St. Louis on the Air

Local non-profit Unlimited Play designed and built dozens of accessible playgrounds in the St. Louis area and many more across the country. Founder Natalie Mackay talks about what makes playgrounds truly inclusive and fun for all kids.

Video games were once synonymous with cartridges. A St. Louis game developer, Graphite Lab, is turning back the clock with its release of “Mr. Run and Jump.” Out on modern consoles from Playstation, Xbox and Nintendo, a version of the game is also being released for the Atari 2600 — and, for the first time since 1990, Atari is releasing the new game on a cartridge. Graphite Lab developer John Miku...

Debbie Njai, the St. Louis-based founder of Black People Who Hike, is being honored with a portrait that’s part of a national art exhibition focused on Americans who are improving their communities. In this episode, Njai and her portraitist discuss the healing aspects of nature and the ways art can be used as a vehicle for inspiration and education.

The St. Louis Shakespeare Festival is hitting the road, with its production of “The Merry Wives of Windsor.” Performers Christina Yancy and Joel Moses discuss performing in a different park every night, and how they put on a production (complete with laugh track) while playing multiple characters in a 90-minute, sitcom-inspired version of Shakespeare’s legendary comedy.

The St. Louis Queer Support Helpline — or SQSH — has experienced an increase in calls for help finding resources and community. Executive Director Luka Cai shares how SQSH’s goals are shaped by the needs of the local queer community — and how infrastructural changes as well as cultural shifts would make for a more welcoming and healthy St. Louis.

For the first time in its history, the St. Louis Art Museum (SLAM) has curated an exhibition of work by modern Indigenous American artists. “Action-Abstraction Redefined” showcases 20th-century pieces paired with an audio guide featuring their creators. Alex Marr, the museum’s associate curator of Native American Art, talks with STLPR senior reporter Jeremy D. Goodwin about SLAM’s history of colle...

The Hicks Dome volcano sits dormant in southern Illinois. While there’s no chance it will erupt anytime soon, geologist Daniel Hummer says researchers are interested in the site because it’s concentrated with rare Earth minerals and radioactive materials.

Several new restaurants and bars have opened their doors this summer, with offerings ranging from high-minded cocktail combinations to Chinese street food. Sauce Magazine Executive Editor Meera Nagarajan breaks down her picks for what to try at three newly opened eateries and bars: Maryland House by Brennan’s, Dumplings & Tea, and B Juiced.

St. Louis on the Air’s Legal Roundtable convenes to address a lawsuit targeting St. Louis’ ailing 911 system, a $6.1 million settlement issued to a former guidance counselor, a major ruling in the ongoing defamation lawsuit against The Gateway Pundit’s Jim Hoft, and more. Joining the discussion is attorney Mark Smith, a former associate vice chancellor and dean at Washington University; Attorney E...

Against the backdrop of the new feature film “Joy Ride,” three St. Louis residents who grew up in Metro St. Louis and near Kansas City, Missouri, talk about their personal experiences as Asian American transracial adoptees navigating identity, family and belonging.

Health care facilities in states with abortion bans, like Missouri, find that fewer doctors consider coming to these states to complete their OB-GYN residencies. Washington University physicians Dr. David Eisenberg and Dr. Jeannie Kelly have witnessed this firsthand. In this episode, they also discuss the effects of Missouri’s abortion ban on maternal health outcomes.

The St. Louis region experienced historic flooding one year ago, with effects that continue today. We discuss what’s been learned and done since then to prevent a repeat of such damage.

“Eliza” is a new historical short film about Eliza Rone, a woman enslaved – and eventually freed – by a prominent 19th century family in St. Louis. Co-writers and co-directors Delisa Richardson and Dan Steadman discuss their use of historical documents and imagination to craft the story and characters in the film.

Artist Lu Ray Waldemer has first hand experience dealing with and witnessing blown tires due to raggedy St. Louis streets. Waldemer would complain to friends and family until she decided to do something about it by starting the “Mosaic Pothole Project.”

St. Louis’ commission on reparations began meeting monthly this summer to confront the vast and layered damage of slavery, segregation and discrimination. Commission members Gwen Moore and Kayla Reed discuss the need for reparations, the challenges presented by historic injustice, and their thoughts on what form reparations may ultimately take in St. Louis.

In this encore conversation, Ricky Hughes talks about how he founded St. Louis Run Crew with inclusion in mind — specifically to introduce Black and brown people to running and to create a space where they can be comfortable. While most running clubs are inherently inclusive, Hughes would often find himself the only person of color in local running groups. He says the crew — which meets in Kiener...

After a Rolla Pride event in June that included a drag performance, people packed a city council meeting wanting to weigh in on a proposed ordinance that would limit public performance content. STLPR Rolla correspondent Jonathan Ahl shares notes about that meeting and the obscenities ordinance under consideration.

The Missouri Botanical Garden has drawn crowds wanting to revel in the smell of the aptly named corpse flower, the amorphophallus titanum, since it first bloomed there in 2012. Its offensive odor has been likened to rotting garbage, dirty diapers and, yes… a dead body. Horticulturist Emily Colletti has cared for the garden's collection of corpse flowers for 21 years. She shared what makes the odor...

Podcast Description: In 2018, writer Robert Langellier and botanist Neal Humke cut down every tree across 19 acres in the Ozarks in Pioneer Forest. Their aim was to restore one of the Ozarks' rarest ecosystems: a glade. While it may seem counterintuitive to cut down trees in a time of climate change, restoring glades helps ensure biodiversity. Langellier discusses his opinion piece in the New York...

Cinema St. Louis has curated films with a local connection since 2000. Now in its twenty-third iteration, the showcase has grown to include documentary and narrative shorts as well as feature-length films, experimental film and animations, and master classes for anyone interested in filmmaking in the region. Chris Clark, Cinema St. Louis' artistic director, breaks down the upcoming showcase, and d...

A ruling by the Illinois Supreme Court this week opened a path for courts to eliminate the use of cash bail as a condition for release before trial. The decision gives courts two months to prepare for the shift to end cash bail in mid-September. Chief Circuit Court Judge Andrew Gleeson says the time frame is akin to “turning the Titanic,” but he’s also hopeful the change may lead to greater equity...

Appointed by Gov. Mike Parson, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore has been on the job as the city’s top prosecutor since May 30. He took over after Kim Gardner resigned earlier than expected. In his first six weeks on the job, Gore has increased staffing levels and begun to deal with a backlog of cases. In this extended interview, he discusses that and much more, including how he’s appointed out...

St. Louis’ Office of Violence Prevention partners with several non-profits that tackle the systemic causes behind violence. Among other resources, organizations provide quality mental health services, supportive re-entry for former offenders and harm reduction. Director Wil Pinkney shares how St. Louisans can get involved.

St. Louis has 16 sister city relationships. The oldest was formed more than six decades ago with Stuttgart, Germany; the most recent, with Rosario, Argentina. We talk with the people who maintain St. Louis’ connection with Rosario and a city called St. Louis in Senegal, and discuss the umbrella organization that houses all 16 sister city relationships.

On July 8, 113 costumed singers belted out the melody to Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5” in a choreographed, frenetic performance that ultimately won gold at the International Barbershop Harmony Society Convention — the fifth championship for the St. Charles-based Ambassadors of Harmony barbershop chorus. The chorus’ co-directors, Jim Henry and Jonny Moroni, recount how they planned and pulled together fo...