© 2024 St. Louis Public Radio
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

The Rundown: Appreciating Our Town's Arts And Culture

Joseph Leahy / St. Louis Public Radio
St. Louis street names recall the city's French heritage.

We know that you listen to us on air and check our website for news and information about our region. We hope that you look at our website every day, but we know that's not always possible. So, once a week, on Friday, we will highlight some of the website's top stories of the week.

Our town: History...

As part of St. Louis' 250th birthday, we'll be looking at people, places and things throughout the year that are quintessentially St. Louis, or [sɛ̃ lwi].

Pard' My French: St. Louis' Peculiar Way Of Saying Local Street Names

St. Louis is unusual among American cities in having so many streets and places with French names. Over centuries, its residents have also adopted some unusual ways of pronouncing them. While these interpretations could make many modern French speakers cringe, some echo the original dialect of the city when it was still a part of New France. In other words – maybe we shouldn’t feel so bad about how we pronounce “Chouteau” these days.

... Art ...

St. Louis Artist Cbabi Bayoc’s ‘365 Days With Dad’ Draws To A Close

Tonight, St. Louis artist Cbabi Bayoc plans to finish his masterpiece: the “365 Days with Dad” project. Bayoc launched his series of paintings of African-American fathersas a year-long effort, chronicled by the St. Louis Beacon in an extensive series called "The Art of Fatherhood."  But it turned into a two-year endeavor for reasons including the fact that the father of three spends as much time parenting as he does painting.

... Architecture ...

Commentary: Keeping The Palladium Alive

Local musician Pokey LaFarge writes: Right on the edge of Grand Center, at 3618 Enright, near Sweetie Pie’s, stands one of the most important parts of St. Louis music history that you need to hear about -- the Palladium. The stories the building could tell future generations paint a vivid scene of St. Louis music, but the building could soon be lost forever.

... Theater

Richard Baker Bids Farewell To The Fox, Shares Thoughts On Local Arts Scene

Richard Baker, president of Fox Associates since 2001 and a member of the Fox Theatre staff in a variety of capacities since 1986, is leaving to go to the Starlight Theatre in Kansas City on March 17. Baker looked back on his eventful 27-plus years at the Fox, the evolution of Grand Center and an unpredictable career path that took a young boy who loved theater and Broadway from dreams of becoming a doctor, to a degree in accounting, and then full circle to the Fox.

Impeach Nixon?

Relations between the GOP-controlled Missouri legislature and Gov. Jay Nixon, a Democrat, may be at a low point, say some political analysts. One consequence: The legislature is expressing its displeasure by attempts to impeach the governor or strip him of certain gubernatorial powers.

Some Missouri Legislators Talk Impeachment, But Prospects Are Slim

Just seven weeks into this legislative session, tensions are running high between legislative Republicans — especially in the Missouri House — and the top Democrat in the state Capitol, Gov. Jay Nixon. Two House Republicans have filed articles of impeachment against the governor, while House Speaker Tim Jones, R-Eureka, has set up a special committee to look into “continued regulatory overreach of both the state and federal governments."

On the trail

While Democrats on the national level are pushing to increase minimum wage, that effort is not likely to trickle down to Missouri -- in part because Democrats see the minimum wage as a way to get Democratic voters to the polls in states with tight races.

Despite National Focus, Missouri Minimum Wage Vote Faces Murky Future

President Barack Obama sent a message during his State of the Union address to every mayor, governor and state legislator who want to increase the minimum wage: Don't wait on Congress, Americans will support more local government initiatives. Obama’s words may resonate in Missouri, where a 2006 ballot initiative to raise the minimum wage passed overwhelmingly. But prospects for a statewide vote to raise the minimum wage this year are murky.

Ticket to ride

With Carmel soon to enter the St. Louis market, can companies like Lyft or Uber be far behind?

New Way To Hail A Cab Approved: Taxi Commission OKs First Dispatch App License

St. Louisans will soon have a new way to hail cabs in the region. The Metropolitan Taxicab Commission on Tuesday approved a license for Carmel Car and Limo to start offering its smartphone app in St. Louis.

Modern-day slavery?

St. Louis on the Air presents an important discussion about a difficult topic.

St. Louis Is A Hot Spot For Sex Trafficking: A Discussion About Efforts To End The Trade

Sex trafficking is not just an international problem, or even a national one. It is also a problem here in St. Louis. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, St. Louis is a hot spot of sex trafficking activity, one of the top 20 in the country.

Susan Hegger comes to St. Louis Public Radio and the Beacon as the politics and issues editor, a position she has held at the Beacon since it started in 2008.