Donald Trump’s return to the White House has prompted some St. Louis-area residents to scale back their social media usage. Others, though, say they’ve used Facebook and X more since Trump was sworn in. Those residents share their thoughts — then, Amber Hinsley, a journalism professor at Texas State University, shares how digital and social media continue to transform journalistic practices. Hinsley formerly taught at St. Louis University.
Apr 04, 2025•26 min
Missouri lawmakers are deep in the process of crafting a budget for the 2026 fiscal year, and it’s been a much different experience than the past couple of legislative sessions. The Missouri House on Thursday approved a $47.9 billion state operating budget — about $3 billion less than last year’s budget. STLPR statehouse and politics reporter Sarah Kellogg discusses the budget crafting process and other legislative issues.
Apr 04, 2025•16 min
President Donald Trump’s promised tariffs have become a reality: This week, he announced a 10% tariff on all imported goods as well as “reciprocal tariffs” on specific countries. Economists and business owners across the globe are stunned at how high these taxes will be, and that reaction is also playing out in the St. Louis region. Shayn Prapaisilp, COO of Global Foods Group, told St. Louis on the Air that he expected high levies on products from some countries, but was “shocked” by other recip...
Apr 03, 2025•19 min
The St. Louis Zoo’s youngest residents are (almost) ready for the spotlight. Jet, a four-month-old Asian elephant calf, is weeks away from making his public debut. Katie Pilgram-Kloppe, zoological manager at the St. Louis Zoo's River's Edge, shares her insights into Jet’s development and family dynamic with his mother, Jade. We also talk with Curator of Carnivores Julie Hartell DeNardo about the details behind the zoo’s recent swap of polar bear Kali, who came to St. Louis in 2015, for twin pola...
Apr 03, 2025•23 min
Mental wellness and access to healthy food are areas with ample room for improvement in the St. Louis region — that’s according to community members who participated in a recent survey led by SSM Health. We discuss some solutions to those challenges, including a behavioral health urgent care clinic that aims to better meet the mental health needs of residents and a bread basket program that helps alert care providers whose patients may be experiencing food or nutritional insecurity.
Apr 03, 2025•25 min
Civil rights investigations have been cancelled in the wake of mass layoffs at the U.S. Department of Education and shuttering of civil rights offices nationwide. The move has put thousands of open civil rights investigations in jeopardy — hundreds of which originated in Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa. Reporter Kavahn Mansouri of the Midwest Newsroom will discuss his recent reporting on the uncertain future of those investigations. Attorney Sarah Jane Hunt shares her insight into how these ...
Apr 02, 2025•26 min
You can’t get a reservation at one of Midtown’s newest watering holes. And, to get in, you go through the biergarten at Urban Chestnut Midtown. There’s a small hut the brewery serves beer from during the summer. Go behind that, and you’ll find a waiting room and a black door. If the red light is on, go in. In our monthly restaurant episode, STLPR’s Jessica Rogen and Abby Llorico discuss new speakeasies around town as well as the latest restaurant openings and closings.
Apr 01, 2025•24 min
Coldwater Creek lies at the heart of one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S. history. It’s also where Jim Gaffney played as a child growing up in north St. Louis County. “We thought we'd stay there the rest of our lives. We had no idea we were swimming in uranium waste,” said Gaffney, who has battled multiple cancer diagnoses throughout his life. Gaffney and other former residents of Coldwater Creek spoke with journalist Mike Fitzgerald, who joined “St. Louis on the Air” to discuss his ...
Apr 01, 2025•27 min
University City-based author Sarah Kendzior’s latest book is “The Last American Road Trip.” The memoir, which comes out Tuesday, showcases how America’s ravishing national parks and historic roadways cannot get away from political instability, climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, and myth breaking realities of America’s past.
Mar 31, 2025•50 min
Inches from Glory’s latest EP “Changing Course” is a display of Blake Mickens, Marty Aubuchon and CJ Schrieber’s appreciation for emo and personal growth as musicians. The trio shared their creative process and their excitement for the greater punk scene in St. Louis.
