St. Louis on the Air

St. Louis County Executive Sam Page has officially entered politically treacherous territory. He’s leading Missouri’s largest county at a time of downward population growth, an uncertain budgetary future, and for the first time since he took office in 2019, Page is facing a county council with enough antagonists to override his veto. Politics correspondent Jason Rosenbaum sits down with Page in his office in Clayton to discuss criticisms, partnerships with leadership in the City of St. Louis and answer questions from listeners.

Republicans in the Missouri General Assembly want to place a board with gubernatorial appointees in charge of overseeing the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. It’s an idea with high-level support among police unions and Missouri’s new governor, but fierce opposition from St. Louis’ top elected officials. We talk about the proposal with one of its most vocal backers, Republican state Senator Nick Schroer from St. Louis County.

St. Louis County Library is spending more than half its collections budget on digital “eMedia” through subscriptions to services like Libby and Hoopla. The library told its patrons this month the cost would become “unsustainable” without changes. We hear from the library's director, Kristen Sorth, about the changing landscape for accessing books and other digital media, and the decisions facing libraries to maintain the public’s access.

Between now and Feb. 14, Illinois residents can vote on whether to change their state flag — and if so, which resident-submitted design they'd like to see flying in the wind. We hear from two Illinois Flag Commission members who helped whittle down the selection from nearly 5,000 designs to the top ten. Flag design expert Ted Kaye also shares his suggestions for how those designs could be improved.

A growing and significant body of research suggests that students benefit from having a teacher of the same race or ethnicity. Yet most teachers in the U.S. are white women. St. Louis entrepreneur Angelica Harris founded Top Tutors for Us to pair Black high school students with tutors who look like them. She shares how their services have led to improved test scores and higher college acceptance rates of their students.

About 15 years ago, Jason Cerrano was working for the Pattonville Fire Protection District when he conceptualized a way to make it more efficient for firefighters to put out fires. He wanted to automate how a fire truck selects its water source and pumps water, and allow pump operators to pay attention to other critical firefighting tasks. Cerrano, a graduate of Missouri S&T, discusses how he invented the SAM Control System that more than 120 fire departments employ. We also hear from Chief Hans Mueller of the Freeburg Fire Protection District in Illinois about his department’s use of the technology.

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A NASA mission that aims to launch a small satellite into Earth’s orbit in 2029 is named after Arlo Landolt, a renowned astronomer with roots in the Metro East. The goal of the Landolt Space Mission is to help scientists calibrate telescopes to more accurately measure the brightness of stars. We talk with Jennifer Boutte, the daughter of the late Arlo Landolt, about the honor. Peter Plavchan, the principal investigator of the mission, also discusses the mission’s goals.

The young ladies of Incarnate Word Academy’s varsity basketball team have managed to defeat every last one of their opponents for 141 games running. That makes them the national record holder for girls basketball consecutive wins. Guards Nevaeh Caffey and Addi Owen join their coach Dan Rolfes to discuss their schools 5-year winning streak and what the record means to them.

The sound of music took center stage at the St. Louis County Justice Center in Clayton this week. Two St. Louis Symphony Orchestra musicians visited the women’s residence to announce “Melodies of Hope,” a music education program for people incarcerated there. We talk with STLPR Arts and Culture reporter Jeremy Goodwin about his coverage of the new program. We also meet Dustin Politte-Bender, a music therapist overseeing the Maryville University students leading music exercises in the program.

Chicago Bulls player E.J. Liddell talks about his journey from Belleville to becoming a professional basketball player in the NBA. Liddell shares what has helped him in pursuing his dreams. He goes into depth about the community he surrounds himself with and the steps it took for him to become the best version of himself. He also reminisces about life in the Metro East.

The latest snowstorm turned into an icy nightmare has unified people across the region. On this episode of St. Louis on the Air, listeners shared their grievances, hopes on how to make the next bout of winter weather easier on residents and the good they saw in neighbors helping each other out.

The inauguration earlier this week of Mike Kehoe as Missouri’s 58th governor heralded a moment of possibility — like being able to solve problems and work beyond partisan and personal divides. But the sugar high of inauguration day can fade pretty quickly. STLPR politics correspondent Jason Rosenbaum explains why and looks at internal schisms among Republicans.

By her own admission, Melissa Price Smith never aspired to be in public office. But when it was clear in August that Wesley Bell would be departing as prosecutor to serve in Congress, Price Smith’s mindset about vying for an elected position changed. STLPR’s Rachel Lippmann and Jason Rosenbaum talk with Price Smith about her priorities and first days in office on the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air.

Former Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan will soon depart from the agency responsible for managing federal procurement and the government’s real estate holdings. As administrator of the GSA, Carnahan’s mission was to make the federal government work better, faster and cheaper. That work included implementing elements of Biden’s 2021 infrastructure improvement plan and the Inflation Reduction Act — and revamping the country’s border crossings. Carnahan joins the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air.

The American Dental Association calls the mineral fluoride "nature's cavity fighter." But the practice of adding fluoride to drinking water has long been a target of conspiracy theories and opponents of public health measures. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Trump administration's pick to be the next American health secretary, has called fluoride "an industrial waste” associated with various diseases. Dr. Dwight McLeod, dean of A.T. Still University’s Missouri School of Dentistry & Oral Health, and Dr. Poonam Jain, a professor and vice dean at ATSU and the St. Louis Dental Center, discuss fluoride, the scrutiny over its use, and the importance of dental health.

While blank spaces, silences and gaps may appear empty, is true emptiness possible? St. Louis University Professor Jonathan Sawday explores that question — and addresses the opportunities, pitfalls and stories behind such gaps — in his award-winning book, “Blanks, Print, Space, and Void in English Renaissance Literature: An Archaeology of Absence.”

Turning over to a new calendar brings about many declarations around changing habits and making improvements. But you don’t have to create a wholly new version of yourself to do and be better. Nico Marie McNeese is known locally for her skills behind the turntables as DJ Nico Marie and as a yogi to her 190,000 followers on YouTube. She’s combining her love of music, movement and mental wellness in her first album, “Meeting Myself For The First Time.” Multidisciplinary artist Damon Davis helped produce the album and joined her in conversation about the goals of this project and how they collaborated to bring the album to life.

The United States is home to one of the largest populations of people of Korean descent. On the occasion of Korean American Day 2025, we talk with Julia Sim – a decades-long St. Louisan and president of the Korea Academy of St. Louis – about how she’s approached Korean language and culture education, for children and adults. Hyung Kyu Choi, current KASL teacher and parent, also shares personal reflections about language’s place in the experience of diaspora Koreans like himself, and in raising his young Korean American children in St. Louis.

In its series “Unhoused/Unschooled,” the Midwest Newsroom and its regional partners explored the complicated federal system designed to support K-12 public school students experiencing homelessness, particularly in rural communities. Midwest Newsroom managing editor Holly Edgell discusses the reporting project’s mission and conclusion.