St. Louis on the Air

In one of several high-profile lawsuits targeting the Biden administration, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt contends that Dr. Anthony Fauci and other government officials worked with social media companies to suppress misinformation about COVID-19 — and in a ruling last week a federal judge approved depositions of the physician and others, including former White House press secretary Jen Psaki. Attorneys Nicole Gorovsky, Connie McFarland-Butler and Bevis Schock tackle the case, and several more, during our Legal Roundtable.

St. Louis remains in mourning as details of yesterday’s school shooting further reveal the trauma experienced by students, staff and their families. In this episode, we talk with STLPR reporter Rachel Lippmann about the latest news involving this tragedy, and we open the segment with the sounds and voices of a vigil held for the victims on Monday night.

Clinical psychologist Marva Robinson shares tools and resources for people dealing with trauma from the Central Visual and Performing Arts High School shooting.

Founded as a response to St. Louis’ “stagnation” in 2001, BioSTL has spent more than two decades fostering high-tech startups in medicine and agriculture. Donn Rubin, founding president and CEO BioSTL, discusses the origin of BioSTL, its success stories, and the upcoming Trilateral AgriFood Symposium with Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

Environmentalists and parents of Jana Elementary students are concerned about a study that shows radioactive contamination from World War II-era nuclear waste in nearby Coldwater Creek. STLPR education reporter Kate Grumke, Missouri Coalition for the Environment Executive Director Jared Opsal and Community Outreach Specialist Christen Commusso discuss what’s next — and steps the Army Corps of Engineers should take to reverse the damage.

Jessica Hicklin served 26 years in a maximum security facility for a murder she committed at 16-years-old. While incarcerated, Hicklin taught herself to code and worked on building skills she could utilize once out of prison. Now, nine months after her release, she's excited to bring that same opportunity to others with UnLocked Labs, which she cofounded with Haley Shoaf.

A student and a teacher were killed Monday morning at Central Visual & Performing Arts High School in south St. Louis. Police also shot and killed the 19-year-old suspect. We talk with STLPR Education Reporter Kate Grumke and Midwest Newsroom Managing Editor Holly Edgell about this breaking news story.

One hundred years ago, physicist Arthur Holly Compton made his Nobel prize-winning discovery related to X-rays at Washington University in St. Louis. Erik Henriksen, an associate professor of physics at Washington University, shares how Compton’s discovery paved the way for quantum mechanics and modern day astrophysics.

People living near a company that did work for the Navy had no idea that a toxic solvent, disposed of improperly, had made its way into their drinking water – until a public apology from the state in 2019. Reporters Eric Schmid and Steve Vockrodt discuss their investigation into how and why this happened.

In 1872, the Missouri Republican newspaper heralded the arrival of St. Louis' newest park beneath the headline: "A New Lung to the City." Now, Tower Grove Park is celebrating its 150th anniversary. Local author Amanda Doyle joins the show. Her new book is “Tower Grove Park: Common Ground & Grateful Shade Since 1872.”