St. Louis on the Air

The St. Louis Mural Project is bringing 28 new murals to St. Louis. Tracey Morgan of the Regional Arts Commission discusses how the federally funded project is meant to highlight the city’s history and encourage economic growth. Three artists also share about the murals they have painted in various parts of the city.

Even before some 19,000 St. Louis Public Schools students started the 2024-25 school year yesterday, questions have swirled about the district’s leadership, its financial stability, and its capacity to get students to and from school. STLPR reporter Lacretia Wimbley discusses the challenges facing the district.

Frog hunting has connected Missourians to one another and served as a food source for generations. STLPR reporter Lauren Brennecke describes its hows and whys, including what folks who dismiss or disparage the longtime practice miss about its cultural importance.

St. Louis has another football team that can claim the title of "Greatest Show on Turf." Last month, after a thrilling comeback against the Boston Breakers, the St. Louis SLAM won its fifth Women's Football Alliance championship. The team's players aren't paid like NFL players— but they hit hard and play to win. Player-turned-coach Myrt Davis and second-year running back Jada Humphreys share their love of the game, and what it takes to keep football thriving in St. Louis.

The iconic Route 66 is approaching its 100th birthday. To celebrate the historic ‘Mother Road’, the State Historical Society of Missouri is working to collect items and anecdotes from around the state to build an exhibit that opens to the public in 2026. Researchers Katie Seal and Sean Rost talk about the stories they want to collect and why the highway remains a source of nostalgia decades later.

On Tuesday, Missouri's Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft confirmed that the fate of abortion rights in the state will be decided on the ballot in November --- but how we got here tells us a lot about the state of Missouri's politics. St. Louis Public Radio statehouse reporter Sarah Kellogg discuses the fight to put abortion on the ballot, and how the initiative petition process survived opposition from the same official who certified its collection of voter signatures,

Carl Phillips was day-drinking last year when he found out he won the Pulitzer Prize in poetry. The recently-retired Washington University professor is now out with a new book, “Scattered Snows, to the North.” STLPR arts & culture senior reporter Jeremy D. Goodwin talks with Phillips about the prestigious recognition and his new book, “Scattered Snows, to the North.”

PBS’ “The Great American Recipe” introduced viewers to St. Louis’ own Adjo Honsu, chef/owner of the food truck Fufu n’ Sauce. Her mission to share her Togolese cuisine and culture with others put her alongside seven other home-trained chefs from across the U.S. competing, sharpening their skills, and telling their familial and culinary stories — and she won!

Dr. Amjad Musleh, an emergency medicine and intensive care physician at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, volunteered at one of the last functioning hospitals in Gaza last month. He shares why he went to an active war zone to treat Palestinian war victims and how he saw extraordinary examples of human resilience.

Few editions of the Olympics can out-crazy the 1904 Games hosted in St. Louis. Adam Kloppe, public historian at the Missouri Historical Society, shares the many ways St. Louis left its mark on Olympic history — including its hot mess of a marathon and being the first modern Games to award a medal to an African American athlete.