STL on the Air 📻

Belleville News Democrat reporter Megan Valley joins the program to talk about how the lack of coronavirus transparency is concerning parents in the Metro East.

Even one baseball game has plenty of innings — seven, nine, or, if there’s an especially stubbornly tied score, perhaps even 11 or 12 innings. But it all pales in comparison to the 39 innings Tom Sullivan and his teammates completed over the course of a single summer day (and night) in St. Louis 43 years ago.

For more than 40 years, Joe Yancey has worked to help those with mental illness receive the treatment and support they need to lead successful, fulfilling lives. The former CEO of Places for People retired last month.

WePower's Elevate/Elevar business accelerator aims to uplift and assist Black and Latino entrepreneurs in St. Louis. It's inaugural cohort finished last month, and companies in the program averaged a 350% increase in sales.

Artists who live in north St. Louis are painting murals on business and residential doors and fences. Vibrant homages depict jazz culture, African-inspired flowers, St. Louis greats such as Josephine Baker and more.

It’s been six long months since Wendy Lea has been able to play or perform with the group of musicians dearest to her heart — or put a paycheck in their pockets. But this weekend, that’s changing as masked members of the Metropolitan Orchestra of St. Louis carefully gather on an outdoor stage alongside the Union Avenue Opera.

Republic Services general manager Brent Batliner talks about how the Hazelwood-based facility has adjusted to changes brought on by the pandemic and reiterates what to avoid tossing in the recycling bin.

Even as the COVID-19 crisis derailed many of Dance the Vote’s typical endeavors, St. Louisan Joan Lipkin and her collaborators knew that artists remained “an essential part of the conversation.” They decided to center the contributions of artists of color, and commissioned a series of videos highlighting the work of choreographers in St. Louis as well as beyond.

St. Louis Zoo resident Utamu is pregnant. The 18-year-old chimpanzee is expected to give birth this fall. In this interview, primate manager Helen Boostrom talks about how zookeepers are caring for Utamu during her pregnancy, what to expect during the birth, and how a new baby may alter the group dynamics of the facility’s nine chimpanzees.

Last week, supporters of a plan to privatize St. Louis Lambert International Airport announced they would withdraw the initiative set for city ballots this November. A week later, two of the major entities behind the privatization push announced they had decided to part ways just one day before the announcement on the airport initiative. In this episode, St. Louis Business Journal reporter Jacob Kirn talks about the end of the 14 year relationship between conservative billionaire Rex Sinquefield and political consultant Travis Brown.

Artist William Morris' latest video debuts at the Bruno David Gallery this Saturday. “The Protest Project" explores how the coronavirus pandemic collided with an equally devastating problem this spring — racism and police brutality.

First-time author Eric Von Schrader discusses “A Universe Less Traveled," a work of speculative fiction that toys with St. Louis history. He explains some of the real-life legends that inspired it.

The documentary “Papa Ray's Vintage Vinyl Roadshow" debuted on the Nine Network. Vintage Vinyl co-founder Tom Ray discusses the show's inspiration, his shop on Delmar and his lifelong love of music.

Ever since he was a kid, Kip Loui has been fascinated by Defiance, Missouri. Something about the name of the town captured his imagination, and once he became a musician, he told himself that someday he would write a song called “Defiance.” “Then the current guy was elected president,” Loui says. And soon that song was in the works — along with the 11 others that would eventually become “Show Me State,” the album that he and his wife, JJ Loui, released earlier this year.

Last week, just before St. Louis Public Schools kicked off a fall semester like no other, Jana Flynn’s masked colleagues surprised her with flowers, a plaque and signs — all in celebration of her being named the district’s 2020 Educator of the Year. SLPS cited the gifted specialist's “passion, dedication and desire to think outside of the box” in her work with students ranging from preschool to eighth grade.

St. Louis R&B legend Lamont Hadley Sr. recently died after a long battle with COVID-19. His longtime partner and son remember his life and music.

Many schools are now conducting classes 100% online. Navigating virtual education has many families scrambling to make it work, but likely none more so than families with special needs students. We explore how families with children with developmental disabilities are particularly challenged by schools moving to virtual learning.

Monty Cole's new play “Black Like Me,” grapples with John Howard Griffin’s seminal book. He explains how he adapted it for 21st century audiences, and how it found its way to the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis.

This summer, the Perseverance rover launched as part of the Mars 2020 mission. It’s scheduled to land on the Red Planet next February. Washington University's Raymond Arvidson will explain his lab’s role with the mission.

For more than 20 years, St. Louis native Leslie Gill has been focused on getting women what they need, whatever that may be. When she worked for Annie Malone Children & Family Services, that could mean shelter, clothing or food. Now, as president of the new nonprofit Rung for Women, it’s about providing what she terms “holistic self-sufficiency.”