St. Louis on the Air

Visitors to the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis can experience New York artist Paul Chan’s exhibition “Breathers,” which relies upon air and wind to create kinetic movement and evoke an emotional response that reminds us to inhale and exhale with greater intention. Associate curator Misa Jeffereis and artist Simiya Sudduth reflect on what air and breath look like both in art and in healing —- and why taking a ‘breather’ is necessary.

Last month at Washington University, police arrested over 100 people who attempted to set up a Gaza solidarity encampment on campus grounds. WashU junior Andrew de las Alas and senior lecturer Michael Allen were arrested and temporarily suspended for their involvement with the April 27 campus protest. They talk about the protest on Wash U’s campus and dealing with its aftermath. Shanti Parikh, Chair of the African and African American Studies department and professor of anthropology at WashU, discusses how faculty are trying to support those who were arrested.

More than one in three young adults, ages 18-24, report zero income. Depression rates in that age group are also comparatively high. And feelings about financial stability vary notably by race. Senior St. Louis Fed researcher Ana Hernandez Kent talks through those and other findings from the 2024 State of Economic Equity report, with notes about how research can inform better support for economically disconnected youth.

Katie McGrath founded Immigrant Song as a response to the increase in race, culture and religion-based domestic hate crimes in the U.S. since 2016. Alongside the concert series’ music director Larry Pry, and performers Chuck Flowers and Anu French, she reflects on the power of music and storytelling as a way to combat hate and divisiveness. The nonprofit organization’s next concert is this Sunday, May 12.

University City resident Nichole Angieri recently discovered that her neighborhood is being used as a police training ground. It's the latest update in the aftermath of a $190 million Costco development in University City that's left residents feeling unheard, stranded in their homes, and left to fend for themselves. In this episode, we hear from Angieri and from producer Danny Wicentowski.

Metro Transit, a service of Bi-State Development, may tighten its Call-A-Ride reservations window. Disability rights advocates say that would make existing service gaps even worse. Taulby Roach, President and CEO of Bi-State Development talks about the proposed policy change. Jeanette Mott Oxford, Paraquad Public Policy & Advocacy Manager, and Seyoon Choi, former Parquad Public Policy Intern, also join the conversation to discuss what a local advocacy group has recommended instead.

In the 1960s, St. Louis nearly became one of the most magical places on earth. A planned Disneyland, called the Riverfront Square, captured imaginations as local leaders sought to strike a deal with Walt Disney himself — until that deal went bibbidi, bobbidi, bust. Writer Devin Thomas O'Shea reminds us of what the canceled Disney attraction might have been, the disputed reasons why the plan fell apart (no, it wasn't just over beer), and the problematic characters and mythologized storytelling that the park would have been designed around.

When Juliet Simone turned 30 years old she decided to try for a baby and sought a sperm donor to start her family. She had no idea just how much the birth of her first child would open up her family’s world. Once she gave birth to her first son, doctors told her the baby tested positive for a genetic disorder and recommended family genetic screening. This led to the revelation that her mother, Rebecca Massie, also sought sperm donors to birth Simone and Simone’s brother Alex. Simone and Massie share their story of a family secret that grew their families beyond all expectation.

Adam Wainwright enjoyed an 18-year big-league career with the St. Louis Cardinals that included closing out the World Series as a rookie and, in his final season last year, securing 200 career wins. The former pitcher has now embarked on a career as a baseball analyst for network television and musician. STLPR’s Jeremy D. Goodwin spoke with Wainwright about his songwriting and recently released country music album “Hey Y’all.” Wainwright’s musical adventures have also included a debut at the Grand Ole Opry and an opening slot for Zac Brown Band at Chaifetz Arena.

St. Louis-born music producer Metro Boomin is one of the most prolific beat makers of today. His productions top Billboard charts, win Grammys, and make stars out of his collaborators. He also is interwoven in the biggest rap beef in the last decade between Kendrick Lamar and Drake. Producer Miya Norfleet, arts and culture reporter Chad Davis, and political correspondent Jason Rosembaum share their thoughts on the week-long back and forth between the hip-hop giants and how St. Louis’ significance in hip-hop is undeniable.

In Missouri, much of the attention as to what issues will be on the ballot in November has been about efforts to legalize abortion and sports betting. Another initiative that could boost the minimum wage and establish paid sick leave also seems primed for a vote. Missourians for Healthy Families and Fair Wages turned in roughly 210,000 signatures to Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft’s office. The measure would raise the state’s minimum wage to $13.75 an hour next year – and eventually move it up to $15 an hour by 2026. Campaign manager Richard von Glahn talks about the effort.

