Missouri House Rep. Ian Mackey is the latest guest on the Politically Speaking podcast. The Democrat from Richmond Heights talked to St. Louis Public Radio’s Julie O’Donoghue and Jason Rosenbaum. Mackey won his first election to the state house in 2018. His district includes Richmond Heights, Clayton and University City.
In this episode of St. Louis on the Air, Sarah Fenske talks with NPR legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg. They discuss the rate at which the Trump administration has appointed federal appeals court judges and district court judge, the upcoming Supreme Court docket, and the loss of Nina's friend and colleague, Cokie Roberts.
Queer Puerto Rican author Gabby Rivera is coming to St. Louis to talk about her novel 'Juliet Takes a Breath.' The book was originally published by an extremely small press, to a limited audience. But it resonated with LGBTQ and Latinx readers nationally, and now, three years after its initial publication it’s being re-released in hardback and translated into Spanish.
Since 1999, Washington University’s Mini-Medical School has taught students everything from the basics of a checkup to how to repair nerves via microscopic surgery.
In this episode of St. Louis on the Air, host Sarah Fenske learns more about Mini-Medical School by chatting with its director, Dr. Cynthia Wichelman. One of the courses’ presenters, a physician who studies gastrointestinal diseases, also joins the conversation alongside her patient, who lives with a chronic, inflammatory bowel disease.
Several years ago, restaurant industry veteran Michael “Kup” Kupstas was happily enjoying retirement when the appeal of Lion’s Choice prompted a change of plans. He wound up reentering the workforce in 2017 as the regional fast-food chain’s president and CEO. “It was really the similarity of an experience I had early on [in a previous role] with Panera, to be honest,” Kupstas says in this episode, explaining what impressed him about Lion’s Choice. “I think what makes certain brands stand out is that they are able to differentiate dramatically in a really crowded field.” Kupstas tells host Sarah Fenske that he was also drawn to the “loyal, fanatic fans” and the employees of Lion’s Choice, which Food & Wine magazine recently deemed Missouri’s best fast food.
The new Major League Soccer stadium in St. Louis is expected to be built near other sports and entertainment venues including Enterprise Center, Busch Stadium and Union Station. Washington University Sports Business Program Director Patrick Rishe talks about how other cities have set up similar districts to help boost economic development.
St. Louis on the Air host Sarah Fenske was joined by Bill Freivogel of Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Mark Smith of Washington University, and Mary Anne Sedey of Sedey Harper Westhoff P.C. for September's legal roundtable. This included a federal lawsuit seeking class action status in connection with the so-called “kettle” arrests from 2017, an ongoing case about whether a Missouri representative can block a constituent on Twitter, and recent happenings in the St. Louis circuit attorney’s office.
The group Mixed Feelings offers opportunities for people who identify as multiracial to share their struggles in defining racial identity. Members say it's time to reassess the nation's traditional black and white cultural dichotomy and to make room for those with roots in more than one group who want to embrace their varied identities.
Yesterday, Missouri Governor Mike Parson came to St. Louis for a packed afternoon of meetings. The topic: crime in St. Louis. His solution? More state troopers assigned to the city, in a variety of roles. And more funding -- $2 million -- for victims of violent crime.
In this St. Louis on the Air segment, Sarah Fenske talks with St. Louis Public Radio reporter Rachel Lippmann about the governor's priorities.
The Loop Trolley platform just outside the Pageant in the Delmar Loop was packed last Friday evening with people waiting to board. That hasn’t been a common sight in recent months following the launch of the controversial trolley, but on this particular night, something was different. Local comedian Yale Hollander was rolling out the first iteration of Laugh Tracks, a unique comedic combination in which attendees need only pay the $2 trolley fare for about 45 minutes of family-friendly standup while riding the nostalgic vehicle. He talks with host Sarah Fenske and with local developer and trolley booster Joe Edwards about the comedy, the trolley and more.
The latest edition of Politically Speaking takes a closer look at what’s historically known as the Board of Freeholders, a 19-person body that could present a plan merging St. Louis and St. Louis County to local voters.
Earlier this week, the Municipal League of Metro St. Louis submitted its last batches of signatures in St. Louis and St. Louis County to jumpstart the freeholders process. St. Louis County Board of Elections Democratic director Eric Fey said the county’s signatures will likely be certified on Monday.
Forward Through Ferguson has released the second report of their State of St. Louis series, “The State of Police Reform: What has and hasn’t changed in St. Louis policing?”
The report concludes that since the Ferguson unrest, there have been more programs implemented than actual changes in policy, and that these programs bring short-term benefits, stopping short of lasting growth. The report says that the St. Louis region is in desperate need of holistic public safety policies that don’t rely on an arrest-and-incarcerate model.
Sarah Fenske talks with Karishma Furtado, data and research catalyst for Forward Through Ferguson, in this episode of St. Louis on the Air.
Stéphane Denève makes his much-anticipated debut this weekend as the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra’s new musical director. He is a self-described people person, who fell in love with music as a young child in a small town in northern France. We get to know a bit more about the person behind the artistry.
Host Sarah Fenske talks with Western Wear Night ringleaders Ryan Koenig and Lucas Hanner. The segment also takes listeners to the latest iteration of the monthly event at the Whiskey Ring, which in some cases has attracted hundreds of attendees over the course of the evening.
Every September, many residents of Troy, Illinois, turn out to remember Airman Bradley R. Smith. He died in Afghanistan in January 2010. They honor him with an annual 5K run. Smith's parents started the event as a way to remember their son, who was awarded the Silver Star for saving members of his unit while under fire. But Smith's father says the event has become bigger than his family's loss.
For five years, Champale Anderson has been distributing free snack bags to the kids in her neighborhood who would otherwise go hungry. She had been supplying the snacks out of pocket for awhile, and decided recently to start a GoFundMe campaign. She started the campaign with a goal of raising $1,500, and as of September 16, has raised more than $60,000. In this segment, Sarah Fenske talks with Anderson about her hopes for the campaign, which she is calling Champ’s Teardrops.
Before she became a household name for her internationally acclaimed illustration work, Mary Engelbreit was a typical young adult finding a way to make a living in St. Louis. In her late teens and early 20s, she worked at a local art store and an ad agency — and then landed a job as an editorial artist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. But she was let go during her probation period, as she tells host Sarah Fenske in this episode, after she challenged the fact that men were paid much more than women. Leaving the daily newspaper gave her the time to develop greeting cards, and from there, what would become a wildly popular company bearing her name. Throughout her career, her lifelong love for drawing has remained central. She continues to call St. Louis home, and she talks about her journey and her craft ahead of her appearance at this weekend's BookFest in the Central West End.
After the failure of Better Together, city and county leaders are planning to put their heads together to decide whether St. Louis and St. Louis County should merge. But even people amenable to a merger aren’t super optimistic this process will lead to systemic change.
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