STLPR Talk Shows

Nationwide, there are more expulsions in preschool than any other grade level.

In Missouri, one out of every 10 preschool-age children is expelled. Deeper into that statistic, African American boys are three times more likely to be expelled than other children in preschool.

The first woman to officially enter and run the Boston Marathon, in 1967, did so under the gender-neutral entry “K.V. Switzer.” When race officials found out she was a woman, one race director physically attacked her for wearing an official bib number in the race. That moment was caught on camera and made headlines around the world, later becoming one of Time-Life’s “100 Photos that Changed the World.” Her full name is Kathrine Switzer.

The founder and producing director of St. Louis’ Black Repertory Company, Ron Himes, was a freshman in high school the first time he was exposed to a live play. And then, it was only under extenuating circumstances.

“I think it was only because I was in the honors group,” Himes said on Friday’s “Cityscape.” “The students in the honors group got to go to cultural events, which didn’t make any sense. It seemed like everybody but the honors group needed it.”

This month, St. Louis-based video artist Zlatko Ćosić presents two simultaneous—but quite different—exhibits. In one, Ćosić closes a mournful and war-torn chapter of his life; in the other, he celebrates the mundane, lively, hidden world of a park.

Former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Bob Gibson is one of the best to have ever played the game.

Gibson, who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1981, played 17 seasons for the Cardinals from 1959-1975. The list of superlatives and awards that define his career is lengthy though his new book, “Pitch by Pitch: My View of One Unforgettable Game,” is a snapshot―an account of the first game of the 1968 World Series.

The oldest, still-operating farmers market in St. Louis, Soulard Farmers Market, has a history that stretches back over 200 years. But it is only in the past 15 that the local food scene has exploded across other municipalities in the region, bringing with it smaller markets and more opportunities for local growers to sell their produce and products.

What’s the big deal with the organ these days? It’s big, bulky and often associated with boring church music or, worse, funeral homes. That’s not the full story, according to organist Paul Jacobs, the first and only person to win a Grammy for his organ-playing. He’s trying to change the organ’s perception by teaming up with local favorite, famed soprano Christine Brewer for a new CD and tour.

After every school shooting, the push to reform gun laws becomes the object of much debate. Ultimately, not much changes. Will the shooting that took place last week at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon have any different legal response? Monday’s “Legal Roundtable” discussed the subject with “St. Louis on the Air” host Don Marsh, among other pressing legal matters of the day.

The St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs baseball rivalry is the stuff of legend.  The teams and their rabid fan-bases now have the chance to put the walk in their talk as the two battle it out in the National League Division Series.

Tied at one game apiece, the Cubs and the Cardinals play this evening at Wrigley Field. We thought we’d have a little good, old-fashioned public radio fun by agreeing to a friendly wager with WBEZ, the public radio station in Chicago.

Irish singer and actress Maxine Linehan wants you to remember your roots.

This weekend, Linehan joins the Gaslight Cabaret Festival with her performance, titled ‘An Irish Singer. A Journey to America. An Immigrant’s Story.” The story she sings is her own; but it is also, she stressed, universal.  

“I came here 15 years ago from Ireland,” Linehan said, “but what I find quite remarkable, every time we perform this show, is how people connect with my story because it’s their story, or their parents’ or their grandparents’.”

Erin Bode, Brian Owens, Diane Reeves, Betty Carter, Wynton Marsalis, Joshua Redman, David Sanborn…these are just some of the names in local piano legend Peter Martin’s figurative rolodex. He’s performed with them all, and he’s crossed off every name on his musical bucket list—except for one.

When Leanne Magnuson Latuda originally thought about conducting a piece about soldiers’ trials during and after war for her organization’s yearly gala, she hesitated.

The crisis in Syria is on everyone’s minds right now—whether for humanitarian concerns, worries over ISIS or Russian involvement. Here at home, several groups have made the call to accept more Syrian refugees to the St. Louis region. So far, 29 have arrived since the beginning of this year.

If you don’t know Robert Reich from his term as the 22nd U.S. Secretary of Labor under the Clinton administration, perhaps you’ve heard his commentaries on “Marketplace.” The economist and scholar has written fifteen books on the state of the American economy and recently released his sixteenth, “Saving Capitalism: For the Many, Not the Few.”

Open enrollment for Medicare starts this month, on Oct. 15, and closes Dec. 7.  It is the only time of the year that plan beneficiaries have the ability to change their Medicare health and drug plans.

Plan costs and coverage benefits seem to change almost as soon as they are enacted. Around 1700 people in the St. Louis area alone will be impacted by their Medicare Advantage plan not renewing their contract with Medicare, making open enrollment an important part of the year to pay attention to.

  On Tuesday, Dr. John Morley, SLUCare physician and director of geriatrics at Saint Louis University’s School of Medicine, joined “St. Louis on the Air” host Don Marsh to discuss remaining vital and vibrant through the years as well as a recent $2.5 million federal grant to the university to teach primary care doctors to care for older adults.

