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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.
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Illusionist David Kwong found interest in magic and puzzles by watching the smartest people he knows — his own parents — become dazzled by sleight-of-hand tricks when he was a child. Today, Kwong delights and challenges people with his crossword puzzles, found in the New York Times, and with his live stage show “the Enigmatist,” which runs March 7 through April 5 at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis.
Four years after its founding, St. Louis’ Office of Violence Prevention is still working to address the causes of violence — and trying to stop it before it happens. In November, the city named the office’s new director, Marvin Teer, Jr. A former judge and prosecutor, Teer shares some of his experiences from three decades in the criminal justice system. He also addresses the likely impact of losing access to millions of dollars in federal funding when the American Rescue Plan Act expires at the end of the year. Teer says the change will affect more than 40 programs: “Our mission will go on,” he says, “but just in a very limited, or, at least in a reduced manner.” Joining Teer is James Watson, director of the nonprofit Show Me Peace, who discusses examples of how violence can be interrupted and how OVP creates an “ecosystem” of programs addressing its root causes.
Late winter is notoriously slow for restaurants. Fortunately, the St. Louis area saw many more openings than closures in February. The STLPR food crew convenes to share what’s new in the dining scene, including a literary pub in Rolla and a kosher deli in Clayton. They also discuss the joys of solo dining and the differences between biscuits and scones.
A long stay in the hospital often means dealing with fear and boredom. But for expectant mothers who find themselves hospitalized for weeks to monitor their pregnancies, they face isolation at a time when they need support the most. In 2024, more than 7,400 babies born in Missouri — or 11% — were preterm, before 37 weeks gestation. In St. Louis, a rare antepartum arts program at Barnes-Jewish Hospital is "meant to bridge the gap between hospital rooms," writes Missouri Independent health reporter Anna Spoerre. Spoerre's Feb. 23 story explored the hospital's 15-year-old antepartum program, which is the only one of its kind in the Midwest. Emily Paino-Brenneman, the program’s coordinator, talks about the program and why it's drawing attention from other states. We also learn about the origins of the program (and how art can be an important part of the healing process) with the program's recently retired founder, Sarah Colby.
What a lawyer says to the media can have consequences at trial. St. Louis saw an example of that after a comment last week on St. Louis on the Air contributed to a judge declaring a mistrial in a high-profile trial this week. On this Legal Roundtable edition of the program, our panel of expert attorneys reacts to the decision and addresses the risk of talking to reporters about a pending case. One panelist confirmed the ruling is already making an impact: “It will have a chilling effect on my willingness to talk to the media.” The panel also discusses an unusual lawsuit involving a police officer facing formal discipline for sending a reply-all email, the legal status of gas station gambling machines, and more.
What happens when a border becomes more than just a line on a map? We feature Episode 2 of STLPR’s podcast, “Meet Me,” exploring life along the St. Louis city-county border. It’s the second half of our deep dive into the Great Divorce, the decision 150 years ago that split the region into city and county. We also revisit the ambitious Better Together proposal from 2019 that sought to merge the two — why it failed and what its collapse reveals about power, trust, race and regional identity. Later, “Meet Me” host and lead producer Luis Antonio Perez and engagement producer Paola Rodriguez join the show.
Parkinson’s disease is a chronic, progressive disorder with no cure, and its rate of incidence in the Midwest is one of the highest in the country. We explore why — including new research that shows a strong link between exposure to a widely used herbicide and the development of the disease. Journalist Mike Fitzgerald shares how East St. Louis became a battleground against the chemical giant that produces the herbicide and how the Trump administration’s cuts to biomedical funding could have big repercussions for people focused on a cure. We also hear from two St. Louis residents who live with the condition.
For the second year in a row, the Annie Malone May Day Parade has been postponed. To understand why the event has been such a beloved St. Louis tradition, we revisit a March 2025 conversation about Annie Malone: the namesake of the parade who was the country’s first Black female millionaire, and a philanthropic and cultural force.
Tennis is a game that begins, literally, at “love.” But the sport hasn’t always welcomed all players. In 1945 in St.Louis, Sumner High School teacher and tennis coach Richard Hudlin decided to do something about the segregation of tennis in the city’s courts and tournaments. He sued to desegregate the recreational and sports facilities — and he won. A skilled tennis player in his own right, Hudlin also coached tennis legends Arthur Ashe and Althea Gibson, both of whom broke color barriers in tennis in the United States and abroad. Missouri Historical Society’s Cicely Hunter and Amanda Clark share what we know of Hudlin’s early days, his relationship with Arthur Ashe and his impact on the tennis world.
