Meet Me

Should St. Louis join the county as its largest municipality? In March, County Executive Sam Page said, yes, it should. One month after the first two episodes of “Meet Me” explored the St. Louis city-county divide and past efforts to reunite, Page reignited the conversation. In this episode of “Meet Me” host Luis Antonio Perez moderates a discussion with three local leaders about the impact of suc...

About half of the school-aged kids in St. Louis don’t attend the city’s public school district. St. Louis parents face an overwhelming number of school options: magnet, neighborhood, gifted, charter, parochial, private or homeschool. Host Luis Antonio Perez walks to school with a family in Ellisville, then sits down with three parents. Each chose different educational paths for their kids: moving...

Missouri Supreme Court ruled unanimously that a referendum challenging the Trump-backed 2025 Missouri First map belongs on the November ballot. This means voters will get a chance to weigh in on the state’s new congressional map but also that congressional districts drawn in 2022 will be in effect for the November election. In this episode of “Meet Me” host Luis Antonio Perez sits with STLPR polit...

Missouri’s Trump-backed congressional map is one court ruling away from being locked in for the 2026 midterms. Host Luis Antonio Perez talks with voters about a confusing congressional primary election, then sits down with STLPR politics correspondent Jason Rosenbaum to unpack the redistricting drama and the upcoming final court battle. Along the way, they revisit why the plot of the ‘90s film “Ai...

St. Louis city leaders voted to spend $255 million from a legal settlement tied to the departure of the Rams football team. Host Luis Antonio Perez revisits the glory days of the St. Louis Rams’ Super Bowl runs and the disappointment of team owner Stan Kroenke moving the team to Los Angeles. He also sits with two St. Louis residents — Brendalyn King and Eli Front — who live in different parts of t...

At the start of every decade the Census redraws America's lines of representation. But in 2025, at President Trump's urging, several states — including Missouri — moved to redraw their congressional maps mid-decade. The result is a high-drama scramble that could reshape who controls the U.S. House. In this episode, host Luis Antonio Perez sits down with St. Louis Public Radio politics corresponden...

St. Louis civic and political leaders want to expand Gateway Arch National Park across the river to East St. Louis, Illinois. It would fulfill the vision of Eero Saarinen whose original design included park grounds on both sides of the river. It would also fulfill the dream of a man who spent his life — and dedicated his fortune — to park expansion, Malcolm W. Martin. Host Luis Antonio Perez visit...

More stories from the "Meet Me" open mic eleven months after an EF3 tornado ripped through St. Louis. Residents were invited to share experiences and reflections about the tornado almost a year later. This piece was produced for the STLPR series TORN - about the struggle to recover from the tornado, the flailing government response, and the fight for north city.

Eleven months after a deadly tornado tore through St. Louis the “Meet Me” team organized a community open mic event. Residents were invited to share experiences and reflections about the tornado almost a year later. Their stories in their words.

The father-and-son team behind Dogtown Pizza, a family-owned frozen pizza business in St. Louis, sit down for a candid conversation. They discuss the early challenges of building the company and how, years later, they worked together to dramatically expand it. They also share a heart-to-heart about the son’s plans to step away from the business and pursue his own dreams.

During a surprise press conference on Thursday, March 12, St. Louis County Executive Sam Page said the region’s residents should embark on a discussion about combining aspects of St. Louis and St. Louis County government — including the city reentering the county as a municipality.

What happens when a border becomes more than a line on a map? In this episode of “Meet Me,” residents living near the St. Louis city-county line describe what it means to live along a divide that shapes daily life. We also dive into one of the most ambitious attempts to reunite the city and county, the Better Together plan from 2019. Through interviews with civic leaders, elected officials and lon...

150-years ago, St. Louis chose to split itself in two. The decision created an enduring divide that still shapes the region today. In this episode of Meet Me host, Luis Antonio Perez, visits a family whose home sits right on the city-county line and explores the origin of the split with historian Andrew Wanko.

In St. Louis, it doesn’t take much to find a divide. There are the invisible lines we draw around politics, high schools — even what toppings belong on a pizza. And then, there are the big divides, like the 150-year-old split between St. Louis city and county. “Meet Me” is all about connecting across divides to find a way forward.