Episodios

  • How to embrace life by confronting death

    How to embrace life by confronting death
    Jan 7 2026
    Suffering, grief and death are inescapable components of human experience. Confronting such hardship, says poet Vincent Casaregola, can be a way to embrace life and find meaning. His new collection “Vital Signs” explores the trauma that stems from illness, injury and violence. In this episode, Casaregola reflects on lessons from pandemics throughout human history, the need for awareness and empathy to address issues like homelessness and gun violence, and how writing about trauma has helped him navigate his own grief.
    Más Menos
    50 m
  • Here’s what St. Louis restaurants opened and closed in December 2025

    Here’s what St. Louis restaurants opened and closed in December 2025
    Jan 6 2026
    For a few days in December, the hits to St. Louis’ restaurant and bar scene kept coming. Familiar spots like Wheelhouse, New Society and Rock Star Tacos closed. But there were bright spots, too. New places like Scottish Arms and London Tea Room found new life. STLPR’s Jessica Rogen and Abby Llorico talk about the latest openings and closings in St. Louis’ dining scene.
    Más Menos
    21 m
  • How the Muny reinvents musicals for today's audiences

    How the Muny reinvents musicals for today's audiences
    Jan 6 2026
    In Forest Park sits the nation’s largest and oldest outdoor theater venue, The Muny. In its 107 seasons, the theater has produced numerous classics – some of which have received a fresh coat of paint to bring them into the modern era. The updated works include “The Wiz”, “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” and “Meet Me in St. Louis”. Mike Isaacson, The Muny’s executive producer and artistic director, discusses the importance of updating these great American musicals and why the Tony Award-winning theater is the perfect place to play with new concepts for outdated shows.
    Más Menos
    30 m
  • St. Louis University student works to hold school accountable for enslaving her ancestors

    St. Louis University student works to hold school accountable for enslaving her ancestors
    Jan 5 2026
    After Robin Proudie learned that 25 of her ancestors were born into enslavement by St. Louis University Jesuit Catholics, she founded Descendants of St. Louis University Enslaved to ensure institutional accountability and commemoration of the enslaved people who helped build the school. Proudie, now a SLU undergrad, provides an update on the group’s work to secure an official public apology from the university, a permanent monument and cash reparations.
    Más Menos
    19 m
  • The stories that will shape the news in 2026

    The stories that will shape the news in 2026
    Jan 5 2026
    2025 was a historic year for the St. Louis region, with issues like tornado recovery and redistricting dominating the headlines. Those issues, and more, will come to shape the news of 2026. On this special reporter roundtable edition of St. Louis on the Air, three STLPR reporters discuss their biggest stories of 2025 and share their thoughts on their ongoing coverage. Economic Development Reporter Kavahn Mansouri, General Assignment Reporter Lacretia Wimbley and Politics Correspondent Jason Rosenbaum take us inside their biggest stories of the past year, from tornado recovery, data centers, jail deaths, and more.
    Más Menos
    32 m
  • The Gentle Barn closure left heartbreak behind in Missouri. Then animals started dying

    The Gentle Barn closure left heartbreak behind in Missouri. Then animals started dying
    Dec 29 2025
    The 2017 slaughterhouse escape of six steers turned "The St. Louis Six" into animal rescue celebrities and inspired an expansion of the California-based nonprofit Gentle Barn to Missouri. But the sanctuary’s abrupt closure in October 2024 left its former volunteers and staff feeling abandoned. In this encore edition of a St. Louis on the Air episode that first aired March 6, producer Danny Wicentowski goes inside the final days of the sanctuary's existence and the aftermath of its closure. The investigation confirms the deaths of five former residents of Missouri's Gentle Barn. We also hear from Gentle Barn co-founder Ellie Laks, who defends the decision to close and addresses the animal deaths at the nonprofit’s Tennessee sanctuary.
    Más Menos
    50 m
  • A tribute to St. Louisans who passed away in 2025

    A tribute to St. Louisans who passed away in 2025
    Dec 23 2025
    In 2025, we said goodbye to a number of remarkable people who lived and worked in the St. Louis region. In this episode, we explore the legacies of beloved journalists including Linda Lockhart; civil rights advocates Anita Lyons Bond and former U.S. Rep. William L. Clay Sr.; and Patrick “PJ” Gannon and Jim Holloran, who, in different ways, were instrumental figures in building up the region’s Irish music scene.
    Más Menos
    51 m
  • Transition, conflict and adversity defined Missouri and Illinois politics in 2025

    Transition, conflict and adversity defined Missouri and Illinois politics in 2025
    Dec 22 2025
    This year brought a deluge of political upheaval in Missouri and Illinois, from Trump-backed congressional redistricting in Missouri and a devastating tornado in St. Louis to major leadership changes, legal battles and clashes over voter-approved initiatives. In this episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, we look back on the defining stories of 2025 with STLPR reporters Will Bauer, Sarah Kellogg and Rachel Lippmann.
    Más Menos
    49 m
adbl_web_global_use_to_activate_DT_webcro_1694_expandible_banner_T1