The James Beard Awards annually recognize the best of America’s dining scene. Chef Alex Henry of El Molino del Sureste is a 2026 semifinalist for Best Chef: Midwest. The honor brings national attention to the Yucatecan cuisine he and his co-owner, and brother, Jeff Henry bring to St. Louis. In this episode, they talk about the significance of this milestone, their culinary philosophies and the journey – including many childhood summers in Yucatán – that brought them to this point.
Missouri Republicans gathered in Springfield this past weekend for Lincoln Days, the biggest gathering of the year for the state party. STLPR’s Jason Rosenbaum spent the weekend talking with GOP officials, consultants and activists – and found that the party is weighing how a bad national environment could affect key ballot initiatives and competitive state legislative races. Listen to Rosenbaum’s reporting on “The Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air.”
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker unveiled the final budget address of his second term, proposing a $56 billion plan that largely maintains the status quo while navigating federal funding cuts and rising costs. The budget includes targeted tax increases on social media companies and modest growth for education and pensions. STLPR Metro East reporter Will Bauer breaks down the speech and Pritzker’s priorities.
As he tries to become the next St. Charles County executive, former state Sen. Bill Eigel is defending his fundraising strategies that inspired Republican House members to advance legislation curtailing recurring campaign contributions. Eigel joins “The Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air.”
In “Climate Change in Concert,” delicate violin strings mirror the buzzing of cicadas take the place of data analysis. The performance at Washington University will transform environmental science into sound on Feb. 24. Composer Christopher Stark collaborated with violinist Clara Kim and Dan Giammar, the director of WashU’s Center for the Environment, to create a work that invites audiences to feel the rhythms and disruptions of a dynamic climate. We also explore the role of creativity in environmental research and why artists, alongside scientists, are essential in shaping solutions.
For 60 years, the Gateway Arch has defined St. Louis’s skyline — a 630-foot engineering marvel and the city’s most recognizable symbol. An exhibit at the Old Courthouse, “Hey, There’s the Arch!,” explores how the monument became woven into the region’s identity, from branding and ballcaps to personal memories. STLPR morning newscaster and host of The Gateway podcast, Abby Llorico, talks about the Arch’s evolving meaning and its deep connection to the community.
Inside the Missouri History Museum’s “Mill Creek: Black Metropolis” exhibit, a once-thriving Black neighborhood erased by urban renewal comes back into focus. That’s where STLPR race, culture and identity reporter Andrea Henderson talked with Lyah LeFlore-Ituen, the new director of the Missouri Historical Society’s African American History Initiative. They discussed why Mill Creek’s story — and Black history more broadly — is foundational to St. Louis.
Scientists are beginning to decode how floral scents attract specific pollinators. Mónica Carlsen of the Missouri Botanical Garden is taking her research of anthuriums, a common household plant known for their wide leaves and protruding spike, from the Climatron and will soon travel to Colombia to capture plant scents in the wild, aiming to better understand the “invisible language” between plants and pollinators. We also hear from Stephen and Peter Sachs Museum curator Nezka Pfeifer about the museum’s latest exhibit “Smelling the Bouquet: Plants and Scents in the Garden.”
Around 70 lawsuits against the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department are facing delays and confusion amid a year-long legal battle between lawyers for the state and city: The battle is over which entity is financially responsible to pay millions of dollars in settlements reached by judges and juries in lawsuits over police abuses. St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Tony Messenger shares insights from his reporting about the situation, which he calls a “legal morass.” Arch City Defenders attorney Maureen Hanlon, who represented the family of a 63-year-old man police killed in a SWAT raid in 2017, shares her experience from the middle of this legal confusion. Messenger and Hanlon discuss the current situation’s roots, the history of local control of the SLMPD, and why judges are looking to lawmakers for lasting solutions.
Lifelong friends Nathan Colombo and Maxwell Senteney have co-produced hundreds of Tiny Desk Contest entry videos for musicians across southern Illinois and St. Louis. In 2024, they launched Tiny Desk Crashers with a goal to make sure the musical talent of southern Illinois is recognized — and impossible to ignore.
A major voice in the St. Louis blues and jazz community has left the stage. Longtime singer Marsha Evans died last week at 75. Musicians, family and friends pay tribute by recognizing her contributions to the local music scene and her collaboration with artists including Fontella Bass, Oliver Sain and Gus Thornton. They also discuss her music being sampled by Atlanta rapper and Migos member Quavo and her work as a mentor to young people.
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