St. Louis on the Air

In 1989, the groundbreaking musical “Some of my best friends are” hit the St Louis theater scene, becoming the first example of queer culture being openly depicted on a St. Louis stage. More than 30 years later, on October 20, much of the original cast reunited for a one-night reunion performance. The play’s writer and co-creator, Joan Lipkin, reflects on the legacy of the production, and what con...

With her new documentary, “Education, Interrupted,” Aisha Sultan encourages audiences to reflect on the ways the coronavirus pandemic radically disrupted learning and children’s development. The film is featured in this year’s St. Louis International Film Festival.

Voters in Missouri and Illinois go to the polls on Tuesday to cast their ballots. We spoke with STLPR journalists Jason Rosenbaum and Sarah Kellogg about the major races and issues.

No county in Missouri has sent more people to the executioner than St. Louis County. Eighteen men sentenced through the county circuit since 1976 have been given the ultimate punishment. Another six people currently sit on death row. Kevin Johnson is among them, and, on November 29, he is scheduled for execution. In his first-ever interview with a reporter, he spoke with the RFT's Monica Obradovic...

What was once an empty lot, Love Bank Park on Cherokee Street has been an active gathering place for the community for years. Now, the park is undergoing a community led redevelopment. Cherokee community members join St. Louis on the Air to discuss the reasons for the redevelopment, as well as Cherokee Community Improvement District vice chair Kaveh Razani. We also address the question of whether...

Scott Joplin — popularly known as the “King of Ragtime”— lived at 2658 A Morgan Street 120 years ago. Plenty has changed since then: Morgan Street was renamed Delmar and the modest apartment and adjacent buildings were transformed into the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site. Since 1991, the museum exhibits have kept Joplin’s music and legacy alive. Cookie Jordan, site administrator at Scott Jo...

Halloween conjures images of ghouls, goblins, ghosts and other spooky creatures. Every year it’s inevitable that you’ll see a child, or adult, dressed up as a witch complete with a broom and pointy hat. But for Jade Moore, the owner of Sincerely, the Craft, mysticism is more than a trend — it’s a connection to heritage.

As a Halloween treat, historical interpreter and Kirkwood resident Anne Williams gives a powerful performance of “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe. Producer Avery Rogers accompanies Williams’ performance with chilling sound design that is sure to send shivers down your spine.

Beginning Tuesday, Planned Parenthood will take over the former Tri-Rivers Family Planning center in Rolla. The Title X health center will offer contraceptives, pregnancy tests and other reproductive health services to residents throughout Missouri. Chief Medical Officer Dr. Colleen McNicholas and nurse practitioner Hailey Kramer discuss their hopes for the new center.

Two schools remain closed in St. Louis in the aftermath of Monday’s deadly shooting. Some attention has turned to the shooter, and the weapon he used in carrying out this attack, which left two dead, a health teacher and a 15-year-old student. STLPR reporter Rachel Lippmann talks about the latest information.

The Tabernacle Church is more than a church. In 2014, leaders there created the Tabernacle Community Development Corporation, which went on to purchase dozens of vacant properties around the JeffVanderLou neighborhood in north St. Louis. Andre Alexander, the church’s lead pastor and president of the non-profit, discusses combining faith and community development, and, what a $1.5 million rehab of...

Toxic masculinity can be described easily: Destructive emotions, misogynistic comments and views, avoiding vulnerability. But what could healthy masculinity look like? ‘UnMasc: A Storytelling Event’ will feature experiences and reflections by 10 men as they take a step back to evaluate moments in their lives in front of an audience. Bryant Antione of The Village PATH and James Meinert of Undo Bias...

In one of several high-profile lawsuits targeting the Biden administration, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt contends that Dr. Anthony Fauci and other government officials worked with social media companies to suppress misinformation about COVID-19 — and in a ruling last week a federal judge approved depositions of the physician and others, including former White House press secretary Jen Ps...

St. Louis remains in mourning as details of yesterday’s school shooting further reveal the trauma experienced by students, staff and their families. In this episode, we talk with STLPR reporter Rachel Lippmann about the latest news involving this tragedy, and we open the segment with the sounds and voices of a vigil held for the victims on Monday night.

Clinical psychologist Marva Robinson shares tools and resources for people dealing with trauma from the Central Visual and Performing Arts High School shooting.

Founded as a response to St. Louis’ “stagnation” in 2001, BioSTL has spent more than two decades fostering high-tech startups in medicine and agriculture. Donn Rubin, founding president and CEO BioSTL, discusses the origin of BioSTL, its success stories, and the upcoming Trilateral AgriFood Symposium with Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

Environmentalists and parents of Jana Elementary students are concerned about a study that shows radioactive contamination from World War II-era nuclear waste in nearby Coldwater Creek. STLPR education reporter Kate Grumke, Missouri Coalition for the Environment Executive Director Jared Opsal and Community Outreach Specialist Christen Commusso discuss what’s next — and steps the Army Corps of Engi...

Jessica Hicklin served 26 years in a maximum security facility for a murder she committed at 16-years-old. While incarcerated, Hicklin taught herself to code and worked on building skills she could utilize once out of prison. Now, nine months after her release, she's excited to bring that same opportunity to others with UnLocked Labs, which she cofounded with Haley Shoaf.

A student and a teacher were killed Monday morning at Central Visual & Performing Arts High School in south St. Louis. Police also shot and killed the 19-year-old suspect. We talk with STLPR Education Reporter Kate Grumke and Midwest Newsroom Managing Editor Holly Edgell about this breaking news story.

One hundred years ago, physicist Arthur Holly Compton made his Nobel prize-winning discovery related to X-rays at Washington University in St. Louis. Erik Henriksen, an associate professor of physics at Washington University, shares how Compton’s discovery paved the way for quantum mechanics and modern day astrophysics.

People living near a company that did work for the Navy had no idea that a toxic solvent, disposed of improperly, had made its way into their drinking water – until a public apology from the state in 2019. Reporters Eric Schmid and Steve Vockrodt discuss their investigation into how and why this happened.

In 1872, the Missouri Republican newspaper heralded the arrival of St. Louis' newest park beneath the headline: "A New Lung to the City." Now, Tower Grove Park is celebrating its 150th anniversary. Local author Amanda Doyle joins the show. Her new book is “Tower Grove Park: Common Ground & Grateful Shade Since 1872.”

Can you gain mindfulness from an app? Enlightenment from a smartphone? That may work for some people, but, for Daigaku Rumme, a Zen master and teacher at the Confluence Zen Center in St. Louis, the journey was one measured in decades of study and devotion. After living as a Zen monk in Japan, Rumme says the wisdom of Zen is as relevant today as it ever was. Rumme joins St. Louis on the Air to disc...

A group of cyclists hopes a recent satirical installation on South Grand brings attention to the issue of pedestrian safety in St. Louis. Cyclist Sean Milford describes the actions he wants to see local leaders take to reduce traffic violence in the region.

Societal norms condition us to fear death and avoid grief, but local groups like the STL Death Cafe and St. Louis’ first End of Life Festival encourage people to lean into such topics. The host of STL Death Cafe, Tracy Gomillion, and grief educator Eileen Wolfington talk about destigmatizing the taboo of talking about death, dying and grief.