Alex Heuer

The 2013 Missouri legislative session is now in the books.

While legislators are no longer assembled in Jefferson City, the impacts of what did and did not get done will continue into the coming months.

The Republican controlled House and Senate put gun rights and taxes high on their agenda and perennial issues such as abortion and voter photo IDs came up.

Democratic Governor Jay Nixon has already vetoed some legislation and more vetoes are possible.

The fourth annual St. Louis Bluesweek Festival takes place Friday, May 24 – Sunday, May 26 at Soldiers Memorial in downtown St. Louis.

The headliners include Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Mavis Staples and Big George Brock, however, the Festival will highlight several artists with significant ties to St. Louis including Marquis Knox and Rich McDonough & Rough Groves.

Kids Rock Cancer is an outgrowth of Maryville University’s Music Therapy Program.  Inspired by the program Purple Song Can Fly in Houston, Texas, the Maryville program goes into hospitals and works individually with children with cancer and other blood disorders.  The musical therapist helps the child express a set of thoughts and ideas, turn them into lyrics of a song and compose a tune for the lyrics.  Then the child gets to sing the song into a microphone with instrumental accompaniment.  The result is a CD recording for t

The legacy of African Americans who have made contributions in Missouri is highlighted in a new book written by retired local educators John and Sylvia Wright.

The name of the book is Extraordinary Black Missourians: Pioneers, Leaders, Performers, Athletes, & Other Notables Who’ve Made History.

Many of the people highlighted in the book such as Dred Scott, Langston Hughes and Scott Joplin are well-known.  Others such as concert pianist Blind Boone and teacher and entomologist Charles Henry Turner are not as well known.