St. Louis on the Air

Producer Miya Norfleet and STLPR reporter Chad Davis discuss their favorite recent releases from St. Louis’ music scene, including Brock Seals, Aida Ade, Occults, Foxing and Jordan Ward.

Psychologist Dr. Marva Robinson shares ways to prepare for — and navigate — the potentially challenging situations that could come up at gatherings this holiday season.

Research around adult sibling relationships shows the health of those bonds has a significant bearing on long-term psychological and emotional well-being. Megan Gilligan, professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia, directs the Families in Later Life Lab at Mizzou. In this encore episode, she discusses what makes sibling relationships unique, how various stages and phases of adulthood affect sibling dynamics, and how future research can help us understand the roles adult siblings play in one another’s lives — especially as they care for aging parents and family members.

Tonia Haddix, the subject of the HBO series “Chimp Crazy,” is likely to face federal criminal contempt charges after flouting orders from a federal judge. Taxes on recreational marijuana are high, but could come down in Missouri after an appeals court ruling that forbids the so-called “stacking” of taxes by local governments. And, the club of soccer supporters called the St. Louligans says that an unnamed company had sought to trademark their name — without their consent. Those are just some of the cases that attorneys Erin Lueker, Javad Khazaeli and Mark Smith discussed on our monthly Legal Roundtable edition of the show.

Several St. Louis area election reform groups want to set up a public financing system for St. Louis County elections, which they say would help build trust in elected officials. The proposal would set up a dedicated tax to give eligible voters $25 certificates that could be directed to candidates running for posts like county executive, prosecutor, assessor and county council. UMSL political science professor Anita Manion and Benjamin Singer of Show Me Integrity join the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air.

The City of St. Louis has about $250 million from a settlement with the Rams over its relocation to Los Angeles. Unlike money from the American Rescue Plan Act, there’s no deadline to spend it. That hasn’t stopped competing proposals and disagreements at City Hall. STLPR reporter Rachel Lippmann breaks down the divisions on the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air.

Missourians have backed ballot items supported by Democrats in the past decade while also giving Republicans unfettered control over state government. On this episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, we hear from a voter who split his ticket voting for Gov.-elect Mike Kehoe and U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, and for legalizing abortion and raising the minimum wage. Longtime Republican political consultant John Hancock also joins the show.

A recent report from the U.S. Department of Education shows that millions of dollars of American Rescue Plan Act funding for homeless students still remain unspent in the Midwest, including Missouri. Schools are scrambling to file extensions. Midwest Newsroom investigative reporter Kavahn Mansouri explains why school districts did not know the funds were available or struggled to find ways to use them. Mansouri's reporting continues his look into his investigation of the "hidden population" of homeless students in the Midwest, and what we know about why school districts continue to undercount thousands of students in need.

Bob Costas has been a mainstay of sports broadcasting for decades. He’s done the Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals and the Olympics. But before he was on national and international stages, he got his start in St. Louis — at KMOX in 1974. Costas is back in St. Louis, the place he considers his hometown, to receive the Stan Musial Lifetime Achievement Award for Sportsmanship. He reflects on his start in broadcasting, lengthy career, retirement from baseball play-by-play and potential return to NBC Sports.

St. Louis County Animal Care and Control Adoption Center volunteers have spent nearly 28,000 hours walking dogs, cleaning kennels and promoting adoptable pets so far this year. Despite their contributions, the county’s Department of Public Health has decided to end the shelter’s volunteer program. That decision has volunteers and advocates worried about what will happen to the animals at the facility — especially since the shelter has previously come under fire for improper care. STLPR journalists Danny Wicentowski and Ulaa Kuziez discuss their reporting on the decision, share background on the shelter’s history and talk about plans for the shelter’s future.

Eighteen inmates have died at the St. Louis City Justice Center since 2020, which is higher than what public safety officials previously shared. STLPR reporter Lacretia Wimbley investigated the discrepancy between those figures. She shares her findings and how city leaders have responded.

St. Louis-based early childhood art educator Colleen Fitzsimmons-Wiviott (founder of Start With Art) and Missouri Alliance for Arts Education executive Phyllis Pasley speak to the student benefits of art, music, dance, theater, and media arts; and why there’s urgency in turning the tide on disinvestment in arts education locally and statewide, especially post-pandemic.

