St. Louis on the Air

For centuries history has primarily been told from the perspective of white men. What was traditionally considered a “reliable source” has not included the voices of Black people and other people of color. Over the last decade tables have started to turn, and more historians are recognizing there is a lot of work to be done in addressing the interpretation of Black history. Cicely Hunter of the Af...

German immigrants helped shape Missouri’s culture in myriad ways, as detailed in the book “Explore Missouri's German Heritage” and the documentary it inspired. Author W. Arthur Mehrhoff details the people, places and ideas that influenced the Show-Me State’s cultural heritage.

Since the 2018-2019 school year Hazelwood School District’s investigations into student residency have jumped 8-fold over the last five years. These investigations disrupt students – especially those who face unstable housing – and affect their access to a range of educational and other services mandated by federal law. A joint investigation by the Midwest Newsroom and St. Louis Public Radio publi...

Missouri gave Iron County more than $3 million to recover after the devastating December 14, 2005 flood triggered by the bursting of the Taum Sauk reservoir. Today, the money is nearly gone. Its funded projects included a coffee shop and bike park, but they made little impact to repair the damage. Tony Messenger, a columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, investigated the fund and found that mos...

The fastest rising hip hop star from St. Louis is arguably Sexyy Red. The northside native is currently on the road performing the “Hood Hottest Princess Tour.” Arts reporter Chad Davis and “St. Louis on the Air” producer Miya Norfleet share their reflections on the rapper’s hometown stop at Chaifetz Arena on October 30.

Abraham Lincoln had political ambitions from a very early age. NPR Morning Edition co-host Steve Inskeep’s new book, “Differ We Must: How Lincoln Succeeded in a Divided America,” details sixteen interactions with people who differed from him — and who helped him become a savvy politician. The book contains several St. Louis-area connections, including Lincoln’s interactions with Owen Lovejoy of Al...

St. Louis drivers routinely blast through intersections. Is the problem the drivers or is it the infrastructure? We talk about speed humps and other measures being proposed to calm traffic with panelists: St. Louis Community Mobility Committee Co-Chair Liz Kramer; CBB Principal and Transportation Engineer Shawn Leight; and St. Louis Complete Streets Program Manager Scott Ogilvie.

An increased interest in all things spooky means Halloween is right around the corner. Horror films are a perfect way to get into scary mode, but there is room for the genre all times of the year. Alex Rafi, associate professor of media production at St. Louis University, shares what makes horror an important storytelling genre.

Palestinian graduate student Intimaa Abuhelou came to St. Louis University last year to pursue her master's degree. When she last heard from her family in Gaza, they were sheltering at a United Nations Relief and Works Agency school. Intimaa shares what she’s heard from her family in Gaza and what it’s like to be in St. Louis during the most recent Israel-Hamas war. (Editor’s note: No one story ca...

Missouri House Majority Leader Jon Patterson is slated to become speaker in 2025 — and he’s receiving more attention this week after current House Speaker Dean Plocher became embroiled in a controversy over his expense reimbursements. In the debut episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, STLPR Political Correspondent Jason Rosenbaum talks with Plocher. STLPR statehouse and...

More than 35,000 people will be eligible to receive a portion of a $3.1 settlement in St. Ann, a result of litigation filed by civil rights law firm Arch City Defenders. Quentin Thomas describes what it was like to be trapped in a cycle of fines and jail in St. Ann. Maureen Hanlon, a civil litigation staff attorney with Arch City, discusses how St. Ann jailed people solely because they didn't have...

Executives with St. Louis’s Major League Soccer expansion team are hoping the success of a record-setting regular season carries over into the playoffs. St. Louis City SC plays its inaugural postseason match Sunday night at home. STLPR’s Wayne Pratt talks with team President and General Manager Diego Gigliani and Chief Experience Officer Matt Sebek.

Every year, by law, sex offenders in Missouri must post a sign on Halloween that says “no candy or treats at this residence.” But can a law compel someone to erect a sign against their wishes? That question and others are taken up in this month’s edition of St. Louis on the Air’s Legal Roundtable, featuring attorneys Bevis Schock, Connie McFarland-Butler, and Sarah Swatosh. The attorneys also disc...

The deadly shooting one year ago at Central Visual Performing Arts High School left many students and teachers to deal with immeasurable grief. STLPR’s Kate Grumke shares how Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience students are processing difficult emotions as they reflect on the upcoming anniversary of the deadly shooting in the school building they share with CVPA. Also, STLPR’s Chad Davis...

In the year since the school shooting on the Central Visual Performing Arts High School and Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience campus, students are finding ways to process their grief, anger and guilt. CVPA alum Raniyah Taylor and Collegiate alumni Axel Cortes and Mikayla Sanders talk about their experience of that tragedy, how they worked to process their trauma as seniors finishing hig...

Keisha Acres’ daughter Alexzandria Bell was killed in the Oct. 24 shooting at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School. Abbey Kuczka’s mother, CVPA teacher Jean Kuczka, was also killed in the shooting. Keisha and Abbey share their reflections on grief, trauma and hopes for the future, including their wish for people to take the country’s growing mental health crisis more seriously.

Electrical lineman Jason Novak was one of 8 teams sent by Ameren Illinois to compete in the International Lineman's Rodeo earlier this month. Novak and his team didn’t just crush much of the competition, they also raised more than $107,000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

St. Louis Public Radio’s new STL Welcome Kit is a digital guide to help you understand the history, culture and ins and outs of the St. Louis region. It answers questions like: What are those stone towers throughout the city? What’s the deal with paying property taxes on vehicles? How can you take advantage of the city’s vibrant music scene? STLPR engagement editor Lara Hamdan and interim news dir...

Washington University sociologist Adia Harvey Wingfield’s new book, "Gray Areas: How the Way We Work Perpetuates Racism & What We Can Do to Fix it," examines racial biases that impact the hiring, pay, advancement, and sociocultural experience of Black workers in the U.S. Wingfield shares what she learned from seven Black interviewees, who all work in different sectors, and offers practical suggest...

There are 17 proposed ballot items in Missouri that would legalize abortion. They’re a response to the fall of Roe v. Wade, which led to the ban of most abortions. Dr. Colleen McNicholas of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri contends that only one of the 17 initiatives would push abortion access “beyond Roe.” McNicholas discusses how she believes abortion-rights acti...

Azra Selimovic, owner of the new luxury tattoo parlor Azra Tattoos, describes how Bosnian culture is connected to tattoo art and her journey to opening one of Missouri's first Bosnian-owned tattoo parlors. She also shares the story of how a bee helped her family escape from war-torn Bosnia in 1993 — and inspired her new business.

Earlier this month, St. Louis city workers cleared a homeless encampment outside City Hall. The forced removal of the people who lived there highlighted a yearslong struggle to craft policies that assist homeless people. St. Louis Alderwoman Alisha Sonnier has proposed an “Unhoused Bill of Rights.” Sonnier discusses the legislation that would, among other things, change the process for approving s...

Alisha Blackwell-Calvert didn’t plan on becoming an expert in wine. Now she’s a sommelier at Cinder House in St. Louis. She discusses her picks for favorite Missouri wines, and explains how the state’s climate gives many local wines a distinctive “musky” flavor. She also pours from her deep knowledge of wine varietals, and reveals what makes a good non-alcoholic wine work.

“Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom” is back on NBC this month. The TV program has deep St. Louis ties. Longtime former co-host Marlin Perkins was director of the St. Louis Zoo for eight years, and he co-founded the Endangered Wolf Center in Eureka, Mo. Perkins’ daughter Marguerite Garrick talks about her father’s legacy. Peter Gros, who co-hosts today’s “Wild Kingdom,” talks about the show’s focus on...

Violinist and mezzo-soprano Tona Brown lives life on her own terms. That determination is the subject of a new memoir narrated by St. Louis-based writer Chris King, “Tonacity: The Tona Brown Story.” Brown has toured the country, taught and released music, and later became the first openly transgender person to perform in front of a sitting U.S. president, President Barack Obama, in 2011.