St. Louis on the Air

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker unveiled the final budget address of his second term, proposing a $56 billion plan that largely maintains the status quo while navigating federal funding cuts and rising costs. The budget includes targeted tax increases on social media companies and modest growth for education and pensions. STLPR Metro East reporter Will Bauer breaks down the speech and Pritzker’s priorities.

As he tries to become the next St. Charles County executive, former state Sen. Bill Eigel is defending his fundraising strategies that inspired Republican House members to advance legislation curtailing recurring campaign contributions. Eigel joins “The Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air.”

In “Climate Change in Concert,” delicate violin strings mirror the buzzing of cicadas take the place of data analysis. The performance at Washington University will transform environmental science into sound on Feb. 24. Composer Christopher Stark collaborated with violinist Clara Kim and Dan Giammar, the director of WashU’s Center for the Environment, to create a work that invites audiences to feel the rhythms and disruptions of a dynamic climate. We also explore the role of creativity in environmental research and why artists, alongside scientists, are essential in shaping solutions.

For 60 years, the Gateway Arch has defined St. Louis’s skyline — a 630-foot engineering marvel and the city’s most recognizable symbol. An exhibit at the Old Courthouse, “Hey, There’s the Arch!,” explores how the monument became woven into the region’s identity, from branding and ballcaps to personal memories. STLPR morning newscaster and host of The Gateway podcast, Abby Llorico, talks about the Arch’s evolving meaning and its deep connection to the community.

Inside the Missouri History Museum’s “Mill Creek: Black Metropolis” exhibit, a once-thriving Black neighborhood erased by urban renewal comes back into focus. That’s where STLPR race, culture and identity reporter Andrea Henderson talked with Lyah LeFlore-Ituen, the new director of the Missouri Historical Society’s African American History Initiative. They discussed why Mill Creek’s story — and Black history more broadly — is foundational to St. Louis.

Scientists are beginning to decode how floral scents attract specific pollinators. Mónica Carlsen of the Missouri Botanical Garden is taking her research of anthuriums, a common household plant known for their wide leaves and protruding spike, from the Climatron and will soon travel to Colombia to capture plant scents in the wild, aiming to better understand the “invisible language” between plants and pollinators. We also hear from Stephen and Peter Sachs Museum curator Nezka Pfeifer about the museum’s latest exhibit “Smelling the Bouquet: Plants and Scents in the Garden.”

Around 70 lawsuits against the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department are facing delays and confusion amid a year-long legal battle between lawyers for the state and city: The battle is over which entity is financially responsible to pay millions of dollars in settlements reached by judges and juries in lawsuits over police abuses. St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Tony Messenger shares insights from his reporting about the situation, which he calls a “legal morass.” Arch City Defenders attorney Maureen Hanlon, who represented the family of a 63-year-old man police killed in a SWAT raid in 2017, shares her experience from the middle of this legal confusion. Messenger and Hanlon discuss the current situation’s roots, the history of local control of the SLMPD, and why judges are looking to lawmakers for lasting solutions.

Lifelong friends Nathan Colombo and Maxwell Senteney have co-produced hundreds of Tiny Desk Contest entry videos for musicians across southern Illinois and St. Louis. In 2024, they launched Tiny Desk Crashers with a goal to make sure the musical talent of southern Illinois is recognized — and impossible to ignore.

A major voice in the St. Louis blues and jazz community has left the stage. Longtime singer Marsha Evans died last week at 75. Musicians, family and friends pay tribute by recognizing her contributions to the local music scene and her collaboration with artists including Fontella Bass, Oliver Sain and Gus Thornton. They also discuss her music being sampled by Atlanta rapper and Migos member Quavo and her work as a mentor to young people.

It’s been nine months since an EF3 tornado ripped a 23-mile path through the area, with most of the damage concentrated in north St. Louis. Many residents say they’re still waiting for help — and some have given up on getting relief from city assistance programs altogether. STLPR economic development reporter Kavahn Mansouri talks about his reporting on this topic.