St. Louis on the Air

Healthy trees not only beautify neighborhoods, they promote better health outcomes for residents. Leaders from Forest ReLeaf and Scott Joplin House discuss a partnership to support new tree growth in the city — particularly in its underserved communities.

As Missouri and other state legislatures pursue bans on drag shows, a new group in St. Louis, It’s All Drag, is pushing back. Jordan Elizabeth Braxton and Prism co-owner Michael Klataske, both fixtures of St. Louis’ drag scene, discuss the meaning behind drag, its impact and why it’s now come under attack.

Seventy-seven years ago, former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill visited Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, and delivered his famous “Iron Curtain” speech. In the 1960’s, college leaders sought to commemorate Churchill’s visit so they devised a plan to rebuild a church in Fulton that had been destroyed twice in London: once by a fire in the 1600s and then again during World War II. Dedicated in Fulton in 1969, St. Mary the Virgin, Aldermanbury is now undergoing a $6 million renovation. Tim Riley, director and chief curator at America’s National Churchill Museum, talks about Churchill’s connection to Missouri, the restoration of the church and about the parallels to Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine.

Mary Oscko and her family were blindsided by her stage 4 cancer diagnosis in December 2013. She had just finished her nursing degree and was set to walk the stage that same month. Instead of taking up nursing, she began advocating for victims of radioactive waste exposure that resulted from the Manhattan Project. Mary passed away February 20, 2023.

Rolla, Missouri, boasts one of the biggest St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in the Midwest. STLPR correspondent Jonathan Ahl and Missouri S&T historian Larry Gragg dig into Rolla St. Patrick’s Day history and the unique traditions that still continue today.

A majority of school nurses in Missouri know students who have trouble affording period products — and who sometimes miss school because of their period. That’s according to a new survey published around the time Missouri school districts began offering free menstrual care through the new “Feminine Hygiene Products Grant.” Survey author Anne Sebert Kuhlmann and Jennings Senior High School Principal Cryslynn Billingsley discuss how they hope the grant will help students in St. Louis.

While St. Louis doesn’t have as many first-generation Irish immigrants as it used to, there are still strong cultural ties in the city. Eimear Arkins, a St. Louis transplant from County Clare, Ireland, is working to strengthen those ties. On this St. Patrick’s Day, she shares her thoughts on local holiday customs and how Americans can engage with Irish culture in meaningful ways.

Opera Theatre of St. Louis will present three short operas, all by artists of color who’ve worked largely outside the opera world. The works address the roots of Black, queer ballroom culture, three important inventors who were Black women, and the Supreme Court battle over a rock band’s attempt to reappropriate a racial slur. Mezzo soprano Olivia Johnson and tenor Matthew Pearce talk with us, as does the director of all three plays, Ramoon Rajendra Maharaj.

On Monday, Missouri lawmakers return from their Spring Break. For Missouri’s Republicans, the agenda they’re returning to is squarely focused on restricting the rights of transgender people. Among the bills being debated are those that would prohibit trans girls from playing girls sports and ban gender-affirming health care for minors. Jason Rosenbaum, St. Louis Public Radio political correspondent analyzes the GOP focus on trans issues, and previews what could happen when lawmakers convene next week.

Hospitals that serve predominantly rural areas have long struggled to find ways to have the resources of big-city health care systems without going as far as merging and losing local control. Phelps Health in Rolla is joining a collaborative run by St. Louis-based BJC HealthCare to thread that needle. STLPR’s Jonathan Ahl explains how the partnership will work.