St. Louis On The Air

Immigration is a hotly debated and highly politicized topic that pundits on either side of the aisle can’t seem to agree on. With the election season quickly approaching, is there a different way that the country – political affiliation aside – can address it? According to two UMSL immigration experts, the first step is empathy. Uma Segal and Adriano Udani discuss the nuances missing from the election season debate over immigration, and why a deeper conversation is needed.

Less than two years since she moved to Los Angeles to pursue film, Sharee Silerio has made it big. The St. Louis native is part of the Academy Award winning team behind “The Last Repair Shop,” which took home the Oscar for “Best Documentary Short.” She reflects on the film, her goal of telling stories in ways that showcase vulnerability and foster inspiration, and her plans to come back to St. Louis to finish work on her film, “Black Girl, Bleu,” which explores mental health challenges and ways to cultivate healing and self-love.

10 years ago, the landmark health report “For the Sake of All” was jointly published by Washington University and St. Louis University to much acclaim for its eye-opening — and affirming — data on the health disparities of Black St. Louisans. Lead researcher Dr. Jason Purnell shares how he thinks St. Louis has changed in the last decade, where he sees possible improvement and how his current role as president of the James S. McDonnell Foundation will play a major role in addressing the racial inequities from an economic standpoint.

Former Missouri U.S. Senator John Danforth and two other prominent Republicans recently wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post announcing a new group that seeks to move the Republican Party away from Donald Trump: Our Republican Legacy. Danforth represented Missouri in the Senate from 1976-1995. STLPR politics correspondent Jason Rosenbaum spoke with Danforth.

The Riverfront Times has been sold to an undisclosed buyer and on Wednesday its entire news staff was laid off. St. Louis’ alt-weekly held a unique position in local journalism for 46 years. In its early years, it was known for its free (and at times) raunchy personal ads. Over the years, the paper became known for its stories on the city’s arts and culture, irreverent headlines and serious journalism. Former RFT Executive Editor Sarah Fenske and paper founder Ray Hartmann discuss the RFT’s sale and its legacy.

St. Louis Shakespeare Festival will launch the 2024 season with their production of “As You Like It” for Shakespeare in the Park. Along with homegrown talent, this year’s production features original music from singer-songwriter Beth Bombara who added her sound and lyrics to Shakespeare’s sonnets. She previews the show alongside Tom Ridgely, producing artistic director of St. Louis Shakespeare Festival.

Your immune system has a "memory," which can be both a good and bad thing. When it comes to COVID boosters, scientists like Washington University's Dr. Michael Diamond found that our body doesn't just "remember" its previous vaccines – it uses that memory to fight viruses it hasn't even met yet. How does the immune system "remember" a brand-new virus? What makes COVID vaccines different from the flu vaccine? And what does this mean for COVID vaccines in the future? Dr. Diamond, lead author of a new study in Nature, explains.

Cicadas are a nutritional boon to birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians — and yes, even humans. With the St. Louis region estimated to have about 1 to 1.5 million periodical cicadas per acre for the next few weeks — and nymphs continuing to crawl out of the ground — there is still time to take advantage of this once-in-every-13-years culinary event. We get tips and tricks for catching, preparing and cooking cicadas. We also discuss the growing interest in cricket powder, an ingredient suitable for the most squeamish of interested eaters.

The Solid Sound Collective, a music project of the St. Louis nonprofit Action Art Collaborative, celebrates the long and living legacy of community activism. Three of its producers and musicians – Colin McLaughlin, Ryan Marquez, and Alicia Revé – talk about original songs commissioned for the project and the role of interviews in creating music that addresses social and economic inequities. The collective premieres its music at an event on June 2 at Work & Leisure in Midtown St. Louis.

Once strong and tight-knit, Clayton’s Black community was almost entirely wiped out by urban renewal policies that drove Black families away during the 1950s and 60s. A new historical marker commemorates those who were pushed out. Historian and retired Clayton High School teacher Donna Rogers-Beard discusses the history of the community, which dates back to the 1880s. Derek Novel recalls his memories of growing up in Clayton and how displacement changed the community.

Mayor Tishaura Jones says she has set the city of St. Louis on a course to be “safer, stronger and healthier” than it is today. Jones highlighted accomplishments at her State of the City speech last Tuesday. She also launched her re-election bid last week. STLPR reporter Rachel Lippmann joins the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air to discuss this news.

In a rare instance of triumph for Missouri Democrats, an effort to raise the bar to amend the state constitution — a central GOP priority — was defeated. Infighting among Republicans was a highlight of this year’s Missouri legislative session that ended Friday. STLPR statehouse and politics reporter Sarah Kellogg joins the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air. We also open up our mailbag and answer listener and reader questions about the session and political process.

Kirkwood-raised musician David Sanborn died earlier this week after an extended battle with prostate cancer. He won six Grammy awards and sold millions of albums across a more than 50-year career. Known for his warm sound on alto saxophone, Sanborn won acclaim as a solo artist and as a collaborator with a long list of stars in the worlds of jazz, rock and pop. Earlier this year, Jazz St. Louis honored Sanborn with its first lifetime achievement award. We listen back to his conversation with STLPR’s Jeremy D. Goodwin.

St. Louis’ juvenile justice system is supposed to rehabilitate youth but it often makes things worse. That’s the topic of a recently published article written by Taylor Tiamoyo Harris and commissioned by the River City Journalism Fund. Taylor is a St. Louis-based journalist and recently began a job as investigative fellow for the New York Times. Harris discusses her recent reporting on juvenile justice.

Civil rights attorney and former South Carolina state lawmaker Bakari Sellers says national police reform is currently dead, but there is hope through voting to change the makeup of Congress. STLPR reporter Andrea Henderson recently spoke with Sellers when he was in St. Louis to talk about his new book, “The Moment: Thoughts on the Race Reckoning That Wasn't and How We All Can Move Forward Now.”

A St. Louis judge on Tuesday will hear arguments as to why the 1991 murder conviction of Chris Dunn should be vacated. Dunn has spent more than 30 years in prison. Two witnesses who identified him as the killer have recanted and two St. Louis prosecutors, Kim Gardner and Gabe Gore, believe that he is innocent. After Gore announced earlier this spring he would file a motion to vacate Dunn’s conviction, producer Danny Wicentowski spoke with Dunn from the South Central Correctional Center in Licking, Missouri, about his reaction.

Gardening season is well underway, but it’s not too late to start planting. Local farmer Tosha Phonix is encouraging fellow north St. Louis residents to grow their own food through a new, free zine, “A Guide to Black Farming in North St. Louis.”

Most conversations about race and identity in the St. Louis region focus on Black and white residents, a binary that excludes one of the fastest growing populations in the area: the Asian and Asian American community. The Japanese American Citizens League - St. Louis and the St. Louis Pan Asian Collective have curated, “InVISIBLE: A Reclamation of the Asian Gaze,” a visual and literary arts exhibition that’s focused on sharing the diverse stories and experiences of those community members.

Nadia and Maya Turner grew up eating batches of their mom’s chocolate chip cookies and watching “Shark Tank.” The University City sisters founded Chocolate Girls’ Cookies in 2019, after perfecting the family’s cookie recipe. They share what makes a good chocolate chip cookie, their aspirations for their business, and how they feel about sour cream as a cookie dough ingredient.

The St. Louis metropolitan area is showing troubling signs when it comes to population trends. There are fewer residents than in years past in St. Louis and St. Louis County, and the region isn’t keeping pace with other areas of the country where the population is growing. St. Louis University Professor Ness Sandoval and International Institute of St. Louis CEO and President Arrey Obenson discuss why this is happening and what needs to be done to turn the tide.