Podcast appearances and mentions of jefferson avenue

I sat down with William Esslinger of Confluence Kombucha in St. Louis, Missouri. We’d just left the three-day KBI conference in Barcelona and were having lunch at Munich Airport before catching our respective connecting flights. It was William’s first time in Germany, if you count being in an airport transit lounge as being in a country. What follows is an edited transcript of our conversation. The full audio is available as a podcast at the end of this post. The Confluence Kombucha Fermentory & Ping Pong Club is located at The Fox Den, 2501 S. Jefferson Avenue, Suite 102, St. Louis, MO 63104. It is open from 11 a.m.–7 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. Confluence Kombucha is also a regular vendor at the Tower Grove Farmers' Market. Booch News: How did you discover kombucha? I started brewing kombucha in 2009 and working in kitchens all in a span of three days. I’d graduated with my master’s in media literacy education, and wanted to teach about the constructs of media and how to use media, how to create with different kinds of media, video, photography, using sound, all that kind of stuff. And so that’s my background. But I couldn’t find a job, so I started working as a dishwasher at age 29. I was making six bucks an hour with a master’s degree. I ordered my first kombucha culture online. I’d been drinking kombucha for about a year and a half prior to that, and it basically healed my ulcers that I’d had since I was five years old. That kombucha completely healed it. I haven’t had any incidents since. I can still remember as a young person having so much pain all the time. Every single day, a burning, like an ice pick in my intestines, every time I ate. I had this severe problem. And it then drinking kombucha cured it. So, I tell people, if you really want to do this kombucha thing, you need to be drinking it. Every day. Maybe take a day off here and there. But when people start, if they’re very used to a crappy diet, they’re going to feel a little worse, maybe because they’re flushing out stuff. But you get such a vibe out of drinking every day. That was just the beginning of the healing journey with kombucha. So much more healing has happened physically and mentally through this process. Just living with the SCOBYs every day. I didn’t really think about it as a business. BN: How did your career in catering take off? I’d started working in kitchens, and graduated from dish washing to working as a chef. After about three months of dish washing, they had me come on as a prep chef during the day. It was a big corporate restaurant, and I got pretty bored with it, but I had met someone I went to photography school with. He was opening a new restaurant called Blood & Sand with one of the top chefs in St. Louis at the time. He gave me a job, saying they can’t pay much, but they gave me an education. I got the last cook position on the line. And they didn’t really know what to do with me because I was brand-new, even though I’m almost 30 now. They said they would treat me like I knew nothing. And that was the best education. On-the-job training. BN: How did your career in the culinary world prepare you to run a kombucha business? We started fermenting stuff right away. They wanted me to make some kimchi. The chef didn’t know how to do it. But I had spent a couple of years in Korea and learned when I was over there. And I had just started brewing kombucha. It started to feel like fermentation was my path. Food was my path. And since it cured my ulcers, I started to be able to eat all the things I was never able to eat. I never thought of becoming a chef or anything like that because food was such a pain point for me. Then they started handing me the pastry stuff. Because they were all line cooks. They didn’t want to deal with this finicky shit with the temperature and all that. It didn’t fit in with everything else. But my background in photography, doing black and white film developing, the exacting process, the temperature, was already there for me. They started giving me one little project at a time. And they’re like, this kid’s nailing it, right? So they basically just made me a pastry chef. And I was making like $10 an hour, which was great. BN: How did working in the kitchens lead to opening a commercial kombucha business? I kept working in restaurants. And then, I finally thought maybe I got something here with the kombucha. I was developing flavors from the beginning. I kept all my notes. I now have over 800 flavors. I’ve got a spreadsheet of everything I’ve been doing since we opened our doors. Before I left for this trip, I did three new kombuchas in one week. I’ve been doing everything on draft and kegs since we opened our brick-and-mortar in 2016. It’s been all kegs. The idea was just to have a tap room. And the first iteration was a tap room/restaurant. And so, for five years, I ran the restaurant and did the fermentation on-site. It was 1,000 square feet. It was super tiny. The whole thing. I had 15 seats if you really pushed it tight in the inside of the restaurant. And we had some patio seating in the front and the back, with a little garden where we would grow herbs and other things we would use in the kombucha as well. A lot of people were dropping in. We got a lot of recognition. We didn’t know what kombucha would be like in St. Louis. I knew I could run a restaurant, and I had good ideas. The restaurant took front seat for most of that time. It was more of a restaurant with a little bit of kombucha. We had eight taps going, so you could come in and do an eight-flight or a four-flight, then take stuff to go, filling pints, quarts, and growlers. When COVID happened, my business partner decided to split. I closed the restaurant and started focusing on kombucha. So it’s only really been four years of focusing on the brewery. BN: What is Confluence Kombucha like today? We’re in the second iteration right now. There was a brewery, a kombucha brewery in St. Louis called KomBlu, that opened in the space that I’m in now. And they closed. And then another brewery opened in there, and then they closed. And then the building’s owner called me. He said, ‘We have this defunct kombucha brewery if you’d like to come look at it’. It had a bunch of stainless-steel vessels, a reverse-osmosis filter, and a huge cooler. So we did a bit of renovation and made it my own. I built the fermentation room. And then we opened that in leap year 2023. February 29th. We also make other fermented products, like coconut yogurt and kimchi. The volume is going up. We started bottling in this facility because we had the room. We’ve done 20,000 12-ounce bottles in 18 months. It’s a short-neck bottle that works because I don’t have to worry as much about it over-carbonating. It has a little bit of space. I think that’s really important. The bottles are cute, they’re fun. The labeling is really incredible. It’s playful and fun. We have a 12-tap room with a ping-pong table and vinyl records. The fermentation happens in the back. People can come in on Thursday and return on Sunday, and the board will be different. Flavors Confluence bottles just four flavors. The Pineapple Palo Santo won the Signature category at the World Kombucha Awards. The flavor combines fruity notes from pineapple with the coconut-like aroma of Palo Santo—a fragrant tree wood often used as incense—resulting in a tropical drink reminiscent of a piña colada. Confluence Kombucha also won two other Awards for one-off flavors offered on tap that William had entered into the competition: Jun & Holy Basil (Gold for the Jun category) Paw Paw & Rum Barrel (Silver for the Fruits with Spices category) Esslinger, who started bottling his kombucha a year ago, after a decade in business comments: “It was my first year competing, and I didn't expect to win.” At the competition, Esslinger found it exciting and validating to discover that some of his new ideas are very much in line with what's happening globally. For example, he recently brewed kombucha using cypress tea and was able to compare notes with brewers from Slovenia who brought a kombucha they had made with cedar and spruce chips. “It was cool to get that nerd connection right away.” Esslinger chose the name Confluence based on St. Louis geography–located at the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers–but he says it has come to represent a larger vision, one that the World Kombucha Awards intensified. “As an artist and a food person inspired by world cuisines, the name has gathered more depth because it evokes something,” he says. “There's a power in the idea of waterways merging, and we're trying to uphold that every day in what we do.” BN: Tell me about your flavors. We have an Aronia Berry with Elderberry flavor. Aronia is the berry with the highest amount of antioxidants that grows in America. We met a local grower. And I loved it right away because it was so similar to the very first kombucha I had. Which was Cosmic Cranberry from GT’s. And the nickname for Aronia used to be Chokeberry. It’s a terrible name. But it’s so tannic that when you take it off the bush, you try to eat it. It chokes you up and dries out your mouth. But that’s the good stuff. We put the berries in the freezer to extract their flavor. Another flavor is Watermelon and Blue Spirulina. Ginger Lavender has been our bestseller for a very long time. We color that one with the butterfly pea flower. And it makes it bright violet and adds calcium to the beverage. I tell people that this was the flavor I never wanted to do. Because everybody was doing ginger. And everybody was asking me, Do you do ginger? Do you do lavender? And it took me 10 years to make this kombucha. And then it just started selling. The base tea is Japanese sencha green tea. Because that’s toasty. You can taste the tea. It’s a very low-vibration kombucha. I like it because I can get my subtle flavors in there really, really easily. I landed on the green tea, because I feel like it’s a blank canvas. It gives me a really good place to work from. But then we’re, you know, we’re doing very small, tiny-batch stuff with other teas, just for fun. I don’t sell an original, unflavored right now. Maybe in the future I would love to do that. I like messing with all the crazy, different teas for myself and for the tap room, like Lapsang Souchong and the smoked black tea. I update my Instagram every day or at least every week. I do have them all in a book. I have every single one that I’ve ever done in the book. BN: Do you have ideas that just don’t work out? Like you think, oh, I’ll mix this and this and this, and then you taste it. Not so much anymore. There are a few in there that just weren’t really great, but overall, I think I’ve got good ratios. I’ve just been doing it in such small batches for so long that, if I waste five gallons or three gallons, it’s no big deal. And then we save the pellicle and make fruit leathers with it. The first one I did, I forgot about it for a year. And I pulled them out, and they were like, perfect. No preservatives or anything like that. Kids love them. I have a lady who comes by and buys about $50 worth of them every other week at the farmers’ market. That comes from my chef background. And I think also, just like growing up poor. Trying to think about every way to utilize everything. And it’s actually really fun, and it’s a great story to tell people. Because they see me as a brewer in a different way. How I’m thinking about even the waste product. People who are maybe skeptical or have their own ideas about a kombucha brewer or something. That sets them at ease a little bit more. Because I think kombucha is still very much a mystery to most people. And it’s still a mystery to me, in some ways, too. BN: What are some of the unusual ferments you experimented with? I’m most interested in using mushrooms as the base for my kombucha. And I see a synergy in the fermentation process that I don’t necessarily see in teas. Instead, it’s mushrooms made into tea: reishi, chaga, lion’s mane, and cordyceps. We just did one, the pheasant’s back, which is also known as the dryad’s saddle. I’ve done chanterelles They only ferment half the time. BN: So you don’t need the caffeine? No, the synergy, because they are so close that most of those fermentations take about half the time as my normal fermentations do. The only one that doesn’t is the chaga, and the chaga is the one that takes the longest to grow anyway. It tastes like a birch beer. Almost like a root beer. BN: So what you’re doing is, instead of using camellia sinensis? You’re doing the primary fermentation with a mushroom extract? With just mushroom tea and sugar, just throw in the SCOBY and some starter tea. And it tastes totally different. Oh my gosh, it’s ridiculous! Like chanterelles taste like apricots and peaches. One of the wildest, funnest ones is a polypore one. It’s a black-staining polypore where I make the tea, and it’s black tea. It turns black. And then, through fermentation, the scoby, the microbes, and everything clear the liquid so it’s not black anymore. It tastes tropical, like pineapples and guava. Nothing else. But when you make the tea, it smells like gravy. It smells so brothy and big like that. But then, at the end of fermentation, it tastes like pineapples. It’s really amazing. We are also using honey with those mushrooms. I did a chanterelle with honey this year. And then we poured it off of nitro. And it was so soft, velvety, and creamy from the mushrooms. The chaga mushroom ones take about three to six months. So I have one shelf that’s just dedicated to the chaga mushroom. And it’s incredible. It’s easily one of my favorite ones to work with. I don’t sell it outside the tap room. BN: What plans do you have for the future? I have 2,000 square feet. And so it’s not much, but it is just a brewery. I’m trying to increase quantities so I can continue doing it and feel like I can support a cast and a crew. In the future, I hope we will be distributed regionally, maybe in Chicago, Memphis, Nashville, and Kansas City. And yeah, I’d expect to be working with some of the high-end clients. That’s what I have going for me already. I’m inspired by those worlds, and making pairings, tastings, and those kinds of things aren’t happening in the kombucha world. I’ve been doing that for a very long time. I have extensive experience creating menus and pairing food with kombucha. I think that’s the whole new level of what could be happening in the dining scenes. And I think it’s showing up. That’s just a fun place to be. Even though it’s been 30 years since GT started his company, I still think there’s so much room to do a lot more fun stuff. BN: Well, we both have flights to catch back to the States. Thanks a lot. Podcast Listen to the podcast for the recording of the lunchtime interview with William in the transit lounge at Munich Airport. The post Confluence Kombucha, St. Louis, Missouri appeared first on 'Booch News.

Drive down south Jefferson Avenue in St. Louis and you'll notice the vacant St. Alexius Hospital, just south of Cherokee Street. Neighbors say the property has gone downhill quickly in the three years since it closed. St. Louis Public Radio's Sarah Fentem reports – people living in the Gravois Park neighborhood want someone to take action and clean up the former medical campus.

There are some things that are easier to understand when you see them. This is very true when it comes to evaluating evidence in the Tippit murder case. Join us over on our You Tube Channel with your eyes open.  The Tippit witnesses are a confounding group of evidence that needs deep analysis to truly understand. Picture this: Over 30 witnesses scattered across Tenth and Patton and along Jefferson Avenue  each with a glimpse of the gunman—or was it Oswald? On the surface, it seems like a slam dunk—so many witnesses  claiming they saw Oswald flee the scene. But dig deeper, and the cracks appear. Major evidentiary red flags that would tank this in any courtroom: shaky timelines, conflicting descriptions, dubious influences on  police lineups that was made even  worse by a  media frenzy. Timing alone raises alarms—could Oswald even have made it there from Dealey Plaza in under 35 minutes, navigating  buses, negotiating cabs, and making the rest of the way  on foot...could he really have made all the way to 10th and Patton in time to commit the Murder?  And here's the real mind-bender: How do so many eyes lock on one man, yet so few deliver a rock-solid ID? Did they truly see Oswald... or just what the narrative needed them to see? This whole puzzle is confounding, a tangle of human memory and high-stakes history. That's why when it came to sorting through all these witnesses…I knew we needed an expert who lives and breathes this case. Enter Matt Douthit, Dallas native, and one of the sharpest JFK assassination researchers out there  when it comes to the evidence related to the Tippit witnesses. He's debated the details, walked the crime scene, and uncovered angles that flip the script. We sat down with Matt for over three  hours, dissecting testimonies, timelines, and those pesky witness inconsistencies —and now, we're breaking it into four gripping mini-episodes, each 30 to 40 minutes long. These videos pair perfectly with our audio series. In the You Tube video series opener, Matt takes us on a fascinating journey as he begins to  map  the witness landscape—who saw what, when, and why it matters. And some gaping holes in the evidence begin to appear. Stick around on You Tube  as we  analyze the witnesses and their testimony one by one.  all four episodes are full of things you might not ever heard about the Tippit case. Whether you know a lot about this case or you are just getting started. This is where the Tippit story gets real.  And when you are done...be sure to come back here and listen to the rest of the Tippit murder series at your favorite audio podcast outlet. There's lots more to come...oh...and please do subscribe to both the audio podcast  and the You Tube channel if you haven't already done so. 

