@Kirkman@mastodon.social

Josh Renaud @Kirkman@mastodon.social · Jul 16, 2026

The Voters Guide for the August primary election is in today's print edition of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper!

It's also available online:
https://www.stltoday.com/votersguide/

Get informed before you vote!

#missouri #stl #stlouis #elections #vote #localnews #news

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Josh Renaud @Kirkman@mastodon.social · Jul 08, 2026

Vernon Gentry has purchased at least 69 properties north of Delmar Boulevard in St. Louis since 2023 — more than half of them since last year's tornado.

The reason? There are still so many homes not yet too far gone that he can buy, gut, rehab and rent out at affordable rates, he says.

https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/business/article_959be361-73a5-4e8c-b701-8809fb6769a9.html

#localnews #localjournalism #stl #stlouis #realestate

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Josh Renaud @Kirkman@mastodon.social · Jul 07, 2026

@gruber@mastodon.social What was the point of the final two sentences in your graf beginning "John Siracusa has a long memory..."?

If you can't think of worse design crimes, then why waste words quibbling?

Drop the last two lines so the graf is simply: "John Siracusa has a long memory, cares deeply about Mac design, and is not prone to hyperbole (putting it mildly)."

Much better.

mastodon.social

John Gruber (@gruber@mastodon.social) - Mastodon

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Josh Renaud @Kirkman@mastodon.social · Jun 23, 2026

Violence spiked this spring at 13th and Cass, just north of downtown St. Louis. Six people were shot dead in an eight-block area over a span of 66 days.

Police, homeless advocates and business owners chalk it up to drug use, growing homeless camps and abandoned properties.

https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-courts/article_e25f952c-da4e-49c3-9fb8-87888aaa136e.html

#news #localnews #journalism #localjournalism #stl #stlouis #crime

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Josh Renaud @Kirkman@mastodon.social · Jun 15, 2026

Biked to work this morning. Pretty weird to ride across Cass Ave. over I-44 and see no cars below (the interstate was closed after an enormous sinkhole opened near a bridge footing this weekend)

Also on the bike ride to work: racing the turkeys.

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Josh Renaud @Kirkman@mastodon.social · Jun 11, 2026

I bet you wish YOU had a journalist for a son!

#localnews #localjournalism #news #pressfreedom

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Josh Renaud @Kirkman@mastodon.social · May 31, 2026

Joe Negri was such an easygoing and friendly person in Mister Roger’s Neighborhood: music shop owner and jazz guitarist in the “real” world, and Handyman Negri in Make-Believe.

He lived a long full life, and he certainly blessed me and my kids through his involvement in MRN. Rest in peace, Joe Negri.

https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/joe-negri-mr-rogers-neighborhood-dies-age-99/

#mrn #MisterRogers #MrRogers #MisterRogersNeighborhood

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Josh Renaud @Kirkman@mastodon.social · May 21, 2026

🚗 🧙📚
In 12 hours, I'll be headed to Minneapolis with my daughter for #Westmoot26. I'll be giving a presentation about storytelling in Tolkien's home and in our own homes. Very excited!

If you're going, too, I hope to see you there!

#westmoot #intothewest

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Josh Renaud @Kirkman@mastodon.social · Apr 30, 2026

A blight that has bedeviled Kinloch for seven years is finally shrinking. Over the past week, workers have begun gnawing at a 6-acre mountain of shingles and other solid waste.

https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/government-politics/article_642836b4-96b2-4c1b-a1ee-cad41e8b83e5.html

It wasn't always like this. Two derelict buildings on the site began as schools: Kennedy Junior High and Kinloch Senior High. Later they served as City Hall and a community center.

#environment #dumping #waste #stl #stlouis #kinloch #missouri #history #localnews #localjournalism #datajournalism

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Josh Renaud @Kirkman@mastodon.social · Apr 20, 2026

Only one donor so far — Blackford "Beau" Brauer, president of Hunter Engineering — has donated to fund St. Louis police Chief Robert Tracy's side job at UMSL, but a pledge from Emerson may be on the way.

https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/article_ea389290-e181-43f1-aa28-17eeef51c4a3.html

#stl #stlouis #localnews #news #localjournalism #police #publicsafety

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Josh Renaud @Kirkman@mastodon.social · Apr 18, 2026

Replying to @Kirkman@mastodon.social

Excited to share this personal talk — given at the Tolkien Society's inaugural Westmoot conference in Kansas City — titled "Reflections on Middle-earth from a Middle American." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbQohw4tjQ4 #tolkien #jrrtolkien #missouri #stl #stlouis #midwest #midamerica #westmoot

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Josh Renaud @Kirkman@mastodon.social · Apr 18, 2026

It has often been said that J.R.R. Tolkien wanted to make a "mythology for England," but echoes of Middle-earth can be found among the monuments, mounds, and muddy rivers of the American Midwest.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbQohw4tjQ4

#tolkien #jrrtolkien #missouri #stl #stlouis #midwest #midamerica #westmoot

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Josh Renaud @Kirkman@mastodon.social · Apr 11, 2026

Replying to @Kirkman@mastodon.social

Just got some great news — my talk proposal for Westmoot 2026 has been accepted! It's coming fast (next month), and I have a lot of work still to do. #tolkien #westmoot #storytelling

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Josh Renaud @Kirkman@mastodon.social · Apr 10, 2026

It has often been said that J.R.R. Tolkien wanted to make a "mythology for England," but echoes of Middle-earth can be found right here among the monuments, mounds, and muddy rivers of the American Midwest.

Excited to share video from my presentation ("Reflections on Middle-earth from a Middle American") at last year's inaugural Westmoot conference from the Tolkien Society!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbQohw4tjQ4

#tolkien #MiddleEarth #westmoot #midwest #stl #stlouis

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Josh Renaud @Kirkman@mastodon.social · Apr 08, 2026

Replying to @schmudde@mastodon.social

@schmudde Often — but not always — a losing battle.

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Josh Renaud @Kirkman@mastodon.social · Apr 07, 2026

Tonight as I monitor St. Louis-area municipal election results, I'll be using the Wayback Machine SPN2 API to archive data files from county election authorities as they change.

The last time I tried this (2024), it didn't work very well, but it feels like @internetarchive@mastodon.archive.org infrastructure has improved a lot post-hack, and my tests this week have been encouraging. We'll see how it goes tonight.

#archive #elections #localnews #localpolitics #stl #stlouis

mastodon.archive.org

internetarchive (@internetarchive@mastodon.archive.org) - Internet Archive

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Josh Renaud @Kirkman@mastodon.social · Apr 07, 2026

A wild morning. I biked to a polling place, voted, then rode to a park for my 3rd attempt hunting morel mushrooms.

I had no luck my first two tries — at Pere Marquette on Sunday, and a mid-county park on Monday.

After an hour today, I was about to quit, when I saw one! ... I came home with 13!

https://www.joshrenaud.com/family/archives/2026/04/a-longcut-to-mushrooms.html

Extraordinary Renaud Family

A longcut to mushrooms

I have been morel mushroom hunting this week, and after several tries, today I finally struck gold! This is really my first time trying seriously to find them. The only other time I remember coming…

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Josh Renaud @Kirkman@mastodon.social · Mar 19, 2026

Replying to @danielcornell@mastodon.social

@danielcornell It's in pretty good shape now, renovated many years ago for bike and pedestrian use. The parking area on the Missouri side was completely rebuilt and reopened in 2024 IIRC. Much nicer and safer than before.

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Josh Renaud @Kirkman@mastodon.social · Mar 19, 2026

Biked across the Chain of Rocks Bridge from north St. Louis across to Chouteau / Gabaret Island, then biked down to the southern tip. Pretty neat view from there, and a decent amount of bird action along the river. 16 miles round-trip.

#stlouis #stl #314 #bike #ebike #biking

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Josh Renaud @Kirkman@mastodon.social · Mar 10, 2026

Praying for Eduard Löwen after the death of his wife, Ilona.

From an interview before this season: "Jesus is my greatest treasure because he is enough. ... I know he will be there to pick me up ... and that's why I can still remain joyful."

https://www.stltoday.com/sports/professional/mls/city-sc/article_f8fffa55-84a0-4b8b-97c8-28f3a1543912.html

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Josh Renaud @Kirkman@mastodon.social · Feb 27, 2026

Replying to @Kirkman@mastodon.social

Just a little further down, I noticed two figures in the mist: probably coyotes. Unfortunately I didn't stop and get the camera rolling until they had crossed the trail and run close to the tree line.

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Josh Renaud @Kirkman@mastodon.social · Feb 27, 2026

Replying to @Kirkman@mastodon.social

Ran into the turkey family again for the first time in several months. They have really grown up since last year.

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Josh Renaud @Kirkman@mastodon.social · Feb 27, 2026

Good morning from the St. Louis Riverfront Trail.

Lots of animals out and about, and lots of work being done on the river, the rails and the scrapyards.

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Josh Renaud @Kirkman@mastodon.social · Feb 03, 2026

The Olympics are coming back to St. Louis! (a few games, at least)
https://www.stltoday.com/sports/professional/mls/city-sc/article_8f9b004b-e734-435b-a0a3-df04cd9e1730.html

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Josh Renaud @Kirkman@mastodon.social · Jan 24, 2026

It's funny how grief can surprise you.

I have been blogging for more than 20 years now. In recent days I was revisiting early posts about my kids, trying to fix broken video links. I came across one particular post I had long forgotten about.

It was a little bittersweet at the time I wrote it, but 18 years later, it hit home and resonated in a new way I couldn't have expected back then.

I wrote an essay about my rediscovery:
https://www.joshrenaud.com/family/archives/2026/01/the-day-jadzia-noticed-adam.html

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Josh Renaud @Kirkman@mastodon.social · Jan 17, 2026

Looking forward to attending the Tolkien Society's #Westmoot again this year with Josie (seen here showing off her shirt at Graham Cave State Park in Missouri).

Still trying to decide if I should submit a talk proposal. I have what I think might be a decent idea, but I'm not sure yet.

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Josh Renaud @Kirkman@mastodon.social · Jan 04, 2026

Replying to @goto80@post.lurk.org

@goto80 Oh sorry, I had meant the a comment on the blog post itself! No worries if you’d rather not.

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Josh Renaud @Kirkman@mastodon.social · Jan 01, 2026

Replying to @goto80@post.lurk.org

@goto80 Thanks so much for your kind comments. I just posted Part 3 last night, an in-depth profile of the ANSI artist Eerie. Definitely a lot of interesting images in those PETSCII troves! And a lot of subject overlap with the P-D ANSI folks, which makes sense (Batman, Calvin&Hobbes, Star Trek, etc). Also, would you be willing to add this as a comment to either the first or second post so people can see it??

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Josh Renaud

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John Gruber (@gruber@mastodon.social) - Mastodon

internetarchive (@internetarchive@mastodon.archive.org) - Internet Archive

A longcut to mushrooms

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