St. Louis on the Air

Composting and combating food waste are the subjects of this month's Sound Bites segment with Sauce Magazine. Sauce managing editor Heather Hughes and Total Organics Recycling marketing coordinator Sara Koziatek join guest host Sharon Stevens to explain what composting is, how it helps the environment and how some local restaurants are making it a priority to keep food scraps out of landfills.

For one weekend every year, the J.C. Penney Conference Center at the University of Missouri-St. Louis transforms into an art and book lover’s paradise. And this year, people can take it all in for free. Local artists Erin Blumer and Juliette Travous, who will be giving watercolor and pastel demonstrations during the final day of the fair, and the Mercantile Library’s fine arts curator, Julie Dunn-Morton, discuss the 13th annual event.

The St. Louis region continues to buzz with questions about the Better Together proposal that would consolidate St. Louis and St. Louis County governments if the plan is approved in a statewide vote next year. St. Louis Public Radio's Sarah Fentem headed to another Midwestern city, one that went through a consolidation effort five decades ago, in search of some answers.

Following a newsy 24 hours since the federal indictment of now-former St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger, St. Louis Public Radio politics editor Fred Ehrlich discusses what's ahead for county government.

Executive producer Alex Heuer talks with St. Louis Public Radio reporters Jason Rosenbaum and Rachel Lippmann, along with University of Missouri-St. Louis political scientist Dave Robertson regarding the resignation and indictment of former St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger.

The team behind “Gentlemen of Vision” expand on their trip to Cartagena, Colombia, where they showed the film and talked to Colombian audiences about St. Louis and the similar challenges that face disadvantaged young people in both places.

Guest host Sharon Stevens talks about the breaking news with St. Louis Public Radio political reporter Jason Rosenbaum, UMSL political scientist Dave Robertson and Washington University law professor Peter Joy.

Matt Blunt served as the Republican governor of the Show-Me State from 2005 to 2009. Since leaving office, he's become the president of the American Automotive Policy Council.

STLPR's Beth Hundsdorfer goes behind the headlines for a closer look at a newly published report.

St. Louis Public Radio reporter Jonathan Ahl talks with CHARIS – The St. Louis Women’s Chorus artistic director Stuart Chapman Hill and members Wendy Bell and Emma Young about their spring season, community involvement and collaborations with other choruses and community arts and social services organizations.

Saturday is Independent Bookstore Day, and many of the bookstores in the St. Louis region and beyond are going all out for the celebration of an industry that is much more than business.

The national dialogue about the immigrants and refugees seeking a better life in the U.S. is fraught with strong opinions and divisive rhetoric. But some St. Louisans are finding ways to turn their concern about what is happening at the border into action and service. A group of professors at Webster University have been involved in those efforts and have now taken two trips, along with groups of Webster students, to the border.

Comedian and former “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno delves into his career, what he makes of the rise in streaming services and waning of appointment viewing and more.

Cahokia Mounds – the peaceful, sprawling historic site that sits just outside Collinsville, Illinois – was once home to thousands of people. Contemporary understandings of what life was like within the thriving ancient civilization continue to evolve and expand, and Washington University paleoethnobiologist Gayle Fritz’s new research is part of that. Her new book “Feeding Cahokia: Early Agriculture in the North American Heartland” presents fresh findings about Cahokian agriculture – and about the role and status of the women who took the lead in this aspect of daily life.

The year 2018 was a record one for organ transplants in the U.S., with more than 36,000 people receiving new organs. But there is still great need for more donors: About 8,000 people die each year because the organs they need are not donated in time. Diane Brockmeier, president and CEO of Mid-America Transplant, and Dr. Will Chapman, chief of transplant surgery at Washington University and Barnes-Jewish Hospital, discuss some of the latest advancements and answer questions about becoming a donor.

Leonard Slatkin discusses his return to St. Louis ahead of a concert celebrating the 50th anniversary of his debut with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.

Our monthly Legal Roundtable got underway as St. Louis Public Radio reporter Jonathan Ahl delved into a variety of recent local and national stories pertaining to the law with Bill Freivogel, journalism professor at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, Mark Smith, associate vice chancellor of students at Washington University, Marie Kenyon, director of the Peace and Justice Commission of the Archdiocese of St. Louis.

Ever been dumped in an ice cream shop? Writer and artist Kayla “KVtheWriter” Thompson has, and she can assure the uninitiated that it’s not sweet. Did the experience ruin ice cream for her? Sure. But it also became the basis of her upcoming EP titled “Love Sucks!” St. Louis Public Radio reporter Jeremy D. Goodwin talks with Thompson about her curation of written, visual and aural depictions of her journey through love and loss.

St. Louis Treasurer Tishaura Jones joins St. Louis Public Radio reporter Jeremy D. Goodwin to discuss her plans to reevaluate the banks that are approved to handle the city's money, her opposition to Better Together, and more.

This behind-the-headlines segment focuses on a new report about how syphilis is invading rural Missouri and a fraying health safety net is failing to stop it.

The welfare of all sorts of insects has been garnering attention of late, with some disconcerting headlines about declining insect populations. St. Louis Public Radio’s Jeremy D. Goodwin talks with Webster University biologist Nicole Miller-Struttmann to learn more about what is happening and how humans can help bees and other insects thrive.

Millennials, who are set to outnumber baby boomers sometime this year, are members of a generation often dubbed as lazy, oversensitive and entitled. But are they really? Or are they just misunderstood and maligned? Eric Goedereis, associate professor of psychology at Webster University and academic director of Webster’s gerontology program; Kendra Elaine, a millennial leadership expert and diversity coach; and Steph Kukuljan, a St. Louis Business Journal reporter, discuss the millennial generation, their experiences, misconceptions about them and more.

The flames that engulfed Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on Monday have people around the world thinking about the importance of cultural preservation and fire safety as well as the fragility of cherished landmarks. St. Louis Public Radio's Jeremy D. Goodwin explores how those topics have informed local efforts associated with protecting historic buildings and St. Louis’ cultural heritage.

Ricky Riccardi – author of “What a Wonderful World: The Magic of Louis Armstrong’s Later Years” – sits down with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jeremy D. Goodwin to discuss the importance and impact of Armstrong’s early career.

Jen Hobbs' just-released book is titled “American Hemp: How Growing Our Newest Cash Crop Can Improve Our Health, Clean Our Environment, And Slow Climate Change.”

St. Louis County police officer Benjamin Granda joins producer Alex Heuer to discuss how officers decide when or when not to chase down a suspect, and how attitudes toward chases have shifted recently.

Harris-Stowe State University and Missouri Humanities Council are commemorating some of the city’s past residents in a new Civil War panel titled “Long Roads to Freedom.” Delving into the topic's history are Gregory Wolk, Heritage Resources coordinator for Missouri Humanities Council, and Gregory Carr, Instructor in Speech and Theater at Harris Stowe State University.

St. Louis Public Radio reporter Jeremy D. Goodwin talks with Karen Kalish, founder and CEO of Home Works, The Teacher Home Visit Program; Lisa Pines, a school secretary at Vashon High School who has made over 80 home visits; and Diane Dymond, principal of Stix Early Childhood Center.

A conversation with Forest Park Forever’s horticulture superintendent Roman Fox about all things Forest Park in the springtime, including the best spots for a walk in the park and how his team maintains all of the plant life.

St. Louis activists have been applying the community-organizing skills they learned during Ferguson on the southern U.S. border to protest the Trump administration's border policies. St. Louis visual journalist Carolina Hidalgo recently returned from reporting on their actions and joins this conversation alongside activists Cathy "Mama Cat" Daniela and Elizabeth Vega.

St. Louis is home to a thriving performing arts scene, with a wide range of plays, concerts and much more on the collective playbill any night of the week. But it’s not every day a show provides a little of everything – all of it courtesy of some of the city’s youngest performers. On Saturday evening, the 2019 St. Louis Teen Talent Competition will bring audience members a total of 15 performances that run the gamut, from vocal and instrumental numbers and dances to musical theater and circus acts.

Tom Countryman, the former U.S. State Department assistant secretary for International Security and Nonproliferation, discusses the future of diplomacy and civil service and modern diplomatic concerns with St. Louis Public Radio reporter Rachel Lippmann.

Saturday marks the 100th day that U.S Sen. Josh Hawley has been in office.

