St. Louis on the Air

Seventy-seven years ago, former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill visited Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, and delivered his famous “Iron Curtain” speech. In the 1960’s, college leaders sought to commemorate Churchill’s visit so they devised a plan to rebuild a church in Fulton that had been destroyed twice in London: once by a fire in the 1600s and then again during World War II. D...

Mary Oscko and her family were blindsided by her stage 4 cancer diagnosis in December 2013. She had just finished her nursing degree and was set to walk the stage that same month. Instead of taking up nursing, she began advocating for victims of radioactive waste exposure that resulted from the Manhattan Project. Mary passed away February 20, 2023.

Rolla, Missouri, boasts one of the biggest St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in the Midwest. STLPR correspondent Jonathan Ahl and Missouri S&T historian Larry Gragg dig into Rolla St. Patrick’s Day history and the unique traditions that still continue today.

A majority of school nurses in Missouri know students who have trouble affording period products — and who sometimes miss school because of their period. That’s according to a new survey published around the time Missouri school districts began offering free menstrual care through the new “Feminine Hygiene Products Grant.” Survey author Anne Sebert Kuhlmann and Jennings Senior High School Principa...

While St. Louis doesn’t have as many first-generation Irish immigrants as it used to, there are still strong cultural ties in the city. Eimear Arkins, a St. Louis transplant from County Clare, Ireland, is working to strengthen those ties. On this St. Patrick’s Day, she shares her thoughts on local holiday customs and how Americans can engage with Irish culture in meaningful ways.

Opera Theatre of St. Louis will present three short operas, all by artists of color who’ve worked largely outside the opera world. The works address the roots of Black, queer ballroom culture, three important inventors who were Black women, and the Supreme Court battle over a rock band’s attempt to reappropriate a racial slur. Mezzo soprano Olivia Johnson and tenor Matthew Pearce talk with us, as...

On Monday, Missouri lawmakers return from their Spring Break. For Missouri’s Republicans, the agenda they’re returning to is squarely focused on restricting the rights of transgender people. Among the bills being debated are those that would prohibit trans girls from playing girls sports and ban gender-affirming health care for minors. Jason Rosenbaum, St. Louis Public Radio political corresponden...

Hospitals that serve predominantly rural areas have long struggled to find ways to have the resources of big-city health care systems without going as far as merging and losing local control. Phelps Health in Rolla is joining a collaborative run by St. Louis-based BJC HealthCare to thread that needle. STLPR’s Jonathan Ahl explains how the partnership will work.

When it comes to St. Louis-made beers, there’s a special place in Iain Shaw’s heart for Civil Life’s American Brown Ale. A staff writer for Sauce Magazine, his new essay “An Ode to Civil Life’s American Brown Ale” sings the praises of the popular local ale. Shaw discusses his long-standing fascination with the ale and its status as Civil Life’s flagship drink, and Dylan Mosely, head brewer at Civi...

Students Bryanna Love and April Shepard reflect on healing in the wake of a deadly shooting at their high school. They now advocate for gun control measures that they believe will prevent future tragedies.

March 14 is popularly known as ‘Pi Day.’ But in true St. Louis fashion, we do things a little differently. Here we call it 314 Day. It’s a day of civic pride that is shared throughout multiple communities in the region. Ohun Ashe, who founded For the Culture STL to celebrate Black-owned businesses in St. Louis, and Staci Static, a radio veteran, community engagement consultant and host of ‘The Sta...

St. Louis has an array of award-winning restaurants and a niche foodie scene, but lacks a selection of late-night dining. Nathan Wright and Jason Bockman of Up Late are here to fill that void — and the stomachs of St. Louisans.

St. Louis saw its sixth warmest February on record this year and dangerous weather patterns happening more frequently. The region is no stranger to strange weather, but doesn’t it feel particularly stranger than usual? Meteorologist Matt Beitscher with the National Weather Service - St. Louis breaks down the data and shares how we can all become weather-aware.

In May 2022 the City of St. Louis halted its plan to clear a homeless encampment near Lacledge's Landing. But, last week, eviction notices appeared once again at the encampment. On Friday, March 10, city workers and bulldozers cleared the site. St. Louis Public Radio’s Britny Cordera reports from the scene of the encampment, and discusses what comes next for its former residents.

Highly politicized issues have dominated local school board races the last few years. Education advocates encourage parents and community members to engage with school boards in an effort to keep the focus on what’s best for students, rather than on the priorities of a select few.

St. Louis based cartoonist Steenz Stewart took over drawing Mark Tatulli’s “Heart of the City” in 2020. Now, the comic has replaced “Dilbert” in the Washington Post after its creator Scott Adams made racist remarks on his YouTube channel.

Many urban farms are started to address food insecurity or provide organic options to communities with few options for obtaining fresh produce. For St. Louisan Leah Lee, urban gardening and farming is an act of service. She founded Growing Food Growing People with a goal to teach people, Black women specifically, how to tend to crops to feed themselves and their family.

Teri Clemens won seven national championships as Washington University’s volleyball coach. She is now making a name for herself, as both a player and coach, on the pickleball court. Clemens discusses her heartbreaking decision to leave volleyball coaching in 1998, her years spent recovering from multiple serious health conditions, and how pickleball has become not just her competitive obsession, b...

Suzanne Galvin spends most of her time working as an attorney at Thompson Corbin LLP in St. Louis where she’s a partner along with her husband, John Galvin. The Galvins make a habit of traveling to sites of destruction caused by natural or manmade disasters to provide crisis counseling to victims of trauma. Most recently Suzanne and her husband traveled to Poland and Ukraine to serve as crisis cou...

Judy Heumann was a quadriplegic who, throughout her life, was instrumental in the progress of disability rights issues. She died at age 75 this past weekend. We honor her legacy by re-visiting her conversation with Sarah Fenske in 2020. They discuss the documentary film “Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution” in which Judy was featured. Colleen Starkloff, co-founder of the Starkloff Disability Instit...

Lately, it seems, sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll has been suffering an identity crisis. St Louis musicians Daemon Murray and John Covelli discuss their success in the music industry after their personal triumphs over substance abuse.

It was a dream-come-true weekend for St. Louis soccer fans. St. Louis City SC opened CityPark with a 3-1 victory over Charlotte FC on Saturday. This segment features an audio postcard that delivers the sounds and excitement of the weekend, and a conversation with STLPR’s Jeremy D. Goodwin and Wayne Pratt.

Celebrating Black businesses does not have to be reserved just for Black History Month. Ohun Ashe is behind the online directory For The Culture STL and her video series ‘28 Days of Black-owned St. Louis’ shows the diversity of location and industry of local Black-owned businesses.

Under threat of possible prosecution, Missouri school districts have pulled hundreds of books from their shelves since last summer. Now the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri is challenging a new state law that bans what some deem “explicit sexual material” in school libraries and classrooms. Clayton school librarian Tom Bober discusses the legal danger facing librarians and teachers and w...

Traffic violence has grabbed headlines the last few weeks. The violence has claimed four young lives, taken a teen’s legs, and injured four people. Scott Ogilvie, the City of St. Louis’ Complete Streets program manager, discusses a new law that allocates millions of COVID relief dollars toward street and pedestrian safety improvements. And NextSTL Editor Richard Bose talks about what has led to su...