Mar 28, 2025•27 min
The selections for this month’s music show takes us back to our punk days in school, on a trip to an island and connects us with nature. Jill “DJ Jillian” Firns and music reviewer Jonathan Rahul, along with producer Miya Norfleet, discuss the reasoning behind their music picks and an explanation of how it makes them feel.
Mar 28, 2025•23 min
When severe storms tore through the St. Louis area on March 14, local meteorologists played a critical role in keeping residents safe. KMOV First Alert 4 Chief Meteorologist Steve Templeton was on-air for hours, tracking tornadoes and delivering life-saving updates — even as one storm forced him to move to a safer studio. Templeton recounts that intense night, the challenges of broadcasting during extreme weather, and answers listener questions.
Mar 28, 2025•50 min
A Missouri appeals court has dealt a major defeat to ride-sharing app Lyft in the case of a driver who was slain while on the job. The implications of the case could open other tech companies to potentially “billions of dollars in damages,” says attorney Dave Roland, who joins this month’s Legal Roundtable. Roland is joined by attorney Eric Banks and former St. Louis Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce. They also discuss recent criminal charges against former presidential candidate Jill Stein, a 10-...
Mar 25, 2025•50 min
Modern agriculture systems systems have helped increase bird flu’s ability to move between wild and domesticated animal populations, and humans, over recent years. That’s according to wildlife veterinarian and epidemiologist Dr. Sharon Deem of the St. Louis Zoo, who says that better recognition of how human health is dependent on animal health would go a long way toward limiting the spread of pathogens for all species.
Mar 24, 2025•31 min
Mother-daughter duo Arika Parr and Ava Johnson talk about the opening night of ‘But What Can You Do?’ play at the Sun Theater. The play is based on the book co-written and published by the duo. Parr and Johnson share the inspiration behind the book and the process of getting the book adapted into a play. Local actress and lead of the play, Aloha Mischeaux, shares how it feels to be a part of the play and entertain children with a positive message.
Mar 24, 2025•19 min
Earlier this month, more than 100 people gathered in a St. Louis church for a legal clinic on powers of attorney. The event was just one example of ways LGBTQ people are confronting an uncertain future regarding their legal rights — including what it would mean for the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn marriage equality. Attorneys Sara Marler and Ramona Gau discuss the current legal landscape and why LGBTQ couples should consider obtaining a power of attorney. We also talk about the risks trans peo...
Mar 21, 2025•50 min
As a boy growing up in a small town outside Champaign, Illinois, Brad Dean recalls being awestruck when his family visited St. Louis on his first vacation. His career journey over the next several decades took him to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and to Puerto Rico. Earlier this month, Dean took the top job at Explore St. Louis, the organization responsible for marketing the region to convention-goers and tourists. STLPR’s Abby Llorico talks with Dean about the challenges and opportunities ahead...
Mar 20, 2025•50 min
Robbie Daymond was bitten by the acting bug at a young age. The Warrenton, MO native has gone from the stage to the recording booth, bringing life to animated characters like Marvel’s Spider-Man, Japanese anime fan favorites including “Sailor Moon” and “Jujutsu Kaisen” and a host of video games across several genres. He stars in Netflix’s new animated series “Devil May Cry” which premieres April 3. In this encore episode of “St. Louis on the Air,” Daymond discussed his career, the art of voice a...
Mar 19, 2025•23 min
After 27 years of incarceration, Bobby Bostic walked out of prison in 2022. Bostic was sentenced to 241 years for a robbery he committed in 1995 at just 16 years old. In the year after gaining his freedom, Bostic continued writing — a passion introduced to him while in prison — and now teaches youth in St. Louis’ juvenile detention centers. In this encore of “St. Louis of the Air,” we revisit host Elaine Cha’s conversation with Bostic from 2023 about life since his release and the experience of ...
Mar 19, 2025•28 min
The two contenders for St. Louis mayor engaged in an often tense discussion on Tuesday over the city’s immediate and long-term challenges. St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones and Alderwoman Cara Spencer tackled a number of issues during an episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, including clamping down on crime, managing city services, and how to stem population decline in the city. The election is April 8.
