St. Louis on the Air

Robbie Daymond was bitten by the acting bug at a young age. The Warrenton native has gone from the stage to the recording booth, bringing life to animated characters like Marvel’s Spider-Man, Japanese anime fan favorites including “Sailor Moon” and “Jujutsu Kaisen” and a host of video games across several genres. Daymond joined the show to discuss his career, the art of voice acting, and some of his favorite characters.

The Joseph Sappington Log House is preparing for the start of its new life with a January 11 groundbreaking at a historic park in Crestwood. Like a giant Lego set, the house was disassembled piece-by-piece in 2022 from its original location in Affton. The house will be rebuilt near the brick home built by Joseph Sappington’s cousin, Thomas Sappington. Antique Logs Unlimited owner Mark Pratt, who has dedicated his life and career to restoring and building historic log homes, discusses the vast work to disassemble and then rebuild the log home. We also meet Dyann Dierkes, president of the Sappington House Foundation and a descendant of Thomas Sappington, who shares the history and meaning behind the home’s preservation.

Lead is a concern not just for people, but for animals. At the World Bird Sanctuary, two Bald Eagles were recently treated after being found with high lead levels. Both eventually died. The sanctuary is now trying to raise more awareness about the danger of lead. Winter is one of the highest risk times for birds to either be shot by hunters or ingest food that's been contaminated with lead, according to World Bird Sanctuary Rehabilitation Director Kira Klebee. Klebee discusses the recent cases of lead-poisoned bald eagles, how hunting and scavenging behaviors are involved in this problem, and what people can do if they see a bird in distress. Klebee also shares her experience at the sanctuary preparing for and treating birds with avian flu.

Founded in 2024 by Main Street Book’s owners Ellen and Andy Hall, and their daughter Emily Schroen, the Main Street Books Literacy Foundation donates new books to elementary schools with students from low income families in St. Charles County. The Halls and fellow founding board member Shana Youngdahl discuss the nonprofit’s origins, and its approach to providing access to book ownership and related experiences that engender positive reading habits to last a lifetime.

More than a third of Americans age 16 and up are considered bird watchers — a figure that has more than doubled since 2016. St. Louis birders discuss the 125th annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count, the rising popularity of birding, and share tips for bird watching in the St. Louis region.

We're listening back to our conversation with Jeremy Boyer. Boyer is part of what makes going to a Cardinals or Blues game special. He’s delighted millions of fans over the years as an organist for both teams. Now, he’s racking up millions of views on TikTok for his in-game renditions of songs from artists like Kendrick Lamar and Taylor Swift.

On this encore episode, Missouri Botanical Garden scientist, Charlotte Taylor, names 500 new species of plants. That makes her the most prolific living female botanist — an accomplishment only revealed last year by researchers from Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the University of Cambridge. The researchers found Taylor is the third most prolific female botanist in the field — ever. Taylor discusses her contributions to the field of botany and takes us inside the world of a world-class taxonomist.

What kind of government did the founding fathers envision? Peter Kastor, a professor of history at Washington University, has spent years trying to address that question. He and his colleagues collected records of more than 37,000 people who worked for the federal government between 1789 and 1829. The results are now publicly viewable via the “Creating a Federal Government” digital archive. Kastor shares what he found in those records, the individual histories they contain, and what they say about the founders’ ideas about the federal government.

Jason Hall built a reputation as one of St. Louis’ most vocal cheerleaders in various positions at different economic development organizations over the past 12 years, most recently as the first CEO of Greater St. Louis Inc. Hall is leaving his post to take over the reins of the Columbus Partnership on Jan. 13. He talks with STLPR economic development reporter Eric Schmid about his time in St. Louis and upcoming transition.

St. Louis Zoo WildCare Park plans to open to the public in 2027, but the 425 acre conservation area in north St. Louis County is already home to 38 animals. Park leaders share what it takes to transform a golf course into a safari park, the zoo’s aim to bolster endangered species, and how the park will be a boon to local wildlife and the regional economy.