St. Louis on the Air

Orly Peters immigrated from Israel to St. Louis in 2011. It was a struggle to adjust to life in the midwest, but cooking recipes from her culture gave her family a sense of comfort. Peters talks about the inspiration behind her food app ‘Habayta’ and shares why it is targeted towards immigrants. Faiza Muhambi, owner of Faiza’s Kitchen, speaks about her life as an immigrant and how Habuyta has supported her while launching her own food business.

Two artifacts from the period of slavery in the U.S.and the Civil War are going on display for the first time at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois. Among them are an 1819 "slave badge" that enslaved people were required to wear in Charleston, South Carolina, and a Civil War recruitment poster from 1863. The museum's executive director, Christina Schutt discusses the meaning behind both artifacts. And Reggie Guyton, writer and actor of the one-act play, “Small Beginnings,” shares his insights from Robert Small’s dramatic story of escape and bravery.

Immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers in St. Louis are facing new challenges under the administration of President Donald Trump. Reports of federal immigration agents sightings have sent panic through the region, while local immigration groups are working with people to address those fears — and to try to separate rumors from reality. St. Louis Public Radio’s race, identity and culture reporter Andrea Henderson discusses her recent reporting on the new “ICE activity hotline.” She also shares insights from her reporting into how the Trump administration’s plans to freeze federal funding for organizations that serve immigrants and refugees will impact St. Louis.

If you’re reading this before 10:59 p.m., Central Standard Time, on February 10, 2025, you still have time to enter NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest. “St. Louis on the Air” producer Miya Norfleet shares what she’s noticed in submissions so far, runs through Tiny Desk Contest requirements and encourages St. Louis-area musicians to upload their video before the deadline hits.

Missouri Republicans have a new party leader: Former Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder. The Cape Girardeau native took the helm as chairman of the Missouri Republican Party earlier this month, and is trying to steer the state’s dominant political party away from factionalism and electoral backsliding. On this episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, Kinder shares his vision for the state party – and how he plans to approach next year’s midterm election cycle.

“Morning Edition” and “Up First” co-host Steve Inskeep will be at St. Louis County Library’s Clark Family Branch this Wednesday to discuss his book, “Differ We Must: How Lincoln Succeeded in a Divided America.” In this episode, Inskeep discusses Lincoln’s legacy in light of Trump’s second inauguration. We also discuss current journalism practices and how people are consuming news.

Members of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen this week chose to end discussions on allocating $294 million in Rams settlement money without any agreement. They likely will not resume consideration of any spending proposals until after board elections this spring. STLPR economic development reporter Eric Schmid discusses the twists and turns of the Rams saga including now-retracted assertions that aldermen were drinking on the job.

The Missouri Department of Social Services last month launched Steady statewide. The online platform aims to help people verify income for Medicaid, food assistance programs and temporary assistance for needy families. NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal is part owner of Steady. He and others talked with STLPR politics correspondent Jason Rosenbaum about the platform.

British rock legend David Bowie called on saxophonist Donny McCaslin and his band to record Bowie’s album, “Blackstar,” after checking out the jazz group’s performance at the 55 Bar in Greenwich Village. Bowie never had a chance to to perform its songs live because he died two days after the album’s release in 2016. With the backing of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, “Blackstar Symphony” will have its Midwest premiere this Friday at Stifel Theater.

An investigation by Illinois Answers into the use, misuse, and abuse of restraint chairs in Illinois county jails found that staff at the jail in Madison County, Illinois, restrained someone in a chair for more than 10 hours in at least 28 incidents from 2019 to 2023. Eight of those incidents exceeded 20 hours, despite the instructions from the chair's manufacturer recommending that detainees not be not be left in a chair for more than two hours. We meet the two reporters behind the investigation, Grace Hauck and Janelle O'Dea, and they discuss what they discovered about the jail's operations, what the people who suffered in restraints said about the experience, and why some extreme incidents were never reported to the state.