Missouri child abuse investigators missed warning signs of fentanyl use among parents before their young children died of accidental overdoses from the drug, according to a new state report. It found that Children's Division investigators, who are tasked with following up on claims of abuse and neglect, “lacked essential procedures, missed warning signs and left vulnerable children at risk.” Jessica Seitz, executive director of the Missouri Network Against Child Abuse, joins the show. She also helped put the report together.

It’s been over a week since Congress put the finishing touches on a foreign aid package to help Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. And while much of the attention and focus is around opposition to providing military assistance to Ukraine and Israel, there’s been less debate about helping Taiwan blunt any potential invasion from China. U.S. Rep. Mark Alford, R-Cass County, recently traveled to Taiwan as part of a bipartisan delegation and discusses why he voted for Taiwan aid in order to stem China’s growing influence.

St. Louis Public Radio has obtained thousands of pages of responses from a tip line created launched last year by Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey. Although intended to collect complaints about gender affirming care, the records show that its first respondents used the tip line to criticize Bailey and the tip line itself. St. Louis on the Air producer Danny Wicentowski describes the records he obtained, and the tip line’s impact on Missouri’s trans population.

Betty Bayer opened Betty’s Books in 2021 to sell illustrated literature. For the last three years she’s curated and produced a community zine for Free Comic Book Day to celebrate comic books and the community she’s fostered at her store in Webster Groves. Along with stocking titles for graphic novel fans, Betty’s Books makes space for people who are typically not embraced by the mainstream comic book industry — people of color, members of the LGBTQ community, women and children. She’s joined by illustrator Alain McAlister to discuss the broad range illustrated storytelling encompasses.

Hundreds of demonstrators decrying Israel’s military attacks in Gaza marched through St. Louis University and briefly occupied a portion of Grand Blvd. on Wednesday. STLPR correspondent Jason Rosenbaum discusses what he saw and heard at the protest, and why SLU responded differently than Washington University, where police arrested more than 100 people at a protest last weekend. Two students also share why they are calling on SLU and Wash U to cut ties with weapons manufacturers like Boeing.

St. Louis band Old Capital Square Dance Club recently discovered that their 2019 album was altered — someone took their songs, changed their tempo and pitch-shifted the vocals. The doctored tracks were on Spotify under the name Marico Charlotte. It’s estimated that playlists made of copyrighted songs may generate tens of thousands of dollars for whoever is behind them. We talk with Old Capital bandmates Jesse McClary, Drew Lance, and Zach Anderson about this experience and what the band has in store for the coming year.

No matter how you prefer to enjoy it – popped, grilled, or in tortilla form – corn is beloved by cultures across the globe. The Missouri Botanical Gardens is putting a spotlight on the humble crop in a new exhibition, "Kernels of Culture: Maize Around the World," showcasing just how versatile corn is.

Washington University arrested about 100 pro-Palestinian protesters over the weekend. Is there any question as to whether the private university had that right? Does it matter if the people protesting were students or staff? Attorneys Sarah Swatosh, Javad Khazaeli and Liz Lenivy discussed that issue on the Legal Roundtable. Also discussed was a motion to vacate the conviction of Marcellus Williams, whether a juvenile who beat up a fellow minor near Hazelwood East High School should be tried as an adult, and a lawsuit against 3M and Scott Technologies filed by the family of a St. Louis firefighter who died because of what they say was faulty equipment.

Police arrested about 100 protesters Saturday night after a pro-Palestinan march at Washington University. Protesters have a list of demands that include wanting the university to cut ties with Boeing. Wash U officials say they respect freedom of expression — but that protesters violated campus policy by setting up an encampment. STLPR photojournalist Eric Lee discusses the protests and arrests that unfolded on Saturday.

Every Wednesday, Peggy Winckowski opens her home to cook and host breakfast for up to 35 teenagers before they head to school. What started as a casual breakfast with her grandsons has turned into a regular gathering — one that’s become particularly special after the loss of Peggy’s grandson, Sam Crowe, who was killed in a vehicle crash in 2022 at age 15. We join the Wednesday crew for breakfast and learn about Peggy’s wish for a national breakfast day movement.

First opened in 2004, the Missouri History Museum closed their long-running running exhibit on the 1904 World’s Fair last April to reimagine the experience. The newly renovated exhibit has been unveiled and it confronts the many hard truths that hid behind the grandeur of the World’s Fair hosted in St. Louis. Sam Moore, managing director of public history and Sharon Smith, curator of civic and personal identity at the Missouri History Museum share the additions and new perspectives in the exhibit.

