The head of the Cortex Innovation Community is stepping down at the end of the year after nearly a decade in the role. Dennis Lower talks about the district's impact on the startup business community in St. Louis and what’s next.
Every month, we talk about the hottest new restaurants to open in the St. Louis area. But while that approach is a great way to meet newcomers, it tends to give short shrift to the places that consistently turn out excellent meals, day in and day out. In this episode, we aim to remedy that. St. Louis Post-Dispatch food critic Ian Froeb, Riverfront Times food critic Cheryl Baehr and St. Louis Magazine dining editor George Mahe join us to discuss some terrific restaurants that are still keeping things fresh after a decade in business. And we get these food writers’ picks for where they dine when they’re not on the job.
The National Rifle Association Foundation provided more than $1 million to K-12 schools and 4-H clubs in Missouri between 2010 and 2016. We examine how that support of youth shooting sports is viewed.
Since 2014, the photo blog Humans of St. Louis has featured more than 2,400 stories online. Each post includes a photo and short description, giving the world an intimate look into the lives and struggles of the people who live in St. Louis. The organization has expanded its showcase to the St. Louis Lambert International Airport with a new exhibit, “Humans of St. Louis: The People of St. Louis, One Photo & Story at a Time.” In this segment, host Sarah Fenske talks with Humans of St. Louis co-founder and lead storyteller, Lindy Drew, as well as exhibit curator Brandelle Manini.
St. Louis has the highest sales tax rates in the state of Missouri. Some parts of the city see rates as high as 11.679%. But the revenue doesn’t all go to the government. The areas with the highest tax rates may be as small as a few blocks — with extra taxes incurred by special taxing districts that operate largely without oversight from City Hall.
Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway took on the city’s poor oversight of these districts in an audit last month. She also criticized the city for the lack of a comprehensive economic development plan to govern their formation.
In this segment, Galloway talks with Sarah Fenske about what she learned, how the city responded to her findings and what comes next in her ongoing comprehensive audit of city operations.
As funding for higher education continues to be slashed, HBCUs may be disproportionately affected. Harris-Stowe State University and Lincoln University often serve the underrepresented, meaning tuition must be kept low. As recently as several years ago $750,000 was appropriated for infrastructure purposes at Harris-Stowe, but was withheld due to "budget concerns." What solutions are in the works in order to keep these institutions viable?
Bring up Adam and Eve in contemporary conversation, and you’ll likely be met with either total skepticism or deep confidence, depending on one’s audience. Diametrically opposed views of the biblical origin story come with the territory of ongoing cultural battles between creationists and evolutionists and the typical right and left. But Washington University’s Dr. S. Joshua Swamidass, who describes himself as “a scientist in the Church and a Christian in science,” is hoping to shift the conversation. In his forthcoming book “The Genealogical Adam and Eve: The Surprising Science of Universal Ancestry,” he hopes to reach secular and religious readers alike. “What if the traditional account is somehow true, with the origins of Adam and Eve taking place alongside evolution?” he asks.
Jessica Hentoff is quick to insist that the primary focus of Circus Harmony, the St. Louis-based organization she heads up, isn’t to turn kids into top-notch circus professionals. And yet the program has a track record of doing just that — even as it changes lives in other ways, too. This fall, a total of four Circus Harmony alumni are touring with Cirque du Soleil, the largest circus company in the world. They include St. Louis natives Melvin Diggs, Sidney ‘Iking’ Bateman, Terrance ‘T-Roc’ Robinson and Chauncey Kroner. Hentoff couldn’t be more proud of them — and just returned from travels to Vancouver and Chicago this past weekend where she watched them perform. In this segment, Hentoff talks with host Sarah Fenske will talk with Hentoff about the success the program and its participants have seen. The conversation also includes comments from Bateman and Diggs.
On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, former Missouri Supreme Court Judge Ray Price talks with St. Louis Public Radio’s Julie O’Donoghue and Jason Rosenbaum about his legal career and his new role as chairman of the St. Louis County Board of Police Commissioners.
St. Louis County Executive Sam Page appointed Price to the board that oversees the county police department earlier this fall. Page has now appointed four out of the five members — and could potentially replace former county executive Steve Stenger’s final appointee at any time.
The success of the Maplewood Richmond Heights school district has led to a growing student population. The area also has a popular housing market as young, wealthier families move into the district. That demand means more property taxes for the district but also has the superintendent worried about losing racial and socioeconomic diversity.
Known world-wide for his science-informed nature writing, Richard Louv has defined Vitamin N (what all humans need to imbibe more of) and Nature Deficit Disorder, what kids today have and can (this matters!) recover from.
Since his landmark publication in 2007 of "Last Child In The Woods," Richard Louv has become an international spokesperson for the value of humans connecting (and re-connecting) to Nature. Earthworms is honored to share this conversation with you!
Music: Taproom, performed live at KDHX by Brian Curran
As the end of the year approaches, our partners at Sauce Magazine join "St. Louis on the Air" to reflect on the best new local restaurants serving up deliciousness in 2019.
While “the cyclical nature of generational denigration is embedded in our history,” generational labels like “Baby Boomer” and “Millennial” are artificial and wrong, says St. Louis University associate professor Cort Rudolph.
Rudolph recently wrote about the topic in his campus editorial “OK Boomer Not OK, Nor Backed by Research.” In this discussion, Sarah Fenske talks with Rudolph about use of the recent phrase “OK Boomer” and what the research tells us about whether there are major differences between the Silent Generation, baby boomers, Generation X, millennials and the most recent category, Generation Z. Paul Taylor, author of “The Next America” and former vice president of the Pew Research Center, also joins the conversation.
A lawsuit filed Friday aims to open closed-door meetings and obtain documents held by a city working group considering leasing St. Louis Lambert International Airport. The plaintiffs allege members of the Airport Advisory Working Group knowingly violated the Missouri Sunshine Act in eight instances. Host Sarah Fenske talks with Mark Pedroli, founder of the Sunshine and Government Accountability Project.
The new director of St. Louis County Justice Services is bringing more than 30-years of experience as a corrections officer to the job.
Raul Banasco was hired last month. The New York native is now in charge of managing the county jail, which has come under scrutiny after several inmates died.
The Mississippi River has been integral to life in the St. Louis region for hundreds of years — from Native Americans who occupied areas in and around Cahokia Mounds to the later arrival of European settlers. In this segment, Sarah Fenske talks with Andrew Wanko, public historian for the Missouri Historical Society and author of the new book, “Great River City: How the Mississippi Shaped St. Louis.” Also joining the conversation is David Lobbig, curator of environmental life at the Missouri Historical Society. He is the content lead on the Missouri History Museum’s newest exhibit “Mighty Mississippi,” which opened November 23.
The late James Buford had a philosophy for effecting change — one he put into practice for 28 years as CEO of the area’s Urban League. We'll hear from moments during his appearances on "St. Louis on the Air" and hear from those who worked closely with him.
On the latest edition of Politically Speaking's Friday round up show, St. Louis Public Radio's Julie O'Donoghue and Jason Rosenbaum talk about Missouri's 2nd Congressional District race.
O'Donoghue also talks with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Kurt Erickson about how Missouri is handling Medicaid waivers. And we also discuss the turmoil in Missouri's public defender system with The Kansas City Star's Katie Moore.
For voters in some St. Louis suburbs, the 2020 ballot just potentially got a lot more interesting. State Senator Jill Schupp announced that she will challenge Republican U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner for Missouri’s 2nd Congressional District, which covers most of St. Louis County, part of St. Charles County and even a bit of Jefferson County. The district favors Republicans. But Schupp is expected to mount a formidable challenge. In this segment, Sarah Fenske talks with political correspondent Jason Rosenbaum about Schupp’s announcement.
Phelps Health Hospital in Rolla, Missouri S&T, and Fort Leonard Wood are teaming up to research traumatic brain injury. The intent is to find ways to more quickly diagnose serious problems so treatment can start right away. They are testing a cell phone-sized device that can read brainwaves and diagnosing injury through a urinalysis.
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