St. Louis on the Air

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.

As another Star Wars movie speeds toward the galaxy this month, fans are eagerly anticipating its arrival — while non-fans may be yawning over the premiere of yet one more big-budget action flick. But regardless of one’s feelings about Star Wars, Marvel or other modern myths that dominate pop culture, self-described “superfan but also a critical fan” James Croft argues that these persistent hero narratives overlap with the real world in powerful ways. “We can learn so much about ourselves and about our culture,” Croft has said, “by exploring how heroism is portrayed in movies like ‘Star Wars’ – including how notions of what heroism is, and who can be considered a hero, have developed over time.” As the outreach director for the Ethical Society of St. Louis, Croft plans to dig into this topic at a free event Thursday evening at the society. In this episode of the talk show, he joins Sarah Fenske in studio alongside Martin Casas, owner of Apotheosis Comics & Lounge, which is sponsoring the hero-focused event.

The St. Louis Public Radio digital team crafted its first Photojournalism Prize photography contest last month. Host Sarah Fenske talks bout the results and impact of the station's first photo competition for teens. Joining the conversation are St. Louis Public Radio’s visual communications specialist David Kovaluk, McCluer North student Mya Davis and Roosevelt High School teacher Sara Haag.

A newly renovated building is now open Grand Center. It’s called the High Low. And like many other buildings in Grand Center, it’s focused on the arts. But unlike many of the others, it’s not a theater or a performance space. Instead, it calls itself a “venue for freedom of expression through spoken and written word.” In other words, it aims to be a literary hub for a city that’s long had an outsized impact on the world of letters.

Astrophysicists at Washington University in St. Louis are teaming up to find some answers. The research team has been chosen as one of NASA’s eight new Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institutes. They are part of a five-year cooperative agreement valued at more than $7 million.

The City of St. Louis is considering leasing St. Louis Lambert International Airport to a private company. If such a deal goes through it would bring a cash windfall to the city. Host Sarah Fenske talks with Adolphus Pruitt, president of the NAACP’s St. Louis chapter. Despite skepticism and opposition from others, Pruitt is a vocal supporter of the idea to lease the airport.

The Omnimax Theater at the St. Louis Science Center reopened last week after a $3.5 million renovation. Chief among the changes is a switch from film to digital projection. While most theaters have made that transition, the complexities of the Imax format on a domed screen presented challenges.

By the mid-1960s, Conrad Hilton’s brief marriage to Zsa Zsa Gabor was decades behind him. The hotel magnate was worth an estimated $100 million. But he was also notoriously cheap — with both his ex-wives and his children. So how did a pair of St. Louis nuns persuade Hilton to give them more than $1.5 million? As Webster University professor emeritus Allen Carl Larson discovered, it took three years of correspondence, a shared faith and a deep mutual respect.

Host Sarah Fenske talked with Rocca before a sold-out crowd at the library about his new book, “Mobituaries.”

Host Sarah Fenske will talk with our Legal Roundtable panelists about several current issues pertaining to the law.

The Thanksgiving holiday is a time to reflect and share the things for which we are grateful.

Michael Turley wasn’t always a farmer. In fact, before he started managing the 120 Holstein cows on his family’s dairy farm in Greenville, Illinois, he was managing workers at the St. Louis communications and marketing firm Osborn Barr as its CEO.

What does St. Louis’ Robison Park have in common with the Wild West Chimpanzee Show at the St. Louis Zoo? Both no longer exist — and both are depicted in a new book showing off historic photos from the Gateway City.

Host Sarah Fenske talks with Grannie Annie board member Martha Stegmaier and Karissa Hsu, who wrote a story about her grandmother’s journey to America after fleeing conflict in East Asia during WWII. Hsu is one of 38 students selected out of 536 submissions to be published in the 14th volume of the annual Grannie Annie book

Nov. 24 marks five years since the aftermath of the grand jury decision not to indict Darren Wilson, the Ferguson police officer responsible for the fatal shooting of Michael Brown. Ferguson received a lot of attention during and after the unrest, but the town of Dellwood also experienced upheaval. After the grand jury decision, five of Dellwood’s stores were looted and 13 businesses were set on fire. In this segment, Dellwood Mayor Reggie Jones and business owner Kurtis Barks of Complete Auto Body and Repair discuss how the city recovered from the damage and where Dellwood is headed in the future.

“The Future of My City” project aims to connect students in the Ruhr area of Germany and the Rust Belt here in the United States. These areas have a lot in common; in many cases they’re trying to find their place in the post-industrial world. As part of the project, students from the University of Missouri–St. Louis traveled to Dortmund, Germany to see its revitalization efforts up close. The paper they wrote tied for first place in the “Future of My City” competition. In this discussion, UMSL graduate and doctoral students, Adam Brown and Liz Deichmann, talk about the findings of their study.

Host Sarah Fenske talks to American Cricket Academy and Club founder and president Ajay Jhamb about what the cricket sport is all about and how local kids can get involved. Also joining the discussion are cricket players Taine Dry, 15, and Pooja Ganesh, 11.

Sarah Fenske talks with Jennifer Smith Richards of the Chicago Tribune and ProPublica reporter Jodi Cohen about their reporting on the use of seclusion rooms in Illinois schools

The Chamber Project St. Louis is exploring the concept of beauty in its 12th season by digging beneath the surface and asking questions about what should be considered beautiful, who gets to decide and why it matters. Its executive director Dana Holte and St. Louis musician and composer Syrhea Conaway, also known as Syna So Pro, join host Sarah Fenske to discuss the topic.

