St. Louis on the Air

A growing and significant body of research suggests that students benefit from having a teacher of the same race or ethnicity. Yet most teachers in the U.S. are white women. St. Louis entrepreneur Angelica Harris founded Top Tutors for Us to pair Black high school students with tutors who look like them. In this encore episode, she shares how their services have led to improved test scores and higher college acceptance rates of their students.

About 15 years ago, Jason Cerrano was working for the Pattonville Fire Protection District when he conceptualized a way to make it more efficient for firefighters to put out fires. He wanted to automate how a fire truck selects its water source and pumps water, and allow pump operators to pay attention to other critical firefighting tasks. In this encore episode, Cerrano, a graduate of Missouri S&T, discusses how he invented the SAM Control System that more than 120 fire departments employ. We also hear from Chief Hans Mueller of the Freeburg Fire Protection District in Illinois about his department’s use of the technology.

Commentary about the Gen Z Stare has gone viral on social media and has garnered the attention from the New York Times, NBC News and NPR. Ashley Wilkinson, clinical site supervisor at Provident Behavioral Health joins “St. Louis on the Air” to discuss how cultural influences, modern parenting styles and neurological development all play a role in how older generations engage with the newest generation in the workforce.

Sauce Magazine was recently acquired by STL Bucket List. But the publication’s cofounder and previous owner alleges in a lawsuit that she’s still owed money from when she sold it to the man who just sold the publication. We break down what the sale means with STLPR digital editor Jessica Rogen and Sauce Magazine executive editor Lauren Healey. We also talk through the latest in St. Louis dining, including the opening of Fordo’s Killer Pizza in the Grove, Bel Air Social in the Central West End, and Pierce Creek in Creve Coeur. Plus, we say goodbye to Pho Long’s original location and El Burro Loco.

Losing tree canopy has consequences far beyond an aesthetic change for a neighborhood. For the St. Louis residents affected by the May 16 tornado, the sudden loss of thousands of trees may have longstanding effects on their physical and mental health. Community organizations share how they are helping the city replace trees lost to the storm — and their efforts to help residents learn about proper tree care and heal from tree-related trauma.

Hair discrimination disproportionately targets Black women, and lawmakers have sought to ban the practice with the CROWN Act. CROWN stands for “Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair,” and the first act of its kind was passed in California in 2019. Since then, other states and municipalities have adopted their own measures, including the City of St. Louis in 2021. A statewide measure took effect in Illinois in 2023. In July, Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe signed a law banning race-based hair discrimination in the state. In this encore presentation from 2023, Vice President of the St. Louis chapter of NABJ Gabrielle Hays and Frizzy by Nature CEO Leslie Hughes talk about local and statewide efforts to pass the CROWN Act and ways Black women are relearning how to embrace their curls.

Thousands of people move in and out of Missouri’s parole system every year. That includes Norman Brown, who was released in 2022 after serving 31 years in prison for a crime he committed at 15. Brown joins the MacArthur Justice Center’s Amy Malinowski for a critical discussion of the state’s parole system, its flaws and areas for improvement. The system is under scrutiny for improvements pending official recommendations from a “working group” created by an executive order issued this year by Gov. Mike Kehoe. We also hear from Terrell Robinson, who, in an interview from prison, describes the parole system as “draconian, cruel and severe.”

Generations of drum corps enthusiasts filled the stands at Belleville West High School to see some of the nation’s best performers last week. The marching music tradition has deep roots in the Metro East and St. Louis. STLPR’s Visuals Editor Brian Munoz discusses his reporting. He’s joined by Steve McCarty, an alum of the Belleville Black Knights Drum and Bugle Corps and the admin of the Facebook group dedicated to preserving and celebrating the drum corps’ legacy.

For Aaron Walsh and James Pursell, the work of LEAN-STL is personal. As peer support specialists, they work to break down the stigma of talking about addiction and mental health — often sharing their own experience with addiction, recovery and healing in the process. In the two and a half years since LEAN-STL was founded, the pair has connected hundreds of St. Louis laborers and their families with resources. It’s a model they believe will lower the high rates of substance use and suicide among construction workers — one they hope to see adopted by more trade associations in the future.

Fifty Missouri locales are featured in lifelong resident Caitlin Yager’s new book, “Small Town Missouri: Legends, Lore, and Attractions in the Show Me State.” In addition to responding to listener calls, Yager shares thoughts on the big influence that small towns have across the state and what makes her book more than a travel guide.