

St. Louis on the Air
St. Louis Public Radio
St. Louis on the Air creates a unique space where guests and listeners can share ideas and opinions with respect and honesty. Whether exploring issues and challenges confronting our region, discussing the latest innovations in science and technology, taking a closer look at our history or talking with authors, artists and musicians, St. Louis on the Air brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region.
Episodes
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Sep 2, 2020 • 16min
‘Rung For Women’ Aims To Help St. Louisans Move Up Economic Opportunity Ladder
For more than 20 years, St. Louis native Leslie Gill has been focused on getting women what they need, whatever that may be. When she worked for Annie Malone Children & Family Services, that could mean shelter, clothing or food. Now, as president of the new nonprofit Rung for Women, it’s about providing what she terms “holistic self-sufficiency.”

Sep 2, 2020 • 15min
Missouri Senate Approves Legislation Eliminating St. Louis Police Residency Requirement
The Missouri Senate earlier today passed legislation eliminating the residency requirement for St. Louis police officers. Yesterday, senators during their special session also advanced legislation through a committee that they say is tough on crime. Statehouse reporter Jaclyn Driscoll talks about the latest developments.

Sep 1, 2020 • 15min
Dutchtown Resident Memorializes St. Louisans Lost To COVID-19
Jessica Murray built a St. Louis COVID Memorial website to memorialize the local lives lost to the virus. Murray researches obituaries, listens to family accounts and seeks out additional information online to craft each story — all with her pet cockatoos by her side.

Sep 1, 2020 • 34min
'A Case Of Whack-A-Mole': Alderman Talks Crime, Resident Concerns In Downtown St. Louis
Jack Coatar was worried about an exodus of residents and businesses from downtown St. Louis even before the area began seeing civil unrest and a surge in crime this summer. Now the 7th Ward alderman is hearing people express more and more concerns. In an area that used to bustle with concertgoers, diners and Cardinals fans on many nights, the pandemic-driven vacuum of activity has been filled with something else entirely.

Aug 31, 2020 • 23min
Mental Health Support For Frontline Workers, From The ER To The Grocery Store
“Thank you, frontline and essential workers. You are our heroes.” From yard signs to grocery store intercoms to stump speeches, such sentiments have become a fixture of American culture in 2020. But Dena Tranen, a mental health professional based in Clayton, knows that gratitude alone is insufficient.

Aug 31, 2020 • 17min
Want To Juggle? St. Louisan Thom Wall Says It’s About ‘Cultivating A Relationship’
Thom Wall is among the world’s most notable jugglers — and now he’s able to offer his tips and tricks to enthusiasts of all levels. The St. Louis native is coming out with a new book: “Juggling: What It Is and How to Do It."

Aug 31, 2020 • 10min
Lumiere Place Halts Layoffs For 97 Longtime Workers
Longtime Lumiere Place have dodged layoffs. Instead, they'll remain on a recall list that allows them to keep their seniority if the hotel/casino reopens their job stations before April. Kim Bartholomew of Unite Here Local 74 explains the good news.

Aug 28, 2020 • 16min
Army Trombonist Traces Military Roots To The Civil War
For army trombonist Spc. Joseph Murrell, the military might just be destiny. According to his family research, almost every man in his paternal blood line — except for his father — served the military in some way. The legacy started when Murrell’s long-ago ancestor, Pvt. William Murrell, joined the Union Army in 1863. A runaway slave, Pvt. Murrell had fled to Ohio and served in the 109th United States Colored Troop.

Aug 28, 2020 • 17min
Missouri Senator Jill Schupp On Her Plan To Unseat Ann Wagner
Missouri state Sen. Jill Schupp (D-Creve Coeur) wants to unseat Rep. Ann Wagner (R-Ballwin) in Missouri's second congressional district. We talk with Schupp about why she thinks she's the better candidate in a race that the nonpartisan Cook Political Report now considers a tossup.

Aug 28, 2020 • 16min
How A Clayton Woman Turned Angst Over A Construction Project Into Art
Artist Judith Shaw's show at the St. Louis Artists’ Guild was directly inspired by the $770 million construction project just outside her condo. Shaw used tire tracks made by heavy machinery as the basis for a series of prints -- and formed some unlikely friendships in the process.