Ellicott District Councilwoman Leah Halton-Pope discusses an incident at the Tops on Jefferson Avenue back on June 17 that led to the arrest of two individuals full 242 Fri, 27 Jun 2025 14:15:00 +0000 TKcNvpxZqw3pnLXvRsEAqeYbzWgUVyNc buffalo,news,wben,buffalo police,leah halton-pope,east buffalo,tops friendly markets WBEN Extras buffalo,news,wben,buffalo police,leah halton-pope,east buffalo,tops friendly markets Ellicott District Councilwoman Leah Halton-Pope discusses an incident at the Tops on Jefferson Avenue back on June 17 that led to the arrest of two individuals Archive of various reports and news events 2024 © 2021 Audacy, Inc. News

05/14 remembrance ceremony at the Tops Friendly Market along Jefferson Avenue in East Buffalo full 1923 Wed, 14 May 2025 18:00:00 +0000 GBqLd3zYpvrTFS9rYQxMrfSM25ntsv0S buffalo,news,wben,5/14,east buffalo WBEN Extras buffalo,news,wben,5/14,east buffalo 05/14 remembrance ceremony at the Tops Friendly Market along Jefferson Avenue in East Buffalo Archive of various reports and news events 2024 © 2021 Audacy, Inc. News False

Fr. Paul Seil recalls the events of 5/14, when 10 Black people were murdered at Tops on Jefferson Avenue by a racist shooter.

In 1967, Geraldine Pointer and Martin Sostre were arrested after being accused of selling drugs and weapons out of the bookstore they operated on Jefferson Avenue. 57 years later, there is still an ongoing movement to exonerate the two of the charges.

Mark Biedlingmaier, art collector & graduate of the University of Scranton, Darlene Miller-Lanning, Director of the Hope Horn Gallery at the University, and Carol Maculloch, Director of Planned Giving, speaking about the second of a two-part exhibition series: "Hudson River & Delaware Valley: Selections from the Mark Biedlingmaier Collection," running from February 3 through March 14, 2025. There will be a Collectors' Lecture on February 7th at 5:00 in the Kane Forum of Leahy Hall, 243 Jefferson Avenue. That will be followed by a Gallery Reception at 6:00 on the Fourth Floor of Hyland Hall, 301 Jefferson Avenue. www.scranton.edu/

On March 25, 1887, the peaceful town of Rahway, New Jersey, was shaken by a gruesome discovery that continues to baffle historians and true crime enthusiasts. The lifeless body of a young woman, dressed in green, was found near Central Avenue and Jefferson Avenue, not far from the Rahway River Bridge. Despite widespread media coverage and public fascination, her identity and the circumstances surrounding her death remain an enduring mystery. Who was Rahway Jane Doe, and what led to her untimely demise? Dive into this haunting cold case and explore the chilling details of one of the 19th century's most enigmatic crimes. #ProfilingEvil #TwistedTales #RahwayJaneDoe #UnsolvedMurder #TrueCrime #ColdCase #RahwayNewJersey #UnknownWomanInGreen #19thCenturyMysteries #HistoricCrimes #RahwayMystery #Unsolved, #Tesla, #RahwayCemetery #AlexShipley, #PoliceGazette #TheCaseoftheUnknownWoman=======================================DONATE TO A HEADSTONE: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=RQ8ABDR2BYXB6Order a copy of Deceived or She Knew No Fear and get the book signed for free! https://www.ProfilingEvil.comGet Alex Shipley's Book by emailing him at: rahwayindian66@comcast.netDONATE to Profiling Evil: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=T54JX76RZ455SSUPPORT our Podcasts: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1213394/support

Rabbi Daniel Swartz, Spiritual Leader of Temple Hesed in Scranton, speaking about the performance of "Shterna and the Lost Voice" by the Magid Ensemble on Wednesday, December 18, 2024, at 6 pm, at the Jewish Community Center, 601 Jefferson Avenue in Scranton. There is a storyteller, a cranky box and live Klezmer music. Admission is free. www.scrantonjcc.org/ www.templehesed.org/

Jer Staes of Daily Detroit is back! We start off talking about Thanksgiving leftovers. Then, we get into how Daily Detroit is doing--the podcast is approaching 1600 episodes! What's up in Detroit? The RenCen—at least part of it, but maybe all of it—is coming down soon. Jefferson Avenue is going to be rebuilt and the Detroit riverfront is leveling up. The Post Bar is reopening. Bob used to DJ there! Detroit needs more residents and more housing to put people in.

I have captured the sounds of the Indy Cars practicing for the Detroit Grand Prix. The recordings were taken on the bridge that crosses directly over the racetrack over Jefferson Avenue at Hart Plaza in downtown Detroit. Recorded by Rebecca Goldberg. 

Dr. Darlene Miller-Lanning, Director of the Hope Horn Gallery at the University of Scranton, and Paul Biedlingmaier Jr, University of Scranton graduate and Art Collector, speaking about the exhibition, "Hudson River & Delaware Valley," running now through November 22, 2024, with a Collector's Lecture on November 15 at 5:00 pm, Kane Forum, in Leahy Hall, 2nd Floor, 243 Jefferson Avenue in Scranton. A Gallery Reception will follow at 6:00 pm at the Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall, 4th Floor, 301 Jefferson Avenue. https://www.scranton.edu/academics/hope-horn-gallery

