St. Louis on the Air

A new study that analyzed 156 cases of children in St. Louis injured by guns found that more than 70% of cases involved victims “shot outdoors by an unknown shooter, the motivation of which was unknown.” The study’s lead author Dr. Mary Beth Bernardin discusses why scientists need to better understand why and how children are shot. Dr. Lindsay Clukies, an emergency medicine physician at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, connects the study to what she sees while treating patients.

In the final week of the Missouri legislative session, lawmakers could pass a bill that would return control of the St. Louis Police Department to the state. The state controlled the police department for 152 years until, in 2013, the city regained control. Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas knows state control well. His city is the only in Missouri that’s under state control, and he shares what a state takeover would mean for St. Louis.

It was just last Thursday that St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner announced she will resign June 1. But that’s not good enough for Attorney General Andrew Bailey, who is seeking her immediate removal. STLPR politics correspondent Jason Rosenbaum discusses Bailey’s actions as well as the person who Gov. Mike Parson might choose to replace Gardner.

A star high school football player in St. Louis, Damion Baker’s life was cut short in an unsolved shooting in August 2022. Before his death, Damion had made plans to launch a nonprofit that would teach young people job skills. That dream is now a reality in the form of the D-Bake Foundation. The foundation’s founder, An'namarie Baker, discusses her son’s life, his mission, and how pre-apprenticeship classes can help people get on the path to a career.

Friction between the House and Senate has delayed some major policy priorities until the final days of the Missouri legislative session, including two anti-trans rights bills and a bill that would make it harder to amend the state constitution through the initiative petition process. STLPR reporter Sarah Kellogg shares how the last week of the session may shake out.

A federal investigation found that Missouri hospitals violated federal law by denying a woman an emergency abortion when her water broke at 17 weeks. Mylissa Farmer shares what happened when doctors refused to provide an abortion, even though she was told her life was in danger and that the fetus was no longer viable — when Missouri law superseded her need for emergency healthcare. Also, National Women’s Law Center attorney Michelle Banker discusses what comes next for Missouri hospitals in the wake of the investigation.

The St. Louis Cardinals are not having a good season: they reign supreme at the bottom of the NL standings. But the team made an announcement earlier this week that was a reminder of better times. Third baseman and St. Louis native David Freese will be inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame this summer. In this encore, St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Benjamin Hochman talks about the remarkable 2011 season when Freese was World Series MVP.

Sixty percent of North American songbirds, 40% of the continent’s waterfowl and many species of shorebirds will migrate through St. Louis in the next few weeks. Regional Audubon Conservation Science Manager Tara Hohman shares tips for bird-watching this spring, the threats facing many bird species traveling through the area and what people can do to help revitalize bird habitat in the region.

Facing a move by the Missouri attorney general to oust her, a contempt of court charge and increasing public and legislative pressure, Gardner announced Thursday that she will resign effective June 1. STLPR correspondent Jason Rosenbaum breaks down the story and what happens next.

Cinema St. Louis Artistic Director Chris Clark gives a preview of this year's QFest and reflects on the role of an LGBTQ film festival in Missouri at a time when trans rights are under attack in the state.