St. Louis on the Air

Host Sarah Fenske delves into how municipal boundaries and school district boundaries were drawn to exclude and how local policies and services were weaponized to maintain civic separation. Joining the conversation are: history professor Colin Gordon, author of "Citizen Brown: Race, Democracy, and Inequality in the St. Louis Suburbs," as well as Erica Williams, a North County resident and founder...

St. Louis resident Sarah Schlafly founded Mighty Cricket, a startup that produces food products including powdered, roasted crickets. She joins host Sarah Fenske to discuss a challenge she made calling on local businesses to offer her product in one of their October menu items.

In order to get St. Louisans more comfortable with the idea of eating insects, Schlafly launched the Mighty Cricket Challenge, calling on local businesses to offer her cricket powder in one of their October menu items. Host Sarah Fenske talks with Schlafly about her work and this month’s campaign.

The St. Louis Cardinals have advanced to the National League Championship Series for the first time since 2014. Host Sarah Fenske talks with Missy Kelley, the CEO of Downtown St. Louis, Inc., about the economic boost the Cardinals’ success is providing to the St. Louis metro.

St. Louis Recorder of Deeds Michael Butler joins host Sarah Fenske to talk about his idea for a $10/hour open bar came about and its potential pitfalls.

Mayor Lyda Krewson is among the three city officials who have the ultimate say in whether any airport privatization deal goes through. She joins host Sarah Fenske to share her thoughts on the process, among other topics.

This weekend’s concerts at Powell Hall are a homecoming for Leonard Slatkin in more ways than one. In addition to returning last year to live in the St. Louis area, the music conductor laureate of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra is taking the podium, in part, to revisit his SLSO sendoff in 1996. Slatkin will be conducting the world premiere of variations on a theme of Paganini that were composed...

Those who staff and depend on the St. Louis region’s public transit system have seen some significant changes in recent days, particularly with the implementation of Metro Reimagined, Metro Transit’s overhaul of its Missouri-side bus lines. Host Sarah Fenske talks with transit riders and other stakeholders about the current state and future of public transit in the region. Joining the conversation...

Women comprise nearly half of the United States’ civilian labor force, according to the Department of Labor’s latest statistics. Yet their annual median earnings — about $42,000 — still fall about $10,000 short of the median paycheck men see each year. And along with the compensation gap, other workforce gender-equity disparities remain common for many industries and employers. The Women’s Foundat...

Host Sarah Fenske gets the details on a controversial aerial surveillance program being proposed for St. Louis city.

Host Sarah Fenske delves into the purpose of emotional support animals, how they differ from standard service animals or pets, and what the law says about them.

University City, Missouri, is considered to be among the more diverse communities in a region still grappling with the stubborn legacy of segregation. But five decades ago, things were different in U. City, including at the local schools. When Judy Gladney began attending University City High School in the '60s, she was one of its very first African American students, and found herself bridging tw...

While the sun’s rays were at full effect this August, the Missouri Botanical Garden launched its Grow Solar St. Louis program for St. Louis-area home and business owners. Property owners throughout the city and county can participate in this pilot program to help pool their buying power for discounts on solar panels. Host Sarah Fenske delves into why the initiative was started and how interested S...

Only 10% of domestic violence shelters accept pets. That means many people fleeing abuse find themselves giving up animals with whom they’ve formed meaningful bonds. Lydia’s House is a St. Louis shelter that houses battered women and their pets for up to two years. The pet-friendly amenities at Lydia’s House are the result of Purina’s Purple Leash Project and the work of Rescue Rebuild. In this in...

The late, great jazz composer and bandleader Duke Ellington once said, “Whether it be Shakespeare or jazz, the only thing that counts is the emotional effect on the listener.” In the summer of 1956, Ellington found himself seriously digging the bard. Inspired by his encounters with the Stratford Shakespeare Festival while on tour in Stratford, Ontario, he composed a twelve-part suite titled “Such...

Host Sarah Fenske talks with our partners at Sauce Magazine about the latest additions to the St. Louis region’s food-and-beverage community.

Growing up in Great Britain, Susan Walker heard bits and pieces about her great-aunt Mary Ranken Jordan, who had immigrated to the U.S. from Northern Ireland in the late 19th century. But several years ago she became determined to learn more about this distinguished yet mysterious relative. She knew of her lasting impact in St. Louis, and now Walker’s research into Ranken Jordan’s life and legacy...

Lt. Darla Gray remembers being the last person to enter the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department’s cadet program before it was dissolved in 1981. Now Gray is helping to lead its return. The program started back up in 2018 and presently boasts 64 aspiring officers. “I was actually looking at retirement, and they told me they were starting the program back up and asked if I would like to help de...

Much of the conversation about contemporary American health care revolves around money more than actual medicine. But given the crushing costs associated with seemingly every aspect of the industry, that focus isn’t so surprising. As Dr. Marty Makary of Johns Hopkins University notes in his newly published book “The Price We Pay: What Broke American Healthcare — And How To Fix It,” one in five Ame...

Among the local politicians with huge sway over the potential privatization of St. Louis Lambert International Airport is St. Louis Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed. Host Sarah Fenske gets the politician's thoughts on the city’s exploration of a controversial experiment in privatization. Reed could ultimately prove the swing vote that determines whether an airport lease is approved.

Host Sarah Fenske talks with New York-based journalist Meaghan Winter about her book: “All Politics Is Local: Why Progressives Must Fight For The States.” It examines how Missouri, once a purple state, had become solidly red — with GOP representatives handily passing legislation that just years before might have felt too extreme.

In this segment, Sarah Fenske talks with Gena McClendon of Washington University about a study finding that on Election Day, voters encounter more obstacles in predominantly black and low-income neighborhoods. Local election board directors from the city and county, Gary Stoff and Eric Fey, also join the conversation.

Host Sarah Fenske takes a closer look at a St. Louis story, about a baby found in a freezer, that riveted the nation when it first broke. The family mystery behind the shocking headline is the focus of a new Riverfront Times feature.

The artistic path of Brian Owens has long charted both tribute territory and totally new ground, and Owens is known to navigate both well. The local singer-songwriter’s 2017 album “Soul of Cash” premiered via Rolling Stone, and that same year Owens released the song “For You,” showcasing the vocals of five-time Grammy winner Michael McDonald alongside his own. McDonald and Owens share a hometown —...

The Missouri Botanical Garden's scientists are closely surveying Midwestern plant life. Host Sarah Fenske talks about climate change’s effects on them with Missouri Botanical Garden's assistant scientist, Adam Smith, and Daria McKevley, a supervisor of home gardening information and outreach at the center.