St. Louis Public Schools has had a tumultuous year. It struggled to transport students to school, and in October, the SLPS school board voted to fire Superintendent Keisha Scarlett. SLPS Board of Education members speak with STLPR reporters Jason Rosenbaum and Hiba Ahmad about how the district is trying to move on under new leadership, while facing scrutiny over its projected budget deficit of $35 million, and with many community members worried about possible school closures. (You can listen to an extended version of this interview on the Politically Speaking podcast.)

A new shop in Rolla, Missouri, aims to make typewriters a more appreciated — and regularly used — mode of communication. Owners Amanda and Shane Byrne discuss what inspired them to open Clickety Clack Typewriters and why it’s a store, workshop, museum and community space all in one. They also share stories about the people and machines they’ve come to know through the shop.

Sara Bannoura, the research and storytelling program manager for Food City, breaks down what contributes to food insecurity in parts of the St. Louis region and how Food City is helping to decrease it.

The documentary film “Silence in Sikeston” juxtaposes two instances of violence and interrupted justice. The first is the 1942 lynching of Cleo Wright, a Black man accused of stabbing a white woman. Then the 2020 police shooting death of Denzel Taylor who was killed outside his family’s home after a violent altercation with his father. Both killings left mental and emotional scars on their families and in Sikeston, Missouri, which is just a two hour drive south of St. Louis. Producer and KFF Health News Midwest correspondent Cara Anthony shares what she learned from the film’s production and how justice and public health go hand-in-hand.

In the late 1940s, the Lustron Corporation presented a solution to the post-war housing crisis: A prefabricated, all-steel home. Around 2,500 were made in the U.S., thanks to a government grant, but the company went bankrupt in 1950. Today, just thirteen Lustron homes remain in St. Louis, including a newly restored, 3-bedroom home. Kaleb Higgins, who has spent months restoring the home to its all-metal, 1950s-accurate condition, and Nathan Wilber, board president of the nonprofit ModernSTL, take us on a tour of the Lustron’s unique design and strange history.

Alondra Orozco, a DACA recipient, has dreamed of becoming a nurse since she was introduced to the profession in high school. After she completed her studies at St. Charles Community College and passed the National Council Licensure Examination, she was blindsided by the fact that Missouri will not issue her a registered nurse license because of her citizenship status. Orozco and SLU Law professor Kelly Gillespie discuss the hurdles non-U.S. citizens face in obtaining professional licensure and how other states, including Illinois and Kansas, have made it possible for non-citizens to become registered nurses.

Missouri politics and government have emerged in recent years as a battleground for the rights of trans people. A landmark lawsuit brought by transgender children and their parents claims Missouri’s gender-affirming care ban is a form of discrimination and is unconstitutional. Missouri Independent reporter Annalise Hanshaw covered the case’s 13-day trial. With a decision expected by the end of 2024, Hanshaw shares her insight into the case, the arguments, and how the judge’s decision could affect the lives of Missouri’s trans population.

For seventh generation St. Louisan Andy Hahn, maps are a critical part of understanding urban growth and family history. In “Mapping St. Louis,” the author showcases 40 rare maps that span St. Louis history from the 1760s to the present day.

Lúcia Lohmann will become Missouri Botanical Garden’s first woman president. The internationally recognized botanist highlights climate change and biodiversity as the greatest challenges of our time. She shares how we can battle them while keeping Missouri Botanical Garden as a world-class institution in botany.

The Great Rivers Biennial initiative, a collaborative initiative between the Gateway Foundation and the Contemporary Art Museum, has awarded artists Saj Issa, Basil Kincaid and Ronald Young sizable grants and a six-month exhibition featuring their work. Young and CAM’s chief curator Dean Daderko share the coincidental connections between the artists’ works; and the intersection of Young’s inspiration from West Africa and reclaimed materials from St. Louis’ built environment.

The WNBA is looking to expand to a 16th team in the coming years, and NBA player Jayson Tatum — alongside billionaire investors — hopes that team will land in St. Louis. Noah Cohan, assistant director of American Culture Studies at Washington University, talks about the effort and shares a brief history of women’s basketball in St. Louis.

The Arch Rival All Stars took 2nd place at last week’s global roller derby championships. Skaters “Bolt Action” and “LuxFurious” discuss what it means for St. Louis’ roller derby team to be ranked number two in the world, share some roller derby 101, and talk about their passion for the sport.

A history of St. Louis’ Chinese restaurants sheds light on the role these establishments have played in taste-making and community-building for more than 150 years. The Missouri Historical Society’s Magdalene Linck discusses who owned some of the best-known Chinese restaurants in St. Louis, what they served beyond the plate, and how changes in Chinese food options over time reflect changes in the local population as well as diners’ palates.

