondent Jason Rosenbaum talks with Plocher. STLPR statehouse and politics reporter Sarah Kellogg for analysis, and we open up the mailbag to answer listener questions about local government and politics.

More than 35,000 people will be eligible to receive a portion of a $3.1 settlement in St. Ann, a result of litigation filed by civil rights law firm Arch City Defenders. Quentin Thomas describes what it was like to be trapped in a cycle of fines and jail in St. Ann. Maureen Hanlon, a civil litigation staff attorney with Arch City, discusses how St. Ann jailed people solely because they didn't have money to pay for their freedom, and what this settlement means for Arch City's years-long legal campaign against cities with similar practices.

Executives with St. Louis’s Major League Soccer expansion team are hoping the success of a record-setting regular season carries over into the playoffs. St. Louis City SC plays its inaugural postseason match Sunday night at home. STLPR’s Wayne Pratt talks with team President and General Manager Diego Gigliani and Chief Experience Officer Matt Sebek.

Every year, by law, sex offenders in Missouri must post a sign on Halloween that says “no candy or treats at this residence.” But can a law compel someone to erect a sign against their wishes? That question and others are taken up in this month’s edition of St. Louis on the Air’s Legal Roundtable, featuring attorneys Bevis Schock, Connie McFarland-Butler, and Sarah Swatosh. The attorneys also discuss a lawsuit filed against St. Louis-based Mission Taco Joint by the Mission brand of tortillas, a controversial $50,000 campaign donation to Attorney General Andrew Bailey, and the latest news coming from the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office.

The deadly shooting one year ago at Central Visual Performing Arts High School left many students and teachers to deal with immeasurable grief. STLPR’s Kate Grumke shares how Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience students are processing difficult emotions as they reflect on the upcoming anniversary of the deadly shooting in the school building they share with CVPA. Also, STLPR’s Chad Davis highlights how CVPA artists and alumni have spent the year using art to work through trauma.

In the year since the school shooting on the Central Visual Performing Arts High School and Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience campus, students are finding ways to process their grief, anger and guilt. CVPA alum Raniyah Taylor and Collegiate alumni Axel Cortes and Mikayla Sanders talk about their experience of that tragedy, how they worked to process their trauma as seniors finishing high school, and what they wish people would better understand about their experience.

Keisha Acres’ daughter Alexzandria Bell was killed in the Oct. 24 shooting at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School. Abbey Kuczka’s mother, CVPA teacher Jean Kuczka, was also killed in the shooting. Keisha and Abbey share their reflections on grief, trauma and hopes for the future, including their wish for people to take the country’s growing mental health crisis more seriously.

Electrical lineman Jason Novak was one of 8 teams sent by Ameren Illinois to compete in the International Lineman's Rodeo earlier this month. Novak and his team didn’t just crush much of the competition, they also raised more than $107,000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

St. Louis Public Radio’s new STL Welcome Kit is a digital guide to help you understand the history, culture and ins and outs of the St. Louis region. It answers questions like: What are those stone towers throughout the city? What’s the deal with paying property taxes on vehicles? How can you take advantage of the city’s vibrant music scene? STLPR engagement editor Lara Hamdan and interim news director Brian Heffernan share the details.

Washington University sociologist Adia Harvey Wingfield’s new book, "Gray Areas: How the Way We Work Perpetuates Racism & What We Can Do to Fix it," examines racial biases that impact the hiring, pay, advancement, and sociocultural experience of Black workers in the U.S. Wingfield shares what she learned from seven Black interviewees, who all work in different sectors, and offers practical suggestions for movement toward equitable practices and workplaces.

There are 17 proposed ballot items in Missouri that would legalize abortion. They’re a response to the fall of Roe v. Wade, which led to the ban of most abortions. Dr. Colleen McNicholas of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri contends that only one of the 17 initiatives would push abortion access “beyond Roe.” McNicholas discusses how she believes abortion-rights activists should approach the initiative petition process.

Azra Selimovic, owner of the new luxury tattoo parlor Azra Tattoos, describes how Bosnian culture is connected to tattoo art and her journey to opening one of Missouri's first Bosnian-owned tattoo parlors. She also shares the story of how a bee helped her family escape from war-torn Bosnia in 1993 — and inspired her new business.

Earlier this month, St. Louis city workers cleared a homeless encampment outside City Hall. The forced removal of the people who lived there highlighted a yearslong struggle to craft policies that assist homeless people. St. Louis Alderwoman Alisha Sonnier has proposed an “Unhoused Bill of Rights.” Sonnier discusses the legislation that would, among other things, change the process for approving shelters, require 30 days notice to break up encampments, and provide space for what’s known as intentional encampments

Alisha Blackwell-Calvert didn’t plan on becoming an expert in wine. Now she’s a sommelier at Cinder House in St. Louis. She discusses her picks for favorite Missouri wines, and explains how the state’s climate gives many local wines a distinctive “musky” flavor. She also pours from her deep knowledge of wine varietals, and reveals what makes a good non-alcoholic wine work.

“Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom” is back on NBC this month. The TV program has deep St. Louis ties. Longtime former co-host Marlin Perkins was director of the St. Louis Zoo for eight years, and he co-founded the Endangered Wolf Center in Eureka, Mo. Perkins’ daughter Marguerite Garrick talks about her father’s legacy. Peter Gros, who co-hosts today’s “Wild Kingdom,” talks about the show’s focus on conservation success stories.

Violinist and mezzo-soprano Tona Brown lives life on her own terms. That determination is the subject of a new memoir narrated by St. Louis-based writer Chris King, “Tonacity: The Tona Brown Story.” Brown has toured the country, taught and released music, and later became the first openly transgender person to perform in front of a sitting U.S. president, President Barack Obama, in 2011.

Not only have public restrooms never been truly public, they’ve disappeared from America’s major metro areas, says historian Bryant Simon. In this encore episode first shared in April, we explore the rise and fall of America’s public restroom campaign and meet the woman behind the “Bathrooms In St. Louis” Instagram page.

In 50 years, hip-hop has become one of the most popular music genres in the world. In its early days, the recipe for a hip-hop duo or group was simple: two turntables for the disc jockey and a microphone for the emcee. In this encore episode first shared in April, Darian Wigfall, who DJs under the moniker DJ Whiz, shares the fundamentals of DJing — and why he feels vinyl is the best way to get into the craft.

Vanessa Okwuraiwe was born in the United Kingdom, went to school in Nigeria, and moved to St. Louis several years ago for work in the financial services industry. She’s now the author of the new children’s book “Jollof Rice with Grandma,” which focuses on 6-year-old Ada, who learns to make a classic West African dish when her grandparents visit from Nigeria. Okwuraiwe talks about the book, its characters and the diversity among Nigerians in St. Louis.

People with disabilities in the St. Louis area say recent disruptions to Call-A-Ride service reflect ongoing issues with the transportation service. Etefia Umana, a member of the St. Louis Metropolitan Alliance for Reliable Transit, talks about the challenges he faces using Call-A-Ride. Jeanette Mott Oxford of Paraquad, a local nonprofit dedicated to disability advocacy, discusses the changes advocates want to see put in place.

Seventy-one percent of women in domestic violence shelters report that their abuser threatened, injured or killed a pet. The fear of violence against a beloved animal can make survivors feel trapped. The Women’s Safe House in St. Louis is working to remove that deterrent. The domestic violence shelter is about to become one of only a few in Missouri — and the only emergency shelter in the greater St. Louis area — to welcome pets.

Missouri and Illinois residents will be able to witness a partial solar eclipse Saturday morning, October 14 at 10:26 a.m. While this is a must-see celestial event, astronomers, space fanatics and umbraphiles alike say that this is just a warm up to the big show: A total solar eclipse that will cross over parts of Missouri and Illinois on April 8, 2024. Author and eclipse chaser David Baron shares just how special total solar eclipses are.

The new podcast “A CRISPR Bite” explores how and why biotech companies are looking to use CRISPR technology to change our food. The five-part series was produced by journalist — and former St. Louis Public Radio reporter — Corinne Ruff. It’s hosted by food anthropologist Lauren Crossland-Marr. In its third episode, the St. Louis company Benson Hill takes center stage.

Across the U.S., reform-minded prosecutors have faced pushback from police departments. In St. Louis, issues around police accountability and racial bias were thrown in sharp relief after Michael Brown, Jr. was shot and killed by a Ferguson police officer in 2014. ProPublica reporter Jeremy Kohler is co-writer of the new piece, “A Detective Sabotaged His Own Cases Because He Didn’t Like the Prosecutor. The Police Department Did Nothing to Stop Him.” Kohler talks about that story, which focuses on local figures whose conflict reflects what’s happening in other parts of the country.

About 300,000 Americans will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023. Despite its commonality, the process of fighting the disease is difficult for patients and their loved ones. Musicians and life partners Marcy Marxer and Cathy Fink can attest to this. Both of them experienced receiving breast cancer diagnoses and becoming each other's primary caregiver. Marxer, Fink and Dr. Jovita Oruwari of SSM Health Medical Group discuss the musical “All Wigged Out” in advance of its St. Louis showing.

It’s undeniable that pork steak was popularized in St. Louis, but the identity of its inventor is sizzling with debate. The local supermarket chain Schnucks claims it deserves the title. Robert Moss, contributing barbecue editor for Southern Living, and restaurant critic for the Post & Courier, says that claim needs to be sent back to the kitchen. Moss investigated the controversy over the origin of the humble pork steak, and he shares why the pork steak is special, where it came from, and why Schnuck's, Google, and Wikipedia struggle to get the history right.

More than a third of food grown in the U.S. goes uneaten. Food waste takes up space in landfills and produces methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. Harvest Public Media Reporter Eva Tesfaye digs into current zoning laws in places like St. Louis, where urban composting sites are beginning to pop up. The owners of New Earth Farm, John and Stacey Cline, share why they started their composting business in 2020.

A mob lynched a 24-year-old Black man named John Buckner in 1894. That's not disputed. But it's the location of Buckner's lynching that's creating controversy in Valley Park. Geoff Ward, a professor of African and African American Studies at Washington University and a member of the Reparative Justice Coalition, discusses the killing of John Buckner and how the record shows he was killed in Valley Park. Elizabeth Simons, community program manager for Great Rivers Greenway, describes the group’s plan to install a plaque on the Meramec Greenway.

More than 250 people are languishing in Missouri jails as they await mental health treatment. That's an improvement from this summer, when the wait was 11 months. Missouri Independent reporter Clara Bates discusses the state's long struggle to treat people who have entered the criminal justice system. She also provides an update on Missouri’s Medicaid program, and why 40,000 kids have been removed from the program this summer.

Life-long friendships are truly special. Growing up with someone who’s not blood-related but family just the same — someone who holds you accountable and supports you through good and bad — is a rare gift. And even rarer? Creating art together and navigating multiple career paths while becoming closer than ever. That’s the story of hip-hop duo Souls of Liberty. Tenelle Winmore and Ryan “Big Esco” Brown share their story and what inspired their latest album, “20,000 Hours Vol. 1: Return of the Gods.”

In addition to shelters being overcrowded, the number of stray dogs and cats on the streets continues to grow. Shelter leaders Weng Horak of CARE STL and Alisha Vianello of Gateway Pet Guardians share what animal shelters are going through and what you can do to help.

Washington University sophomore Julian Trejo was 15 years old when his mother helped him change his surname. He was ashamed to be the son of a felon, but now feels free. In this personal and sound-rich essay, Julian reflects on his upbringing and his quest to "not become a statistic — not just another brown kid with an absent dad who went down the wrong path.” Julian is a fellow with the River City Journalism Fund and a soccer journalist in St. Louis.

Hispanic Heritage Month has been celebrated in the U.S. since 1988, but unlike Black History Month, the culturally commemorative month has never had a flag to fly. That is, until St. Louis-based artist Jose Garza was approached by the Regional Arts Commission to come up with a flag design.

A dramatic case of bounty hunters, bail, and body cameras concluded last week in a federal courtroom in St. Louis. After deliberating for less than two hours, a jury found Wayne Lozier, owner of Bayou Boyz Fugitive Recovery, guilty of kidnapping and conspiracy. Katie Kull, courts reporter for the St. Louis Post Dispatch, covered the trial from the courtroom. She discusses the bounty hunter industry, Lozier’s defense, and the trial’s dramatic verdict.

Alisha Blackwell-Calvert didn’t plan on becoming an expert in wine. Now she’s a sommelier at Cinder House in St. Louis. She discusses her picks for favorite Missouri wines, and explains how the state’s climate gives many local wines a distinctive “musky” flavor. She also pours from her deep knowledge of wine varietals, and reveals what makes a good non-alcoholic wine work.

St. Louis officials attempted to clear a homeless encampment just outside St. Louis City Hall on Monday night. The city called off those plans after being met with resistance from residents, advocates and some city aldermen, but a spokesperson for Mayor Tishaura Jones said they would try again today. STLPR interim digital editor Brian Munoz explains what happened, why the city wants to remove the encampment, and what he heard from residents.

2534 North Grand has a reputation, and it’s not a good one. That’s the address of what was once the Grand Motel, a place notorious as a hotspot for crime, illicit drugs, and prostitution. And for decades, residents of surrounding neighborhoods have voiced their desire to see the nuisance property taken care of. Realtor Monique Buchanan shares her plans to transform the location into a center for survivors of domestic violence.

The gut microbiome you develop early in life can have a lasting effect on your health. Poor gut health leaves people at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, severe asthma or other lung illnesses. Washington University researcher Liz Mallott digs into what we know about gut health and what we can do to shape its development.

Eviction hearings are often tipped in favor of the landlord. A mediation program aims to balance the power dynamic by offering a free, non-legal route for problem solving. Cat Straubinger and Sheila Webster of the Conflict Resolution Center- St. Louis discuss how mediation works, and Isaiah Di Lorenzo, a landlord who has used the mediation service, talks about why it’s a compelling option for landlords.

St. Louis native Norbert Leo Butz’s latest album is a conversation with his eldest daughter. He celebrates the release of “King of Hearts” with a homecoming concert Friday night at the Sheldon. Butz has won two Tony Awards for Best Actor in a Musical for his roles in “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” and “Catch Me If You Can.” He’s also appeared in TV shows and films.

Every year, Saint Louis Story Stitchers Artists Collective goes on an immersive trip to a Missouri’s prairie land. For many of the teens, this is their first chance to engage with the outdoors. Young participants and mentors share why the trip is meaningful and how it inspires their artistry.

In the mid-1800s, an enslaved man named Dred Scott sued for his freedom in St. Louis. Scott’s yearslong legal battle culminated in an infamous U.S. Supreme Court ruling that helped push the country closer to civil war. Today, Dred Scott and his wife, Harriett Scott, are celebrated, and there’s a new monument that befits that legacy in Calvary Cemetery in north St. Louis. STLPR’s Marissanne Lewis-Thompson talked with the Scotts’ great-great-granddaughter Lynne Jackson about that legacy in front of the newly erected monument.

Concern over a rise in traffic violence has led St. Louis officials to consider an option the city first tried in 2007: Installing automated cameras to catch traffic violators and deter others. Missouri's Supreme Court ruled the ordinance unconstitutional in 2015, but the city is looking to try again. The Legal Roundtable’s Brenda Talent, Bill Freivogel and Eric Banks tackle that issue, as well as a $745 million verdict against the company that manufactures Whip-Its and a squabble between KMOV and KSDK on who owns the right to say “First Alert Weather.”

The unfolding controversy at KDHX on September 22 when the station fired 10 volunteer DJs. To understand what led to mass firings, how the beloved station got to this point, and the response from its fans and supporters, STLPR reporter Jeremy Goodwin shares insights from his recent coverage of the issue. Former KDHX DJ Ital K, who resigned from his show in solidarity on September 23, reveals what it’s like for longtime volunteers and supporters now watching the controversy unfold.

NPR Legal Affairs Correspondent Nina Totenberg has covered the U.S. Supreme Court for about 50 years. As she gears up for a new court session that begins Monday, Totenberg discusses the cases she’s watching. She also talks about the headline-grabbing ethics concerns swirling around the high court, breaking the Anita Hill story in 1991, and her recent memoir, “Dinners with Ruth.”

NPR Legal Affairs Correspondent Nina Totenberg has covered the U.S. Supreme Court for about 50 years. As she gears up for a new court session that begins Monday, Totenberg discusses the cases she’s watching. She also talks about the headline-grabbing ethics concerns swirling around the high court, breaking the Anita Hill story in 1991, and her recent memoir, “Dinners with Ruth.”

Dennis Bentley, St. Louis Public Radio systems specialist, has a notable hobby: He finds graves. As a volunteer for FindAGrave.com, he has submitted more than 5,000 pictures of gravestones: the small bejeweled ones, the wealthy towering ones and the just plain ol' regular ones. In this encore episode initially aired this January, Bentley discusses finding meaning as he visits cemeteries in Jefferson County.

UK-born, St. Louis resident Jon-Paul Wheatley turned his fascination with crafting soccer balls into more than a half million followers on TikTok. In this encore presentation that initially aired in July, Wheatley discusses how he turned a pandemic hobby into trips to Qatar, the World Cup, and crafting soccer balls for the likes of superstar Lionel Messi and FIFA.

A new exhibition at the Pulitzer Arts Foundation showcases the city’s architectural salvage that was left in the wake of urban renewal. Pulitzer Arts Foundation curator Stephanie Weissberg and Michael Allen, director of the National Building Arts Center, discuss their collaboration on “Urban Archaeology: Lost Buildings of St. Louis.”

A video of two Missouri elected officials blasting flamethrowers got a lot of attention online last week. While the display was symbolic, Missouri’s record on book bans is very real: A new report from PEN America shows Missouri had the 3rd highest number of book ban cases in the country last year. Lisa Gilbert, an instructor at Washington University (and who teaches future teachers) discusses the ongoing impact of book bans, and reflects on the importance of giving students access to knowledge, even when the content is difficult.

Refugee and immigrant communities in the U.S. are losing loved ones to opioids — and often, people in these communities have a hard time talking about it openly. St. Louis-based coalition ECORN is working to build in-language, culturally appropriate resources and data to help.

Ballroom culture, now a mainstay in popular culture. Not to be confused with waltzing, swinging or doing the two-step — ballroom scene has become a global phenomena. It’s championed by Black and brown LGBTQ artists in dance, music and fashion. Filmmaker Bobby Best captured St. Louis’ ballroom scene in his latest documentary film, “Tens Across the Board,” which was produced by the founder of Tens Ballroom, Maven Lee.

Early childhood educators are bracing for September 30. That’s when the Child Care Stabilization Program — funding allocated as part of the American Rescue Plan Act — will end, leaving hundreds of St. Louis and Metro East facilities in a lurch. Providers Aimee Washington-Hart, Paula-Breonne Vickers and Shona Lamond share what it will take to get early childhood education and the support and funding necessary to keep facilities open.

Jamie Corley founded the Missouri Women and Family Research Fund in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court Dobbs decision, which led to Missouri’s ban on most abortions. Corley, a Republican who has worked for several high-profile GOP lawmakers, has put forth six ballot initiative petitions that would chip away at the state’s ban. She shares the details of her proposals and makes the case that the current abortion law is too extreme for most Missouri conservatives.

