The Missouri Department of Transportation on Friday announced construction plans that could cause delays for many commuters in the region.

MODOT District Engineer Tom Blair said the construction will mostly impact traffic along the Interstate 44 corridor. An I-44 bridge near Shrewsbury, which MODOT found cracks in last year, will be closed through 2019. Contractors will also work on bridges between Kingshighway and 39th Street in St. Louis throughout the year.

Earlier this week, the local union representing educators who serve in St. Louis Public Schools began arbitration relating to its claims about pay discrepancy within the district.

American Federation of Teachers Local 420 claims many of its members are being paid less than colleagues with the same credentials and are seeking $10 million worth of salary increases and back pay for nearly 1,000 teachers and support staff.

On Friday’s St. Louis on the Air, host Don Marsh led a conversation in light of that news, touching on challenges surrounding teacher compensation as well as other matters. Joining the discussion were SLPS Superintendent Kelvin Adams, Missouri NEA Legislative Director Otto Fajen and the University of Missouri-St. Louis College of Education’s James Shuls. 

Ninety years ago, daring air races across the U.S. routinely attracted crowds that would dwarf attendance at spectacles such as the Super Bowl today.

“I’m talking about a half million people – paying customers – during the Great Depression coming out to watch races over the course of a weekend,” Keith O’Brien said during Friday’s St. Louis on the Air. “An additional half million would watch for free from the hoods of their automobiles parked on nearby highways … in this little window of time, air racing was one of the most popular sports in America.”

The pilots vying for the prize were usually men, and the few women pilots were often ridiculed – until they combined forces to break down barriers and make aviation history.

A local nonprofit aims to attract diverse voices to participate in the local film and media-production scene.

Continuity, a nonprofit media company, is recruiting applicants for its third-annual film-training program. It prepares people of color, women, and members of other underrepresented groups for jobs in the industry. Continuity will accept applicants through the end of April.

A total of 10 participants will be selected for the one-year program, which beings in August. The free training, which takes place at Continuity's Cortex location, will teach participants a wide variety of skills, from the basics of editing to how to create non-narrative projects. The participants will also recieve a paid stipend.

A common chemical used to kill bacteria is making them more capable of surviving antibiotics.

According to new research from Washington University, triclosan has a protective effect on strains of E. coli and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA. The chemical — which is added to hundreds of consumer products — also interferes with the antibiotic treatment of urinary-tract infections in mice.

Retired astronaut and U.S. Air Force officer Catherine “Cady” Coleman is among very few people who have lived in space. But during a visit to St. Louis last month, she came across as equally excited about life on Earth – especially because of her interactions with some accomplished high school students.

Thursday’s St. Louis on the Air included a conversation with Coleman as well as comments from two Gold Award Girl Scouts, 17-year-old Molly Frei and 16-year-old Lilly Orskog, who Coleman came to town to help celebrate alongside the Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri.