St. Louis On The Air

The St. Louis Mural Project is bringing 28 new murals to St. Louis. Tracey Morgan of the Regional Arts Commission discusses how the federally funded project is meant to highlight the city’s history and encourage economic growth. Three artists also share about the murals they have painted in various parts of the city.

Even before some 19,000 St. Louis Public Schools students started the 2024-25 school year yesterday, questions have swirled about the district’s leadership, its financial stability, and its capacity to get students to and from school. STLPR reporter Lacretia Wimbley discusses the challenges facing the district.

Frog hunting has connected Missourians to one another and served as a food source for generations. STLPR reporter Lauren Brennecke describes its hows and whys, including what folks who dismiss or disparage the longtime practice miss about its cultural importance.

St. Louis has another football team that can claim the title of "Greatest Show on Turf." Last month, after a thrilling comeback against the Boston Breakers, the St. Louis SLAM won its fifth Women's Football Alliance championship. The team's players aren't paid like NFL players— but they hit hard and play to win. Player-turned-coach Myrt Davis and second-year running back Jada Humphreys share their love of the game, and what it takes to keep football thriving in St. Louis.

The iconic Route 66 is approaching its 100th birthday. To celebrate the historic ‘Mother Road’, the State Historical Society of Missouri is working to collect items and anecdotes from around the state to build an exhibit that opens to the public in 2026. Researchers Katie Seal and Sean Rost talk about the stories they want to collect and why the highway remains a source of nostalgia decades later.

On Tuesday, Missouri's Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft confirmed that the fate of abortion rights in the state will be decided on the ballot in November --- but how we got here tells us a lot about the state of Missouri's politics. St. Louis Public Radio statehouse reporter Sarah Kellogg discuses the fight to put abortion on the ballot, and how the initiative petition process survived opposition from the same official who certified its collection of voter signatures,

Carl Phillips was day-drinking last year when he found out he won the Pulitzer Prize in poetry. The recently-retired Washington University professor is now out with a new book, “Scattered Snows, to the North.” STLPR arts & culture senior reporter Jeremy D. Goodwin talks with Phillips about the prestigious recognition and his new book, “Scattered Snows, to the North.”

PBS’ “The Great American Recipe” introduced viewers to St. Louis’ own Adjo Honsu, chef/owner of the food truck Fufu n’ Sauce. Her mission to share her Togolese cuisine and culture with others put her alongside seven other home-trained chefs from across the U.S. competing, sharpening their skills, and telling their familial and culinary stories — and she won!

Dr. Amjad Musleh, an emergency medicine and intensive care physician at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, volunteered at one of the last functioning hospitals in Gaza last month. He shares why he went to an active war zone to treat Palestinian war victims and how he saw extraordinary examples of human resilience.

Few editions of the Olympics can out-crazy the 1904 Games hosted in St. Louis. Adam Kloppe, public historian at the Missouri Historical Society, shares the many ways St. Louis left its mark on Olympic history — including its hot mess of a marathon and being the first modern Games to award a medal to an African American athlete.

Standardized K-12 media literacy education is scarce in schools across the country. But with an ever-evolving media landscape, navigating today’s information overflow with skill is crucial. Three students – high school seniors Charlie Meyers and Diego Perez Palomino, and college freshman Aylah Hopper – share what they think is the best approach to teaching young people how to critically engage with the media they consume and create. We’ll also hear from Donnell Probst, deputy director of the National Association of Media Literacy Education, about the importance of media literacy education.

There are about 415 St. Louis area restaurants, entertainment venues, stores and more highlighted in the second edition of “Lost Treasures of St. Louis.” Among other gone-but-not-forgotten entries, the coffee table book features the floating McDonalds, St. Louis Arena and Famous-Barr. In this encore segment from December 2023, co-author Cameron Collins — and listeners — share their memories about the Millennium Hotel, Casa Gallardo and the Admiral.

Many people found their power and voices in the midst of the Ferguson Uprising. Some used streaming technology as they found themselves defining their own class of media, with no editors and no rules. They brought the story of the Ferguson Uprising live to our computers and smartphones. This episode of STLPR’s podcast “We Live Here,” explores their dispatches from the frontlines that kept viewers up to date while the national news played catch up. Their stories didn’t end in 2014, though, as many of them continued to demonstrate for causes in the St. Louis area to the present or until their deaths.

On Wednesday, August 6, St. Louis Public Radio and NPR news co-hosted "Ferguson and Beyond: A Community Conversation 10 Years Later" at Greater St. Mark Family Church, just miles from the epicenter of protests sparked by the killing of Michael Brown, Jr. by a Ferguson police officer in August 2014. This episode presents highlights from that event, with a panel and audience Q&A moderated by NPR “Morning Edition” host Michel Martin and a special performance by St. Louis spoken word artist, poet, and community arts educator Pacia Elaine Anderson.

In this encore presentation, St. Louis librarians Tammy Albohaire and Ted Reidy share their book recommendations for the summer.

Missouri Republicans and Democrats wrapped up a historic primary on Tuesday night. Perhaps the most consequential result was St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell toppling Congresswoman Cori Bush — a big loss for St. Louis’ progressive faction and a win for supporters of Israel. University of Missouri-St. Louis political science professor Anita Manion and STLPR’s Sarah Kellogg join the “Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air” to break down election results and what they mean for Missouri and St. Louis’ political future.

Mole is a staple of Mexican cuisine, but what’s special about this sauce isn’t just its flavors — chilis, nuts, fruits, chocolate — it's where those tastes come from. Sauce Magazine writer Ileana Martinez explored four local restaurants serving their own, region-specific takes on the staple. Angel Jimenez Gutierrez, co-owner of the Mexican restaurant Malinche in Ellisville, discusses why mole never leaves his menu — and how the dish reminds him of home.

Urban design, tax incentives and landscaping can make racial and economic inequality worse in suburbs like Ferguson. Patty Heyda, a professor of architecture and urban design at Washington University, talks about her new book “Radical Atlas of Ferguson, USA”. She shares what mapping Ferguson — in more than 100 different ways — reveals about how cities are unjustly built.

In the 1960s, St. Louis nearly became one of the most magical places on earth. A planned Disneyland, called the Riverfront Square, captured imaginations as local leaders sought to strike a deal with Walt Disney himself — until that deal went bibbidi, bobbidi, bust. In this encore episode from May 2024, writer Devin Thomas O'Shea reminds us of what the canceled Disney attraction might have been, the disputed reasons why the plan fell apart (no, it wasn't just over beer), and the problematic characters and mythologized storytelling that the park would have been designed around.

This Friday marks 10 years since Michael Brown Jr. was shot and killed by a white police officer in Ferguson. His death sparked a global movement calling for police accountability and an end to racial injustice. In this contributed episode, STLPR reporter Marissanne Lewis-Thompson talks with Michael Brown Sr. and Cal Brown about their son’s legacy and how they turned their pain into helping others.