Bonus: Tornado Open Mic Montage

Other Side of the Arch

St. Louis civic and political leaders want to expand Gateway Arch National Park across the river to East St. Louis, Illinois. It would fulfill the vision of Eero Saarinen whose original design included park grounds on both sides of the river. It would also fulfill the dream of a man who spent his life — and dedicated his fortune — to park expansion, Malcolm W. Martin. Host Luis Antonio Perez visits Malcolm W. Martin Memorial Park — directly across from the Gateway Arch — with Ryan McClure, executive director of the Gateway Arch Park Foundation. Perez learns about Malcolm Martin's life from his longtime friend and colleague, Marshall Hier, and sets out on a canoe tour on the Mississippi River. (0:00) - Big windy adventure on the Mississippi River (6:25) - Ryan McClure and Malcolm W. Martin Memorial Park (16:42) - Marshall Hier and the life of Malcolm Martin (26:25) - Debra Moore of East St. Louis (28:36) - Back on the river at Mosenthein Island (30:49) - Final thoughts: Daring to dream Follow us on Instagram @MeetMeSTL [https://instagram.com/meetmestl] | Sign up for the Meet Me newsletter [https://www.stlpr.org/newsletters/meetme] Credits: This episode was hosted, produced and mixed by Luis Antonio Perez, with writing and story editing by Luis, Brian Heffernan and Alex Heuer. The executive producer of “Meet Me” is Brian Heffernan. Paola Rodriguez is our engagement producer with editorial support from Lara Hamdan. Podcast art by Cristina Fletes-Mach. Our theme music is by Kudda & Friends [https://www.instagram.com/kkuddamuzic/] with additional music by Thomas Paden. Special thanks to Will Bauer, Matt Green of Big Muddy Adventures, Arielle Claypool and Thomas Schlafly. Grant support comes from the James S. McDonnell Foundation. Support this work at stlpr.org/donate [http://stlpr.org/donate]

Bonus: Tornado Open Mic Montage

More stories from the "Meet Me" open mic eleven months after an EF3 tornado ripped through St. Louis. Residents were invited to share experiences and reflections about the tornado almost a year later. This piece was produced for the STLPR series TORN [https://www.stlpr.org/torn] - about the struggle to recover from the tornado, the flailing government response, and the fight for north city. (1:26) - Brendalyn King, Xavier Phillips, Tabitha Hunt, Elmer Simril, Yolanda Owens, Sandra Blackshear-Miller, Clara Washington and Patricia Miller. Follow us on Instagram @MeetMeSTL [https://instagram.com/meetmestl] | Sign up for the Meet Me newsletter [https://www.stlpr.org/newsletters/meetme] Credits: This episode was written, hosted, produced and mixed by Luis Antonio Perez, with story editing by Alex Heuer and Brian Heffernan. The executive producer of “Meet Me” is Brian Heffernan. Paola Rodriguez is our engagement producer with editorial support from Lara Hamdan. Recording by Drew Yount. Podcast art by Cristina Fletes-Mach. Our theme music is by Kudda & Friends [https://www.instagram.com/kkuddamuzic/]. Special thanks to Cami Thomas, Alyssa Potter, Brittini Gray-Chiquillo, Leslie Davis, Maia WIlliams, Hiba Ahmad, Andrea Henderson, and the Black Healer’s Collective of InPower Institute and Freedom Community Center. Grant support comes from the James S. McDonnell foundation. Support this work at stlpr.org/donate [http://stlpr.org/donate]

