St. Louis on the Air

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.

Ten years after the Ferguson Commission’s landmark Forward Through Ferguson report, which laid out 189 calls to action addressing racial equity in areas such as economic opportunity, education and law enforcement, Annissa McCaskill, executive director of Forward Through Ferguson, reflects on progress, ongoing challenges, and priorities amid funding and post-tornado recovery. STLPR reporter Chad Davis also shares insights on community-level change since the Ferguson Uprising.

The Kemper Art Museum at Washington University has unveiled its largest-ever exhibition, “Making Their Mark: Works from the Shah Garg Collection.” Open through January 5, 2026, the show features more than 80 works by nearly 70 women artists and artists of color, including a monumental piece by renowned artist Joan Mitchell. Collector and philanthropist Komal Shah and Kemper curator Sabine Eckmann discuss the collection, the artists featured and how the exhibition resonates in St. Louis.

Inspired by barbershop chats and a brotherly contest over hip-hop facts, the Black Lit Network is a digital resource designed to make African American literature more widely accessible. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville professor Howard Rambsy II co-leads the project. He discusses how a recent $1.6 million grant to SIUE for the project will boost its reach and impact. He also speaks to the significance of investing in efforts to amplify African American writers, works, and ideas – especially through a public higher education institution in the Midwest, and the larger St. Louis region.

For years, the St. Louis metropolitan area has shown troubling signs when it comes to its population numbers. Preliminary results from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2024 American Community Survey offer both encouragement and caution for the region’s future. Demographer and St. Louis University Professor Ness Sándoval breaks down the latest census data and shares why elected officials and residents should prioritize the development of single family homes to boost — or at least maintain — the region’s population.

Missouri lawmakers are closing in on the end of one of the state’s most contentious special sessions in recent memory. At stake: a Republican-backed redrawing of the state’s congressional districts that would transform Rep. Emanuel Cleaver’s Kansas City-area district into one that’s GOP-leaning — and a push to make it harder for citizens to amend the state constitution through the initiative petition process. STLPR politics correspondent Jason Rosenbaum discusses the latest developments in the Missouri Senate, how Democrats are responding and what these changes could mean for the state’s political future.

St. Louis native Keyon Harrold loves coming home, and Music at the Intersection is bringing him back this weekend. Harrold is the only artist to perform at every Music at the Intersection festival since its inauguration in 2021. The Grammy-nominated jazz trumpeter and composer discusses his love for St. Louis and how Music at the Intersection has evolved since its inception.

Opera Theatre of St. Louis' incoming artistic director is taking audiences on a journey into the music of legendary French singer Edith Piaf. Although Patricia Racette is known for her work on stage as an opera soprano, her one-woman show "Patricia Sings Piaf" focuses on interpretations of Piaf music and celebrating the career of a performer who attained stardom at the height of World War 2. Racette discusses the October 9 show, her favorite Piaf songs, and her vision as the new artistic director for Opera Theatre of St. Louis.

Protesters gathered at the Missouri Capitol on Wednesday as lawmakers aim to push through redrawing the state’s congressional districts during a special session called by Gov. Mike Kehoe. The move would eliminate the Democratic-leaning 5th District in the Kansas City area. STLPR politics correspondent Jason Rosenbaum joins us from Jefferson City to break down what’s happening on the ground, why the redistricting fight is contentious and what comes next as the Senate prepares to vote on the proposed map later this week.

A proposal to build a 440-acre data center in St. Charles sparked intense backlash from residents worried about property values, water contamination, energy costs and a lack of transparency. After growing pressure, the developer withdrew its application — and the St. Charles City Council responded with a one-year ban on new data center proposals. STLPR reporters Kate Grumke and Kavahn Mansouri discuss what happened and how their reporting uncovered that the project may have ties to Google.