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Maria Altman

Reporter/Newscaster

Altman came to St. Louis Public Radio from Dallas where she hosted All Things Considered and reported north Texas news at KERA. Altman also spent several years in Illinois: first in Chicago where she interned at WBEZ; then as the Morning Edition host at WSIU in Carbondale; and finally in Springfield, where she earned her graduate degree and covered the legislature for Illinois Public Radio.

A native Iowan, Altman earned her bachelors degree in journalism at the University of Iowa. She remains a devoted Hawkeye. In her free time, Altman likes hiking, swing dancing, and searching for the perfect diner.

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Peabody and Patriot Coal Protests
5:33 pm
Mon April 29, 2013

Protesters Return To St. Louis As Patriot Coal Health Benefits Case Continues

Credit (Maria Altman/St. Louis Public Radio)
Protesters rally in front of the Peabody Energy headquarters in downtown St. Louis on April 29, 2013. They gathered to draw attention to a Patriot Coal case regarding the health care benefits of 10,000 retired miners. Peabody spun off Patriot in 2007.
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A motion by Patriot Coal to cut health benefits for 10,000 retired miners was heard Monday in a federal bankruptcy court in St. Louis.

More than 1,500 protesters, many with the United Mine Workers of America, rallied in downtown to draw attention to the case.

The UMWA is angry with Patriot for asking a federal bankruptcy judge to allow it to shed about $1.6 billion in liabilities.

But they also direct their anger at Peabody Energy, which spun off Patriot in 2007.

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Around the Nation
4:34 am
Tue April 23, 2013

Mississippi River Communities Brace For Flooding

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Originally published on Tue April 23, 2013 2:05 pm

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Now here's a change. Earlier this year, the worst drought conditions seen in the Midwest in decades threatened to close the Mississippi River to barge traffic. Now, communities along the river in Missouri and Illinois are bracing for flooding.

St. Louis Public Radio Maria Altman reports.

MARIA ALTMAN, BYLINE: The threat of flooding on the Mississippi River came on quickly after last week's storms dumped rain across the Midwest. The town of Clarksville, Missouri didn't even have time to erect its metal flood wall.

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Peabody and Patriot Coal Protests
2:03 pm
Tue April 16, 2013

Union Miners Protest Peabody In St. Louis Again, This Time, With Crosses

Next imagePrevious image
Credit Sean Sandefur/ St. Louis Public Radio
1000 Crosses were planted by protesters on a hill in Kiener Plaza. The crosses signified the deaths of former miners, as well as the potential loss of healthcare for retired miners.
Credit Sean Sandefur/ St. Louis Public Radio
Jimmy Gerald, a member of United Mine Workers of America, hammers down his cross in to Kiener Plaza.
Credit Sean Sandefur/ St. Louis Public Radio
Protesters didn't let the pouring rain get to them. They stood in the cold for close to an hour, listening to various speakers.
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Hundreds of retired and current union miners from across the country descended on St. Louis on Tuesday to protest Peabody Energy and the potential loss of their pension plans.

Most of the miners worked for either Peabody Energy or Arch Coal, but their benefits are threatened by the bankruptcy of Patriot Coal last year. Patriot was spun off from Peabody in 2007, along with the healthcare obligations of many Peabody and Arch Coal employees.

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Patriot Coal
9:59 am
Tue April 16, 2013

Looking At The Effects Of Patriot Coal's Bankruptcy

Next imagePrevious image
Credit (Maria Altman/St. Louis Public Radio)
Charles Whitlow of New Athens, Ill. holds the three plastic containers that separate his daily pills. Whitlow worked as a coal miner for Peabody Energy for 33 years and fears he will lose his health care as a result of Patriot Coal’s bankruptcy.
Credit (UPI/Bill Greenblatt)
Protesters gather outside Peabody Energy’s headquarters in St. Louis on Feb. 13 in one of several rallies held regarding Patriot Coal’s bankruptcy this year.
Credit (UPI/Bill Greenblatt)
Police walk arrested mine workers to a police van Feb. 26 after they refused an order to get out of the street during a rally outside of the Peabody Energy Company headquarters in St. Louis. Ten people were arrested.
United Mine Workers march from Peabody Energy to the Thomas F. Eagleton Federal Courthouse on Feb. 26.
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Our Maria Altman had a story on NPR's Morning Edition this morning about the many effects of Patriot Coal's bankruptcy. In fact, the story continues, with another rally in St. Louis today.

To give you even more on this story, we present these photos - glimpses of the people affected by the actions of this large, St. Louis-based company. 

Bridgeton Landfill
6:27 pm
Thu March 21, 2013

Mo. Dept. Of Natural Resources Asks For 'Legal Action' Related To Bridgeton Landfill

Credit Véronique LaCapra, St. Louis Public Radio
An underground fire has been smoldering at the Bridgeton landfill for more than 2 years.
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Updated on Friday, March 22 at 9:45 a.m. to add information about air sampling results, and a statement from Republic Services.

The Missouri Department of Resources is asking the state’s attorney general to enforce environmental laws at the Bridgeton Sanitary Landfill.

DNR’s letter asks Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster to "institute appropriate legal action to resolve any past, present or future environmental violations" at the landfill.

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