It's just before sunset in Forest Park, a nature haven in the City of of St. Louis. A man in a parka, toting backpack full of recording equipment, strides into a wooded copse he knows well. He listens, waiting, but not for too long. An owl calls.
Mark H.X. Glenshaw has made this kind of trek most days since December 2005. His habits of observation are a personal passion, and a source of inspiration to many who join his Owl Prowls.
The Owl Man of Forest Park shares recent stories of Charles, a male Great Horned Owl he has been observing now for 14 years, and of Charles mates Sarah, Samantha, Olivia and now Danielle. He gives park owls these names, but that's his romantic nod to the Great Horned Owls he loves. His citizen science is meticulous, passionate, persistent and generously shared. You can join him!
Music: Abdiel, performed live at KDHX by Dave Black
The St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station opened with a big splash on Christmas Day. Thousands of area residents have been streaming through its gates in the two weeks since, and aquarium staff have had to turn some families away due to sell-out crowds. For executive director Tami Brown, that and frustration with long lines have been the only downsides of an otherwise successful launch of the new downtown destination. Many visitors have expressed excitement about their experiences, staff have been enthusiastic about their interactions with visitors and animals alike, and the many marine species who now call the aquarium home seem to be adapting well. In this segment, Brown joins host Sarah Fenske for a deeper dive into the new activity at Union Station. Also joining the conversation is St. Louis Aquarium curator Aaron Sprowl, who discusses the wide-ranging creatures and their transition to a new space. The podcast also includes an audio tour of the aquarium, first impressions from children and adults alike, and plenty of questions from listeners who call into the show.
Two of the largest library systems in the St. Louis region are axing fines for overdue library materials. St. Louis County Library and St. Louis Public Library join a trend of major metropolitan library districts across the U.S.— including Kansas City, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City and Chicago — that have eliminated fines for their users in an effort to increase access and equity within the communities they serve. Kristen Sorth of SLCL and Waller McGuire of SLPL join host Sarah Fenske for a conversation about the significance of this change, and two listeners share their stories as well.
Ten years ago today, a disgruntled ABB Power employee walked into the St. Louis business and killed three coworkers and wounded five more before killing himself. We look back on how that day changed many lives.
On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio's Julie O'Donoghue, Jaclyn Driscoll and Jason Rosenbaum take a look at the big issues Missouri lawmakers may take on during the 2020 session.
Some of the topics could include overhauling a recently-enacted change to Missouri state legislative redistricting, as well as measures to curb gun violence and expand gambling.
Host Sarah Fenske talks with our partners from Sauce Magazine about the latest additions to the St. Louis region’s food and beverage community to check out this January.
Picture this. You’re driving on the highway when you get pulled over. The police rifle through your car. And then they help themselves to any cash they find, pushing you to sign a waiver that relinquishes your rights to it. They say if you don’t sign, you could be looking at years in prison. It might sound crazy, but it's actually a longstanding process throughout the country. And, as journalist Bill Freivogel discovered, it’s alive and well in Missouri. Local police agencies routinely seize large amounts of cash without ever charging suspects. They then use that money to build new headquarters, or buy military equipment or in one case, even a margarita maker. It’s called asset forfeiture. Freivogel has been covering the issue in depth over the past year in a series called Taken reported in conjunction with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. He joins host Sarah Fenske in this segment to talk about it.
Business owners of color have historically faced barriers in access to affordable loans. It's another hurdle for owners, but some have been able to run their businesses with the odds stacked against them.
The biggest party in town on New Year’s Day may well have been outside Illinois Supply & Provisions. Metro area residents stood in line for hours outside the Collinsville, Illinois shop with the goal of purchasing legal marijuana products, as Illinois just became the 11th state to legalize cannabis for recreational use. St. Louis Public Radio reporter Eric Schmid was at the shop on New Year's Day, and he joins host Sarah Fenske to discuss what people should know about buying and consuming Illinois’ recreational marijuana in 2020 and beyond.
A year ago this week, Andy Magee set out on a 365-day quest to visit every single location within the U.S. National Park System. Now, after having spent the holidays exploring various parks in Hawaii, the local artist and co-owner of Cioci’s Picture Mart in Kirkwood has brought his long journey to a close. On New Year's Eve, he checked the final site off of his to-visit list: the Gateway Arch. In this conversation, he looks back on some of the biggest highlights and lessons from his trip.
In mid-December, St. Louis County Executive Sam Page touted his police department’s promotion of Lt. Keith Wildhaber as a key step toward thoughtful change within the department. But the Ethical Society of Police (ESOP), which represents many black officers in the St. Louis region, soon put out a statement saying it was “extremely disappointed” with Lt. Wildhaber’s promotion. In this interview, Sarah Fenske talks with the president of ESOP, St. Louis police Sgt. Heather Taylor, about ESOP's take on Wildhaber's promotion.
Gun control and sports betting are some of the big issues Missouri lawmakers are expected to tackle when they convene next week in Jefferson City. The 2020 legislative session is also expected to feature an intense debate on redistricting.
Last month, the St. Louis County Council voted 4-3 for Councilwoman Lisa Clancy’s bill to establish a trust fund aimed at creating more affordable housing. In this segment, Sarah Fenske talks with Clancy about her proposal, as well as the major developments on housing affordability in the St. Louis region over the past few years. Gary Newcomer, director of operations for the Community Builders Network of Metro St. Louis, also joins the conversation.
Over the past 13 months, the Loop Trolley regular traveled a 2.2-mile route from the Missouri History Museum to the Delmar Loop and back again several days each week. But on Sunday afternoon, it made its final few laps along those tracks — at least for now — before going out of service indefinitely due to funding problems.
Why do so many physicians require women to get a Pap smear and a pelvic exam before writing a one-year prescription for birth control? Most of us never think about that question. It is what it is. But Jill B. Delston isn’t like most of us. Her new book, "Medical Sexism," argues that linking these invasive procedures to birth control access is a form of medical sexism.
State Rep. Jim Murphy is the latest guest on Politically Speaking. The south St. Louis County Republican joined St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Julie O’Donoghue to talk about what to expect in the 2020 legislative session.
Murphy represents Missouri’s 94th House District, which includes places like Mehlville and Green Park. It is one of the most competitive House seats in the state, as it famously flipped between Democrat Vicki Englund and Republican Cloria Brown for roughly a decade.
Mobile payment company Square's upcoming move into the old home of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch could mark the start of an effort to attract more companies downtown. The group behind the building's renovation has filed paperwork with the state for the North of Washington Innovation District.
The 2010s brought about immense change to the world of Missouri politics. At the beginning of the decade, the Show Me State was a competitive electoral battleground where both political parties had a chance to make significant gains. By 2019, Republicans took near complete control of state government and key federal posts.
So how did we get here? On the last episode of Politically Speaking of the 2010s, St. Louis Public Radio’s Julie O’Donoghue, Rachel Lippmann and Jo Mannies join me to break down the 10 stories that defined the decade.
A Belleville-based organization trains volunteers to describe live events for the blind and visually impaired. MindsEye recently signed an agreement with the Enterprise Center to provide the service for selected events, including St. Louis Blues games.
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