St. Louis On The Air

The relationship between U.S. Steel and the Granite City Works steel mill has been rocky for years. The company recently announced it would stop sending steel to the plant, then reversed that decision a few weeks later. Now, the plant is safe from closure until 2027, but the local United Steelworkers union is looking beyond that date and planning for an uncertain future. St. Louis Public Radio Metro East reporter Will Bauer explores the ongoing tension over the future of the steel mill, and President of the Granite City United Steelworkers chapter Craig McKey shares his union’s goals for the future.

Fall marks the harvest of pumpkins, squash and cabbage. It’s also the perfect time to plan for next spring by planting things like garlic, shallot and shrubs. Horticulturists Daria McKelvey of the Missouri Botanical Garden and Eliza Pessereau of University of Missouri Extension discuss autumn planting, how to prepare your garden for winter, and what we can anticipate with fall tree-color this year.

For just more than nine months, Alfred Montgomery has led the St. Louis Sheriff's office. He came in with ambitions to make changes — but his tenure has been marked by disputes over spending, controversies around transporting detainees for medical care and even an effort by Missouri’s attorney general to remove him from office. Montgomery sat down with STLPR’s Brian Munoz for a wide-ranging interview.

It’s been a week since President Donald Trump conducted a press conference where, among other things, he promoted a highly disputed link between Tylenol use during pregnancy and autism. But while most of the news coverage focused on Trump’s fixation on what causes the neurological disorder, St. Louis’ autistic community and its allies were struck by how the GOP president characterized autism “a horrible, horrible crisis.”

On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, BiState’s Taulby Roach talks about the demise of the Green Line MetroLink plan – and why bus rapid transit could be a boon for St. Louis at a fraction of the cost. Roach also explained how BiState works, and also delved into whether it could expand to other parts of the region.

A “Big Year” is a birder’s race against the calendar to identify as many bird species as possible in one year. The new documentary “Listers,” created by two brothers from Collinsville, follows the highs, lows and quirks of that quest — and their newfound appreciation for birdwatching.

Over 40 years ago, Tom “Papa” Ray helped open Vintage Vinyl, one of America’s last independent record stores. In 2020, Ray started production on a docuseries made for television called “Papa Ray’s Vintage Vinyl Roadshow.” The show’s second season premieres on Nine PBS this Saturday, Oct. 4. Ray shares how he went from selling records at Soulard Market to traveling the world to interview record store owners, vinyl enthusiasts, and musicians.

St. Louis County Library and the St. Louis County Board of Elections are inviting students in grades 6-12 to participate in their second “I Voted” sticker contest with a new “Future Voter” category. SLCL Director Kristen Sorth and St. Louis County Board of Elections Public Information Officer Kate Springer discuss the focus on youth, contest rules and how to enter. The contest runs through 5 p.m., October 17.

The Missouri National Guard is now assisting Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Gov. Mike Kehoe says 15 Guard members will help with administrative and logistical work at ICE processing facilities. STLPR politics correspondent Jason Rosenbaum explains what this means — and how it differs from troop operations in Los Angeles and Chicago.

Years of complaints from tenants has led to multiple lawsuits against the developers behind Lux Living, Asprient Properties and STL CityWide. But federal fraud charges looming over Sid Chakraverty, his brother, Vic Alston, and their accountant, Shijing “Poppy” Cao were abruptly dropped this summer. On this episode of the Legal Roundtable, our panel of expert attorneys discuss the case, which raises questions about the definition of fraud, the unusual personal intervention of U.S. Attorney Thomas Albus, and the role of Brad Bondi, the brother of U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. The panel also discusses whether a public referendum could throw a wrench in Missouri Republicans’ efforts to redraw state congressional districts, and more.

Almost half of skilled trade workers are nearing retirement. ConstructReach aims to fill that imminent gap by providing young people with training and skills for careers in construction. CEO and founder Paul Robinson discusses the challenges facing the construction industry, the job landscape for young professionals and the mission of his organization.

John Buckner was lynched in 1894; his body left to hang from a bridge over the Meramec River. More than 130 years later, Buckner’s killing is being memorialized through a new historical marker in Buder Park in St. Louis County. Washington University professors Geoff Ward and David Cunningham discuss the role of public memorials and America’s history of racial violence, why it has taken years to create a marker for Buckner, and what happened after activists faced pushback when they tried to place his marker in Valley Park in 2023.

After years of construction and planning, Friday marked the opening of the new National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency campus in St. Louis. STLPR economic development reporter Kavahn Mansouri was on the scene for the event, along with public officials including U.S. Rep. Wesley Bell and director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. Mansouri shares his takeaways from the grand opening of the $1.7 billion facility, and what happens next as 3,100 federal employees, and the surrounding neighborhoods, adapt to the changes.

Powell Hall, the century-old home of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, has reopened after a two-year, $140 million expansion and renovation. STLPR arts and culture senior reporter Jeremy D. Goodwin talks about the hall’s transformation. Then, newly appointed composer-in-residence Kevin Puts, a St. Louis native and Pulitzer Prize- and Grammy Award-winning composer, discusses the world premiere of his song cycle "House of Tomorrow" and what he’s looking forward to with the orchestra’s opening concert of the 2025-26 season.

St. Louis artist Henry Moyerman transforms small Lego sculptures into monumental works of art. His new exhibit, “Built Over Time,” features large-scale photographs that make his tiny creations appear much larger. Moyerman discusses how a childhood fascination with Lego bricks and photography grew into an art practice — and why scale and perspective are central to his work. The exhibit is on display through October 18 at the St. Louis Artists’ Guild.

Geocaching is a decades-old treasure hunting game that combines outdoor fun and environmental awareness. With over 3 million physical “caches” worldwide — including 10,000 in the state of Missouri, there is no shortage of places to explore. John Layman, vice president of the St. Louis Area Geocaching Association, and Nan Dabler, the group’s treasurer, discuss the importance of respecting the environment as a geocacher and how the game got its start.

After 30 years of annual reports, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that it will no longer provide its Household Food Security Report, citing cost savings on “redundant, costly, politicized, and extraneous studies.” Without data from the annual report, organizations that fight food insecurity will be “flying blind” in their effort to provide resources to children, seniors and others who are vulnerable to hunger. That’s according to Kristen Wild, president and CEO of Operation Food Search, who shares her concerns and hopes in the wake of the USDA’s announcement.

The St. Louis County Library's Tap In Center provides a safe space for people who need assistance with resolving warrants, meeting with an attorney, learning about their case status or applying for a public defender. The center also works to address the underlying challenges that keep people resolving their legal issues. In the five years since its launch, the center has helped more than 3,300 people achieve good standing with the courts. The center’s director and its co-founder share why the program works and how it has expanded its reach in recent years.

Months after a 2024 protest on Washington University’s campus, St. Louis resident Kaitlyn Killgo was arrested, without a warrant, in Eureka. She’s now suing the university and the officers who arrested her. The case involves a controversial system called “wanteds,” which allows Missouri officers to arrest suspects without a warrant — even when those arresting officers have no details about the alleged crime. We talk about the state of Missouri’s “wanteds” system, and how it continues to be used by Missouri police, with Kaitlyn Killgo and Arch City Defenders attorney Maureen Hanlon.

The Trump administration has directed some National Park Service sites to remove or alter materials about slavery and Native Americans, following an executive order urging history to “focus on the greatness of the achievements and progress of the American people.” Gateway Arch National Park hasn’t seen visible changes so far. In this episode, we revisit a 2023 conversation on interpreting Black history with author Vivian Gibson and historians Cicely Hunter of the Missouri Historical Society and Pam Sanfilippo of Gateway Arch National Park. “St. Louis on the Air” executive producer Alex Heuer also shares what he discovered during a Monday visit to the Old Courthouse and museum under the Arch.