St. Louis on the Air

After growing up in the St. Louis area, Mary Anne Rothberg wound up in New York City, in the advertising industry. But in recent years, she’s shifted to documentary films — and her very first feature-length one features Martin Scorsese on camera.

Since 1967, the St. Louis Literary Award has brought heavy hitters to town, including Shelby Foote, Eudora Welty and Chinua Achebe. Executive director Ted Ibur discusses the award’s history and what it’s like to deal with writers such as Margaret Atwood and Stephen Sondheim.

Washington University’s Dr. Jessi Gold says the COVID-19 crisis has been particularly hard on college students, and yet they are often not part of the conversation about pandemic impacts. Gold joins us for a look at what is happening on campus — and what can be done.

The Strong Towns founder and former engineer discusses what his former profession gets wrong, what makes streets safer and why St. Louis is, in one key way, a “tragedy” — albeit one that could still be fixed.

Pedestrian deaths have spiked in St. Louis in recent months. Tiffanie Stanfield and Xandi Barrett discuss what they’re each doing to prevent such traffic violence.

STLPR's new education reporter, Kate Grumke, discusses her first story for the station that takes a look at how the state of Missouri is trying help alleviate the short supply of substitute teachers and meet demand.

Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Masque of the Red Death” is a most appropriate tale for Halloween during the pandemic. This audio version is recited by historical interpreter Anne Williams with production and sound design by Aaron Doerr.

Homer G. Phillips Hospital was internationally known as a state-of-the-art institution and for training Black medical graduates, when few institutions in the U.S. did so. Former nurses and a historian remember its legacy.

Kelli McCrary, executive director of the Downtown St. Louis Community Improvement District, discusses the tax district’s quest for renewal and vision for downtown amid criticism from some local property owners.

As part of an ongoing focus on increasing safety and comfort along Metro Transit vehicles, Bi-State Development’s Taulby Roach has high hopes for a new partnership aimed at connecting struggling riders with much-needed services. He and the CEO of Chestnut Health Systems, Dave Sharar, talk with host Sarah Fenske.

In honor of “Bat Week,” we talk with two local scientists about their work at the Missouri Botanical Garden’s Shaw Nature Reserve to highlight the winged mammals that keep our insect populations in check.

Creating wetlands in farm country can reduce the severity of flooding downstream. The Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative and Ducks Unlimited have partnered to create more wetlands in the Mississippi River basin.

Singer-songwriter Jordan Ward discusses his successful music and dance journey — and love for the south side of St. Louis — ahead of his homecoming show at the Blueberry Hill.

The Emmy Award-winning storyteller discusses his haunted storytelling event — and leaves listeners hanging with a two-minute teaser of a spooky story.

Fair housing and consumer advocates say First Mid Bank & Trust’s record shows significant fair lending and redlining concerns. They explain why the Federal Reserve should block its merger with Jefferson Bank & Trust.

The Legal Roundtable digs into litigation over the Rams’ departure from St. Louis, a professor’s demands against Gov. Mike Parson, religious freedom in Missouri and more.

Next year marks 50 years since rates of imprisonment rapidly increased in the U.S. Washington University sociology professor Hedwig Lee explains how people with family members in prison are affected by their time inside.

Businesses in Quincy, Illinois, are growing — and the area’s workforce needs to catch up. Mayor Mike Troup explains how the Quincy City Council aims to attract new workers by offering to help pay their rent or buy a new home.

Author Molly Butterworth discusses how St. Louis fell behind in its efforts to become a hub on the transcontinental railroad — and the history of streetcars and rail travel in and around the Gateway City.

After decades of grassroots organization and cleanup efforts by volunteers, the Father Dickson Cemetery in Crestwood has been added to the National Register of Historic Places.

One of the best ways to combat climate change is by actually eating the food we buy. This episode of "St. Louis on the Air" talks about how minimizing food waste helps our environment — and our wallets.

As a doula, Eboni Hooper-Boateng supports women throughout pregnancy and labor. She discusses her work, how she’s helping women of color and teens access her services, and what the American birthing establishment can learn from Ghana.

Due to climate change, the U.S. is going to keep getting hotter. More and more, people will turn to air conditioning. In this documentary produced by Science Friday in partnership with STLPR's Shahla Farzan, we take a look at the history of air conditioning and the worsening effects of climate change.

Screening testing programs seek to stop COVID-19 spread before symptoms develop. But while the CDC has made them free for K-12 schools, only 18 of Missouri’s 500+ school districts have signed on. The state’s contractor discusses efforts to get more schools on board.

Tigrayan expats in St. Louis and Kansas City discuss the violence and turmoil in their home country of Ethiopia and share how a local support group has helped them come to terms with it.