St. Louis on the Air

Earlier this month in STLPR’s Community Room, St. Louis-area residents came together for an open mic event to reflect on how last year’s May 16 tornado changed their lives. On the latest episode of our podcast “Meet Me,” we share highlights from an evening of powerful, personal stories about loss, recovery and resilience.

Missouri is teeming with scenic hiking trails and unique ecological features, but it can be intimidating to explore the outdoors alone. Jessie Donovan and Mike Roth founded ShowMe Hikes to connect people with Missouri’s natural environment firsthand, and bring beginner, intermediate and experienced hikers together. They share what has shaped their own personal relationships with the outdoors and what hikers can look forward to on ShowMe Hikes’ guided treks.

On Wednesday, friends and family gathered in Creve Coeur to say goodbye to Ray Hartmann. The longtime St. Louis journalist, who founded the Riverfront Times and helped launch Nine PBS’ “Donnybrook,” died suddenly last Thursday in a car crash at 73. In this episode, we revisit a 2024 conversation with Hartmann and hear from St. Louis journalists Jeannette Cooperman and Sarah Fenske about his legacy.

Nearly six years have passed since Troy Doyle sued the St. Louis County Police Department over what he alleges was a broken promise to promote him to police chief. After multiple delays, the case has cost the county more than $900,000. Attorneys Dave Roland, Arindam Kar and Jenny Woulfe discuss the employment discrimination case in this month’s Legal Roundtable alongside other notable, ongoing lawsuits against the City of St. Louis’ police department and school system. They also react to news of the lawsuit filed by the influencer “The Woke Ginger,” who alleges his employer violated an obscure Missouri law that prohibits employers from terminating people for their political beliefs.

At Parkway West High School, students play Monopoly and research current issues to learn about the effects of economic systems here in the U.S. and abroad. History and economics teacher Rachel Money — yes, that’s her real name! — joins Parkway West senior Lily Overmann to share how such methods not only equip students for AP exams, but build their skills in media literacy, strategic thinking and problem solving.

James Beard Award winner Gerard Craft is open about his experiences with anxiety, pressure and seeking help — and why mental health is a critical issue in the hospitality industry. Craft, the executive chef and CEO of Niche Food Group, is among several acclaimed St. Louis chefs coming together for a May 4 luncheon, “Hands for Mental Health Luncheon.” Some of the proceeds will benefit NAMI St. Louis.

Debate over a proposed hyperscale data center in Festus made local and national news this month when voters ousted city council members who approved the plan. With a lawsuit filed and a new city council, the controversy is far from over. We go behind the headlines with STLPR reporters Kavahn Mansouri and Katie Grawitch, who have spent months covering the debates and voter backlash over data centers in Festus and the St. Louis region. Festus resident Erica Carter shares what a data center would mean for her community, and attorney Steve Jeffrey discusses the lawsuit filed against Festus to stop the project before it breaks ground.

For the first time in 32 years, Lou Magdits is not on the Rolla City Council. He did not seek re-election after 12 years as mayor — three terms that followed 20 years representing the city’s fourth ward. Madgits sits down with STLPR’s Jonathan Ahl to talk about his time in office and how things have been different recently.

In the immediate aftermath of the May 16 tornado that tore a path through St. Louis last spring, the 314Oasis clinic was set up to provide people impacted by the storm with physical and mental health support. Co-founder and director Dr. LJ Punch provides an update on the organization's continued work around food access, housing help and grief support — including its expansion to O’Fallon Park, another north St. Louis neighborhood that sustained significant tornado damage.

Missouri is on the brink of changing how it funds and provides naloxone to first-responders. The program is credited for reducing overdoses, but it faces a potential budget cut of $8 million. Rachel Winograd discusses the origins, successes and uncertain future of naloxone in Missouri. Winograd is a University of Missouri-St. Louis professor and director of addiction science at the Missouri Institute for Mental Health. Her team is responsible for distributing naloxone for the entire state.

Clayton was once home to a large and thriving Black community. The First Baptist Church of Clayton — which sat on South Brentwood Boulevard — was part of that physical community until the city’s urban development plans forced the church to move in 1961. Five years later, the luxury high-rise Park Tower took up that space. On April 30, the church and the community that was impacted by its displacement will be honored at a city ceremony and the installation of a memorial plaque. STLPR reporter Chad Davis joined “St. Louis on the Air to take us deeper into the background of the plaque, the church once stood there, and why the city of Clayton is recognizing its legacy.

