St. Louis on the Air

More than 10,000 buildings were damaged from the May 16 tornado that tore through St. Louis. Soon after, affected city residents began seeing stickers affixed to their front doors — each signifying the amount of damage to the structure. Red stickers cautioned: “Danger: Entry Prohibited: Violators subject to prosecution.” City building division leadership shed light on how those assessments were made and what they mean. Later in the episode, a legal advisor with Tenants Transforming Greater St. Louis discusses the challenges being faced by renters who are displaced from the tornado — and how renters can empower themselves by knowing their rights as they advocate for temporary housing or changes to their lease agreements.

Circus Flora is back for its 39th season with a brand-new production starting this week under the Big Top in Grand Center. The new show, “Urban Legend”, is a monster story that features a new collection of talented performers, from acrobats to jugglers and even dogs. Circus Flora artistic and executive director Jack Marsh and St. Louis-native juggler Book Kennison take us inside the production to share their insights on bringing the magic of a circus act to life.

A city’s poet laureate does more than write and recite original stanzas. Pacia Elaine Anderson, St. Louis’ new Poet Laureate, shares how she looks forward to adding her voice and arts-forward sensibilities to decision-making tables at City Hall and being an advocate for the arts.

The biggest restaurant news each month usually centers on openings and closings. But the May 16 tornado that tore through St. Louis shifted the focus. We look at how restaurants in the Delmar Maker District were affected, then turn to the latest openings and closures in the St. Louis dining scene. Our guests are STLPR digital editor Jessica Rogen and St. Louis Magazine food writer Cheryl Baehr.

Many St. Louisans impacted by the May 16 tornado have lost their official government issued documents to the storm, and they need those documents to claim aid. Sheree Hickman, director of the Missouri State ID Access Coalition; and Andre Cole, executive director of the nonprofit Urban City Services share how coalition member organizations are helping people get birth certificates and state identification documents in the aftermath of the tornado.

Missouri lawmakers have kicked off a special session focused in part on providing relief for those affected by the May 16 tornado. The region is also waiting to see whether President Trump will approve a major disaster declaration — a move that could unlock additional federal resources. In the meantime, the City of St. Louis is weighing its own response, but those efforts ran into a setback on Friday. STLPR’s Rachel Lippmann explains.

A Missouri Supreme Court ruling last week has, for now, reinstated the state's ban on abortion. It’s a familiar development for doctors and patients here in Missouri — and, for Planned Parenthood, part of a yearslong fight that has only grown more entrenched. The recently appointed chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood Great Rivers, Dr. Margaret Baum, shares her reaction to the Missouri Supreme Court decision and the closing of Planned Parenthood clinics nationwide. She also responds to claims by Missouri’s Attorney General Andrew Bailey that Planned Parenthood uses “moldy equipment” and “unqualified medical practitioners.”

U.S. Rep. Wesley Bell, D-St. Louis County, discusses his call for President Donald Trump to sign off on Gov. Mike Kehoe’s request for a major disaster declaration, which would provide individual assistance to victims of the May 16 tornado.

Missouri lawmakers will return to Jefferson City on Monday to take part in a high-stakes special session. Gov. Mike Kehoe wants legislators to pass state relief for tornado victims, some unfinished capital improvement projects, and an incentive package to keep the Chiefs and the Royals in Missouri. Missouri State Sen. Brian Williams, D-University City, discusses the upcoming session and how tensions from the regular session may shape what happens next.

Effects of the deadly tornado that hit St. Louis earlier this month are raising legal questions for people impacted by the disaster, from negotiating with insurance companies and landlords to obtaining federal aid. There are also legal implications in the city’s failure to sound its tornado siren as the storm gathered strength on May 16. Those topics, and more, are taken up in the May edition of “St. Louis on the Air”’s Legal Roundtable with expert attorneys.