STL on the Air 📻

With the St. Louis Blues decision to roll up Pride Night into its "Hockey Is For Everyone" event, some in the LGBTQ community aren't happy. Host Sarah Fenske talks with PrideSTL board members Marty Zuniga and Jordan Braxton about why they're disappointed with the Blues decision to incorporate Pride Night into one fundraising event with other nonprofits.

Scott Phillips may be the most acclaimed novelist living in St. Louis today. Best known as the author of “The Ice Harvest,” he’s won the California Book Award and been a finalist for the Edgar Award and the Hammett Prize. His latest novel, “That Left Turn At Albuquerque,” finds Phillips in familiar territory, with a crime caper, a cast of amoral characters and plenty of dark humor. In this segment he joins us to discuss the book and much, much more. A native of Wichita, Kansas, Phillips lived in Paris and Los Angeles before settling in St. Louis. He is also one of the co-founders of St. Louis’ Noir at the Bar chapter, which has become a must-visit for traveling crime authors and also paved the way for similar groups across the U.S.

Former Missouri State Senator Jeff Smith was sentenced to a year and a day in prison after being charged with two felony counts of conspiracy to obstruct justice following revelations about election law violations during his 2004 campaign. Since his release, he’s dedicated his efforts toward reforming the criminal justice system. One such effort led him to the St. Louis University Transformative Workforce Academy’s “Second Chance Job Fair,” which seeks to connect employers with ex-offenders looking for work. In this interview, Sarah Fenske talks with Smith about the impact of the job fair and what employers stand to gain from hiring ex-offenders. Tracy Stanton, who was hired by an employer after attending the very first job fair two years ago, also joins the conversation.

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders sits down with St. Louis on the Air host Sarah Fenske ahead of a campaign rally in St. Louis on Monday. Missouri voters will go to the polls to cast primary ballots on Tuesday. The Vermont senator’s visit follows a campaign stop in St. Louis Saturday by former Vice President Joe Biden, whose campaign did not respond to interview requests from the talk show team. The conversation with Sanders touches on the senator’s strong showing in the 2016 primary, the new coronavirus and who’s best situated to unify the Democratic party and defeat President Trump. It also delved into the potential impact of a transition to Medicare for All on one of the St. Louis region’s biggest employers: the health care industry. In this segment Fenske also speaks with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jo Mannies, who provides analysis of the dynamics in Tuesday’s race.

Host Sarah Fenske talks to experts about the Coronavirus. It’s now here in St. Louis County. What precautions should you take? The family of the first presumed case here has already broken its voluntary quarantine. Do officials see any hope for containing the disease Coronavirus spreads?

Eddie Cox has always been fascinated by words, whether he’s stringing together freestyle raps with his friends or fine-tuning coherent arguments on debate teams. That interest has translated well to his star turn as hip-hop artist Sir Eddie C. The Belleville native is making waves in the St. Louis music scene and recently notched his first performances in New Orleans and Chicago. Cox joins host Sarah Fenske to talk about his musical craft and inspirations.

Fifty-five years ago this week, Alabama troopers greeted peaceful protesters gathered along a Selma bridge with billy clubs, tear gas, bullwhips and horses. And they didn’t hesitate to use them. “I felt like it was the last demonstration, it was the last protest on my part, like I was going to take my last breath from the tear gas,” John Lewis told filmmakers in 1985, two years before he’d begin his long tenure representing Georgia’s fifth congressional district. Parts of that interview are included in “Eyes on the Prize,” a 14-part film series that originally premiered on PBS in two parts in 1987 and 1990. It’s still considered the definitive documentary on the civil rights movement in America, and the complete oral histories that were gathered during its production, including the conversation with Lewis, have been preserved by Washington University Libraries. Many of the interviews are now digitized and accessible to members of the public. In this segment, Associate University Librarian Nadia Ghasedi joins host Sarah Fenske for a closer look at the enduring value of the Wash U Film & Media Archive’s “Eyes on the Prize” materials, which are part of its Henry Hampton Collection.

For years, medical residents were taught how to give pelvic exams by performing them on women who were under anesthesia for unrelated procedures. The women were not asked to give consent first. In many cases, they weren’t even told the exam would happen. Illinois banned the practice in 2004. Host Sarah Fenske talks to GOP legislator Shamed Dogan, who is hoping to do the same in Missouri. Also joining the discussion is Jill B. Delston, a philosophy professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis who explores the issue of giving pelvic exams without consent in her book “Medical Sexism.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that as of midday Thursday, there are 18 states reporting confirmed and presumptive positive cases of the disease caused by the new coronavirus. That includes a total of 162 cases and 12 deaths from COVID-19 in the U.S. There are up to five reported cases in Illinois but none in Missouri. There are many efforts underway to create a vaccine to prevent the disease caused by the virus. In this episode, Sarah Fenske talks with a researcher in St. Louis who is doing just that. Sean Whelan, head of the Department of Molecular Microbiology at Washington University School of Medicine, joins the conversation, as well as Dr. Steven Lawrence, an infectious disease physician with Barnes-Jewish Hospital and an associate professor of Medicine and assistant dean for Curriculum and Clinical Science at Washington University.

When a country’s origin story is developed, whose stories get highlighted and whose get erased? How do we foster the ideals of a nation while recognizing that some perspectives have been trampled during its history? These are among several questions Abram Van Engen explores in his new book, “City on a Hill: A History of American Exceptionalism,” which examines the 1630 sermon “City on a Hill” by Massachusetts Bay Governor John Winthrop. In this interview, Sarah Fenske talks with Engen about how the sermon went from being lost to history for two centuries, to being invoked by politicians on both sides of the aisle. They’ll also discuss the conflict between the ideals of American exceptionalism and those of the America First agenda.