STLPR's political correspondent Jason Rosenbaum caught up with Missouri's Governor-elect Mike Kehoe in Jefferson City after his gubernatorial race win to discuss his future plans for Missouri's Child Services department, sporting arenas, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and more.

Jupiter’s icy moon Europa could have the ingredients to sustain life, and NASA’s massive Europa Clipper spacecraft is on a mission to find out. Washington University Professor William McKinnon discusses the potential for life within Europa’s oceans and what researchers might find in 2030, when the spacecraft arrives at Jupiter.

The St. Louis Chamber Chorus may be most well known for its repertoire that features classical and religious songs from centuries ago. But the chorus has also featured new compositions and for its 69th season, the nearly 50 singers will add 21st century pop to its choral selections. St. Louis Chamber Chorus artistic director Philip Barnes talks about this Sunday’s “Classic Pop” performance at the Sun Theatre in Grand Center.

The documentary "Concrete Jungle Gym" chronicles the brilliant life and legacy of Bob Cassilly and the creation of the City Museum. Premiering Nov. 10 at the St. Louis International Film Festival, the film draws on decades of footage to create an unusually intimate portrait of an artist driven to create new art from the demolished pieces of the city around him, and who often found himself at odds with St. Louis authorities. We talk with the film's creators, Mike Gualdoni and Zach White.

The GOP once again dominated an election in Missouri. Every Republican won statewide office but they did suffer a stinging policy defeat with the passage of Amendment 3, which legalizes abortion up to fetal viability. On the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, we hear analysis from UMSL political science professor Anita Manion about the results and check-in with STLPR reporters. We also discuss key takeaways in Illinois’ election results.

While Americans are deeply divided on election-year politics, there’s one issue on which the vast majority agree: The practice of switching between daylight saving time and standard time needs to end. In this encore episode, we listen back to a March 2024 conversation about the effects of the current system on our health, the history of daylight saving time, and how the daylight saving time/standard time debate has the golf lobby and scientists at odds.

In the civil legal system, the so-called "justice gap" means most low-income people who face cases involving evictions, health care, and even domestic violence, do so without an attorney. Dan Glazier, Executive Director of Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, and social worker Laura Halfmann-Morris talk about how they are working to close that gap, and how the lack of legal services is impacting survivors of domestic violence.

Voters go to the polls on Tuesday to decide on a slew of important statewide contests, including the combative race between GOP Sen. Josh Hawley and Democratic challenger Lucas Kunce. Passage of Amendment 3 would place abortion rights protections in the state Constitution, while approval of Amendment 2 would legalize sports wagering. STLPR statehouse and politics reporter Sarah Kellogg discusses the upcoming election on the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air.

A swarm of messages over the airwaves and on social media feeds have increasingly relied on inflammatory language, embellished details and sometimes a blatant disregard for truth. On the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, STLPR’s Abby Llorico spoke about this trend with professor Natasha Casey, a media literacy educator at Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield, Illinois, and with the Media Education Lab.

Ovarian cancer is a disease diagnosed in 54 patients every day in the United States, according to the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance. St. Louis Ovarian Cancer Awareness collaborates with area medical schools in a program called Survivors Teaching Students to help future medical professionals see symptoms earlier. Drs. Andrea and Ian Hagemann discuss how these first person accounts help them in the classroom and the examination room.

Generations of St. Louisans and countless classes of St. Louis University graduates have heard tall tales about the exorcism performed by SLU Jesuit priests in 1949. The diary of the lead priest, Father Raymond Bishop, would go on to inspire the cult classic horror film “The Exorcist” and novels depicting people possessed by demons. St. Louis University archivist and assistant professor Caitlan Stamm separates fact from fiction and addresses the myths that continue to swirl around SLU’s involvement in the exorcism of “Robbie Mannheim” in 1949.

Halloween conjures images of ghouls, ghosts and other spooky creatures. But for Jade Moore, the owner of Sincerely, the Craft, mysticism is more than a trend — it’s a connection to heritage. In this encore episode, producers Miya Norfleet and Emily Woodbury speak with Moore about the beliefs, faiths and ritual practices that are generally categorized as “witchy.”

Published nearly 180 years ago, Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” endures. The poem tells the story of the narrator’s descent into madness as they deal with the grief of losing their beloved Lenore. In this encore episode, we listen to historical interpreter Anne Williams’ recording of “The Raven,” featuring original sound design by producer Avery Rogers.

