Last month, NBC premiered Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s show “Titan Games,” a reality television program where men and women compete in emotional and daunting physical challenges. Tonight, the semi-finalists compete and inch one step closer to the final prize –among them is native St. Louisan Derik Scott.

The 30-year-old attorney joined host Don Marsh on Thursday’s St. Louis on the Air to talk about his participation in the athletic competition. Scott is a trained Mixed Martial Arts fighter who’s also set Guinness World Records alongside his brothers, such as setting a record for the most backflips on a Swiss ball between two people in one minute.

Those kinds of record caught the attention of the “Titan Games” producers, who reached out to Scott and asked him to be on the show. 

Arianna Dougan, an 11 year old who captured the attention of thousands, loved to dance.

“By the time she was two, she was begging for dance lessons,” Dougan’s mother, Lori Zucker, told host Don Marsh on St. Louis on the Air Thursday. “I wanted her to wait until she was old enough to appreciate them, so I told her she would have to be three to start lessons. I didn't know the lessons would have to start in the hospital.”

Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis has cut testing for urinary tract infections nearly in half after making changes to its electronic health records system.

The hospital did so by making a simple switch: it changed the order in which it conducted tests for the infections. Physicians are now directed to order a dipstick urine test before a bacterial culture to test for an infection. The change cut the number of unnecessary tests by 45 percent. Barnes officials say that saved the hospital nearly $100,000 in lab costs and cut down on unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions.

The results show that changing how tests are ordered electronically can influence patient care, said David Warren, the hospital’s medical director for infection prevention.

The St. Louis Chess Club played host to 10 of the finest female chess players in the world for the last couple of weeks. The brand-new event, the Cairns Cup, saw the participants face each other in a nine-round, all-play-all-format event for a whopping prize fund of $150,000.

Commentary was broadcast on the internet featuring the familiar trio of Yasser Seirawan, Jennifer Shahade and Maurice Ashley. In addition, there were two other all-female commentary duos: Almira Skripchenko and Anastasiya Karlovich did Russian-language commentary for online audiences, while Tania Sachdev and Tatev Abrahamyan did on-site commentary at the Kingside Diner next to the Chess Club. Suffice it to say, this event was a big deal, and it was treated as such.

Since Michael Brown was fatally shot by a white police officer in Ferguson nearly five years ago, hundreds of local governments have committed to making sure their policies and laws address racial inequalities.

New research by a team at St. Louis University will help them figure out if the new laws are having the intended effect.

This story is part of a collaborative-reporting initiative supported by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. All stories can be found here: https://taken.pulitzercenter.org/

A newly renovated red-brick jail is nearing completion. Low-milage squad cars patrol the roads. A new high-tech courtroom makes it easier to guard prisoners. Outside the courtroom are exercise equipment and a shoot, no-shoot training facility for officers.

A group seeking to merge St. Louis and St. Louis County claims a consolidated government would mean billions in savings over a 10-year period.

Organizers of the LouFest music festival have filed suit against one of its contractors, alleging that the owner of sound-and-lighting vendor Logic Systems sabotaged the 2018 festival and planned to take the event over from its management.

Listen Live Entertainment filed suit on Friday in the St. Louis Circuit Court against Logic Systems and its president Chip Self. The suit alleges that Self made “negative, misleading comments,” exaggerated statements regarding funding issues and suggested LouFest would be cancelled.

On Wednesday’s St. Louis on the Air, host Don Marsh talked with three Democratic candidates seeking to serve as St. Louis Board of Aldermen president.

Joining the discussion were incumbent Lewis Reed, who has held the seat since 2007, and two key challengers: Alderwoman Megan Green, who currently represents the city’s 15th Ward, and state Senator Jamilah Nasheed, whose 5th District includes the eastern half of St. Louis.