St. Louis on the Air

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Book ban efforts threaten ‘the heart of our democracy,’ says Wentzville lead librarian Jan 04, 2024

Show notes

In the fall of 2022, a Missouri law went into effect that opened school officials to possible criminal charges if they provide “explicit sexual content” to students. That has had a chilling effect on librarians, and it resulted in Missouri removing the third highest number of books from library shelves, following Florida and Texas. STLPR reporter Kate Grumke talks with Mernie Maestas, the lead librarian for the Wentzville School District in St. Charles County.

CVPA grad reflects on St. Louis Teen Talent Competition win and future endeavors Jan 03, 2024

Show notes

When Central Visual and Performing Arts High School student Ray Strickland performed his original song “Time for Change” at the St. Louis Teen Talent Competition in 2023, he sang in recognition of his cousin who he lost to gun violence, of George Floyd, who was murdered shortly after Strickland wrote the song, and in reflection of the mass shooting at his school months earlier. He shares what he is up to now and his belief in the power of the “universal language” of music.

How DB Cooper inspired a St Louis hijacker Jan 03, 2024

Show notes

D.B. Cooper’s 1971 airplane hijacking did more than just create an American crime legend: He inspired copycats, including in St. Louis in 1972. The St. Louis caper forms the core of University of Missouri history professor John Wigger's new book, “The Hijacking of American Flight 119: How D.B. Cooper Inspired a Skyjacking Craze and the FBI’s Battle to Stop It." Wigger interviewed McNally, who was released from federal prison in 2010, and more than a dozen retired FBI agents. Wigger spoke with St. Louis on the Air producer Danny Wicentowski.

Sam Goodwin’s forthcoming book shares the ways coincidence and connections led to his release from Syrian prisons Jan 02, 2024

Show notes

Sam Goodwin was just thirteen countries away from reaching his goal of visiting every country when he traveled to Syria. His visit took a wrong turn when he was wrongfully accused of espionage and held in the country’s notorious prison system. Goodwin’s forthcoming book about his captivity shares the ways coincidence and connection led to his release.

The Endangered Species Act is 50. Here's how MoBot is helping plants survive Jan 02, 2024

Show notes

50 years after the Endangered Species Act was passed, the Missouri Botanical Garden continues their plant conservation efforts within the garden grounds and in the wild. Matthew Albrecht, director of Missouri Botanical Garden’s Center for Conservation and Sustainable Development, and Becky Sucher, senior manager of the garden’s Living Collections share the successes in plant conservation and how the noticeably changing weather patterns affects their work at the garden and in the field.

The top stories that shaped St. Louis, Missouri and Illinois politics in 2023 Dec 22, 2023

Show notes

2023 was a year of change in St. Louis politics as Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner resigned from an office in turmoil and the Board of Aldermen was cut in half. STLPR journalists Jason Rosenbaum, Brian Munoz, Will Bauer, Rachel Lippmann and Sarah Kellogg break down the top political stories of the year.

STL Aldermanic President says workers’ rights and traffic safety are 2024 priorities Dec 22, 2023

Show notes

The St. Louis Board of Aldermen went through a major political and structural transformation in 2023. St. Louis Board of Aldermen President Megan Green discusses some of the highlights of the past year and what to expect from her aldermanic colleagues in 2024.

Legal questions remain after St. Louis cop drives into bar, arrests owner Dec 21, 2023

Show notes

On Monday morning, a St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officer drove his SUV through the front wall of a local gay bar. The incident ended with Bar:PM co-owner Chad Morris in handcuffs, under arrest and charged with felony assault. Attorneys Mark Smith, Kalila Jackson and Dave Roland discuss this case, and others, in this Legal Roundtable episode.

Meet the STLPR photojournalists who tell stories one frame at a time Dec 20, 2023

Show notes

Yes, radio stations have photojournalists — and they’re vital to the stories St. Louis Public Radio produces. Interim Digital Editor Brian Munoz and photojournalist Tristen Rouse have wrapped up collecting STLPR’s “Year in Photos.” They join the show to discuss what happens behind the lens, and how it’s led to some of their favorite images among the thousands they’ve captured in 2023.

From Christopher Columbus to Ferguson, Michael Harriot delivers history that is ‘Black AF’ Dec 20, 2023

Show notes

In this encore, listen back to our September interview with columnist and commentator Michael Harriot. Harriot's debut book, “Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America,” offers a compelling retelling of American history. Harriot discusses why he tackled a sweeping retelling of American history, and also shares his experiences from covering protests in Ferguson in 2014 and St. Louis in 2017.

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