Aggregator

St. Louis Public Radio political correspondent Jason Rosenbaum goes behind the headlines with Sarah Fenske on several of the biggest developments in the region over the past couple days. Callers join the conversation as well.

Last night, the city of Ferguson elected its first black mayor: Ella Jones. She is also the first woman to hold the position. She talks with host Sarah Fenske about her historic win as well as her concerns and hopes for the north St. Louis County municipality.

Voters in Ferguson have chosen the community’s first African American mayor. Ella Jones also becomes the city’s initial female mayor. Also today, authorities are reporting a calm night on the region’s streets after this week’s violence following protests over the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota. And we explore why some people are buying homes during the pandemic.

Long before protests against police brutality spread to cities across the country, they took place in Ferguson. In this episode, Ferguson activists leading the community in today's protests share their thoughts on the movement now sweeping the globe, and where things stand right here in St. Louis.

Four St. Louis police officers were shot late Monday night after official protests in the city ended over the killing of George Floyd. Two were shot in the leg, one in the arm and one in the foot, said Police Chief John Hayden. He was visibly frustrated as he gave an update on the shootings shortly before 2 a.m. Host Sarah Fenske talks with STLPR reporter Rachel Lippmann about the events.

Four St. Louis police officers are recovering after they were shot during overnight protests. Thousands took to area streets once again following last week's death of a black man while in police custody in Minneapolis. Also, as officials battle COVID-19, we examine the challenges of caring for people with disabilities during a pandemic.

Protests against police brutality have now broken out around the world in response to the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. That of course includes St. Louis, Clayton, University City and Ferguson. St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum joins host Sarah Fenske to discuss what happened over the weekend locally — and why so many St. Louisans are again taking to the streets.

St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson has announced a plan to distribute $64 million in federal aid intended to bolster the city’s response to the coronavirus. The plan, which Krewson said she’ll submit to the Board of Aldermen for revisions and approval, includes $2.5 million for contact tracing: to hire 25 people and invest in technology. In this episode of the talk show, host Sarah Fenske is joined by St. Louis Alderwoman Cara Spencer, D-20th Ward, who chairs the city’s Health and Human Services Committee. Acting health department director Dr. Fred Echols also offers his perspective alongside Franda Thomas, the health department’s communicable disease bureau chief.

St. Louis, Ferguson, Clayton, and Edwardsville are some of the local communities where protests occurred over the weekend following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Some of those demonstrations turned violent. Also, as the region continues to battle coronavirus, summer camps are scheduled to resume today in St. Louis city and county.

On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, St. Louis County Councilwoman Kelli Dunaway talks with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum about how the county is spending federal coronavirus funding — and how county police should respond to protests over George Floyd’s death. Dunaway is a Chesterfield Democrat who represents the council’s 2nd District. That takes in cities like Creve Coeur, St. Ann, Maryland Heights and Chesterfield. She was elected to her post in 2019, filling out the rest of Sam Page’s term on the council after he became county executive.

Host Sarah Fenske talks with Big Shark Bicycle Company owner Mike Weiss about why his shop is seeing an increase in bike sales during the COVID-19 crises and talk with Emma Klues of Great Rivers Greenway about her recommendations for specific biking trails and routes to explore while continuing to help limit the spread of the coronavirus

St. Louisan Eric Strand just set a fastest known time with his run across the entire length of the Katy Trail, covering over 240 miles in just three days and 14 hours. Since announcing his plans and setting up a GoFundMe charity page just last week, the Drury Hotels chief operating officer has raised nearly $40,000. It will all go to a foundation fund to help frontline hospitality workers who have lost their jobs due to the pandemic. Host Sarah Fenske talks with Strand about his experience running the trail and his response to the GoFundMe page.

Imagine orchestrating a virtual telethon in the middle of a pandemic. A host of St. Louis arts organizations led by Opera Theatre St. Louis did just that, with the Arts United STL benefit set to premiere online May 31. Host Sarah Fenske talks with Opera Theatre General Manager Andrew Jorgensen about the financial needs that inspired the event and the difficulties that go into producing such a large group undertaking in the age of social distancing.

Many non-essential businesses in Illinois that have been shut down during the pandemic can open their doors today, Restrictions, including social distancing guidelines, will have to be followed. Also, we examine how the pandemic is changing next week's municipal election for Missouri voters, election officials, and candidates.

Legal Roundtable: Can students sue their universities for not refunding tuition and fees after they were forced to study from home because of the pandemic? Can St. Louis County force the House of Pain gyms to close? What about churches? Legal experts Bill Freivogel, Nicole Gorovsky, and Dave Roland talk with host Sarah Fenske about these issues and more.

Questions about the qualifications of the top health official in St. Louis have prompted Mayor Lyda Krewson to announce a title change. Dr. Fred Echols is now the health department's acting director. Also, we'll examine how black business owners are dealing with the pandemic.

As a scholar who works with human remains, Anne Austin had long looked closely at bones. Her training is in osteology and Egyptology, and for many years she worked to expand the world’s knowledge about the health, medicine and disease of past civilizations. But in 2016, her focus suddenly turned from bones to ancient skin— and body art. “As I was doing my research, I accidentally came across this really heavily tattooed mummy — minimum 30 tattoos, on her arms, her shoulders and her back,” Austin recalls. “That discovery literally rewrote what we understand about tattooing in ancient Egypt. And since then I’ve been able to go back and find more tattoos at the site [where] I work.” The University of Missouri-St. Louis professor isn’t fascinated by these ancient tattoos merely for their own sake. She sees relevance for our understanding of contemporary body art as well — from the stories they tell, to the wide range of functions they serve, to the stigma that is sometimes associated with tattoos. Austin’s expertise came in especially handy while serving on the dissertation committee for Lacee Kaufmann, who just earned her PhD in nursing at UMSL. Kaufmann’s qualitative study probed the experiences that 12 participants — each of whom have tattoos covering at least 9% of their body — have had with health care providers.

It’s not just parents of young children trying to balance caregiving with other responsibilities during this pandemic. People whose loved ones suffer from dementia are also finding themselves under increased stress. Adult day centers are closed to limit the spread of COVID-19. Many therapists and other support staff no longer offer in-person visits. And people with Alzheimer’s or other cognitive impairments may not realize why masks are necessary, much less remember the explanation from hour to hour. Memory Care Home Solutions has been helping its “care partners” deal with those complications — and many more — throughout the months of the pandemic. Amy Sobrino, program services coordinator for the organization, says its services continue, albeit remotely. Clients like Gail Brown, whose mother lives with dementia, say that assistance has been a godsend.

The head of the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force says it would not be a surprise if there is an increase in the number of coronavirus cases following the partying over the holiday weekend at Lake of the Ozarks. Also, we’ll examine how the Metro Theater Company is adjusting to the pandemic.