Aggregator

Five years ago ArchCity Defenders filed a series of federal lawsuits to pressure cities into changing their municipal court practices. Jennings settled almost immediately. Ferguson continues to fight.

Cyndi Williams and Destiny Klimaszewski are the co-leaders of St. Louis’ Modern Widows Club. They both lost their husbands when they were still young. Turns out, they were far from alone. Now the club they started has swelled to more than 100 members. They join host Sarah Fenske and share how the organization helps foster friendships and connections between widows of all ages through regular meetings, community education, service and outreach.

Donald Bouton started moonlighting as an Uber driver almost five years ago. That’s not so unusual. A lot of St. Louisans took up ride-sharing as a second job — or even a first one — after it debuted in St. Louis in 2015. It’s the project Bouton launched while he was driving that’s unusual. Beginning in April 2016, he began keeping pen and paper in the backseat of his car. He asked his passengers to share what inspired them and helped them pull through adversity. And what he found was a serious dose of inspiration — and, ultimately, a book. “Backseat Inklings: Driving Positivity into the World, One Rider at a Time” is Bouton’s self-published account of his guests’ responses, unexpurgated and in their own handwriting. Bouton talks about the project in this conversation with host Sarah Fenske.

Three medical marijuana dispensaries will open along or near Cherokee Street in St. Louis. Some leaders in the cannabis industry are referring to the strip as the city's new "green light district" because of the number of marijuana and CBD-related businesses, and advocacy organizations.

As an actor, Ernest Emmanuel Peeples has portrayed a real range of characters — from Hamlet to the Ghost of Christmas Present. But in recent months, one particular theatrical role stands out from the rest: the opportunity to portray Lu, one of the adolescents at the center of Jason Reynolds’ wildly popular young adult novels, one of which is now also a play. Like Peeples, the character Lu has albinism, a genetic condition involving a lack of pigment that affects one’s skin, hair and eyes. Having this in common with a character is a first for Peeples, and a meaningful one. In this episode of St. Louis on the Air, he talks with host Sarah Fenske about his role in Metro Theater Company’s “Ghost,” which runs now through March 1 at the Grandel Theatre. The production is directed by Jacqueline Thompson, who also participates in the discussion.

Kevin Salwen is the co-author of a book about the 1996 Centennial Olympic Park bombing in Atlanta. The book — "The Suspect: An Olympic Bombing, the FBI, the Media, and Richard Jewell, the Man Caught in the Middle" — was, in part, the inspiration for a controversial film about the bombing and the man who was falsely accused for it. In this segment, host Sarah Fenske talks with Salwen ahead of his presentation at Central Reform Congregation in St. Louis.

Earlier this year, Steve's Hot Dogs announced it was calling it quits after an 11-year run. But the outpouring that followed its closure announcement led directly to a new day for the eatery. As Ewing explains in this episode of St. Louis on the Air, the massive crowds in what he’d intended as the restaurant’s final week gave him a change of heart, and investment from Ewing’s longtime friend Danni Eickenhorst turned his idea to a reality. Steve’s Hot Dogs now plans to reopen. It’s not the only local business to experience a remarkable reversal of fortune. And in Belleville, after Memorial Hospital announced it would close Belleville Health and Sports Center, members formed a not-for-profit organization to take over the fitness center and keep it open. Host Sarah Fenske talks with guests from each of these businesses.

Mary Fox has been promoted from running the St. Louis public defender’s office to heading up the organization statewide. We ask her about the chronic shortage of public defenders and court reform.

State Sen. Brian Williams is the latest guest on the Politically Speaking podcast. The University City Democrat joined St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum to talk about his priorities for the 2020 session — and what to expect when the General Assembly hits the home stretch. Williams represents Missouri’s 14th Senatorial District, which takes in a slew of municipalities in central and northern St. Louis County. That includes places like University City, Ferguson, Normandy, Bridgeton and Hazelwood.

St. Louis County’s jail population has dropped significantly over the past couple years, from an over-capacity total of 1,242 in the summer of 2018 to 930 inmates as of last week. The sustained decrease has been touted as one positive outcome among the justice reform efforts that followed protests in Ferguson. Much work remains — and thanks to five years of research led by University of Missouri-St. Louis Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice Beth Huebner and funded by the John and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, collaboration continues between the researchers and the county, its circuit court and service providers. During this year’s Pierre Laclede Society Community Confluence donor event at UMSL Feb. 20, St. Louis on the Air host Sarah Fenske talks about ongoing efforts in the county, and addressed lingering challenges. She is joined by Huebner, St. Louis County Executive Dr. Sam Page and Julia Fogelberg, director of diversion and special programs for the St. Louis County Prosecutor's Office.

