St. Louis on the Air

The Veiled Prophet is gone. According to VP St. Louis, the central figure and namesake of the secret society that runs St. Louis' Fourth of July parade “is no longer part” of the group that once bore his name. In a rare public interview, VP St. Louis Chief Operating Officer Michael Ruwitch said the decision to remove the Veiled Prophet was made “for reasons.” He insisted that “VP is just letters.” St. Louis on the Air producer Danny Wicentowski unpacks the news, and what it means for the 146-year-old club.

Children of immigrants often face heritage language loss. In this encore episode, we hear from St. Louis parents and community members who are taking practical steps to maintain linguistic and cultural connection across generations.

Female rappers are dominating the charts, including St. Louis’ very own Diamond Smith — better known by her stage name Big Boss Vette. The writer and rapper behind hits like “Snatched” and “Pretty Girls Walk” reflects on her St. Louis roots, her fast-growing career and the lessons she’s learned along the way.

Producer Miya Norfleet shares reflections for artists and attendees of this year’s Music at the Intersection Festival hosted in Grand Center.

The "How to Destroy Everything" podcast is back after a long break with new episodes, continuing the strange, twisting tale of the late St. Louis attorney Richard Jacobs. Listen back to our 2023 interview with creators Danny Jacbos and Darren Grodsky, who describe their growing investigation into the ways Jacobs, Danny’s father, controlled and terrorized the people in his life. We also hear an update about the next episode, and what the series creators have been doing since 2023.

Do speed humps help curb reckless driving? Crown Candy Kitchen owner Andy Karandzieff says he’s seen a marked improvement in driver behavior at the intersection near his restaurant in Old North St. Louis. He joins Elaine Cha and 14th Ward Alderman Rasheen Aldridge to talk about traffic violence, what it takes to get speed humps installed, and what else needs to happen to improve the safety of our region’s roadways.

Sam Altman wants to be careful about not overhyping Thursday’s release of the newest model of ChatGPT. But that’s not stopping the co-founder and CEO of OpenAI from celebrating OpenAI o1 as a new artificial intelligence model that can reason and solve complex problems. Altman grew up in St. Louis and was back in his hometown speaking at his alma mater, John Burroughs. Altman discusses his St. Louis upbringing, the origins, emergence and uses of AI, along with the newest version of ChatGPT.

St. Louis summers are infamously hot and humid. But this year saw a combination of much hotter, more humid and drier days. Matt Beitscher, lead meteorologist with the National Weather Service-St. Louis, and Trent Ford, Illinois’ State Climatologist speak to what’s causing extreme weather events in the Midwest region, and what is challenging about keeping vulnerable people safe.

Leticia Seitz is the owner of Arte Rojo STL and broadcaster behind Conectando Raices Radio. She joined “St. Louis on the Air” to discuss the importance of providing a way for people of Mexican descent living abroad to stay connected to their heritage as well as sharing her culture with those who are interested in learning more about Mexico. She also shares what’s planned for Fiesta Mexicana, a local celebration that commemorates Mexican Independence Day.

St. Louis took over the airwaves and the hip-hop Billboard charts in the early 2000s, and helping lead the charge was Walnut Park native Howard Bailey, Jr. — better known as Chingy. He’s bringing those nostalgic hits and newer works to the Music at the Intersection stage Saturday, Sept. 14.