St. Louis on the Air

Latest Episodes:

Tony Award-winner, St. Louis native Norbert Leo Butz celebrates new album at the Sheldon Sep 29, 2023

Show notes

St. Louis native Norbert Leo Butz’s latest album is a conversation with his eldest daughter. He celebrates the release of “King of Hearts” with a homecoming concert Friday night at the Sheldon. Butz has won two Tony Awards for Best Actor in a Musical for his roles in “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” and “Catch Me If You Can.” He’s also appeared in TV shows and films.

A trip to the prairie connects young Black artists to nature Sep 29, 2023

Show notes

Every year, Saint Louis Story Stitchers Artists Collective goes on an immersive trip to a Missouri’s prairie land. For many of the teens, this is their first chance to engage with the outdoors. Young participants and mentors share why the trip is meaningful and how it inspires their artistry.

Dred Scott's great-great-granddaughter erects new monument fitting of his legacy Sep 29, 2023

Show notes

In the mid-1800s, an enslaved man named Dred Scott sued for his freedom in St. Louis. Scott’s yearslong legal battle culminated in an infamous U.S. Supreme Court ruling that helped push the country closer to civil war. Today, Dred Scott and his wife, Harriett Scott, are celebrated, and there’s a new monument that befits that legacy in Calvary Cemetery in north St. Louis. STLPR’s Marissanne Lewis-Thompson talked with the Scotts’ great-great-granddaughter Lynne Jackson about that legacy in front of the newly erected monument.

Legal Roundtable: Missouri Supreme Court struck down red light cameras. Can St. Louis bring them back? Sep 28, 2023

Show notes

Concern over a rise in traffic violence has led St. Louis officials to consider an option the city first tried in 2007: Installing automated cameras to catch traffic violators and deter others. Missouri's Supreme Court ruled the ordinance unconstitutional in 2015, but the city is looking to try again. The Legal Roundtable’s Brenda Talent, Bill Freivogel and Eric Banks tackle that issue, as well as a $745 million verdict against the company that manufactures Whip-Its and a squabble between KMOV and KSDK on who owns the right to say “First Alert Weather.”

'Heartbroken' at KDHX: DJs, listeners react after station fires 10 volunteers Sep 27, 2023

Show notes

The unfolding controversy at KDHX on September 22 when the station fired 10 volunteer DJs. To understand what led to mass firings, how the beloved station got to this point, and the response from its fans and supporters, STLPR reporter Jeremy Goodwin shares insights from his recent coverage of the issue. Former KDHX DJ Ital K, who resigned from his show in solidarity on September 23, reveals what it’s like for longtime volunteers and supporters now watching the controversy unfold.

Ethics concerns a ‘thorn in their sides’ at U.S. Supreme Court, says NPR’s Nina Totenberg Sep 27, 2023

Show notes

NPR Legal Affairs Correspondent Nina Totenberg has covered the U.S. Supreme Court for about 50 years. As she gears up for a new court session that begins Monday, Totenberg discusses the cases she’s watching. She also talks about the headline-grabbing ethics concerns swirling around the high court, breaking the Anita Hill story in 1991, and her recent memoir, “Dinners with Ruth.”

Through the cemetery gates of Jefferson County goes Dennis Bentley, gravefinder Sep 26, 2023

Show notes

Dennis Bentley, St. Louis Public Radio systems specialist, has a notable hobby: He finds graves. As a volunteer for FindAGrave.com, he has submitted more than 5,000 pictures of gravestones: the small bejeweled ones, the wealthy towering ones and the just plain ol' regular ones. In this encore episode initially aired this January, Bentley discusses finding meaning as he visits cemeteries in Jefferson County.

Jon-Paul Wheatley’s handmade soccer balls were a TikTok sensation. Then FIFA called Sep 26, 2023

Show notes

UK-born, St. Louis resident Jon-Paul Wheatley turned his fascination with crafting soccer balls into more than a half million followers on TikTok. In this encore presentation that initially aired in July, Wheatley discusses how he turned a pandemic hobby into trips to Qatar, the World Cup, and crafting soccer balls for the likes of superstar Lionel Messi and FIFA.

Pulitzer exhibition celebrates the lost artifacts of St. Louis' rich architectural history Sep 26, 2023

Show notes

A new exhibition at the Pulitzer Arts Foundation showcases the city’s architectural salvage that was left in the wake of urban renewal. Pulitzer Arts Foundation curator Stephanie Weissberg and Michael Allen, director of the National Building Arts Center, discuss their collaboration on “Urban Archaeology: Lost Buildings of St. Louis.”

Missouri places top 3 in book bans, while lawmakers brandish flamethrowers Sep 25, 2023

Show notes

A video of two Missouri elected officials blasting flamethrowers got a lot of attention online last week. While the display was symbolic, Missouri’s record on book bans is very real: A new report from PEN America shows Missouri had the 3rd highest number of book ban cases in the country last year. Lisa Gilbert, an instructor at Washington University (and who teaches future teachers) discusses the ongoing impact of book bans, and reflects on the importance of giving students access to knowledge, even when the content is difficult.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected