St. Louis on the Air

Kalila Jackson joins host Sarah Fenske to discuss how tenants can exercise their rights without escalating the situation. She’s a staff attorney at the Metropolitan St. Louis Equal Housing and Opportunity Council, better known as EHOC. Also joining the conversation is Sunni Hutton, a volunteer grassroots organizer with Homes for All St. Louis.

Cara Spencer, who currently represents St. Louis' 20th Ward on the city's Board of Aldermen, announced on today's show that she plans to run for mayor. She talks with host Sarah Fenske about the decision.

Some of the area’s most buzz-worthy bars are focused on drinks that won’t get you buzzed — drinks that have the rich mouthfeel of a Manhattan without all the booze. That includes Elmwood in Maplewood. In this episode, Sarah Fenske talks with Elmwood beverage director Dave Greteman about how the low and no-proof ABV (alcohol by volume) options on Elmwood’s menu are changing the dynamic at its bar.

U.S. Congressman William Lacy Clay Jr. (D-St. Louis) is issuing a dire warning when it comes to President Donald Trump’s actions regarding Iran. “If we don’t reign in this president’s recklessness, we will commit young men and women to a war zone in the Middle East, and the results will be a catastrophe,” he says in this episode of the talk show. “I’ve seen this before,” he continues. “And apparently no one in this president’s family has ever served in the military or ever gone to war, so it probably doesn’t faze him. He doesn’t realize what the damage will be to Americans in a war zone. It’s so cavalier.” In his conversation with host Sarah Fenske, Clay also has harsh words for the city of St. Louis’ aborted exploration of airport privatization. Months before Mayor Lyda Krewson pulled the plug on the costly effort, Clay had called for a public vote on any deal to lease St. Louis Lambert International Airport.

Thousands of Missouri residents have received medical cannabis cards, and dispensaries are gearing up to begin sales of the product later this year, likely in the spring. Physicians have the ability to prescribe medical marijuana to patients via the state’s certification form, although they are not obligated to do so. Sarah Fenske talks with two physicians, who are also sisters, to get a sense of how they are preparing for implementation of this new law, and why they react differently when patients request their signatures on a medical marijuana certification form.

St. Louis Police Chief John Hayden says his crime-fighting strategy in north St. Louis, known as “Hayden’s Rectangle,” is working to curb violence in the city. In this interview, he talks with Sarah Fenske about this strategy, as well as the recent spate of violence on New Year’s Eve, the biggest impediments to officer recruitment and his goals for the coming months.

For those interested in learning more about East St. Louis’ rich cultural legacy, a new “music and history walk” is one route to consider. Treasure Shields Redmond, daughter of East St. Louis Poet Laureate Eugene Redmond, is organizing opportunities for hipsters, jazz nerds and genuinely curious minds alike. Host Sarah Fenske talks with Shields Redmond how opportunities like the Historic Jazz & Poetry Excursion is showing the world a different East St. Louis than what you might see on the evening news.

Missouri has collected more than 2,000 applications for medical marijuana business licenses - but who will bank those businesses? Many are not willing to take on the risk for something that is illegal at the federal level. St. Louis Public Radio reporter Corinne Ruff talks with Sarah Fenske about her exploration into the challenges facing banks hoping to get involved in this new industry.

This weekend, the Black Rep premieres its production of playwright August Wilson’s “Two Trains Running,” which tells the story of regulars at a Pittsburgh diner grappling with the civil rights movement, eminent domain and the threat of an urban renewal program that will change their neighborhood. In this segment, Sarah Fenske talks about the production with the Black Rep’s founder, Ron Himes, as well as the director for the Black Rep’s production of “Two Trains Running,” Ed Smith.

Host Sarah Fenske discusses the Excel Center and its vision for 2020. The program is an alternative tuition-free high school that helps adults over the age of 21 earn their high school diplomas. Joining the discussion is Jadee Lauer, St. Louis Excel Center director, and Victor Tenn, a recent graduate of the program.

Wednesday kicked off the new legislative session for the Missouri House and Senate. That means a whole host of lawmakers vying to get their bills passed. And it could mean changes to how they govern -- and how we live our lives. Joining host Sarah Fenske for this conversation from Jefferson City is St. Louis Public Radio reporter Jaclyn Driscoll. Also participating in the discussion are Missouri Speaker of the House Elijah Haahr and Senate Minority Leader Gina Walsh.

The St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station opened with a big splash on Christmas Day. Thousands of area residents have been streaming through its gates in the two weeks since, and aquarium staff have had to turn some families away due to sell-out crowds. For executive director Tami Brown, that and frustration with long lines have been the only downsides of an otherwise successful launch of the new downtown destination. Many visitors have expressed excitement about their experiences, staff have been enthusiastic about their interactions with visitors and animals alike, and the many marine species who now call the aquarium home seem to be adapting well. In this segment, Brown joins host Sarah Fenske for a deeper dive into the new activity at Union Station. Also joining the conversation is St. Louis Aquarium curator Aaron Sprowl, who discusses the wide-ranging creatures and their transition to a new space. The podcast also includes an audio tour of the aquarium, first impressions from children and adults alike, and plenty of questions from listeners who call into the show.

Two of the largest library systems in the St. Louis region are axing fines for overdue library materials. St. Louis County Library and St. Louis Public Library join a trend of major metropolitan library districts across the U.S.— including Kansas City, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City and Chicago — that have eliminated fines for their users in an effort to increase access and equity within the communities they serve. Kristen Sorth of SLCL and Waller McGuire of SLPL join host Sarah Fenske for a conversation about the significance of this change, and two listeners share their stories as well.

Host Sarah Fenske talks with our partners from Sauce Magazine about the latest additions to the St. Louis region’s food and beverage community to check out this January.

Host Sarah Fenske gets the latest on the Major League Soccer stadium being planned for St. Louis from St. Louis Business Journal reporter Jacob Kirn.

Picture this. You’re driving on the highway when you get pulled over. The police rifle through your car. And then they help themselves to any cash they find, pushing you to sign a waiver that relinquishes your rights to it. They say if you don’t sign, you could be looking at years in prison. It might sound crazy, but it's actually a longstanding process throughout the country. And, as journalist Bill Freivogel discovered, it’s alive and well in Missouri. Local police agencies routinely seize large amounts of cash without ever charging suspects. They then use that money to build new headquarters, or buy military equipment or in one case, even a margarita maker. It’s called asset forfeiture. Freivogel has been covering the issue in depth over the past year in a series called Taken reported in conjunction with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. He joins host Sarah Fenske in this segment to talk about it.

The biggest party in town on New Year’s Day may well have been outside Illinois Supply & Provisions. Metro area residents stood in line for hours outside the Collinsville, Illinois shop with the goal of purchasing legal marijuana products, as Illinois just became the 11th state to legalize cannabis for recreational use. St. Louis Public Radio reporter Eric Schmid was at the shop on New Year's Day, and he joins host Sarah Fenske to discuss what people should know about buying and consuming Illinois’ recreational marijuana in 2020 and beyond.

A year ago this week, Andy Magee set out on a 365-day quest to visit every single location within the U.S. National Park System. Now, after having spent the holidays exploring various parks in Hawaii, the local artist and co-owner of Cioci’s Picture Mart in Kirkwood has brought his long journey to a close. On New Year's Eve, he checked the final site off of his to-visit list: the Gateway Arch. In this conversation, he looks back on some of the biggest highlights and lessons from his trip.

In mid-December, St. Louis County Executive Sam Page touted his police department’s promotion of Lt. Keith Wildhaber as a key step toward thoughtful change within the department. But the Ethical Society of Police (ESOP), which represents many black officers in the St. Louis region, soon put out a statement saying it was “extremely disappointed” with Lt. Wildhaber’s promotion. In this interview, Sarah Fenske talks with the president of ESOP, St. Louis police Sgt. Heather Taylor, about ESOP's take on Wildhaber's promotion.

Last month, the St. Louis County Council voted 4-3 for Councilwoman Lisa Clancy’s bill to establish a trust fund aimed at creating more affordable housing. In this segment, Sarah Fenske talks with Clancy about her proposal, as well as the major developments on housing affordability in the St. Louis region over the past few years. Gary Newcomer, director of operations for the Community Builders Network of Metro St. Louis, also joins the conversation.

Over the past 13 months, the Loop Trolley regular traveled a 2.2-mile route from the Missouri History Museum to the Delmar Loop and back again several days each week. But on Sunday afternoon, it made its final few laps along those tracks — at least for now — before going out of service indefinitely due to funding problems.