Taulby Roach has made the safety of the St. Louis region’s transit system a major focus since becoming president and CEO of Bi-State Development 14 months ago. Just last week he and other area leaders gathered to mark the culmination of two years of study and planning aimed at improving safety on buses and light rail lines. They touted the creation of a four-prong “systemwide security strategy” aimed at reducing “the rate and perception of crime” on transit, among other commitments. Bi-State also recently selected private security firm GS4 for a three-year contract, and has a new plan in place for a bigger police presence on MetroLink. In this segment, Roach talks with host Sarah Fenske about the latest developments in the agency’s safety efforts. Kevin Scott, director of public safety for Metro Transit, also weighs in, and listeners join the conversation as well.

It’s a question savvy diners confront with regularity: What new place should I try this month? Once again, our friends from Sauce Magazine visited "St. Louis on the Air" to help us answer the question. And while some months offer an embarrassment of riches, so many options that it’s hard to know what to do, this month promises an entirely manageable list: one restaurant, one bar and one coffee shop. Sauce Magazine managing editor Heather Hughes Huff and art director Meera Nagarajan delve into each spot’s charm.

St. Louisans and tourists alike have lots of options for sporting their love of the Lou, whether they snap up airport tchotchkes or visit one of countless vendors around town making the most of the city’s prized Gateway Arch and other iconic #STL imagery. But one retail shop has stood out from the crowd in recent years: STL-Style. The brainchild of St. Louis-area natives Jeff and Randy Vines, STL-Style is marking a full decade of life on the city’s vibrant Cherokee Street this year. And on March 28, the identical twins promise a celebration featuring Brothers Lazaroff, drag performers, local brews and more. It will be, the Vines brothers say, “a block party for all ages and a must-do event for any self-respecting St. Louisan.” The Vineses join host Sarah Fenske to look back on their 10 years of business on Cherokee Street — and how they’ve observed the city and its image evolve during that time.

Mark Glenshaw is obsessed with owls. By day, he is a manager at Fontbonne University’s library; but by night, he frequents a discrete area of Forest Park, checking in on a great horned owl he named Charles. In this episode, Sarah Fenske talks with Glenshaw about his observations of Charles and his new mate, Danielle, over the past couple months.

March 3 is United Nation’s annual commemoration of World Wildlife Day, a time to highlight the importance of Earth’s natural resources and call for action to protect them. Host Sarah Fenske discusses the impact of biodiversity loss on Missouri's lesser-known native plants and insects. Joining the discussion are experts from Missouri Botanical Garden: Quinn Long, director of the Shaw Nature Reserve, and Aaron Lynn-Vogel, horticulturist at the Kemper Center for Home Gardening. They talk about habitats and wildlife at Shaw Nature Reserve, which includes many species native to Missouri, and what homeowners can do to promote biodiversity in their own backyard through plant selection.

While dating apps are making it easier to help people find love, many in St. Louis’ LGBTQ scene are finding drugs through the apps instead. As people put the letter “T” in capital letters in their usernames, or use ice cream or ice cube emojis to let others know they are carrying the drug on the dating apps, getting it is easier than ever. That’s according to former KSDK reporter Jeff Small. He joins host Sarah Fenske to discuss how drugs are being trafficked through digital means to the LGBTQ community, and details his own experience on the apps and how he conquered his own addiction. Brandon Reid, a housing intake coordinator for the St. Louis nonprofit organization Criminal Justice Ministry, and Jason Eccker, a licensed clinical social worker for Synchronicity Counseling Solutions, also join the conversation.

Gabrielle Bahr remembers being fascinated by the medical field even as a young child. And her family’s experience a handful of years later, when her younger sister spent a few months in a neonatal intensive care unit and interacted closely with the nurses there, solidified Bahr’s choice of career: She knew then and there it would become her passion. Now a staff nurse in the emergency department of Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Bahr has zero regrets about her job path despite its inherent stresses and difficulties. At the end of each long shift, she knows her work is meaningful. But sometimes she heads home feeling even more exhausted than usual. That’s because her nursing team, like so many in Missouri, is chronically short staffed. Industry veterans like Natalie Murphy describe the situation as a crisis, noting that the region’s nurse vacancy rate stands at about 20% among hospitals, clinics and outpatient provider locations. A leader at the University of Missouri-St. Louis’ College of Nursing, Murphy is working with a variety of partners to address the issue. But it’s not an easy thing to fix, as Murphy explains in this conversation with Bahr and host Sarah Fenske.

Last July, the Missouri Supreme Court enacted rules requiring judges to first consider non-monetary conditions for pretrial release when setting bond conditions. Since then, several high profile crimes have led to backlash against the new Missouri Supreme Court rules. Recently, more than 80 Missouri state representatives signed onto a letter asking the court to revoke the new bond rules. In this episode, we explore what was behind the initial rule changes by the Missouri Supreme Court and the current debate over whether those rules should be rescinded.

In this month’s Legal Roundtable discussion, panelists offer their insight on a federal judge’s refusal to approve a deal reducing Missouri public defender workloads, a Kansas City initiative to clear marijuana convictions more easily, and the huge verdict regarding Monsanto’s weed killer Roundup.

Host Sarah Fenske hosts a conversation about the role of electronic monitoring services during the pretrial stages and what implications they can have for defendants.