Danny Jacobs thought he knew his father Richard Jacobs. But after his father’s death, Danny began to discover that the man he knew as a manipulator, liar and fabricator had even more layers. Danny and his childhood best friend Darren Grodsky returned to St. Louis to search for the truth behind Richard Jacobs’ life, which is the subject of the new podcast “How to Destroy Everything.”

St. Louis is among the few cities that don't regulate short-term rentals. That’s left the city’s Assessor Michael Dauphin to investigate units to see if they’re being operated as a business, or if they’re being controlled by absentee landlords or LLCs. City legislators are working on a bill that could change how people use platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo. Ward 4 Alderman Bret Narayan adds his insight on the challenge of regulating short-term rentals, and shares updates on the bill’s status.

Since it opened in April 2022, St. Louis ramen shop Menya Rui has received plenty of local acclaim, and the long lines of diners waiting to experience the delicious house-made noodles are about to get longer. Food & Wine has named chef-owner Steven Pursley one of this year's 11 “Best New Chefs.” In this encore episode, Pursley discusses his experience connecting with his roots in Japan and what he learned about the different types of ramen during his time there.

It’s no question that St. Louis is heating up. The region is part of a “heat belt” that is forming across the Midwest and parts of the South, which will face heat indexes of 125 degrees or higher in about 30 years. As we unpack our sweaters in anticipation of cooler, autumnal temps, you may want to consider whether your home can take the heat. Holly Edgell, managing editor of the Midwest Newsroom at NPR shares her recent reporting on the personal and environmental dangers of “hot houses.”

GM workers in Wentzville were among the first United Auto Workers in the nation to strike for higher pay. Sonya Wagner, who has worked at General Motors Co.'s Wentzville Assembly plant for 10 years, shares why she is on the picket line and what she and her colleagues demand. Also, Washington University sociologist Jason Rosenfeld provides insight on how this strike fits into the larger labor movement in the U.S.

The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra begins its 144th season this week with one big change — the orchestra is not performing in Powell Hall. SLSO Music Director Stéphane Denève and President and CEO Marie-Hélène Bernard discuss the ongoing renovation and expansion of Powell Hall and the highlights of the upcoming 2023-24 season.

Columnist and commentator Michael Harriot’s debut book, “Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America,” offers a compelling retelling of American history. Harriot discusses how his upbringing in the “middle room” of his grandfather’s home in South Carolina informed his self-education. He also talks about his experience covering protests in Ferguson in 2014 and St. Louis in 2017.

Charles the great horned owl lost both his mate and their eggs in December. It was tough news for Mark H. X. Glenshaw, the naturalist who has documented Charles’ life for 17 years. However, things are now looking up for Charles. Glenshaw shares the details in this encore “owl prowl” edition of the show.

Each September, hundreds of professional artists participate in Paint Louis. The annual music and graffiti festival brings people to the riverfront to pick and paint a two-mile section of the downtown St. Louis floodwall — also known as the Mural Mile. Part of the Paint Louis festival is “Paint Littles,” an area expressly for kids where they get to spray their masterpieces on the walls of an abandoned weigh station building. STLPR audio engineer Aaron Doerr brings us the scene.

Food pantries at local St. Louis Colleges are reporting an increase in student visits. Shannon Quinn, case manager at UMSL's Advocacy and Care Center, and Jo Britt-Rankin discuss changes to federal food assistance programs and how University Missouri campuses are helping students secure their basic needs.

The fate of two buildings along the Mill Creek Valley footprint — the historic, predominantly Black neighborhood that was raised in 1959 to make way for “urban renewal” in downtown St. Louis — has sparked calls for protest this week after t St. Louis University submitted a proposal for demolition to the city of St. Louis. Vivian Gibson, author of “The Last Children of Mill Creek, shares her thoughts and experiences with attempts to preserve and honor her childhood neighborhood.

In his new book, "Changing Models for Journalism: Reinventing the Newsroom," Global Investigative Journalism Network co-founder Brant Houston explores the deep transformation that journalism has undergone in the last decade, including the decimation of traditional newsrooms, changing revenue streams, corporate ownership and investors, and the surge in nonprofit newsrooms and collaborations.

Visit any grocery store and you can expect that the produce, meat and other products that line the shelves are not contaminated. But sometimes that’s not the case. STLPR economic development reporter Eric Schmid discusses how locally-based researchers are part of a team developing ways to more quickly identify salmonella in the chicken supply chain. Salmonella is one of the top pathogens that cause foodborne illness.

Washington University has unveiled a new policy that removes federal student loans from their undergraduate financial aid packages. The policy takes effect fall 2024, but it has already garnered attention across the nation as a way to make a path to higher education less burdensome. Ronné Turner, Wash U’s vice provost for admissions and financial aid, shares the benefits for students and how the no-loan policy can impact generational wealth.

12,000 people gathered in Grand Center this past weekend for the 3rd annual Music at the Intersection festival. The lineup included big names like Herbie Hancock, Smino, Taj Mahal, and Thundercat, as well as local talents like Sir Eddie C, Renee Smith, and the Marquise Knox Band featuring the Funky Butt Horns. Producers Miya Norfleet and Emily Woodbury spoke with festival-goers about why they came out — and what they think of St. Louis’ music scene.

A world-premiere is hitting St. Louis theater for the the 10th anniversary of the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival’s “Shakespeare in the Streets.” Rather than Shakespeare, the bard of this particular play, “The Game’s Afoot,” is St. Louis Post-Dispatch sports columnist Benjamin Hochman. Hochman spent months interviewing dozens of people in St. Louis’ soccer community, and he discusses what it means to combine St. Louis, soccer and Shakespeare.

Where do you get your news, and how does it get to you? We dive into the current state, value and future of print media in the St. Louis area, including how the Webster-Kirkwood Times survived near-closure the year the coronavirus pandemic hit — because its journalists got together to purchase the paper themselves.

A new Missouri law prohibits friends and families from buying books for loved ones serving time in prison. Michelle Smith, the founder of the Missouri Justice Coalition, discusses what the ban means for people in prison, and how access to books is just the latest battleground in Missouri prisons that pits security concerns against the wellbeing and rehabilitation of offenders.

Oscar Mayer’s iconic Weinermobile has a new name and Kirkwood native Mary Clare Kammer is spreading word like mustard on a bun. Before Kammer drives the Frankmobile to a few stops in St. Louis and Warren County she shares her Oscar Mayer origin story from childhood to college student at Mizzou, and special moments on her travels so far.

Tennessee Williams wrote about St. Louis with unconcealed disdain, but it’s undeniable the city played a major role in his life. For the 8th year running, the Tennessee Williams Festival is staging performances and events honoring the legacy of the legendary playwright. Williams scholar Tom Mitchell discusses the festival’s focus this year, his own discovery of seven Williams short stories, and how mental health factored into Williams’ most famous plays like “Suddenly, Last Summer.” (Editor's Note: The on-air version of this conversation incorrectly identified the dates of the Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis. The festival runs September 7-17.)

Podcast Description: The Children’s Division of Missouri’s Department of Social Services is severely understaffed. In St. Louis and St. Louis County, there should be 60 investigators total. Instead, there are 16. That shortage has led to a backlog of over 6,000 cases involving child abuse or neglect. And, those backlogged cases have remained open beyond 45 days --- far longer than in other regions in Missouri. STLPR Politics correspondent Jason Rosenbaum has been following this story, and shared his reporting done in partnership with NPR’s Midwest Newsroom.

The Ville neighborhood in St. Louis’ northside has birthed heroes from librarian Julia Davis to queen of rock ‘n’ roll Tina Turner. But even the Ville couldn’t avoid higher vacancy, empty land and crime — due in large part to disinvestment in the once bustling community. The Northside Trap Run seeks to bring the neighborhood back to its heyday and remind the community how much it has to be proud of. In this episode, race ambassador and St. Louis Run Crew founder Ricky Hughes talks about this Saturday’s race.

Greenway Quest is an outdoor scavenger hunt created to get folks of all ages to seek hand-painted bee rocks hidden along the greenways of St. Louis, St. Louis County and St. Charles County. Dallas Adams, communications manager at Great Rivers Greenway, shares fun facts about the event and how their recent projects center community engagement.

Labor Day weekend marks the end of the summer vacation season. On this holiday, we bring you a special from KCUR Studios that highlights the Lake of the Ozarks, a popular tourist destination in Missouri that’s just a three-hour drive west of St. Louis. Senior producer Suzanne Hogan looks at the story of how this man-made body of water came to be – a story that includes corruption, jail time, communities torn apart and displaced families.

Alonzo Townsend is not just a champion for St. Louis music — he was born into it. The St. Louis native founded the Townsendx3 Agency to support local artists by managing them and putting power behind their brands — something he learned to do as a child from his parents, blues legend Henry ‘Mule’ Townsend and gospel and blues singer Vernell Townsend.

StoryCorps is visiting St. Louis for the first time in nearly a decade. From Sept. 14 - Oct. 20, the nonprofit’s signature Airstream will be in the Public Media Commons just outside STLPR’s studios. In this episode, we talk with Lea Zikmund, director of StoryCorps’ Mobile Tour, and we listen to past, memorable stories with St. Louis ties.

The membership of boards and commissions in Missouri does not reflect the racial, ethnic and gender composition of the state. These boards are important not only for the immediate impact they have on communities; they often serve as a launching pad for individuals seeking public office. UMSL political scientist Anita Manion shares the details of her latest report.

For St. Louis-born artist Aaron Fowler, hip-hop is woven into his art. The influence is evident in his nine-foot long, five-foot tall sculpture “Live Culture Force 1’s” which is now displayed at the St. Louis Art Museum’s “The Culture: Hip-Hop and Contemporary Art the 21st Century” through the end of the year.

Next week, the NFL kicks off its season in Kansas City. Meanwhile, college football started this week. It's a big deal for sports -- and sports gambling. People in Missouri really really want to gamble, but if they want to bet on their favorite teams, they'll have to cross state lines. Missouri lawmakers are getting ready to try, for the third consecutive year, to legalize sports betting. St. Louis Public Radio's Statehouse and Politics Reporter Sarah Kellogg, breaks down the supporters and opponents, where gambling revenue goes, and what might change with the involvement of the state's biggest sports teams, including the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Legal Roundtable dives into local and regional lawsuits and litigation. This month that includes a lawsuit filed by Lt. Col. Michael Sack, a white officer with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Sack alleges that St. Louis discriminated against him when it hired another white candidate as the new chief of police. This edition of the Legal Roundtable features attorneys Javad Khazaeli, a former prosecutor and founding member with the St. Louis firm Khazaeli Wyrsch; Dave Roland, the director of litigation at the Freedom Center of Missouri; and Susan McGraugh, director of the criminal defense legal clinic at St. Louis University School of Law.

The number of U.S. college students pursuing education degrees has dropped dramatically in the past few decades. The Teach & Lead program at Ritenour High School aims to reverse that trend by providing education training and mentorship to high schoolers. In return, participants are expected to return to their local school district as teachers after college graduation. That’s what happened to Christina Andrade Melly, 2023’s Missouri Teacher of the Year. Andrade Melly grew up in the Ritenour School District, and she shares why she returned to teach English and Language Arts.

The transition to college is filled with complex personal and academic changes. A new Washington University course “Bearprints for Success” aims to guide students through their first few months of college. Tim Bono, a lecturer in psychology studies and assistant dean at the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, talks about how the course prepares students for the inevitable challenges of college life.

University City native and Disney special effects supervisor Marlon West watched protests across the country after the deaths of George Floyd and Brianna Taylor in 2020. West was compelled to “pay tribute” to slain Black Americans and civil rights icons. What started as a four illustration project ended in over forty images and a project titled “Ink Tributes,” many of which are on display at St. Louis University Museum of Art.

St. Louis is known for its philanthropic generosity. But for many Black-led and Black-serving nonprofits in the region, donors generally don’t fund them at the same level as they fund white-led organizations. Why is that? What can be done to close that gap? Tackling those questions are Gladiator Consulting’s Rachel D’Souza, Shelly Williams of Access Academies, and UrbArts founder MK Stallings discuss how funding gaps stymie growth, and how efforts like Giving Black Day can help.

For the fifth day in a row, the St. Louis region is experiencing dangerous heat that is near record-breaking levels. It’s also the first week of school for many students in the region. STLPR senior education reporter Kate Grumke discusses issues with bus transportation and athletics as well as what schools are doing to cope with the heat including early dismissals and virtual learning.

The combination of warmth and humidity in Missouri make it a fantastic place … for ticks. We learn what makes the state even more hospitable to these bloodsucking insects and how we can protect ourselves from tick-borne maladies like alpha-gal syndrome, which makes people allergic to red meat. We also get an update on the nearly 100 illegally transported Antilles pinktoe tarantulas that’ve been living at the Missouri Botanical Gardens Butterfly House since they were seized by federal agents in February.

The four-day school week first became an option for Missouri schools 14 years ago. Now, more than 30% of the state’s districts have implemented shorter school weeks. Missouri State University Associate Professor Jon Turner and Warren County School District Superintendent Gregg Klinginsmith discuss how the practice helps recruit and retain teachers, and its effect on student learning.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a bill this month intended to improve the process of returning native remains and cultural artifacts to their nations of origin. It’s part of a yearslong, statewide effort to improve the state’s poor track record with repatriation. Producer Danny Wicentowski talked with ProPublica reporter Logan Jaffe about her reporting on “The Repatriation Project.”

Despite the fact that nearly 83% of the population does not have perfect hearing, most of our spaces are designed to cater, auditorily, to a select few. That’s a problem, according to researchers in the growing field of aural diversity. In this encore edition of the show, former STLPR producer Avery Rogers takes us through the various ways we perceive sound and how understanding these differences can help us better approach hearing accessibility.

An estimated 6.7 million people in the U.S. have Alzheimer's disease, and more than 11 million provide them with unpaid care. On this encore episode, we explore what it means to live with Alzheimer's, to care for those who have it, and the need for early diagnosis.

There's a wave of state and city flag redesigns sweeping the country — and Illinois may be next. Ted Kaye, author of “‘Good’ Flag, ‘Bad’ Flag,” says that trend reflects a deeper understanding of the opportunity a great state or city flag presents. He shares the basic principles of flag design and the role flags play in cultivating civic pride.

Hair discrimination disproportionately targets Black women, and lawmakers have sought to ban the practice with the CROWN Act. CROWN stands for “Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair,” and the first act of its kind was passed in California in 2019. Since then, other states and municipalities have adopted their own measures, including the City of St. Louis in 2021. A statewide measure took effect in Illinois this past January. Missouri has yet to pass a similar law. PBS NewsHour correspondent and vice president of the St. Louis chapter of NABJ Gabrielle Hays and founder and CEO of Frizzy by Nature Leslie Hughes talk about local and statewide efforts to pass the CROWN Act and ways Black women are relearning how to embrace their curls.

MetroBus continues to operate at reduced capacity, hampering the needs of St. Louis bus riders eager to get to work, school and appointments. Bi-State Development CEO Taulby Roach says recent hiring events and a new worker contract give him hope that bus and MetroLink services can be restored.

Regional live theater venues are struggling to attract audiences back to the theater since COVID-19 restrictions shut down productions for nearly two years. STL Fringe Fest have weathered the storm and this year’s festival features 42 acts and organizers are seeing an uptick in sales. In this episode, Matthew Kerns, president and artistic director of St. Lou Fringe, joins Lindy Drew of Humans of St. Louis and burlesque performer Sara Howard aka Dizzy Tunt to talk about what audiences can expect in this years STL Fringe Fest.

International superstar Beyoncé will be in St. Louis on August 21 for the Renaissance tour at the Dome in Downtown. Local members of the “BeyHive” are buzzing about Queen Bey’s arrival as viral videos of her past performances are shared across the web. DJ Nico Marie will host a Beyoncé-themed party with fellow DJ Makeda Kravitz at Sophie’s Artist Lounge prior to Renaissance’s arrival.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey is at the center of a landmark dispute over how the federal government can interact with social media platforms. In Missouri v. Biden, the state contends an appeals court should keep in place a lower court’s injunction that restricts federal employees from trying to get social media companies to take down content. STLPR political correspondent Jason Rosenbaum talks with Bailey.

The St. Louis Art Museum's new exhibition, “The Culture,” honors the 50th anniversary of hip-hop and how it influenced art, including how it shaped fashion styles. Exhibit curator Hannah Klemm and former curatorial research fellow Rikki Byrd discuss the exhibit with a focus on aesthetics and how fashion is central in hip-hop culture.

With his first brick-and-mortar restaurant, St. Louis chef Juwan Rice wants to invite diners into an intimate space — one that has the feel of a private dinner party. Rated Test Kitchen’s seven-course menu will change on a monthly basis, it will be experimental (crystal-clear bread, anyone?) and guests are invited to share their feedback on each course. Rice hopes to provide a space where both locals and tourists will flock to in downtown St. Louis.

The Vincentians will dedicate a new mission house on Lafayette near the intersection of I-44 and Grand Blvd. in St. Louis this Saturday. The Catholic community arrived in St. Louis in 1818 and is refocusing its efforts on the city. Named after St. Vincent de Paul, Vincentians are known for their work serving poor people and marginalized communities. The Rev. Patrick McDevitt discusses the new mission house and how he hopes its presence will help the community and recruit more Catholic clergy.

Delmar Main Street aims to counter the effects of the “Delmar Divide.” The organization focuses on the business corridor between Skinker Blvd. and Taylor Ave., and they are the host of the Black Business Expo being held August 26 at Delmar Blvd. and Hamilton Ave. West End resident and Delmar Main Street Vice President Lisa Potts shares what folks can expect at the expo and how “buying Black” helps communities across the region. Marcus Howard, founder and CEO of GreaterHealth Pharmacy and Wellness, also joins the discussion.

At the STL8 Amazon warehouse in St. Peters, workers say their bodies are being broken by a management system that monitors their actions down to the second. Amazon warehouse employee Wendy Taylor is one of 14 workers who submitted a federal complaint to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) earlier this month. She describes what it’s like to be injured on the job, and the pressure to package thousands of items while being monitored by Amazon.

Residents of Missouri nursing homes average just three hours, each day, of care. Nursing homes across the state are also facing serious shortages in staffing. Three guests, including a local CNA working to improve worker pay and professional advancement, discuss what needs to be done to change the situation.

Brooklyn, Illinois was the first Black town to be incorporated, but its rich history is at risk of being lost. Roberta Rogers, former president of the Historical Society of Brooklyn, and Quinn Adamowski of Landmarks Illinois talk about the town’s history and efforts to support its continued existence.

In 1959, the U.S. Army eradicated the entire elk population in a park in St. Louis County — or at least, they thought they did. A single elk’s remarkable survival changed the course of that park’s history, and gave it its name, Lone Elk Park. “Unseel St. Louis” writer Jackie Dana discusses the fascinating history of the park, and St. Louis County Park Ranger Sgt. Cheryl Fechter shares her insight into how the park’s people and animals have learned to co-exist.

More than 400 pickleball players are competing in a national tournament hosted in Forest Park this week. The tournament highlights the growth of the sport in the area that includes permanent courts in seven south St. Louis parks. A former Bed Bath & Beyond in Lake St. Louis is among the area’s newest pickleball venues and two more are expected to open this year. Mike Chapin, who runs St.LouisPickleball.com, discusses the St. Louis area’s pickleball explosion.

