St. Louis on the Air

Missouri is on the brink of becoming the first state to implement sweeping restrictions on gender-affirming care for adults. Trans people and providers are raising alarm over new rules issued by Attorney General Andrew Bailey. The rules require trans people prove their gender identity is not being influenced by other people or by a “social contagion" — which trans people say is an impossible standard. We talk with two trans people who say they are terrified by the new rules, as well as Planned Parenthood's Dr. Colleen McNicholas.

Not only have public restrooms never been truly public, they’ve disappeared from America’s major metro areas, says historian Bryant Simon. We explore the rise and fall of America’s public restroom campaign and meet the woman behind the “Bathrooms In St. Louis” Instagram page.

In 50 years, hip-hop has become one of the most popular music genres in the world. In its early days, the recipe for a hip-hop duo or group was simple: two turntables for the disc jockey and a microphone for the emcee. Darian Wigfall, who DJs under the moniker DJ Whiz, shares the fundamentals of DJing — and why he feels vinyl is the best way to get into the craft.

A protest on Monday in front of a nondescript office building just across the street from CityPark in St. Louis highlighted what a group of local asylum seekers says is mistreatment by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement contractor. Two asylum seekers share their experiences and we hear from the co-founder of Migrantes Unidos, a mutual support group for immigrants who have been forced to wear ankle monitors.

Marian O'Shea Wernicke’s new novel "Out of Ireland" tells the story of a brother-sister pair who emigrate from Ireland to America in the late 1860s. The St. Louis native discusses the book’s real world inspirations, including the work of St. Louis’ notorious Irish gangs and her great-grandmother’s experiences.

This week, a Missouri Senate committee restored all $4.5 million in funding for the state’s 160 local public libraries. But the battle over Missouri’s libraries is about more than money. It’s about books, censorship, parents and students. Joe Kohlburn, of the Missouri Library Association, discusses the state of Missouri’s public libraries, and why many librarians are fearful for the future of their institutions.

Missouri legislators are considering a number of issues: expanding I-70, foreign ownership of farmland, anti-trans legislation, sports better, state control of St. Louis’ police department and more. STLPR statehouse reporter Sarah Kellogg discusses what’s happening in Jefferson City three weeks before the legislature’s May 12 adjournment.

The origins of 420 Day are hazy. The number has been linked to rumored police radio codes that supposedly indicate whether there is marijuana on a suspect and it’s also a reference to a popular after school meeting time to smoke, popularized by a group of Californian teens in the 1970s. Either way, 420 Day is becoming a larger holiday as more U.S. states legalize the substance for recreational use. Several St. Louisans told St. Louis on the Air it is high time for Missouri to celebrate legalized recreational cannabis — and that there is still work to be done.

Last Thursday, Ralph Yarl, a 16-year-old Black teen in Kansas City, went to the wrong house to pick up his younger twin brothers. Andrew Lester, the 84-year-old white man who resides at that wrong address, shot Yarl – twice. STLPR political correspondent Jason Rosenbaum discusses the racial dynamics at play and we hear his conversation with SLU Law Professor Anders Walker.

Charles the great horned owl lost both his mate and their eggs in December. It was tough news for Mark H. X. Glenshaw, the naturalist who has documented Charles’ life for 17 years. However, things are now looking up for Charles. Glenshaw shares the details in a special “owl prowl” edition of the show.