STL on the Air 📻

At 17, midfielder Miguel Perez is St. Louis City SC’s youngest player. He made his Major League Soccer debut earlier this year and for the Under-19 United States Men’s National team, he scored a goal for his country — all while still enrolled at Pattonville High School. Washington University freshman Julian Trejo discusses his reporting on Perez and details his own experience of playing soccer at a championship level, growing up in Arkansas and coming to St. Louis.

STL Santos offers more to local soccer fans than mere soccer game camaraderie. They operate predominantly in Spanish, raise money for local Hispanic and Latino focused non-profits and unite different cultures across St. Louis. Find a Spanish language version of this article at stlpr.org/espanol

St. Louis University researchers urge citizen scientists to track mosquito populations this summer via the Mosquito Alert app to help them better understand where mosquito hotbeds are in St. Louis.

SLU Professor Ness Sandoval breaks down census data on "St. Louis on the Air."

St. Louis Public Radio correspondents Jason Rosenbaum and Rachel Lippmann discuss the results of yesterday's municipal elections, where most St. Louis-area voters backed proposals to apply a local sales tax to recreational marijuana. St. Louis voters also elected a new 14-member Board of Aldermen.

This year’s Teen Talent Competition features the Drum Warriors Ensemble, a group of four young Black men from different St. Louis high schools who perform traditional African rhythms. They share how traditional African drumming and dance connects them with their heritage.

Roll up your sleeves and tie your apron — it’s time to get to cooking. The International Institute of St. Louis and Global Foods Group have put out a region-wide call-to-action for residents and restaurants to submit their favorite dishes that use internationally-sourced ingredients. Professional chefs, hobbyists and amateurs are all welcome to share their top picks.

You would be hard pressed to talk about sports history without mentioning St. Louis — and that goes for soccer, too. St. Louis’ first Major League Soccer team is off to a record breaking first season, but City SC is far from the first notch in the region’s soccer timeline. Sam Moore, managing director of public history for the Missouri Historical Society, says St. Louis is justified to claim the title of first soccer capital in the U.S.

What is gender affirming care? As officials and lawmakers seek to restrict it in Missouri, often lost is an explanation of what it entails. STLPR health reporter Sarah Fentem discusses her latest reporting on the facts behind gender affirming care. Susan Halla and her 22-year-old son Joey Borrelli share their experience obtaining gender affirming care at Washington University’s gender clinic — and react to accusations against the clinic by former case manager Jaime Reed.

Sauce Magazine staff writer Iain Shaw dishes on the top new St. Louis restaurants to check out this month, including Bagel Union, the Vandy, Fleur STL and Lola Jean’s Pizza.

Ricky Hughes founded St. Louis Run Crew with inclusion in mind — specifically to introduce Black and brown people to running and to create a space where they can be comfortable. While most running clubs are inherently inclusive, Hughes would often find himself the only person of color in local running groups. He says the crew — which meets in Kiener Plaza Park — is “open to all faces, paces and laces.”

In 2014, Danny Wicentowski became obsessed with writing about an escape room — and became trapped in a way he never predicted. Wicentowski performed his story at St. Louis Public Radio as part of the Story Collider show “Variables” on February 13, 2023.

What’s next for St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner? Has attorney Al Watkins played himself into a lawsuit? What happens to Missouri’s gun laws now that a federal judge has ruled the state’s Second Amendment Preservation Act is unconstitutional? The Legal Roundtable tackles those cases, and more, with attorneys Eric Banks, Nicole Gorovsky and Mary Anne Sedey.

The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra is on its first international tour since 2017 — and the first under Music Director Stéphane Denève’s direction. Denève shares highlights from the tour, what it’s like to perform in different venues (“every hall is like a different instrument”) and what it means to represent the Gateway City abroad.

St. Louis' skate style is known across the country: it’s smooth. There are even several moves that are uniquely St. Louis. Skating is also particularly popular for many Black St. Louisans where skating happens at places such as Coachlite Skate Center in Bridgeton and Skate King in Pine Lawn. Longtime skater Xavier Alexander explains what makes St. Louis skate style special.

The Cardinals open the 2023 baseball season Thursday afternoon at Busch Stadium against the Toronto Blue Jays. St. Louis is hoping to bounce back after a disappointing first-round exit from the playoffs last season. STLPR's Wayne Pratt talks with Cardinals beat writer Rob Rains of STLSportsPage.com.

An estimated 6.7 million people in the U.S. have Alzheimer's disease, and over 11 million provide them with unpaid care. We explore what it means to live with Alzheimer's, to care for those who have it, and the need for early diagnosis.

Disney animations have been a part of the peoples’ childhoods for generations. Fairy tales, adventure and fictional princesses are brought to life by a team of artists and animators — and that also includes University City native Marlon West. West discusses his work on “Moana,” “Encanto,” and “The Princess and the Frog," and shares details on his latest project.

In Illinois, it’s considered neglect for parents to leave kids under the age of 14 alone. Its law is the strictest in the nation. A child psychology professor and a sociologist share how such laws are typically implemented, who they affect the most, and whether 14 years old is a fair age limit for being left alone.

Earlier this month, the failure of Silicon Valley Bank marked the second-largest bank failure in United States history. But amid worry over the risk of a larger banking crisis, smaller financial institutions, like the St. Louis Community Credit Union, are setting their sights on solving longstanding challenges in the industry. CEO Kirk Mills and VP Alex Fennoy explain.