St. Louis Public Radio

05/29/2026

The Heart of St. Charles Banquet Center was demolished Friday to make room for the next phase of a multiyear redevelopment.

The entrance to the site of thousands of proms, wedding receptions and other milestones came down with a crash as an excavator chomped into the side of the building.

The building first opened as a restaurant in the 1960s before becoming the Heart of St. Charles in 1992. It closed in 2019.

Mayor Dan Borgmeyer said the demolition is connected to the multi-billion dollar The Boroughs of Riverwalk project to redevelop 5.5 miles of land along the Missouri River.

“It's been an integral part of the community for a long, long time, and proudly so,” Borgmeyer said. “The memories will stay. The building is not going to.”

Find the full story down in the comments. ⬇️

05/29/2026

Unusually fast verdicts have become a major factor in several ongoing cases.

This includes one where the Missouri Supreme Court set the stage for Missouri voters to use a map in August that could soon be challenged — and reversed — by a public referendum.

On May 12, just hours after hearing oral arguments over the use of the gerrymandered congressional map, the court delivered unanimous decisions in two related cases.

That turnaround is “super unusual, but it does happen,” said attorney Benjamin Wilson, who discussed the case on this month’s edition of the Legal Roundtable on St. Louis on the Air. He noted that the Supreme Court previously issued a couple of same-day decisions in 2024 involving abortion and election issues.

Along with Wilson, the Legal Roundtable included attorney Eric Banks, a former city counselor and former state prosecutor, and Erica Slater, a founding partner at the Clayton law firm Gunn | Slater. The panel also discussed the cases of a federal judge who used a local immigration case to make a point about national politics, a Louisiana couple suing a Creve Coeur fertility clinic, and more.

Check out the full story down in the comments. ⬇️

05/29/2026

Members of St. Louis' state-controlled Board of Police Commissioners defied a subpoena that required members to appear at a budgetary meeting.

Instead, they dropped off binders of information on its budget that city leaders say would bankrupt the city.

The submitted police budget asks for more than $250 million from the city budget, while Mayor Cara Spencer and aldermen have budgeted roughly $200 million. Spencer has said repeatedly that a $250 million police budget would trigger mass layoffs of city workers and put extreme pressure on city finances.

The snub was the latest in a series of escalations between city leaders and the police commission.

Read the full story here: https://www.stlpr.org/government-politics-issues/2026-05-29/st-louis-aldermen-police-budget-commission-ignores-subpoena

05/29/2026

St. Louis Shakespeare Festival adds a second stage at Shakespeare Glen to bring a music-filled version of “The Tempest” to life.

“I'm very drawn to how music is used within Shakespeare. Shakespeare is very musical. I'm always trying to find the soundtrack of a show,” said Rick Dildine, who directs the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival production of “The Tempest” now performing at Shakespeare Glen in Forest Park through June 21.

Shakespeare often included song lyrics in his plays but added little about what the music should sound like. Yet music helps drive the plot of “The Tempest” — a story of revenge and redemption that takes place on a mysterious island haunted by sounds from unknown sources.

Read more: https://www.stlpr.org/arts/2026-05-29/tempest-forest-park-st-louis-shakespeare-festival-music

05/29/2026

This weekend kicks off the longest possible stretch between Memorial Day and Labor Day based on when the unofficial bookends of summer fall on the calendar.

It’s great news for pool lovers — here’s some local news we dove into this week on “The Gateway” podcast, hosted by .

P.S. Abby wants to know if her little sisters are pranking her, are capris trending this summer? Help her out in the comments below.

05/29/2026

A nonprofit fund gave out more than 1,300 grants to north St. Louis households to help with recovery after an EF3 tornado ripped through the area last May, according to a report the agency released this week.

Over a four-month period, Invest STL, with the help of community organizers and funders, awarded 1,378 households grants of $3,000 each to help residents with housing, transportation, utilities, repairs, medical needs and more.

Invest STL created the fund, dubbed the Northside Resilience Fund, to fill the gap as residents waited for relief from insurance companies, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other avenues.

“Direct cash assistance is critical in the immediate aftermath, but also an essential tool for continued commitment to keeping our neighbors in our community, especially as rebuilding programs take longer to ramp up and deploy,” said Invest STL CEO Dara Eskridge.

In total, the fund raised $4.1 million for residents on the north side.

Read more down in the comments. ⬇️

05/29/2026

With Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker seen as a potential 2028 presidential contender, Lt. Gov. candidate Christian Mitchell says he’d be ready to step in if needed.

“If anything happens, yes, I'll be ready,” Mitchell said on the latest episode of the "Politically Speaking" podcast. “But for the most part, what I'm really focused on is how I can be the best lieutenant governor I can be — help move the state forward, help our farmers, help our small businesses.”

Mitchell said many of the same goals that first prompted him to run for the Illinois House of Representatives motivate him to run for lieutenant governor: lowering the cost of health care and raising wages.

Check out the full story down in the comments. ⬇️

05/29/2026

A High Ridge contractor is accused of defrauding victims of the EF3 tornado that tore through north St. Louis last May.

Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway announced her office has filed charges against Jacob Kaestner concerning the defrauding of 16 Missourians in connection with his business, JK Exteriors. The majority of the defrauded individuals were victims of last year’s May and March tornadoes.

Kaestner faces 23 counts of deceptive business practices. Hanaway’s office says he defrauded consumers and financially exploited seniors who were victims of the storms.

Read more: https://www.stlpr.org/law-order/2026-05-29/man-charged-allegedly-scamming-tornado-victims-seeking-home-repair-north-st-louis

05/29/2026

For many St. Louisans, crossing the Mississippi River to get into the Metro East can feel farther psychologically than it is physically.

Places like East St. Louis are often treated as separate from the identity of St. Louis itself, even though the region’s history, culture and economy are deeply connected across the river.

In Episode 5 of “Meet Me,” we explore that divide — and who gets included in the idea of “St. Louis.”

Listen now wherever you get your podcasts — or tap the link down in our comments. ⬇️

📸: Charlotte Keene & Brian Munoz
🎥: Paola Rodriguez & Kate Grumke

05/29/2026

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin delivered his farewell address to Illinois lawmakers this week. He reflected on his decades in public office and warning that today’s political divisions threaten democratic norms.

Capitol News Illinois reports:

Durbin highlighted major pieces of his legacy, including his work to restrict smoking on airplanes, reduce youth to***co use, advocate for undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children and secure federal funding for Illinois projects.

05/29/2026

What book are you reading this summer?

Share your best beach reads with us, and let us know what has you turning the page!