city museum | Much is afoot at the City Museum this month, from a new exhibit to a back-to-school promotion to a major personnel announcement. The 1,500-pound axle that was once part of the assembly that rotated the restaurant atop the 28-story Millennium Hotel, the riverfront property recently razed, was donated to the museum, which is brainstorming ways to perhaps include it in a future exhibit. Meanwhile, museum staffers are hoping to ‘Stuff the Bus’—the vintage school bus securely anchored atop the roof, looking like it will plunge to the street at any moment—with school supplies to be distributed by nonprofit KidSmart to more than 160 schools. Through Aug. 31, donations from spiral notebooks to pencils and crayons will be exchanged for $5 off admission. Finally, 30-year radio vet Libby Nolan has been named director of marketing, having spent the last several years as market president of iHeart St. Louis. She started in the StL as morning show producer at KSD when it was an AM station, then joined the newly launched KPNT (105.7 FM), which has played modern rock and alternative music since its inception.
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The free Gateway Outdoor Summit this year will be held Aug. 20 at .ZACK and The Key STL with six breakout sessions on topics relative to an urban experience and wrap up with a keynote by entrepreneur and distance runner Anthony Reed, founder of the National Black Marathoners Association. In “From Five to 500,000: Building a Movement Through Leadership, Strategy and Community,” Reed shares how a small group of runners grew into a national movement connecting half a million athletes. His story offers powerful lessons on vision, resilience, community engagement and creating lasting impact— messages that extend far beyond the running world. After his address, Reed will introduce his award-winning documentary, We ARE Distance Runners: Untold Stories of African American Athletes, a special film presentation free to all attendees. Earlier in the day, sessions will feature regional leaders discussing outdoor access, inclusion, community-led recreation projects, economic development and building stronger outdoor communities. The featured presentation “Parks, People, and Prosperity: Insights from Missouri’s 2026 State Parks Reports” is an exclusive look at newly released research examining the economic, social and recreational impact of Missouri’s state park system. Registration is free, but advance registration is required at eventbrite.com.
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John Grisham, the lawyer and bestselling author of a host of thrillers mainly centered on the legal profession, will present his latest nailbiter of a novel on Sept. 30 at 7 p.m. in the Post Event Space of the County Library’s Clark Family Branch. Odds are The French Illusion, Grisham’s latest legal thriller, will be made into a major Hollywood feature—or adapted for streaming by Netflix, Amazon, HBO or any of a dozen platforms that allow you to sit in front of your own TV with microwaved popcorn rather than drive to a theater and carefully negotiate numerous knees to get to your seat while balancing a bucket of the buttery stuff and two gigantic diet sodas in souvenir cups. Heaven knows who will play the unfortunate couple honeymooning in Paris after their fairytale wedding, only to be kidnapped. Somehow, a young lawyer is inserted into the plot as a decoy, which sounds like a perfect role for Ryan Gosling, since Tom Cruise and Julia Roberts had already been snatched up to portray key characters in the films based on Grisham’s novels The Firm and The Pelican Brief, respectively. You could wait for The French Illusion to come to a theater near year, but I suggest getting tickets at eventbrite.com for Grisham’s appearance. They’re available on a first-come, first-served basis. The Clark Family Branch is directly across Lindbergh Boulevard from the erstwhile home of both Canyon Café and Saks, Plaza Frontenac.
Talk of the Towns Trivia: When did KPNT (105.7 FM) first go on the air in the metro, and what’s its widely known nickname?
Last Issue’s Q&A
What are the differences between a meteoroid, a meteor and a meteorite?
A meteoroid is a rock or asteroid chunk streaking through the cosmos until it enters earth’s atmosphere. Upon meeting resistance and oxygen, it burns brightly for a time, depending on its size and speed, becoming a meteor (or shooting star). If anything reaches the ground, the remaining chunks of nickel, iron and rock are known as meteorites.
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On Oct. 21, 2021, Kira and Kyle Andersen headed to the ER because Kyle was suffering from severe stomach pain and vomiting. “He was a bit of a hypochondriac, ” says Kira, and he was asking whether she thought it was stomach cancer. She pooh-poohed that thought, figured he was overreacting and tried to convince him that it was simply a blockage or irritable bowel syndrome. “No way it could be cancer,” she remembers sharing with him. But a scan revealed the worst—stage 4 pancreatic cancer that had already spread to his liver; a huge tumor had wrapped itself around his colon, necessitating a stent being inserted. It was a very risky operation, but it relieved the pressure for a while. Meanwhile, Kyle was to endure 32 rounds of chemotherapy and a grim prognosis: Only 3% of stage 4 patients survive more than five years. But Kyle wasn’t interested in becoming a statistic, and Kira did not believe he would pass from his serious illness, despite recommendations of hospice from some quarters. Notably, the resistance was not coming from their oncologist, Dr. Kian Lim, whose research was encouraging. Tumors shrank or disappeared in mice. But it was not approved by the FDA for human trials. However, Kira, whose professional background was in medical and pharmaceutical sales, is persistent to the point of being uncanny. Much, if not most, of her can-do attitude is from an unshakable faith in God. “A ‘no’ to me is a ‘not right now’,” Kira says. She had to put her faith into practice for the next year and a half after Kyle was diagnosed, considering all the hoops she had to go through in her quest to get her husband the care he needed. She called, emailed, pushed and advocated for the father of their three children, all of whom were younger than 10. Eventually, Kyle became the first human patient of Dr. Kim’s method via a compassionate use protocol. His tumor markers dropped. His liver numbers improved. His prospects improved, but only for a short while. Still, the Andersens were able to visit family and take a trip to Disneyland. He was getting his color back; he wasn’t as jaundiced. Unfortunately, the aggressive chemo regimen had so weakened him that his body just couldn’t take it anymore. Kira was with Kyle, her head on his chest, when he took his last breath on April 3, 2023. He was 48. Kira’s singular goal is to secure his legacy. She doesn’t want another family to hear of a promising treatment that just isn’t available to them yet. Pancreatic cancer is unyielding, despite the miraculous strides that Dr. Kim and other researchers are making. The main barriers to ultimate success are red tape, and funding. “Knowing this, I can’t stop,” says Kira, who naturally is a crack fundraiser. She has secured millions, earmarked for Dr. Lim’s research, through BJC’s Siteman Cancer Center. She has also been successful as a team captain for Pedal the Cause. The Andersen kids—Cora (9). Leah (7) and Dane (5½)—were gifted precious extra time with their dad. As they mature, it’s a good bet they’ll become involved with their mom’s passion. Check out her terrific, hope-inducing podcast—Yes, We Can!—at 10 a.m. Tuesdays. And you, too, can join the fight at siteman.donordrive.com/campaigns/kyle-and-kira-andersen.