Mar 18, 2025•50 min
A new invasive tick species was recently found in St. Louis County, with more sightings expected this spring and summer. St. Louis senior scientist Solny Adalsteinsson shares how the longhorned tick may affect our already tick-riddled ecosystems, how to avoid tick bites, and what to do if you’ve been bitten.
Mar 18, 2025•20 min
As Jurassic beasts roamed the earth, a little weasel-like animal called Morganucodon was making an evolutionary breakthrough in parenting — producing milk to feed her young. Author Cat Bohannon calls this creature Morgie in her 2023 book “Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution.” Bohannon discusses the book, and insights from the evolution of Morgie, ahead of an author event in St. Louis County.
Mar 17, 2025•29 min
314 Day gets bigger each year in the St. Louis region. While there’s a lot to celebrate and several options of where to party, 2025 also brings a lot of serious matters to the fore. For this 314 day, hip-hop artist and community advocate Kayla “KVTheWriter” Thompson, “Overarching” podcast host and realtor David Lemon, and host of “Voice of the Streets” Dsmoovee Shabazz share what they love about St. Louis, what worries or frustrates them the most about the region, and their ideas of how to make ...
Mar 14, 2025•51 min
At four years old, Susan Polgar was already playing chess — and winning. At 15, in the mid-1980s, she was already the top-ranked woman in the world. By 1991, she’d become a grandmaster. The former Webster University chess coach discusses her new memoir, “Rebel Queen: The Cold War, Misogyny, and the Making of a Grandmaster.”
Mar 13, 2025•33 min
The Missouri Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday challenging the constitutionality of Proposition A, the minimum wage and sick leave law that voters passed with 58% support last November. In this episode, Fran Marion, a longtime fast food restaurant worker, details her support for the measure. Buddy Lahl, CEO of the Missouri Restaurant Association, explains his opposition. This story was originally featured as part of KCUR’s talk show, Up to Date ....
Mar 13, 2025•17 min
In the 19 years St. Louis naturalist Mark H.X. Glenshaw has studied Charles the great horned owl, Charles has fathered 27 owlets with seven mates. This year, Glenshaw was waiting to see if Charles would mate with the new lady owl in Forest Park: a one-year-old owl that Glenshaw named May. He shares what Charles and May have been up to and why their “May-December romance” hasn’t yet come to fruition.
Mar 13, 2025•18 min
From tools and materials to varieties of edible and decorative plants, this home gardening conversation offers growers tips for making the most of their yards – and porches and window sills – this spring planting season. Daria McKelvey, home gardening information and outreach supervisor at Missouri Botanical Garden; and Megan Moncure, engagement director for Seed St. Louis, join the show to share advice and respond to listener calls.
Mar 13, 2025•32 min
When organizers of the annual Annie Malone May Day parade in St. Louis announced its cancellation this year, many people — especially in the Black community — were disappointed. Funds for the parade were redirected to support clients who needed shelter and food. But, the outpouring of community support means the parade can forward as planned. The attention also reignited a passion and interest in the woman for whom the parade is named: Annie Malone. Linda Nance, who founded the Annie Malone Hist...
Mar 11, 2025•24 min
Even after Christopher Dunn won his release from prison in July, Missouri's Attorney General is still trying to put him back. It's just one of the consequences of the unique way Missouri law treats claims of "actual innocence.” We discuss the state of Missouri's innocence laws with Saint Louis University criminologist Kenya Brumfield-Young, as well as attorney Charlie Weiss, who has represented five people who were released from prison after being found innocent. Weiss and Brumfield-Young also s...
Mar 11, 2025•27 min
Less than a week after President Donald Trump promised to crack down on student protests at colleges and universities, he’s pulled funding to Columbia University in New York City — where students engaged in pro-Palestinian protests against the war in Gaza — and praised U.S. Department of Homeland Security agents for arresting a graduate student who is a permanent U.S. resident for his role in those protests. We hear from St. Louis college student activists who are focused on building community a...
Mar 10, 2025•29 min
