STL on the Air 📻

St. Louis Public Radio’s new STL Welcome Kit is a digital guide to help you understand the history, culture and ins and outs of the St. Louis region. It answers questions like: What are those stone towers throughout the city? What’s the deal with paying property taxes on vehicles? How can you take advantage of the city’s vibrant music scene? STLPR engagement editor Lara Hamdan and interim news director Brian Heffernan share the details.

Washington University sociologist Adia Harvey Wingfield’s new book, "Gray Areas: How the Way We Work Perpetuates Racism & What We Can Do to Fix it," examines racial biases that impact the hiring, pay, advancement, and sociocultural experience of Black workers in the U.S. Wingfield shares what she learned from seven Black interviewees, who all work in different sectors, and offers practical suggestions for movement toward equitable practices and workplaces.

There are 17 proposed ballot items in Missouri that would legalize abortion. They’re a response to the fall of Roe v. Wade, which led to the ban of most abortions. Dr. Colleen McNicholas of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri contends that only one of the 17 initiatives would push abortion access “beyond Roe.” McNicholas discusses how she believes abortion-rights activists should approach the initiative petition process.

Azra Selimovic, owner of the new luxury tattoo parlor Azra Tattoos, describes how Bosnian culture is connected to tattoo art and her journey to opening one of Missouri's first Bosnian-owned tattoo parlors. She also shares the story of how a bee helped her family escape from war-torn Bosnia in 1993 — and inspired her new business.

Earlier this month, St. Louis city workers cleared a homeless encampment outside City Hall. The forced removal of the people who lived there highlighted a yearslong struggle to craft policies that assist homeless people. St. Louis Alderwoman Alisha Sonnier has proposed an “Unhoused Bill of Rights.” Sonnier discusses the legislation that would, among other things, change the process for approving shelters, require 30 days notice to break up encampments, and provide space for what’s known as intentional encampments

Alisha Blackwell-Calvert didn’t plan on becoming an expert in wine. Now she’s a sommelier at Cinder House in St. Louis. She discusses her picks for favorite Missouri wines, and explains how the state’s climate gives many local wines a distinctive “musky” flavor. She also pours from her deep knowledge of wine varietals, and reveals what makes a good non-alcoholic wine work.

“Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom” is back on NBC this month. The TV program has deep St. Louis ties. Longtime former co-host Marlin Perkins was director of the St. Louis Zoo for eight years, and he co-founded the Endangered Wolf Center in Eureka, Mo. Perkins’ daughter Marguerite Garrick talks about her father’s legacy. Peter Gros, who co-hosts today’s “Wild Kingdom,” talks about the show’s focus on conservation success stories.

Violinist and mezzo-soprano Tona Brown lives life on her own terms. That determination is the subject of a new memoir narrated by St. Louis-based writer Chris King, “Tonacity: The Tona Brown Story.” Brown has toured the country, taught and released music, and later became the first openly transgender person to perform in front of a sitting U.S. president, President Barack Obama, in 2011.

Not only have public restrooms never been truly public, they’ve disappeared from America’s major metro areas, says historian Bryant Simon. In this encore episode first shared in April, we explore the rise and fall of America’s public restroom campaign and meet the woman behind the “Bathrooms In St. Louis” Instagram page.

In 50 years, hip-hop has become one of the most popular music genres in the world. In its early days, the recipe for a hip-hop duo or group was simple: two turntables for the disc jockey and a microphone for the emcee. In this encore episode first shared in April, Darian Wigfall, who DJs under the moniker DJ Whiz, shares the fundamentals of DJing — and why he feels vinyl is the best way to get into the craft.

Vanessa Okwuraiwe was born in the United Kingdom, went to school in Nigeria, and moved to St. Louis several years ago for work in the financial services industry. She’s now the author of the new children’s book “Jollof Rice with Grandma,” which focuses on 6-year-old Ada, who learns to make a classic West African dish when her grandparents visit from Nigeria. Okwuraiwe talks about the book, its characters and the diversity among Nigerians in St. Louis.

People with disabilities in the St. Louis area say recent disruptions to Call-A-Ride service reflect ongoing issues with the transportation service. Etefia Umana, a member of the St. Louis Metropolitan Alliance for Reliable Transit, talks about the challenges he faces using Call-A-Ride. Jeanette Mott Oxford of Paraquad, a local nonprofit dedicated to disability advocacy, discusses the changes advocates want to see put in place.

Seventy-one percent of women in domestic violence shelters report that their abuser threatened, injured or killed a pet. The fear of violence against a beloved animal can make survivors feel trapped. The Women’s Safe House in St. Louis is working to remove that deterrent. The domestic violence shelter is about to become one of only a few in Missouri — and the only emergency shelter in the greater St. Louis area — to welcome pets.

Missouri and Illinois residents will be able to witness a partial solar eclipse Saturday morning, October 14 at 10:26 a.m. While this is a must-see celestial event, astronomers, space fanatics and umbraphiles alike say that this is just a warm up to the big show: A total solar eclipse that will cross over parts of Missouri and Illinois on April 8, 2024. Author and eclipse chaser David Baron shares just how special total solar eclipses are.

The new podcast “A CRISPR Bite” explores how and why biotech companies are looking to use CRISPR technology to change our food. The five-part series was produced by journalist — and former St. Louis Public Radio reporter — Corinne Ruff. It’s hosted by food anthropologist Lauren Crossland-Marr. In its third episode, the St. Louis company Benson Hill takes center stage.

Across the U.S., reform-minded prosecutors have faced pushback from police departments. In St. Louis, issues around police accountability and racial bias were thrown in sharp relief after Michael Brown, Jr. was shot and killed by a Ferguson police officer in 2014. ProPublica reporter Jeremy Kohler is co-writer of the new piece, “A Detective Sabotaged His Own Cases Because He Didn’t Like the Prosecutor. The Police Department Did Nothing to Stop Him.” Kohler talks about that story, which focuses on local figures whose conflict reflects what’s happening in other parts of the country.

About 300,000 Americans will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023. Despite its commonality, the process of fighting the disease is difficult for patients and their loved ones. Musicians and life partners Marcy Marxer and Cathy Fink can attest to this. Both of them experienced receiving breast cancer diagnoses and becoming each other's primary caregiver. Marxer, Fink and Dr. Jovita Oruwari of SSM Health Medical Group discuss the musical “All Wigged Out” in advance of its St. Louis showing.

It’s undeniable that pork steak was popularized in St. Louis, but the identity of its inventor is sizzling with debate. The local supermarket chain Schnucks claims it deserves the title. Robert Moss, contributing barbecue editor for Southern Living, and restaurant critic for the Post & Courier, says that claim needs to be sent back to the kitchen. Moss investigated the controversy over the origin of the humble pork steak, and he shares why the pork steak is special, where it came from, and why Schnuck's, Google, and Wikipedia struggle to get the history right.

More than a third of food grown in the U.S. goes uneaten. Food waste takes up space in landfills and produces methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. Harvest Public Media Reporter Eva Tesfaye digs into current zoning laws in places like St. Louis, where urban composting sites are beginning to pop up. The owners of New Earth Farm, John and Stacey Cline, share why they started their composting business in 2020.

A mob lynched a 24-year-old Black man named John Buckner in 1894. That's not disputed. But it's the location of Buckner's lynching that's creating controversy in Valley Park. Geoff Ward, a professor of African and African American Studies at Washington University and a member of the Reparative Justice Coalition, discusses the killing of John Buckner and how the record shows he was killed in Valley Park. Elizabeth Simons, community program manager for Great Rivers Greenway, describes the group’s plan to install a plaque on the Meramec Greenway.