St. Louis on the Air

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A baby elephant’s private childhood is coming to an end at the St. Louis Zoo Apr 03, 2025

Show notes

The St. Louis Zoo’s youngest residents are (almost) ready for the spotlight. Jet, a four-month-old Asian elephant calf, is weeks away from making his public debut. Katie Pilgram-Kloppe, zoological manager at the St. Louis Zoo's River's Edge, shares her insights into Jet’s development and family dynamic with his mother, Jade. We also talk with Curator of Carnivores Julie Hartell DeNardo about the details behind the zoo’s recent swap of polar bear Kali, who came to St. Louis in 2015, for twin polar bear cubs Kallik and Kallu.

Healthcare systems collaborate to identify and address community health needs in St. Louis Apr 02, 2025

Show notes

Mental wellness and access to healthy food are areas with ample room for improvement in the St. Louis region — that’s according to community members who participated in a recent survey led by SSM Health. We discuss some solutions to those challenges, including a behavioral health urgent care clinic that aims to better meet the mental health needs of residents and a bread basket program that helps alert care providers whose patients may be experiencing food or nutritional insecurity.

Missouri schools face civil rights investigations. Trump’s cuts may end them Apr 02, 2025

Show notes

Civil rights investigations have been cancelled in the wake of mass layoffs at the U.S. Department of Education and shuttering of civil rights offices nationwide. The move has put thousands of open civil rights investigations in jeopardy — hundreds of which originated in Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa. Reporter Kavahn Mansouri of the Midwest Newsroom will discuss his recent reporting on the uncertain future of those investigations. Attorney Sarah Jane Hunt shares her insight into how these civil rights investigations functioned before the cuts and the chaos now moving through that system.

The St. Louis restaurants that opened and closed in March Apr 01, 2025

Show notes

You can’t get a reservation at one of Midtown’s newest watering holes. And, to get in, you go through the biergarten at Urban Chestnut Midtown. There’s a small hut the brewery serves beer from during the summer. Go behind that, and you’ll find a waiting room and a black door. If the red light is on, go in. In our monthly restaurant episode, STLPR’s Jessica Rogen and Abby Llorico discuss new speakeasies around town as well as the latest restaurant openings and closings.

Growing up near Coldwater Creek: ‘We had no idea we were swimming in Uranium waste’ Apr 01, 2025

Show notes

Coldwater Creek lies at the heart of one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S. history. It’s also where Jim Gaffney played as a child growing up in north St. Louis County. “We thought we'd stay there the rest of our lives. We had no idea we were swimming in uranium waste,” said Gaffney, who has battled multiple cancer diagnoses throughout his life. Gaffney and other former residents of Coldwater Creek spoke with journalist Mike Fitzgerald, who joined “St. Louis on the Air” to discuss his recent reporting. Along with Fitzgerald, Dawn Chapman, co-founder of the group Just Moms STL, shared her insight and takeaways from the recent visit to the West Lake Landfill by EPA administrator Lee Zeldin.

Sarah Kendzior’s ‘Last American Road Trip’ paints beautiful and scarred portrait of changing country Mar 31, 2025

Show notes

University City-based author Sarah Kendzior’s latest book is “The Last American Road Trip.” The memoir, which comes out Tuesday, showcases how America’s ravishing national parks and historic roadways cannot get away from political instability, climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, and myth breaking realities of America’s past.

Inches from Glory combines cohesion and emotion with ‘Changing Course’ Mar 28, 2025

Show notes

Inches from Glory’s latest EP “Changing Course” is a display of Blake Mickens, Marty Aubuchon and CJ Schrieber’s appreciation for emo and personal growth as musicians. The trio shared their creative process and their excitement for the greater punk scene in St. Louis.

Rock out to new songs from St. Louis artists Mar 28, 2025

Show notes

The selections for this month’s music show takes us back to our punk days in school, on a trip to an island and connects us with nature. Jill “DJ Jillian” Firns and music reviewer Jonathan Rahul, along with producer Miya Norfleet, discuss the reasoning behind their music picks and an explanation of how it makes them feel.

As tornadoes struck, Steve Templeton kept broadcasting — even after evacuating his studio Mar 27, 2025

Show notes

When severe storms tore through the St. Louis area on March 14, local meteorologists played a critical role in keeping residents safe. KMOV First Alert 4 Chief Meteorologist Steve Templeton was on-air for hours, tracking tornadoes and delivering life-saving updates — even as one storm forced him to move to a safer studio. Templeton recounts that intense night, the challenges of broadcasting during extreme weather, and answers listener questions.

Lawsuit over slain Lyft driver in St. Louis raises ‘massive’ questions for tech companies Mar 25, 2025

Show notes

A Missouri appeals court has dealt a major defeat to ride-sharing app Lyft in the case of a driver who was slain while on the job. The implications of the case could open other tech companies to potentially “billions of dollars in damages,” says attorney Dave Roland, who joins this month’s Legal Roundtable. Roland is joined by attorney Eric Banks and former St. Louis Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce. They also discuss recent criminal charges against former presidential candidate Jill Stein, a 10-year battle over open records, and an effort to raise the pay of juries.

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