St. Louis on the Air St. Louis Public Radio

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.