St. Louis on the Air

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Zimmerman and Hancock chart different courses for St. Louis County’s turbulent budget Oct 16, 2026

Show notes

The Democratic and Republican nominees for St. Louis County executive agree on a key issue: Missouri’s most populous county is in a dire budgetary situation. During a joint appearance on “The Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air,” Democrat Jake Zimmerman and Republican Dennis Hancock both said that whoever succeeds St. Louis County Executive Sam Page will have to make hard financial decisions when they’re sworn into office next year.

Songs to get through heartbreak and real life horrors — all by St. Louis musicians Oct 15, 2026

Show notes

It got moody and introspective in month’s new music round up. Ryan Brown, also known as Big Esco, joined producer Miya Norfleet and host Elaine Cha to talk about their local favorites for the month including the funky sounds of singer/songwriter Frankie DoWop, post-grunge stylings of Yuppy and more. Check out our new music roundup playlist.

Lizzie Weber’s ‘Wraiths in the Wake’ is a haunting journey of lingering loss and release Oct 15, 2026

Show notes

The emotional weight of loss and isolation and resilience are the hallmark of singer-songwriter Lizzie Weber’s new album “Wraiths in the Wake.” The darker tones, haunting vocals, and expressive lyrics tell the tale of Weber’s life experiences during the pandemic and suffering a miscarriage. She joins the show to talk about the origin of “Wraiths in the Wake,” “how she uses her music to express her emotions, and why the mythological “wraith” is the perfect image to conjure when listening to the album.

How orange groves and a tiger attack inspired two sisters to launch Golden Gems in St. Louis Oct 14, 2026

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Ten years ago, sisters Susan Logsdon and Amanda Helman founded Golden Gems. What started as a “side hustle” family business venture turned into a successful brand that celebrates being authentic and unapologetic. Logsdon and Helman share how family lore and their Florida upbringing show up in their work — and what they’ve learned in the decade since going all in on their own business.

St. Louis helped create public bathrooms. There's still room for improvement Oct 14, 2026

Show notes

Bryant Simon’s new book "For Customers Only" explores the history of public bathrooms in the U.S. It’s a story marked by inequality — with several St. Louis ties throughout the centuries. Simon talks about past and present bathroom discrimination, the golden age of public restrooms in the late 1800s, and how those facilities declined in quality, or outright disappeared, during a wave of disinvestment in public amenities in the latter half of the 20th century.

How a WashU student opened a vending machine for textured hair products on campus Oct 13, 2026

Show notes

A Washington University student has opened TheHairVault, a vending machine selling textured hair products, with the help of a beauty shop owner. TheHairVault fills a gap on campus, where students have limited access to products for textured hair. Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts fashion design senior Zariah Taylor and Lake St. Louis Beauty Supply owner Tam King-Krolik discuss how the business came to be and their future goals.

Young St. Louis performers take on a professional opera production Oct 13, 2026

Show notes

Young St. Louis performers are getting a firsthand look at professional opera through a new production of “Joshua’s Boots,” a story about a Black teenager who leaves the South after the Civil War to build a new life in the West. The cast, ages 14 to 22, includes students from throughout the region, many of whom are performing in an opera for the first time. In this episode, we hear from director Adam Flores and from two young cast members — Éamon Ewing and Thomas Chatman.

Why millions have watched a hot dog touch a radio tower in St. Charles Oct 13, 2026

Show notes

A father and son's experiments involving a hot dog and a 12,000-watt AM radio tower in St. Charles have captivated the internet. Radio engineer Joe Geerling and his son, Jeff Geerling, who has more than a million followers on his tech-focused YouTube channel, discuss their fascination with AM radio towers and the arcs of plasma produced by objects that get too close to RF energy. They also talk about the moment that made this experiment go viral: When an audio signal could be heard playing out the hot dog's burning flesh as it touched the AM radio tower.

New exhibit explores baseball’s impact on St. Louis — and St. Louis’ impact on the sport Oct 09, 2026

Show notes

From St. Louis’ first known baseball game in 1860 to the Cardinals’ legendary 2011 World Series victory, the new Missouri History Museum exhibit “St. Louis at Bat: 100 Moments in Baseball History” explores the ways America’s pastime has shaped St. Louis culture — and how the region’s teams, players, and fans have impacted the sport. Exhibit curator and public historian Adam Kloppe and Terry Lemons, author of the new book “The Year St. Louis Became A Baseball Town,” discuss artifacts, athletes, moments and traditions featured in the exhibit. “St. Louis at Bat” is up now through September 7, 2027.

St. Louis County Police Chief Juan Cox on the promotion he never planned to seek Oct 08, 2026

Show notes

Metro East native Col. Juan Cox started his career with the St. Louis County Police Department 30 years ago. He’s now a few months into his tenure as the department’s chief. Cox recently sat down with STLPR justice reporter Rachel Lippman to talk about why he decided to apply for the position instead of retiring, what it’s been like so far to lead the department, and how he hopes to make the department a national leader.

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