In 2014, historic preservationists and community members called for the preservation of St. Louis County Library’s Lewis & Clark branch, designed by noted architect Frederick Dunn. Activists said that branch was the most architecturally significant in the county library’s system. Also at stake were stained glass windows, created by artist Robert Harmon with Emil Frei Studios, depicting Meriwether Lewis, William Clark and Sacajawea on their famed Westward expedition.

Nationally-known multimedia artist Larry Krone grew up in St. Louis, but has not returned for a major exhibition of his work since 2006. On Friday, Oct. 2, that changes when the Sheldon Art Galleries opens an exhibition of his pieces, which combine found textiles, graphics and craft materials with his own artistic stamp.

Heather McGinley was born in St. Louis and graduated from O’Fallon Township High School in 2001. Now, she’s returned to the region with the Paul Taylor Dance Company, performing Oct. 2 and 3 at the Touhill Performing Arts Center as the 50th season opener for Dance St. Louis.

“I’ve been dancing professionally in New York for seven years,” said McGinley on Friday’s “Cityscape.” “This will be my first performance in St. Louis since beginning that career.”

For good reasons and for bad ones, the north St. Louis County city of Ferguson has acquired an international reputation. Its name has spread through conversations about social justice and inequities, including economic and educational issues. Art also has spread impressions of the city, more positive than not, and has come to play a significant, sometimes cathartic role in the life of Ferguson.

Most of the works of art are visual – drawings, paintings on wood used to board up buildings, even professionally produced prints that exalt the hands-up posture. There had not been a major musical endeavor such as a symphony. Now there is.

Nationally-known multi-media artist Larry Krone grew up in St. Louis but has not returned to exhibit his work since 2006. On Friday, Oct. 2, that changes when the Sheldon Art Galleries opens an exhibition of his pieces, which combine found textiles, graphics and craft materials with his own artistic stamp.

The Guardian has called it “compulsively readable.” Dame Helen Mirren has said it to be a “masterpiece.” On Thursday’s “St. Louis on the Air,” host Don Marsh spoke with prolific theatre critic John Lahr about his biography of St. Louis’ famous playwright, Tennessee Williams, which was released in paperback earlier this month. Turns out, Tennessee Williams was not as fond of claiming St. Louis as St. Louis is of claiming him.

If you’re a caffeine junkie, you know that St. Louis has a plethora of delicious coffee shops from which to seek your fix. Likewise, with several big coffee roasters such as Kaldi’s and Ronnoco and local icons such as Dana Brown with his famous Safari Coffee commercials, you may even think of St. Louis as a modern-day center for Midwestern coffee nuts. But did you know that St. Louis’ history with coffee reaches back almost 200 years?

It has been 25 years since the historic Americans with Disabilities Act was enacted by the U.S. Congress and St. Louis will join cities across the country in commemorating its passage. 

Tomorrow’s long-awaited opening of Ikea has some “St. Louis on the Air” Twitter followers already prepping for a lengthened commute. 

Lilly Ledbetter, the woman behind the employment discrimination case Ledbetter vs. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., will visit the area this week as part of the Women’s Foundation of Greater St. Louis’ Making a Difference 2015. On Tuesday, she spoke with “St. Louis on the Air” host Don Marsh about her women’s rights activism following the discovery that she was only paid $3,727 per month compared to 15 other men in similar positions at Goodyear Tire who earned from $4,286 to $5,236 per month.

September is World Alzheimer’s Month and statistics from the recently released ‘World Alzheimer Report 2015’ show that by 2050, an estimated 131.5 million people across the globe will have dementia. Currently, that number sits at about 46.8 million people worldwide. A shift in the proportional growth of older populations is the root cause of that increase, but still, the numbers are startling.

Grand Center advertises itself as the intersection of the arts and life in St. Louis. Home to Powell Hall, the Fox Theatre, the Sheldon, and several other cultural institutions, Grand Center has the ‘arts’ half of that label taken care of. Now, Karin Hagaman, Grand Center, Inc.’s new president and CEO, wants to develop the ‘life’ half.

In 2015, it is hard to imagine a scuba diving trip that would not include at least 400 selfies. Not the case for world-renowned ocean photographer Ernest Brooks, whose exhibition "Silver Seas: An Odyssey" is now on display at the International Photography Hall of Fame.

After bursting onto the Missouri political scene in 2004 during a daring bid to replace retiring U.S. Congressman Dick Gephardt, Jeff Smith seemed like he could do no wrong. His grassroots political campaign to launch from unknown into the U.S. House of Representatives is considered one of the most successful in history—even though he narrowly lost to Russ Carnahan. The critically-acclaimed documentary “Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore?” followed that campaign. Smith went on to become a Missouri Senator, representing parts of St. Louis.