Chrystal Blair
Reporter with Missouri Public News ServiceChrystal Blair is a veteran news broadcaster with more than 30 years of experience in radio and television reporting, producing, and writing. She was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and earned a degree in Communication/Radio, Television, Film from Eastern Michigan University.
Prior to starting her career, Chrystal worked as a flight attendant for a major airline, indulging her passion for travel. After a year of flying, she relocated to Los Angeles, California, where she began her career as a reporter at a community public access television station. While working at the station, Chrystal was selected “Reporter of the Year” for the community news awards.
Since then, Chrystal has worked in television and radio for several mainstream media affiliates and has been honored with several prestigious awards, including CBS Radio’s “World Class Performer” award.
In addition to her professional pursuits, Chrystal has a passion for performing arts and has acted in several professional plays. She is also an animal lover and cares deeply for animal welfare. During her leisure time, she enjoys spending quality time with her rescued dog and cat.
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Mental health experts say back-to-school season in Missouri is about more than supplies and schedules. With one in five young Missourians facing a diagnosable mental health disorder and serious struggles on the rise, advocates say it’s time to treat mental health like school prep. -
Missouri advocates for families say the federal budget "megabill" could make it harder for them to put food on the table. The changes shift more of the administrative costs for SNAP, the federal program formerly known as food stamps, onto the state, and make it harder for some people to qualify for benefits. -
On a single night in 2023, more than 6,700 people in Missouri didn’t have a place to call home - and that included hundreds of families and teens. Now, with the passage of the new federal budget, donations to homeless shelters are down, and even the helpers need help. -
New Medicaid work rules are raising fears among many Missourians about losing health insurance. Under the new federal budget bill, adults on Medicaid expansion will have to prove 80 hours of work or volunteer time each month. However, health experts say Medicaid backlog is the real issue. -
Drivers with zTrip’s IRIS microtransit program are suing, accusing the company of cheating them out of thousands in overtime. The federal class-action suit, filed in Kansas City, says drivers regularly worked more than 40 hours a week without time-and-a-half pay because zTrip wrongly treated them as independent contractors. -
As the Trump administration considers overhauling the nation’s disaster relief agency, a Pew Research Center poll shows most Americans, including Missourians, support more federal help when extreme weather strikes. -
Small business owners and farmers from Missouri and across the country are raising concerns as uncertainty deepens over the future of federal trade tariffs. A 90-day pause on tariffs expired last Wednesday, with no new trade agreements in place, leaving many businesses facing renewed tariff notices and mounting frustration. -
In Missouri, more than 120,000 seniors live with Alzheimer’s disease, and to care for them, their families provide over 350 million hours of unpaid support each year. -
School cafeterias may be closed for the summer, but help is still on the table for Missouri families. Through LINC’s Caring Communities initiative, free meals are being served to kids younger than 18 at schools, churches, parks, and other familiar neighborhood sites. -
The 93rd annual meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors took place June 19-22 in Tampa, Florida.
