St. Louis on the Air

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Leading St. Louis chefs unite to spotlight mental health in hospitality Apr 27, 2026

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James Beard Award winner Gerard Craft is open about his experiences with anxiety, pressure and seeking help — and why mental health is a critical issue in the hospitality industry. Craft, the executive chef and CEO of Niche Food Group, is among several acclaimed St. Louis chefs coming together for a May 4 luncheon, “Hands for Mental Health Luncheon.” Some of the proceeds will benefit NAMI St. Louis.

Amid debate over Festus data center, a local election sent a national signal Apr 23, 2026

Show notes

Debate over a proposed hyperscale data center in Festus made local and national news this month when voters ousted city council members who approved the plan. With a lawsuit filed and a new city council, the controversy is far from over. We go behind the headlines with STLPR reporters Kavahn Mansouri and Katie Grawitch, who have spent months covering the debates and voter backlash over data centers in Festus and the St. Louis region. Festus resident Erica Carter shares what a data center would mean for her community, and attorney Steve Jeffrey discusses the lawsuit filed against Festus to stop the project before it breaks ground.

Lou Magdits leaves Rolla City Council after 32 years of service Apr 23, 2026

Show notes

For the first time in 32 years, Lou Magdits is not on the Rolla City Council. He did not seek re-election after 12 years as mayor — three terms that followed 20 years representing the city’s fourth ward. Madgits sits down with STLPR’s Jonathan Ahl to talk about his time in office and how things have been different recently.

St. Louis clinic expands to meet the physical and mental health needs of tornado victims Apr 22, 2026

Show notes

In the immediate aftermath of the May 16 tornado that tore a path through St. Louis last spring, the 314Oasis clinic was set up to provide people impacted by the storm with physical and mental health support. Co-founder and director Dr. LJ Punch provides an update on the organization's continued work around food access, housing help and grief support — including its expansion to O’Fallon Park, another north St. Louis neighborhood that sustained significant tornado damage.

Budget cuts leave fate of Missouri’s overdose reversal program uncertain Apr 22, 2026

Show notes

Missouri is on the brink of changing how it funds and provides naloxone to first-responders. The program is credited for reducing overdoses, but it faces a potential budget cut of $8 million. Rachel Winograd discusses the origins, successes and uncertain future of naloxone in Missouri. Winograd is a University of Missouri-St. Louis professor and director of addiction science at the Missouri Institute for Mental Health. Her team is responsible for distributing naloxone for the entire state.

Displaced Black church remembered and honored in Clayton ceremony Apr 21, 2026

Show notes

Clayton was once home to a large and thriving Black community. The First Baptist Church of Clayton — which sat on South Brentwood Boulevard — was part of that physical community until the city’s urban development plans forced the church to move in 1961. Five years later, the luxury high-rise Park Tower took up that space. On April 30, the church and the community that was impacted by its displacement will be honored at a city ceremony and the installation of a memorial plaque. STLPR reporter Chad Davis joined “St. Louis on the Air to take us deeper into the background of the plaque, the church once stood there, and why the city of Clayton is recognizing its legacy.

Missouri man begins life in Europe after deportation Apr 21, 2026

Show notes

When Owen Ramsingh returned to the U.S. from visiting his father in the Netherlands, he expected to go home to Columbia, Missouri — where he’d lived for decades. Instead, he was detained at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport and ultimately deported over a drug charge from his teenage years, despite being a legal permanent resident. We talk with KBIA journalist Addison Zanger about Ramsingh’s life in mid-Missouri, how he and his family are coping with the changes and how he’s trying to forge a new life in the Netherlands.

How Route 66 connected the world and the Midwest Apr 20, 2026

Show notes

Last month, we recognized 100 years since the commissioning of historic Route 66 by talking about its legacy and notable stops along the highway. We were only able to touch on a small portion of the route’s history, so now, we’re back with another conversation about the Mother Road. Missouri History Museum historian Andrew Wanko talks about the Missourians who were instrumental in marketing the highway and its Missouri-based attractions, what made Route 66 uniquely American, and notable attractions along the roadway. We also hear recollections from Irv Logan. Irv is the grandson of Alberta Ellis, whose hotel along Route 66 was one of the only safe places in Missouri for Black travelers to stay during the Jim Crow era.

Public art exhibit in Chesterfield promotes peace with Holocaust survivor portraits and stories Apr 20, 2026

Show notes

Dozens of Holocaust survivor portraits, each standing more than seven feet tall and over three and a half feet wide, are on display at the District of St. Louis entertainment center in Chesterfield. These images are part of a traveling public art project called “Lest We Forget” by Italian-German photographer Luigi Toscano. The UNESCO Artist for Peace discusses what inspired his project in Germany in 2014 and how people have responded to its installations in different cities across the U.S. He also shares why bringing the “Lest We Forget” program to U.S. public schools — the first such partnership is happening with two rural Missouri schools in Houston and Sedalia — reflects the forward-looking orientation of his work: portraits and stories as a reminder of the past and a reflection of what is possible.

The significance of protest music in St. Louis and American history Apr 17, 2026

Show notes

Protest and activism come in many forms, including music that draws attention to current issues that artists find most pressing, and important. On this episode of “The Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air,” St. Louisans share their favorite protest songs and what that music means to them. We also hear from hip-hop artist KVTheWriter about her latest diss tracks aimed at Mayor Cara Spencer, developer Paul McKee and Congressman Wesley Bell, and talk with WashU professor Lauren Eldridge Stewart about the history of protest music.

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