Keeping St. Louis' outdoor professional sports fields in tiptop shape is a big job when the weather is nice, and a more challenging task during sweltering St. Louis summers. STLPR senior correspondent and morning newscaster Wayne Pratt gets to the root of how these two fields stay fresh, even when the temperatures are soaring.

Mark Pagano is on a mission to keep the St. Louis kindie music scene on the map. The kids indie musician known as Marko Polo will release his second solo album, “Aqua Phonic,” this Sunday. This episode features Pagano talking about his passion for creating fun and informative music, and we feature songs from the new album.

A group of Midwestern shrimp farmers is on a mission to provide Americans with better-tasting, sustainable shrimp. The industry struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic, but reporter Lilley Halloran found that farmers are hopeful the industry will come back stronger than ever.

A new statewide rule has Missouri librarians concerned for their ability to curate their collections in a way that serves the entire community. Missouri Library Association President-Elect Kimberly Moeller talks about how the rule comes at a time of increased attention and scrutiny toward Missouri’s public libraries — and what concerned community members can do to support the public library system.

Many people dream of becoming a star, but most can barely perform without losing their breath after one song, let alone get through a proper soundcheck. For those folks, Muhammad Mvstermind Austin created Mvstercamp — a six-day bootcamp to teach up and coming artists the lessons he learned the hard way.

The Fuller Dome on the campus of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville represents the legacy of R. Buckminster Fuller. Designed as a miniature globe, the structure is experiencing its own kind of climate crisis, as its heating and air conditioning system are failing. Benjamin Lowder, director of the Fuller Dome Center for Spirituality and Sustainability, discusses the effort to raise funds to preserve the dome and the impact of Fuller's legacy on the St. Louis region.

In his recent piece for the Atlantic, Washington University Professor Ian Bogost argues that “all soda is lemon-lime soda.” He shares why he came to that conclusion and the little-known-facts that he learned about 7UP, including its St. Louis origins and one of its original ingredients (a prescription drug by today’s standards).

Former Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon dove back into the political fray last week when he announced his involvement with No Labels, a group of centrist politicians pushing back against what they see as the extremes of both the Republican and Democratic Parties. The group is rankling some Democrats who think its actions could create an avenue for Donald Trump to return to the White House. STLPR political correspondent Jason Rosenbaum talks with Jay Nixon on this episode that first aired on the station’s Politically Speaking podcast.

The St. Louis roots quartet Salt of the Earth prizes simplicity. The group has released six albums and on Saturday celebrates its 20th anniversary with a concert at the Focal Point in Maplewood. Band members Lynne Reif and Mike Schrand talk about the band and this episode samples Salt of the Earth’s music.

Local non-profit Unlimited Play designed and built dozens of accessible playgrounds in the St. Louis area and many more across the country. Founder Natalie Mackay talks about what makes playgrounds truly inclusive and fun for all kids.

Video games were once synonymous with cartridges. A St. Louis game developer, Graphite Lab, is turning back the clock with its release of “Mr. Run and Jump.” Out on modern consoles from Playstation, Xbox and Nintendo, a version of the game is also being released for the Atari 2600 — and, for the first time since 1990, Atari is releasing the new game on a cartridge. Graphite Lab developer John Mikula reveals how he created “Mr. Run and Jump” as a passion project and what happened after Atari took notice.

Debbie Njai, the St. Louis-based founder of Black People Who Hike, is being honored with a portrait that’s part of a national art exhibition focused on Americans who are improving their communities. In this episode, Njai and her portraitist discuss the healing aspects of nature and the ways art can be used as a vehicle for inspiration and education.

The St. Louis Shakespeare Festival is hitting the road, with its production of “The Merry Wives of Windsor.” Performers Christina Yancy and Joel Moses discuss performing in a different park every night, and how they put on a production (complete with laugh track) while playing multiple characters in a 90-minute, sitcom-inspired version of Shakespeare’s legendary comedy.

The St. Louis Queer Support Helpline — or SQSH — has experienced an increase in calls for help finding resources and community. Executive Director Luka Cai shares how SQSH’s goals are shaped by the needs of the local queer community — and how infrastructural changes as well as cultural shifts would make for a more welcoming and healthy St. Louis.

For the first time in its history, the St. Louis Art Museum (SLAM) has curated an exhibition of work by modern Indigenous American artists. “Action-Abstraction Redefined” showcases 20th-century pieces paired with an audio guide featuring their creators. Alex Marr, the museum’s associate curator of Native American Art, talks with STLPR senior reporter Jeremy D. Goodwin about SLAM’s history of collecting, and not showing, Native American art — and how this exhibition aims to bring visibility to Native histories.

The Hicks Dome volcano sits dormant in southern Illinois. While there’s no chance it will erupt anytime soon, geologist Daniel Hummer says researchers are interested in the site because it’s concentrated with rare Earth minerals and radioactive materials.

Several new restaurants and bars have opened their doors this summer, with offerings ranging from high-minded cocktail combinations to Chinese street food. Sauce Magazine Executive Editor Meera Nagarajan breaks down her picks for what to try at three newly opened eateries and bars: Maryland House by Brennan’s, Dumplings & Tea, and B Juiced.

St. Louis on the Air’s Legal Roundtable convenes to address a lawsuit targeting St. Louis’ ailing 911 system, a $6.1 million settlement issued to a former guidance counselor, a major ruling in the ongoing defamation lawsuit against The Gateway Pundit’s Jim Hoft, and more. Joining the discussion is attorney Mark Smith, a former associate vice chancellor and dean at Washington University; Attorney Eric Banks, a former city counselor for the city of St. Louis; and attorney Sarah Swatosh, who specializes in labor and employment law.

Against the backdrop of the new feature film “Joy Ride,” three St. Louis residents who grew up in Metro St. Louis and near Kansas City, Missouri, talk about their personal experiences as Asian American transracial adoptees navigating identity, family and belonging.

Health care facilities in states with abortion bans, like Missouri, find that fewer doctors consider coming to these states to complete their OB-GYN residencies. Washington University physicians Dr. David Eisenberg and Dr. Jeannie Kelly have witnessed this firsthand. In this episode, they also discuss the effects of Missouri’s abortion ban on maternal health outcomes.

The St. Louis region experienced historic flooding one year ago, with effects that continue today. We discuss what’s been learned and done since then to prevent a repeat of such damage.

“Eliza” is a new historical short film about Eliza Rone, a woman enslaved – and eventually freed – by a prominent 19th century family in St. Louis. Co-writers and co-directors Delisa Richardson and Dan Steadman discuss their use of historical documents and imagination to craft the story and characters in the film.

Artist Lu Ray Waldemer has first hand experience dealing with and witnessing blown tires due to raggedy St. Louis streets. Waldemer would complain to friends and family until she decided to do something about it by starting the “Mosaic Pothole Project.”

St. Louis’ commission on reparations began meeting monthly this summer to confront the vast and layered damage of slavery, segregation and discrimination. Commission members Gwen Moore and Kayla Reed discuss the need for reparations, the challenges presented by historic injustice, and their thoughts on what form reparations may ultimately take in St. Louis.

In this encore conversation, Ricky Hughes talks about how he founded St. Louis Run Crew with inclusion in mind — specifically to introduce Black and brown people to running and to create a space where they can be comfortable. While most running clubs are inherently inclusive, Hughes would often find himself the only person of color in local running groups. He says the crew — which meets in Kiener Plaza Park — is “open to all faces, paces and laces.”

After a Rolla Pride event in June that included a drag performance, people packed a city council meeting wanting to weigh in on a proposed ordinance that would limit public performance content. STLPR Rolla correspondent Jonathan Ahl shares notes about that meeting and the obscenities ordinance under consideration.

The Missouri Botanical Garden has drawn crowds wanting to revel in the smell of the aptly named corpse flower, the amorphophallus titanum, since it first bloomed there in 2012. Its offensive odor has been likened to rotting garbage, dirty diapers and, yes… a dead body. Horticulturist Emily Colletti has cared for the garden's collection of corpse flowers for 21 years. She shared what makes the odoriferous plants happy, and how she can predict when this year’s blooming flower Octavia will dazzle and stink.

Podcast Description: In 2018, writer Robert Langellier and botanist Neal Humke cut down every tree across 19 acres in the Ozarks in Pioneer Forest. Their aim was to restore one of the Ozarks' rarest ecosystems: a glade. While it may seem counterintuitive to cut down trees in a time of climate change, restoring glades helps ensure biodiversity. Langellier discusses his opinion piece in the New York Times about the conservation effort. Humke, Land Stewardship Coordinator for the L-A-D Foundation — which privately owns the land in the Pioneer Forest — discusses the non-profits’ work there and the importance of glades.

Cinema St. Louis has curated films with a local connection since 2000. Now in its twenty-third iteration, the showcase has grown to include documentary and narrative shorts as well as feature-length films, experimental film and animations, and master classes for anyone interested in filmmaking in the region. Chris Clark, Cinema St. Louis' artistic director, breaks down the upcoming showcase, and discusses what he’s most looking forward to.

A ruling by the Illinois Supreme Court this week opened a path for courts to eliminate the use of cash bail as a condition for release before trial. The decision gives courts two months to prepare for the shift to end cash bail in mid-September. Chief Circuit Court Judge Andrew Gleeson says the time frame is akin to “turning the Titanic,” but he’s also hopeful the change may lead to greater equity in the courts. Community organizer Marie Franklin feels the justice system is “finally moving in a direction that we should be moving in.” Alexa Van Brunt, director of the MacArthur Justice Center’s Illinois office, also joins the discussion to share the challenges this new law may bring, as well as the potential positive effects for public safety and community well being.

Appointed by Gov. Mike Parson, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore has been on the job as the city’s top prosecutor since May 30. He took over after Kim Gardner resigned earlier than expected. In his first six weeks on the job, Gore has increased staffing levels and begun to deal with a backlog of cases. In this extended interview, he discusses that and much more, including how he’s appointed outside counsel to handle the Christopher Dunn innocence case.

St. Louis’ Office of Violence Prevention partners with several non-profits that tackle the systemic causes behind violence. Among other resources, organizations provide quality mental health services, supportive re-entry for former offenders and harm reduction. Director Wil Pinkney shares how St. Louisans can get involved.

St. Louis has 16 sister city relationships. The oldest was formed more than six decades ago with Stuttgart, Germany; the most recent, with Rosario, Argentina. We talk with the people who maintain St. Louis’ connection with Rosario and a city called St. Louis in Senegal, and discuss the umbrella organization that houses all 16 sister city relationships.

On July 8, 113 costumed singers belted out the melody to Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5” in a choreographed, frenetic performance that ultimately won gold at the International Barbershop Harmony Society Convention — the fifth championship for the St. Charles-based Ambassadors of Harmony barbershop chorus. The chorus’ co-directors, Jim Henry and Jonny Moroni, recount how they planned and pulled together for the competition, and the enduring popularity of barbershop chorus.

Thousands of previously unreleased documents reveal the federal government knew about the dangers of radioactive waste in the St. Louis area but consistently downplayed them. Reporter Allison Kite talks about government negligence and advocate Dawn Chapman shares how the revelations could put needed pressure on federal agencies to finally clean up.

In her new book, “Pop Culture Happy Hour” co-host Aisha Harris shares her experiences as a Black, suburban 90s-kid turned-30-something, city-dwelling journalist while digging into the shifting ways we interact with pop culture — and how it touches us in ways we may not even realize.

Before it was a shopping center, the area occupied by the Promenade at Brentwood was known as Evans Howard Place. On July 8, a new memorial was unveiled in the shopping center. Former resident Allison Reed shares her experience growing up there, and writer and researcher Beth Miller discusses the history of Evans Howard Place, and why a previous memorial was seen as an insufficient way to honor the neighborhood that had existed there for 90 years.

In late June, a four-alarm fire destroyed the converted church that housed Sk8 Liborious, a beloved indoor skate park and gathering place in north St. Louis. The picture of long term recovery for Sk8 Liborius is still unclear. Its leaders had put together a nonprofit organization hoping to become a community center and provide opportunities for teens to gain technical career skills and discover artistic talent. Now Sk8 Liborious has to answer the question: What’s next?

At the All-Star break the St. Louis Cardinals are in last place in the NL Central and are on track for their worst finish in nearly a century. MLB.com columnist Will Leitch discusses the Cardinals’ woes and how the second half may unfold. Leitch is also a contributing editor for New York Magazine and the founding editor of Deadspin.

Young students with Vote16MO are working to lower the voting age to 16 years in Missouri for local elections. They want a say in school board decisions that impact their lives.

The need for child care is putting pressure on families, the economy, and care centers themselves. According to recent research by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, families are forced to make tough decisions between paying hundreds of dollars a month for a child care center — which often means a substantial portion of a family’s monthly income — or leaving the workforce all together to be with their children full-time. Senior economist at the St. Louis Fed Chuck Gascon and Shona Lamond, executive director of Downtown Children’s Center discuss the worrying trend with data, anecdotes, and ideas on fixing it.

U.S. Rep. Cori Bush isn’t waiting for the courts to determine whether the commonly used and safe abortion drug mifepristone should remain legal in the U.S. She and the Rev. Love Holt, an abortion doula and community engagement manager with Pro-Choice Missouri, say that protecting medication abortion access is a public health and racial justice issue.

Two recent storm-related deaths call attention to delayed 911 response times in St. Louis and St. Louis County. Researcher Karishma Furtado shares what data reveals about the region’s overwhelmed emergency response network.

On June 18th, a shooting at an unsanctioned party at an empty office building in downtown St. Louis left 11 teens injured and one 17-year-old dead, sparking outrage and calls for action to address youth violence. Two St. Louis teens, Justin Boyle and Jeremiah Miller, say they need more than extended hours at recreation centers to feel safe, and they share their lived experiences as young Black men as they offer ideas on ways local leaders can better engage young people about preventing violence.

Two recent, major legal rulings in federal court involving the First Amendment have Missouri connections. Greg Magarian, a law professor and First Amendment scholar at Washington University, breaks down the implications of cases involving whether a business owner can discriminate against gay customers, and whether the government is allowed to ask social media companies to remove content spreading misinformation.

St. Charles County’s population has jumped about 35% since 2000, to 410,000 people, and overseeing that growth has been St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann. He recently announced he would not seek a sixth term. In this excerpt from STLPR’s Politically Speaking podcast, Ehlmann discusses his career and his concerns about how the county’s growth is tied to the perception among some that St. Louis is a dangerous place.

Why are certain areas in St. Louis more susceptible to poor air quality? A researcher and an environmental advocate discuss the history of environmental injustice in St. Louis when it comes to the air we breathe and highlight solutions that can be achieved both on an individual and systemic level. We also hear from a meteorologist about how St. Louis’ air quality has changed over time.

Landscape architect Ted Spaid, founding partner of SWT Design, has designed over 1,000 parks in the St. Louis region. Two of his most talked-about projects are the new basketball courts coming to Tower Grove Park and Forest Park. Spaid shares how he creates green spaces that are welcoming and satisfies the needs of people that compliments the flow of nature.

UK-born, St. Louis resident Jon-Paul Wheatley turned his fascination with crafting soccer balls into more than a half million followers on TikTok. Wheatley discusses how he turned a pandemic hobby into trips to Qatar, the World Cup, and crafting soccer balls for the likes of superstar Lionel Messi and FIFA.

Before the Major League Soccer season even started, 13 experts for MLS.com predicted that St. Louis City SC would either finish last or second-to-last in the Western Conference. Sports journalist Julian Trejo explains the keys to the team's success just past the midway point of the season.

Nick Lammering achieved St. Louis celebrity status after he was spotted on the Apple broadcast of a St. Louis City SC game in mid-March wearing toasted ravioli headgear. The fame has turned into a side-hustle of selling t-rav merch and dreaming up even more ways to share his passion for St. Louis, soccer and toasted ravioli.

Forbes arts and travel contributor Chadd Scott discusses how large arts institutions support the arts and artists in St. Louis — and how those support systems compare with other cities in the Midwest. Two recent recipients of regional artist grants, musician Kasimu Taylor and video and performance artist Carlos Salazar-Lermont, discuss realities around funding specific projects and sustaining themselves as artists.

While St. Louis’ artist communities and art districts are nationally recognized— and homegrown foundations have uplifted the arts for decades — there are still artists that fall through the cracks and struggle to connect with the greater St. Louis art scene. Instead of waiting for a seat at the table, multidisciplinary artist and St. Louis native Brock Seals decided to build his own with his event, “Art, Mimosas and Pancakes.”

In a ruling issued last week, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a southwest Missouri judge improperly jailed two kids as part of a bitter child custody dispute. The case involves two children who were semi-finalists on the reality show “America's Got Talent.” That case and more were discussed on the Legal Roundtable edition of the show with attorneys Bevis Schock, Connie McFarland-Butler and Jim Wyrsch.

On July 2, the East St. Louis Historical Society and the Illinois State Historical Society will dedicate a new historical marker commemorating the 1917 East St. Louis Race Massacre. The new marker is significant, and Will Shannon, executive director of the St. Clair County Historical Society, and Jaye Willis, of the East St. Louis Historical Society, discuss the continuing efforts to educate people on the terrible events that took place there 106 years ago.

Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis are using nature as inspiration to combat the growing problem of plastic pollution. With a new $3.6 million grant, the team is working to develop sustainably sourced plastics by mimicking natural materials like spider silk fibers.

Chris Dunn has spent more than 30 years in prison for a crime that witnesses now say he did not commit. Shortly before resigning from office, St. Louis’ top prosecutor, Kim Gardner, filed a motion to vacate Dunn’s conviction. But new Circuit Attorney Gabriel Gore withdrew the motion explaining that he needed to review the details himself. We listen back a conversation about Dunn’s case and get a new update from Dunn’s wife, Kira Dunn.

This year, Counterpublic’s art exhibition deals with the tragic histories of St. Louis and the country. The displacement of Indigenous people and loss of their land is showcased through billboards, films and other art installations. Beyond sparking reflection and conversation through art, Counterpublic is working with the Osage Nation to help return the entirety of the sacred Sugarloaf Mound to tribal control.

On May 16th, Jeopardy! contestants faced a clue for "A recipe completion card game in which you try to build the perfect hot dog is called 'turn for' this." None of the competitors got it — but in St. Louis, the brother-and-brother team of Phill and Jake Wamser, creators of the rummy-style card game “Turn for the Wurst,” knew their fortunes had taken a turn for the better. Phil Wamser discusses what it felt like to have his game featured on the show, his love of game-making, and the new Kickstarter-backed game, “Shiner,” which is generating its own interest.

The New York Times recently featured St. Louis in its “Walks Around the World” series. That St. Louis walk starts at “Pillars of the Valley,” the art installation that memorializes the lost neighborhood of Mill Creek Valley, just outside CityPark. We listen back to a February conversation with artist Damon Davis and former Mill Creek Valley resident Vivian Gibson about “Pillars of the Valley.”

Starbucks workers at four unionized stores in the St. Louis region walked off the job Monday, joining a nationwide strike over reports that some Starbucks stores have not allowed LGBTQ+ Pride displays this year. St. Louis region barista Alex Barge shares why she joined the strike and what’s changed since her store joined Starbucks Workers United last year.

