St. Louis on the Air

Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Tony Messenger discusses his first book, which expands on his columns about debtors prisons and the fight to reform the court fees and fines that trap Americans in a cycle of poverty

For years, Missouri was known for its problem dog breeders. Advocates explain what changed after legislation cracked down on the industry — and where they still see room for improvement in the Show Me State.

After attending Clayton High School, comedian Jo Firestone went to college and then to New York City, where she’s lived for more than a decade. But one of her current gigs, as a writer, producer and co-star in a hit TV show, puts her back in the Midwest in a fictional version of Marquette, Michigan.

It’s been 40 years since the first official HIV/AIDS case was diagnosed in the U.S. But researchers now know the 40-year mark is likely an incomplete understanding of the disease’s beginnings.

St. Louis has $41 million in sales tax revenue that could be used to build a north-south MetroLink expansion. But is that what the city’s public transit system needs? Transit scholar Kate Lowe and community members weigh in.

Shopping local can make a big difference for the region, as the Federal Reserve’s Bill Rodgers explains. He’s joined by Debra Hunter, co-owner of Provisions St. Louis, and St. Louisans sharing their favorite local spots.

Approximately 50 St. Louis families lose their homes to tax foreclosure each year, even though they owe on average just a few thousand dollars. Abdul Abdullah talks about a new fund that aims to help those families stay in their homes and keep the tax collector at bay.

St. Louis author Beth Bacon discusses her new book “Helping Our World Get Well: COVID Vaccines,” the art of a good children’s book and how to talk to kids about complicated topics.

Alden Global Capital wants to buy the company that owns the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. An investigative reporter and the president of the union that represents Post-Dispatch staffers discuss what that could mean for the daily — and St. Louis.

More than 45 years after her death, St. Louis native and entertainer Josephine Baker is receiving France’s highest honor: induction into the Panthéon. We talk with Lionel Cuillé of Washington University and Lois Conley of the Griot Museum of Black History about Baker’s life and legacy.

Opera star Christine Brewer discusses the cabaret show she debuts this weekend in St. Louis, how she was pushed to become a performer and what makes her nervous even after all these years singing in public.

Tom Zoellner's new book, "The National Road: Dispatches from a Changing America," is a journey into the uneasy soul of the nation: What unites us, what divides us, and what lies in the middle of the cities of the coasts.

Matthew Stock and Sid Sivakumar started out talking crossword puzzles and became fast friends. Now, a puzzle they co-wrote has been published in the New York Times. They discuss the joy of puzzle making with host Sarah Fenske.

Fewer than 20 American red wolves live in the wild throughout the U.S., all in a refuge in North Carolina. Two Missouri-born wolves were flown there last month to join the population, providing a critical source of new genetic diversity.

In this one-hour special edition, Nina Gilden Seavey discusses her podcast "My Fugitive," which connects the story of anti-war activist Howard Mechanic with that of another fugitive who spent time in St. Louis: James Earl Ray, who was convicted of killing Martin Luther King Jr.

The Legal Roundtable discusses the latest in the litigation over the Rams’ departure from St. Louis, the Missouri Democratic Party’s attempt to fight unionization of its employees and the surprisingly short sentence given to a former police officer accused of beating an undercover colleague.

The building that began as St. Liborius Catholic Church has housed one of St. Louis’ coolest underground spots: Sk8 Liborious. Two of its owners discuss how they turned the deconsecrated church into a skate haven — and their plans to turn it into an official arts center.

Minnesota Public Radio is suing St. Louis police over their refusal to release clearance status information for homicides, information sought by St. Louis Public Radio in collaboration with APM Reports. STLPR Justice Correspondent Rachel Lippmann discusses the suit — and what families of crime victims say about getting information from the department.

Food Outreach provides nutritious meals to people living with cancer or HIV. Now the nonprofit is piloting a project to help veterans with uncontrolled diabetes. Executive Director Julie Lock explains the impetus.

Two members of Midwest Avengers explain what’s kept the hip-hop rock band together for nearly 30 years — and how they navigated a world that wasn’t quite ready for their music.

Jamey Stegmaier, co-founder of St. Louis-based Stonemaier Games, discusses the art of designing a hit board game and while tabletop games will never go out of style in a digital age.

The futuristic, sustainability-focused legacy of the late American architect Buckminster Fuller lives on, including in the St. Louis region. Hundreds of people stopped by SIUE’s Fuller Dome last week to take a spin in a replica of Fuller’s 1933-built Dymaxion Car.

A new nonprofit is doing big things in small spaces. Pocketparks’ founder explains how, and why, she’s taking vacant lots in St. Louis and transforming them into community spaces.

The Brickline Greenway aims to connect the Gateway Arch to Forest Park and Fairground Park to Tower Grove Park with pedestrian and bike paths. Great Rivers Greenway discusses how two recent federal grants will fuel the ambitious plan to connect 17 city neighborhoods.

More than 30,000 property deeds in St. Louis include language that excludes Black people and those of certain religions from buying the homes. STLPR reporter Corinne Ruff and historian Colin Gordon talk about the two-part investigation on the topic.