St. Louis on the Air

Citing dumpster contamination and the high cost of providing the service, the City of St. Louis is officially moving away from alleyway recycling. But Jess Watson, executive director of earthday365, is not giving up hope that it could return in the future. She discusses the challenges and costs involved in recycling with host Elaine Cha, and residents share what they think of the city’s decision.

Weeks of high temperatures in St. Louis is raising concerns about heat illness. Clinical assistant professor and community pharmacist Catherine Gilmore joins St. Louis on the Air to discuss the science behind what happens to the body when it fails to regulate heat, and how certain types of medication can increase the risk of heat intolerance.

Ten years ago, the killing of a Black 18-year-old in St. Louis named Mansur Ball-Bey ignited protests and calls for justice. At the center of this killing were competing claims about whether Mansur was armed and why police opened fire. But in January this year, at trial for a wrongful death lawsuit, a federal jury awarded Ball-Bey’s family $19 million. Along with attorneys Javad Khazaeli and Jermaine Wooten, Mansur’s father Dennis Ball-Bey brings us inside the story of that trial, the key evidence that turned the case on its head, and why, instead of paying millions, the City of St. Louis is now fighting for a new trial.

After months of uncertainty following the loss of federal funding, the International Institute of St. Louis’ Festival of Nations is returning to Tower Grove Park this weekend. Terry Bates, director of marketing and communications for the Institute, shares how donors stepped up to make sure the festival would stay on track, and what makes the annual event – a St. Louis staple for decades – important to the Institute’s mission of serving refugee and immigrant families.

Sumner High School students began the year not at their historic north St. Louis campus, but at Stevens Middle School. It’s a temporary home after damage from the May 16 tornado forced their temporary relocation. Alumni turned out in force to welcome them, determined to keep Sumner’s legacy alive. We hear from STLPR reporter Andrea Henderson and alumna Jackie Vanderford, Class of 1963, on the school’s history, traditions and uncertain future.

The Mississippi River is only 1,800 feet wide between St. Louis, Missouri, and East St. Louis, Illinois, but the “us verses them” mentality can be felt throughout the region. Anthony Lucius is determined to create connection between the two cities through music. His latest album, “SKWAD Goals Vol. 1,” brings musicians together from both sides of the river. Lucius gives a behind the scenes look at the making of “SKWAD Goals” and talks about his plans for Vol. 2.

On this month’s music round-up, DJ KC Mackey joins St. Louis on the Air’s Miya Norfleet and Elaine Cha to discuss their favorite new releases from local artists. Songs like “Come Back” by Paige Alyssa ooze sensuality and swag while Daemon and Trackstar the DJ challenge the state of the world on the powerful “Red Pill 84”.

A library card is a gateway to countless universes of storytelling, visual art and audio. St. Louis County Library aims to introduce local musicians to new fans with Listen Up STL. Sarah Kuntz Jones of the Glaize Branch shares how musicians within the St. Louis County Library network can get their original music to the ears of library patrons.

A documentary that chronicles years of efforts to prevent violence in St. Louis will hit streaming services on August 15. “Catching Bullets” follows the story of activist Darren Seals. Decades after his career as a drug dealer in Walnut Park, Seals returned in 2018 to buy a condemned church. Seals transformed the church into a site for youth mentoring called the Sankofa Unity Center. Seals, director Ben Scholle and producer Derrick Phillips discuss the film’s creation and how young people in St. Louis become trapped in a cycle of violence and revenge.

The American prairie once stretched across Missouri and Illinois, a vast grassland teeming with wildlife and rich biodiversity. Today, less than 1% of that prairie remains — disappearing even faster than the Amazon rainforest. Environmental journalists Dave Hage and Josephine Marcotty discuss how prairies were destroyed, why their loss is one of the world’s greatest ecological disasters, and what it will take to bring it back. Hage and Marcotty are authors of the new book, “Sea of Grass: The Conquest, Ruin and Redemption of Nature on the American Prairie.”