Dwayne Tiggs and Rikki Watts have shared the progress of their 420 square foot house since last year. Despite a few setbacks and a citywide plumber shortage, the house is taking shape with walls, a deck, and a roof in place. While building their own home, they are teaching others how to do the same all with reclaimed and recycled materials and a lot of help from neighbors and friends.

Supporting local artists sounds good in theory, but what does it look like in practice? Kranzberg Arts Foundation has put out a call for artist residencies for years, but this year they are expanding the reach in the ways to get involved. Director of artist residencies Larry Morris shares how supporting artists and creating sustainable communities around the arts benefit the region as a whole.

For 10 years, the the Southeastern Rodeo Association has proudly celebrated the contributions of Black cowboys, including St. Louis cowboy Reggie “Sauce Boss” Smith. St. Louis Public Radio photojournalist Brian Munoz interviewed Smith, and other participants, while experiencing the St. Louis Open Black Rodeo on June 25.

Graphic novel “The Atonement Bell” has a number of direct references to St. Louis. Co-creators Jim Ousley and Tyler B. Ruff took inspiration for both the plot and art of the horror story from their personal experiences in the region. The story has been nominated for an Eisner Award for Best New Series.

On June 6, Missouri’s State Board of Education suspended the teaching license of a Hazelwood preschool teacher. It’s an action that school districts are increasingly seeking: Under a 2016 law, districts are empowered to file for financial penalties as high as $10,000, and to suspend a teacher’s license, if a teacher decides to break their contract. Mark Jones, the communications director of the Missouri National Education Association, says this policy is bad for both teachers and school districts.

Dive into a good beach read this summer with recommendations from two St. Louis librarians, Tammy Albohaire and Maryann Brickey.

Registered nurses Marchelle Vernell and Hadas Becker are sounding the alarm on what they say is a lack of safe staffing levels at SSM Health St. Louis University Hospital. They say patients are waiting too long for care — and that patient frustration can pose a security risk to staff and other patients.

You’ve likely heard a St. Louisan say, “It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity,” when jokingly — or apologetically — talking about the high temps in the region during summertime. However, climate change experts take both the heat and moisture very seriously. Freelance environmental reporter Kelly Smits shared her reporting on the constant rising temperatures and why St. Louis’ history of red-lining neighborhoods, inequity in greenspaces and urban design, and how ‘urban heat islands’ impact predominantly Black neighborhoods most.

St. Louis food writer and trained chef Holly Fann talks about what inspired her TEDxStLouis talk about the illusion of “authentic” ethnic food, and how candid conversation about it can make us better, more informed diners.

More than 44,000 marijuana cases, including over 10,000 felony convictions, were expunged in Missouri before a June 8 deadline. However, many remain unresolved. Attorney Dan Viets, Missouri coordinator for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, and public defender Matt Schmidt discuss where that effort has fallen short.

With St. Louis’ population in decline and property being affordable, neglected land parcels are desirable to developers. Some might see the attention as a positive — addressing blight which would ideally lead to decreased crime and higher property values. West End residents April Walker and Lisa Potts along with their neighbors and support from Invest STL led by executive director Dara Eskridge created a neighborhood plan that was approved by the city of St. Louis.

For lovers of dogs, nature and music, St. Louis musician Mikey Wehling’s forthcoming album, Camp Scout Vol. 2, captures the sounds of summer. Wehling discusses how the album traces his adventures with his dog, Scout, to the Cumberland River in Tennessee and the Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri, both of which inspired the instrumental album.

Construction workers have nearly twice the rate of substance abuse as the national average, and the rate of suicide for men working in construction is about four times higher than the general population. A newly formed St. Louis-based peer support system aims to improve outcomes for St. Louis construction workers who struggle with addiction and/or mental health issues.

The status of being publicly queer or trans has become increasingly fraught in Missouri in 2023. Historian Steven Louis Brawely and artist Steve Willits reflect on commemorating Pride month, and LGBTQ history, at a time when events are playing out, as Brawley says, in “real time.”

The St. Louis Board of Aldermen could vote as soon as this week to raise water rates by 40% over the next 2 ½ years. Future increases would be tied to the cost of inflation. Curt Skouby, Director of the City of St. Louis’ Department of Public Utilities and Water Commissioner, explains ongoing issues with rising prices and aging infrastructure, as well as why he supports the rate increase.

It wasn’t a single destination that spurred Jack Snelling to spend 10 days driving more than 4,300 miles around Missouri. His route, inspired by Missouri’s original highway system, led to 115 historic courthouses. Along the way, he learned to appreciate the state’s many communities, as well as the legacy of a now little-known highway system.

Tyler Small, a 27-year-old self-taught photographer and queer Black dad in St. Louis, is commemorating Father’s Day in a special way. He’s taking pictures of fellow Black fathers for a local nonprofit’s event that raises funds for free mental health services and he’s sharing his own story of becoming a father.

In St. Louis’ food scene, the current star of the show is the humble bagel. New shops, and long lines, have led Sauce Magazine’s Meera Nagarajan to declare it a veritable “bagel boom.” Ted Wilson, co-owner of Bagel Union in Webster Groves, describes the years of work to turn his boiled-and-baked dreams into reality, and Jackie Polcyn, the shop’s head baker and production manager, tells us what it takes to make the perfect bagel.

Last October, the Hazelwood School District closed Jana Elementary School in Florissant, Missouri, after a company called Boston Chemical Data Corporation issued a report that said there was radioactive contamination in the school and that it was dangerous. But, the scientific consensus shows that radioactive contamination isn’t present. We listen to STLPR education reporter Kate Grumke’s extended conversation with Roger Lewis, a professor emeritus at St. Louis University, who is critical of the report. In a follow-up conversation, Kate also shares how Boston Chemical is responding to the criticism and what parents are saying.

St. Louis’ intimate one-ring circus, Circus Flora, is back at the Big Top in Grand Center. Artistic and executive director (and lifelong circus performer) Jack Marsh says acts such as aerialist Laura Lippert, the Globe of Speed, and world class juggler Roberto Carlos will thrill audiences in the circus’ 37th season that runs until June 25.

Seven years ago, singer-songwriter Lizzie Weber was living on an island off the coast of Washington state when she was inspired to write her forthcoming album, “Fidalgo.” The pandemic brought her home to St. Louis, and she is now set to release it June 9. Weber calls the journey a “full-circle moment.”

There are some 600 million cats in the world. Not all of them are pets — between 50 and 100 million in the U.S. — but cats share a fascinating history with humans. Washington University evolutionary biologist Jonathan Losos dives into that history in the new book, “The Cat's Meow: How Cats Evolved from the Savanna to Your Sofa.” Losos joins guest host Alex Heuer to talk about all things cats.

Restorative justice programs like Freedom Community Centers are gaining attention as the criminal justice system continues to get criticized for racial and economic biases. Kayla Thompson and her colleagues in the Free Us Group Track Program within FCC facilitate an intensive 12-week program which involves community service and therapy.

Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) became part of the official designation of May as Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in 2022. U.S. Census Bureau numbers from 2022 show less than 1% of folks who live in the Metro St. Louis area home identify as Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. Edwardsville educator, social worker, and writer Stephanie Malia Krauss, her mother Laurie Nalani Kilstein, and her two boys are among those "onlys." Krauss and Kilstein share what that's like, and talk about ways they maintain and build strong cultural ties to a vital part of their personal, family, and community identity.

You’ve heard “attendance is mandatory,” but, in Missouri schools, attendance is actually a matter of state law. During the 2021-22 school year, two single mothers in Missouri discovered just how powerful that law can be: They found themselves sentenced to jail when their children missed more than two weeks of school. The case is among several burning legal topics taken up by St. Louis on the Air’s Legal Roundtable of attorneys Nicole Gorovksy, Dave Roland and Kalila Jackson

International superstar Tina Turner died Wednesday at the age of 83. Turner moved to St. Louis when she was 16 years old and her ties to the area ran deep. Author Maureen Mahon discusses Turner's time in St. Louis and we hear listener reactions to her death.

The O’Fallon, Missouri, based winter drumline Modulation Z won their division in the Winter Guard International World Championships last month. The group achieved a score of 96.05. That score was two points ahead of the second-place finisher and the second highest score ever achieved in the division. Modulation Z director Ryan Treasure and senior Lukas McGill discuss what it took to become a champion.

Members of Gold Star Families, or families that have lost an immediate family member in active duty, hold Memorial Day in high regards as they honor their loved ones, even those whose true fate remains a mystery. Until recently, the Court of Honor at Soldiers Memorial only listed 214 names of St. Louisans who gave the ultimate sacrifice during the Vietnam War. That changes this weekend with a special observation of 254 newly-identified fallen soldiers.

The Catholic Diocese of Belleville underreported the number of clergy who sexually abused children. That’s one of the findings of a 700-page report released by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul. The report also details how the diocese enabled a pattern of abuse. STLPR Metro East reporter Will Bauer explains.

The countdown to Pride Month ends in just eight days. Soon there will be parades and parties to celebrate LGBTQ+ communities and commemorate the long, continuous fight for basic human rights for queer individuals. For Black queer people, creating space for joy in a time of persistent political and societal oppression is an everyday necessity. One example of that is ballroom culture, which was created and championed by Black members of the LGBTQ community across the nation — and right here in St. Louis.

Ninety years ago, on May 24, 1933, a strike led by Black women workers at a St. Louis nut factory made labor history. Devin Thomas O’Shea, who wrote about the strike in a lengthy feature story in Jacobin, discusses the dramatic events leading up to the strike, including how an 18-year-old ringleader led her co-workers to the streets “with a Bible in one hand and a brick in the other.”

For lovers of theater, a St. Louis summer doesn’t truly start until Shakespeare is being performed. That moment comes next week, on May 31, as the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival opens its annual free performances in Forest Park. Tom Ridgley, the festival’s producing artistic director, breaks down this season’s unique take on “Twelfth Night,” set in Miami, and previews the other performances to come, including “The Merry Wives of Windsor” and an original production that combines Shakespeare and soccer.

John Gaal witnessed naloxone’s ability to save lives when he stepped in to administer the overdose reversal medication to a fellow passenger on a Southwest Airlines flight in 2022. He shares why he’s pushing for greater access to the drug, including its inclusion in medical kits on all airline providers.

VibeSzn began as an online business in 2017 and now has a retail location at City Foundry in Midtown St. Louis and has amassed nearly 200,000 followers on Instagram. Co-owner Omar Badran discusses his homegrown business and his family’s journey to St. Louis.

St. Louis is littered with ‘tangled titles.’ The term describes what happens when a person dies without leaving a will or estate plan to define the ownership of their home. St. Louis Magazine senior editor Nick Phillips investigated how tangled titles became common, how they affect Black neighborhoods, block the transfer of intergenerational wealth, and lead to vacancy.

St. Louis singer Neil Salsich gained national fame over the past several months as a participant on "The Voice." Salsich talks about his time on the NBC reality singing show and as a founding member of the St. Louis-based band, the Mighty Pines.

On average a total solar eclipse occurs once every 400 years in the same location on earth. In 2017 the St. Louis region was within the path of totality for the first time since 1869. This coming April millions of residents in eastern Missouri and southern Illinois will find themselves within a two-hour drive of another total solar eclipse. Author and eclipse chaser David Baron joins the show.

For five years, St. Louis’ Black Tulip Chorale has fused queer history, music and inclusivity. The group celebrates the milestone May 21 with a special show “Shining Through,” that pairs each song with a moment from LGBTQ history. Founding member Dr. Ken Haller explains the group’s origin story, and how its approach to a mixed voice “all-expression, all-gender, ​all-identity” chorus has attracted more than 40 singers to its ranks.

For more than a decade, groups of white St. Louis residents have used Shelly Tochluk's book, “Witnessing Whiteness,” to explore white racial identity and racism's role in individual and community life. We’ll hear from Witnessing Whiteness facilitator and St. Louisan Mary Ferguson; and talk with Tochluk about the place and purpose of her newest book, “Being White Today: A Roadmap to a Positive Antiracist Life.”

In a sudden announcement on Tuesday, Kim Gardner resigned from her elected position as St. Louis circuit attorney — effective immediately. Her resignation came two weeks before she’d initially planned to step down. STLPR reporter Rachel Lippmann explains what happened and what comes next.

A sudden dust storm caused low visibility conditions that led to 72 vehicles colliding on Interstate 55 in Illinois on May 1. Seven people died and 37 others were injured. We look into what happened, how common these types of storms are in the Midwest and what drivers can do to better their chances of survival in similar situations.

St. Louis native and yoga instructor Nico Marie McNeese knows all too well about the burden that can weigh down on one’s mental well-being. Social distancing measures meant she could no longer teach in person, so McNeese went to social media to reach her students. She later started a YouTube channel — Black Yogi Nico Marie — to make her yoga videos more accessible. In three years McNeese’s YouTube audience has grown to over 100,000 subscribers from around the world.

On Monday night, students at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in south St. Louis made their first public performance since a deadly school shooting last October. Many of the students said they worked through the trauma of the shooting with their art. STLPR’s senior education reporter Kate Grumke covered the event and discussed the highlights.

Missouri’s 2023 legislative session ended as infighting and contention derailed many of the priorities set by the Republican-controlled Senate and House. Two laws that did pass, targeting transgender people. STLPR statehouse and politics reporter Sarah Kellogg breaks down the biggest takeaways from the session. AJ Hackworth, a trans man and dad living in Springfield, MO, discusses the new laws’ effect on his healthcare, while a father in St. Louis County worries about what the laws mean for his 9-year-old trans son.

By studying an extinct, domesticated subspecies of the buckwheat family, Washington University researcher Natalie Mueller hopes to uncover wisdom from indigenous cultures about growing new crops that are resilient to extreme drought and flooding.

Earlier this month, Matt Vogel was in London for the coronation of King Charles III. In the royal box, Vogel also had a very special frog with him: Kermit the Frog. Vogel is the puppeteer behind Kermit, Big Bird, Count von Count and more. The Webster University alum is in town to deliver the 2023 commencement address and he talks about his remarkable career.

Washington University professor Carl Phillips won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry this week for his most recent book, “Then the War: And Selected Poems, 2007-2020.” The collection chronicles an era of American culture roiled by crises of politics, identity and the pandemic. We listen back to our 2022 conversation with him.

Soccer fans at St. Louis’s City SC CityPark have been treated to a remarkable concentration of local food excellence. The stadium features more than 20 local restaurants, and Sauce Magazine’s Meera Nagarajan says the result is no accident: Fans are enjoying a diverse selection of food that goes way beyond soggy nachos and peanuts — including farm-made ice cream from Bold Spoon Creamery.

While the practice of declawing cats is currently outlawed in the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County, the Missouri legislature is considering a proposal to nullify these ordinances to make the practice available statewide. Dr. Amanda Gruber of the St. Louis Cat Clinic discusses how declawing affects the health and wellbeing of cats — and why she has never performed the procedure.

Nearly half of all children in Missouri ages 5 and under live in child care deserts. And in places with child care centers, providers struggle to adequately staff their facilities. Families and providers report that the current system is not working — and that it often forces them into tough, life-altering decisions.

VineBrook Homes owns thousands of single-family rental properties, located in mostly Black and brown neighborhoods, throughout the Midwest. Over 2,400 of those houses are in the St. Louis region. Reporter Kavahn Mansouri discusses a Midwest Newsroom investigation of VineBrook that includes complaints of unresolved maintenance issues, unfounded evictions, aggressive rent collection tactics, poor customer service and more.

A new study that analyzed 156 cases of children in St. Louis injured by guns found that more than 70% of cases involved victims “shot outdoors by an unknown shooter, the motivation of which was unknown.” The study’s lead author Dr. Mary Beth Bernardin discusses why scientists need to better understand why and how children are shot. Dr. Lindsay Clukies, an emergency medicine physician at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, connects the study to what she sees while treating patients.

In the final week of the Missouri legislative session, lawmakers could pass a bill that would return control of the St. Louis Police Department to the state. The state controlled the police department for 152 years until, in 2013, the city regained control. Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas knows state control well. His city is the only in Missouri that’s under state control, and he shares what a state takeover would mean for St. Louis.

It was just last Thursday that St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner announced she will resign June 1. But that’s not good enough for Attorney General Andrew Bailey, who is seeking her immediate removal. STLPR politics correspondent Jason Rosenbaum discusses Bailey’s actions as well as the person who Gov. Mike Parson might choose to replace Gardner.

A star high school football player in St. Louis, Damion Baker’s life was cut short in an unsolved shooting in August 2022. Before his death, Damion had made plans to launch a nonprofit that would teach young people job skills. That dream is now a reality in the form of the D-Bake Foundation. The foundation’s founder, An'namarie Baker, discusses her son’s life, his mission, and how pre-apprenticeship classes can help people get on the path to a career.

Friction between the House and Senate has delayed some major policy priorities until the final days of the Missouri legislative session, including two anti-trans rights bills and a bill that would make it harder to amend the state constitution through the initiative petition process. STLPR reporter Sarah Kellogg shares how the last week of the session may shake out.

A federal investigation found that Missouri hospitals violated federal law by denying a woman an emergency abortion when her water broke at 17 weeks. Mylissa Farmer shares what happened when doctors refused to provide an abortion, even though she was told her life was in danger and that the fetus was no longer viable — when Missouri law superseded her need for emergency healthcare. Also, National Women’s Law Center attorney Michelle Banker discusses what comes next for Missouri hospitals in the wake of the investigation.

The St. Louis Cardinals are not having a good season: they reign supreme at the bottom of the NL standings. But the team made an announcement earlier this week that was a reminder of better times. Third baseman and St. Louis native David Freese will be inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame this summer. In this encore, St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Benjamin Hochman talks about the remarkable 2011 season when Freese was World Series MVP.

Sixty percent of North American songbirds, 40% of the continent’s waterfowl and many species of shorebirds will migrate through St. Louis in the next few weeks. Regional Audubon Conservation Science Manager Tara Hohman shares tips for bird-watching this spring, the threats facing many bird species traveling through the area and what people can do to help revitalize bird habitat in the region.

Facing a move by the Missouri attorney general to oust her, a contempt of court charge and increasing public and legislative pressure, Gardner announced Thursday that she will resign effective June 1. STLPR correspondent Jason Rosenbaum breaks down the story and what happens next.

Cinema St. Louis Artistic Director Chris Clark gives a preview of this year's QFest and reflects on the role of an LGBTQ film festival in Missouri at a time when trans rights are under attack in the state.

Missouri’s teacher shortage has been a problem for many years. Now, education advocates report that teachers are leaving the field at an unprecedented rate, while the rate of college graduates obtaining teachers’ certificates also plummets. Advocates discuss the state of Missouri’s teacher shortage and what needs to happen in order for more people, especially those of more diverse backgrounds, to consider the profession.

Three educators report facing anti-trans discrimination at Kirkwood School District. They say they are considering leaving Missouri in order to continue teaching. STLPR education reporter Kate Grumke joins with the details on this story.

Maplewood has agreed to pay a $3.25 million settlement to potentially thousands of people jailed and fined by its system of predatory court fees and police. We'll talk to ArchCity Defender attorney Nathaniel Carroll about the impact of the city's practices, why he calls it a “debtors’ prison,” and what this settlement means for the similar lawsuits the firm is leading against other municipalities in St. Louis County.