Cannabis' biggest holiday of the year, 4/20, brought Missourians out in droves. Missouri Independent cannabis reporter Rebecca Rivas explains how a glitch “jacked up” the sales systems in some dispensaries. She explores the story around a new warning from Missouri regulators about “predatory practices” in the state’s cannabis industry, and what’s next in the legal fight over Delta-8 THC.

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jane Smiley’s new novel “Lucky” is set in St. Louis and reflects some of the author’s upbringing. The story follows Jodie Rattler, a folk musician who rises to fame through changing times. Smiley talks about why she set the book in her hometown and how the novel reflects her journey as a writer.

When writer Jamaica Kincaid was informed last year that she’d receive the 2024 St. Louis Literary Award, she thought it was a prank. The author of such works as “Annie John” and “A Small Place” says she’s honored to join a distinguished list of writers to have received the award including Neil Gaiman, Margaret Atwood and Zadie Smith. In this episode, Kincaid discusses her upbringing and career as a prominent writer.

St. Louis Public Radio audiences have noticed a new voice on our airways — specifically in the morning. Abby Llorico has joined the STLPR team as our morning newscaster and host of “The Gateway.” The former TV news reporter joined the show to talk about what she’s most excited for in her new radio career.

For 17 years Cinema St. Louis has hosted QFest, a film festival highlighting queer storytelling and filmmaking. This year the theme is, simply, “love” — including the romantic, the familial and fictive kinship. Cinema St. Louis’ director of festival curation and education Emmett Williams and artist Jess T. Dugan share their motivations and hopes for QFest and queer storytelling in St. Louis.

The Eads Bridge is a structure of distinction, not only for its design and materials, but also for its place in regional history and culture. A new exhibit at the Missouri History Museum commemorates the bridge’s 150th year. Amanda Clark, public historian at the Missouri Historical Society and content lead for the “Eads Bridge at 150” exhibit, discusses the legacy of the bridge a century and a half after its completion.

The Greater St. Louis Marathon will bring thousands of runners to Downtown and take them on a grand tour of St. Louis’ neighborhoods from Lafayette Square to Old North. Go! St. Louis president Mona Vespa shares what it takes to plot 26.2 miles of marathon route and what’s new this year including an after-party and running through Gateway Arch National Park.

Up to 60 billion cicadas are about to emerge from the ground in St. Louis for the first time in 13 years. Nicole Pruess, invertebrate keeper at the Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House, talks about this extraordinary occurrence and how periodical cicadas are a nutritional boon to the region’s wildlife — and even its human residents.

Nearly a decade after community members installed a single basketball hoop on a corner lot along Cherokee St., Love Bank Park has been developed in a big way. “To see it actually happening was just pure magic,” said Eric "Prospect" White, a core leader of Love Bank Park’s redevelopment. The park, founded by neighborhood residents and business owners, “is more than just a space to play basketball,” said Pacia Elaine Anderson, a fellow leader of the park’s redevelopment. “It's something that could be a lifeline for people that need it.”

A new sober support group is aiming to help food and service professionals. Chef Max Bredenkoetter explores the challenges of addiction in the food industry, and discusses his pop-up event series "Temperance Kitchen.” Also, Sauce Magazine’s Meera Nagarajan delivers another order of new spots to eat and drink, including a new salad-centric restaurant that grows its own lettuce.

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 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.

Although Missouri Democrats are in the minority in both the House and Senate, senators have more power to affect the flow of legislation thanks to the chamber’s tradition of a strong filibuster and divides between Senate Republicans. With the session winding down, Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo, D-Independence, discusses what’s left to accomplish including passing a state budget and renewing a critical tax that pays for the state’s Medicaid program.

A campaign gathering signatures to legalize sports betting in Missouri is optimistic that voters will have the chance to approve it this November. Jack Cardetti, a spokesman for the campaign, discusses the initiative petition process and what legal sports gambling would look like in Missouri. We also hear why Sen. Denny Hoskins, R-Warrensburg, is opposed to the measure.

A group of bipartisan legislators earlier this week voted down a report that would have recommended a formal letter of disapproval for Missouri House Speaker Dean Plocher. Among other issues, the ethics committee was investigating how Plocher was reimbursed for travel expenses. The scuttled report also accused him of “absolute obstruction.” Missouri Independent Editor-in-Chief Jason Hancock discusses his reporting on this story.

