Renowned musician Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (of which he is artistic director) performed at the grand opening of the Harold and Dorothy Steward Center for Jazz in the Grand Center arts district. The center houses the new Centene Jazz Education Center and the newly renovated Ferring Jazz Bistro, and aims to establish St. Louis as a premier destination for jazz music and education in the Midwest. (Pictured above: Wynton Marsalis; photo courtesy of Jazz St. Louis)
The Nine Network of Public Media has received two Emmy Awards from the Mid-America Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Nine Network president and CEO Jack Galmiche accepted the Special Achievement Community Service Emmy for the station’s on-air coverage about the nation’s high school dropout crisis. Jim Kirchherr and Anne-Marie Berger accepted an Emmy in the Special Assignment/Program/Special category for Open for Business, a report on the health insurance marketplace.
Dr. Graham Colditz, a disease prevention expert at Siteman Cancer Center and Washington University School of Medicine, was honored for Outstanding Achievement in Cancer Prevention Research by the American Association for Cancer Research. The organization presented him with the award at its conference in New Orleans, where Colditz spoke on the challenges and opportunities in breast cancer research. As an internationally recognized leader in cancer prevention, Colditz has an interest in the preventable causes of chronic disease, especially among women. He previously has focused on the health effects of smoking, weight and weight gain, physical activity and diet.
The late Georgia Frontiere, former owner of the St. Louis Rams, is still contributing to civic life in St. Louis. Horoscope: The Astrology Murders, a suspense novel she wrote before her passing in 2008, was released recently in partnership with Safe Connections, a local nonprofit that works to end domestic and sexual violence. Frontiere’s daughter, Lucia Rodriguez, was in town to promote the book, which is available online and at local bookstores and Rams games. A portion of proceeds will benefit Safe Connections.
Imagine a time when horse racing was more popular in St. Louis than baseball. From 1767 to 1905, there were more than 20 racing venues in the area, and countless well-known jockeys and horsemen came to the Gateway City to race. Local author Nancy Carver delves into the glory days of St. Louis racing in her book, Making Tracks: The Untold Story of Horse Racing in St. Louis, 1767-1905, taking readers on an historical tour.