Historian John C. McManus’ latest book opens with Gen. Douglas MacArthur aboard the USS Boise plunging through the deep blue waters of the South China Sea in January 1945. The Missouri S&T professor’s book, “To the End of the Earth: The US Army and the Downfall of Japan, 1945,” completes his trilogy that focuses on the U.S. Army during the Pacific War.

Typically, bands and music groups make stars of the lead singer: the “front man” and spokesperson who gets all the eyes and attention. Most fans don't consider the team of people working behind the scenes to make the music radio-ready — especially those who produce, mix, and master the audio. Music producers are integral to the music-making process. In this encore episode, producer Miya Norfleet explores the Fresh Produce Champions Battle and sits down with emcees, judges, and participants of the competition.

The Jazz St. Louis Board of Directors is coming to the defense of its president and CEO, Victor Goines. A story in the Riverfront Times last week detailed issues that some Jazz St. Louis staff and supporters have had with the organization’s new leader including alleged bullying. Public scrutiny of Goines’ leadership started after St. Louis artist Cbabi Bayoc posted on Instagram an account of how Goines’ passed on his T-shirt design that was to be used as part of a Young Friends board fundraiser.

A judge has begun the process to hold St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner and her deputy, Chris Desilets, in "indirect criminal contempt” because he missed a trial and a hearing this week related to an armed robbery case. Attorneys Sarah Swatosh, Bill Freivogel and Arindam Kar discuss that case and other legal issues.

Living in St. Louis means having some knowledge of the city’s remarkable claims to fame. Gateway Arch National Park, St. Louis’ signature accent, the infamous, vertically sliced St. Louis bagel and being the site of the 1904 World’s Fair. The Missouri History Museum looks to tell the complete history of the fair by revamping their exhibit on the fair to prominently feature perspectives and interpretations of people of color at the turn of the century.

Founded in 2012, STL Youth Jobs seeks to prepare a new generation of workers with soft-skills, like how to perform well in a job interview, and hard skills, like knowing safety regulations of specific industries. Since the first group of “job seekers,” the organization has gone from finding employment for 200 area youth in 2013 — to 800 in 2019.

St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones delivered her second annual State of the City address on Tuesday night. In this one-on-one conversation with Mayor Jones, she outlines her priorities that include addressing public safety and spending American Rescue Plan Act funds. She’s also not backing down on her criticism of Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner.

Missouri is on the brink of becoming the first state to implement sweeping restrictions on gender-affirming care for adults. Trans people and providers are raising alarm over new rules issued by Attorney General Andrew Bailey. The rules require trans people prove their gender identity is not being influenced by other people or by a “social contagion" — which trans people say is an impossible standard. We talk with two trans people who say they are terrified by the new rules, as well as Planned Parenthood's Dr. Colleen McNicholas.

Not only have public restrooms never been truly public, they’ve disappeared from America’s major metro areas, says historian Bryant Simon. We explore the rise and fall of America’s public restroom campaign and meet the woman behind the “Bathrooms In St. Louis” Instagram page.

In 50 years, hip-hop has become one of the most popular music genres in the world. In its early days, the recipe for a hip-hop duo or group was simple: two turntables for the disc jockey and a microphone for the emcee. Darian Wigfall, who DJs under the moniker DJ Whiz, shares the fundamentals of DJing — and why he feels vinyl is the best way to get into the craft.

A protest on Monday in front of a nondescript office building just across the street from CityPark in St. Louis highlighted what a group of local asylum seekers says is mistreatment by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement contractor. Two asylum seekers share their experiences and we hear from the co-founder of Migrantes Unidos, a mutual support group for immigrants who have been forced to wear ankle monitors.

Marian O'Shea Wernicke’s new novel "Out of Ireland" tells the story of a brother-sister pair who emigrate from Ireland to America in the late 1860s. The St. Louis native discusses the book’s real world inspirations, including the work of St. Louis’ notorious Irish gangs and her great-grandmother’s experiences.

This week, a Missouri Senate committee restored all $4.5 million in funding for the state’s 160 local public libraries. But the battle over Missouri’s libraries is about more than money. It’s about books, censorship, parents and students. Joe Kohlburn, of the Missouri Library Association, discusses the state of Missouri’s public libraries, and why many librarians are fearful for the future of their institutions.

Missouri legislators are considering a number of issues: expanding I-70, foreign ownership of farmland, anti-trans legislation, sports better, state control of St. Louis’ police department and more. STLPR statehouse reporter Sarah Kellogg discusses what’s happening in Jefferson City three weeks before the legislature’s May 12 adjournment.

The origins of 420 Day are hazy. The number has been linked to rumored police radio codes that supposedly indicate whether there is marijuana on a suspect and it’s also a reference to a popular after school meeting time to smoke, popularized by a group of Californian teens in the 1970s. Either way, 420 Day is becoming a larger holiday as more U.S. states legalize the substance for recreational use. Several St. Louisans told St. Louis on the Air it is high time for Missouri to celebrate legalized recreational cannabis — and that there is still work to be done.

Last Thursday, Ralph Yarl, a 16-year-old Black teen in Kansas City, went to the wrong house to pick up his younger twin brothers. Andrew Lester, the 84-year-old white man who resides at that wrong address, shot Yarl – twice. STLPR political correspondent Jason Rosenbaum discusses the racial dynamics at play and we hear his conversation with SLU Law Professor Anders Walker.

Charles the great horned owl lost both his mate and their eggs in December. It was tough news for Mark H. X. Glenshaw, the naturalist who has documented Charles’ life for 17 years. However, things are now looking up for Charles. Glenshaw shares the details in a special “owl prowl” edition of the show.

As Ramadan nears its end and Eid draws closer, a co-founder of the sustainability committee at the Daar Ul-Islam mosque talks about how sustainability practices in Islam are especially important during Ramadan.

Spring is here and gardeners are ready to get back to their yards, porches and balconies to bring life back to their dwellings. Many are hesitant to get started because of the unpredictable weather and a steadily changing climate. But the Kemper Center of Home Gardening at Missouri Botanical Garden is here to help.

For 25 years, musicians of all levels have gathered for the annual St. Louis Tionól — not just to perform traditional Irish music, but to bask in the companionship of fellow performers and attendees. As festival co-founder Mike Mullins puts it, “The heart of Irish music is a social event.”

There’s a new parent at the World Bird Sanctuary. His name is Murphy. He’s a bald eagle. In March, he began to attract attention when he was spotted incubating a rock in his enclosure. Murphy’s fixation on fatherhood went viral, but his story didn’t end there. Last week, the sanctuary introduced Murphy to an orphaned baby eaglet. World Bird Sanctuary executive director Roger Holloway discusses the incredible story of Murphy, the bird’s unusual journey into parenthood, and what comes next for the now internet-famous pair.

Did pandemic policies that reduced jail populations lead to an increase in violent crime? Two new reports say “no.” Criminologist and professor Beth Huebner and the Freedom Community Center’s Mike Milton discuss the data, and provide an update on how local courts are returning to their pre-pandemic policies — and throwing more people in jail before trial.

First impressions can tell you a lot about a person. The first few words out of a person’s mouth can give you an idea of where somewhere has come from and where they’ve been. Comedian Tru Wag, born Brandon Wagner, is so proud to be from St. Louis that he began making skits and “accent challenges” celebrating his accent on Tik Tok and Instagram, where he has amassed a combined 208,000 followers.

Looking for a new comic book to read? The Wizard’s Wagon has you covered. Owner and comic manager Jon “Fleet” Norfleet knows every book on the shelves cover-to-cover. He thumbs through up to 70 releases every week, with titles ranging from popular comic book properties to new series from Eisner Award-winning comic book writers and artists.

English writer Neil Gaiman has a lot of credits and awards to his name. They include the Newbery and Carnegie Medals for the young adult novel “The Graveyard Book.” He’s also written “Coraline,” “Neverwhere,” “The Ocean at the End of the Lane,” “American Gods,” “Stardust,” and “The Sandman." Gaiman adds to his list of accolades the 2023 St. Louis Literary Award and joins the show ahead of the ceremony.

Abraham Josephine Riesman, the author of “Ringmaster: Vince McMahon and the Unmaking of America,” recounts how the WWE went through an aggressive expansion in the 1980s, including in St. Louis.

Wildlife “baby season” is underway! Though they may look small and helpless, most baby animals should be left alone — even if they look lost. Wildlife Rescue Center executive director Kim Rutledge discusses how to avoid causing an “accidental abduction” of a baby animal.

This year's festival will feature more than 50 local, regional and national acts. Chris Hansen, executive director of the Kranzberg Arts Foundation, discusses the lineup and the festival's special tribute to the 50th anniversary of hip-hop.

North Indian Hindustani violinist Rupam Ghosh connects with local musicians on a spiritual level as much as a musical one. He discusses his tour through the U.S. sharing North Indian classical music with schools, universities, and nightclubs.

Construction at the Benton Park Tiny House slowed down at the end of 2022. Other than hosting a couple workshops and having their trailer stolen, things have been quiet on the 7,000 square foot lot. Now that St. Louis has shaken off the last of its winter frost, Rikki Watts and Dwayne Tiggs are ready to roll up their sleeves and get to work.

In the St. Louis area 70% of children in foster care identify as Black but only 13% of foster parents identify the same. While interracial foster and adoptive homes can be healthy and safe, providing a racially competent household increases positive outcomes for children. Foster and Adoptive Care Coalition is bringing back a program that hopes to recruit more Black families.

Olivette native and soccer standout Becky Sauerbrunn has been a fixture on the U.S. Women’s National Team for more than a dozen years. She’s been part of two World Cup-winning teams and has earned two Olympic medals. STLPR’s Jeremy D. Goodwin talked with Sauerbrunn about equal pay, trans rights and an MLS team coming to St. Louis. The USWNT plays the Republic of Ireland in an international friendly at CityPark Tuesday night.

At 17, midfielder Miguel Perez is St. Louis City SC’s youngest player. He made his Major League Soccer debut earlier this year and for the Under-19 United States Men’s National team, he scored a goal for his country — all while still enrolled at Pattonville High School. Washington University freshman Julian Trejo discusses his reporting on Perez and details his own experience of playing soccer at a championship level, growing up in Arkansas and coming to St. Louis.

STL Santos offers more to local soccer fans than mere soccer game camaraderie. They operate predominantly in Spanish, raise money for local Hispanic and Latino focused non-profits and unite different cultures across St. Louis. Find a Spanish language version of this article at stlpr.org/espanol

St. Louis University researchers urge citizen scientists to track mosquito populations this summer via the Mosquito Alert app to help them better understand where mosquito hotbeds are in St. Louis.

SLU Professor Ness Sandoval breaks down census data on "St. Louis on the Air."

St. Louis Public Radio correspondents Jason Rosenbaum and Rachel Lippmann discuss the results of yesterday's municipal elections, where most St. Louis-area voters backed proposals to apply a local sales tax to recreational marijuana. St. Louis voters also elected a new 14-member Board of Aldermen.

This year’s Teen Talent Competition features the Drum Warriors Ensemble, a group of four young Black men from different St. Louis high schools who perform traditional African rhythms. They share how traditional African drumming and dance connects them with their heritage.

Roll up your sleeves and tie your apron — it’s time to get to cooking. The International Institute of St. Louis and Global Foods Group have put out a region-wide call-to-action for residents and restaurants to submit their favorite dishes that use internationally-sourced ingredients. Professional chefs, hobbyists and amateurs are all welcome to share their top picks.

You would be hard pressed to talk about sports history without mentioning St. Louis — and that goes for soccer, too. St. Louis’ first Major League Soccer team is off to a record breaking first season, but City SC is far from the first notch in the region’s soccer timeline. Sam Moore, managing director of public history for the Missouri Historical Society, says St. Louis is justified to claim the title of first soccer capital in the U.S.

What is gender affirming care? As officials and lawmakers seek to restrict it in Missouri, often lost is an explanation of what it entails. STLPR health reporter Sarah Fentem discusses her latest reporting on the facts behind gender affirming care. Susan Halla and her 22-year-old son Joey Borrelli share their experience obtaining gender affirming care at Washington University’s gender clinic — and react to accusations against the clinic by former case manager Jaime Reed.

Sauce Magazine staff writer Iain Shaw dishes on the top new St. Louis restaurants to check out this month, including Bagel Union, the Vandy, Fleur STL and Lola Jean’s Pizza.

Ricky Hughes founded St. Louis Run Crew with inclusion in mind — specifically to introduce Black and brown people to running and to create a space where they can be comfortable. While most running clubs are inherently inclusive, Hughes would often find himself the only person of color in local running groups. He says the crew — which meets in Kiener Plaza Park — is “open to all faces, paces and laces.”

In 2014, Danny Wicentowski became obsessed with writing about an escape room — and became trapped in a way he never predicted. Wicentowski performed his story at St. Louis Public Radio as part of the Story Collider show “Variables” on February 13, 2023.

What’s next for St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner? Has attorney Al Watkins played himself into a lawsuit? What happens to Missouri’s gun laws now that a federal judge has ruled the state’s Second Amendment Preservation Act is unconstitutional? The Legal Roundtable tackles those cases, and more, with attorneys Eric Banks, Nicole Gorovsky and Mary Anne Sedey.

The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra is on its first international tour since 2017 — and the first under Music Director Stéphane Denève’s direction. Denève shares highlights from the tour, what it’s like to perform in different venues (“every hall is like a different instrument”) and what it means to represent the Gateway City abroad.

St. Louis' skate style is known across the country: it’s smooth. There are even several moves that are uniquely St. Louis. Skating is also particularly popular for many Black St. Louisans where skating happens at places such as Coachlite Skate Center in Bridgeton and Skate King in Pine Lawn. Longtime skater Xavier Alexander explains what makes St. Louis skate style special.

The Cardinals open the 2023 baseball season Thursday afternoon at Busch Stadium against the Toronto Blue Jays. St. Louis is hoping to bounce back after a disappointing first-round exit from the playoffs last season. STLPR's Wayne Pratt talks with Cardinals beat writer Rob Rains of STLSportsPage.com.

An estimated 6.7 million people in the U.S. have Alzheimer's disease, and over 11 million provide them with unpaid care. We explore what it means to live with Alzheimer's, to care for those who have it, and the need for early diagnosis.

Disney animations have been a part of the peoples’ childhoods for generations. Fairy tales, adventure and fictional princesses are brought to life by a team of artists and animators — and that also includes University City native Marlon West. West discusses his work on “Moana,” “Encanto,” and “The Princess and the Frog," and shares details on his latest project.

In Illinois, it’s considered neglect for parents to leave kids under the age of 14 alone. Its law is the strictest in the nation. A child psychology professor and a sociologist share how such laws are typically implemented, who they affect the most, and whether 14 years old is a fair age limit for being left alone.

Earlier this month, the failure of Silicon Valley Bank marked the second-largest bank failure in United States history. But amid worry over the risk of a larger banking crisis, smaller financial institutions, like the St. Louis Community Credit Union, are setting their sights on solving longstanding challenges in the industry. CEO Kirk Mills and VP Alex Fennoy explain.

More than $20 million in American Rescue Plan funds are being offered to St. Louis nonprofits through the city’s Community Development Administration. Executive Director Nahuel Fefer shares who is eligible for the money, the types of community-led projects they are looking to fund, and how they are aiming for a bottom-up approach to city development with the grants.

St. Louis County voters get a chance to decide on April 4 whether to impose a 3% sales tax on recreational marijuana purchases. Similar proposals are popping up across Missouri and not everyone agrees with the so-called “stacking” of taxes. STLPR politics correspondent Jason Rosenbaum explains.

Kristen Slaughter and Kiara Brown have an unconventional friendship. They’re 22 years apart in age and their relationship was only supposed to last one year. Matched through a Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri mentorship program, the two have now been friends for 20 years. Slaughter was recently named CEO of the nonprofit organization, and Brown now has her own career and is the mother of two children.

On June 30, 1914, St. Louis residents voted to adopt a city charter. It’s a sprawling document, a blueprint for the city's civic machinery. Now, 109 years later, city voters will decide on April 4 whether to approve Proposition C, which would create a new system for updating the charter every ten years. Discussing the issue are St. Louis Alderwoman Annie Rice and civic engagement advocate Wally Siewert.

Trans kids and their families are being targeted by dozens of proposed bills in the Missouri legislature. But deciding how, when, and why to transition is actually a conversation parents and kids have been having for years — without lawmakers. Three sets of parents, as well as their children, each trans boys between the ages of 9 and 11, discuss what it’s like to grow up trans in Missouri, from how they chose their own names, to their thoughts on why so many adults in the state legislature don’t accept them the way they are.

Healthy trees not only beautify neighborhoods, they promote better health outcomes for residents. Leaders from Forest ReLeaf and Scott Joplin House discuss a partnership to support new tree growth in the city — particularly in its underserved communities.

As Missouri and other state legislatures pursue bans on drag shows, a new group in St. Louis, It’s All Drag, is pushing back. Jordan Elizabeth Braxton and Prism co-owner Michael Klataske, both fixtures of St. Louis’ drag scene, discuss the meaning behind drag, its impact and why it’s now come under attack.

Seventy-seven years ago, former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill visited Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, and delivered his famous “Iron Curtain” speech. In the 1960’s, college leaders sought to commemorate Churchill’s visit so they devised a plan to rebuild a church in Fulton that had been destroyed twice in London: once by a fire in the 1600s and then again during World War II. Dedicated in Fulton in 1969, St. Mary the Virgin, Aldermanbury is now undergoing a $6 million renovation. Tim Riley, director and chief curator at America’s National Churchill Museum, talks about Churchill’s connection to Missouri, the restoration of the church and about the parallels to Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine.

Mary Oscko and her family were blindsided by her stage 4 cancer diagnosis in December 2013. She had just finished her nursing degree and was set to walk the stage that same month. Instead of taking up nursing, she began advocating for victims of radioactive waste exposure that resulted from the Manhattan Project. Mary passed away February 20, 2023.

Rolla, Missouri, boasts one of the biggest St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in the Midwest. STLPR correspondent Jonathan Ahl and Missouri S&T historian Larry Gragg dig into Rolla St. Patrick’s Day history and the unique traditions that still continue today.

A majority of school nurses in Missouri know students who have trouble affording period products — and who sometimes miss school because of their period. That’s according to a new survey published around the time Missouri school districts began offering free menstrual care through the new “Feminine Hygiene Products Grant.” Survey author Anne Sebert Kuhlmann and Jennings Senior High School Principal Cryslynn Billingsley discuss how they hope the grant will help students in St. Louis.

While St. Louis doesn’t have as many first-generation Irish immigrants as it used to, there are still strong cultural ties in the city. Eimear Arkins, a St. Louis transplant from County Clare, Ireland, is working to strengthen those ties. On this St. Patrick’s Day, she shares her thoughts on local holiday customs and how Americans can engage with Irish culture in meaningful ways.

Opera Theatre of St. Louis will present three short operas, all by artists of color who’ve worked largely outside the opera world. The works address the roots of Black, queer ballroom culture, three important inventors who were Black women, and the Supreme Court battle over a rock band’s attempt to reappropriate a racial slur. Mezzo soprano Olivia Johnson and tenor Matthew Pearce talk with us, as does the director of all three plays, Ramoon Rajendra Maharaj.