One year after being sworn in as chief of the Ferguson Police Department, Troy Doyle reflects on what it takes to promote a cultural shift among officers and discusses his efforts to recast a department thrust into national and global spotlight after Michael Brown Jr.'s killing by a Ferguson police officer nearly 10 years ago.

The owners of the St. Louis Cardinals are preparing to make a big ask of its fans – a proposition that will likely amount to asking taxpayers to help fund renovations to Busch Stadium. Economists are skeptical that such investments benefit their communities. In this episode, we talk with freelance journalist Eric Berger about his story on the topic which was commissioned by the River City Journalism Fund.

The Madison County Board approved a measure on Wednesday evening that will put a symbolic referendum to voters in November — asking if the Metro East county should secede from Illinois and create a new state. In advance of that vote, STLPR Metro East reporter Will Bauer discussed his reporting on this story.

Chef Rob Connoley and Normandy High School senior Alex Belton are a dynamic culinary duo, aspiring toward major wins this June. The Bulrush chef-owner was named a Best Chef finalist for the 2024 James Beard Foundation Awards earlier this month, while Belton earned her spot in a national culinary competition after securing regional and state wins this year.

Nearly 650 people were injured or killed while walking or biking in St. Louis and St. Louis County in 2023. That statistic signifies a lot of trauma that stems from traffic violence, according to Trailnet CEO Cindy Mense. She shares information and stories from Trailnet’s 2023 Crash Report and suggests measures that regional leaders can take to protect all roadway users.

Missouri legalized recreational cannabis in December 2022, but stigma surrounding its use is especially isolating for mothers who use marijuana. Jessica Carroll and Kimberlee Kesterson, founders of STL Cannamoms, share the inspiration behind their online community, which has over 3,600 members, and how they support one another in ways that go beyond cannabis consumption.

A disturbing photo of a paralyzed detainee in the St. Louis City Justice Center has triggered calls for accountability and improvement in the city’s main jail. Now the attorney who took that photo says she’s facing retaliation. Sue McGraugh, director of the Criminal Defense Clinic at Saint Louis University, discusses becoming a whistleblower, facing the blowback from Sheriff Vernon Betts, and the impact of new jail policy banning phones.

Kristen Slaughter and Kiara Brown have an unconventional friendship. They’re 22 years apart in age and their relationship was only slated to last one year. Matched through a Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri mentorship program, the two have now been friends for more than 20 years. In this encore episode, we listen back to Slaughter and Brown talk about their enduring friendship. Last year, Slaughter was named CEO of the nonprofit organization, and Brown now has her own career and is the mother of two children.

What was once an empty strip mall in Dellwood reopened in September as a $20 million economic hub serving north St. Louis County. The R&R Marketplace came after more than a decade of work by married pastors Beverly and Ken Jenkins. Beverly and Ken tell the story of its creation, from praying at an empty parking lot, to the Ferguson protests, to seeing the grand opening.

It’s a familiar rule: people should not spend more than 30% of their income on housing. But for many who rent in St. Louis, that percentage has long been higher. And it’s moving very quickly in the wrong direction. In 2022, the local nonprofit Action St. Louis put out a survey to capture data on city renter experiences and created a report called “The Rental Landscape of St. Louis 2023,” and the picture it paints has much more shadow than light.

Pop rock band the Aerovons was formed in St. Louis in 1966 by 16-year-old Tom Hartman and his bandmates. Their work never made it to vinyl — until now. A remastered version of their album "Resurrection," recorded 55 years ago at EMI Recording Studios in London, will be released by Euclid Records on April 20. Band leader Tom Hartman recalls meeting Paul McCartney and George Harrison in 1969, the Aerovons’ decades-long road to this achievement and what it means to have their work recognized now.

Country music is in public discourse after international superstar Beyoncé released “Cowboy Carter.” The album also has listeners discovering unsung Black country artists, and the attention has brought attention to unsung Black country artists. Singer-songwriter Michael B. Whit shares his perspective as a Black man with rural roots and as a country musician, and reflects on the impact of Black musicians in the genre.

VineBrook homes spent the last few years buying thousands of homes in St. Louis and other cities. Instead of maintaining the homes, tenants say the company is turning to evictions and allowing the homes to fall into disrepair. There’s more: Facing debt, VineBrook is starting to sell its vast stock of properties. Midwest Newsroom investigative reporter Kavaugn Mansuri breaks down the evidence and explores what might happen if the company folds.

Brentwood Destination Park has finally opened after months of reimaging and building, turning what was once a quarry into a child’s — and parents’ — dreamland. Park architect Ted Spaid shares how nature, community engagement, and trends around accessibility made the project a success.