St. Louis on the Air

In the early 1990s, a series of grotesque murders terrorized St. Louis. The serial killer became known as the “Package Killer'' for the manner in which the victims’ bodies were abandoned. Then the killer seemingly disappeared, until this week, when prosecutors charged Gary Muehlberg with multiple counts of murder. In this episode, we hear from the detective who stayed on the case and the reporter who brought new attention to its details.

At the start of the pandemic, Black families chose to homeschool five times more than any other racial group in the U.S. In the first of three episodes of "Doin’ It Our Way," STLPR's Marissanne Lewis-Thompson explores why more Black parents in St. Louis are ditching traditional schools and taking a chance on themselves. -- We're proud to bring you this guest podcast. To listen to all "Doin' It Our Way" episodes right now, search for the podcast on this podcast platform.

For years, Black parents frustrated by traditional schools have been pulling their children out of classrooms to educate them at home — and that decision is becoming more common. St. Louis Public Radio's new podcast Doin' It Our Way explores why Black families in the St. Louis region are choosing to home-school. Host and STLPR newscaster Marissanne Lewis-Thompson joins SLOTA to talk about the process of reporting the new podcast, and what she's learned about how these families are managing to do education — their way.

With a commanding lead in National League Central, the Cardinals are marching toward the playoffs. Benjamin Hochman, sports columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, discusses the 2022 season so far and where the team might be headed in coming weeks.

A growing St. Louis startup, Decide Technologies, is extensively tied to disinformation websites, including the likes of the Gateway Pundit, which is also based in St. Louis. Reporter Paul Wagman discusses his investigation into Decide, and how the startup's business model is funding and profiting from websites across the "alt right" spectrum.

St. Louis has a police problem. In some of its wealthiest neighborhoods, uniformed police officers, riding in SUVs marked “police,” are being offered bonuses for investigating crimes and arresting criminals. But the offers aren’t coming from their department, but from a private security company called The City’s Finest. That’s just one of the details uncovered in an investigation published in ProPublica this week by St. Louis-based reporter Jeremy Kohler. Kohler joins St. Louis on the Air to discuss his findings, and what the spread of these private security forces says about the state of policing in St. Louis.

After three challenging years, Wildlife Rescue Center in Ballwin, Missouri invites the public to their first open house since 2019. Executive director Kim Rutledge explains how extreme storms, COVID-19, and avian flu impacted the rescue center, and why it is especially important to see the center in action right now.

After years of outcry, new basketball courts are scheduled to make their debut next year in St. Louis’ two largest parks: Forest Park and Tower Grove Park. It’s not easy to find basketball hoops in St. Louis’ parks, and many people think that’s by design — to keep Black youth out of seemingly wealthier neighborhoods. And, in Forest Park, plans to build courts seem stuck in a nine-step process. In this special episode, producer Miya Norfleet talks with St. Louisans and park leadership about how access to basketball courts tells the story of St. Louis’ past and hopes for the future.

“Kia Boyz” are trending on social media, and that trend has hit St. Louis’ streets. Sgt. Tracy Panus of St. Louis County Police Department joins St. Louis on the Air to provide an update on the official response to the rash of thefts targeting Kia and Hyundai cars. She also shares advice on what motorists can do to protect their property.

This summer, St. Louis County tried to obtain a “gag order” against a lawyer suing its animal shelter. That attorney, Mark Pedroli, discusses his lawsuits against the shelter — and why the county sought to silence him. We also hear from Mandy Zatorski, who was fired from her manager position at the shelter in 2020. Zatorski argues that the shelter hasn’t improved since then, and cautions that privatizing the shelter could only cover up the problems instead of solving them.