Rebecca Thiele on Muck Rack

Rebecca Thiele

Verified
St. Louis
As seen in: St. Louis Public Radio, NPR, Flipboard, Marketplace, MPR News (Saint Paul, MN), WLRN-FM (Miami, FL), NewsBreak, Indiana Public Media, WTIU-TV (Bloomington, IN), ipm.org, Belleville News-Democrat and
P.M. News Editor for @stlpublicradio. Send story ideas to rthiele (at) stlpr (dot) com

Get in touch with Rebecca

Contact Rebecca, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.

Learn more about Muck Rack

Actions

Share this page

Rebecca Thiele’s Journalist Portfolio

See all 7 portfolio items →
Don't Eat The Fish: Kalamazoo River Warnings Aren't Reaching Everyone

Don't Eat The Fish: Kalamazoo River Warnings Aren't Reaching Everyone

People aren't supposed to eat the fish out of the Kalamazoo River, but many still do. Fish in the river are c…

View article →
Invasive Garlic Mustard - Love It Or Leave It?

Invasive Garlic Mustard - Love It Or Leave It?

Photo: Robert Mertl (Shutterstock.com) Invasive plants and animals are an expensive problem in the United Sta…

View article →
Michigan Is 11th Highest In Bicyclist Deaths

Michigan Is 11th Highest In Bicyclist Deaths

It's been a little over a year since nine Kalamazoo bicyclists were struck by a pickup truck driver allegedly…

View article →
Great Lakes community contemplates nuclear plant closure

Great Lakes community contemplates nuclear plant closure

Marketplace® is your liaison between economics and life. Noted for timely, relevant and accessible coverage o…

View article →
Great Lakes pollutant lurks in your laundry pile

Great Lakes pollutant lurks in your laundry pile

The United States and Canada are moving to ban microbeads -- the tiny plastic bits in toothpaste and facewash…

View article →
Go On A Sound Walk with WMU Soundscape Ecologists

Go On A Sound Walk with WMU Soundscape Ecologists

There are so many sounds that we tune out every day. It could be car traffic, the TV in the other room, the h…

View article →

Articles

Merah, the second-oldest Sumatran orangutan in North America, dies at St. Louis Zoo

|
By Rebecca Thiele , Rob Edwards 
| KWMU-FM (St. Louis, MO)
Merah, the second-oldest Sumatran orangutan in North America and a longtime resident of the St. Louis Zoo, has died. Zoo staff announced on social media they made the difficult decision to humanely euthanize Merah, 57, last week, saying she was suffering from health issues and her quality of life was declining. "Merah was a curious, gentle and attentive mother and role model within her family group," zoo leaders said in a statement.
Open in Who Shared Issue with article?

Solar farm could turn polluted land to boon for East St. Louis electric bills

|
By Rebecca Thiele 
| Belleville News-Democrat
East St. Louis wants to turn a polluted property once owned by the aluminum company Alcoa into a community solar project that could save residents money on their electric bills. Under this model, residents would pay a $50 yearly subscription fee to receive credits on their electric bills, said City Manager Robert Betts. Betts said the 15-megawatt solar farm will supply free energy to about 2,000 low-income residents who pay a $50 yearly subscription fee.
Open in Who Shared Issue with article?

Solar farm could turn polluted land to boon for East St. Louis residents’ electric bills

|
By Rebecca Thiele 
| KWMU-FM (St. Louis, MO)
East St. Louis wants to turn a polluted property once owned by the aluminum company Alcoa into a community solar project that could save residents money on their electric bills. Under this model, residents would pay a $50 yearly subscription fee to receive credits on their electric bills, said City Manager Robert Betts. Betts said the 15-megawatt solar farm will supply free energy to about 2,000 low-income residents who pay a $50 yearly subscription fee.
Open in Who Shared Issue with article?
See all 4,747 licensed articles (4,748 Total)

Interview

See all 4 answers →

Why did you become a journalist?

To make a difference in the world

What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?

Get experience in any kind of journalism you're even remotely interested in. You might discover a new passion that you never knew you had.

When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?

Hiking or drinking a craft beer

Awards

See all 5 awards →

Society of Professional Journalists Award

2010 - 1st Place: Radio News Reporting

As a student, I won a first place regional award for my feature "Rain Delays Harvest." The story was about how Mid-Missouri farmers were unable to reach their crops with equipment due to heavy rains.

View Award

Public Radio News Directors Incorporated

2014 - Best Use of Sound

I won second place in the Best Use of Sound category for my audio postcard on "sound walks"—where soundscape ecologists teach the public about how people and animals react to the many sounds in our world

View Award

PRNDI Award

2017 - Arts Feature

Won first place for a story on how coughing during classical music concerts may not be as involuntary as it seems

View Award

Michigan Assoc. of Broadcasters - Broadcast Excellence Award

2018 - Hard News & Current Events Story

I received Best in Category for my story on the mental health struggles of Burmese refugees in Michigan

View Award

Public Radio News Directors Incorporated (PRNDI)

2018 - Arts Feature, 2nd Place

I won second place for my feature on a collaboration between modern dancers and hip-hop artists

View Award

Actions

Share this page

Get in touch with Rebecca

Contact Rebecca, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.

Learn more about Muck Rack
 •  Privacy  •  Terms  •  Security and Legal  •   •   •   • 

© 2026 Muck Rack

SOC 2® Certified