St. Louis On The Air

Effects of the deadly tornado that hit St. Louis earlier this month are raising legal questions for people impacted by the disaster, from negotiating with insurance companies and landlords to obtaining federal aid. There are also legal implications in the city’s failure to sound its tornado siren as the storm gathered strength on May 16. Those topics, and more, are taken up in the May edition of “St. Louis on the Air”’s Legal Roundtable with expert attorneys.

In late April, Carol Mayorga -- a resident of Kennett, Missouri, a rural town in the state's Bootheel area -- went to St. Louis to renew her employment authorization documents at a routine check-in with immigration officials. She was detained, and shackled, and is now held at the Greene County jail in Springfield, Missouri. She faces deportation to Hong Kong. Midwest Newsroom investigative reporter Kavahn Mansouri and STLPR reporter Chad Davis discuss their story that details why Mayorga was arrested and how the community of Kennett is rallying for her return to the community.

In the aftermath of the May 16 tornado in St. Louis, social media feeds have been filled with photos of the devastation, lists of ways people can help, and pleas for folks to protect any bricks that may have fallen off their homes and businesses: “Don’t let them come and take your bricks.” And for good reason — a pallet of bricks sells for about $270. But the bricks aren’t just financially valuable: They symbolize a bond of people to place. In this episode, we talk about the ongoing work to help residents affected by the tornado and the effort to safeguard people’s bricks from those looking to capitalize on the tragedy.

On May 15, 2025, Tenelle Winmore had one of the best days of his life — he had just graduated with his Masters of Art in Teaching from St. Louis University. The next day, he watched a peach tree get pulled out of his backyard from an EF3 tornado. The storm tore through areas of St. Louis County, St. Louis and the Metro East — including the Fountain Park neighborhood in north St. Louis that Winmore calls home. He shares what it’s been like to repair his home, assist his neighbors, clean up debris and attempt to return to a sense of normalcy.

Researchers at Saint Louis University are seeking volunteers for 10-day stays at “Hotel Influenza,” the nickname for an unusual testing facility run by Saint Louis University. The facility is designed to give researchers a rare, controlled look at how viruses affect the human body. Participants will be getting paid close to $3,500 to be infected with a strain of influenza. Dr. Daniel Hoft, director of SLU’s Vaccine Center and principal investigator of an upcoming study, explains how the study will be conducted and the operation of SLU’s Extended Stay Research Unit.

Brit Lockhart started jazz fusion band Ish Ensemble in 2016. Its creation came from love for St. Louis’ local music scene and putting its musicians first. He shares his method of creating music, collaborating with fellow artists and choosing just the right venue for a performance. According to Lockhart, it boils down to doing what feels right. Ish Ensemble has a residency at Pie Guy Pizza in the Grove and will hit the MATI Festival stage this summer.

Female rappers are dominating the charts, including St. Louis’ very own Diamond Smith — better known by her stage name Big Boss Vette. The writer and rapper behind hits like “Snatched” and “Pretty Girls Walk” reflects on her St. Louis roots, her fast-growing career and the lessons she’s learned along the way.

As a tornado swept through St. Louis on Friday, traffic stood still on Interstate 170 near Berkeley after a handful of drivers parked underneath an overpass. Experts have long warned motorists not to do so during storms, but the idea that it’s a safe practice persists. National Weather Service meteorologist Kevin Deitsch and AAA spokesperson Nick Chabarria bust — or validate — common storm and tornado myths and warnings, including: “Do tornadoes avoid cities and places with lots of concrete? Is it safe to take a shower during a thunderstorm?”

The tornado that tore a path through St Louis on May 16 has sparked ongoing community relief efforts on the city’s north and west sides. Three organizers of that effort, Kayla Reed, Aaron Williams and Ohun Ashe, share their experience and takeaways as they work with hundreds of volunteers to distribute aid, clear debris, and reach people who are still in crisis without basic services.

Local restaurants are working with World Central Kitchen to provide thousands of meals to people impacted by the EF3 tornado that hit the St. Louis area on Friday, May 16. Kate Dozier, a St. Louisan and member of the World Central Kitchen Chef Corps, shares how World Central Kitchen assembles and deploys its disaster response teams. Tom Schmidt, co-owner of Salt + Smoke; and Qui Tran, owner of Mai Lee and Nudo, talk about what’s motivating their partnership with World Central Kitchen – and how it reflects one way STL’s food and hospitality community is coming together to support disaster-impacted St. Louisans with nourishment.

