St. Louis on the Air

The historic Fairground Park was once a shining jewel that held fairs, an enormous pool, amphitheatre and art gallery. Throughout the decades, the park has been severely neglected and has become a ruin of its former self. The new nonprofit Fairground Park for All aims to revitalize the park and remind residents in the Fairground Park neighborhood of just how beautiful it can be.

St. Louis entertainer Chuck Flowers began his musical journey in an interfaith choir, singing alongside the influential gospel duo the O’Neal Twins and Monica R. Butler, who later founded the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. This month, Flowers is being honored as an inductee into the hall of fame. He and Butler reminisce about the 1980s gospel music scene in St. Louis and discuss how gospel music has influenced many other genres.

The St. Louis Shakespeare Festival is wrapping up its 25th season with its annual "Shakespeare in the Streets" production. This year, the play “Power” explores East St. Louis — a city that carries the legacy of legendary artists and athletes, as well as the stigma of political corruption and the 1917 Race Massacre. Loosely inspired by Shakespeare’s Richard III, “Power” follows "Richard" on his attempted rise to East St. Louis mayor. We talk with actor RobWood, an East St. Louis Native who plays Richard, and the play's director, Kathi Bentley.

Illinois joins more than a dozen states that, in response to federal changes regarding the distribution guidelines of vaccines, is directing their public health departments to establish their own guidelines. Capitol News Illinois reporter Peter Hancock discusses those changes and how the state of Illinois aims to create a safe and clear path for those looking to get themselves and their families vaccinated.

For St. Charles County Executive Ehlmann, regional cooperation isn’t some far off pipe dream. He says a law enforcement training facility that the leaders of Jefferson, St. Charles, Franklin and St. Louis counties agreed to earlier this summer is a good example of how the region can work together on shared goals. He discusses how the facility got off the ground and his hopes for its use in the future. He also talks about recent efforts to build a massive data center in St. Charles.

The future of a newly-drawn congressional map is in limbo a week after a contentious and consequential special session. In this episode of the “Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air,” we talk about the efforts to combat the new lines in court and at the ballot box.

St. Louis artists are dishing out chill vibes for this month’s new music round up. Matthew Sawicki and Chris “Klevah” Shaw, co-hosts of Fresh Produce, STL’s monthly beat battle, join producer Miya Norfleet and host Elaine Cha to talk about their local favorites for the month. This month’s selections include alternative folk duo Brawsh as well as pop punk band and our first music show featured artist, Wes Hoffman. Check out our new music roundup playlist.

Dominique Eldraco Price is more than a working musician. Fresh off the release of his latest EP, he and his band FreeNation brought the house down at last weekend’s Music at the Intersection festival with a high-energy mix of soul, funk and glam. Price discusses his journey from incredibly shy preacher’s kid to boisterous on-stage powerhouse. He also breaks down how he made his way to being a working musician in the corporate music world with the event band the Luster Lights in order to fund his original creative work.

When the campus of St. Louis youth literacy nonprofit Urban Born was hit by a tornado on May 16, it also severely damaged the home of the organization’s founders La Tasha and Johnel Langerston, Sr. The married couple describe their up and down experiences with FEMA, and share how their College Hill neighborhood and faith communities have “covered” them as they rebuild.

In June 2022, a fight and carjacking started in a QuikTrip parking lot in Hazelwood. The incident ended with a red Mustang crashing into the city’s police department. But the carjacking victim, Phillip March, whom surveillance video shows being beaten and dragged by his own car, now faces trial for property damage. St. Louis on the Air producer Danny Wicentowski shares his investigation into the incident, the video footage, and Hazelwood’s pursuit of this case.