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We have an encore of a discussion from May 11, 2020. Walter Johnson’s book reframes American history so that St. Louis sits at the center. No more looking at the nation as if it’s that New Yorker cartoon where everything important happened in New York City or Los Angeles, and the vast middle was mere flyover country. In Johnson’s telling, the St. Louis story is the American story — and it’s a messy, often ugly, one. The book is titled “The Broken Heart of America: St. Louis and the Violent History of the United States.”

In late June, when a customer at Herbie’s restaurant in Clayton tested positive for the coronavirus, owner Aaron Teitelbaum immediately closed the business and told employees to get tested to see if they were infected. Teitelbaum expected to wait a few days for his employees’ results to come back. But almost three weeks later, many were still waiting. In this episode, we hear from Teitelbaum, as well as the incident commander of the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force, Dr. Alex Garza. Garza describes why it’s taken so long for many COVID-19 test results to be delivered and what hospital admissions data says about how the coronavirus is spreading through the region.

Less than two years ago, the staff behind Flourish St. Louis set a daring goal: eliminate racial disparity and infant mortality by 2033. They called it their organization’s “North Star,” or main purpose. The drive to reach that goal was reignited when the organization earlier this month received the 2020 Launchcode Moonshot Inclusion award for its approach to improving the health of Black moms and babies. Kendra Copanas is the executive director of Generate Health, the center that provides staff support and coordination for Flourish community-wide effort. Mia Daugherty is a member of the Flourish Community Leaders Cabinet. Copanas and Daugherty join guest host Jonathan Ahl to share the experiences of the people the organization serves and the work that’s led them to this point.

Darryl Diggs Jr. and Howard Fields III, the founders of Black Males in Education St. Louis, talk about how their platform helps educators of color connect, find mentorship and advocate for more Black voices in the classrooms. Diggs and Fields received the 2020 Launchcode Moonshot Challenge award. Diggs is the principal at Hardin Middle School in the City of St. Charles School District, and Fields is the assistant superintendent at Kirkwood School District.

Vanika Spencer and Sapna Bhakta are St. Louis transplants, but they’ve made the city their home and are doing their part to shine a light on everything it has to offer. They are the duo behind the Cocoa and Cumin Concert Series. For the past couple of years, Spencer and Bhakta have hosted concerts right from their south St. Louis apartments. The smaller space offers the opportunity for people to connect with the artists in an intimate way, and vice versa. Their goal is to showcase local musicians of color. They join producer Lara Hamdan to talk about the series' growth and what future events will look like.

Health and education leaders in St. Louis County and the city recently released a set of guidelines for schools to use as they decide how to conduct in-person learning in the fall. The list includes things like staggered lunch times, protocols for health screenings upon entry, and guidance on mask usage for students and teachers. In this episode, we talk with Superintendent Art McCoy of the Jennings School District to get his perspective on reopening. We also hear from several parents, including a mother who started the organization, Bridge 2 Hope – St. Louis, in order to elevate parent voices in conversations about education, particularly in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

As the Black Lives Matter movement draws attention around the world to long-entrenched racial injustices of the present day, the past looms large as well. Reckoning with United States history seems critical to any contemporary progress on everything from housing disparities to mass incarceration. Guest host Rachel Lippmann hosts a conversation with educators and historians focused on rethinking the teaching of history. The show will delve into how curriculums have evolved in the past — and still need to change going forward.

Earlier this week, the Trump administration said that it planned to enforce a rule that international students must take in-person classes to be in the country on student visas. That’s even though COVID-19 has many universities adjusting plans for the fall semester. Some are going online-only. Others plan to only partially reopen their campuses. And up to 1 million students could be affected. Joining host Sarah Fenske to talk about what this decision means for students enrolled in local colleges, and for those colleges, is Jim Hacking. He is an attorney who specializes in immigration law. Also joining the conversation was Mark Kamimura-Jiménez. He is the Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Dean of the Center for Diversity and Inclusion at Washington University in St. Louis. The segment includes comments from Victor Butinier, an international PhD student at Washington University that would have to go back to France if classes go entirely online.

Host Sarah Fenske talks with STLPR reporter Jason Rosenbaum about the four Democratic candidates vying to be St. Louis County Executive: Sam Page, Jake Zimmerman, Mark Mantovani and Jamie Tolliver. During the interview, we hear highlights from the candidates' appearances on the Politically Speaking podcast.

