St. Louis on the Air

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, Sa...

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 Net...

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...

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 ca...

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...

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...

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 t...

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 Magaz...

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, O...

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 th...

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 describe...

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 t...