St. Louis native Chaz Littlejohn is serving five years in federal prison for the theft and leak of Donald Trump's tax returns. St. Louis Magazine senior editor Nick Phillips explored the mystery of Littlejohn's crimes, chronicling how the former government contractor decided to break the law for what he believed were the right reasons. Phillips takes us into Littlejohn’s world — and what happened when Chaz turned his attention from Trump's taxes to other billionaires.

After more than two years of work, the Tiny House project in St. Louis’ Benton Park West neighborhood is complete. We hear from Dwayne Tiggs, the architect and craftsman behind the Tiny House, and his partner and project gardener Rikki Watts. They share their story of the home's completion and what it means to build a home while also building community.

At 100,000 verses, the ancient Indian epic ‘The Mahabharata’ is the longest epic poem ever written. Due to its focus on conflict amongst family — and its explorations of illusion, reality and truth — Nartana Premachandra felt it fitting inspiration for Dances of India St. Louis’ 2024 annual performance, which falls just after the Nov. 5 elections. She discusses her original play script “Dreams of the Dark Prince” and how it combines movement and storytelling to tell the story of Prince Duryodhana, one of the Mahabharata’s central characters.

While Missouri’s 2nd Congressional District is GOP-leaning thanks to Franklin and Warren Counties, the St. Louis County portion is shifting leftward. STLPR politics correspondent Jason Rosenbaum reports from Chesterfield on how Democrats have gained ground and are bullish that a backlash over Trump and restrictive abortion policies could help the state party gain strength for future elections. But others are skeptical that either Democratic nominee Kamala Harris or a measure to legalize abortion will provide a boost down ballot.

While odds of becoming a victim of a school shooting are statistically low, the looming threat of violence in what’s supposed to be a safe space for students and educators negatively affects young people’s mental health. Bart Andrews, Chief Clinical Officer at Behavioral Health Response, shares how adults can support the youth in their lives at a time when school shootings regularly make headlines.

Craft beer has experienced explosive growth in the last 15 years, but more recently those good times may have ended, with craft breweries across the country now hurting, or even closing. In recent months, Urban Chestnut Brewing Company filed for bankruptcy protection, O’Fallon Brewery closed, and Earthbound Beer announced it will shutter later this year after 10 years in business. We talk with Earthbound Beer co-owner Stuart Keating and with Fausto Gonzalez, an assistant professor of marketing at WashU.

A lawsuit from Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey seeking to restrict the abortion pill is drawing attention to an unusual take on the decrease in teen pregnancy in Missouri. The Legal Roundtable discusses the significance of the lawsuit’s argument that access to the abortion pill “is depressing expected birth rates for teenaged mothers” — something the suit calls a “sovereign injury” to Missouri.

A proposed 3% fee on short-term rental rates on the November ballot would help fund affordable housing in St. Louis. St. Louis Public Radio reporter Rachel Lippmann talks about Proposition S, as well as several other propositions city voters will see on the ballot on Election Day.

Conductor Leonard Slatkin took the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra to new heights during his 18 years at the helm. He talks about a weekend of concerts and events celebrating his 80th birthday, and his favorite moments conducting works by Gershwin and Tchaikovsky. Along with Slatkin, we get to know composer Cindy McTee, whose work “Timepiece” will be part of the program at the Touhill.

Charlie Peete was a highly-touted prospect for the St. Louis Cardinals who played 23 games with the big league club in 1956. He was expected to compete heavily for the starting center field job the next season, but he didn’t get that chance because he, his wife and three young children died in a plane crash. Had Peete lived, he likely would have become the first Black position player in franchise history to earn a permanent starting job. Journalist and St. Louis native Danny Spewak details Peete’s life in the new book, “Cardinal Dreams: The Legacy of Charlie Peete and a Life Cut Short.”

The traumatic experience of being shot is often just the beginning of the challenges facing those with bullet-related injuries. Keisha Blanchard was shot in the back by an unidentified person in January 2024. Keisha tells the story of what happened next, and the painful, confusing experience of being told by a physician that, “We are not in the business of removing bullets.” Along with Keisha, we talk with Bullet Related Injury Clinic founder and trauma surgeon Dr. LJ Punch, and Tammy Kuykendoll, Freedom Community Center's director of Community Referral Pathway programs.

A survey from The Midwest Newsroom and Emerson College Polling Center asked registered voters in several Midwest states, including Missouri, about measures on the Nov. 5 ballot as well as a variety of political, social and economic subjects. Daniel Wheaton, data reporter for the Midwest Newsroom, discusses the poll’s findings on the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air.