St. Louis on the Air

Michael Politte spent 23 years in prison for the murder of his mother — a crime that evidence now suggests he did not commit. He won parole in 2022, but a juror who helped put him in prison won’t rest until his name is cleared. Politte shares what he’s been up to in the three years since his release, and we hear from the juror who’s fighting for his innocence.

Missouri Republican legislators are trying for a second time to prohibit local law enforcement from enforcing federal gun restrictions. Missouri Newsroom investigative reporter Kavahn Mansouri shares the latest development in the saga of the Second Amendment Preservation Act, and why police groups and officials say the law creates the same problems as its predecessor.

The Center for Bosnian Studies has a new home base. Two decades after its founding as the Bosnian Memory Project at Fontbonne University, the Center is in the process of moving artifacts to St. Louis University. The Center’s director Adna Karamahic-Oates, Bosnian Memory Project founder Benjamin Moore and Jennifer Nutefall, dean of libraries and museums at St. Louis University, share what this transfer means for the Center for Bosnian Studies, for SLU and for the legacy of St. Louis’ Bosnian population.

It’s been more than two years since Missouri voters approved the legalization of cannabis for adult recreational use. We explore the two sides of the growing industry — first by checking with several cannabis chefs competing for the approval of hundreds of weed-loving St. Louisans. Then, Missouri Independent cannabis reporter Rebecca Rivas takes us through the latest twists in the state’s embattled program for cannabis microbusiness licensees and a surprise recall of 6,000 products.

Tower Grove Farmers’ Market is now in its 20th season. Chris Geden, known as its Mayor, has been there since its first Saturday back in 2006. He and general manager Bess Kretsinger Heffernan discuss Tower Grove Farmers’ Market’s rich history and development.

St. Louis went through a major transition this week with the inauguration of Cara Spencer as mayor and Donna Baringer as comptroller. 14th Ward Alderman Rasheen Aldridge discusses the latest elections and what leadership change may mean for the city’s future.

For years, the agency that oversees Missouri’s foster care system and investigates instances of child abuse and neglect has struggled with high turnover, massive caseloads, and inconsistent rollouts of some key legislative initiatives. Missouri Children’s Division Director Sara Smith is in her first month leading the agency. She shares her plan to keep her department on the right track — especially with less funding than in previous years.

Tiny Desk Contest launched in 2014 to give unsigned artists a chance to compete for their very own concert at NPR headquarters — and some musicians have entered several years running. Rich Washington, aka Just Rich, and Jorge Valcárcel of Boxcar share their motivations behind entering in the Tiny Desk Contest seven and 11 years, respectively.

The 2025 NPR’S Tiny Desk Contest had 51 entries from musicians in the St. Louis area. Producer Miya Norfleet and STLPR’s Visuals Editor Brian Munoz discuss the local favorites and share their thoughts on the entries.

The Missouri Historical Society has flung open a vault of artifacts it’s been collecting since the 1860s. A new rotating exhibition at the Missouri History Museum gives visitors a chance to experience dozens of self-contained stories behind these objects — from a massive bird-hunting rifle to adorable kids' clothing from the last century. Museum tour manager Ryan Deloach shares his highlights from “Collected.” Also, the historical society’s president, Jody Sowell, reacts to the news of cancelled grants totaling $250,000 after cuts by the Trump Administration to the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Historical, and cultural barriers have contributed to a disproportionate number of Black Americans’ not knowing how to swim. A 2024 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that more than a third of Black adults – compared to 15% of all adults – reported they could not swim; and only one in three Black adults said they’d ever taken a swimming lesson. Youth on the all-Black Makos Swim Team are learning to compete and pushing their parents to take lessons themselves. Coach Terea Goodwin, and Makos moms Randella Randell and Bradlin Jacob-Simms, discuss their personal experiences around swimming, loss or near-loss of loved ones to drowning, and advocacy work that aims to ensure more Black Americans can find joy safely in the water – and reap its health benefits.

When Michelle Dezember moved to St. Louis five years ago, she assumed that the region would have a significant affinity with the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, the two longest rivers in the U.S. She soon realized that many residents don’t engage with them at all despite their cultural and historical relevance. Dezember — who serves as the Director of Learning and Engagement at the Contemporary Art Museum (CAM) — is the co-curator of “Make the River Present,” an exhibit at CAM that explores the relationship between Black Americans, and Native Americans, with the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. Interdisciplinary artist Dail Chambers and writer Galen Gritts joined Dezember to share about their art and experiences with these rivers, too.

Amie Lepsky has always loved baking, but her passion for creating cupcake bouquets is what inspired her to start her own business. She shares the inspiration behind Bakery Blooms, the process of crafting the hyper-realistic flower cupcakes, and the enjoyment that baking for others brings her.

Ten years ago, an intrepid restaurant critic at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch decided to put a hefty meal on his food-writing plate: Listing, and ranking, the top 100 restaurants in St. Louis. That effort is still running a decade later. Food critic Ian Froeb discusses this year’s picks and shares his insight and reflections on the St. Louis food and restaurant industry in 2025.

St. Louis’ downtown has its share of well-documented challenges: large-scale vacancies, companies moving their offices and streets that can feel devoid of activity. The city has made progress on two prominent vacant buildings in its downtown the past year, but rebounding from what the Wall Street Journal has described as a “real estate nightmare” will take many more years. STLPR economic development reporter Eric Schmid talks about efforts to revitalize downtown and recent successes in bringing business and residency to the neighborhood.

The St. Louis Science Center is nationally recognized among museums and STEM institutions. Its new President and CEO physicist Ray Vandiver shared what he’s most excited for now that he’s at the helm of the Science Center in his hometown. He also reflects on a career dedicated to making science fun and accessible to all.

Over a four year period starting in 2021, St. Louis’ use of electronic monitoring for defendants awaiting trial more than doubled. Advocates say it’s a way to prevent overcrowding in jails and keep people from being imprisoned. But opponents say there have been technological mishaps, privacy concerns, and high costs — and that many people who are forced to wear the devices would have otherwise been out on cash bail. Taylor Tiamoyo Harris, a St. Louis-based journalist and investigative fellow for the New York Times, discusses her story on the topic which was co-published by the New York Times and STLPR.

<p>For renowned fiddle player Liz Knowles of Portland, Maine, St. Louis Tionól is a must attend event each year. “It really parallels events that we've been to in Ireland,” she says. Knowles reflects on the annual festival and St. Louis' Irish music scene in this bonus podcast episode. For more on tionól events happening this weekend, and for a deep dive into St. Louis’ Irish music scene, check out our other recent podcast episode: <a href="https://www.stlpr.org/show/st-louis-on-the-air/2025-04-09/st-louis-irish-music-culture" target="_blank">Why St. Louis is home to one of the nation’s best Irish music scenes</a>.</p>

Teachers and students have spent years clashing over the presence of cellphones in the classroom. This year, schools in the St. Louis region rolled out new bans that restrict how, when, and where students can use their devices during the school day. To learn how cellphones are impacting schools, we turn to the Edwardsville School District: Here student advisors like junior Josie Proctor and senior Amulya Girada helped superintendent Dr. Patrick Shelton craft the district’s new policy — including the consequences for breaking it.

Cara Spencer will become St. Louis’ 48th mayor when she’s inaugurated next Tuesday. Spencer, currently the 8th Ward alderwoman, soundly defeated incumbent Mayor Tishaura Jones by 28 points. STLPR’s Jason Rosenbaum and Rachel Lippmann talk about Tuesday’s election results — and Spencer called-in to discuss her victory and next steps.

Colson Whitehead, author of Pulitzer Prize-winning novels “The Underground Railroad” and “The Nickel Boys,” began his career as a journalist writing about television, books, and music. Whitehead is in St. Louis to accept the 2025 St. Louis Literary Award, presented annually by the St. Louis University Libraries. He discusses his work, its lasting resonance, and its adaptability to the screen.

St. Louis is a premiere destination for traditional Irish musicians from across the pond and throughout the U.S. We explore the people and institutions that have fostered the region’s Irish music scene since the 1970s and get a preview of this year’s St. Louis Tionól — an annual, four-day Irish arts and culture festival featuring music, dancing and community.

Two St. Louis chefs are finalists for James Beard awards. The recognition represents a milestone in two very different journeys: Vicia’s Jane Sacro Chatham, nominated for Emerging Chef, immigrated to St. Louis from the Philippines 17 years ago. Meanwhile, Balkan Treat Box's Loryn Nalic, nominated for Best Midwest Chef, started out working in a food truck. Chatham and Nalic discuss the significance of the award and their work at two of St. Louis’ top restaurants.

Sukanya Mani is a St. Louis-based, Indian-born interdisciplinary artist whose artwork reflects the struggles of immigrant and refugee women. Mani talks about her artistic approach behind installations that are being exhibited at the Gallery at the Kranzberg and being honored as the 2025 St. Louis Visionary Awards’ Community Impact Artist.

Donald Trump’s return to the White House has prompted some St. Louis-area residents to scale back their social media usage. Others, though, say they’ve used Facebook and X more since Trump was sworn in. Those residents share their thoughts — then, Amber Hinsley, a journalism professor at Texas State University, shares how digital and social media continue to transform journalistic practices. Hinsley formerly taught at St. Louis University.

Missouri lawmakers are deep in the process of crafting a budget for the 2026 fiscal year, and it’s been a much different experience than the past couple of legislative sessions. The Missouri House on Thursday approved a $47.9 billion state operating budget — about $3 billion less than last year’s budget. STLPR statehouse and politics reporter Sarah Kellogg discusses the budget crafting process and other legislative issues.

President Donald Trump’s promised tariffs have become a reality: This week, he announced a 10% tariff on all imported goods as well as “reciprocal tariffs” on specific countries. Economists and business owners across the globe are stunned at how high these taxes will be, and that reaction is also playing out in the St. Louis region. Shayn Prapaisilp, COO of Global Foods Group, told St. Louis on the Air that he expected high levies on products from some countries, but was “shocked” by other reciprocal tariffs. Prapaisilp shares his perspective on navigating Trump’s tariffs, the lack of local options for specialty food items, and the challenge of keeping his customers happy as prices rise.

The St. Louis Zoo’s youngest residents are (almost) ready for the spotlight. Jet, a four-month-old Asian elephant calf, is weeks away from making his public debut. Katie Pilgram-Kloppe, zoological manager at the St. Louis Zoo's River's Edge, shares her insights into Jet’s development and family dynamic with his mother, Jade. We also talk with Curator of Carnivores Julie Hartell DeNardo about the details behind the zoo’s recent swap of polar bear Kali, who came to St. Louis in 2015, for twin polar bear cubs Kallik and Kallu.

Mental wellness and access to healthy food are areas with ample room for improvement in the St. Louis region — that’s according to community members who participated in a recent survey led by SSM Health. We discuss some solutions to those challenges, including a behavioral health urgent care clinic that aims to better meet the mental health needs of residents and a bread basket program that helps alert care providers whose patients may be experiencing food or nutritional insecurity.

Civil rights investigations have been cancelled in the wake of mass layoffs at the U.S. Department of Education and shuttering of civil rights offices nationwide. The move has put thousands of open civil rights investigations in jeopardy — hundreds of which originated in Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa. Reporter Kavahn Mansouri of the Midwest Newsroom will discuss his recent reporting on the uncertain future of those investigations. Attorney Sarah Jane Hunt shares her insight into how these civil rights investigations functioned before the cuts and the chaos now moving through that system.