On Monday, Missouri lawmakers return from their Spring Break. For Missouri’s Republicans, the agenda they’re returning to is squarely focused on restricting the rights of transgender people. Among the bills being debated are those that would prohibit trans girls from playing girls sports and ban gender-affirming health care for minors. Jason Rosenbaum, St. Louis Public Radio political correspondent analyzes the GOP focus on trans issues, and previews what could happen when lawmakers convene next week.

Hospitals that serve predominantly rural areas have long struggled to find ways to have the resources of big-city health care systems without going as far as merging and losing local control. Phelps Health in Rolla is joining a collaborative run by St. Louis-based BJC HealthCare to thread that needle. STLPR’s Jonathan Ahl explains how the partnership will work.

When it comes to St. Louis-made beers, there’s a special place in Iain Shaw’s heart for Civil Life’s American Brown Ale. A staff writer for Sauce Magazine, his new essay “An Ode to Civil Life’s American Brown Ale” sings the praises of the popular local ale. Shaw discusses his long-standing fascination with the ale and its status as Civil Life’s flagship drink, and Dylan Mosely, head brewer at Civil Life, reflects on the ale’s creation and his reputation as a “malt whisperer.”

Students Bryanna Love and April Shepard reflect on healing in the wake of a deadly shooting at their high school. They now advocate for gun control measures that they believe will prevent future tragedies.

March 14 is popularly known as ‘Pi Day.’ But in true St. Louis fashion, we do things a little differently. Here we call it 314 Day. It’s a day of civic pride that is shared throughout multiple communities in the region. Ohun Ashe, who founded For the Culture STL to celebrate Black-owned businesses in St. Louis, and Staci Static, a radio veteran, community engagement consultant and host of ‘The Static Podcast,’ sit down with Elaine Cha to talk all things 314.

St. Louis has an array of award-winning restaurants and a niche foodie scene, but lacks a selection of late-night dining. Nathan Wright and Jason Bockman of Up Late are here to fill that void — and the stomachs of St. Louisans.

St. Louis saw its sixth warmest February on record this year and dangerous weather patterns happening more frequently. The region is no stranger to strange weather, but doesn’t it feel particularly stranger than usual? Meteorologist Matt Beitscher with the National Weather Service - St. Louis breaks down the data and shares how we can all become weather-aware.

In May 2022 the City of St. Louis halted its plan to clear a homeless encampment near Lacledge's Landing. But, last week, eviction notices appeared once again at the encampment. On Friday, March 10, city workers and bulldozers cleared the site. St. Louis Public Radio’s Britny Cordera reports from the scene of the encampment, and discusses what comes next for its former residents.

Highly politicized issues have dominated local school board races the last few years. Education advocates encourage parents and community members to engage with school boards in an effort to keep the focus on what’s best for students, rather than on the priorities of a select few.

St. Louis based cartoonist Steenz Stewart took over drawing Mark Tatulli’s “Heart of the City” in 2020. Now, the comic has replaced “Dilbert” in the Washington Post after its creator Scott Adams made racist remarks on his YouTube channel.

Many urban farms are started to address food insecurity or provide organic options to communities with few options for obtaining fresh produce. For St. Louisan Leah Lee, urban gardening and farming is an act of service. She founded Growing Food Growing People with a goal to teach people, Black women specifically, how to tend to crops to feed themselves and their family.

Teri Clemens won seven national championships as Washington University’s volleyball coach. She is now making a name for herself, as both a player and coach, on the pickleball court. Clemens discusses her heartbreaking decision to leave volleyball coaching in 1998, her years spent recovering from multiple serious health conditions, and how pickleball has become not just her competitive obsession, but a platform for her return to coaching.

Suzanne Galvin spends most of her time working as an attorney at Thompson Corbin LLP in St. Louis where she’s a partner along with her husband, John Galvin. The Galvins make a habit of traveling to sites of destruction caused by natural or manmade disasters to provide crisis counseling to victims of trauma. Most recently Suzanne and her husband traveled to Poland and Ukraine to serve as crisis counselors and trainers at the Ukrainian Baptist Theological Seminary.

Judy Heumann was a quadriplegic who, throughout her life, was instrumental in the progress of disability rights issues. She died at age 75 this past weekend. We honor her legacy by re-visiting her conversation with Sarah Fenske in 2020. They discuss the documentary film “Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution” in which Judy was featured. Colleen Starkloff, co-founder of the Starkloff Disability Institute, also joined the conversation.

Lately, it seems, sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll has been suffering an identity crisis. St Louis musicians Daemon Murray and John Covelli discuss their success in the music industry after their personal triumphs over substance abuse.

It was a dream-come-true weekend for St. Louis soccer fans. St. Louis City SC opened CityPark with a 3-1 victory over Charlotte FC on Saturday. This segment features an audio postcard that delivers the sounds and excitement of the weekend, and a conversation with STLPR’s Jeremy D. Goodwin and Wayne Pratt.

Celebrating Black businesses does not have to be reserved just for Black History Month. Ohun Ashe is behind the online directory For The Culture STL and her video series ‘28 Days of Black-owned St. Louis’ shows the diversity of location and industry of local Black-owned businesses.

Under threat of possible prosecution, Missouri school districts have pulled hundreds of books from their shelves since last summer. Now the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri is challenging a new state law that bans what some deem “explicit sexual material” in school libraries and classrooms. Clayton school librarian Tom Bober discusses the legal danger facing librarians and teachers and why his district removed books like “The Handmaid’s Tale.” Gillian Wilcox, deputy director for Litigation at the ACLU of Missouri, talks about the group’s lawsuit and why they argue this law is unconstitutional.

Traffic violence has grabbed headlines the last few weeks. The violence has claimed four young lives, taken a teen’s legs, and injured four people. Scott Ogilvie, the City of St. Louis’ Complete Streets program manager, discusses a new law that allocates millions of COVID relief dollars toward street and pedestrian safety improvements. And NextSTL Editor Richard Bose talks about what has led to such a high rate of pedestrian deaths and what needs to be done to make the region’s streets safer.

Local nonprofit We Stories focused on anti-bias education aimed toward young white children and families for the past seven years. They are closing their doors and shutting down their website, which includes all of their educational resources, in June 2023. We Stories executive director Maggie Klonsky and board member Pam Washington agree that while anti-racist work is still necessary, now is the time for We Stories to come to an end.

Isaiah Maxi has been hiking all over Missouri’s state parks — and he's not doing it alone. He documents his journeys on his Facebook group, “The Journey to 100 Hiking Friends,” charting his connections across the state. Maxi discusses his experience hiking across the state while forging connections along the way — and shares his picks for favorite hiking parks in the St. Louis region.

In the 1997 alternative history novel "The Misconceiver,” the year is 2026, and the United States has almost wholly prohibited abortion rights. Yet the book’s St. Louis-born author, Lucy Ferriss, never got to see the novel make its mark. Now, 25 years, Ferriss is watching “The Misconceiver” get new life in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning of abortion rights. Ferriss discusses the book’s chillingly accurate predictions and what might come next.

The Legal Roundtable discusses the latest controversy surrounding St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, who is facing calls to resign after a car crash left a 17-year-old seriously injured. The driver who caused the crash, Daniel Riley, was out on bond for a felony charge of stealing a gun, but had violated the terms release more than 50 times. Attorneys Javad Khazaeli, Brenda Talent, Connie McFarland-Butler discuss the case and Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s aim to remove Gardner from office.

Missouri is one of just two states without a law banning distracted driving for all motorists. Although dozens of states have expanded their bans, Missouri’s law only applies to drivers under 21. Reporter Eric Berger, shares his insights into the different ways these laws have been implemented across the country. He’s joined by former Missouri Republican state representative Jeff Porter, who unsuccessfully sponsored legislation three times to limit hand-held cellphone use.

Amid the torrent of news this week, the biggest story was the ongoing controversy embroiling St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner that stems from a St. Louis man causing a crash that seriously injured a 17-year-old girl who was visiting from out of town. Missouri’s Attorney General is attempting to use a legal procedure to remove her from office and St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones says Gardner has lost the trust of the people. Gardner says she’s not fully to blame and that calls for her to step down are political stunts that undermine the will of the people. STLPR reporter Rachel Lippmann discusses this story.

The newly formed Chinese American Collecting Initiative highlights the long lost stories of Chinese American immigrants living in St. Louis from the mid 19th century onward. St. Louis architect and community leader Peter Tao, who serves as chair of the initiative, and Janet Leong, of the well-known Leong family that owned Asia Cafe, talk about why these stories are relevant.

Despite the fact that nearly 83% of the population does not have perfect hearing, most of our spaces are designed to cater, auditorily, to a select few. That’s a problem, according to researchers in the growing field of aural diversity. Producer Avery Rogers takes us through the various ways we perceive sound and how understanding these differences can help us better approach hearing accessibility. Correction: Professor Andrew Hugill works at the University of Leicester.

St. Louis K-12 students change schools midyear at an alarming rate — 38%. The cause of so-called “student mobility” is often unanticipated and, in many instances, it results in low attendance and poor test scores. Those are the findings of a new report from the St. Louis School Research-Practice Collaborative. A researcher and a fifth grade teacher discuss.

At 10 years old, Sidney Keys III founded Books N Bros, a book club and subscription service for young Black boys. Since then he has been honored and recognized by CNN and Marvel. Now 17 years old, Keys can add “published author” to his list of many accomplishments.

Hundreds of illegally transported Antilles pinktoe tarantulas were intercepted by the federal government before they could enter the pet trade, and now, 98 of them reside at the Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House in Chesterfield. Missouri Botanical Garden entomologists share what it’s like to care for these endangered spiders, how they are a vital part of the ecosystem in their home country and why it’s important to avoid support of the black market for exotic insects.

The City of Pagedale struggled with underdevelopment and underinvestment for decades which led to higher crime rates and poor health outcomes. In 2010 the North County municipality welcomed its first grocery store in over forty years, Save-A-Lot, after years of working with city and community leaders as well as Beyond Housing. In the 11 years after Save-A-Lot opened, Pagedale saw a dip in crime and an uptick in property values. So when the discount grocery chain closed, it was a cause of worry that the progress made would be lost. Soon locally owned Fields Foods will move in and Beyond Housing’s CEO Chris Krehmeyer hopes to make the transition smooth for business and the people of Pagedale.

Missouri Botanical Garden’s Conservation Scientist Matthew Albrecht and Herbarium Director Jordan Teisher are hoping to bring extinct plants back from the dead. The two scientists are part of a global “de-extinction” project with sixty other herbaria that will result in attempting to germinate seeds of extinct plant species, some of which have not been seen alive in the wild for over a century. Producer Miya Norfleet talked with Albrecht and Teisher about the project and what it means for conservation efforts in the future.

Washington University researcher Calvin Lai discusses his latest study showing that the daylong implicit bias-oriented training programs commonly used by most police departments are unlikely to reduce racial inequity in policing.

Adina Talve-Goodman lived a life on the edge of death. Born with a congenital heart condition, St. Louis-born author underwent a heart transplant at 19. Yet, tragically, more than a decade later, she was diagnosed with cancer. She died in 2018, at the age of 31. She left behind a trove of published and unpublished essays, drafts and other writings. That material now comprises the new collection, “Your Heart, Your Scars,” which was published last month by Bellevue Literary Press. Sarika Talve-Goodman and Hannah Tinti remember the life and work of Adina Talve-Goodman, and share how they compiled the new essay collection.

Simone Faure, owner/chef of La Pâtisserie Chouquette, talks about baking the traditional New Orleans Mardi Gras king cake. The bakery opened in St. Louis in 2013 and was recently named a semifinalist in the annual James Beard Awards for outstanding bakery.

New Music Circle has evolved in tandem with boundary-pushing musical movements since 1959. Board members Alex Cunningham and Josh Levi discuss the upcoming New Music Circle concert and how the artists demonstrate the technological potential of experimental music.

Lamar Johnson gained freedom this week after spending 28 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Among the attorneys who worked to secure Johnson’s release was Lindsay Runnels, who represented Johnson since 2015. Johnson called Runnels a sister, a friend and “God’s best angel.” Runnels reflects on the journey that led to Johnson’s release and describes what it was like to experience it in the courtroom.

Damon Davis’ latest — and largest — work of art, “Pillars of the Valley,” took five years to go from concept to installation. For author Vivian Gibson, the formal recognition of her beloved childhood neighborhood Mill Creek Valley is worthy of celebration. Gibson brought new attention to the neighborhood's history with her 2020 book, “The Last Children of Mill Creek." The two reflect on the years of work that brought them to this moment — and the work left to do.

Afghans in St. Louis are welcoming newly arrived Afghan refugees with more support thanks to the new Afghan Community Center. The center also houses a new Afghan Chamber of Commerce, which will provide a number of educational services and mental health programs. Moji Sidiqi, Afghan Community Development Program Manager at the International Institute of St. Louis, and business owner Gul Totakhil discuss what community support means in action — and how they will continue to embrace fellow refugees who have escaped from Afghanistan.

Roz Lewy and Ralph Insinger discuss their book, "Beyond Beyond: A Chance Encounter, an Online Courtship and the Language of Love," which details how the couple fell in love late in life via the exchange of hundreds of emails.

Filmmaker Daniel Lawrence Wilson thinks that St. Louis can — and should — be the industry’s next premier filming location. Wilson, now living and working in Los Angeles, returned to St. Louis to film his directorial debut, “A Brush of Violence.” The film is the first to be sponsored by the nonprofit St. Louis Filmworks, and features many recognizable locations in St. Louis including Webster University, the Pulitzer Arts Foundation, Laumeier Sculpture Park, and the Magnolia Hotel. Wilson joined St. Louis on the Air to discuss how the city would benefit should it become a popular filming location.

We listen back to this conversation from April 2021 with Dan Martin about his daily doodling of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Weatherbird. Martin will retire from the position after 37 years at the paper.

Critically endangered elephants in the Congo Basin play a key role in creating forests, which in turn, store carbon and maintain the biodiversity of African rainforests. If the species becomes extinct, the second largest rainforest on earth would lose between six and nine percent of their ability to capture atmospheric carbon — that’s according to researcher Stephen Blake, an associate professor of biology at St. Louis University.

St. Louis Zoo and Brookfield Zoo in Chicago recently swapped two western lowland gorillas in an effort to help the survival of the critically endangered species. St. Louis zoological manager Helen Boostrom talks about how the recent gorilla swap plays into the goal of creating genetically healthy populations of the critically endangered species.

The Ferguson Uprising ushered in a new wave of young leaders looking to create systemic change in policing, education, and race relations. In the nine years since the killing of Michael Brown by now-ex-Ferguson officer Darren Wilson, several organizations have taken shape to address those very issues. David Dwight IV invested time and energy in one such organization — Forward Through Ferguson. Dwight plans to step down at the end of March, and he reflects on his years of activism, and shares his critiques of St. Louis’ tendency to shut out, and shut down, young leaders.

For centuries history has primarily been told from the perspective of white men. What was traditionally considered a “reliable source” has not included the voices of Black people and other people of color. Over the last decade tables have started to turn, and more historians are recognizing there is a lot of work to be done in addressing the interpretation of Black history. Cicely Hunter of the African American History Initiative at the Missouri Historical Society, Pam Sanfilippio of Gateway Arch National Park’s museum services, and Vivian Gibson, author of “The Last Children of Mill Creek” discuss the difficulties faced when attempting to provide inclusive interpretation of American history that spotlights the unique experiences of Black Americans.

German immigrants helped shape Missouri’s culture in myriad ways, as detailed in the book “Explore Missouri's German Heritage” and the documentary it inspired. Author W. Arthur Mehrhoff details the people, places and ideas that influenced the Show-Me State’s cultural heritage.

In 1955, a sign was erected in Clayton, Missouri. It recounted the history of the founding of St. Louis County. According to the sign, that history began when the county was “first visited by white colonists” in the early 1700s. Then, in November 2022, the sign was quietly removed — but Geoff Ward, a professor of African and African-American studies at Washington University, says the removal was a missed opportunity to publicly confront white supremacy.

A Missouri Botanical Garden exhibition that examines the relationship between sound and plants will close at the end of March. Nezka Pfeifer, the curator of “Botanical Resonance: Plants and Sounds in the Garden,” discusses how the exhibition reveals important things about how we interact with our environment.

Illinois’ state museum system holds more than 7,000 burial remains taken from Native American mounds and other sites. Yet, despite a 1990 federal law that required museums start returning remains, Illinois did “close to nothing” for more than 20 years. That finding is among the takeaways from ProPublica reporter Logan Jaffe’s latest investigation. She discusses her findings on the Illinois State Museum system, its decades-long refusal to return thousands of burial remains to tribal groups, and also signs that this pattern may be changing for the better.

Immigration stories told in the United States often center around people and families planting roots in the U.S. “This Is Not My Home” tells a different immigration story — that of someone emigrating from the U.S. — from a point of view that is often ignored, a child’s perspective. Author and illustrator duo Eugenia Yoh and Vivienne Chang share the inspiration behind the main character, Lily, and how their friends’ experiences moving from the U.S. to Taiwan inspired them to write a children’s book.

St. Louis’ best theater performances and productions of the year are being honored once again. St. Louis Theater Circle announced its award nominations Monday, covering approximately 90 shows from 2022. Calvin Wilson, theater critic for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and Lynn Venhaus, writer and reviewer for PopLifeStL.com, discuss the nominations, and their observations on the state of St. Louis theater amidst its recovery from pandemic interruptions. Among the biggest nomination-getters of 2022 were the productions of “In the Heights,” from STAGES St. Louis, St. Louis Shakespeare Festival’s “Much Ado About Nothing” and “Brontë Sister House Party” from SATE.

Missouri greenlit several dispensaries to sell recreational cannabis last Friday. St. Louis Public Radio’s Metro East reporter Will Bauer shares what he heard from customers on that first day of recreational sales, the tax breakdown on both sides of the Mississippi River, and how Missouri and Illinois may be competing for consumers.

On January 20, Bob Kramer’s Marrionnettes went up in flames. The fire claimed the 125-seat theater, a workshop, gift shop and residence and, most significantly, Bob Kramer’s life. Firefighters rescued his longtime partner, Dug Feltch, who spent four days in the hospital unconscious. Dug Feltch joins the show to remember his partner and to listen back to an excerpt of a 2015 conversation with Kramer.

Kate Grumke updates St. Louis on the Air about the newly appointed superintendent for St. Louis Public Schools: Keisha Scarlett from Seattle.

Felia Davenport’s new exhibition “Torn Mixology” addresses how motherhood changed her perspective on racism and generational trauma as a person of mixed-race. The exhibition tells her personal story through detailed hand-stitched clothing on life-sized mannequins.

Metro Theater Company’s latest production, “Spells of the Sea,” tells the story of a 15-year-old fisherwoman and a grumpy lighthouse keeper who encounter mermaids, monsters and pirates in their quest to find the elixir of life. Metro Theater Company Artistic Director Julia Flood and cast member and choreographer Tyler White preview the musical and its use of scent design.