The Great Moscow Ballet’s Nutcracker made its local premiere at the Fabulous Fox this week. On stage with its star ballerinas? A bunch of local kids, being wowed by the experience. We’ll learn how they get chosen and what their preparation looks like. Host Sarah Fenske talks with Yuriy Kuzo, Moscow Ballet soloist and audition director, about the production.

Every year, one lucky group is the recipient of the Opus Prize. It’s given to an organization developing quote creative solutions to some of the world's most pressing problems. And it comes with a one million prize courtesy of the Opus Prize Foundation. Host Sarah Fenske talks with a group of St. Louis University students who were charged with deciding who gets it.

The new artistic director for the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Hana Sharif, makes her directorial debut at the Rep this December with an adaption of Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice.” In this interview, Sarah Fenske talks with Sharif about the production and her background.

Kaiser Health News Midwest Correspondent Cara Anthony joins host Sarah Fenske to talk about her latest report examining problems that shoppers in East St. Louis encounter at local corner stores.

Jensen will joins host Sarah Fenske to discuss how his office handles everything from racketeering cases to civil forfeiture — and, under Jensen, has made violent crime in St. Louis a particular focus. Both a CPA and a former FBI agent, Jensen will share his thoughts on his office’s greatest triumphs and biggest frustrations — and what he hopes to accomplish in the next year.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson joined STLPR reporter Jason Rosenbaum in a wide-ranging interview. The topics included workforce development, abortion in light of controversy concerning Planned Parenthood, the Hyperloop initiative, regulating guns and more.

Each month, our partners at Sauce Magazine join us to hash out some of the top food and drink additions to the region. But 2019 has said its fair share of goodbyes to notable establishments in the St. Louis, from the tragic fire that shut down Goody Goody Diner to the closing of Piccione Pastry on the Delmar Loop after a seven-year run. Sauce’s managing editor Catherine Klene and artistic director Meera Nagarajan join the program to talk through some of the closings patrons miss most.

Host Sarah Fenske talks with seventh-generation Ozarker Kaitlyn McConnell about her new guidebook, "Passport to the Ozarks," which lists 61 “out-of-the-way places to see, visit and experience throughout the Missouri Ozarks.”

In the wake of St. Louis Public Schools’ termination last month of Trey Porter, Roosevelt High School’s now former football coach and athletic director, there were more questions than answers. Porter joins host Sarah Fenske to share his perspective on the events of recent days.

What happens when you pair hip hop and violin? Host Sarah Fenske explores the answer with acclaimed hip-hop violin duo Black Violin, alongside St. Louis music producer and musician Brandon McCadney, known as Mad Keys.

The International Institute of St. Louis has been a welcome community for immigrants and refugees to the area for 100 years. In this segment, Sarah Fenske talks with the group's president and CEO, Anna Crosslin, as well as the founder of St. Louis Bosnians Inc. and the director of Grupo Atlantico.

Filmmaker Lynn Novick’s new documentary “College Behind Bars,” set to air on PBS later this month, follows the journeys of men and women pursuing academic degrees while in prison. In doing so, it illustrates the life-changing nature of educational opportunity while also putting a human face on mass incarceration and, as the film’s website puts it, “our failure to provide meaningful rehabilitation for the over two million Americans living behind bars.” Prison education programs including the one featured in Novick’s film, the Bard Prison Initiative, are among efforts to address that failure across the nation. Locally, both St. Louis University and Washington University run programs that bring faculty members to several of the region’s correctional institutions to lead college-level classes. And like other such programs, they boast extremely low recidivism rates for participants who have since been released from prison. In this episode, Novick sits down with host Sarah Fenske to discuss her film and the critical issues it puts in the spotlight. An alumnus of the Bard Prison Initiative, Salih Israil, participates in the conversation, too, as does Paul Lynch, the director of SLU’s Prison Program.

In the new Netflix documentary, "Game Changers," the former team physician for the St. Louis Rams and Cardinals challenges what he refers to as a “locker room mythology about meat, protein and strength.” Dr. James Loomis says that contrary to popular belief, protein isn’t what sustains a person’s energy. Rather, energy comes from carbohydrates, and when carbohydrate calories are sacrificed for protein calories, athletes can develop symptoms like chronic fatigue or loss of stamina. In this segment, Sarah Fenske talks with Loomis about the rise of plant-based eating in professional sports.

The Trump administration’s formal withdrawal of the U.S. from the Paris Agreement on climate change has members of the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative concerned. The organization is worried that the withdrawal could lead to U.S. commodities producers being taxed or penalized by countries that signed on to the accord, something that the European Union has signaled they would like to pursue. In this interview, Sarah Fenske talks with the executive director of the Mississippi River Cities & Towns Initiative, Colin Wellenkamp, as well as Kimmswick, Missouri, Mayor Phil Stang, about what leaving the accord could do to the competitiveness of Midwest commodity exports.

At their core, Missouri and Illinois programs do the same thing: They allow doctors to certify patients to use cannabis if they have a qualifying condition. But there are significant differences in the details of each law. In this segment, Sarah Fenske talks with St. Louis Public Radio reporter Jaclyn Driscoll about the differences between the two state's medical marijuana programs.