Mike Ferguson in the Morning 07-30-24 David Stokes from the Show-Me Institute talks about the proposed MetroLink Green Line on Jefferson Avenue in the Downtown West area of St. Louis. The Green Line would include 10 stations and 5.6 miles of in-street light rail running from Fairground Park at Grand Boulevard on the north side, along Natural Bridge Avenue, east to Jefferson Avenue, and then south along Jefferson Avenue to Chippewa Avenue in South St. Louis, while connecting with the current MetroLink system. Story here: https://www.firstalert4.com/2024/07/26/study-shows-metrolink-green-line-will-bolster-st-louis-economy-critics-refute-study/ Green Line info here: https://metrolinkgreenline.com/   NewsTalkSTL website: https://newstalkstl.com/ Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/NewsTalkSTL Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/NewstalkSTL Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NewsTalkSTL Livestream 24/7: http://bit.ly/newstalkstlstreamSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mike Ferguson in the Morning 07-30-24 (8:05am) David Stokes from the Show-Me Institute talks about the proposed MetroLink Green Line on Jefferson Avenue in the Downtown West area of St. Louis. The Green Line would include 10 stations and 5.6 miles of in-street light rail running from Fairground Park at Grand Boulevard on the north side, along Natural Bridge Avenue, east to Jefferson Avenue, and then south along Jefferson Avenue to Chippewa Avenue in South St. Louis, while connecting with the current MetroLink system. Story here: https://www.firstalert4.com/2024/07/26/study-shows-metrolink-green-line-will-bolster-st-louis-economy-critics-refute-study/ Green Line info here: https://metrolinkgreenline.com/   MORNING NEWS DUMP: John Kirby comments on the situation between Israel and Hezbollah following the rocket strike that killed 12 children and teenagers in the Golan Heights region of northern Israel. Story here: https://www.axios.com/2024/07/29/hezbollah-israel-war-white-house   Sen John Kennedy (R-LA) says that Biden's proposal to change the Supreme Court "is as dead as Woodrow Wilson." Video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxEZzVVuIaU More on the Biden proposal here: https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-reform-biden-harris-trump-ffd48f3a2023aeca841bb53c2147ef03   A federal judge strikes down part of a voter-approved constitutional amendment in Missouri that banned state lawmakers from working as lobbyists for 2 years after leaving office. AG Andrew Bailey says they'll review the ruling. Story here: https://fox2now.com/news/missouri/federal-appeals-court-rules-against-missouris-waiting-period-for-ex-lawmakers-to-lobby/   Beaver County's Emergency Services Unit and SWAT sniper section says there were serious problems regarding communication and planning for Trump's rally in Pennsylvania. Story here: https://redstate.com/wardclark/2024/07/29/trump-assassination-local-swat-team-blames-lack-of-planning-communication-n2177507   Cardinals lost to the Texas Rangers 6-3. Game 2 of the series at Busch Stadium is tonight at 6:45pm.   We discuss those wacky memes about "JD Vance is weird" showing that actually he's normal and the Left is weird.    NewsTalkSTL website: https://newstalkstl.com/ Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/NewsTalkSTL Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/NewstalkSTL Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NewsTalkSTL Livestream 24/7: http://bit.ly/newstalkstlstreamSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's lots of development going on across Buffalo, from the NFTA's LaSalle station to Jefferson Avenue.

Today marks two years since the racially motivated shooting at Tops on Jefferson Avenue on the East side of Buffalo.

John Flynn recalls the moments he first learned of the shooting at Tops on Jefferson Avenue. Now with the shooter facing the death penalty, Flynn explains how long the process can take.

Joe Beamer, in for Bauerle, starts off by touching on the tragic situation over the weekend where six teens were shot on Jefferson Avenue, leaving one dead. What is causing all this violence amongst kids? Also, Beamer touches on the lack of employees working downtown these days, what can be done about this, and do you think technology has advanced as far as you thought it would 10, 20 years ago? 

This week's edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast features conversations with two people who participated in a Feb. 6 announcement by the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA) of an additional $2.6 million being invested in 13 community projects as part of construction of the Gordie Howe International Bridge (GHIB). First, Heather Grondin, vice president of corporate affairs and external relations for WDBA, talks about the community benefits program and why it's so important. The projects include cycling infrastructure added to Jefferson Avenue and Clark Street, making for a connection between the GHIB multiuse path and the City of Detroit's Joe Louis Greenway.   Later, Mohammed Alghurabi, a Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) senior project manager on the bridge project, talks about what it means to him to be able to demonstrate to residents that Canada and Michigan are delivering on promises to the community. Projects announced for funding:$250,000 toward local history and culture,  $1.3 million toward community safety,$540,000 toward green initiatives,   $250,000 toward food security,  $250,000 toward wellness, and$100,000 toward community partnerships.  

For the 11th episode of “I Got More To Say” Cato is joined by Rochester CIty Councilman, CEO, Business Owner, Real Estate Developer, Barber, and Author,  Pastor Willie Lightfoot! Pastor Will was born and raised in Rochester, New York, and was the son of elected City Official Willie Walker Lightfoot. Originally he  had aspirations of being a rapper, but after his rap crew's set was sabotaged at a talent show where the winner won a record deal, he enrolled in the United States Air Force where he served 12 years and fought in Operations Desert Storm and Enduring Freedom, respectively. Pastor also served as a Fireman in Monroe County for 22 years and 2 years in the National Guard. In 2003 he broke ground and began investing in “Willie Lightfoot Square” which consists of a barbershop, Laundromat, and Restaurant on Jefferson Avenue in Rochester. Pastor chats with Cato on Hip-Hop's impact, his thoughts on artists having a social responsibility, the benefits of accepting Christ into your life, relationships, his new book titled “The Intersection Between Pain and Purpose,” and much more! Be sure to Follow our socials and subscribe on Youtube @ I Got More To Say! https://linktr.ee/igotmoretosay

Brigid Jaipaul Valenza speaks with Drea D'Nur to talk about serving the Halal community before, and since, the racially motivated shooting at Tops Friendly Markets on Jefferson Avenue. Then Jay Moran chats with Shantelle Patton, founder of That Brown Bag Minority Business Directory on some of her banking and financial education programs. And we end the show with Thomas O'Neil White speaking with Dorian Withrow Jr as he shares perspectives on what work needs to be done for our youth.

Rochester Mayor Malik Evans and Police Chief David Smith say there will be extra police presence in parts of the Jefferson Avenue neighborhood on the southwest side in the coming days, federal help is on the way to parts of New York affected by flooding earlier this month, and small team of city ambassadors or guides could begin fanning out across downtown Rochester by early fall.

Detroit was a wild one, and this time it was for all the right reasons... mostly. The new street circuit down Jefferson Avenue was an awful layout but made for some decent recent in the end. But one thing still remains clear. Alex Palou is still HIM. His first ever Street Circuit win now puts in the drivers seat for the $1m bonus and he at times looked DOMINANT in a 74 lap leading charge. Dre and Cam make the most of the performance! We also talk about a potential referendum on McLaren after Pato O'Ward made another big blunder, crashing into the wall while trying to pass Santucci. Alongside Felix Rosenqvist pushing Alexander Rossi into the wall, just what is going on with a team that should now be contending? And we get into the big news of Conor Daly being fired from Ed Carpenter Racing after a poor, but not outlandishly bad run of form, with Ryan Hunter-Reay coming out of retirement to race the #20 instead. Is there more to it than what it appears? All that and more on another loaded Motorsport101!

New York–based photographer Ethan James Green is renowned for his distinct eye and the intimacy and openness portrayed in his work. An early career in modeling and exposure to some of the great photography visionaries of the times paved the path to a whirlwind career in fashion. Today his work, which has appeared in prominent publications and campaigns—including Dazed, i-D, M le Monde, Perfect, Vogue Italia, Vogue, and W, as well as Alexander McQueen, Dior, Fendi, and Louis Vuitton—spotlights elemental themes, such as contemporary identity, sexuality, and style. A published author, his books reflect on and display the scope of queer identity of the past decade, feminine performance, erotic costume, and beauty. Hailing from Michigan and raised in a religious household, he chats about his spiritual journey, as well as discovering and integrating with the queer community. In this episode, he relays to Christopher Michael how he shifts between his two worlds, of fashion as a photographer and art as a gallerist, highlighting the need to create bridges among generational aesthetics and perspectives. What's Contemporary Now? Being authentic, breaking rules, and moving forward even when it's uncomfortable. Episode Highlights: Point of entry: New York (via Tokyo) was the initial inspiration for the 17-year-old model. Working with the greats: Ethan learned a lot while modeling for some of the preeminent fashion photographers of the time, such as Steven Meisel (how to communicate a commanding, confident voice without aggression), Mikael Jansson, and David Sims (how to streamline the process of capturing iconic images and the tricks that facilitate success). Out of Michigan: Ethan staked his claim as a model—and ultimately a photographer—by leveraging determination and a homegrown portfolio that attracted notice. Turning point: Ethan's mentor is the artist and photographer behind the 2011 book "David Armstrong: 615 Jefferson Avenue"—he embodied and modeled integrity. Moving beyond: Ethan's fundamentalist upbringing proved a beautiful challenge, allowing a personal spiritual journey that led him to understand what was true for him. Doing the work: Integrating with the queer community opened Ethan to an entirely new community that replaced his childhood church community. Trans awareness: Understanding his struggle as a gay man in a broader context. Making it: The moment Ethan knew he'd made it: covers for Vanity Fair, Vogue, and an Alexander McQueen campaign. Then Rihanna! That was a moment. A perfect superstorm: Ethan became sober just before the pandemic and found himself subsequently challenged in his ability to connect as an artist and individual. Gravitating towards art: Ethan embraced an artistic ethic that opened up a transgenerational conversation across artists, galleries, and social media. Bridging spaces: To span modeling, photography, and now gallery art seamlessly, Ethan had to find brilliant collaborators; pursue other work before focusing on fashion photography; assist where he could; find a mentor; and break some rules! What's Contemporary Now? What's authentic to the moment, but also what's synthetic to the moment? It is mixing collaboration and multiple perspectives to advance the conversation, taking the next step, even if uncomfortable, and breaking the rules to move forward.

One year after the racially motivated attack that took ten lives at the Tops on Jefferson Avenue, Buffalo recognized the anniversary with a series of remembrance events. The anniversary has prompted the introduction of a piece of federal legislation called the Aaron Salter, Jr Responsible Body Armor Possession Act.

Chloe and her mother, Keir Johnson, were last seen in the 1900 block of Hastings Drive in Hampton, Virginia on April 30, 2017. Keir told her mother she planned to spend the day at Buckroe Beach with Chloe and a friend, but they never arrived for the meeting with Keir's friend, and neither of them have been heard from again. Their family reported them missing the next day. On May 14, Keir's black 2013 Kia Optima with the Virginia license plate number VAW-2197 was found abandoned at a trailer park at Jefferson Avenue and Arch Street in Newport News, Virginia. She has no history of running away and it's uncharacteristic of her to be out of touch with her loved ones. Newport News police are investigating the Johnsons' cases, which remain unsolved. Keir's twin sister believes someone Keir knew was responsible for their disappearances. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/leah-gordone/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/leah-gordone/support

Counterpublic is a civic exhibition that weaves contemporary art into the life of St. Louis for three months every three years in order to reimagine civic infrastructures towards generational change. Counterpublic's second edition will run from April 15 to July 15, 2023.Counterpublic 2023 is one of the nation's largest public art platforms, bringing 30+ new artist commissions to life in public parks, gardens, historic houses and museums around the city. Free art installations, performances, screenings, conversations and parties will animate the six miles of Jefferson Avenue with art and stories.In this episode we speak with James McAnally, the founder and Artistic Director of Counterpublic. McAnally is the co-founder and executive director of The Luminary, an expansive platform for art, thought, and action based in St. Louis, MO, as well as the co-founder and editor of MARCH: a journal of art and strategy (formerly Temporary Art Review). He also serves as a founding member and chairperson of Common Field, a national network of artist organizations and organizers.McAnally goes through the process of bringing Counterpublic to life, his vision for the project, along with the lasting impact it will have on the community. Support the show

In her Detroit Revealed: A Different View of the Motor City, author-photographer Leslie Cieplechowicz highlights the obscure and amazing hidden gems of the city which is sometimes portrayed as unapproachable. The imagery highlights places only seen by local people who have created a rich culture and scenery that is veiled from the public eye. "I wanted to share my view of the city," she said. Cieplechowicz worked as an EMS paramedic for the Detroit Fire Department. She returned to the sites of former EMS encounters to capture the images, all 4,000 of them. 150 best pictures made it into the book. "I captured the heart of the city and the people," she said. "I put a positive spin on a city that gets a negative reputation." The book serves as a city guide for both locals and visitors with its stunning imagery, history of the sites, and addresses. "You can visit all the places," she said. Walk along the radiant blue riverfront of the Detroit River and view the beautiful structures glittering in the sunlight. Hang out at the hole-in-the-wall local bar and absorb the glow from the antique fixture that bathes the vintage decor in a warm light. Head to the streets in a snowstorm, and peer through a broken window down Jefferson Avenue at a city shrouded in swirling white flakes. Or check out an old, dimly lit industrial center that has been turned into an enclave for local singers and artists to hone their talent, whose studios are a splash of faded records, flashing neon lights, and vibrant flags.   Listen in for a chance to win a signed copy of this book.   Sponsored by Doc Chavent and The Lowell Ledger                  

In our weekly “Producers' Picks” episode we bring you highlights of recent important interviews with: Jerome Wright, NYS HALT Solitary campaign on a NYS study that shows disproportionately harsh discipline of people of color in prisons, Rev. Denise Walden Glenn and Tyrell Ford from VOICE Buffalo on criminal justice and re-entry issues, Teresa Watson and Sarah Frasier from PUSH Buffalo on housing issues in Buffalo and the push for a tenant's Bill of Rights, and Tim Tielman, from The Campaign for Greater Buffalo History, Architecture & Culture looks at the rise and fall of Jefferson Avenue as a business district.

The St. Louis nonprofit Doorways has spent decades connecting people living with HIV/AIDS with housing. The organization recently moved into a headquarters on its $40 million campus on Jefferson Avenue. Doorways President and CEO Opal Jones discusses the group's strategy that prioritizes connecting people with housing while also stabilizing their health. Cory McCormick, a Doorways program participant who moved into a new apartment on the group's campus last week, discusses what the program means to someone who has experienced homelessness.

At least once each year, Pastor Kinzer Pointer from Agape Fellowship Baptist Church on Northland Avenue in Buffalo takes new UB Medical students on a tour of Jefferson Avenue, pointing out the issues that they need to have awareness of and people they should have empathy for. Then Jay Moran brings us excerpts from a recent “Making Spaces” discussion at Buffalo Arts Studio with Artist Matt Kenyon, Fruit Belt activist Dennice Barr, UB professor Henry Louis Taylor Jr. and others on art, urban planning and economic justice.

Marvin Askew, Executive Director of the Buffalo City Ballet and school shares his personal story, and talks about their holiday performances of "The Nutcracker" in the Box Theater on Leroy Avenue. Then noted preservationist Tim Tielman, Executive Director of the Greater Buffalo Campaign for History, Architecture & Culture shares information from his recent public forum on "Wrecking Jefferson" looking at how a neighborhood of houses, family businesses, and busy sidewalks disappeared into neglect.

