St. Louis on the Air

A new report from the Freedom Community Center compiles data from a year of bail hearings, which it describes as “the front door to the criminal punishment system.” In April, Freedom Community Center released its first six-month report, finding that judges in the 22nd Circuit Court opted to deny release for 57% of. The full report, released today, evaluated more than 1,000 bail hearings over the course of a full year: It found judges reject bond in 62% of cases. Freedom Community Center Operations Manager Patrick Sullivan discusses the new report, and shares his insight on the impact “no bail” rulings have on the people forced to wait for trial behind bars.

A Missouri woman who was denied an abortion prompted an unprecedented federal investigation into whether a hospital violated the law by failing to provide her medical care. Farmer’s story was first told by reporter Susan Szuch of Springfield News-Leader, who discusses the case alongside attorney Michelle Banker, the director of reproductive rights and health litigation at the National Women’s Law Center, and who represents Farmer.

In the early 1970s, Chol Soo Lee, a Korean American immigrant, was falsely convicted for a San Francisco Chinatown murder and later sentenced to death. Activists led by a Korean American journalist and college students initiated a pan-Asian American movement to exonerate Lee. This largely unknown piece of history is the focus of the 2022 documentary film “Free Chol Soo Lee.” Liz Lenivy, attorney and Gateway Korea Foundation board member, joins the show to talk about the one-night screening in St. Louis.

Wednesday marked a milestone for St. Louis’ soccer fans, as thousands packed CityPark, the newest stadium in St. Louis and home to the latest MLS expansion team, which begins play in February. STLPR's Jeremy D. Goodwin and Wayne Pratt discuss CityPark's debut that featured an international exhibition.

In 1973, just a few years after coming out as gay, Patrick Haggerty and his band Lavender Country recorded their self-titled album. It would take more than 40 years for music lovers, and a record label, to rediscover “Lavender Country,” and for it to be recognized as the first openly gay country album. But it was a second country musician, St. Louis songwriter Jack Grelle, who helped propel him back into the spotlight he deserved. Grelle joins the show to remember Patrick Haggerty, who passed away in October after a stroke.

STLPR correspondent Jason Rosenbaum discusses Senator-elect Eric Schmitt's official foray into the world of federal policymaking.

Researchers are still learning and discovering what happens after someone has COVID-19 and what recovery looks like. Lasting effects of the viral infection are dubbed ‘long COVID’ by those experiencing mysterious conditions that linger well after harsh coughs subdue and fevers lower. Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, clinical epidemiologist at the VA St. Louis Health Care System and Washington University’s School of Medicine, discusses his latest long COVID research.

St. Louis filmmaker David Kirkman, co-founder of the Black Speculative Arts Movement Reynaldo Anderson, and multi-disciplinary creative Dacia Polk discuss the rising interest in Afrofuturism and why St. Louis is uniquely positioned to be a hub of Afrofuturist creativity.

Smidley’s new album, "Here Comes The Devil" is Foxing vocalist Conor Murphy’s first solo album since his 2017 self-titled debut. It was released on Friday. He discusses the album, its influences and what Smidley allows him to explore outside of his work with Foxing.

ProPublica Local Reporting Network and the Kansas City Beacon released a new investigation into Missouri employment centers for disabled adults. Employees of these centers, or ‘sheltered workshops,’ are paid $4 an hour on average. The author of the report Madison Hopkins discusses why Missouri workshops have such low success rates and why state officials refuse to change the program.