Today’s teachers and school administrators are under increasing pressure on many fronts. There’s the increased focus on standardized testing, large class sizes and funding issues, not to mention the outside-the-classroom challenges complicating their students’ ability to learn. In the midst of all of this comes a refreshing focus — and a new graduate-level course — from two UMSL-connected leaders: Mindy Bier, co-director of the university’s Center for Character and Citizenship, and Tom Hoerr, assistant teaching professor and scholar in residence in the College of Education and former head of the New City School. During this year’s Pierre Laclede Society Community Confluence donor event that took place at UMSL Feb. 20, Bier and Hoerr talk with St. Louis on the Air host Sarah Fenske.

How do two teenagers who've had siblings injured by bullets feel about guns? Normandy teenagers Cassidy Stokes and Claudia Graham share their experiences and thoughts about guns in their community.

The town of Alton was a major stop for escaped slaves making their way from St. Louis to Canada. In this interview, Sarah Fenske talks with J. Eric Robinson, assistant professor of history at the St. Louis College of Pharmacy and proprietor of J. E. Robinson tours, about the historic places and people involved in the Underground Railroad in St. Louis and in Illinois. Robinson will begin guided tours of Alton’s Underground Railroad history starting Feb. 29.

On the latest edition of the Politically Speaking weekly news round-up, St. Louis Public Radio’s team of political reporters talk about efforts in Jefferson City to pass a prescription drug monitoring program — and the reemergence of former Gov. Eric Greitens. St. Louis Public Radio’s Julie O’Donoghue, Jaclyn Driscoll and Jason Rosenbaum discussed how a so-called PDMP once again passed the Missouri House despite loud opposition from some conservative Republicans. It faces a tough reception in the Missouri Senate, where the program aimed at stamping out opioid abuse.

For three decades, Diane Rehm hosted a conversation with America. The Diane Rehm Show grew from a local show at NPR affiliate WAMU to a national juggernaut, with 2.8 million listeners every week. And even after her December 2016 retirement, Rehm has continued the conversation. She hosts a podcast; she also recently published her fourth book, “When My Time Comes.” In partnership with "St. Louis on the Air," Rehm discussed her career at a dinner hosted by the Mannie Jackson Center for the Humanities Foundation at the Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville. Here are the highlights from that conversation, including the secrets of her success and her reasons for becoming a passionate advocate for the “death with dignity” movement.

The St. Louis BattleHawks of the new XFL play their first home game this weekend. For fans who have been following the team even before it hit the field, it will mark the end of a long wait for the return of professional football in St. Louis.

St. Louis’ Municipal Court is hosting a warrant amnesty program Feb. 24-27. It’s an opportunity for people with outstanding bench warrants — excluding DUIs, leaving the scene of an accident and prostitution — to be able to pay their original fines and costs without penalty. In this interview, Emily Woodbury talks with Judge Newton McCoy about the program. Newton is an administrative judge in St. Louis City Municipal Court.

Last week, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources announced the 12 sites in the state which were added to the National Register of Historic Places during 2019. That’s the official federal list of properties that merit special attention and preservation. Every Illinois county has at least one property or historic district listed in the National Register. Guest host Emily Woodbury learns more about the sites in Illinois that made it to the 2019 National Register of Historic Places, and what it took to get them on the list. Joining the discussion is Amy Hathaway, National Register and Survey Specialist for Illinois State Historic Preservation Office.

Often referred to as the most dangerous eight seconds in sports, bull riding is not for the faint of heart. In fact, the medical director for the international organization Professional Bull Riders estimates that about one in 15 rides results in injury. Yet, the sport is gaining popularity. Since PBR was founded in 1992, the sport has grown into a global phenomenon. Over the course of a weeklong competition, riders can earn up to six figures in prize money. This weekend, PBR is hosting a competition at the Enterprise Center. Riders and their bulls will be coming to St. Louis with several events already under their belt, and competition this year has been tough. One of the riders competing is Brady Sims. The Missouri native is currently ranked as the 27th rider in the world.

A play at the Black Rep is set in a St. Louis bar frequented by African American artists, who explore their experiences living and working in a racist society in a series of vignettes. “Spell #7” is written by Ntozake Shange who was a notable participant in the Black Arts Movement.