While Americans are deeply divided on election-year politics, there’s one issue on which the vast majority agree: The practice of switching between daylight saving time and standard time needs to end. In this encore episode, we listen back to a March 2024 conversation about the effects of the current system on our health, the history of daylight saving time, and how the daylight saving time/standard time debate has the golf lobby and scientists at odds.
Nov 04, 2024•20 min
In the civil legal system, the so-called "justice gap" means most low-income people who face cases involving evictions, health care, and even domestic violence, do so without an attorney. Dan Glazier, Executive Director of Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, and social worker Laura Halfmann-Morris talk about how they are working to close that gap, and how the lack of legal services is impacting survivors of domestic violence.
Nov 04, 2024•30 min
Voters go to the polls on Tuesday to decide on a slew of important statewide contests, including the combative race between GOP Sen. Josh Hawley and Democratic challenger Lucas Kunce. Passage of Amendment 3 would place abortion rights protections in the state Constitution, while approval of Amendment 2 would legalize sports wagering. STLPR statehouse and politics reporter Sarah Kellogg discusses the upcoming election on the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air.
Nov 01, 2024•28 min
A swarm of messages over the airwaves and on social media feeds have increasingly relied on inflammatory language, embellished details and sometimes a blatant disregard for truth. On the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, STLPR’s Abby Llorico spoke about this trend with professor Natasha Casey, a media literacy educator at Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield, Illinois, and with the Media Education Lab.
Nov 01, 2024•22 min
Ovarian cancer is a disease diagnosed in 54 patients every day in the United States, according to the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance. St. Louis Ovarian Cancer Awareness collaborates with area medical schools in a program called Survivors Teaching Students to help future medical professionals see symptoms earlier. Drs. Andrea and Ian Hagemann discuss how these first person accounts help them in the classroom and the examination room.
Nov 01, 2024•24 min
Generations of St. Louisans and countless classes of St. Louis University graduates have heard tall tales about the exorcism performed by SLU Jesuit priests in 1949. The diary of the lead priest, Father Raymond Bishop, would go on to inspire the cult classic horror film “The Exorcist” and novels depicting people possessed by demons. St. Louis University archivist and assistant professor Caitlan Stamm separates fact from fiction and addresses the myths that continue to swirl around SLU’s involvem...
Oct 31, 2024•21 min
Halloween conjures images of ghouls, ghosts and other spooky creatures. But for Jade Moore, the owner of Sincerely, the Craft, mysticism is more than a trend — it’s a connection to heritage. In this encore episode, producers Miya Norfleet and Emily Woodbury speak with Moore about the beliefs, faiths and ritual practices that are generally categorized as “witchy.”
Oct 31, 2024•19 min
Published nearly 180 years ago, Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” endures. The poem tells the story of the narrator’s descent into madness as they deal with the grief of losing their beloved Lenore. In this encore episode, we listen to historical interpreter Anne Williams’ recording of “The Raven,” featuring original sound design by producer Avery Rogers.
Oct 31, 2024•10 min
St. Louis native Chaz Littlejohn is serving five years in federal prison for the theft and leak of Donald Trump's tax returns. St. Louis Magazine senior editor Nick Phillips explored the mystery of Littlejohn's crimes, chronicling how the former government contractor decided to break the law for what he believed were the right reasons. Phillips takes us into Littlejohn’s world — and what happened when Chaz turned his attention from Trump's taxes to other billionaires.
Oct 30, 2024•27 min
After more than two years of work, the Tiny House project in St. Louis’ Benton Park West neighborhood is complete. We hear from Dwayne Tiggs, the architect and craftsman behind the Tiny House, and his partner and project gardener Rikki Watts. They share their story of the home's completion and what it means to build a home while also building community.
Oct 29, 2024•20 min
At 100,000 verses, the ancient Indian epic ‘The Mahabharata’ is the longest epic poem ever written. Due to its focus on conflict amongst family — and its explorations of illusion, reality and truth — Nartana Premachandra felt it fitting inspiration for Dances of India St. Louis’ 2024 annual performance, which falls just after the Nov. 5 elections. She discusses her original play script “Dreams of the Dark Prince” and how it combines movement and storytelling to tell the story of Prince Duryodhan...
Oct 29, 2024•18 min
While Missouri’s 2nd Congressional District is GOP-leaning thanks to Franklin and Warren Counties, the St. Louis County portion is shifting leftward. STLPR politics correspondent Jason Rosenbaum reports from Chesterfield on how Democrats have gained ground and are bullish that a backlash over Trump and restrictive abortion policies could help the state party gain strength for future elections. But others are skeptical that either Democratic nominee Kamala Harris or a measure to legalize abortion...
Oct 29, 2024•13 min
While odds of becoming a victim of a school shooting are statistically low, the looming threat of violence in what’s supposed to be a safe space for students and educators negatively affects young people’s mental health. Bart Andrews, Chief Clinical Officer at Behavioral Health Response, shares how adults can support the youth in their lives at a time when school shootings regularly make headlines.
Oct 28, 2024•24 min
Craft beer has experienced explosive growth in the last 15 years, but more recently those good times may have ended, with craft breweries across the country now hurting, or even closing. In recent months, Urban Chestnut Brewing Company filed for bankruptcy protection, O’Fallon Brewery closed, and Earthbound Beer announced it will shutter later this year after 10 years in business. We talk with Earthbound Beer co-owner Stuart Keating and with Fausto Gonzalez, an assistant professor of marketing a...
