The Madison County Board approved a measure on Wednesday evening that will put a symbolic referendum to voters in November — asking if the Metro East county should secede from Illinois and create a new state. In advance of that vote, STLPR Metro East reporter Will Bauer discussed his reporting on this story.

Chef Rob Connoley and Normandy High School senior Alex Belton are a dynamic culinary duo, aspiring toward major wins this June. The Bulrush chef-owner was named a Best Chef finalist for the 2024 James Beard Foundation Awards earlier this month, while Belton earned her spot in a national culinary competition after securing regional and state wins this year.

Nearly 650 people were injured or killed while walking or biking in St. Louis and St. Louis County in 2023. That statistic signifies a lot of trauma that stems from traffic violence, according to Trailnet CEO Cindy Mense. She shares information and stories from Trailnet’s 2023 Crash Report and suggests measures that regional leaders can take to protect all roadway users.

Missouri legalized recreational cannabis in December 2022, but stigma surrounding its use is especially isolating for mothers who use marijuana. Jessica Carroll and Kimberlee Kesterson, founders of STL Cannamoms, share the inspiration behind their online community, which has over 3,600 members, and how they support one another in ways that go beyond cannabis consumption.

A disturbing photo of a paralyzed detainee in the St. Louis City Justice Center has triggered calls for accountability and improvement in the city’s main jail. Now the attorney who took that photo says she’s facing retaliation. Sue McGraugh, director of the Criminal Defense Clinic at Saint Louis University, discusses becoming a whistleblower, facing the blowback from Sheriff Vernon Betts, and the impact of new jail policy banning phones.

Kristen Slaughter and Kiara Brown have an unconventional friendship. They’re 22 years apart in age and their relationship was only slated to last one year. Matched through a Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri mentorship program, the two have now been friends for more than 20 years. In this encore episode, we listen back to Slaughter and Brown talk about their enduring friendship. Last year, Slaughter was named CEO of the nonprofit organization, and Brown now has her own career and is the mother of two children.

What was once an empty strip mall in Dellwood reopened in September as a $20 million economic hub serving north St. Louis County. The R&R Marketplace came after more than a decade of work by married pastors Beverly and Ken Jenkins. Beverly and Ken tell the story of its creation, from praying at an empty parking lot, to the Ferguson protests, to seeing the grand opening.

It’s a familiar rule: people should not spend more than 30% of their income on housing. But for many who rent in St. Louis, that percentage has long been higher. And it’s moving very quickly in the wrong direction. In 2022, the local nonprofit Action St. Louis put out a survey to capture data on city renter experiences and created a report called “The Rental Landscape of St. Louis 2023,” and the picture it paints has much more shadow than light.

Pop rock band the Aerovons was formed in St. Louis in 1966 by 16-year-old Tom Hartman and his bandmates. Their work never made it to vinyl — until now. A remastered version of their album "Resurrection," recorded 55 years ago at EMI Recording Studios in London, will be released by Euclid Records on April 20. Band leader Tom Hartman recalls meeting Paul McCartney and George Harrison in 1969, the Aerovons’ decades-long road to this achievement and what it means to have their work recognized now.

Country music is in public discourse after international superstar Beyoncé released “Cowboy Carter.” The album also has listeners discovering unsung Black country artists, and the attention has brought attention to unsung Black country artists. Singer-songwriter Michael B. Whit shares his perspective as a Black man with rural roots and as a country musician, and reflects on the impact of Black musicians in the genre.

VineBrook homes spent the last few years buying thousands of homes in St. Louis and other cities. Instead of maintaining the homes, tenants say the company is turning to evictions and allowing the homes to fall into disrepair. There’s more: Facing debt, VineBrook is starting to sell its vast stock of properties. Midwest Newsroom investigative reporter Kavaugn Mansuri breaks down the evidence and explores what might happen if the company folds.

Brentwood Destination Park has finally opened after months of reimaging and building, turning what was once a quarry into a child’s — and parents’ — dreamland. Park architect Ted Spaid shares how nature, community engagement, and trends around accessibility made the project a success.

While the holy month of Ramadan is typically marked by fasting, celebratory feasts and charity, some Muslims in the St. Louis area said this year felt more somber. Producer Ulaa Kuziez takes us to a prayer service at Daar Ul-Islam Masjid in St. Louis County and a pre-dawn breakfast meal at Golden Chicken in St. Peters.

Millions of people yesterday were treated to a total solar eclipse. STLPR had a team of reporters in southeast Missouri and southern Illinois. In this episode, we listen to their coverage and talk about what it was like to be in the path of totality.

Ocean conservationist Julie Packard has led the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California for 40 years. During that time she’s played a leading role educating people about the benefits and harms they bring to the unique ecosystem. Packard has also helped shape state, national, and global policies around ocean conservation. In this episode, she discusses the key role the Midwest plays in ocean health in advance of her receiving an award given by the Whitney R. Harris World Ecology Center at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

To demonstrate its commitment to St. Louis, Washington University has a new office in the Delmar Divine to engage local partners. Lisa Weingarth, inaugural senior advisor for St. Louis initiatives at Washington University, shares how the institution will engage with the St. Louis community. Wash U chancellor Andrew Martin also shares his vision for ensuring the university isn’t just “in” St. Louis, but “for” it.

For millennia, humans have looked to the sky to check out a total solar eclipse. In this episode, we listen back to our conversation with Manel Errando, an assistant professor of physics at Washington University, about how humans have kept track of and tried to understand what solar eclipses mean. Then, we checked in with STLPR journalists in Illinois, Missouri — and on a Southwest Airlines flight — about how they’re taking in the April 8 eclipse.

Webster Groves native Karlie Kloss took the modeling world by storm in the 2010s before launching a highly successful effort to connect young women with computer coding and, more recently, helping relaunch Life magazine. On this episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, she discusses another passion: her advocacy for abortion rights in Missouri and around the Midwest.

Missouri is slated to execute Brian Dorsey on April 9 for the murder of his cousin and her husband. While there’s no question about his guilt, a number of Republican lawmakers are calling on Gov. Mike Parson to reduce his sentence to life without parole — pointing to his sterling record in prison and questions about his legal representation. On the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, STLPR’s Jason Rosenbaum talks with state Rep. Tony Lovasco about why Parson should spare Dorsey’s life.

While the 2020 election brought out a record number of voters to the polls across the country, the United States lags behind other countries when it comes to voter turnout. Whether from news fatigue or dissatisfaction with bipartisan politics, low voter turnout threatens democracy. That’s according to Ken Warren, professor of political science at St. Louis University, who joined the most recent edition of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air.