-
1 week ago | 
timesnewspapers.com | Don Corrigan
Seven Kirkwood High School students have shown their stuff making documentaries to raise awareness of critical issues. Two of the seven video champs scored especially big in a media competition. Nora Schroeder placed second and won a $1,500 prize for her piece involving the toll of the Atomic Age on St. Louis with her documentary, “The Radioactive Waste Crisis: A Hidden Hazard.” Rowan Herr reeled in a third place finish in the C-SPAN documentary competition for students.
-
2 weeks ago | 
timesnewspapers.com | Don Corrigan
Missouri’s rank as sixth among states in billboard blight is drawing scrutiny. Concern comes as state officials review the $2.8 billion project to widen Interstate 70 and ask whether it’s time for a study of highway signage. Billboard companies and the Missouri Outdoor Advertising Association are telling legislators that a commission to study the issue is just a waste of taxpayer money. They also dismiss studies alleging billboards are a driver distraction and a safety hazard.
-
1 month ago | 
timesnewspapers.com | Don Corrigan
Ginnie Westmoreland says she’s humbled to be inducted into the St. Louis Media Hall of Fame along with heavy hitters like the late Mike Shannon. Other Gateway City inductees include TV legends such as Julius Hunter, Robin Smith, Jay Randolph and Mike Bush. “I’m flattered to be in this company,” said Westmoreland, a 1971 graduate of Webster Groves High School.
-
1 month ago | 
timesnewspapers.com | Don Corrigan
A number of coyote sightings have recently been reported in the Kirkwood, Des Peres and Webster Groves areas, and it might be surprising to learn why there are more this year. The answer? Cicadas. “This is an exceptional year for seeing coyotes on the landscape. This is due to the cicada emergence last spring, which produced plentiful food resources,” said Erin Shank of Busch Wildlife Center.
-
1 month ago | 
timesnewspapers.com | Don Corrigan
Higher home value reassessments can often mean higher property tax bills. With that in mind, senior homeowners would be wise to apply for the new Senior Tax Freeze, a program through the St. Louis County Department of Revenue. Preliminary numbers show reassessment values are spiking throughout St. Louis County. The median price for a single-family home as of January 2025 increased about 13.4% since 2023, or an average of 6.7% per year.
-
1 month ago | 
timesnewspapers.com | Don Corrigan
After several decades of college teaching, Webster University art professor emeritus Carol Hodson decided to take her expressive arts knowledge on the road — and the road has led to national disaster areas. “We are having more and more natural disasters in America, from wildfires to windstorms to flooding,” said Hodson of Webster Groves. “The victims need more than just physical help or financial support — they are often traumatized.
-
1 month ago | 
emissourian.com | Don Corrigan
These days, when Americans think of who’s targeted for anti-immigration laws, they think of Haitians and Hispanic groups. Back in the time of Prohibition, it was Germans, Italians and Irish who were under the gun. “It’s important to understand both the real and perceived fears of any political movement to understand its full impact,” said Katie Dieckhaus, Washington, Missouri historian. “Cultural alcohol consumption was one factor leading to the Temperance Movement and Prohibition.
-
1 month ago | 
emissourian.com | Don Corrigan
St. Louis-born writer T.S. Eliot called April the “cruelest month” in his iconic poem, “The Wasteland.” Wine Country historians disagree. April is the sweetest month. That’s because Missouri repealed Prohibition in April 1934. With Prohibition in 1920, vines were dramatically ripped from their roots in Wine Country. Casks and barrels, filled with years of hard work, were painfully emptied into gutters, so wineries could avoid incrimination. kA 4=2DDlQAbQmkDA2? 4=2DDlQD`Qm%96 D4@FC86 @7 !C@9:3:E:@?
-
1 month ago | 
gatewayjr.org | Don Corrigan
In an age of digital media, podcasts and streaming, the good-old-days of community radio seem to be at an end – not with a bang or even a whimper. It’s more about lawyers conversing in bankruptcy court. In St. Louis, KDHX is deep in the red and close to pulling the plug. That’s not the story 100 miles to the west in Columbia. That’s where KOPN fans insist community radio is alive, and well, and making noise for the future.
-
2 months ago | 
timesnewspapers.com | Don Corrigan
On St. Patrick’s Day, there will be plenty of corned beef and blarney served at Llywelyn’s Pub in Webster Groves, but the partying will continue well into May. That’s because the pub with the famous chips will celebrate 50 years in business for more than 50 days. “Of course, the peak celebration will be our three-day St. Patrick’s Day weekend,” Chris Marshall said as he lifted a frothy pint of freshly-poured Guinness to savor. “St. Patrick’s Day is like Christmas for us here,” added Marshall.
