St. Louis on the Air

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STL Food Challenge puts restaurants to the test on reducing food waste Nov 07, 2023

Show notes

Are you guilty of bringing home leftovers only to pitch them in the trash days later? If so, you're not alone. The amount of food waste overall in our region equals the weight on nearly 1,000 adult blue whales. — 667,000 tons each year. The Green Dining Alliance and Missouri Botanical Garden partnered to see how much food could avoid landfills with specific techniques and strategies in local restaurants. We talk with people involved with the effort and with the chef/owner of a local restaurant.

Descendants of people enslaved by SLU’s Jesuits want their ancestors honored Nov 06, 2023

Show notes

Jesuits relied on enslaved labor for their missions in Missouri, including for the founding and sustaining of Saint Louis University. A three year research project uncovered this history. Now, Robin Proudie, a direct descendant, is working to preserve her ancestors' heritage and advocate for their commemoration. Christopher Tinson, chair of SLU’s African American Studies Department, talks about what it’s like to teach this history to his students.

How Bobby Bostic used his story to teach writing to incarcerated kids Nov 06, 2023

Show notes

It's been almost a full year since Bobby Bostic walked out of prison on November 9, 2022, overcoming a 241-year sentence for a robbery he committed at 16 in 1995. Bostic has spent his first year free teaching writing classes in three juvenile offender facilities in St. Louis, a mission he wrote about in a Marshall Project essay titled, "Here’s How I Use My Story to Teach Incarcerated Kids That Writing Matters." Bostic was also recently named as one the Kranzberg Arts Foundation 2024 Artists in Residence.

Exploring Black history, its sources and who gets to tell it Nov 03, 2023

Show notes

For centuries history has primarily been told from the perspective of white men. What was traditionally considered a “reliable source” has not included the voices of Black people and other people of color. Over the last decade tables have started to turn, and more historians are recognizing there is a lot of work to be done in addressing the interpretation of Black history. Cicely Hunter of the African American History Initiative at the Missouri Historical Society, Pam Sanfilippio of Gateway Arch National Park’s museum services, and Vivian Gibson, author of “The Last Children of Mill Creek” discuss the difficulties faced when attempting to provide inclusive interpretation of American history that spotlights the unique experiences of Black Americans.

How early German immigrants helped shape Missouri and St. Louis Nov 03, 2023

Show notes

German immigrants helped shape Missouri’s culture in myriad ways, as detailed in the book “Explore Missouri's German Heritage” and the documentary it inspired. Author W. Arthur Mehrhoff details the people, places and ideas that influenced the Show-Me State’s cultural heritage.

This St. Louis-area district aggressively audits student housing, citing ‘educational larceny’ Nov 02, 2023

Show notes

Since the 2018-2019 school year Hazelwood School District’s investigations into student residency have jumped 8-fold over the last five years. These investigations disrupt students – especially those who face unstable housing – and affect their access to a range of educational and other services mandated by federal law. A joint investigation by the Midwest Newsroom and St. Louis Public Radio published today examines that trend, and its consequences.

Post-Dispatch columnist finds self-dealing drained Taum Sauk fund Nov 02, 2023

Show notes

Missouri gave Iron County more than $3 million to recover after the devastating December 14, 2005 flood triggered by the bursting of the Taum Sauk reservoir. Today, the money is nearly gone. Its funded projects included a coffee shop and bike park, but they made little impact to repair the damage. Tony Messenger, a columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, investigated the fund and found that most of the money has gone to insiders. Whistleblower Erich Jett, who worked for the board overseeing the fund, reveals what he saw as early as 2015 that led him to raise an alarm.

North St. Louis native Sexyy Red heats up her hometown with 'Hood Hottest Princess Tour' Nov 01, 2023

Show notes

The fastest rising hip hop star from St. Louis is arguably Sexyy Red. The northside native is currently on the road performing the “Hood Hottest Princess Tour.” Arts reporter Chad Davis and “St. Louis on the Air” producer Miya Norfleet share their reflections on the rapper’s hometown stop at Chaifetz Arena on October 30.

Lincoln’s political savvy highlighted in ‘Differ We Must,’ by NPR’s Steve Inskeep Nov 01, 2023

Show notes

Abraham Lincoln had political ambitions from a very early age. NPR Morning Edition co-host Steve Inskeep’s new book, “Differ We Must: How Lincoln Succeeded in a Divided America,” details sixteen interactions with people who differed from him — and who helped him become a savvy politician. The book contains several St. Louis-area connections, including Lincoln’s interactions with Owen Lovejoy of Alton, Joseph Gillespie of Edwardsville, and Jessie Benton Frémont who was in St. Louis at the start of the Civil War.

How engineering and roadway design can create safer St. Louis streets Oct 31, 2023

Show notes

St. Louis drivers routinely blast through intersections. Is the problem the drivers or is it the infrastructure? We talk about speed humps and other measures being proposed to calm traffic with panelists: St. Louis Community Mobility Committee Co-Chair Liz Kramer; CBB Principal and Transportation Engineer Shawn Leight; and St. Louis Complete Streets Program Manager Scott Ogilvie.

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