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Tuesday, December 17, 2019 - Box Turtle Project

4 years 10 months ago
Researchers at St. Louis University and the St. Louis Zoo have been studying Missouri's native box turtles in Forest Park and at a wild habitat near Washington University's Tyson Research Center in Eureka for seven years. Zoo scientists have recently found the turtles survive better in the wild than in urban parks.

'Path of the Past' Details Metro East Man's WWII Journey

4 years 10 months ago
As soldiers from World War II increasingly reach the end of their lives, more people are trying to preserve their stories and experiences. One of them is Louis Baczewski. In June of 2015, Baczewski bicycled more than 700 kilometers, following the path of his grandfather’s armored division, which doggedly fought its way through Europe during WWII.

Monday, December 16, 2019 - Climate Change Music

4 years 10 months ago
A Washington University music professor and composer is exploring the intersection of science and art through his new work "Seasonal Music." The 30-minute string quartet, which draws inspiration from Vivaldi's Four Seasons, focuses on the ways we interact with our environment and how humans are changing it.

How The Fair Trade And Ethical Shopping Movement Is Evolving In St. Louis

4 years 10 months ago
With just two weekends left before Christmas, the holiday shopping frenzy is in full swing. And like most Americans, gift buyers in the St. Louis region have countless options to choose from, both online and locally. But more and more people are choosing to put their discretionary dollars toward meaningful products — consumer goods that support a good cause. Julio Zegarra-Ballon, owner of Zee Bee Market, has been pleasantly surprised to see the growing appetite locally for fair trade and ethical shopping since opening his first brick-and-mortar outpost in the South Grand commercial district in 2014. The fair trade scene in St. Louis is still a relatively small one, and industry professionals including Alyson Miller, executive director of Partners for Just Trade, see plenty of room for more consumer education. In this episode, host Sarah Fenske talks with both Miller and Zegarra-Ballon. The conversation also includes comments from Patrice Estes, director of the mostly volunteer-run Plowsharing Crafts, which is headquartered in the Delmar Loop.

Jamaa Birth Village Founder Calls Mercy’s Ferguson Plans 'Predatory' And 'Opportunistic'

4 years 10 months ago
Since Brittany “Tru” Kellman started Jamaa Birth Village in 2015, she’s sought to provide a community-driven solution to an ongoing nationwide health issue: the racial disparities within pregnancy-related mortality rates. African American women are three to four times more likely to die in childbirth than their white peers. For Kellman, who endured two cesarean sections and other challenges as a teen mom years ago, that work has been focused in Ferguson, Missouri, where she lives. But earlier this week, a letter published in the St. Louis American — and signed by many women of color who are leaders in the region — revealed a major controversy that’s been festering for months. “As black women and Missourians who organize to dismantle reproductive oppression,” the letter began, “we write to express our outrage and demand accountability for the disrespect and unethical treatment of Missouri’s first black Certified Professional Midwife [Kellman] by Mercy Birthing Center Midwifery Care.” Kellman has accused Mercy of breaking an agreement to “leave midwifery services in Ferguson to Jamaa,” as reported by St. Louis Public Radio. She said Mercy’s August announcement, of plans to open a nearby clinic next year, came after Jamaa agreed in March to train Mercy staff to administer culturally sensitive care at an existing clinic in Creve Coeur. In this episode, Kellman joins host Sarah Fenske to share her perspective on the situation. Mercy has declined interviews but this segment does include a statement from Mercy expressing regret over “the confusion that has arisen related to our plans.”

Bringing Back Red Light Cameras — And Getting The Pulse on Impeachment

4 years 10 months ago
The latest episode of Politically Speaking features St. Louis Public Radio's Julie O'Donoghue and Jason Rosenbaum talking with Kae Petrin about red light cameras. This show also features The Kansas City Star's Bryan Lowry talking about the impending impeachment of President Donald Trump — and how MIssouri's congressional delegation is reacting.

Friday, December 13, 2019 - Dennis Lower Retirement

4 years 10 months ago
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.

St. Louis Restaurants That Have Stood The Test Of Time

4 years 10 months ago
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.

Humans of St. Louis Opens New Lambert Airport Exhibit

4 years 10 months ago
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.

Nicole Galloway Discusses Ongoing St. Louis Audit

4 years 10 months ago
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.

Wednesday, December 11, 2019 - Missouri HBCU Funding

4 years 10 months ago
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?

Wash U's Dr. Joshua Swamidass Builds Bridge Between Science And Creation Myths In New Book

4 years 10 months ago
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.

Raised in St. Louis, 4 Circus Harmony Alums Now Tour The World With Cirque Du Soleil

4 years 10 months ago
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.

Ray Price

4 years 10 months ago
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.