STL on the Air 📻

It didn’t take a pandemic to prove that the U.S. health care system is broken, but this year’s COVID-19 outbreak certainly provided more evidence of what we all knew. To fix it, we need to “change the entire game,” says Rita Numerof, president and co-founder of the health care consulting firm, Numerof & Associates.

Only a small fraction of St. Louis County residents have antibodies to the coronavirus, according to a recent survey launched by the Institute of Public Health at Washington University. This means that the vast majority of people in the region are still susceptible to COVID-19, says Dr. Elvin Geng, an infectious disease professor at the Washington University School of Medicine.

Singer-songwriter Beth Bombara was gearing up to tour the U.K. Enter the coronavirus and those plans had to be canceled. Eight months later, Bombara was prepping for a show at the Pageant. Rising coronavirus case counts killed that too. The talented St. Louis musician explains how she’s still staying connected with fans even after months of canceled gigs and shuttered venues.

St. Louis on the Air’s monthly Legal Roundtable dug into the case of a Greene County woman who says she was fired for being ugly, the lawsuit Tofurky Co. filed against Missouri, and lawsuits seeking to reopen indoor dining in St. Louis County.

In 2017, plant scientist, Nadia Shakoor developed the PheNode device, a solar-powered environmental sensor and phenotyping station for crops. Sensors and cameras on the tool take real-time measurements of everything from humidity to soil pH. And this past summer, she won a $1.4 million federal grant to enhance the platform by adding an autonomous drone. It’s called FieldDock. And it just might be a game-changer.

A Christian school's "LaLa Land" parody shows students juggling Zoom calls, Plexiglass barriers and social distancing restrictions — and, yes, getting an education — while wearing masks. The video's producer and star explained how they made it happen.

The St. Louis-based band dropped a new single Nov. 13 — the same day the group announced its forthcoming sophomore record, titled “Cattle In The Sky.” Frontman Jordan Slone and bassist/vocalist Jack McCoy join "St. Louis on the Air" to talk about their musical evolution and share some tunes.

St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson has announced she will not seek reelection and plans to retire in April. Krewson has been mayor for four years. In a press conference Wednesday afternoon, Krewson said that after 23 years as an elected official, she had decided to step away.

As a part-time clerk for St. Louis County Library, Maura Lydon felt like she was beginning to fulfill her calling over the past couple years. She had decided on a career in libraries and was eager to experience her next steps. Then, in August, the library system laid her off, along with 121 other part-time employees. The library administration cited reduced services and efforts to be “good stewards” of taxpayer funds as the basis for the staff cuts. But that reasoning doesn’t hold up in the opinions of some current and former employees.

In recent weeks, both Pfizer and Moderna Inc. announced that their COVID-19 vaccines are 95% effective. But does it mean everyone will have a vaccine by New Year’s Eve? Not quite, says Michael Kinch, associate vice chancellor at Washington University in St. Louis.

“Storm of Progress: German Art after 1800” is on display at the St. Louis Art Museum. Curators put together the exhibit in short order after the pandemic derailed the museum's already planned upon exhibit schedule.

With coronavirus cases increasing at an alarming rate across the U.S., public health officials advise families to cancel any plans for a big Thanksgiving dinner this year. But what do you do when your family is not on the same page?

Mid-November is arguably a bit early to start putting up holiday decorations. But it’s not at all too soon to make thoughtful plans to safely connect with relatives, particularly those who are more isolated this year, and spread some joy. “Start having those conversations now,” Marjorie Moore, executive director of the nonprofit organization VOYCE, tells St. Louis on the Air. She and Vanessa Woods of Vitality Ballet talk through some ideas with host Sarah Fenske.

LynnMarie Alexander, the director/archivist of the Hill Neighborhood Center, has a new coffee table book about St. Louis' beloved Italian-American neighborhood. She explains the neighborhood's history and shares some highlights.

Amy Hilgemann remembers the job she had in the early 1980s as among the most fulfilling work she ever did. At the time, she directed Crisis Intervention Services, a collaboration with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Officers were empowered to hand off certain situations to a dedicated group of six social workers, including Hilgemann, whom they could call on seven days a week. The program got some rave reviews. But when the initial funding stream ran out, it ended.

Coronavirus diagnoses are soaring across the Midwest, and the St. Louis metro area has seen an average of 2,206 new COVID-19 cases per day over the last week. That's up 43% over the week prior. So far, to date, 2,036 people in the region have died. But leaders can’t get on the same page in their mitigation methods. And that could be dangerous, as St. Louis Public Radio reporter Sarah Fentem explains.

Filmed in Grand Center in October, “Songs for St. Louis: A Concert in the Commons” features three young operatic stars singing some of the most beloved songs of Broadway and opera. Patricia Racette of Opera Theatre of St. Louis explains the concert's origins.

A class-action lawsuit changing how Missouri handles parole hearings has meant new hope for 98 Missouri men sentenced to life without parole for crimes they committed as juveniles. Host Sarah Fenske talked to several men who have been released after decades behind bars.

As legal challenges by the Trump campaign mount in the wake of President-elect Joe Biden’s victory, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt is deploying his office in an attempt to stop some votes from counting in Pennsylvania. Host Sarah Fenske talks with Washington University's Ronald Levin about whether precedent is on Schmitt's side, and what might happen next.

St. Louis entrepreneur Akeem Shannon, 28, invented Flipstik — a device that allows users to stick their smartphone on any flat surface or use it as a kickstand. He pitched it on ABC's "Shark Tank" and secured a deal with investor Lori Greiner.