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House Speaker Elijah Haahr is the latest guest on Politically Speaking, where he talked with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum about what to expect during the 2019 legislative session.

The Springfield Republican was elected as House speaker on Wednesday. His caucus will have a chance to accomplish a lot, since the GOP holds commanding supermajorities in both of the General Assembly’s legislative chambers.

An attorney, Haahr was first elected to his post in 2012 to represent a part of Springfield in the Missouri House. He quickly rose up the ranks, eventually being selected to chair the House General Laws Committee and being elected as House speaker pro tem.

Moonlighting, freelancing, working a second job, picking up a side hustle – all of these terms and cobbled-together career strategies have become common themes in an ever-changing 21st-century economy. And many people in the St. Louis region are among those who have adopted such an approach to making a living. Host Don Marsh leads a discussion about such labor trends, digging into the reasons behind them.

Host Don Marsh talks up some of the latest additions to the St. Louis region’s food-and-beverage community with Sauce Magazine’s managing editor Heather Hughes and art director Meera Nagarajan.

Host Don Marsh talks to St. Louis Public Radio political reporter Jason Rosenbaum as the Missouri General Assembly begins its 2019 session in Jefferson City.

In 2014, writers Michael Walker and Kristen Adele Calhoun met for the first time as grad students in New York City through a play-reading group. On that same day, a young man named Michael Brown was shot nearly 1,000 miles away in Ferguson, Missouri.

Years later, they join host Don Marsh along with The Black Rep's producing director Ron Himes to discuss their "Canfield Drive" production. 

For more than 20 years, the City Museum in downtown St. Louis has provided a unique getaway. The museum is partly a playground, but it also contains numerous architectural marvels, many of which are the creation of Bob Cassilly, the founder of City Museum who died in 2011.

Host Don Marsh talks with Rick Erwin, director of the City Museum, about the history of the institution and about its recent sale to Premier Parks, an Oklahoma-based theme-park company.

Ahead of his Jan. 22 appearance in St. Louis, Republican politician and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush discusses everything from the passing of both of his parents in 2018, to the uncertainty and future of the United States, to the current situation in Washington.

Host Don Marsh leads a discussion about observing and appreciating urban wildlife in the bi-state area. Joining the conversation are Danny Brown, a lifelong Missourian, retired biologist and avid wildlife photographer; and Mark Glenshaw, a local naturalist whose focus is the owls who reside in Forest Park.

St. Louis County Councilwoman Lisa Clancy joins St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies to talk about a slew of issues affecting county government.

Clancy was sworn in last week to represent the council’s 5th District, which takes in more than a dozen municipalities in eastern and central St. Louis County.

Clancy has a master’s degree in social work and has worked for about a decade with nonprofit groups. She also has been president of the Hadley Township Democrats, which includes Richmond Heights, Maplewood, University City, Clayton and Shrewsbury.

Jeff Tweedy discusses his memoir, childhood, musical influences and founding Uncle Tupelo and Wilco. We also sample and analyze some songs from Tweedy's career.

Kirsten Lie-Nielsen lives her dream of self-sufficiency in rural Maine - and shares the experience in her new book, So You Want to be a Modern Homesteader? (New Society, 2018). 

From finding the home place to prioritizing work and funds to enjoying the community flow when neighbors drop in, Kirsten covers options with practicality and a smile in her voice. Her goats are never far from the phone! Check out Kirsten's blog at hostilevalleyliving.com. 

Music: Cuttin' at the Point, performed live at KDHX by The Freight Hoppers. 

Special THANKS tonight to Anna Holland, Earthworms audio engineer for the past year+. We say farewell with this edition, Anna, appreciating the media professional you already are, and wishing you the BEST in your next round of College work. It was especially fun to have your perspectives on Citizenship on the show we produced right after the 2018 Election. 

Related Earthworms Conversations: Green Finned Hippy Farm: Purpose, Passion, Perspective, Hogs (Aug 2018)

Keeping Geese with Kirsten Lie-Nielsen (Nov 2017)

Crystal Moore Stevens: Grow, Create, Inspire (Oct 2016)

Fourteen-year-old St. Louisan Kennedy Holmes made her hometown proud this past fall as she competed on NBC's "The Voice." She made it to the final episode of the season, ultimately snagging fourth place on the wildly popular show. St. Louis Public Radio newscaster Marissanne Lewis-Thompson talks with the young star shortly after the competition's conclusion.

Rossino’s and Café Balaban are two restaurants many St. Louisans remember fondly. They're among the more than 40 restaurants highlighted in Ann Lemons Pollack's new book "Lost Restaurants of St. Louis." Pollack recalls bygone eateries that loom large in memories. She also profiles three iconic restaurants that still exist and even traces the food history of the 1904 World’s Fair.

St. Louis Public Radio political reporters Jo Mannies and Jason Rosenbaum join "St. Louis on the Air" host Don Marsh for analysis of everything from recent changes to the St. Louis County Council to new ideas about potentially merging the county and St. Louis City.

St. Louis Public Radio politics editor Fred Ehrlich and political reporters Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies joined host Don Marsh during Thursday’s talk show to look back at the past year in local and regional politics. They also touched on what's in store in 2019.

The year 2018 didn’t go down quite like Jossalyn Larson or her family expected. After being diagnosed with breast cancer in May, Larson underwent several months of chemotherapy. And yet through all the change, some things have stayed the same – and she’s found the various aspects of everyday life helpful as she travels a difficult path.

When it comes to New Year’s resolutions, an intention to lose weight continues to top the list for many Americans. All too often, those goals go unachieved – and another year goes by. In this episode of the talk show, two St. Louisans offer listeners suggestions for making real progress toward a healthier lifestyle.

Last month’s 4.4 magnitude earthquake in Tennessee set off fresh questions about the potential for significant seismic activity occurring in the St. Louis region, which last saw earthquakes of magnitude 7 or larger in the early 19th century. According to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, the New Madrid Seismic Zone "appears to be about 30 years overdue" for a magnitude 6.3 quake. But on Wednesday’s St. Louis on the Air, Washington University Professor of Seismology Michael Wysession suggested that a focus on flooding and tornadoes remains appropriate when it comes to disaster preparedness in the region.

With a revolutionary year in Missouri politics winding down, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum, Jo Mannies and Rachel Lippmann decided to reflect on what happened and why it matter.

And what better way to do that than a list of the five biggest stories of 2018?

You’ll have to listen to the final Politically Speaking to find out which event topped our list. But it’s fair to assume that the startling descent of Eric Greitens and the Missouri U.S. Senate contest made the cut.

Other developments that were contenders including the repeal of right to work, which bars unions and employers from requiring workers to pay dues as a condition of employment. And big political developments out of St. Louis County also caught the Politically Speaking team’s attention.

Guest host Shula Neuman spoke with Jim Weddle, the outgoing managing partner of Edward Jones, who retires Dec. 31. Weddle reflected on spending his entire career with one of the St. Louis area's largest employers, the Great Recession of 2018 and the current economic situation.