David Berczek, chief of the NGA Office of Corporate Communications West, and Ken Olliff, vice president for research at Saint Louis University, joined Wednesday’s St. Louis on the Air to discuss the future of the geospatial ecosystem in our region.

“When is a cookbook more than a set of instructions? And how might a meal rewrite history?” These two questions frame Washington University scholar Rafia Zafar’s exploration of the rich history of African American food and dining in her new book “Recipes For Respect: African American Meals and Meaning.” In it, Zafar leads readers to a deeper understanding of the authors and chefs whose lives and contributions she brings to the fore.

Jay Farrar, lead singer and songwriter for the St. Louis band Son Volt, discusses their newest album "Union" with producer Alex Heuer

Washington University’s Molly Metzger and Hank Webber are co-editors of the new book “Facing Segregation: Housing Policy Solutions for a Stronger Society.” Will Jordan is the executive director of the Metropolitan St. Louis Equal Housing and Opportunity Council, or EHOC.

For the past 19 years, Charles Glenn’s voice has regularly set the tone for St. Louis Blues home games. Last week he announced that this will be his last season singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” for the hockey team, citing multiple sclerosis as a factor in his decision to retire.

Like many documentarians, Oren Rudavsky delved into his latest film project eager to “get under the surface” of his subject’s public persona. And his soon-to-premiere documentary “Joseph Pulitzer: Voice of the People” manages to do just that. But Rudavsky’s primary reasons for making the film about the celebrated giant of American journalism and founder of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch were political ones, he tells executive producer Alex Heuer.

Science reporter Eli Chen takes listeners on a trip to the Endangered Wolf Center in Eureka, Missouri, to show how the center is seeking to understand and support the endangered African painted dog. The center is currently home to 23 painted dogs who were born this past winter.

The Riverfront Times' Danny Wicentowski goes behind the headlines with St. Louis Public Radio's Alex Heuer to remember the steers who took the city by storm – and the people who helped them find their way back to pasture. Also participating in the discussion are Ellie Laks, founder of the Gentle Barn, and local rescue enthusiasts Adam Brewer and Kelly Manno.

Acclaimed scholar, critic and essayist Gerald Early discusses a variety of topics: including baseball, his latest book, "The Cambridge Champion of Boxing," and the value of literary works.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch's lead Cardinals beat reporter Derrick Goold joins St. Louis Public Radio reporter Rachel Lippmann to discuss the new baseball season and his revised book on the team's history.

Producer Alex Heuer talks with two Washington University School of Medicine professionals who are spearheading efforts to help Rohingya refugees living in camps located in Bangladesh: Dr. Anne Glowinski, professor of psychiatry, and Dr. Rupa Patel, assistant professor of medicine.

UMSL student Letisha Wexstten won $15,000 two weeks ago in a campus competition for her business concept that aims to help people with disabilities find employment. Alex Zvibleman won $10,000 for his coffee-shop concept, and Bailee Warsing and Tim Bragg won $5,000 for the business they've co-founded, Singular Construction Automation. They discuss the stories behind their endeavors and what's next with producer Evie Hemphill.

Sauce Magazine managing editors Catherine Klene and Heather Hughes talk up some of the latest additions to the St. Louis region’s food-and-beverage community.

After leading Washington University for nearly a quarter century, Chancellor Mark Wrighton will retire this summer. He joined St. Louis Public Radio's Maria Altman to discuss his tenure at the school, and his future as campaign chairman for Better Together.

St. Louis Public Radio's Jonathan Ahl talks with U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Donna Martin, who is the first woman and third African American to lead the base.

It’s no secret that St. Louisans love their beer, so much so that some take the matter into their own hands with no intention of ever going pro. Homebrewing is the subject of this month’s Sound Bites segment with Sauce Magazine. Producer Lara Hamdan talks with local homebrewers Suzie Emiliozzi, president of The OG: Women’s Craft Beer Collective, and Troy Meier, president of the STL Hops Homebrew Club. Sauce managing editor Catherine Klene also participated in the discussion.

Twenty-first-century humans who make it to age 65 are tending to live longer than previous generations did – a pattern that Ashton Applewhite describes as a global demographic phenomenon and one that should be celebrated. Applewhite is the author of "This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism."