St. Louis on the Air

NPR political editor Domenico Montanaro joins St. Louis Public Radio’s Shahla Farzan to discuss some of the latest hot-button political issues, how he goes about covering politics in increasingly politically contentious times and how teaching high school English prepared him to go on air.

Free Comic Book Day dates back to 2002 and was started to help bring new readers into independent comic book stores. Local shops and libraries across the city and county will observe the event and offer visitors free comics. Apotheosis Comics & Lounge owner and resident comic book expert Martin Casas; Jim Mahfood, a St. Louis native who worked on “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”; and Maggie Thu...

St. Louis Public Radio’s Shahla Farzan takes a closer look at the biggest regional story of the week: the indictment and resignation of former St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger. Joining the conversation is St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter Jacob Barker, one of the journalists behind much of the reporting that detailed reasons why Stenger was indicted.

For native St. Louisan Bret Narayan, April was a big month. The first-term 24th Ward Alderman was sworn into office and is believed to be the first Asian Pacific American to serve on the city’s governing board. And with May being Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Narayan is partnering with the Office of the St. Louis City Recorder of Deeds to celebrate the contributions of some of his fellow...

Seven-time Emmy winner Ed Asner and playwright Jeff Cohen discuss the play "The Soap Myth," a play about an elderly Holocaust survivor on a mission, with "St. Louis on the Air" guest host Sharon Stevens.

A new report by the St. Louis County Affordable Housing Trust Fund Task Force outlines various “place-based” and “mobility-based” strategies to create pathways for very low- and low-income families to move into neighborhoods with existing opportunity. Guest host Sharon Stevens discusses the report in depth with Chris Krehmeyer and Adrian Bracy, co-chairs of the task force. Chris Krehmeyer is the C...

In the wide and varied world of entertainment, there are standup comedy shows, there are author readings – and then there’s the “literary reading comedy mashup.” That’s how the staff of the St. Louis-based literary magazine Boulevard is billing next week’s Three Writers and a Comedian shindig at the Schlafly Tap Room. Local writers Christopher Candice and Gabe Montesanti as well as Tina Dybal, the...

Composting and combating food waste are the subjects of this month's Sound Bites segment with Sauce Magazine. Sauce managing editor Heather Hughes and Total Organics Recycling marketing coordinator Sara Koziatek join guest host Sharon Stevens to explain what composting is, how it helps the environment and how some local restaurants are making it a priority to keep food scraps out of landfills.

For one weekend every year, the J.C. Penney Conference Center at the University of Missouri-St. Louis transforms into an art and book lover’s paradise. And this year, people can take it all in for free. Local artists Erin Blumer and Juliette Travous, who will be giving watercolor and pastel demonstrations during the final day of the fair, and the Mercantile Library’s fine arts curator, Julie Dunn-...

The St. Louis region continues to buzz with questions about the Better Together proposal that would consolidate St. Louis and St. Louis County governments if the plan is approved in a statewide vote next year. St. Louis Public Radio's Sarah Fentem headed to another Midwestern city, one that went through a consolidation effort five decades ago, in search of some answers.

Following a newsy 24 hours since the federal indictment of now-former St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger, St. Louis Public Radio politics editor Fred Ehrlich discusses what's ahead for county government.

Executive producer Alex Heuer talks with St. Louis Public Radio reporters Jason Rosenbaum and Rachel Lippmann, along with University of Missouri-St. Louis political scientist Dave Robertson regarding the resignation and indictment of former St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger.

The team behind “Gentlemen of Vision” expand on their trip to Cartagena, Colombia, where they showed the film and talked to Colombian audiences about St. Louis and the similar challenges that face disadvantaged young people in both places.

Guest host Sharon Stevens talks about the breaking news with St. Louis Public Radio political reporter Jason Rosenbaum, UMSL political scientist Dave Robertson and Washington University law professor Peter Joy.

Matt Blunt served as the Republican governor of the Show-Me State from 2005 to 2009. Since leaving office, he's become the president of the American Automotive Policy Council.

STLPR's Beth Hundsdorfer goes behind the headlines for a closer look at a newly published report.

St. Louis Public Radio reporter Jonathan Ahl talks with CHARIS – The St. Louis Women’s Chorus artistic director Stuart Chapman Hill and members Wendy Bell and Emma Young about their spring season, community involvement and collaborations with other choruses and community arts and social services organizations.

Saturday is Independent Bookstore Day, and many of the bookstores in the St. Louis region and beyond are going all out for the celebration of an industry that is much more than business.

The national dialogue about the immigrants and refugees seeking a better life in the U.S. is fraught with strong opinions and divisive rhetoric. But some St. Louisans are finding ways to turn their concern about what is happening at the border into action and service. A group of professors at Webster University have been involved in those efforts and have now taken two trips, along with groups of...

Comedian and former “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno delves into his career, what he makes of the rise in streaming services and waning of appointment viewing and more.

Cahokia Mounds – the peaceful, sprawling historic site that sits just outside Collinsville, Illinois – was once home to thousands of people. Contemporary understandings of what life was like within the thriving ancient civilization continue to evolve and expand, and Washington University paleoethnobiologist Gayle Fritz’s new research is part of that. Her new book “Feeding Cahokia: Early Agricultur...

The year 2018 was a record one for organ transplants in the U.S., with more than 36,000 people receiving new organs. But there is still great need for more donors: About 8,000 people die each year because the organs they need are not donated in time. Diane Brockmeier, president and CEO of Mid-America Transplant, and Dr. Will Chapman, chief of transplant surgery at Washington University and Barnes-...

Leonard Slatkin discusses his return to St. Louis ahead of a concert celebrating the 50th anniversary of his debut with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.

Our monthly Legal Roundtable got underway as St. Louis Public Radio reporter Jonathan Ahl delved into a variety of recent local and national stories pertaining to the law with Bill Freivogel, journalism professor at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, Mark Smith, associate vice chancellor of students at Washington University, Marie Kenyon, director of the Peace and Justice Commission of the A...

Ever been dumped in an ice cream shop? Writer and artist Kayla “KVtheWriter” Thompson has, and she can assure the uninitiated that it’s not sweet. Did the experience ruin ice cream for her? Sure. But it also became the basis of her upcoming EP titled “Love Sucks!” St. Louis Public Radio reporter Jeremy D. Goodwin talks with Thompson about her curation of written, visual and aural depictions of her...