St. Louis On The Air

The historic Fairground Park was once a shining jewel that held fairs, an enormous pool, amphitheatre and art gallery. Throughout the decades, the park has been severely neglected and has become a ruin of its former self. The new nonprofit Fairground Park for All aims to revitalize the park and remind residents in the Fairground Park neighborhood of just how beautiful it can be.

St. Louis entertainer Chuck Flowers began his musical journey in an interfaith choir, singing alongside the influential gospel duo the O’Neal Twins and Monica R. Butler, who later founded the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. This month, Flowers is being honored as an inductee into the hall of fame. He and Butler reminisce about the 1980s gospel music scene in St. Louis and discuss how gospel music has influenced many other genres.

The St. Louis Shakespeare Festival is wrapping up its 25th season with its annual "Shakespeare in the Streets" production. This year, the play “Power” explores East St. Louis — a city that carries the legacy of legendary artists and athletes, as well as the stigma of political corruption and the 1917 Race Massacre. Loosely inspired by Shakespeare’s Richard III, “Power” follows "Richard" on his attempted rise to East St. Louis mayor. We talk with actor RobWood, an East St. Louis Native who plays Richard, and the play's director, Kathi Bentley.

Illinois joins more than a dozen states that, in response to federal changes regarding the distribution guidelines of vaccines, is directing their public health departments to establish their own guidelines. Capitol News Illinois reporter Peter Hancock discusses those changes and how the state of Illinois aims to create a safe and clear path for those looking to get themselves and their families vaccinated.

For St. Charles County Executive Ehlmann, regional cooperation isn’t some far off pipe dream. He says a law enforcement training facility that the leaders of Jefferson, St. Charles, Franklin and St. Louis counties agreed to earlier this summer is a good example of how the region can work together on shared goals. He discusses how the facility got off the ground and his hopes for its use in the future. He also talks about recent efforts to build a massive data center in St. Charles.

The future of a newly-drawn congressional map is in limbo a week after a contentious and consequential special session. In this episode of the “Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air,” we talk about the efforts to combat the new lines in court and at the ballot box.

St. Louis artists are dishing out chill vibes for this month’s new music round up. Matthew Sawicki and Chris “Klevah” Shaw, co-hosts of Fresh Produce, STL’s monthly beat battle, join producer Miya Norfleet and host Elaine Cha to talk about their local favorites for the month. This month’s selections include alternative folk duo Brawsh as well as pop punk band and our first music show featured artist, Wes Hoffman. Check out our new music roundup playlist.

Dominique Eldraco Price is more than a working musician. Fresh off the release of his latest EP, he and his band FreeNation brought the house down at last weekend’s Music at the Intersection festival with a high-energy mix of soul, funk and glam. Price discusses his journey from incredibly shy preacher’s kid to boisterous on-stage powerhouse. He also breaks down how he made his way to being a working musician in the corporate music world with the event band the Luster Lights in order to fund his original creative work.

When the campus of St. Louis youth literacy nonprofit Urban Born was hit by a tornado on May 16, it also severely damaged the home of the organization’s founders La Tasha and Johnel Langerston, Sr. The married couple describe their up and down experiences with FEMA, and share how their College Hill neighborhood and faith communities have “covered” them as they rebuild.

In June 2022, a fight and carjacking started in a QuikTrip parking lot in Hazelwood. The incident ended with a red Mustang crashing into the city’s police department. But the carjacking victim, Phillip March, whom surveillance video shows being beaten and dragged by his own car, now faces trial for property damage. St. Louis on the Air producer Danny Wicentowski shares his investigation into the incident, the video footage, and Hazelwood’s pursuit of this case.

Ten years after the Ferguson Commission’s landmark Forward Through Ferguson report, which laid out 189 calls to action addressing racial equity in areas such as economic opportunity, education and law enforcement, Annissa McCaskill, executive director of Forward Through Ferguson, reflects on progress, ongoing challenges, and priorities amid funding and post-tornado recovery. STLPR reporter Chad Davis also shares insights on community-level change since the Ferguson Uprising.

The Kemper Art Museum at Washington University has unveiled its largest-ever exhibition, “Making Their Mark: Works from the Shah Garg Collection.” Open through January 5, 2026, the show features more than 80 works by nearly 70 women artists and artists of color, including a monumental piece by renowned artist Joan Mitchell. Collector and philanthropist Komal Shah and Kemper curator Sabine Eckmann discuss the collection, the artists featured and how the exhibition resonates in St. Louis.

Inspired by barbershop chats and a brotherly contest over hip-hop facts, the Black Lit Network is a digital resource designed to make African American literature more widely accessible. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville professor Howard Rambsy II co-leads the project. He discusses how a recent $1.6 million grant to SIUE for the project will boost its reach and impact. He also speaks to the significance of investing in efforts to amplify African American writers, works, and ideas – especially through a public higher education institution in the Midwest, and the larger St. Louis region.

For years, the St. Louis metropolitan area has shown troubling signs when it comes to its population numbers. Preliminary results from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2024 American Community Survey offer both encouragement and caution for the region’s future. Demographer and St. Louis University Professor Ness Sándoval breaks down the latest census data and shares why elected officials and residents should prioritize the development of single family homes to boost — or at least maintain — the region’s population.

Missouri lawmakers are closing in on the end of one of the state’s most contentious special sessions in recent memory. At stake: a Republican-backed redrawing of the state’s congressional districts that would transform Rep. Emanuel Cleaver’s Kansas City-area district into one that’s GOP-leaning — and a push to make it harder for citizens to amend the state constitution through the initiative petition process. STLPR politics correspondent Jason Rosenbaum discusses the latest developments in the Missouri Senate, how Democrats are responding and what these changes could mean for the state’s political future.

St. Louis native Keyon Harrold loves coming home, and Music at the Intersection is bringing him back this weekend. Harrold is the only artist to perform at every Music at the Intersection festival since its inauguration in 2021. The Grammy-nominated jazz trumpeter and composer discusses his love for St. Louis and how Music at the Intersection has evolved since its inception.

Opera Theatre of St. Louis' incoming artistic director is taking audiences on a journey into the music of legendary French singer Edith Piaf. Although Patricia Racette is known for her work on stage as an opera soprano, her one-woman show "Patricia Sings Piaf" focuses on interpretations of Piaf music and celebrating the career of a performer who attained stardom at the height of World War 2. Racette discusses the October 9 show, her favorite Piaf songs, and her vision as the new artistic director for Opera Theatre of St. Louis.

Protesters gathered at the Missouri Capitol on Wednesday as lawmakers aim to push through redrawing the state’s congressional districts during a special session called by Gov. Mike Kehoe. The move would eliminate the Democratic-leaning 5th District in the Kansas City area. STLPR politics correspondent Jason Rosenbaum joins us from Jefferson City to break down what’s happening on the ground, why the redistricting fight is contentious and what comes next as the Senate prepares to vote on the proposed map later this week.

A proposal to build a 440-acre data center in St. Charles sparked intense backlash from residents worried about property values, water contamination, energy costs and a lack of transparency. After growing pressure, the developer withdrew its application — and the St. Charles City Council responded with a one-year ban on new data center proposals. STLPR reporters Kate Grumke and Kavahn Mansouri discuss what happened and how their reporting uncovered that the project may have ties to Google.

St. Louis–based nonprofit Meds & Food for Kids has treated more than one million malnourished children in Haiti and has gained recognition for its sustainable and locally driven solutions to hunger. Ahead of the organization’s September 18 event at the Courses at Forest Park, we speak with Ambassador Ertharin Cousin, former Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme, and Meds & Food for Kids CEO Chris Greene about the urgent fight against hunger, the global challenge of malnutrition, and how MFK’s innovative model is making an impact.