St. Louis on the Air

Due to past racial events, there is often a mistrust in communities with people of color when it comes to the healthcare system. Owner of GreaterHealth Pharmacy and Wellness, Marcus Howards recollects how Black people were experimented on during the Tuskegee experiment. He also discusses how GreaterHealth develops trusts and provides care for patients as a Black-owned pharmacy. The St. Louis native also reflects on the growth and obstacles since opening the pharmacy.

Weeding out invasive species can feel like a never ending chore because of the rapid growth and spread rate. Missouri Botanical Garden associate scientist Wendy Applequist encourages traditional uses of these plants to help the ecosystem — and ourselves.

Social media has put art and entertainment from all corners of the world in the literal palm of your hand. Manga and anime (Japanese comic books and cartoons) hit mainstream American bookshelves and screens starting in the 1990s, and cross-cultural exchange has resulted in the development of distinct subcultures — including “blerds” or Black nerds. In this encore episode, St. Louis born and raised content creator Shawn “Rab” Fentress discusses the popularization of Blerd culture. Shawn has accumulated hundreds of thousands of followers for his distinct voice-overs of anime shows, which he calls “hood dubs,” and found success in creating online content with Nappy Boy Network, founded by rapper and singer T-Pain.

In the U.S. alone coffee has an economic value upwards of $340 billion dollars annually. But in the countries where coffee is grown, farmers and producers often face exploitation. St. Louis University student Firaol Ahmed started Moii Coffee, an online platform that aims to cut down on exploitation by connecting Ethiopian coffee farmers directly to U.S. roasters. STLPR reporter Marissanne Lewis-Thompson has that story, and then we check-in with Jason Wilson, owner of Northwest Coffee Roasting Company in St. Louis, about his work with Ahmed and how he’s grappling with a volatile industry.

This past Saturday, an abortion took place in a Missouri Planned Parenthood clinic. It’s something that hasn’t happened in the state since 2022. The development follows a judge’s ruling on Friday that’s again changed the legal landscape for abortion. St. Louis Public Radio health reporter Sarah Fentem discusses the impact of that ruling, and what’s changed since Missouri voters approved Amendment 3, which added abortion as a protected right in the Missouri Constitution.

The bizarre life of Richard Jacobs inspired the name of the podcast now trying to make sense of it. Since debuting in August, “How to Destroy Everything” has told the story of a "narcissist who destroyed a childhood, a marriage, a family, and a community." The podcast is produced by Jacobs’ son, Danny Jacobs, and Danny’s childhood best friend Darren Grodsky. The two have been peeling back the layers of who Richard Jacobs was, uncovering new mysteries, and exploring what remains of his former home in St. Louis, known as “The Royal Manor.” The podcast’s creators share insights from their ongoing podcast and the terrible man at its center —and what it means to return to St. Louis amid the popularity of the show.

For his first Valentine’s Day without his best friend and wife Aida Audia, recent widower Jeff Topal talks about his relationship with “the love of my life”: how they met, what they built and shared in health and through Aida’s illness, and what made their 45-year marriage so special. This conversation grew out of an exchange that first took place at a 2025 St. Louis Public Radio listening session in Collinsville, Illinois.

In January, the Environmental Protection Agency reported that radioactive contamination at the West Lake Landfill Superfund Site is more widespread than previously known. To clean the site, the agency will now have to dig up and dispose of an additional 20,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil and debris — more than three football fields piled one yard high with material. Nearby resident Dawn Chapman has pushed for accountability and cleanup of the site for 12 years. She’s frustrated that it’s taken decades for the agency to announce what community members — many of whom have died or suffered illness from the exposure — have known for years. She shares her hopes and fears for the future alongside Missouri Independent reporter Allison Kite.

William Stanford Davis, who plays the quick-witted custodian Mr. Johnson on the ABC sitcom “Abbott Elementary,” draws inspiration for the character from his conspiracy theorist grandmother and the observant school custodians of his youth. The St. Louis native shares how his upbringing shapes his approach to Mr. Johnson’s character, how St. Louis prepared him to never stop pursuing his Hollywood dreams, and his goal to give back to the city’s school system.

New Roots Urban Farm owner and co-director Antajuan Adams Sr. shares how the farm gives back to the St. Louis community by providing fresh produce to low-income families. It also gives aspiring farmers tools and resources needed to make their own farms thrive. Adams also shares why it’s important to give back to the neighborhood which he grew up in and how he started a gardening program at a youth detention center.