St. Louis on the Air

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.

While the holy month of Ramadan is typically marked by fasting, celebratory feasts and charity, some Muslims in the St. Louis area said this year felt more somber. Producer Ulaa Kuziez takes us to a prayer service at Daar Ul-Islam Masjid in St. Louis County and a pre-dawn breakfast meal at Golden Chicken in St. Peters.

Millions of people yesterday were treated to a total solar eclipse. STLPR had a team of reporters in southeast Missouri and southern Illinois. In this episode, we listen to their coverage and talk about what it was like to be in the path of totality.

Ocean conservationist Julie Packard has led the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California for 40 years. During that time she’s played a leading role educating people about the benefits and harms they bring to the unique ecosystem. Packard has also helped shape state, national, and global policies around ocean conservation. In this episode, she discusses the key role the Midwest plays in ocean health in advance of her receiving an award given by the Whitney R. Harris World Ecology Center at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

To demonstrate its commitment to St. Louis, Washington University has a new office in the Delmar Divine to engage local partners. Lisa Weingarth, inaugural senior advisor for St. Louis initiatives at Washington University, shares how the institution will engage with the St. Louis community. Wash U chancellor Andrew Martin also shares his vision for ensuring the university isn’t just “in” St. Louis, but “for” it.

For millennia, humans have looked to the sky to check out a total solar eclipse. In this episode, we listen back to our conversation with Manel Errando, an assistant professor of physics at Washington University, about how humans have kept track of and tried to understand what solar eclipses mean. Then, we checked in with STLPR journalists in Illinois, Missouri — and on a Southwest Airlines flight — about how they’re taking in the April 8 eclipse.

Webster Groves native Karlie Kloss took the modeling world by storm in the 2010s before launching a highly successful effort to connect young women with computer coding and, more recently, helping relaunch Life magazine. On this episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, she discusses another passion: her advocacy for abortion rights in Missouri and around the Midwest.

Missouri is slated to execute Brian Dorsey on April 9 for the murder of his cousin and her husband. While there’s no question about his guilt, a number of Republican lawmakers are calling on Gov. Mike Parson to reduce his sentence to life without parole — pointing to his sterling record in prison and questions about his legal representation. On the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, STLPR’s Jason Rosenbaum talks with state Rep. Tony Lovasco about why Parson should spare Dorsey’s life.

While the 2020 election brought out a record number of voters to the polls across the country, the United States lags behind other countries when it comes to voter turnout. Whether from news fatigue or dissatisfaction with bipartisan politics, low voter turnout threatens democracy. That’s according to Ken Warren, professor of political science at St. Louis University, who joined the most recent edition of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air.

The City of St. Louis has awarded $20 million in grants from the American Rescue Plan Act to individuals and nonprofit organizations. The goal is to help with things like home repairs and construction and even developing gardens or parks on vacant land. One such grant awardee seeks to rehab a home on North Kingshighway Blvd. into a four-family home. In this episode, we discuss what Neighborhood Transformation Grants seek to do and talk with people who are working to improve the quality of life in their communities.

A local 8th grader is bound for the Scripps National Spelling Bee for her second year in a row. Meet orthographic whiz Sonia Kulkarni, as well as adults prepping for a local fundraising spelling bee — and how some of them are hoping to avenge their own childhood spelling bee trauma.

Sauce Magazine’s Meera Nagarajan presents a sampler of new restaurants and spots for great bites and sips around town. Jonathan Moxey, head brewer at Rockwell Beer Company, joins the discussion to offer a spirited defense of beer foam, and we explore how more drinkers are learning to appreciate beer foam’s heady flavors and aromas.

For 12 years, Lo-Fi Cherokee has delighted music lovers with its one-day music festival format and one-take music video production before live audiences at multiple businesses along Cherokee Street. Filmmaker and Lo-Fi St. Louis founder Bill Streeter shares why 2024’s Lo-Fi Cherokee will be the last, and how his love for the local music scene and video production will continue. Singer/songwriter Beth Bombara, who performed at the very first Lo-Fi Cherokee in 2012 and is on this year’s bill as the event’s closing act Saturday, April 6, describes how Lo-Fi has added to her own music and the local music community.