The U.S. birth rate has dropped to a historic low — and demographer Ness Sandoval warns St. Louis will be one of the first major cities to feel the economic and social fallout. He shares what needs to happen for St. Louis to avoid more loss and why the city should take cues from Detroit to incentivize young families to live and work in the region. Action St. Louis Executive Director Kayla Reed also joins the conversation to discuss the May 16 tornado’s displacement of north St. Louis residents and why temporary housing programs are so important to keep affected families as close to their homes and communities as possible.

When a murder is committed in the City of St. Louis, it usually doesn’t get solved. An investigation by St. Louis Public Radio, APM Reports and the Marshall Project found that detectives solved fewer than half of the nearly 2,000 homicides committed in the past decade. While these cases are unsolved, the victims of these crimes should not be forgotten. Ivy Scott, engagement reporter for The Marshall Project-St.Louis, discusses her findings from multiple interviews with the families of homicide victims. We also meet Erica Jones, mother of Whitney Brown, who was shot and killed on August 13, 2015 in an unsolved homicide.

President Trump’s January executive order bans trans people from serving in the military. Specialist Dahlia Dahl is one of 12 transgender service members in the Illinois National Guard seeking a voluntary and honorable discharge. Four trans members in the Missouri National Guard have made the same request. Dahl shares her experience as both a soldier and a trans woman — and her fight to leave the military with honor.

President Trump is pushing Republican-led states like Missouri and Texas to redraw their congressional districts ahead of the 2026 midterm elections to keep his party’s slim majority in the U.S. House. But Missouri Democratic state Sen. Patty Lewis of Kansas City says the plan could backfire, and she lays out why during an appearance on the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air.

Missouri voters have repeatedly approved ballot measures — from protecting abortion rights and expanding Medicaid to raising the minimum wage and legalizing marijuana. But lawmakers haven’t always honored those decisions, rolling back mandated paid sick leave and gutting a 2012 measure that gave St. Louis’ mayor control of the police. GOP political consultant David Barklage explains the Republican strategy, and STLPR statehouse and politics reporter Sarah Kellogg looks at what’s next for paid sick leave advocates.

The salary of many public sector employees in our region is just a click away. That includes mayors and judges, teachers, cops and professors. For nearly a decade, St. Louis Post-Dispatch data journalist Josh Renaud has worked to produce the paper’s massive, annual database of public salaries. The latest edition went live just a couple weeks ago. Renaud takes us inside the herculean effort of data-collection and how it impacts governments large and small. He also discusses the factors behind the City of St. Louis’ “glacial” 100 days to produce the records.

Halloween is just around the corner, but for comic book and horror content fans the “spooky vibes” exist all year-round. St. Louis comic book artist Lorry Jamison joins “St. Louis on the Air” to discuss their new series the “Nightshade Anthology,” and how their love for horror media like “Goosebumps” and “Seed of Chucky” has influenced their storytelling by using monsters as a metaphor for battles fought in the LGBTQIA+ community. Through the use of color and creative storytelling Jamison blends genres with comedic moments, scary villains, and wholesome queer protagonists.

A growing and significant body of research suggests that students benefit from having a teacher of the same race or ethnicity. Yet most teachers in the U.S. are white women. St. Louis entrepreneur Angelica Harris founded Top Tutors for Us to pair Black high school students with tutors who look like them. In this encore episode, she shares how their services have led to improved test scores and higher college acceptance rates of their students.

About 15 years ago, Jason Cerrano was working for the Pattonville Fire Protection District when he conceptualized a way to make it more efficient for firefighters to put out fires. He wanted to automate how a fire truck selects its water source and pumps water, and allow pump operators to pay attention to other critical firefighting tasks. In this encore episode, Cerrano, a graduate of Missouri S&T, discusses how he invented the SAM Control System that more than 120 fire departments employ. We also hear from Chief Hans Mueller of the Freeburg Fire Protection District in Illinois about his department’s use of the technology.

Commentary about the Gen Z Stare has gone viral on social media and has garnered the attention from the New York Times, NBC News and NPR. Ashley Wilkinson, clinical site supervisor at Provident Behavioral Health joins “St. Louis on the Air” to discuss how cultural influences, modern parenting styles and neurological development all play a role in how older generations engage with the newest generation in the workforce.