Why do so many physicians require women to get a Pap smear and a pelvic exam before writing a one-year prescription for birth control? Most of us never think about that question. It is what it is. But Jill B. Delston isn’t like most of us. Her new book, "Medical Sexism," argues that linking these invasive procedures to birth control access is a form of medical sexism.

It’s been a busy and in some instances bizarre few weeks of legal news on both the regional and federal level — from the prospect of legal jeopardy for public defenders to a case involving a St. Louis-area doctor and his child bride. In this episode, host Sarah Fenske convenes our regular Legal Roundtable for a closer look at these stories and other recent developments pertaining to the law. Also on the lineup is the latest news surrounding St. Louis County Police Department Sergeant Keith Wildhaber — who has been tasked with overseeing a new diversity and inclusion unit after winning a $20 million jury verdict for sex discrimination — and a $113 million judgment facing Missouri taxpayers in light of an appellate court ruling about state corrections officers’ backpay. Joining the discussion are William Freivogel, J.D., journalism professor at Southern Illinois University Carbondale; local attorney Nicole Gorovsky, J.D., of Gorovsky Law; and Mark Smith, the associate vice chancellor and dean for career services at Washington University.

The St. Louis cabaret scene got a boost this fall with the debut of the Blue Strawberry, a dining and show destination on the eastern edge of the Central West End. A quick glance at the venue’s music calendar reveals a steady parade of performers — continuing on into the new year. And during the first weekend of 2020, New York-based singer/songwriter Rick Jensen will be collaborating with local cabaret performers, together presenting three consecutive evenings of storytelling and song. In this episode, host Sarah Fenske gets a preview from cabaret artists Beverly Brennan, Robert Breig and Dionna Raedeke.

While many St. Louis-area residents are accustomed to celebrating Christmas during winter, it’s just the opposite in Australia where it’s summer. Host Sarah Fenske talks with Philip Barnes, artistic director of the St. Louis Chamber Chorus, about the organization’s “Christmas Down Under” concert.

A nearly two-year process to consider leasing St. Louis Lambert International Airport to a private operator is coming to a screeching halt. In this interview with Sarah Fenske, St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson explains why she is sending a letter to members of the Airport Advisory Working Group, asking that her representative, Linda Martinez, not support or vote to move forward with issuing a Request for Proposals.

Host Sarah Fenske talks with members of the Saint Louis Georgian Sewing Society. Their stitch work takes them back to the seventeen hundreds.

An estimated 30% of Missouri youth in foster care or group homes are on psychotropic drugs of some sort — nearly twice the national average for kids that age. Many are on multiple drugs. And powerful anti-psychotic drugs have been used to treat conditions like ADHD and conduct disorders, even though the Federal Drug Administration hasn’t approved them for that use.

Has the comedy scene become more inclusive in the last six decades? What does "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" get right and wrong about being a woman in comedy?

At present, people living with HIV in Missouri can face consequences on par with murder conviction for transmitting the disease. In the Missouri House, state Reps. Holly Rehder (R-Sikeston) and Tracy McCreery (D-St. Louis) have each pre-filed bills for 2020 that they see as addressing an important public health issue.

The bi-state area was particularly well represented on TVs across the nation Thursday evening during a two-hour ABC “The Great American Baking Show: Holiday Edition” premiere. Three of the 10 talented bakers competing in the first episode of this fifth season call the region home.

What once was a plan to build a continuous greenway along St. Louis’ Chouteau Avenue has morphed into something even bigger — and, after a year of planning and civic engagement, Great Rivers Greenway has now released a 140-page document outlining the overall aims of the project.

The tech company Readout Health was founded in San Francisco, but it recently moved to St. Louis. Last week, the startup launched its first medical device, Biosense.

St. Louis-based duo Spectator will join host Sarah Fenske to discuss their musical identity and journey.

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.

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.

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.”

Host Sarah Fenske talks with St. Louis Public Radio reporter Rachel Lippmann about the latest in the troubling case of a St. Louis man found guilty of murder. Prosecutors say he’s not guilty. So why is he still in prison?

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

The deadline to enroll in a health care plan via the Affordable Care Act marketplace is Dec. 15. Are plans more or less affordable than in previous years? What should people be aware of while searching for plans outside of the ACA marketplace? In this conversation, Sarah Fenske puts these questions to Timothy McBride of Washington University in St. Louis. In addition to talking about the health and future of the ACA marketplace, McBride, the co-director of the Center for Health Economics and Policy, also discusses what Medicaid expansion could look like in Missouri.