When Ruby Leigh stepped onto “The Voice” stage in 2023, she got all four chairs to turn during her blind audition. Just 17 at the time, Leigh went on to finish as runner-up on the NBC singing competition. But her journey started long before reality TV, in the tiny town of Foley, Missouri, population 100. Leigh talks about her journey as a self-taught singer, her time on national TV, performing at the Grand Ole Opry, and what it was like sharing the stage with her favorite rock band, Green Day.

Gloria Nolan is counting her blessings after an EF3 grade tornado tore through her neighborhood near Fairgrounds Park in north St. Louis. She shares her family’s experience surviving the storm, assessing the damage and securing assistance for the long road to recovery.

During a state funeral at the Missouri State Capitol on Tuesday, former U.S. Senator and Governor Kit Bond was remembered as a dedicated public servant who forged bipartisan ties. Bond died last week at the age of 86. STLPR’s Jason Rosenbaum talked with people who worked closely with Bond over his more than four decade public service career.

A lawsuit that accused St. Louis running an “unspeakably hellish” jail has ended in a $4 million settlement. Pending a judge’s approval, the settlement would allow at least 16,000 people who were jailed in the now-demolished Workhouse jail to file a claim. ArchCity Defenders Executive Director Blake Strode and Inez Bordeaux, a former Workhouse detainee who became an organizer of the Close the Workhouse campaign, explore the eight-year path to the settlement, and the past and future of the Workhouse.

On Friday afternoon, an EF3 tornado with winds topping out at 152 mph inflicted serious damage on about 4,400 St. Louis-area buildings, including homes, businesses, churches and schools. Dozens of people sustained injuries and five people lost their lives. STLPR reporter Chad Davis shares what he's heard from officials, community leaders and residents about the damage caused by the tornado.

The 2025 session ended last week and lawmakers endorsed many of Gov. Mike Kehoe’s priorities. That included placing a state board in charge of the St. Louis Police Department and sending $50 million to help fund K-12 scholarships that could go toward private schools. The session also included the passing of contentious GOP-led efforts to repeal Proposition A’s paid sick leave requirements and to place an anti-Amendment 3 measure on the 2026 ballot. STLPR statehouse and politics reporter Sarah Kellogg discusses the highs and lows of the session, followed by a discussion with Reps. Ian Mackey, D-Clayton, and Jim Murphy, R-St. Louis County.

As a Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist for the last 25 years at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, David Carson knows what makes an excellent photograph. But AI is getting better and better at that, too. Carson, a 2025 John S. Knight Journalism Fellow at Stanford University, has spent much of the past year on leave from the paper studying the collision of AI and photojournalism. He shares his insights on the challenges, complications and possible solutions for a world where, increasingly, what you see is different from what you get – and describes why he sees purported AI "learning" as just another word for theft.

Vocalist and songwriter Brianna Brown — known on stage as Be.Be the Neosoul, has performed on many St. Louis stages during her singing career. By day, she’s the artistic director at her alma mater Central Visual and Performing Arts High School. Next Tuesday, she’s hitting the stage at the Sheldon Concert Hall for something of a full circle moment. That’s when she and CVPA students will put on a benefit concert to raise money for the school’s arts departments. She shares what this moment means to her, what it’s like to hear her students perform her original music, and how it feels to perform beside them on stage.

Since 1975, the Focal Point has played a critical role in promoting and shaping St. Louis’ folk, roots, jazz, blues and world music scene. As the nonprofit celebrates its 50th anniversary with a year-long series of special concerts, we hear from musicians, volunteers and fans who have supported the organization from its humble beginnings — operating out of church basements and spare rooms — to its current, permanent home in downtown Maplewood.

Dilapidated and vacant buildings are more than eyesores for the community. They can lower property value and impact safety. But before starting up the bulldozers, Landmarks Illinois wants property owners and city governments to consider renovation and restoration. Their latest list of endangered historic places includes the Spivey Building in East St. Louis and various Meramec Caverns Barns including one in Madison County. Quinn Adamowski, regional manager of advocacy for Landmarks Illinois explains why renovation helps communities more than demolition and what successful rehabilitation looks like.