Tornado Open Mic

Eleven months after a deadly tornado tore through St. Louis the “Meet Me” team organized a community open mic event. Residents were invited to share experiences and reflections about the tornado almost a year later. Their stories in their words. (1:20) - Herdosia Bentum (5:40) - Juanita Blackshear (12:57) - Kevin Blackshear (20:15) - Sherlyn Contreras Follow STLPR’s reporting on St. Louis’ recovery from the May 16, 2025 tornado at STLPR.org/tornado [http://stlpr.org/tornado] Follow us on Instagram @MeetMeSTL [https://instagram.com/meetmestl] | Sign up for the Meet Me newsletter [https://www.stlpr.org/newsletters/meetme] Credits: This episode was written, hosted, produced and mixed by Luis Antonio Perez, with story editing by Alex Heuer and Brian Heffernan. The executive producer of “Meet Me” is Brian Heffernan. Paola Rodriguez is our engagement producer with editorial support from Lara Hamdan. Recording by Drew Yount. Podcast art by Cristina Fletes-Mach. Our theme music is by Kudda & Friends [https://www.instagram.com/kkuddamuzic/]. Special thanks to Cami Thomas, Alyssa Potter, Brittini Gray-Chiquillo, Leslie Davis, Maia WIlliams, Hiba Ahmad, Andrea Henderson, and the Black Healer’s Collective of InPower Institute and Freedom Community Center for fostering healing and resilience in our communities. Grant support comes from the James S. McDonnell foundation. Support this work at stlpr.org/donate [http://stlpr.org/donate]

Pizza, family and the cheese that binds

The father-and-son team behind Dogtown Pizza, a family-owned frozen pizza business in St. Louis, sit down for a candid conversation. They discuss the early challenges of building the company and how, years later, they worked together to dramatically expand it. They also share a heart-to-heart about the son’s plans to step away from the business and pursue his own dreams. (0:00) \- Luis & Paola visit the frozen pizza aisle at Schnucks. (7:43) \- Rick G. Schaper (father) and Rick S. Schaper (son) discuss the origins and growth of Dogtown Pizza. (18:00) \- Father and son discuss leaving the business. Follow us on Instagram [@MeetMeSTL](https://instagram.com/meetmestl) | Sign up for the [Meet Me newsletter](https://www.stlpr.org/newsletters/meetme) *Credits: This episode was written, hosted, produced and mixed by Luis Antonio Perez, with story editing by Alex Heuer and Brian Heffernan. The executive producer of “Meet Me” is Brian Heffernan. Paola Rodriguez is our engagement producer with editorial support from Lara Hamdan. Podcast art by Cristina Fletes-Mach. Our theme music is by [Kudda & Friends](https://www.instagram.com/kkuddamuzic/). Additional music by [Holizna](https://holiznacc0.bandcamp.com/). Special thanks to Brian Munoz, Jeab Vardhanabhuti at the University of Missouri, Schnucks Markets and Dogtown Pizza.* Grant support comes from the James S. McDonnell foundation. [Support this work at stlpr.org/donate](http://stlpr.org/donate)

Update: Getting Back Together?

Are St. Louis city and county getting back together? During a surprise press conference on Thursday, March 12, St. Louis County Executive Sam Page said the region’s residents should embark on a discussion about combining aspects of St. Louis and St. Louis County government — including the city reentering the county as a municipality. In a follow-up to our deep dive into the Great Divorce between the city and county, host Luis Antonio Perez talks with STLPR politics correspondent Jason Rosenbaum [https://www.stlpr.org/people/jason-rosenbaum] about Page’s announcement and what it could mean for the region. Source - Sam Page wants St. Louis city and county to get back together amid budget challenges [https://www.stlpr.org/government-politics-issues/2026-03-12/page-community-conversation-combining-st-louis-st-louis-county-services] More stories on St. Louis city-county merger at stlpr.org [http://stlpr.org] Follow us on Instagram @MeetMeSTL [https://www.instagram.com/meetmestl] | Sign up for the Meet Me newsletter [https://www.stlpr.org/newsletters/meetme] This episode was produced by Luis Antonio Perez and Alex Heuer. Engineered by Aaron Doerr. Mixed and mastered by Luis. Meet Me’s engagement producer is Paola Rodriguez and Brian Heffernan is the executive producer. Theme music by Kudda and Friends. Special thanks to Jason Rosenbaum, Rachel Lippmann, Fred Erlich, and Layla Halilbasic. Grant support comes from the James S. McDonnell Foundation. Support this work at stlpr.org/donate [http://stlpr.org/donate]