You can’t get a reservation at one of Midtown’s newest watering holes. And, to get in, you go through the biergarten at Urban Chestnut Midtown. There’s a small hut the brewery serves beer from during the summer. Go behind that, and you’ll find a waiting room and a black door. If the red light is on, go in. In our monthly restaurant episode, STLPR’s Jessica Rogen and Abby Llorico discuss new speakeasies around town as well as the latest restaurant openings and closings.

Coldwater Creek lies at the heart of one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S. history. It’s also where Jim Gaffney played as a child growing up in north St. Louis County. “We thought we'd stay there the rest of our lives. We had no idea we were swimming in uranium waste,” said Gaffney, who has battled multiple cancer diagnoses throughout his life. Gaffney and other former residents of Coldwater Creek spoke with journalist Mike Fitzgerald, who joined “St. Louis on the Air” to discuss his recent reporting. Along with Fitzgerald, Dawn Chapman, co-founder of the group Just Moms STL, shared her insight and takeaways from the recent visit to the West Lake Landfill by EPA administrator Lee Zeldin.

University City-based author Sarah Kendzior’s latest book is “The Last American Road Trip.” The memoir, which comes out Tuesday, showcases how America’s ravishing national parks and historic roadways cannot get away from political instability, climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, and myth breaking realities of America’s past.

Inches from Glory’s latest EP “Changing Course” is a display of Blake Mickens, Marty Aubuchon and CJ Schrieber’s appreciation for emo and personal growth as musicians. The trio shared their creative process and their excitement for the greater punk scene in St. Louis.

The selections for this month’s music show takes us back to our punk days in school, on a trip to an island and connects us with nature. Jill “DJ Jillian” Firns and music reviewer Jonathan Rahul, along with producer Miya Norfleet, discuss the reasoning behind their music picks and an explanation of how it makes them feel.

When severe storms tore through the St. Louis area on March 14, local meteorologists played a critical role in keeping residents safe. KMOV First Alert 4 Chief Meteorologist Steve Templeton was on-air for hours, tracking tornadoes and delivering life-saving updates — even as one storm forced him to move to a safer studio. Templeton recounts that intense night, the challenges of broadcasting during extreme weather, and answers listener questions.

A Missouri appeals court has dealt a major defeat to ride-sharing app Lyft in the case of a driver who was slain while on the job. The implications of the case could open other tech companies to potentially “billions of dollars in damages,” says attorney Dave Roland, who joins this month’s Legal Roundtable. Roland is joined by attorney Eric Banks and former St. Louis Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce. They also discuss recent criminal charges against former presidential candidate Jill Stein, a 10-year battle over open records, and an effort to raise the pay of juries.

Modern agriculture systems systems have helped increase bird flu’s ability to move between wild and domesticated animal populations, and humans, over recent years. That’s according to wildlife veterinarian and epidemiologist Dr. Sharon Deem of the St. Louis Zoo, who says that better recognition of how human health is dependent on animal health would go a long way toward limiting the spread of pathogens for all species.

Mother-daughter duo Arika Parr and Ava Johnson talk about the opening night of ‘But What Can You Do?’ play at the Sun Theater. The play is based on the book co-written and published by the duo. Parr and Johnson share the inspiration behind the book and the process of getting the book adapted into a play. Local actress and lead of the play, Aloha Mischeaux, shares how it feels to be a part of the play and entertain children with a positive message.

Earlier this month, more than 100 people gathered in a St. Louis church for a legal clinic on powers of attorney. The event was just one example of ways LGBTQ people are confronting an uncertain future regarding their legal rights — including what it would mean for the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn marriage equality. Attorneys Sara Marler and Ramona Gau discuss the current legal landscape and why LGBTQ couples should consider obtaining a power of attorney. We also talk about the risks trans people are facing with Merrique Jenson, executive director of the Kansas City-based nonprofit Transformations.

As a boy growing up in a small town outside Champaign, Illinois, Brad Dean recalls being awestruck when his family visited St. Louis on his first vacation. His career journey over the next several decades took him to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and to Puerto Rico. Earlier this month, Dean took the top job at Explore St. Louis, the organization responsible for marketing the region to convention-goers and tourists. STLPR’s Abby Llorico talks with Dean about the challenges and opportunities ahead, and then talks with STLPR reporter Eric Schmid about development in downtown St. Louis.

Robbie Daymond was bitten by the acting bug at a young age. The Warrenton, MO native has gone from the stage to the recording booth, bringing life to animated characters like Marvel’s Spider-Man, Japanese anime fan favorites including “Sailor Moon” and “Jujutsu Kaisen” and a host of video games across several genres. He stars in Netflix’s new animated series “Devil May Cry” which premieres April 3. In this encore episode of “St. Louis on the Air,” Daymond discussed his career, the art of voice acting, and some of his favorite characters.

After 27 years of incarceration, Bobby Bostic walked out of prison in 2022. Bostic was sentenced to 241 years for a robbery he committed in 1995 at just 16 years old. In the year after gaining his freedom, Bostic continued writing — a passion introduced to him while in prison — and now teaches youth in St. Louis’ juvenile detention centers. In this encore of “St. Louis of the Air,” we revisit host Elaine Cha’s conversation with Bostic from 2023 about life since his release and the experience of teaching young people in the same detention centers he spent his teenage years.

The two contenders for St. Louis mayor engaged in an often tense discussion on Tuesday over the city’s immediate and long-term challenges. St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones and Alderwoman Cara Spencer tackled a number of issues during an episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, including clamping down on crime, managing city services, and how to stem population decline in the city. The election is April 8.

A new invasive tick species was recently found in St. Louis County, with more sightings expected this spring and summer. St. Louis senior scientist Solny Adalsteinsson shares how the longhorned tick may affect our already tick-riddled ecosystems, how to avoid tick bites, and what to do if you’ve been bitten.

As Jurassic beasts roamed the earth, a little weasel-like animal called Morganucodon was making an evolutionary breakthrough in parenting — producing milk to feed her young. Author Cat Bohannon calls this creature Morgie in her 2023 book “Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution.” Bohannon discusses the book, and insights from the evolution of Morgie, ahead of an author event in St. Louis County.

314 Day gets bigger each year in the St. Louis region. While there’s a lot to celebrate and several options of where to party, 2025 also brings a lot of serious matters to the fore. For this 314 day, hip-hop artist and community advocate Kayla “KVTheWriter” Thompson, “Overarching” podcast host and realtor David Lemon, and host of “Voice of the Streets” Dsmoovee Shabazz share what they love about St. Louis, what worries or frustrates them the most about the region, and their ideas of how to make their hometown a better place to work and live.

At four years old, Susan Polgar was already playing chess — and winning. At 15, in the mid-1980s, she was already the top-ranked woman in the world. By 1991, she’d become a grandmaster. The former Webster University chess coach discusses her new memoir, “Rebel Queen: The Cold War, Misogyny, and the Making of a Grandmaster.”

The Missouri Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday challenging the constitutionality of Proposition A, the minimum wage and sick leave law that voters passed with 58% support last November. In this episode, Fran Marion, a longtime fast food restaurant worker, details her support for the measure. Buddy Lahl, CEO of the Missouri Restaurant Association, explains his opposition. <p><em>This story was originally featured as part of KCUR’s talk show, <a href="https://www.kcur.org/podcast/up-to-date">Up to Date</a>.</em></p>

In the 19 years St. Louis naturalist Mark H.X. Glenshaw has studied Charles the great horned owl, Charles has fathered 27 owlets with seven mates. This year, Glenshaw was waiting to see if Charles would mate with the new lady owl in Forest Park: a one-year-old owl that Glenshaw named May. He shares what Charles and May have been up to and why their “May-December romance” hasn’t yet come to fruition.