October 13, 2019

St. Louis Region Has Third-Fastest-Growing Foreign-Born Population Among Major Metros

Recent data shows the St. Louis region’s foreign-born population is growing at a faster rate than most of the country’s largest metro areas.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the region’s foreign-born population grew by 5,640 people, or 4.1%, between 2017 and 2018, rising to a total 141,894 people. This population is comprised of immigrants, refugees and temporary migrants such as international students.

The country’s overall foreign-born population grew by 0.5% and reached nearly 45 million.

Ness Sandoval, an associate sociology professor at St. Louis University who tracks population changes, used the data to compare metro St. Louis to the U.S. Census Bureau’s top 20 metro areas. He found that St. Louis was the third-fastest-growing major metropolitan area after Riverside, California, and Seattle in terms of people born outside the U.S.

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/st-louis-region-has-third-fastest-growing-foreign-born-population-among-major-metros

October 13, 2019

Q&A: St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson On Airport Privatization

For 17 months, St. Louis has been weighing the idea of leasing its airport to a for-profit entity. As a member of the city’s Board of Estimate and Apportionment, Mayor Lyda Krewson is among the three city officials who have the ultimate say in whether any deal goes through — the others being Comptroller Darlene Green and Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed.

Last week, the city’s airport working group approved a request for qualifications, which solicits potential bidders in order to gauge whether they can financially and operationally move forward in the process. On Thursday’s St. Louis on the Air, Mayor Krewson joined host Sarah Fenske and shared her thoughts on the airport privatization process, among other topics.

Asked whether the costly process of exploring privatization has made her more or less interested in leasing the airport, Krewson said the information garnered has been useful no matter what happens next. “I’m very interested in how we can make improvements to our airport via that information,” she said. “Whether that’s through privatization or not is a whole other question.”

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/qa-st-louis-mayor-lyda-krewson-airport-privatization

October 13, 2019

Missouri Medicare Patients Could Save Money This Enrollment Season By Switching Plans

Health officials are urging Missouri’s 1.2 million Medicare enrollees to research new plans to save money during this year’s open enrollment.

Enrollment in the state-funded health insurance program for older adults begins Tuesday and lasts until early December. Patients can save money by researching and changing plans, federal officials said.

“We’ve seen people save thousands of dollars by switching their prescription drug plan from one year to the next,” said Julie Brookhart, a spokeswoman for the Kansas City regional office of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which administers the program.

During open enrollment, people can tweak their coverage by signing up for new plans from traditional Medicare plans or from Medicare Advantage, Medicare plans from private companies that also offer dental, vision and other expanded benefits.

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/missouri-medicare-patients-could-save-money-enrollment-season-switching-plans

October 13, 2019

On Chess: Mizzou Hosts Its First Chess Tournament

The University of Missouri entered the world of competitive collegiate chess at the beginning of this year, announcing the inception of its inaugural chess program under the banner of its College of Arts & Science.

One of the program’s main goals is to provide opportunities for its players to train and compete at the most challenging levels, while maintaining high academic standards.

Collegiate chess tournaments are generally rare, with only a handful of important events per year. For this reason, the best way to get the players, the fans and their respective universities involved is to create more tournaments.

During these events, world-class player-students would be able to showcase their skills, opening the doors of our game toward continuous engagement with fellow students, alumni and new fans. Engagement with the fans is the one metric a collegiate game or sport must have in order to flourish.

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/chess-mizzou-hosts-its-first-chess-tournament

October 13, 2019

Climate Change Could Decrease The Number Of Bugs In Missouri

Many insects that feed on Missouri oak trees could be threatened by climate change, according to a study from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Researchers from UMSL and several other universities looked at more than 250 insect species in Missouri, including leaf-tying caterpillars. Biologists reported in the journal Frontiers that the insects’ populations took major hits after mid-spring frosts and summer droughts, decreasing as much as 95% for some species.

While the study shows that populations were eventually able to recover, it’s possible they may not if climate change makes droughts and spring frost events more frequent, said Robert Marquis, a professor emeritus of biology at UMSL.

“These kinds of events actually will eventually show a long-term decline of insect populations in Missouri,” Marquis said.

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/climate-change-could-decrease-number-bugs-missouri

October 13, 2019

Rural School Districts Look To After-School Programs And Teacher Training To Expand STEM Offerings

ROLLA — Rural Missouri school districts short on money sometimes struggle with teaching the three R's, so the idea of adding advanced science and technology instruction can be daunting.

A $250,000 state grant through Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla is helping 41 school districts in 10 counties in south-central Missouri bolster their offerings.

The $10,000 and $20,000 grants aren’t enough to overhaul a curriculum. But they are enough to train existing teachers to teach things like robotics and engineering.

David Russell, superintendent of the kindergarten through eighth grade Success School District in Texas County, said investing in current teachers is a good use of money in an area where recruiting math and science teachers is difficult.

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/rural-school-districts-look-after-school-programs-and-teacher-training-expand-stem-offerings

October 13, 2019

St. Louis Art Museum Acquires Work By Famed Black Sculptor Elizabeth Catlett

Visitors to St. Louis Art Museum will soon be able to see a newly acquired sculpture by an acclaimed black artist.

The museum acquired a wood sculpture by the late artist Elizabeth Catlett on Tuesday. It spent $389,000 on the piece, which sets a record for a Catlett piece purchased at auction, according to ARTnews.

The sculpture, “Seated Woman,” will go on view at the museum in early 2020.

Catlett, who died in 2012 at 96, was celebrated for her depictions of African Americans, particularly women. She is known for both sculpture and print-making.

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/st-louis-art-museum-acquires-work-famed-black-sculptor-elizabeth-catlett

October 10, 2019

St. Louis To Host Annual Pro Golf Tournament Starting In 2020

The PGA Tour Champions on Tuesday announced plans to bring an annual golf tournament to St. Louis.

During a press event, the PGA said the Norwood Hills Country Club in north St. Louis County will host the Ascension Charity Classic.

The four-year partnership will tee off late September 2020, featuring professional golfers 50 and older. It’s the latest addition to the PGA Tour Champions’ 27-tournament schedule across the country.

Miller Brady, president of the PGA Tour Champions, said the group has been looking to bring an annual event to the region for years.

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/st-louis-host-annual-pro-golf-tournament-starting-2020

October 10, 2019

St. Louis Exhibits Shine A Light On African American Abstract Artists

Lamerol A. Gatewood developed an interest in art in the early 1970s, when he was a student at University City High School.

The art class so captured Gatewood’s imagination that he started scultpure work and painting a few years later.

In the decades that followed, Gatewood’s career took him across the U.S. and abroad. But he considers his recent inclusion in a collection of African American abstract art donated to the St. Louis Art Museum a crowning achievement.

Gatewood hopes a growing interest in African American abstract art will give him and other black artists their due.

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/st-louis-exhibits-shine-light-african-american-abstract-artists

October 10, 2019

St. Louis Exhibits Shine A Light On African American Abstract Artists

Lamerol A. Gatewood developed an interest in art in the early 1970s, when he was a student at University City High School.

The art class so captured Gatewood’s imagination that he started scultpure work and painting a few years later.

In the decades that followed, Gatewood’s career took him across the U.S. and abroad. But he considers his recent inclusion in a collection of African American abstract art donated to the St. Louis Art Museum a crowning achievement.

Gatewood hopes a growing interest in African American abstract art will give him and other black artists their due.

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/st-louis-exhibits-shine-light-african-american-abstract-artists