Paris Woods grew up watching her mother navigate her own finances while caring for seven children on a secretary's salary. Drawing from a lifetime of observations, her own financial challenges, and professional experience in the “college access” industry, Woods authored her book, “The Black Girl’s Guide to Financial Freedom,” to encourage fellow Black women as they take control of their finances and build confidence when dealing with money.

Two-headed snakes don’t live long in the wild, but in captivity, they can live for decades. Tiger-Lily the western rat snake is lucky to be in the latter category. Found in southwest Missouri in 2017, Tiger-Lily is now a species ambassador with the Missouri Department of Conservation. Naturalist Lauren Baker talks about best practices for feeding two hungry snake heads at once (Tiger and Lily share a stomach) and what she’s witnessed providing care to a snake with one body and two independent brains — and temperaments.

In 2008, Brian Dorsey was sentenced to death for two counts of murder. On April 9, he’ll become the first person executed by the state of Missouri in 2024 — unless Governor Mike Parson grants him clemency. Retired Missouri Supreme Court Judge Michael A. Wolff, who upheld Dorsey’s sentence in 2010, shares why he now supports Dorsey’s case for clemency and reflects on the factors that affect outcomes in death penalty cases. And Michelle Smith, founder of the Missouri Justice Coalition, talks about the movement to abolish the death penalty in Missouri.

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. Next month the museum will unveil its work over the last year of confronting 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 and upcoming events when the exhibit reopens on April 27.

On August 9, 2014, the killing of Michael Brown, Jr. by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson saw the birth of a social movement. A new Webster University exhibition titled, “Ferguson and Beyond: Artistic Responses to a Decade of Social Upheaval 2014-2024,” features art created as a means to process Brown’s death and bring about healing.

How bad does party infighting have to get for a frontrunner to leave a political race? Republican Senator Caleb Rowden knows first-hand. In this “Politically Speaking” interview, he shares his reasons for dropping out of the contest for Missouri Secretary of State — a decision prompted by discord within his party and other issues.

St. Louis resident and pilot Cathy Babis has been flying for more than 50 years. Starting this Saturday, she’ll attempt to do something that no woman has done before — circumnavigate mainland Australia in a seaplane. The journey marks the 100th anniversary of the Royal Australian Air Force’s circumnavigation of the continent. Babis talks with producer Alex Heuer about the trip and its goals of encouraging people from diverse backgrounds in STEM fields and raising awareness around suicide prevention.

A St. Louis County SWAT team used a battering ram to burst into a home in Ferguson. Officers had used the Find My app to trace a pair of stolen AirPods linked to a carjacking to that address. The only problem? The AirPods had been tossed into the street. The family inside had nothing to do with the carjacking and never had the AirPods. This month’s Legal Roundtable convenes to discuss the raid. Attorneys Eric Banks, Dave Roland and Nicole Gorovsky also discuss a white professor suing St. Louis’ historically Black university for racial discrimination, whether the Republican Party has a legal basis to stop an “honorary” Ku Klux Klan member from running as a GOP candidate for governor, and more.

“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.

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.

U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, won the GOP nomination in Illinois' 12th Congressional District for a sixth time earlier this week, warding off a challenge by former Illinois legislator Darren Bailey, R-Xenia. In the Madison County Republican primary for board chairman, treasurer Chris Slusser defeated the embattled incumbent, Kurt Prenzler. STLPR journalists Will Bauer and Brian Munoz discuss the results on the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air.

Missouri isn’t the competitive swing state that it was during the 20th century — or even in the 2000s and 2010s. But even though the state’s voters may continue to back GOP candidates for governor and other statewide posts, they may be amenable to backing a ballot initiative that legalizes abortion. On the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, SLU associate political science professor Steve Rogers and STLPR senior political reporter Jo Mannies discuss what the SLU/YouGov poll results mean for the 2024 election.

A new podcast is taking up the past and present of meth. "Home Cooked: A 50-Year History of Meth in America” begins with a Missouri-heavy exploration of meth use and manufacture as it grew in the 2000s. We talk with its host Olivia Weeks, and Prevent Ed executive director Nichole Dawsey, about how Missouri became known as the "meth capital of America,” and how use of the drug has changed today.

Washington University Professor Ian Bogost says checking email is a source of daily torment. In this episode, he makes the case for why it’s time to give up on email entirely. He also digs into the history of email, its evolution, and how we can better use text communication tools in ways that benefit our lives.