St. Louis on the Air

President Trump’s decision to appoint former Missouri lawyer Ed Martin as U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C., sparked surprise, befuddlement and virulent opposition. ProPublica investigative reporter Jeremy Kohler discusses how Martin became a high-profile political figure in the Show Me State — in no small part due to his provocative public statements and pugnacious personality.

President Donald Trump marked his 100th day in office on April 30. St. Louis region residents, politicians and STLPR reporters share how Trump’s actions in office have made a mark on the region so far — including the effects of immigration raids, federal job losses, investment in a St. Louis-based Boeing manufacturing plant, and federal funding cuts to cancer and vaccine research.

In 2021, Frontenac native Tara Mahadevan decided to fill a longtime void in media coverage of St. Louis music, arts and lifestyle created by Black people or people of colour by founding the print magazine Search Party. Mahadevan, a Chicago-based music journalist who maintains strong ties to St. Louis, talks about the scope and focus of Search Party Magazine. She also shares why visual representation of St. Louis’ racial and ethnic diversity was prioritized in the magazine, especially with its second, music-focused issue. The culture-centered third issue of Search Party is in the works for the latter half of 2025.

After performing at various venues for its past two seasons, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra is gearing up to return to Powell Hall. The $140 million expansion and renovation will include an education and learning center, rehearsal space and places for the community to gather before and after performances. Music director Stéphane Denève and President and CEO Marie-Hélène Bernard discuss the past two nomadic seasons and how they’re looking forward to returning to Powell Hall in September.

There was no announcement, but the word got out: Grand Bistro had opened. A line of customers snaking down South Grand became a common sight this month, and it harkened back to when its predecessor, Pho Grand, was open in the same location. STLPR’s Jessica Rogen and Abby Llorico discuss April's restaurant openings and closings.

A judge's sentence of five month’s probation in the high-profile case of a former cop who opened fire at a Halloween trunk-or-treat is an example of the challenges judges face every day. “Doing sentencing is the most difficult thing I think that trial judges do,” says former Judge Nannette Baker, who discussed the case on this month’s Legal Roundtable. Along with the controversial sentencing, Baker and attorneys Bill Freivogel and Sarah Swatosh analyze the latest updates on KDHX’s bankruptcy and revelations about interim U.S. Attorney Ed Martin.

After being closed for renovations since 2020, the historic Old Courthouse in downtown St. Louis will reopen to the public on Saturday. It’s the final phase of a $380 million decade-long project to enhance the Gateway Arch National Park grounds. The Old Courthouse is famous as the site where Dred and Harriet Scott sued for their freedom in the mid-1800s, a case that ultimately reached the U.S. Supreme Court where slavery was upheld. Jeremy Sweat, superintendent of the Gateway Arch National Park, and Ryan McClure, executive director of the Gateway Arch Park Foundation, join the show — in addition to Lynne Jackson, the great-great-granddaughter of Dred and Harriet Scott, and artist Cbabi Bayoc.

Tina Pamintuan served 3½ years as CEO of St. Louis Public Radio. Now, she’s headed to an NPR member-station in Seattle, Washington. She reflects on her time at STLPR, and the future of public radio nationally.

When Emilio Hernandez and Patrick Lawrence started Occults, they had no intention of building a fanbase. The two best friends of nearly 25 years had a very simple goal — create music that they’ve loved as teens as an outlet during the global lockdowns at the start of the pandemic. Now, they are hitting the road and touring across the country with a stop in St. Louis — their hometown and where their friendship began.

Muhammad “Mvstermind” Austin, founder of Mvstercamp, joins producer Miya Norfleet for April’s new music show on St. Louis on the Air. They discuss some of their favorite new songs from St. Louis-area artists, including Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s “luther” and “Kerosene” by Lani Rose.

Several St. Louis streets have given way to gaping holes in the past week, exposing a side of our city's built environment most of us have never seen. But are these sinkholes, or cave-ins? Historian Chris Naffziger goes beneath the surface of these definitions to share some of the stories hiding beneath our feet.

Missouri provided a spark to the abortion rights movement that’s warily monitoring a GOP-controlled federal government, Planned Parenthood President and CEO Alexis McGill Johnson said Wednesday at an event in Clayton. STLPR politics correspondent Jason Rosenbaum discusses McGill Johnson’s visit.

Pope Francis, who died Monday at the age of 88, was a trailblazer in many ways. He was the first Latin-American pontiff and the first non-European to lead the Roman Catholic Church in more than 1,000 years. He was also the first Jesuit ever elected pope, a detail that’s often overlooked. That Jesuit background is especially relevant in St. Louis, a city with deep religious and cultural ties to the Catholic Church. The Rev. Thomas Flowers, an assistant professor of Ignatian formation at St. Louis University, discusses how Jesuit traditions influenced Francis’ papacy.

Michael Politte spent 23 years in prison for the murder of his mother — a crime that evidence now suggests he did not commit. He won parole in 2022, but a juror who helped put him in prison won’t rest until his name is cleared. Politte shares what he’s been up to in the three years since his release, and we hear from the juror who’s fighting for his innocence.

Missouri Republican legislators are trying for a second time to prohibit local law enforcement from enforcing federal gun restrictions. Missouri Newsroom investigative reporter Kavahn Mansouri shares the latest development in the saga of the Second Amendment Preservation Act, and why police groups and officials say the law creates the same problems as its predecessor.

The Center for Bosnian Studies has a new home base. Two decades after its founding as the Bosnian Memory Project at Fontbonne University, the Center is in the process of moving artifacts to St. Louis University. The Center’s director Adna Karamahic-Oates, Bosnian Memory Project founder Benjamin Moore and Jennifer Nutefall, dean of libraries and museums at St. Louis University, share what this transfer means for the Center for Bosnian Studies, for SLU and for the legacy of St. Louis’ Bosnian population.

It’s been more than two years since Missouri voters approved the legalization of cannabis for adult recreational use. We explore the two sides of the growing industry — first by checking with several cannabis chefs competing for the approval of hundreds of weed-loving St. Louisans. Then, Missouri Independent cannabis reporter Rebecca Rivas takes us through the latest twists in the state’s embattled program for cannabis microbusiness licensees and a surprise recall of 6,000 products.

Tower Grove Farmers’ Market is now in its 20th season. Chris Geden, known as its Mayor, has been there since its first Saturday back in 2006. He and general manager Bess Kretsinger Heffernan discuss Tower Grove Farmers’ Market’s rich history and development.

St. Louis went through a major transition this week with the inauguration of Cara Spencer as mayor and Donna Baringer as comptroller. 14th Ward Alderman Rasheen Aldridge discusses the latest elections and what leadership change may mean for the city’s future.

For years, the agency that oversees Missouri’s foster care system and investigates instances of child abuse and neglect has struggled with high turnover, massive caseloads, and inconsistent rollouts of some key legislative initiatives. Missouri Children’s Division Director Sara Smith is in her first month leading the agency. She shares her plan to keep her department on the right track — especially with less funding than in previous years.