Larry Stitts is the owner and operator of The Golden Cup, a coffee roaster and de-facto community center on Jefferson Avenue, expanding into new space. He's also on the newly appointed city memorial commission studying the Jefferson Avenue Shooting site, and has worked with the city of Buffalo's schools on minority participation in construction projects. He speaks with WBFO's Dave Debo during the first half of today's program. Then, Kevin Horrigan and Bradford Watts from People Inc. talk about community needs and race relations in that neighborhood, where they operate several residential facilities.

Today we have a collection of interviews about business development and an exciting music segment. First, Jay Moran chats with Shantelle Patton, founder of That Brown Bag Minority Business Directory on some of her banking and financial education programs. Jalonda Hill from “Colored Girls Bike Too” and Jerome Wright with the HaltSolitary movement are with Dave Debo to talk about their planning summit that brings community input into the future of the Jefferson Avenue neighborhood. Jay returns to chat with Afro Rhythm Of The Future, a group that works for a more democratic, anti-racist future.

In today's "Producer Picks" segment, we revisit an earlier conversation with Catherine Collins, the WNY representative on the NYS Board of Regents. She talks about teaching on race, curriculum, and as always what the community needs are along Jefferson Avenue. Then Leah Watson from the American Civil Liberties Union looks at some districts across the U.S., where increasing censorship is so strong that teachers have not been able to discuss the Tops shootings - or other racial issues- with their students.

06-17 HR 2 OBL - Maddy and Steve talk more Bills offseason as well as hearing some reaction from former Bills with their thoughts on the mass shooting on Jefferson Avenue in Buffalo.

It's been one month since the mass shooting on Jefferson Avenue, and we listen back to some of the voices of anger and grief during these past four weeks. Also, talk of what sort of memorial could go at the site of the Tops shooting on Jefferson Ave., safeguarding abortion in New York State and Republican candidates for Governor debate .

Bills reporter Maddy Glab and Steve Tasker hosted as we reacted to the Texas elementary school shooting following the Tops mass shooting on Jefferson Avenue. We recapped the week of Bills organized team activities so far and heard from Bills DE Greg Rousseau and OT Dion Dawkins as they addressed the media. The Athletic senior NFL writer Stephen Holder discussed the continued QB movement around the NFL (51:20).

In this episode, Rob breaks down the upcoming regular season schedule for the '22 Buffalo BillsHow many opponents are we truly "scared" of?Rob gives his prediction for the W-L record. Will it be enough to secure the coveted #1 seed in the AFC?Finally, Rob reminds listeners where and how they can directly help the families affected by the tragic events on Jefferson Avenue.rootedinloveinc.com@MindofTesha

Bills Hall of Fame DE Bruce Smith discussed why he returned to Buffalo to offer his support and efforts to aid those suffering after the mass shooting on Jefferson Avenue in Buffalo. He talked about the healing process he's sharing with the community following the racist hate crime. He continued about the steps we can take to end racism, his visit to the memorial site, and working together with the Pegulas, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and his former Bills teammates. (26:30). Pro Football Focus lead NFL analyst Sam Monson discussed the Bills offseason grade and changes (51:45). We discussed the latest NFL news and answered your most pressing Bills/NFL questions in the OBL Friday fan mailbag.

We recapped Bills owners Terry & Kim Pegula, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Bills Hall of Famers Bruce Smith, Jim Kelly and Thurman Thomas offering their support to the community at the site of the racist hate crime on Jefferson Avenue in Buffalo. We heard from Terry & Kim Pegula, Goodell and Smith as they addressed the media (50:00). NBC Sports columnist Peter King discussed the growing value of an NFL franchise and gave his thoughts on the Bills 2022 schedule (1:03:15).

We discussed Bills, Sabres and Bandits players and staff volunteering their support today in the community at the site of the Tops mass shooting on Jefferson Avenue in Buffalo. We heard from Bills GM Brandon Beane, QB Josh Allen and RB Taiwan Jones as they addressed the media. Bills reporter Maddy Glab recapped what she saw at the site of the community outreach today (27:35). NFL Network/Rams analyst & former NFL RB Maurice Jones-Drew previewed the 2022 season opener between the Bills and the Rams. He talked about the roster changes out in Los Angeles including Von Miller coming to Buffalo and shared his thoughts on the Bills backfield with the additions of Duke Johnson and rookie James Cook (48:30).

On this extremely sad episode of Talking Buffalo Podcast, Patrick Moran reflects on and has several thoughts on the mass murdering of 10 innocent victims at Buffalo Tops supermarkets on Jefferson Avenue over the weekend. Patrick goes into detail on his Saturday fun afternoon with friends, completely oblivious to what was going on just a few miles over and what his feelings were when he learned the severity of what happened. He goes through the victims and tries to honor them, speaking at length about a few specifically and just offering his raw thoughts and condolences to everyone involved. It's not your typical Talking Buffalo Podcast episode but one Patrick felt needed to be addressed, and one we all hope never happens again. ♦♦♦♦♦ Follow Patrick Moran/Talking Buffalo Podcast  Twitter:  @PatMoranTweets. Facebook: Talking Buffalo Podcast  YouTube: Talking Buffalo Podcast YouTube Channel  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices