The impact of Martin Luther King Jr. continues to influence various civil rights movements today. Washington University will commemorate the late civil rights leader at 7 p.m., Monday, in Graham Chapel. On Friday’s St. Louis on the Air, host Don Marsh talked to Vernon Mitchell Jr., curator of Popular American Arts and Culture in the Department of Special Collections at Washington University. Mitchell talked about his research and the message he plans to deliver as part of the university's commemoration. He studies the impact of African-American art and culture on movements and popular culture. In his speech, Mitchell wants to reclaim King. “What I try to do when I teach about Dr. King is I try to humanize him. I try to take him off of the pedestal,” Mitchell said. “Not in a way that is sensational. I try to understand him as a man, as a human being.” Mitchell said that allows students to resonate with the iconic leader. During the civil rights movement, King remained hopeful in spite
On a special edition of the Politically Speaking podcast, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies talk about Gov. Eric Greitens’ admission of an extramarital affair — and allegations that he blackmailed a woman to prevent her from speaking out.
The startling report from KMOV-TV came out Tuesday after Greitens gave his second State of the State address. The governor admitted to infidelity before he was elected governor. But his attorney is forcefully denying that he took a compromising photo of the woman as a way to make her not reveal the affair.
Should the news media have published a story about Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens’ extramarital affair and his alleged blackmail of a woman? On Friday’s Behind the Headlines segment, St. Louis on the Air host Don Marsh discussed journalism ethics and the process of reporting the affair with Lauren Trager, KMOV’s investigative reporter who broke the story , and with Shula Neuman, St. Louis Public Radio’s executive editor. The two journalists talked about their varying approaches. Neuman said St. Louis Public Radio decided not to go forward with a story on the affair, partly because the organization did not have on-the-record sources. “If the woman wasn’t willing to tell the story herself, then we didn’t think that it was appropriate to let somebody else tell the story for her ,” Neuman said. The unnamed woman made off-the-record remarks to Trager about the affair. KMOV also concealed the identity of the woman’s ex-husband to protect her identity. Trager said KMOV decided to publish its
As part of University of Missouri-St. Louis’ annual Martin Luther King Jr. observance, keynote speaker Freeman A. Hrabowski III will address the impact of the iconic civil rights activist over the last half century. The celebration is at 10 a.m. to noon on Jan. 15 at the Touhill Performing Arts Center. On Friday’s St. Louis on the Air , host Don Marsh talked with Hrabowski, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) about his work in advocating for equal access to education for all. Hrabowski said he’ll draw on his experiences during the Civil Rights Movement and the ongoing fight for civil rights during his speech to look at the progression of education in American families. As a child in 1963, Hrabowski marched under the leadership of Martin Luther King Jr. in Birmingham, Alabama. He said barriers to education for all races remain. ‘Race still matters’ “This has been a 50-year experiment. It’s only been in the past 50 years that we’ve been trying to bring more
On Thursday’s St. Louis on the Air , host Don Marsh analyzed the aftermath of Missouri Governor Eric Greitens' 2018 State of the State address. Joining the discussion were St. Louis Public Radio’s statehouse reporter Marshall Griffin, political reporter Jo Mannies and interim political editor Jason Rosenbaum. Hours after Greitens delivered his second State of the State address, he acknowledged his involvement in an extra-marital affair before he launched his campaign for governor in the fall of 2015. Greitens and his wife, Sheena Greitens, issued joint statements through their lawyer after St. Louis television station KMOV-TV (Channel 4) reported on the matter , denying any allegations of blackmail. “It’s as if the State of the State address didn’t happen last night,” Griffin said. “Everything that constitutes the business of government right now is focused on this story that broke last night.” The House convened for five minutes Thursday morning to adjourn the meeting until next week,
Feb. 22, 2018, marks the centennial of the birth of Robert Wadlow, the tallest man who ever lived, and a lifelong resident of Alton. Wadlow was normal size at birth, but a growth on his pituitary gland caused him to grow rapidly and never stop. By kindergarten, he was 5 feet 4 inches. He grew to 8 feet 11, and 490 pounds, by the time he died at age 22.
The shopping center known as the Promenade at Brentwood was once a prominent African American neighborhood. The historic Evens-Howard Place neighborhood in Brentwood was home to generations of middle class African-American families for 90 years. On Wednesday’s St. Louis on the Air , host Don Marsh discussed the history of Evens-Howard Place with local writer Beth Miller, who’s researched the neighborhood. Also joining the discussion were Olivette Thompson, former resident of the neighborhood and Ed Wright, former alderman of the district that included Evens-Howard Place. Miller, who lives six blocks away from the historic neighborhood, decided to research the community after seeing it featured in a Missouri Historical Society picture book. “It’s difficult to describe, but I had a feeling come over me that said, ‘I need to tell this story,’” Miller said. She focused on the neighborhood after she realized many people had forgotten the area’s history. “It was a real tragedy to me that our
When singer, songwriter and author Storm Large is not with her band Le Bonheur, she fronts Pink Martini and symphony orchestras. Her varied interests include performing music from Broadway, the American songbook, rock music and her own originals. On Wednesday’s St. Louis on the Air , producer Alex Heuer talked with the singer about her career and her performance in St. Louis on Jan.17 .
On the latest edition of the Politically Speaking podcast, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum is pleased to welcome state Reps. Kip Kendrick and Martha Stevens to the program.
Rosenbaum recorded the show with the Columbia Democrats at KBIA’s studios on the University of Missouri-Columbia campus. Both lawmakers represent fairly Democratic-leaning districts that take in portions of the city of Columbia.
Suzanne Kelly was deep into Ph.D. work in women's studies in 2000 when her father died. Her grief and that experience with conventional memorial processes moved her to explore a new movement (ironic, given our age-old traditions) to send our bodies back to Earth. Literally.
Kelly's new book Greening Death - Reclaiming Burial Practices and Restoring Our Tie to Earth - is a scholarly treatment of natural burial. She covers the history of our resource-intensive, toxic and expensive funeral industry, and examines multi-cultural values about dealing with our dead bodies. From the Civil War era innovation of embalming to today's evolving partnership between land conservation and dust-to-dust advocates, her voice on this topic is factual and clear. She also speaks eloquently for our human needs to honor the passage out of life, and to reconnect with Earth.
Whether you are simply curious about these options or actively seeking Green Burial resources for end-of-life planning, this Earthworms conversation can be useful to you. Listen in peace!
THANKS to Anna Holland, engineering for Earthworms this week
Music: Butter II, performed live at KDHX by Ian Ethan Case
For many years, comedian and St. Louis native Greg Warren traveled around the country to make people laugh. He’s appeared on CMT Comedy Stage, NBC's Last Comic Standing, Late Night with Seth Meyers and CBS's The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. On Tuesday’s St. Louis on the Air , host Don Marsh talked with Warren about his upcoming appearances at the St. Louis Funny Bone. Friends, family and fans will line up to see the new material he’ll showcase, starting Jan. 11. “We’re also trying something new this year … I’m doing an all ages family show,” Warren said. “I do feel a little pressure there because I haven’t done a whole lot of that before.” The family show is open for kids ages 12 and older. Warren is now based in St. Louis after living in New York. He said often times, it’s hard for people to just sit down and think “what’s funny?” His comedic inspiration draws from a mixture of past experiences and current observations. Warren said he also journals freely in the morning to come
This Thursday, Jan. 11, marks 153 years since slaves in Missouri were finally freed from bondage. Missouri’s Emancipation Day will be commemorated at the Missouri History Museum, in a collaborative event between the museum and Greenwood Cemetery. On Tuesday’s St. Louis on the Air , host Don Marsh discussed the event at the Missouri History Museum , which will highlight the lives before and after emancipation of six individuals buried in Greenwood Cemetery, located in Hillsdale. Joining the discussion were Shakia Gullette, manager of local history initiatives at Missouri History Museum, Etta Daniels, head historian at Greenwood Cemetery and Marvin-Alonzo Greer, visitor experience lead at Soldiers Memorial Military Museum. Greenwood Cemetery opened in 1874, shortly after the end of the civil war. It opened as the first commercial cemetery dedicated to the burial of African-Americans in the St. Louis area. Since its establishment, Daniels said more than 50,000 people have been buried at
The construction of the Eads Bridge a century and a half ago almost made St. Louis one of the most important cities in the country. The steel combined road and railway bridge over the Mississippi River brought rail and other traffic from the east to St. Louis and beyond. The bridge serves as the backstory to St. Louis author Ken McGee’s latest historical novel “The Great Hope of the World.”
On Monday’s St. Louis on the Air , host Don Marsh talked to KSDK anchor Casey Nolen and long-time journalist Dick Weiss about their recent two-week visit to Pakistan. They were among a dozen visitors from media and academia who made the trip sponsored by the University Of Oklahoma Gaylord College Of Journalism and Mass Communications and the U.S. State Department.
On the latest edition of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum welcomes Lt. Gov. Mike Parson to the program.
Parson recorded the episode of the show from his office in Jefferson City. He won election to the statewide position in November 2016, defeating well-funded general election and Republican primary challengers.
Circus Harmony, the local social circus, is preparing for a series of performances at the City Museum this month. The production will take a look at circuses through the decades from 1920-2010. On Friday’s St. Louis on the Air, host Don Marsh talked about the next production, “ Legato ,” with Jessica Hentoff, artistic and executive director of the organization. The new show includes 20 performers, aged 10 to 22. Overall, the organization serves 1,400 people in the area each year. While Circus Harmony is a professional training school, Hentoff said the organization’s main purpose is social. “… And to help these kids so that what they learn in the circus ring will travel with them throughout their lives, whether they go on to circus careers or whatever they choose to do.” A social circus involves the teaching and performing of circus arts to motivate social change. While learning circus arts, people can also develop life skills, including responsibility, conflict resolution and the
On the latest edition of the Politically Speaking podcast, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum is pleased to welcome House Speaker Todd Richardson back on the show for the fifth time.
The Poplar Bluff Republican is in his final year in the Missouri House. He has served as speaker since the middle of 2015.
To date, 24 U.S. cities are using ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager - a sensible, user-friendly product of our federal taxes at work - to "benchmark" energy use as a first step to strategic investment in energy efficiency measures. St. Louis joined this progressive, prudent group in 2017 by passing an ordinance and signing on to the City Energy Project.
Use a common tracker to inform improvements that can cut costs? Make existing buildings more comfortable and healthier? Protect the environment by reducing carbon emissions? Good work, partners in the City of St. Louis for answering all these questions YES!
The significance of this work, even in its first months, was honored in November 2017 with an OLGA (Outstanding Local Government Award) for exemplary public-private collaboration, by the St. Louis region's East-West Gateway Council of Governments.
The work is straightforward, explains Earthworms guest Rajiv Ravulapati, CEP Technical Advisor for the City of St. Louis. CEP helps cities tailor energy efficiency programs and policies to local needs. In St. Louis, the CEP team assists building owners in implementing the City's benchmarking ordinance, which requires that public and private buildings over 50,000 sq ft must be Benchmarked by April 1, 2018, with the data reported to the City's Building Division. This requirement applies to over 900 buildings located in the City of St. Louis, including 16 City-owned buildings. A Concierge service assists building owners with the process, using an efficient online portal.
City Energy Project champions (shown above) accepting the OLGA award are Rajiv Ravulapati; City of St. Louis Sustainable Director Catherine Werner; US Green Building Council-Missouri Gateway Chapter Executive Director Emily Andrews; and St. Louis Alderman Jack Coatar, sponsor of the ordinance that passed with a unanimous vote!
Utility incentive and financing packages can support energy efficiency upgrades, based on CEP data. Options to expand this effort to work with smaller buildings, and across the St. Louis region, offer more potential benefits for local businesses and building owners.
THANKS to Anna Holland, energized engineer for Earthworms
Music: Balkan Twirl, performed live at KDHX by Sandy Weltman and the Carolbeth trio
On the latest edition of the Politically Speaking podcast, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and KBIA’s Bram Sable-Smith welcome back Sen. Caleb Rowden to the show.
The Columbia Republican represents Missouri’s 19th Senatorial District. That includes Boone and Cooper Counties, which include the cities of Columbia and Boonville.
For a region of this planet blessed with so much WATER, you'd think we'd have darn diligent doggin' of water protection. And you would be RIGHT. Water quality advocates with the Missouri Coalition for the Environment are among our waters' ardent champions.
This week Earthworms talks with Brad Walker, MCE's Rivers Director, and Alicia Lloyd, Water Policy Coordinator (looking handsomely Glad in Plaid) for an update on water advocacy issues, needs, and some victories during 2017.
stLouIST