St. Louis on the Air
St. Louis on the Air creates a unique space where guests and listeners can share ideas and opinions with respect and honesty. Whether exploring issues and challenges confronting our region, discussing the latest innovations in science and technology, taking a closer look at our history or talking with authors, artists and musicians, St. Louis on the Air brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region.
Episodes
July 11, 2025 • 24 mins
As President Donald Trump suggests cuts and restructuring of the Federal Emergency Management Agency — including bringing it “to the state level" — Missouri Rep. Colin Wellenkamp is focused on how the state can prepare for such a possibility. He chairs the Missouri House Future Caucus, a bipartisan group focused on how the state can prepare for long-term challenges. The St. Charles Republican and his fellow caucus member, Democrati...
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President Donald Trump’s so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” introduces some of the most significant changes to Medicaid in years. But advocates warn that new documentation requirements and restrictions on a key tax that helps fund the program could jeopardize health care access for Missourians. This episode unpacks how the sweeping budget package is fueling uncertainty for Missouri’s budget and rural hospitals. STLPR health reporter Sa...
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July 10, 2025 • 21 mins
Tre’von Griffith and his husband founded WerQfest in 2020 as a passion project. Their dream was to create a festival that centers Black queer art, entertainment and community — a grand display of representation in a way they had not seen before. July 12 will be WerQfest’s sixth year, and the production team now fully realize how important their work has been to the St. Louis region. Griffith and WerQfest producer and performer Deon...
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July 10, 2025 • 27 mins
People report that they’re seeing more lightning bugs now than in years past, but the long-term health of the species is at risk from light pollution, pesticides and habitat loss. We talk about the preservation of fireflies and other insects with entomologists Tad Yankoski of the Missouri Botanical Garden Butterfly House and Emily Althoff of MU Extension.
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July 10, 2025 • 24 mins
After months of tumult at the St. Louis County Pet Adoption Center, the shelter received its state-issued license to operate last week. County Public Health Director Dr. Kanika Cunningham talks about her vision for the shelter moving forward, and volunteers share why they are hopeful that there are brighter days ahead for the center and its inhabitants.
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July 9, 2025 • 24 mins
After World War I, artists in France treated cars as a new kind of canvas — transforming machines into works of high art and fashion. An original exhibition at the St. Louis Art Museum, “Roaring,” explores that influence through more than 160 items and 12 vintage cars. The museum says the exhibit is its most popular since 2018. It recently expanded its hours in the leadup to its closing July 27. “Roaring” curator Genevieve Cortinov...
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July 8, 2025 • 48 mins
Back in 1972, Lee Hendrix started a job as a deckhand on a towboat on the Mississippi River. It was the start of a more than 50-year career traversing America’s waterways. Hendrix, a St. Louis native, would later pilot towboats and passenger ships — and work for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Hendrix discusses his 2024 memoir as well as new writing on the effects of tariffs on the barge industry and the history of the Chain of R...
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July 7, 2025 • 49 mins
Missouri's parole system governs the lives of some 52,000 people, more than twice the number locked up in the state’s prisons. But its rules haven’t been updated since 2017, and those who work inside the system say the process is often confusing, complicated and broken. Under an executive order signed by Governor Mike Kehoe early this year, a special working group has been meeting to address its problems. We meet three of the group...
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July 3, 2025 • 30 mins
Fried chicken is among the top five most popular foods in the U.S., according to recent YouGov data. With National Fried Chicken Day on the horizon, we discuss some regional favorite restaurants, preparations and flavors.
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July 3, 2025 • 19 mins
The Missouri Department of Corrections recently asked people to stop donating quilting supplies. The rush of donations followed the hit Netflix documentary, "The Quilters," which follows a special program in a Missouri maximum security prison, two hours southwest of St. Louis, where the inmates create quilts for foster children waiting for adoption. We'll talk with the filmmaker Jenifer McShane about the film, quilts, prisons and s...
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July 3, 2025 • 6 mins
Why doesn't St. Louis have its own hot dog, like the iconic Chicago dog? That question was on restauranter Steve Ewing's mind when he created a March-madness style bracket and asked St. Louisans to choose the hot dog that best represented their city. Then, in 2022, the Board of Aldermen declared the competition's winner the Official Hot Dog of St. Louis. In this encore presentation, Ewing shares how to make a St. Louis hot dog and ...
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Ten years ago, multidisciplinary artist Brock Seals was inspired to produce an event that gives emerging artists an opportunity to showcase their work, and to connect with fellow artists as well as potential fans and patrons. The annual showcase has become a space for up-and-coming artists to cut their teeth in a professional creative environment. Seals is joined by “Art, Mimosas and Pancakes” music director Julian Keaton to discus...
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July 2, 2025 • 22 mins
Fried chicken ranks among the top five most popular foods in the U.S., beating out apple pie and even outranking hot dogs. This coming Sunday is National Fried Chicken Day, dedicated to all things chicken, crispy and crunchy. Adrian Miller, aka the Soul Food Scholar and author of the James Beard Award-winning book “Soul Food: The Surprising Story of an American Cuisine, One Plate at a Time,” shares his insights into the history of ...
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After an EF3 tornado tore the roof of Gloria Nolan’s home in north St. Louis near Fairground Park, she and her family remain displaced. They’re living in a temporary home and expect to wait at least a year for their home to be repaired. More than six weeks after the tornado, Nolan discusses how she’s navigating insurance, inspections, and uncertainty — and what the long road to recovery might look like in her neighborhood.
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July 1, 2025 • 17 mins
Since March 19, more than 200 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees have been held at the Phelps County Jail in Rolla, Missouri. Some are there for only one day, while others have been detained for more than two months. With no possessions and limited contact with family or legal help, many face an uncertain future. A group of about 50 local activists is stepping up, helping detainees reach their loved ones and offeri...
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July 1, 2025 • 15 mins
June was packed with restaurant news across the region. Two food trucks — Bougie Bites and Fufu n’ Sauce — opened brick-and-mortar locations in Overland and Vinita Park, respectively. Lefty’s Bagels debuted in Creve Coeur, and Grace Meat + Three launched Grace Chicken + Fish in Crestwood. In Waterloo, country artist Alexandra Kay opened the Coffee Girl Cafe. STLPR digital editor Jessica Rogen and host Elaine Cha break down the late...
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June 30, 2025 • 50 mins
The Missouri Supreme Court’s use of a 2002 dictionary definition of “sex” in a transgender student’s discrimination case is drawing criticism. Legal Roundtable attorneys Mary Anne Sedey, Bevis Schock and Erica Slater discuss that case — plus a teen volleyball player’s settlement with the City of St. Louis, a hazing lawsuit and efforts to oust the St. Louis sheriff.
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June 18, 2025 • 25 mins
Makini Morrision is a musical polymath. His mastering of jazz, hip-hop and soul music as K Kudda Muzic makes him in high demand to produce music in the St. Louis area. He joined “St. Louis on the Air” to share his music journey, starting with his parents album collection, and his approach to creating his original works as well as collaborating with others.
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June 18, 2025 • 25 mins
For Ryan “Big Esco” Brown, a St. Louis DJ and artist with the hip-hop duo Souls of Liberty, hip hop is having a moment — a particularly vulnerable and authentic one. He shares a few of his favorite recent music releases from St. Louis artists alongside producer Miya Norfleet in the June edition of our new music roundup. In addition to hip hop tracks, their selections include Irish bluegrass, EDM, R&B and meditative/ambient music.
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June 17, 2025 • 28 mins
The recovery from St. Louis' tornado is affecting both the physical and mental health of residents. Dr. LJ Punch, founder of the Bullet Related Injury Clinic in St. Louis, shares how his group and others are continuing to help the community heal in the Fountain Park neighborhood. The nonprofit is one of dozens of organizations that lost half of their federal funding just before the storm. Dr. Punch says that loss isn’t stopping the...
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