RFT 📰

Are the young things wafting about the 12th floor of this shimmering Westport Plaza office building too young to know about Mad Men? Are they not old enough to have had bonkers crushes on Jon Hamm, because who didn't? Probably.

A race for the Missouri House of Representatives is now splattered in controversy as one candidate in St. Charles County is accusing the other of having operated a “paintball gun trading scam” — one that he claims resulted in seven felonies against him. Missouri law prohibits people running for office if they have "been found guilty of or pled guilty to a felony." The lawsuit filed Monday by Max Calfo asks a judge to find Michael Costlow ineligible both to run for statewide office and to hold his current position in local government because of the past felony charges against him.

The cocktail wizards behind the Vandy will soon have another locus for their high-proof wizardry. Assuming approval of a conditional use permit by Webster Groves City Council, Matt and Jess Longueville are on course to open cocktail bar Off Elm at 8709 Big Bend Boulevard — two doors down from Bagel Union — sometime in the fall. Since 2017, the Longuevilles have owned STL Barkeep, a kind of moveable cocktail operation with an arsenal of bartenders, which hosts pop-ups at events around town.

For 25 years, Gene Salecker worked as a university police officer. There, Salecker met his wife, a professor, who inspired him to transition to the classroom, where he taught eighth grade for 12 years. Upon retiring in 2015, he became a full-time military historian, writing seven books in total on the Civil War and World War II.

This week brings a pair of new EPs from top-notch St. Louis acts Freddy VS. and Tidal Volume as they team up for a dual release show on Saturday at Off Broadway, with Chicago's Rebecca Jaffe kicking things off. Elsewhere, the inaugural Midwest Diskrust Fest brings together a bevy of hard-hitting d-beat bands from across the country for a full Saturday of fast, filthy fun at the Sinkhole; rapper and producer Mvstermind tops the lineup of St. Louis artists set to greet Saturday's marathon runners at the finish line for an afternoon after-party; and Michigan's Greta Van Fleet brings its progressive blues-rock stylings to Chaifetz Arena on Saturday evening. "But are there any days of the week other than Saturday?" you may find yourself asking.

The Gateway Pundit has filed for bankruptcy protection in a federal court in southern Florida as it faces what could be a massive defamation judgment stemming from their maligning of two Georgia election workers in the wake of the 2020 election. Founded in 2004 by brothers Jim and Joe Hoft, the St. Louis-based website has never let facts get in the way of throwing red meat to their far-right audience.  This lack-of-scruples approach won the site a big audience in the Trump years, during which they had a credentialed White House correspondent who the New Yorker described as more interested in trolling other media outlets than breaking big stories.

Benton Park is about to get a little sweeter when A Spoonful of Sugar opens in the old Cones + Cups space at 2800 McNair Aveue. Although previous ice cream doyenne Diane Lindsay still owns the building, Elijah Jabari has the keys to the door. With an almost-complete degree in Business Administration and Management from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE), he (at 28 years old) is jumping into his very own enterprise.

Two experienced booksellers have come together with plans to open a new independent bookstore in the City of St. Louis this year. The location is TBD, but you can get a sneak peek this weekend on South Grand. Leviathan Bookstore is the brainchild of Amanda Clark and James Crossley, two experienced booksellers who fell in love and decided to form a professional partnership in addition to their personal one.

Thursday 04/25 Backstage Pass Hopefully you're no stranger to the phenomenal productions that take the Muny stage every summer. But have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes?

When Americana band Old Capital Square Dance Club released its album Old Capital in 2019, the RFT lauded its "marriage of truck-driving tracks and country music." The album has its shares of rollicking barn-burners even as several of its tracks limn small-town strife and economic worry. The band hails from Jesse McClary and Zach Anderson’s hometown of Vandalia, Illinois, a town of about 7,000 an hour from St. Louis.

Right-wing Missouri politicians are throwing temper tantrums over free speech on college campuses. These snowflakes want Pro-Palestine protests silenced. Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has doubled down on his calls for the federal government to “immediately expel” foreign student visa holders who “are found to have supported terrorist organizations.” Meanwhile, Senator Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) called on President Joe Biden to mobilize the National Guard against protestors. 

When Steve Ewing unlocks the door to Steve's Hot Dogs on South Grand, the flagship location of his growing restaurant chain, he pulls open the door handle, which is shaped like a handheld microphone. There must be incredible muscle memory built into such a grip for Ewing, as he has held a similar microphone during thousands of shows as the lead singer for the Urge and in his various solo configurations dating back to his days as a teenager at Webster Groves High School in the '80s. It's Monday morning, an hour before the restaurant opens, and Ewing has walked over from his nearby Tower Grove South home, which he shares with his wife and teenage daughter, to talk with me. He's wearing a track suit that covers his compact frame, built solid from decades as a fitness nut and, more recently, as a competitive amateur bodybuilder.

What happens when the nonprofit radio station you run begins hemorrhaging donors and listeners and, through a series of your own actions, loses the faith of the community it purports to serve? If that station is KDHX, it would appear that you get a raise. According to the station's tax return signed by Executive Director Kelly Wells and dated March 14, Wells was paid more than $100,000 in reportable compensation last year, even as the station's revenue  sharply declined.

Prosecutors have elevated the charges against a 25-year-old man accused of assaulting a teenage McDonald's employee outside the restaurant.  Johnny Ricks, from north St. Louis County, now faces a first-degree felony assault charge, the closest charge to attempted murder permitted under Missouri law. An updated complaint filed yesterday by prosecutors in St. Louis County contains the amended allegations.

Green Party Presidential Candidate Dr. Jill Stein is slated to speak at the University City Public Library on Saturday. She will speak alongside other academic and activist organizations on topics ranging from mass incarceration to factory farms in St. Louis. Stein has previously been slammed by members of the Democratic Party, who accused her of taking votes away from Hillary Clinton in 2016.

This story was first published in the Daily Egyptian of Southern Illinois University and is reprinted with permission. Southern Illinois University tenure professor Scott McClurg died April 13 after a long struggle with brain cancer.

For Nick Rinella, CEO of Missouri-based Hippos Cannabis, Saturday's 4/20 Day was the best of the times and the worst of times. The best: Customers lined up at Hippos' three dispensaries in Missouri, which includes locations in Chesterfield, Springfield and Columbia. "A lot of customers showed up," Rinella says.

After an extensive six-month search that identified three well-qualified finalists, Kate Bergstrom was selected to join the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis as the eighth Augustin Family Artistic Director in the company’s 58-year run. Officially starting in the role on May 13, Bergstrom is already busy moving to the city and becoming familiar with the staff and region. St. Louis theatergoers may already be familiar with Bergstrom, who directed well-received productions of The 39 Steps in 2021 and 2023’s crowd-pleasing holiday production It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey launched an investigation into four companies Wednesday as part of an effort to crack down on intoxicating hemp products. The problem, according to Bailey, is the products in question — such as Delta-8 edibles and vape pens — are not clearly labeled to indicate that they’ll get you high. “When purchasing products, Missourians have a right to know if they will be subject to serious and potentially dangerous side effects,” Bailey stated in his press release, “like psychotic episodes, severe confusion, hallucinations and other life-threatening problems.” 

A new market, deli and cafe called the Cobblestone will open soon at 701 North First Street on Laclede’s Landing. The business is owned and managed by Camille Jackson and Christopher McMenomy, who say they are on track for late April. All the cafe equipment is in place on the first floor, and some final tweaks are happening down below, where the market and deli will be.