The biggest party in town on New Year’s Day may well have been outside Illinois Supply & Provisions. Metro area residents stood in line for hours outside the Collinsville, Illinois shop with the goal of purchasing legal marijuana products, as Illinois just became the 11th state to legalize cannabis for recreational use. St. Louis Public Radio reporter Eric Schmid was at the shop on New Year's Day, and he joins host Sarah Fenske to discuss what people should know about buying and consuming Illinois’ recreational marijuana in 2020 and beyond.
A year ago this week, Andy Magee set out on a 365-day quest to visit every single location within the U.S. National Park System. Now, after having spent the holidays exploring various parks in Hawaii, the local artist and co-owner of Cioci’s Picture Mart in Kirkwood has brought his long journey to a close. On New Year's Eve, he checked the final site off of his to-visit list: the Gateway Arch. In this conversation, he looks back on some of the biggest highlights and lessons from his trip.
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, Sarah Fenske talks with the president of ESOP, St. Louis police Sgt. Heather Taylor, about ESOP's take on Wildhaber's promotion.
Gun control and sports betting are some of the big issues Missouri lawmakers are expected to tackle when they convene next week in Jefferson City. The 2020 legislative session is also expected to feature an intense debate on redistricting.
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 Network of Metro St. Louis, also joins the conversation.
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.
State Rep. Jim Murphy is the latest guest on Politically Speaking. The south St. Louis County Republican joined St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Julie O’Donoghue to talk about what to expect in the 2020 legislative session.
Murphy represents Missouri’s 94th House District, which includes places like Mehlville and Green Park. It is one of the most competitive House seats in the state, as it famously flipped between Democrat Vicki Englund and Republican Cloria Brown for roughly a decade.
Mobile payment company Square's upcoming move into the old home of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch could mark the start of an effort to attract more companies downtown. The group behind the building's renovation has filed paperwork with the state for the North of Washington Innovation District.
The 2010s brought about immense change to the world of Missouri politics. At the beginning of the decade, the Show Me State was a competitive electoral battleground where both political parties had a chance to make significant gains. By 2019, Republicans took near complete control of state government and key federal posts.
So how did we get here? On the last episode of Politically Speaking of the 2010s, St. Louis Public Radio’s Julie O’Donoghue, Rachel Lippmann and Jo Mannies join me to break down the 10 stories that defined the decade.
A Belleville-based organization trains volunteers to describe live events for the blind and visually impaired. MindsEye recently signed an agreement with the Enterprise Center to provide the service for selected events, including St. Louis Blues games.
Missouri Coalition for the Environment has celebrated 50 years of environmental advocacy, legal work, education and policy-making in 2019. It's been a gala year of recognition well earned, with plenty more to do.
This conversation with Heather Navarro, MCE Executive Director, caps the year with Heather's perspectives on the work, processes as well as outcomes. Heather's service extended to public life when she was elected Alderwoman of the City of St. Louis 28th Ward in 2017.
A series of recent KDHX Earthworms conversations salute the work of MCE, with both personal and professional BIG THANKS for opportunities to serve our shared goals. Onward, into a new decade of Green action!
Music: Washboard Suzie, performed live at KDHX by Zyedeco Crawdaddies
Thanks to Andy Heaslet, Earthworms engineer from Sierra Club
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 on the lineup is the latest news surrounding St. Louis County Police Department Sergeant Keith Wildhaber — who has been tasked with overseeing a new diversity and inclusion unit after winning a $20 million jury verdict for sex discrimination — and a $113 million judgment facing Missouri taxpayers in light of an appellate court ruling about state corrections officers’ backpay. Joining the discussion are William Freivogel, J.D., journalism professor at Southern Illinois University Carbondale; local attorney Nicole Gorovsky, J.D., of Gorovsky Law; and Mark Smith, the associate vice chancellor and dean for career services at Washington University.
State Rep. Dan Shaul joined St. Louis Public Radio’s Julie O’Donoghue and Jason Rosenbaum on the latest edition of Politically Speaking.
The Imperial Republican represents the 113th District in the Missouri House. That takes in a portion of northern Jefferson County, particularly parts of Arnold, Imperial and Barnhart.
Shaul is the chairman of the Special Interim Committee on Gaming. That committee held hearings over the summer on the proliferation of gaming machines in truck stops and gas station — and the expansion of sports betting.
Missouri and Illinois will have legal cannabis in some capacity starting in January. That complicates workplace drug testing policies. We examine how some employers are dealing with the upcoming changes in marijuana laws.
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 cabaret performers, together presenting three consecutive evenings of storytelling and song. In this episode, host Sarah Fenske gets a preview from cabaret artists Beverly Brennan, Robert Breig and Dionna Raedeke.
There was some pretty big news that dropped right after our weekly round up show hit the Internet: St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson announced on St. Louis Public Radio's St. Louis on the Air that a bid to bring a private operator to run St. Louis Lambert Airport was dead.
We felt this was big enough news to create a mini-episode where St. Louis Public Radio's Julie O'Donoghue and Jason Rosenbaum talk with Corinne Ruff, who had been closely following airport privatization for months.
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 for Proposals.
On the final Politically Speaking roundup show of 2019, St. Louis Public Radio’s Julie O’Donoghue and Jason Rosenbaum look at some of the headlines that made an impact in the waning days of the year.
O’Donoghue talked with St. Louis Public Radio reporter Eric Schmid about impending legalization of marijuana in Illinois. It’s a move that will have a profound impact on towns in the Metro East — and on neighboring states like Missouri.
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