St. Louis band CaveofSwords promises that its new album is quote “Good Music to Feel Bad to.” That’s a great title, and the songs deliver. Two of its members join host Sarah Fenske to discuss the band’s inspiration and perspiration. In the words of the band, these are “Songs to quote wallow and grieve with your friends, but also dance to." All proceeds from digital sales of "Good Music to Feel Bad to" for the summer of 2020 will go to Arch City Defenders & Action STL.

For a long time, 27-year-old St. Louis native Joseph Puleo mostly associated the city’s iconic Hill neighborhood with a wealth of delicious Italian food and colorful fire hydrants. That changed a couple years ago when a conversation with a fellow Italian American, Rio Vitale, prompted Puleo to begin what would become his first feature-length film. “He was concerned we were losing stories that need to be told,” Puleo says. Within five days of Vitale’s suggestion that he dig into the history of the Hill, Puleo was in longtime residents’ homes. Many dozens of interviews and months of film editing later, “America’s Last Little Italy: The Hill” is making its debut at the 20th Annual — and first virtual — Whitaker St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase. The documentary is one of 15 film programs that will be available for streaming July 10 to 19. Listen as host Sarah Fenske talks with Puleo and with Chris Clark, artistic director for Cinema St. Louis.

Defunding police departments is a major goal for many Black Lives Matter protesters. But for others, it’s a scary idea — and that’s true for many St. Louis residents. In this episode, we explore what it means to defund the police in a city that struggles with high rates of violent crime. Criminologist Richard Rosenfeld joins the discussion, as well as California-based reporter Abené Clayton. Clayton talks about what’s behind a big drop in violent crime in Oakland and what St. Louis can learn from the West Coast city’s experience.

Gibron Jones had big plans for an industrial kitchen in north St. Louis. The kitchen was located in the city’s Vandeventer neighborhood, just a bit north of Delmar. And his plan was to open a food production incubation space there — the North Sarah Food Hub. He wanted to help St. Louisans start food-based businesses — and bring healthier options to their neighbors. Jones got his city permits finalized in March. Then COVID-19 shut the city down. He found himself making a very unusual pivot. He joins Sarah Fenske to describe what happened — and what comes next for this innovative food hub.

Zulyema Tang-Martinez wanted to join the protests sweeping the U.S. this year. She has a long record of activism dating back to her days as a student at Berkeley in the 1960s and 70s. But the University of Missouri-St. Louis biology professor emeritus is now 75. She has health conditions. How could she join in without taking unnecessary risks? The solution for Tang-Martinez was a car caravan — and on June 20, it found big success. She joins host Sarah Fenske to to talk about that protest, and marching for justice when you probably shouldn’t be marching at all.

Loathed by many police officers but beloved by progressive supporters, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner is arguably the city's most controversial elected official. Journalist Nicholas Phillips explains what he learned about her in a deep dig for St. Louis Magazine, and what the statistics tell us about her performance as city prosecutor.

Soul singer Brian Owens credits the "heavenly hookup" for two developments at the nonprofit he founded in his native Ferguson: the donation of a building it will use as headquarters and $200,000 in funding. Owens joins host Sarah Fenske to describe his vision for Life Creative, a "creative ecosystem" that includes both the Life Arts nonprofit and a for-profit platform.

It was one thing to navigate the initial stress and disruptions of the coronavirus pandemic. And early on, as people looked for ways to guard mental well-being amid big changes, many people realized that it helped to have a sense of horizon in sight. “I can shelter in place for a month” and “One semester at home is manageable” were common — and useful — mindsets. But as weeks turn into months and maybe even years of new normals, frustration and anxiety may be mounting. In this conversation with host Sarah Fenske, Dr. Jessi Gold of Washington University offers strategies and insights for safeguarding your mental health at this time.

For more than two years, activists have sought to persuade city officials to close the city's Medium Security Institution, better known as the Workhouse. They believed they had the votes to strip funding for the jail from the city's Fiscal Year 2021 budget, only to see their dreams dashed. Now they're pinning their hopes on a new board bill introduced by President Lewis Reed. Action St. Louis Executive Director Kayla Reed joined us to discuss the legislation.

Many sanctioned fireworks shows are canceled this summer due to the pandemic, but people continue to set off everything from firecrackers to Roman candles in backyards and streets throughout the region. The number of calls to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department about illegal fireworks has quadrupled from the same time last year. This episode features various perspectives on fireworks including enthusiasts, the mildly annoyed and pet owners. We also hear from the St. Louis Fire Department about the dangers of using fireworks.

Author J. Courtney Sullivan joins host Sarah Fenske for a discussion of her new book, "Friends and Strangers," which explores privilege and the "hollowing out" of America through the lives of two women: journalist Elisabeth and her babysitter Sam.