Workplaces across many industries struggle to attract employees of color.. One solution is the practice of “cluster hiring,” in which companies hire groups of individuals with similar identities. In the documentary film “Clusterluck,” Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville professor and first time film producer Candace Hall chronicles her personal experience in a cluster hire in the university’s School of Education.

Monster trucks roared and tumbled in St. Louis last month at Monster Jam, but, it turns out that the St. Louis region has a distinct connection to the culture of massive motocross vehicles. That connection includes Rich Inman and Concussion Motorsports, in Ellis Grove, Illinois, which manufactures monster trucks. Its work is stamped on some of the most famous monster trucks in the world, including the local legend, Bigfoot. Rich Inman discusses how to build a monster truck that can jump, flip and smash, while also ensuring the driver can walk away after the show is done.

Black maternal mortality rates in Missouri are among some of the highest in the United States. And with the near-total ban on abortions in Missouri, the demand for full spectrum doulas and midwives is increasing. STLPR reporter Andrea Henderson discusses how Black women are seeking out Black doulas to improve their birth outcomes.

Typically, bands and music groups make stars of the lead singer: the “front man” and spokesperson who gets all the eyes and attention. So most fans do not consider the team of people working behind the scenes to make the music radio-ready — especially those who produce, mix, and master the audio. Music producers are integral to the music-making process. Producer Miya Norfleet explores the Fresh Produce Champions Battle and sits down with emcees, judges, and participants of the competition.

The events of September 17, 2017 were expensive for the city of St. Louis. In the years since police used a “kettle” to mass-arrest dozens of people downtown, the city has settled with protesters and bystanders caught in the cordon. Now, with the $4.9 million settlement reached this week in a class-action lawsuit, the bill has hit a total of roughly $10 million. Attorneys Bill Freivogel, Eric Banks and Jennifer Joyce analyze the settlement and provide an update on the viral story about how GEICO paid a Missouri woman $5.2 million after she had sex in a car and contracted HPV.

Volunteers and advocates for people in St. Louis who are homeless say the city's failure to create a 24-hour shelter is "unacceptable" and endangering lives during frigid winter nights. Although a new 24-hour shelter has just opened, questions remain: Why did it take so long? And what of the millions of APRA dollars earmarked for homeless services that remain unspent? NPR Midwest Newsroom investigative reporter Kavahn Mansouri discusses his findings and shares his latest reporting.

This past summer and fall, our team hosted a series of listening sessions to get a better sense of how we can best serve the communities in St. Louis Public Radio’s listening area. What kinds of stories should we focus on? What are we missing? Who should we have on the show? Producers Emily Woodbury and Miya Norfleet discuss how it all went down and how we will continue to engage moving forward.

Work: What does it mean, and how has the place, shape, and meaning of work changed over time? Carrie Lane, Professor and Acting Chair of American Studies at California State University Fullerton, provides an overview of the history work in the U.S.; and St. Louisan Amber Murphy adds personal, in-real-life perspective on navigating – and challenging – the binary that separates work and life.

A wide assortment of St. Louis bands, trios and DJs continue to depend on the living room stage. But even when those musicians move on to real clubs, networks of musicians continue to find themselves on unconventional stages to fill the gaps between club shows and traditional venues. This scene is alive and well in St. Louis. To talk about why these kinds of shows continue to thrive, we get to know Joe Mancuso and Stanley Jones of the Judson House; Larry Fuchs of the Kinda Blue Club; and Darian Wigfall, co-founder of the former artist collective FarFetched.

Featured on the Netflix show "I Am a Killer,” the 2013 murder of Chris Smith led the arrest and life sentence for his wife, Vicky Isaac. But Vicky’s sister, Betty Frizzell, a former Missouri police chief, is convinced that Vicky is covering for the true killer, Vicky’s adult son Kenny. Frizzell previously joined St. Louis on the Air in January last year to discuss her memoir, “If you can’t quit cryin’, you can’t come here no more,” which chronicled both the murder, and her family’s history of abuse, addiction and mental illness.

Reported cases of syphilis in St. Louis and St. Louis County are on the rise. STLPR health reporter Sarah Fentem and Washington University Associate Professor Dr. Hilary Reno discuss what the rates of transmission tell us about how these diseases are spreading and what it will take to get more people tested for STIs.

A facilities worker at Principia College in Elsah, Illinois, was moving soil when he discovered a white object about 12 feet below the surface. Researchers confirmed that it’s an ancient tusk that belongs to either a mammoth or a mastodon. Professor Andrew Martin talks about the remarkable find and how he plans to use the excavation in his class this fall.

Nearly one-third of Hazelwood School District students have been assigned to in-person classes where the teacher is virtual, instructing from hundreds or thousands of miles away. A new Riverfront Times story highlights how the arrangement is failing students. Reporter Mike Fitzgerald and Tamar Brown, education advocacy director for A Red Circle, discuss how the national teacher shortage has led to this point and what happens next for students and families in the district.

During his State of the State address last week, Gov. Mike Parson announced his budgetary vision for Missouri. His plan includes money to widen Interstate 70 in three places and fully fund the state’s K-12 education formula and school transportation, as well as another round of raises for state employees. This episode contains much of STLPR's Sarah Kellogg interview with Parson along with analysis from Kellogg and Jason Rosenbaum.

Local filmmaker Josh Guffey directed his debut feature-length film in St. Louis and surrounding areas. Starring Tony Todd as drug kingpin Lamont Hughes, “All Gone Wrong” follows a detective trying to clean up a small town in Illinois. The film took Guffey 15 years to create and will start streaming January 27.

In June 2022, minutes after the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Missouri led the nation as the first state in the U.S. to enact an abortion ban. A new lawsuit, filed by faith leaders in Missouri, is challenging that ban, arguing that it not only violates the separation of church and state, but also the beliefs of other religions. Discussing the lawsuit, and their religious objections to Missouri's abortion ban, are Moharat Rori Picker Neiss, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of St. Louis; Democratic state Representative Barbara Phifer, and Bishop Deon Johnson of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri.

Dennis Bentley, St. Louis Public Radio systems specialist, has a notable hobby: He finds graves. As a volunteer for FindAGrave, he has submitted over 3,000 pictures of gravestones: the small bejeweled ones, the wealthy towering ones and the just plain ‘ol regular ones. Bentley discusses finding meaning in his many journeys through cemeteries in Jefferson County, and why it’s the broken, mossy and unmarked ones that get him contemplating life — and what it means to contribute.

Recovery friendly workplaces hire and support employees in recovery from drug addiction as they would an employee with any other health condition. Ann McCauley, the director of Recovery Friendly Workplace Missouri, and John Gaal of the Missouri Works Initiative, say these workplaces uplift workers and employers alike.

The first federal student aid program in the United States, the National Defense Education Act, was signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1958 — six years before the Civil Rights Act federally ended “Jim Crow'' laws across the nation. The Higher Education Act of 1965, signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson, followed the Civil Rights Act, and while codified into law, American citizens and lawmakers still struggled with equality. Nick Hillman, professor in the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, shares his theories on the slow progress to update federal student aid and provide relief to student loan debt.

Katie Rodas-Santizo, a local eighth grader at Marian Middle School, will defend her school’s championship title in this year’s Clavicus Project Jamboree — a yearly robotics competition that challenges the STEM skills of middle school students in St. Louis. Robotics Coach Mark Viox and Marian Middle School Interim Principal Sierhah Price share how they encourage a love of STEM in young girls like Rodas-Santizo.

Christopher Dunn has spent more than 30 years in prison for a 1990 murder he did not commit in St. Louis. The two witnesses whose testimony led to his conviction have recanted, leading to a dramatic moment in 2020, when a Missouri judge ruled: “This court does not believe that any jury would now convict Christopher Dunn under these facts.” Yet Dunn remains in prison on a life sentence, doomed to die behind bars. Christopher Dunn, his wife Kira, and attorney Kent Gipson discuss the case and why Missouri law is uniquely blind to Dunn’s case for innocence.

A controversial Missouri bill to ban "unauthorized" sleeping and camping on state-owned land is now now. Advocates for the homeless say it turns peoples’ survival into a crime. But, what does “unauthorized” sleeping mean, and how are homeless people supposed to avoid state-owned land? We talk with St. Louis attorney Stephanie Lummus, who is representing seven homeless clients in a new federal lawsuit seeking to strike down the law, and Phil Telfeyan, the executive director of nonprofit Equal Justice Under Law, who is co-counsel on the lawsuit.

A college education is often touted as the means to a successful and comfortable life. For students who take out loans, the burden of debt puts brakes on wealth building for them and their families. Faith Sandler, executive director of Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis has helped students and their families navigate student aid for 34 years. As conversations about debt continue and debt forgiveness plans remain on hold in the court system, Sandler talks about the rising cost of higher education and what it tells us about economic and racial inequalities.

Alumni and staff cheered outside as students returned to class at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School on Tuesday for the first time since a deadly shooting in October closed the school. STLPR education reporter Kate Grumke talks about the return of students.

A new report claims that most utility companies in the U.S. contaminate groundwater and evade federal regulations, including four energy plants in the St. Louis area. Patricia Schuba, president of the board of Labadie Environmental Organization, talks about why she’s concerned, what St. Louisans can do to protect their home’s water supply and what people can do to change things and hold companies accountable.

In March 2022, community advocates said St. Louis' 211 hotline fails homeless people and leaves volunteers to pick up the slack. Nearly a year later, they report that things are even worse. STL Winter Outreach volunteers sit down with St. Louis Department of Human Services Director Dr. Yusef Scoggin to discuss how the system is working and the city’s role in making sure that vulnerable residents have access to shelter.

Will Jordan, executive director of the Metropolitan St. Louis Equal Housing and Opportunity Council, and Nate Johnson, the president of the organization’s board of directors, discuss the role realtors play in increasing Black homeownership in St. Louis.

The Catholic community in the St. Louis region is at a crossroads. A sweeping plan from the Archdiocese, known as the All Things New initiative, is considering how to close schools and consolidate parishes. Among those preparing for the change is Fr. Andrew Auer, an associate pastor at St. Clare of Assisi in Ellisville. Fr. Auer discusses the reaction to All Things New, why St. Louis’ Catholic community may be “over-planted,” and the impending announcement May 28, on Pentecost, of the final model for parish consolidation.

St. Louis animal rights activist Sasha Zemmel made headlines when a recent disruptive protest at a Moolah Shriners meeting ended in her arrest — and her alleging that members of the group physically assaulted her as she tried to exit. Two weeks later, the Moolah Shriners announced they would retire their elephants from their circus. Zemmel discusses the confrontation with the Moolah Shriners and how she considers their decision to retire the elephants a victory for animal rights groups.

Black Americans are more likely to start menopause early and gain less treatment to manage symptoms — that’s according to a recent review of menopause literature. Dr. Makeba Williams, an associate professor and vice chair of professional development and wellness in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Washington University, encourages more doctors to recognize that the menopause experience is not universal and more care should be taken when treating patients of color, especially Black Americans.

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois, has some 13 million items in its collection. Now, 100 of them are featured in an online gallery of 3D images that can be enlarged, turned upside down or spun around. Museum director Christina Shutt explains the 3D imaging project and talks about the history of some of the artifacts.

The Missouri History Museum's "St. Louis Sound" exhibit was designed like an album, with both the greatest hits of St. Louis music and some deep cuts from more obscure favorites. The museum's Andrew Wanko discusses the region's impact on popular music. The last day to view the exhibit is Sunday, January 22.

Would you talk to a fifth grader about cannabis? Nichole Dawsey is the executive director of Prevent Ed, and she says that, if done appropriately, around age 10 is a great time to start having conversations with children about cannabis use. Now that Missouri has legalized recreational marijuana and advertisements are going up for where to buy cannabis goods, parents and educators are preparing to have tough conversations with young people about cannabis — but is the conversation tough, or are adults just afraid of being awkward? (Spoiler alert: It’s the latter.)

St. Louis chefs like MJ Stewart and Brandon Panosh have embraced the “pop-up” concept, creating smaller-scale offerings focused around a particular dish, cuisine or atmosphere. Stewart discusses her unique take on a dessert-only menu with “DNFT,” while Panosh dishes about his custom dinner series “Table with Dinner at the Loft.” We also check in about the growth of the pop-up trend with Meera Nagarajan, executive editor of Sauce Magazine.

Aurora Bihler is a union ironworker in St. Louis. She’s working to bring more women and minorities into the skilled labor force as director of the “Building Union Diversity” program, which has graduated some 300 students since its founding in 2014. Bihler discusses her path to the skilled trades, and AFL-CIO Missouri president Jake Hummel provides insight into the ongoing labor shortage.

Statehouse reporter Sarah Kellogg discusses the first week of the 2023 Missouri legislative session and what lawmakers are hoping to focus on in the months ahead.

Just before the start of the new year, the Supreme Court of Illinois halted the implementation of a law that would eliminate the practice of cash bail statewide — hours before the bill was set to take effect. Sarah Staudt of the Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts and Alexa Van Brunt of the MacArthur Justice Center discuss the future of the law and how the justice-impacted and their families will be affected in the meantime.

NPR correspondent Brian Mann was involved in a violent car crash while covering the war in Ukraine last year. The driver of his military vehicle lost control while trying to evade Russian surveillance. Mann broke his leg but expects to make a full recovery. He also wants to go back to cover the conflict and to talk more with the Ukrainian people. Last month, STLPR’s Rod Milam talked with Mann about his experiences covering the war. The conversation was part of STLPR’s participation in the American Homefront Project. This episode includes much of that conversation.

As the Metro Trans Umbrella Group approaches their tenth anniversary, they embark on a multi-year plan to develop and implement a community needs assessment for the greater St. Louis region. Interim executive director Michaela Joy Kraemer explains how a community needs assessment will improve their work, and talks about the other social issues the organization plans to address in the coming year.

Missouri gave Rev. Darryl Gray unprecedented access to death row inmate Kevin Johnson. Gray served as his spiritual advisor, even holding Johnson’s shoulder as the lethal injection was administered on November 29. Gray discusses his observations from this unusual connection, what he learned from Johnson’s faith, and what it means to find yourself within a system that you believe should be abolished.

Educators today face a myriad of challenges that have affected teacher recruitment and retention. Ferguson-Florissant School District language arts teacher Kem Smith has responded by sharing advice to fellow educators — from how to accurately and appropriately teach U.S. history to how the pandemic has affected the ways students learn and teachers teach with her column, ‘After the Bell.’

Steven Pursley discusses his experience reconnecting with his roots in Japan, what he learned about the different types of ramen during his time there, and what it’s been like to launch Menya Rui in St. Louis over the past year.

In 2022, we said goodbye to a number of remarkable people who lived and worked in the St. Louis region. In this episode, we honor those we lost this year by listening back to conversations with them or by hearing from those who knew them well.

“Neuro Blooms,” a community art exhibition on Cherokee St. in St. Louis brings visibility and awareness to neurodiversity. Artists Con Christeson and Bonita “Bo” Owen share how the project helps break stigma and invites people to talk more openly about mental health.

“In 1998, I nearly lost custody of my three young children. It wasn’t because I was a bad mother. It was because I’m gay.” So begins a recent essay by in the Huffington Post from former St. Louis Public Radio arts and culture reporter Nancy Fowler. Fowler discusses the wrenching decisions she made during the divorce, how Missouri law equated being gay with being an unfit parent, and why she’s speaking out publicly about her experiences now. Nancy’s daughter, Jamie Larson, also shares her perspective on her mother’s perseverance.

St. Louis singer/songwriter Mai Lee has been in the performing arts since she was in grade school. She and her family of restaurateurs joke that the debut album, ‘FRIENDZ’ is 20 years in the making. In this conversation Mai Lee shares how her friends, family, and St. Louis shaped her music and who she is as an artist.

On December 8, recreational cannabis became legal in Missouri. But the stakes are far higher than adults buying legal weed. The law enacted a provision for "automatic expungement" of nonviolent marijuana convictions from criminal records, but there are concerns about the process and its stated deadlines. To discuss what comes next for legal weed in Missouri, we hear from Legal Missouri campaign director John Payne, as well as public defender Matt Schmidt, who has been helping his clients clear their records. We also hear from Brian Pezza, an attorney at Lewis Rice law firm, about the impact on cannabis legalization in the workplace.

What’s next for Lamar Johnson’s attempt to overturn his 1995 murder conviction? And who really owns the Fabulous Fox Theater? What’s the latest on Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s deposition of Dr. Anthony Fauci? Those cases, and more, are tackled by our Legal Roundtable, with attorneys Booker T. Shaw, Sarah Swatosh and Dave Roland.

St. Louis Public Schools Superintendent Kelvin Adams has led the district through some major changes during his 14 years in the position. The district became fully accredited, returned to a locally-elected school board and passed two major bond measures, including a $160 million measure approved in August that funds school repairs and improvements. Adams reflects on his career, and where SLPS is headed, before his retirement at the end of the month.

The St. Louis nonprofit Doorways has spent decades connecting people living with HIV/AIDS with housing. The organization recently moved into a headquarters on its $40 million campus on Jefferson Avenue. Doorways President and CEO Opal Jones discusses the group’s strategy that prioritizes connecting people with housing while also stabilizing their health. Cory McCormick, a Doorways program participant who moved into a new apartment on the group’s campus last week, discusses what the program means to someone who has experienced homelessness.

Missouri has killed 93 men since 1976. Amber McLaughlin, a convicted murderer, could be its first woman. But Amber's story goes deeper than her crime. Jessica Hicklin met Amber while both were incarcerated. In 2018, Jessica won a landmark transgender-rights case in a lawsuit against the Missouri Department of Corrections, allowing her and other trans inmates, like Amber, access to hormone therapy. Jessica Hicklin discuses her friendship with Amber, and why she's asking Gov. Mike Parson to grant her clemency. Riverfront Times staff writer Ryan Krull discuses Amber McLaughlin's crimes, and how her case fits into the larger pattern of Missouri executions.

A documentary about Bosnians who took refuge in St. Louis during the Bosnian War, “A New Home,” can now be streamed on Amazon Prime Video. We spoke with the film’s director Joseph Puleo as well as two Bosnians featured in the film, Nejla Mustafic and Nedim Ramic, about their experiences.

New basketball courts are scheduled to make their debut next year in St. Louis’ two largest parks: Forest Park and Tower Grove Park. In Forest Park, development progress has been slow because of efforts to get as much community input as possible. Their next advisory board meeting is set for December 15. In this encore episode, producer Miya Norfleet talks with St. Louisans and park leadership about how access to basketball courts tells the story of St. Louis’ past and hopes for the future.

This week, the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office has been making its case to overturn the conviction of Lamar Johnson. Johnson has spent the last 28 years serving a life sentence for murder – and was sent there by the same prosecutor’s office that’s now working to exonerate him. St. Louis Public Radio justice reporter Rachel Lippmann breaks down the case, and the story behind what one attorney has called a "historic moment in this court."

Sauce Magazine Executive Editor Meera Nagarajan shares her team’s picks for best new restaurants of 2022, as well as recommendations for holiday-themed pop-up bars in the St. Louis region.

St. Louis natives Brian Owens and Sophia Stephens joined forces in 2020 to release “A New Holiday,” a Christmas movie that features a little girl celebrating her first Christmas without her beloved grandmother. The movie is inspired by the life of local philanthropist, Thelma Steward, wife of David Steward, founder of World Wide Technology, and his mother, Dorothy Steward, who passed away in July 2020. Owens also lost his mother in March 2020 to cancer. The main character, “Thelma,” is learning how to find joy and hope again as she processes her loss.

Conservation geneticist Christy Edwards never expected to use her knowledge of plant phenotyping to help solve a murder. The experience seemed more akin to a script of “Law and Order” or “CSI”: A young wife and new mother disappears, the investigators suspect her husband of foul play, and they just need the evidence to prove it. Instead of blood, mud and juniper needles become the focus — and Edwards and her colleagues at the Missouri Botanical Garden rush to collect samples and analyze over 100 trees around Mengqi Ji’s burial site, evidence that ultimately ties her husband to the crime.

Sports historian Ed Wheatley shares stories from his latest book, “St. Louis Sports Memories: Forgotten Teams and Moments from America’s Best Sports Town.”

Mixologists share tips for making low- and zero-proof drinks that are balanced and complex.

Podcast Description: The Amazon warehouse where six employees died in a tornado a year ago Saturday is nearly rebuilt. The plans don’t include installing a tornado shelter. Instead, Amazon says they're taking other steps to keep employees safe such as training them on how to respond to extreme weather, and it hired a meteorologist. STLPR’s Metro East reporter Will Bauer discusses this story.

Kohn’s Kosher Meat and Deli is an institution in St. Louis’ food scene. Yet, earlier this year news of the store going up for sale triggered many to worry that the beloved deli could be in danger of closing for good. As it turns out, Kohn’s isn’t going anywhere — and it’s keeping its original name. St. Louis chef A.J. Moll discusses his love for Kohn’s, how he became its new operator and part-owner, and his hopes for the deli’s future.

Scott Air Force Base in the Metro East plays a critical role internationally, housing U.S. Transportation Command, which is one of 11 unified combatant commands. TRANSCOM is responsible for the logistical movement of troops and supplies for the country’s military. The command’s role has been on display recently, coordinating and delivering supplies for the war in Ukraine. STLPR reporter Eric Schmid talks with Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost about the TRANSCOM’s work and future challenges.

Starting a small business and finding financial support and mentorship to get dreams up and running is … difficult. The University of Missouri-St. Louis’ DEI Accelerator aims to make “making it” less difficult. Their third cohort of startup founders are each receiving $50,000 grants, including Cami Thomas of My Friends and I and Kay Wells of Posie Pots. They share their stories along with UMSL Acclerate’s Director of Operations, Michael Butler.

St. Louis Mayor TIshaura Jones says there is a lot to like about the four finalists to be the city’s next police chief. In a wide-ranging interview, Jones discussed this week's candidate forum, and also shared her support for the movement for universal basic income. Jones also talked about how the city moves on after the indictment of three aldermen.

Nearly 35 years have passed since the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling, on January 13, 1988, that Hazelwood East High School had the right to censor its student newspaper. The landmark decision set a precedent that’s allowed administrators at other high schools and colleges to restrict students’ free speech — and, decades later, the decision still rankles Cathy Kuhlmeier. In 1983, she was an editor at the Hazelwood East newspaper. She would become the named plaintiff in Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier. Cathy Kuhlmeier reflects on the legacy of the court case, and why she’s still fighting it.

On November 17, workers in three St. Louis-area Starbucks stores left their stores to join the picket line. It wasn’t the only St. Louis-area protest staged with notable timing. Less than a week after the “Red cup rebellion” at Starbucks, dozens of Amazon warehouse workers joined a protest against their employer, calling for an end to grueling conditions and higher pay. Amazon warehouse worker Jennifer Crane, fired Starbucks supervisor Bradley Rohlf, and Starbucks barista Spencer Blackmon discuss this moment in organizing for St. Louis workers.

Dwayne Tiggs and Rikki Watts are building their home together literally and figuratively with the help from their community. The couple and their two children are in the process of constructing “the smallest house on the biggest greenspace” in the Benton Park West neighborhood using mostly reclaimed materials. Their home will be 420 square cubic feet (the original plan was just 300 square cubic feet) and will also house their two cats, Nutmeg and Joan. The rest of the 7,000 square feet of land is transforming into a permaculture space where native plants and produce will grow and the community around them to share. Tiggs and Watts want to share the fruits of their labor and teach others how they can, too, can build a home with their own two hands.

Ibram X. Kendi and Cbabi Bayoc joined St. Louis on the Air to discuss their recent collaboration on Kendi’s book, “Goodnight Racism.” Kendi and Bayoc discuss the importance of talking about racism with children, and how the prose and illustrations in “Goodnight Racism” make these concepts easier for kids to understand.

Jeremy Kohler, St. Louis-based reporter for Pro-Publica, discusses his new investigation into St. Louis’ unusual use of “neighborhood orders of protection.” Over the last two decades, the city’s government, police and municipal court have used the the practice to effectively banish people — often those with mental health issues or who may be homeless — from entire neighborhoods or large swaths of the city. According to experts in law enforcement, it’s an extreme use of the law, Kohler found.

When Darren Young and Charlene Lopez Young moved to St. Louis, they saw an opportunity to add Filipino cuisine to the city’s barbecue scene. In this episode, the married duo discuss what’s special about Filipino barbecue, how they launched their business and where they hope to go in the future.

Produced in St. Louis, the new animated kids show “Drawn In” combines comic books, representation and literacy. Alex Stallings, senior director of early learning at Nine PBS, discusses the origin of the new show, and why engaging the imaginations of young viewers is key. We’re also joined by Ricco Martin, Jr., Riley Adams, and Leia Yogi. The cadre of talented local voice actors are giving life to the show’s characters.

On Dec. 1, the City of St. Louis launched winter operations to help support people without housing during the coldest months of the year. Community volunteers and organizers who work to support those who are homeless, however, have serious concerns St. Louis is not ready for this winter. They discuss their most immediate concerns and possible solutions.

Artist Kelly Kristin Jones joined St. Louis on the Air to discuss her exhibition at The Luminary called ‘nwl’ or ‘nice white ladies’. We talk about how the exhibition addresses white women’s role in upholding white supremacy, and the importance of community conversation in rejecting it.

Artinces Smith founded Fabulously Vegan to help those considering a vegan lifestyle. Her own journey to veganism included mentors and peers who looked like her. Smith’s veganism honors and respects cultural influences, and includes advocacy for distinct and important conversations that need to happen in Black communities.

It’s December: What better time to cozy up and open a great new book? Or, perhaps you’re looking for the perfect book to give as a gift this holiday season. Librarians Tammy Jones of St. Louis County Library and Megan Temple of St. Louis Public Library share their favorite books released in 2022.

A Missouri inmate who fought his death sentence up until the final hour of his life was executed on Tuesday by the state of Missouri. Kevin Johnson, 37, died by lethal injection. He had been sentenced to death in 2005 for murdering Kirkwood Police Sergeant William McEntee as a teenager. A special prosecutor claimed that racial bias infected Johnson’s conviction and judgment. We talk with Riverfront Times staff writer Monica Obradovic about this story.

Elaine Cha begins as host of "St. Louis on the Air" on Thursday. We’re excited! She has a wealth of community engagement and journalism experience. Most recently she came from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri where she was the senior manager of external communications and before that, for nearly five years, the nonprofit’s founding storyteller and journalist. Her media experience includes work for Nine PBS in St. Louis and KPCC in Southern California. Listen to hear about how she’s approaching the role as host of STLPR’s flagship show.

Opera Theatre of St. Louis is on a mission to introduce opera to younger audiences. This year they connected with third grade students from Jefferson Elementary in the Normandy Schools Collaborative to write an original libretto that they’ll perform Tuesday night. Opera Theatre of St. Louis teaching artist Valerie Smith and Normandy Schools Collaborative’s fine arts director Suzanne Palmer discuss their collaboration along with St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.

On November 9, Bobby Bostic walked out of the Algoa Correctional Center in Jefferson City. Outside the gates, he embraced retired judge Evelyn Baker, who in 1997 sentenced Bostic to an astonishing prison term: 241 years. Without a chance for parole, the sentence effectively doomed Bostic to death behind bars. But that’s not what happened. After his release on November 9, Bostic discusses the path of his unlikely freedom, which included a reunion, and forgiveness, for the judge who sentenced him to more than two centuries’ imprisonment.

Seventeen years after killing a Kirkwood Police officer, Kevin Johnson has been given a date with the executioner. He’s scheduled to die by lethal injection Nov. 29. Now he’s making what’s likely his final plea to avoid execution. The special prosecutor on his case now wants the Missouri Supreme Court to put a halt to his death sentence. Analyzing the case is our Legal Roundtable of expert attorneys: Mark Smith, a former associate vice chancellor and Dean at Washington University; Erin Lueker, previously a public defender for St. Louis County and a prosecuting attorney for the state of Missouri; and Erin Banks, former St. Louis City Counselor.

Andy Taylor, son of Enterprise Holdings founder Jack Taylor, talks about ‘Jack Taylor: The Enterprise’ documentary and his father’s life and legacy.

Clinical psychologist Dr. Marva Robinson discusses how to navigate complex family dynamics and hot button topics that may come up during gatherings this holiday season.

Elon Musk’s recent acquisition of Twitter has users of the social media platform bracing for the app’s downfall. In St. Louis, activists and journalists that have been heavy users of Twitter since the police shooting death of Michael Brown, Jr. are concerned about the future of the app and the potential loss of how everyday people could lose power in social movements. Action St. Louis co-founder and executive director Kayla Reed and New York Times bestselling author Sarah Kendzior discuss how Twitter has shaped the narrative about St. Louis, the Ferguson uprising, and the ways social media impacts policy.

Megan Green was sworn in as St. Louis Board of Aldermen President on Friday. She joins us today to discuss her priorities and agenda for the next five months she will serve in the position.

Roughly a year after a landmark settlement over the St. Louis Rams’ departure to Los Angeles, the parties involved in the lawsuit still haven’t agreed how to split up more than $500 million. STLPR Political Correspondent Jason Rosenbaum discusses what's next including an idea to place the funds into something resembling an endowment — an idea that’s gotten a mixed reaction from policymakers.

A new report from the Freedom Community Center compiles data from a year of bail hearings, which it describes as “the front door to the criminal punishment system.” In April, Freedom Community Center released its first six-month report, finding that judges in the 22nd Circuit Court opted to deny release for 57% of. The full report, released today, evaluated more than 1,000 bail hearings over the course of a full year: It found judges reject bond in 62% of cases. Freedom Community Center Operations Manager Patrick Sullivan discusses the new report, and shares his insight on the impact “no bail” rulings have on the people forced to wait for trial behind bars.

A Missouri woman who was denied an abortion prompted an unprecedented federal investigation into whether a hospital violated the law by failing to provide her medical care. Farmer’s story was first told by reporter Susan Szuch of Springfield News-Leader, who discusses the case alongside attorney Michelle Banker, the director of reproductive rights and health litigation at the National Women’s Law Center, and who represents Farmer.

In the early 1970s, Chol Soo Lee, a Korean American immigrant, was falsely convicted for a San Francisco Chinatown murder and later sentenced to death. Activists led by a Korean American journalist and college students initiated a pan-Asian American movement to exonerate Lee. This largely unknown piece of history is the focus of the 2022 documentary film “Free Chol Soo Lee.” Liz Lenivy, attorney and Gateway Korea Foundation board member, joins the show to talk about the one-night screening in St. Louis.

Wednesday marked a milestone for St. Louis’ soccer fans, as thousands packed CityPark, the newest stadium in St. Louis and home to the latest MLS expansion team, which begins play in February. STLPR's Jeremy D. Goodwin and Wayne Pratt discuss CityPark's debut that featured an international exhibition.

In 1973, just a few years after coming out as gay, Patrick Haggerty and his band Lavender Country recorded their self-titled album. It would take more than 40 years for music lovers, and a record label, to rediscover “Lavender Country,” and for it to be recognized as the first openly gay country album. But it was a second country musician, St. Louis songwriter Jack Grelle, who helped propel him back into the spotlight he deserved. Grelle joins the show to remember Patrick Haggerty, who passed away in October after a stroke.

STLPR correspondent Jason Rosenbaum discusses Senator-elect Eric Schmitt's official foray into the world of federal policymaking.

Researchers are still learning and discovering what happens after someone has COVID-19 and what recovery looks like. Lasting effects of the viral infection are dubbed ‘long COVID’ by those experiencing mysterious conditions that linger well after harsh coughs subdue and fevers lower. Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, clinical epidemiologist at the VA St. Louis Health Care System and Washington University’s School of Medicine, discusses his latest long COVID research.

St. Louis filmmaker David Kirkman, co-founder of the Black Speculative Arts Movement Reynaldo Anderson, and multi-disciplinary creative Dacia Polk discuss the rising interest in Afrofuturism and why St. Louis is uniquely positioned to be a hub of Afrofuturist creativity.

Smidley’s new album, "Here Comes The Devil" is Foxing vocalist Conor Murphy’s first solo album since his 2017 self-titled debut. It was released on Friday. He discusses the album, its influences and what Smidley allows him to explore outside of his work with Foxing.

ProPublica Local Reporting Network and the Kansas City Beacon released a new investigation into Missouri employment centers for disabled adults. Employees of these centers, or ‘sheltered workshops,’ are paid $4 an hour on average. The author of the report Madison Hopkins discusses why Missouri workshops have such low success rates and why state officials refuse to change the program.

Seven years ago, the Department of Justice called out St. Louis County police for detaining people without a warrant. Now, a federal appeals court says that system is “fraught” with constitutional risk. So, why do local police keep doing it? Maureen Hanlon, the Lead Attorney for Civil Rights Litigation at ArchCity Defenders, discusses the case, and the various ways the federal appeals court attacked the “wanteds” system — even while upholding its legality.

In the summer of 2020, several St. Louis women took to social media to share serious allegations about safety at restaurants, bars and a tattoo parlor in the city’s Grove neighborhood. Sam Hunerlach later founded St. Louis Against Sexual Assault to help train local bars and restaurants on how to prevent sexual harrassment and assault and make their establishments safe for patrons and staff.

There are almost 25,000 vacant houses, commercial buildings and land plots in St. Louis, and about 60% are privately owned. Some nuisance properties can be a blight on communities.. STLPR reporter Chad Davis talks about how neighborhood associations have been trying to acquire them or compel owners to fix them.

In the past four decades, smaller-brained birds have been shrinking, but a Wash U study finds that’s less true of their bigger-brained counterparts. We revisit Sarah Fenske's February 2022 conversation with study co-author Justin Baldwin about what’s driving the changes, as well as his passion for birds both as a researcher and bird watcher.

Martin L. Mathews, the co-founder of the Mathews-Dickey Boys and Girls Club in St. Louis, died this week at 97. Matthews spoke with former host Sarah Fenske in 2020. We re-visit this conversation to honor his memory.

St. Louis poet and journalist Jacqui Germain’s debut full-length poetry collection, “Bittering the Wound,” takes readers back to the tear gas-choked nights of the Ferguson protests. Germain was there in 2014 — marching with others down West Florissant in the aftermath of the death of Michael Brown. She discusses her new collection, and, what it means to write “to” Ferguson, instead of “about” it.

Eldritch horror is a genre of fiction inspired by the writings of H.P. Lovecraft, among other authors, in the early 20th century. Unlike the genre’s forefathers, however, today’s Eldritch authors — like St. Louis creator Marie Enger — shed underlying themes of xenophobia and racism for modern stories that are inclusive.

Bob McCullough stood out among prosecutors nationally for his success getting the death penalty for defendants he prosecuted. He’s been out of office since 2019 but three of the 23 people he sent to death row are scheduled for execution in coming months. Ryan Krull has a deep dive into Bob McCullough’s legacy published this week in the Riverfront Times. It is part of a series exploring the death penalty in St. Louis County called “Shadow of Death” sponsored by River City Journalism Fund.

Dive into the results of the November 8 election with St. Louis Public Radio political correspondent Jason Rosenbaum and UMSML political science professor Anita Manion. They recap all the dramatic campaign developments, from Eric Schmitt to legal cannabis to Sam Page. We also hear from newly elected Board of Aldermen President Megan Green, who discussed her win on Tuesday and the challenges facing the city's government.

From 1976 to 2007, thousands of bands performed at Mississippi Nights on Laclede’s Landing. AC/DC played their ninth American concert there in 1977. Nirvana performed its only St. Louis concert at the music club in 1991. Local bands such as the Urge, Pale Divine and Uncle Tupelo were there too. We talk with Stacy and Garrett Enloe who have written the new book, “Mississippi Nights: A History of The Music Club in St. Louis.”

At Literary Death Match, writers compete in a competitive, humor-centric reading series. After more than 500 such events across the country (and the world), the event finally makes its way to St. Louis November 10. Creator Adrian Todd Zuniga and author Deborah Jackson-Taffa discuss Literary Death Match’s origins and mission.

One of the most audacious protests in St. Louis history is the inspiration behind a new play chronicling the efforts of the activist group ACTION — which in 1972 sent members to infiltrate the Veiled Prophet ball. That operation, which dramatically unveiled that year’s Veiled Prophet, is among the subjects of the play “Action,” opening November 11. Director Kathryn Bentley and actor Miles Brenton discuss bringing the dramatic true stories of “Action” to life.

Antisemitic rhetoric and violence is on the rise. The Anti-Defamation League tracks antisemitic incidents in the U.S. ranging from graffiti to assault and it have reported that incidents have been on the rise and climbing since 2016. Now they’re at the highest level since the ADL started tracking in the 1970s. Arts and culture senior reporter Jeremy D. Goodwin talks with Helen Turner, director of education at the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum, to talk about the museum's redesign and reopening to the public as well as the importance of sharing the stories and history of the Holocaust and its connection to St. Louis and its citizens.

Nartana Premachandra’s parents founded Dances of India in St. Louis in 1977. Forty-five years later, the dance company is one of the oldest classical Indian dance groups in the country. Premachandra and Dances of India Co-Director Theckla Mehta discuss this year’s annual performance and the Hindu mythology that inspires their dances.

Death is scary, uncomfortable, and expensive. More families are looking for alternatives to the conventional method of being buried in a casket and looking toward more cost effective and eco-friendly options. Tim Johnson of Foundation Cremation and Gracie Griffin of Bellefontaine Cemetery discuss these alternatives and the conversations they’re having with families as they lay their loved ones to rest.

Arkadin Cinema opened in St. Louis’ Bevo Mill neighborhood in June 2020. Other local theaters were closing during the pandemic — but not Arkadin. The microcinema has grown a cult following with its monthly Drinkolas Cage events. Co-owners Keith Watson and Sarah Baraba talk about their big plans for the future, and we bring you the sounds of last month’s Drinkolas Cage event.

On November 8, voters in Missouri will face Amendment 5, which asks them: “Shall the Missouri National Guard currently under the Missouri Department of Public Safety be its own department, known as the Missouri Department of the National Guard, which shall be required to protect the constitutional rights and civil liberties of Missourians?” Its supporters include former Missouri National Guard Adjutant General Steve Danner. One opponent is St. Louis Democratic Representative Peter Merideth, who worries that the amendment is creating a new mission statement for the organization.