In mid-April, the Missouri Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control suspended laws preventing St. Louis area restaurants from selling pre-batched cocktails. Now the restaurants are free to sell the to-go cocktails to customers who order them. Our friends at Sauce Magazine join host Sarah Fenske to talk about how area restaurants are faring with the changes and some of the best places to get curbside cocktails during this period.
From working at a comic book store to writing and drawing a nationally syndicated newspaper comic strip, St. Louis cartoonist Christina Stewart — who goes by the name of Steenz — has made a name for herself. Stewart now produces former creator Mark Tatulli’s daily comic strip “Heart of the City." She joins host Sarah Fenske to discuss what plans she has for the beloved comic and her overall passion for the craft.
Early in the coronavirus pandemic, doctors described COVID-19 as a virus with symptoms identical to the flu — coughing, shortness of breath and fever. But recovered patients say it’s much worse: a painful, unpredictable sickness causing a feeling akin to “drowning.” In this episode, St. Louis Public Radio reporter Sarah Fentem shares the stories of those who are recovering from COVID-19.
Dairy farmers are having a hard time after the coronavirus pandemic. With the closures of schools, workplaces and restaurants, some farmers are having trouble distributing their products. In response to the closure of businesses, these farmers are having to dump milk. Host Sarah Fenske touches base with Michael Turley of Rolling Lawns to check in on how his milk farm is doing amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Imagine breaking up with a partner, only to remain in the same house as them following a pandemic. Host Sarah Fenske talks with exes Dani and Logan about their interesting situation. The COVID-19 outbreak has them sheltering in place in a one-bedroom apartment in St. Louis’ Tower Grove South neighborhood. Also joining the conversation is a family who talks about their decision to take care of their son’s school's two parakeets.
As most of us are self-quarantining in the wake of COVID-19, some of us are spending a lot more time with a significant other. In Ernest Hemingway’s case, nearly a century ago, it was with significant others — plural. Hemingway wound up sequestered with both his wife and his lover after his son Bumby was diagnosed with a highly contagious respiratory illness. Host Sarah Fenske talks with acclaimed author Lesley Blume about the whole ordeal.
Missouri filed a lawsuit against China on April 21, alleging that the country did little to stop the spread of the COVID-19. On that same day, a judge ruled in favor of a genealogy group looking to obtain public records. And, two days later, advocates and workers from Missouri meat processing plant Smithfield Foods filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri for unsafe work conditions following the COVID-19 outbreak. In this episode, Sarah Fenske digs into these cases and more with legal experts Mark Smith, Bill Freivogel and Catherine Hanaway.
Some hospitals across the U.S. are swamped from the COVID-19 outbreak and many health care workers are working around the clock to help those affected. But what about St. Louis-area hospitals? What’s going on here? Emergency medicine physician Dr. Kristen Mueller joins host Sarah Fenske to give a sense of how St. Louis area health care workers are doing in the midst of an (estimated) peak in COVID-19 cases in the area.
“Crimp Camp,” a Netflix documentary produced by former U.S. president Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama has won raves for its unflinching depiction of how Camp Jened brought together young people with wide-ranging disabilities and allowed them to experience life without their parents. Judy Heumann and Colleen Starkloff join host Sarah Fenske to discuss “Crip Camp” and the challenges the disability rights movement faces today.
Naturalist Mark Glenshaw joins host Sarah Fenske and gives an update on the great horned owls Charles, as well as his other owl friend Daniel and other critters he keeps track of in Forest Park.
When Cody Stokes decided to shoot “The Ghost Who Walks” in his native St. Louis, it wasn’t because he was trying to make the city itself a character or was set on showcasing certain regional icons. The Gateway Arch, for example, doesn’t really make an appearance. But Stokes did choose St. Louis as his backdrop with good reason — and for viewers who know the region well, there’s plenty of local imagery to enjoy over the course of the fast-paced, 106-minute film. In this conversation, Stoke joins host Sarah Fenske for a closer look at his feature-length directorial debut, which is now reaching a wide audience on Netflix.
Los Angeles artist Tim Youd is taking on his biggest challenge yet. Beginning May 1, Youd is retyping William Gass’ mammoth novel “The Tunnel” on live video stream, all 652 pages of it. It will be Youd's 67th project retyping a classic novel. He joins host Sarah Fenske to discuss this new project and why he chose this notoriously difficult work.
Embracing the new virtual landscape many musicians find themselves in during the age of social distancing, St. Louis musician John Henry is using a Kickstarter campaign for pre-orders of his new album, “Out at Sea.” If the fundraiser is successful, donors will not only receive a record and a screen print from local shop Sleepy Kitty, they will also be supporting a cause close to Henry’s heart: mental health advocacy. Every dollar of his $3,500 campaign will be matched by national and local businesses to benefit the National Alliance on Mental Illness St. Louis. In this episode, Henry talks about his inspiration for the album and the Kickstarter campaign.
Having sleep problems during this pandemic? If so, you're not alone. Dr. Joseph Espiritu of the SLUCare Sleep Disorders Center answers your questions and has tips for getting better sleep. Stress, anxiety, screen time, alcohol and caffeine all play a role. Listen to learn how.
Where some crime shows spin their speculative wheels or endlessly whip listeners back and forth between evidence of innocence or guilt, “Criminal” looks beyond the headlines and instead delves deep and focuses on the human moments and stories that lurk behind the headlines.
Host Sarah Fenske talks to “Criminal” podcast’s co-creators, Phoebe Judge and Lauren Spohrer about what local fans can look forward to at the Pageant later this year. They also touch on the evolution of the show, how they’ve gone about expanding their repertoire to include “This Is Love” and “Phoebe Reads A Mystery”, and some of the most memorable St. Louis-related episodes of “Criminal.”
Host Sarah Fenske explores a collaboration between Feast Magazine and Small Circle Recipes: their “Extra Helping” community-sourced cookbook project features recipes from local chefs around the St. Louis area. The digital PDF cookbook and donation platform aims to benefit hospitality industry employees affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.
On April 17, the ACLU of Missouri filed a lawsuit against the state of Missouri, the Missouri Secretary of State and a few local boards of election to allow voting by mail in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. The lawsuit argues that the “illness or disability” clause in state law should apply to those staying at home to avoid the coronavirus and allow them to cast absentee ballots.Host Sarah Fenske talks to Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft about his reasons for deferring to local boards of elections on the absentee ballot issue.
On April 22, 1943, Dr. Raul Artal Mittelmark was born in a Nazi concentration camp in Transnistria, a region in Eastern Europe. After the camp was liberated, his parents returned to their hometown: Czernowitz in Bukovina, which was under Communist rule. After several attempts to flee Communist Russia, the family was able to move to Romania, then the U.S. and, eventually, Israel. It was in Israel where Artal met his wife, and they eventually moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where Artal ended up serving 17 years as chairman of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women's Health at St. Louis University. In this episode, host Sarah Fenske talks with Artal about how his upbringing influenced his career in medicine as well as the medical ethics lessons we can still learn from the Holocaust.
The coronavirus pandemic has prompted questions about ways to be sustainable at a time when single-use goods are preferred. The outbreak has also led to a decrease "St. Louis on the Air" to take questions on sustainability is Missouri Botanical Garden’s “planet doctor” Jean Ponzi. She is their EarthWays Center program manager.
The ACLU of Missouri recently filed a class-action lawsuit to allow Missouri voters to cast absentee ballots during the pandemic without fear of prosecution. The organization's legal director, Tony Rothert, discusses why the suit is necessary with Sarah Fenske.