Oct 28, 2024•26 min
A lawsuit from Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey seeking to restrict the abortion pill is drawing attention to an unusual take on the decrease in teen pregnancy in Missouri. The Legal Roundtable discusses the significance of the lawsuit’s argument that access to the abortion pill “is depressing expected birth rates for teenaged mothers” — something the suit calls a “sovereign injury” to Missouri.
Oct 25, 2024•50 min
A proposed 3% fee on short-term rental rates on the November ballot would help fund affordable housing in St. Louis. St. Louis Public Radio reporter Rachel Lippmann talks about Proposition S, as well as several other propositions city voters will see on the ballot on Election Day.
Oct 24, 2024•11 min
Conductor Leonard Slatkin took the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra to new heights during his 18 years at the helm. He talks about a weekend of concerts and events celebrating his 80th birthday, and his favorite moments conducting works by Gershwin and Tchaikovsky. Along with Slatkin, we get to know composer Cindy McTee, whose work “Timepiece” will be part of the program at the Touhill.
Oct 24, 2024•40 min
Charlie Peete was a highly-touted prospect for the St. Louis Cardinals who played 23 games with the big league club in 1956. He was expected to compete heavily for the starting center field job the next season, but he didn’t get that chance because he, his wife and three young children died in a plane crash. Had Peete lived, he likely would have become the first Black position player in franchise history to earn a permanent starting job. Journalist and St. Louis native Danny Spewak details Peete...
Oct 22, 2024•45 min
The traumatic experience of being shot is often just the beginning of the challenges facing those with bullet-related injuries. Keisha Blanchard was shot in the back by an unidentified person in January 2024. Keisha tells the story of what happened next, and the painful, confusing experience of being told by a physician that, “We are not in the business of removing bullets.” Along with Keisha, we talk with Bullet Related Injury Clinic founder and trauma surgeon Dr. LJ Punch, and Tammy Kuykendoll...
Oct 21, 2024•51 min
A survey from The Midwest Newsroom and Emerson College Polling Center asked registered voters in several Midwest states, including Missouri, about measures on the Nov. 5 ballot as well as a variety of political, social and economic subjects. Daniel Wheaton, data reporter for the Midwest Newsroom, discusses the poll’s findings on the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air.
Oct 18, 2024•10 min
After years of legislative inaction, popular sports betting apps FanDuel and DraftKings are funding a ballot initiative that would allow for Missourians to place bets on their phones, in casinos and at sporting venues. But they are facing well-funded opposition: Missourians Against the Deceptive Online Gambling Amendment. Brooke Foster, a spokeswoman for the group, says the measure known as Amendment 2 won’t actually provide much money to help education as proponents contend. A previous edition ...
Oct 18, 2024•19 min
Missouri was one the first states to ban most abortions after Roe v. Wade fell in 2022, but now abortion rights opponents are facing a serious challenge in November. Amendment 3 would enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution. Stephanie Bell of Missouri Stands With Women explains why her group is opposed to the amendment. A previous edition of this show featured supporters of Amendment 3.
Oct 18, 2024•23 min
Black Americans are more likely to start menopause early and gain less treatment to manage symptoms — that’s according to a recent review of menopause literature. In this encore presentation, Dr. Makeba Williams, an associate professor and vice chair of professional development and wellness in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Washington University, encourages more doctors to recognize that the menopause experience is not universal and more care should be taken when treating patient...
Oct 17, 2024•21 min
Greenwood Cemetery has been through a major transformation in recent years — due in large part to a married couple who grew up in the area and felt called to restore the cemetery after it fell into disrepair. Raphael and Shelley Morris of the Greenwood Cemetery Preservation Association join to talk about the 150-year-old cemetery’s history, its restoration over the last nine years, and how they’ve partnered with area businesses and nonprofits to make the burial grounds a welcoming space for visi...
Oct 17, 2024•29 min
Over the past three decades, Club Viva has become the go-to destination for Latin dance beginners and veterans alike. In this episode, owner Cesar Cardona shares his journey from Colombia to the U.S., how he came to own the nightclub, and its significance in the St. Louis community.
Oct 15, 2024•17 min
Tiffany Robertson started Touchy Topics Tuesday after the killings of Michael Brown, Jr. and VonDerrit Myers, Jr. in 2014. The diverse group meets weekly to have difficult conversations about race, politics, and culture. Ten years after those initial weekly meetups, Robertson’s current goals are to help people and organizations “intentionally integrate.” Robertson, along with Touchy Topics Tuesday participant Margaret Weck, reflect on the past 10 years of conversations and how they hope the meet...
Oct 15, 2024•33 min
Indian immigrants are the fastest-growing foreign-born population in the St. Louis region. That momentum is happening at a pivotal time as in American politics. Three Indian Americans with longtime Midwest roots – attorney Arindam Kar, journalist Meera Nagarajan, and higher ed professional Jacob Chacko – share perspectives on what compels Indian Americans to engage with U.S. politics, why there’s no single “Indian American vote,” and how the 2024 election’s candidates and prominent issues have o...
Oct 14, 2024•32 min
St. Louis rapper and educator Zeus Rebel Waters discusses the inspiration behind the creation of the Reading with Rappers program, and how he plans to promote literacy to children in the St. Louis area.
Oct 14, 2024•17 min
Wes Hoffman, lead singer of pop-punk band Wes Hoffman and Friends, talks about his music, St. Louis’ vibrant St. Louis punk scene and his efforts to promote it through his Instagram account 314 Punk.
Oct 11, 2024•22 min
Producer Miya Norfleet and DJ and rapper Ryan “Big Esco” Brown shed light on St. Louis’ robust and diverse music scene and discuss some of their favorite new songs.
Oct 11, 2024•21 min
