St. Louis on the Air

Supporters of beefalo, a cattle and bison crossbreed, say there is big potential to provide better, healthier meat by combining the best qualities of the two species. STLPR Correspondent Jonathan Ahl shares why proponents believe it’s the future of U.S. meat production — and what critics have to say.

St. Louis attorney Michael Loynd’s nonfiction debut, “The Watermen,” explores the birth of American swimming through the remarkable rise of Charles Daniels, an underdog from a scandal-marred background who became the first American swimmer to win an Olympic gold medal.

If you’ve used an at-home test to figure out whether you had COVID-19, you may have a patient at Barnes-Jewish Hospital to thank. More than 6,500 patients there were enrolled in clinical trials to evaluate COVID-19 tests. Washington University’s Dr. Stacey House, the principal investigator in those trials, discusses how her team handled 24 trials in just two years.

Deon Johnson became the first Black bishop and openly gay leader of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri in 2020. He discusses his journey from Barbados to the Midwest, his push for inclusivity in the church and how he hopes to combat falling church membership.

St. Louis residents are finding abandoned pet bunnies across the city — and few rescues have the capacity to take them in. The founder of Dolly’s Dream Home rescue, Katie Kottmeyer, explains what got her into rabbits and what people should know before adopting or buying them.

St. Louis residents are finding abandoned pet bunnies across the city — and few rescues have the capacity to take them in. The founder of Dolly’s Dream Home rescue, Katie Kottmeyer, explains what got her into rabbits and what people should know before adopting or buying them.

Ashley “Lux” Elzinga spent 15 years as an on-air personality for 105.7 FM the Point. She discusses why she left her dream job, how she dealt with toxic online comments and her new direction as a social media content creator promoting medical marijuana brands.

Since 1969, members of the city’s Lafayette Square neighborhood have invited people into their homes and gardens as a neighborhood fundraiser. Two residents discuss how far the neighborhood has come since those days — and how even small city lots can contain amazing gardens.

One day after the revelation of bribery charges against three members of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen (including its president), the Board convened, with a new leader presiding. STLPR Justice Correspondent Rachel Lippmann discusses the allegations against the officials — and the response from City Hall.

KWMU (now St. Louis Public Radio) made its broadcast debut on June 2, 1972. In this episode, we talk with longtime STLPR staffer Mary Edwards about the history of the station, and we hear from CEO Tina Pamintuan about her vision for the future.

Longtime Webster-Kirkwood Times editor Don Corrigan discusses his new book about Webster Groves, what the documentary “16 in Webster” got right about the bucolic suburb, and whether Webster citizens are right to block new development.

The venture capital space is overwhelmingly represented by white-owned companies. A St. Louis-based firm is hoping to change that by investing its millions in underrepresented founders whose ideas are being overlooked. Ascend Venture Capital founder Dan Conner and partner Yinka Faleti discuss how VC firms can increase diversity — and make huge returns at the same time.

An international adoption has entangled a Missouri family into the legal systems of two countries. Adam and Jill Trower discuss their efforts to bring home a four-year-old orphan named Luke, who is currently living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and why they’re suing the U.S. government to do it.

The musical is the first pre-Broadway tryout to come to St. Louis. Original screenwriter Robert Mark Kamen joined the show to talk about how the process of its creation sold him on musicals and whether “wax on, wax off” will get a solo track.

Missouri lawmakers recently passed a bill to restrict pharmacists from telling patients about risks around ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine sulfate — both sometimes used to treat COVID-19 despite having no FDA clearance for that use. St. Louis University sociologist Liz Chiarello explains how the bill fits into recent political battles affecting pharmacists.

While the nation reels from the mass shooting in an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, Dr. Kristen Mueller reflects on the amount of everyday firearm injury she sees as an emergency care physician in St. Louis — and what it would take to reduce the toll.

The Legal Roundtable discusses how two lawsuits over the pandemic-era switch to Zoom classes turned out very differently. Panelists also discuss a pair of big jury verdicts, Sunshine law litigation involving former Gov. Eric Greitens and former Attorney General Josh Hawley, and more.

The Missouri Historical Society’s two-year-old See STL Tour program offers two dozen walking and bus tours that go far beyond what you might expect. Tour guides Amanda Clark and Josiah Gundersen discuss what people take from the tours and how they each fell in love with the city’s more unusual stories, locations and characters.

Washington County Prosecutor Josh Hedgecorth recently filed a motion to vacate the conviction of Michael Politte, who spent 23 years behind bars for allegedly murdering his mother. Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker, who is the only prosecutor in Missouri to successfully deploy the state’s new wrongful conviction law, discusses what could happen next.

Afghan refugee students are missing school because St. Louis Public School District doesn’t have enough drivers to fill their bus routes. Without a car, driver’s license or strong grasp of English, many parents are unable to get their children to school without a bus. Sue Scott, a volunteer with Welcome Neighbor, joins the show to talk about how missed bus routes affect the Afghan family she’s par...

Jamestown Mall has sat vacant in unincorporated St. Louis County for about just over a decade. Now that the St. Louis County Council has approved a plan for its demolition, urban planner and consultant Bob Lewis discusses what could happen next — and why the mall was doomed to fail. (Correction: The former Jamestown Mall is located in unincorporated St. Louis County, not Florissant, MO.)

Summer days can present an opportunity to explore fictitious worlds or delve into a gripping historical epic, and St. Louis’ local booksellers are on the case. Mark Pannebecker of Spine Bookstore and Cafe, Ymani Wince of Noir Bookshop and Joice Carrawell of Little Readers reveal their summer reading lists, including adult novels and children’s books.

Starting July 1, Missouri's inmates will no longer be able to receive personal mail. Instead, they'll get photocopies. St. Louis Public Radio reporter Shahla Farzan shares what she's learned about the new policy — including concerns from criminal justice advocates who worry the policy will only further isolate inmates from the outside world.

St. Louis-based Fulfill Food & Beverages recently notched $1 million in annual sales — largely due to the popularity of its Karviva (formerly Karuna) prebiotic smoothie and juice beverages. Founder and CEO Angela Zeng talks about the company and her entrepreneurial journey.

Gabe Montesanti came to St. Louis for grad school at Wash U, and quickly found herself sucked into the roller derby scene. She discusses her new memoir, her complicated family relationships and how she owes everything to a near-catastrophic injury.