St. Louis on the Air

Thousands of previously unreleased documents reveal the federal government knew about the dangers of radioactive waste in the St. Louis area but consistently downplayed them. Reporter Allison Kite talks about government negligence and advocate Dawn Chapman shares how the revelations could put needed pressure on federal agencies to finally clean up.

In her new book, “Pop Culture Happy Hour” co-host Aisha Harris shares her experiences as a Black, suburban 90s-kid turned-30-something, city-dwelling journalist while digging into the shifting ways we interact with pop culture — and how it touches us in ways we may not even realize.

Before it was a shopping center, the area occupied by the Promenade at Brentwood was known as Evans Howard Place. On July 8, a new memorial was unveiled in the shopping center. Former resident Allison Reed shares her experience growing up there, and writer and researcher Beth Miller discusses the history of Evans Howard Place, and why a previous memorial was seen as an insufficient way to honor th...

In late June, a four-alarm fire destroyed the converted church that housed Sk8 Liborious, a beloved indoor skate park and gathering place in north St. Louis. The picture of long term recovery for Sk8 Liborius is still unclear. Its leaders had put together a nonprofit organization hoping to become a community center and provide opportunities for teens to gain technical career skills and discover ar...

At the All-Star break the St. Louis Cardinals are in last place in the NL Central and are on track for their worst finish in nearly a century. MLB.com columnist Will Leitch discusses the Cardinals’ woes and how the second half may unfold. Leitch is also a contributing editor for New York Magazine and the founding editor of Deadspin.

Young students with Vote16MO are working to lower the voting age to 16 years in Missouri for local elections. They want a say in school board decisions that impact their lives.

The need for child care is putting pressure on families, the economy, and care centers themselves. According to recent research by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, families are forced to make tough decisions between paying hundreds of dollars a month for a child care center — which often means a substantial portion of a family’s monthly income — or leaving the workforce all together to be wi...

U.S. Rep. Cori Bush isn’t waiting for the courts to determine whether the commonly used and safe abortion drug mifepristone should remain legal in the U.S. She and the Rev. Love Holt, an abortion doula and community engagement manager with Pro-Choice Missouri, say that protecting medication abortion access is a public health and racial justice issue.

Two recent storm-related deaths call attention to delayed 911 response times in St. Louis and St. Louis County. Researcher Karishma Furtado shares what data reveals about the region’s overwhelmed emergency response network.

On June 18th, a shooting at an unsanctioned party at an empty office building in downtown St. Louis left 11 teens injured and one 17-year-old dead, sparking outrage and calls for action to address youth violence. Two St. Louis teens, Justin Boyle and Jeremiah Miller, say they need more than extended hours at recreation centers to feel safe, and they share their lived experiences as young Black men...

Two recent, major legal rulings in federal court involving the First Amendment have Missouri connections. Greg Magarian, a law professor and First Amendment scholar at Washington University, breaks down the implications of cases involving whether a business owner can discriminate against gay customers, and whether the government is allowed to ask social media companies to remove content spreading...

St. Charles County’s population has jumped about 35% since 2000, to 410,000 people, and overseeing that growth has been St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann. He recently announced he would not seek a sixth term. In this excerpt from STLPR’s Politically Speaking podcast, Ehlmann discusses his career and his concerns about how the county’s growth is tied to the perception among some that St. L...

Why are certain areas in St. Louis more susceptible to poor air quality? A researcher and an environmental advocate discuss the history of environmental injustice in St. Louis when it comes to the air we breathe and highlight solutions that can be achieved both on an individual and systemic level. We also hear from a meteorologist about how St. Louis’ air quality has changed over time.

Landscape architect Ted Spaid, founding partner of SWT Design, has designed over 1,000 parks in the St. Louis region. Two of his most talked-about projects are the new basketball courts coming to Tower Grove Park and Forest Park. Spaid shares how he creates green spaces that are welcoming and satisfies the needs of people that compliments the flow of nature.

UK-born, St. Louis resident Jon-Paul Wheatley turned his fascination with crafting soccer balls into more than a half million followers on TikTok. Wheatley discusses how he turned a pandemic hobby into trips to Qatar, the World Cup, and crafting soccer balls for the likes of superstar Lionel Messi and FIFA.

Before the Major League Soccer season even started, 13 experts for MLS.com predicted that St. Louis City SC would either finish last or second-to-last in the Western Conference. Sports journalist Julian Trejo explains the keys to the team's success just past the midway point of the season.

Nick Lammering achieved St. Louis celebrity status after he was spotted on the Apple broadcast of a St. Louis City SC game in mid-March wearing toasted ravioli headgear. The fame has turned into a side-hustle of selling t-rav merch and dreaming up even more ways to share his passion for St. Louis, soccer and toasted ravioli.

Forbes arts and travel contributor Chadd Scott discusses how large arts institutions support the arts and artists in St. Louis — and how those support systems compare with other cities in the Midwest. Two recent recipients of regional artist grants, musician Kasimu Taylor and video and performance artist Carlos Salazar-Lermont, discuss realities around funding specific projects and sustaining them...

While St. Louis’ artist communities and art districts are nationally recognized— and homegrown foundations have uplifted the arts for decades — there are still artists that fall through the cracks and struggle to connect with the greater St. Louis art scene. Instead of waiting for a seat at the table, multidisciplinary artist and St. Louis native Brock Seals decided to build his own with his event...

In a ruling issued last week, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a southwest Missouri judge improperly jailed two kids as part of a bitter child custody dispute. The case involves two children who were semi-finalists on the reality show “America's Got Talent.” That case and more were discussed on the Legal Roundtable edition of the show with attorneys Bevis Schock, Connie McFarland-Butler...

On July 2, the East St. Louis Historical Society and the Illinois State Historical Society will dedicate a new historical marker commemorating the 1917 East St. Louis Race Massacre. The new marker is significant, and Will Shannon, executive director of the St. Clair County Historical Society, and Jaye Willis, of the East St. Louis Historical Society, discuss the continuing efforts to educate peopl...

Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis are using nature as inspiration to combat the growing problem of plastic pollution. With a new $3.6 million grant, the team is working to develop sustainably sourced plastics by mimicking natural materials like spider silk fibers.

Chris Dunn has spent more than 30 years in prison for a crime that witnesses now say he did not commit. Shortly before resigning from office, St. Louis’ top prosecutor, Kim Gardner, filed a motion to vacate Dunn’s conviction. But new Circuit Attorney Gabriel Gore withdrew the motion explaining that he needed to review the details himself. We listen back a conversation about Dunn’s case and get a n...

This year, Counterpublic’s art exhibition deals with the tragic histories of St. Louis and the country. The displacement of Indigenous people and loss of their land is showcased through billboards, films and other art installations. Beyond sparking reflection and conversation through art, Counterpublic is working with the Osage Nation to help return the entirety of the sacred Sugarloaf Mound to tr...

On May 16th, Jeopardy! contestants faced a clue for "A recipe completion card game in which you try to build the perfect hot dog is called 'turn for' this." None of the competitors got it — but in St. Louis, the brother-and-brother team of Phill and Jake Wamser, creators of the rummy-style card game “Turn for the Wurst,” knew their fortunes had taken a turn for the better. Phil Wamser discusses wh...