When Owen Ramsingh returned to the U.S. from visiting his father in the Netherlands, he expected to go home to Columbia, Missouri — where he’d lived for decades. Instead, he was detained at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport and ultimately deported over a drug charge from his teenage years, despite being a legal permanent resident. We talk with KBIA journalist Addison Zanger about Ramsingh’s life in mid-Missouri, how he and his family are coping with the changes and how he’s trying to forge a new life in the Netherlands.

Last month, we recognized 100 years since the commissioning of historic Route 66 by talking about its legacy and notable stops along the highway. We were only able to touch on a small portion of the route’s history, so now, we’re back with another conversation about the Mother Road. Missouri History Museum historian Andrew Wanko talks about the Missourians who were instrumental in marketing the highway and its Missouri-based attractions, what made Route 66 uniquely American, and notable attractions along the roadway. We also hear recollections from Irv Logan. Irv is the grandson of Alberta Ellis, whose hotel along Route 66 was one of the only safe places in Missouri for Black travelers to stay during the Jim Crow era.

Dozens of Holocaust survivor portraits, each standing more than seven feet tall and over three and a half feet wide, are on display at the District of St. Louis entertainment center in Chesterfield. These images are part of a traveling public art project called “Lest We Forget” by Italian-German photographer Luigi Toscano. The UNESCO Artist for Peace discusses what inspired his project in Germany in 2014 and how people have responded to its installations in different cities across the U.S. He also shares why bringing the “Lest We Forget” program to U.S. public schools — the first such partnership is happening with two rural Missouri schools in Houston and Sedalia — reflects the forward-looking orientation of his work: portraits and stories as a reminder of the past and a reflection of what is possible.

Protest and activism come in many forms, including music that draws attention to current issues that artists find most pressing, and important. On this episode of “The Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air,” St. Louisans share their favorite protest songs and what that music means to them. We also hear from hip-hop artist KVTheWriter about her latest diss tracks aimed at Mayor Cara Spencer, developer Paul McKee and Congressman Wesley Bell, and talk with WashU professor Lauren Eldridge Stewart about the history of protest music.

Republicans have dominated St. Charles County elections for two decades. But recent municipal elections are giving Democrats some hope that they can gain ground in the fast-growing part of the St. Louis region. The Politically Speaking Hour talks with voters and political activists about why things could be changing in St. Charles County.

St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer delivers her State of the City speech Friday evening. The address comes at a moment of pressure and uncertainty for the city. On the eve of the speech, St. Louis Public Radio’s Rachel Lippmann and Lara Hamdan reached out to city residents about how they feel St. Louis is doing. Some said they were happy with the city’s trajectory, while many other people said St. Louis isn’t working for them.

In three months, MATI will return to Grand Center for a weekend of music, food and community. July 17-19 won’t just bring the humidity and heat — the festival, formerly known as Music at the Intersection, features a lineup packed with artists who call St. Louis home. On this month’s new music roundup, Larry Morris, the director of programs and partnerships for the Kranzberg Arts Foundation, joins “St. Louis on the Air” producer Miya Norfleet to discuss the latest music from some of the musicians representing St. Louis.

Country music artist Skylar Finean has been a fan of the genre her entire life. Though she started off as a shy performer, her friends in the scene saw her talent and encouraged her to get on stage. That encouragement eventually led her to create her debut album “Hit the Ground Runnin’” under the name Skylar Townsend. Townsend talks about her love for ‘90s country music stars like Reba McEntire and The Chicks, how the community helped her find her confidence, and how her album’s recording began with singing in a water heater closet.

The state of Missouri is suing a Missouri-based manufacturer of the 7-OH variety of kratom. Derived from plants, kratom is drawing increased scrutiny and concern. The products are widely sold in gas stations in St. Louis and across the state. We talk with PreventEd Executive Director Jenny Armbruster about kratom, the difference between kratom and 7-OH, why people are becoming addicted, and what educators and advocates are hearing about the substance from users.