St. Louis on the Air

Engaging in sports can be beneficial to young athletes.  They provide the opportunity to be physically fit, learn discipline and build character in a fun environment.

The fun stops, however, when a sudden and unexpected injury or surprise medical condition intervenes.  This potential is worrisome to parents and coaches as talk and awareness of concussions seem to be at an all-time high.

Host Don Marsh talked with Tony Breitbach, Director of the Athletic Training Education Program at Saint Louis University, about what can be done to protect young athletes’ health.

Cancer is cruel and it impacts the lives of far too many people and their families.  According to the World Health Organization, breast cancer kills 458,000 people each year.

Recently, actress and director Angelina Jolie, in a New York Times op-ed entitled My Medical Choice, announced she received a double mastectomy in order to minimize her risk of getting breast cancer.

Jolie has a genetic predisposition to breast cancer.  Her mom died from the disease at the age of 56.

The 2013 Missouri legislative session is now in the books.

While legislators are no longer assembled in Jefferson City, the impacts of what did and did not get done will continue into the coming months.

The Republican controlled House and Senate put gun rights and taxes high on their agenda and perennial issues such as abortion and voter photo IDs came up.

Democratic Governor Jay Nixon has already vetoed some legislation and more vetoes are possible.

The legacy of African Americans who have made contributions in Missouri is highlighted in a new book written by retired local educators John and Sylvia Wright.

The name of the book is Extraordinary Black Missourians: Pioneers, Leaders, Performers, Athletes, & Other Notables Who’ve Made History.

Many of the people highlighted in the book such as Dred Scott, Langston Hughes and Scott Joplin are well-known.  Others such as concert pianist Blind Boone and teacher and entomologist Charles Henry Turner are not as well known.

More than a million students nationwide are homeless.

Children who lack a permanent or stable household is an important yet, perhaps, overlooked issue and that’s true in the St. Louis area where several thousand students do not have a permanent home.