Humans have been fascinated with space — the stars, planets and the possibility of extraterrestrial life — for as long as they’ve been looking at the night sky. In the United States, that fascination, particularly with alien life and the possibility of them visiting and observing our planet, created a significant subculture active since the middle of the 20th century. West End Players Guild explores the phenomena in a captivating, suspenseful production of Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa’s Dark Matters.
After months of speculation and chatter in the community, Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis at 999 North Second Street in downtown St. Louis has officially announced Ramsay’s Kitchen by Gordon Ramsay, a multi-Michelin-starred chef and TV personality, is opening in the restaurant space formerly home to Cinder House. Few details are available at this time, but Ramsay’s Kitchen is slated to debut in a soft opening period on Wednesday, April 17, with a grand opening celebration to take place in June. "The Ramsay’s Kitchen concept, inspired by chef Ramsay's travels, will take guests on a global culinary journey," according to a statement from the hotel, which also said that details on the menu and decor, as well as images, will be shared in the coming weeks.
St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones' announcement last month of a city-wide hiring freeze was met with confusion and criticism from members of the Board of Aldermen, highlighting a split between the two branches of city government that has become apparent in recent months. Details shared at the Budget and Public Employees Committee Wednesday suggest that this may not be so much a hiring freeze, but is rather a hiring frost and doesn’t impact as many positions as one might expect. Jones announced the freeze on March 29, the day after aldermen overrode her veto of the firefighter pension bill.
A motorist's dash cam caught no fewer than 10 drivers blow through the same red light in downtown St. Louis in less than 30 seconds — a high rate of scofflaw cruising, even by our city's standards. The footage of the brazen driving was taken at the intersection of Cole and Tucker streets downtown on April 7. "Can you imagine if someone came into that intersection, their life is changed forever — and for what?" asks the man whose dash cam recorded the footage.
In history and poetry, Xanadu was the location of the opulent summer palace of Kublai Khan, grandson of Genghis Khan and emperor during the Yuan dynasty. In 1980, Xanadu was a fluffy, critically panned movie musical that paired Olivia Newton-John with Gene Kelly and a handful of catchy disco-influenced hits. At Stray Dog Theatre, Xanadu is a cheerfully bright musical that embraces the movie's flaws and turns them into a cheesy good time.
A man was killed last night inside the Coronado Place & Towers, the troubled complex that houses many Saint Louis University students and sits on the edge of its campus in Grand Center. St. Louis Police had scant information about the homicide this morning, identifying the victim only as a Black male in his 20s. They say officers responded to a report of a shooting around 8 p.m. and discovered the victim inside an apartment unit with a gunshot wound to his chest.
Thursday 04/11 Turning Back Time
There are not many true divas in the world, but Cher is unquestionably among their number. For 60 years the Goddess of Pop has been a mainstay of American music and popular culture, showing remarkable staying power and a peerless ability to adapt with shape-shifting sound and timeless style.
A judge in Vernon County, Missouri, has ordered that several candidates who did not pass a GOP vetting test must be removed from the ballot there unless the county clerk can change her mind in the next two weeks. The preliminary order, which came down late yesterday, is a win for the activist wing of the Missouri Republican Party, which wants to exert greater control over who can run as a Republican in the state by forcing would-be candidates to complete a "values survey" and have their criminal and financial records scrutinized by county committees before being allowed on the ballot. The judge’s order doesn’t bar the candidates from running, but does stop them from being able to run as Republicans.
A sports bar concept that used to be known for its servers wearing body paint above the waist — and pretty much only body paint above the waist — has closed its south county location. Social Bar & Grill (4265 Reavis Barracks Road) announced the news on Facebook, saying the landlord's "refusal year after year to repair the significant building breakdowns" was to blame for the sudden closure. Just last month, the bar was seeking to hire additional staff.
A musician from Jackson, Mississippi, staying at an Airbnb in St. Louis was shot on Friday after he allegedly "broke through a drywall" of his rental unit and into an adjoining apartment, according to police. He was naked and screaming that he was going to kill everyone there. Prosecutors charged Patrick McKinney-Rankin, 37, with felonies for burglary and property damage on Saturday.
A one-of-a-kind license plate issued by the City of St. Louis in 1911 has been rediscovered after being tossed in the trash 40 years ago — and nearly lost forever. That's the remarkable story told by Donley Auctions, an auction company based in Union, Illinois. The company now plans to auction the discovery and thinks it should have no problem fetching a five-figure sum.
River barge magnate Mark Mestemacher has a rich history of establishing and supporting wrestling programs for young people around the region. That includes the East St. Louis Wrestling Club, which he founded in 2008 and housed in the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Center. But just one year later, the JJK Center shut down due to financial problems, laying off 32 employees.
Attempts to halt the execution of Brian Dorsey, convicted of murder, have failed and he is set to be put to death tonight. In his official final statement Dorsey apologized for his crimes and says he holds no ill will or anger towards his executioners. Two days before Christmas in 2006 prosecutors say Dorsey killed his cousin Sarah Bonnie, and her husband Ben Bonnie, sexually violated her corpse, and left their bodies locked in their bedroom before stealing from their home and fleeing, RFT previously reported.
My first question was this: Why? My second was: What? I asked the first on my way to Nick’s Pub (6001 Manchester Avenue) to pick up an order of its special Wing Week wings; the second at a stop light on my way home from Nick’s when I lifted the lid on my styrofoam clamshell.
A controversial idea that could further hasten the Missouri Republican Party’s sprint to the right will have its day in court tomorrow in Vernon County. At issue is the idea of candidate vetting, a practice that has already been implemented in several counties. It requires would-be candidates seeking to run as Republicans to fill out a questionnaire — described by some supporters as a “values survey” — as well as have their legal and financial records scrutinized before being given the green light to appear on the party’s primary ballot.
St. Louis is booming. Yes, really! That's according to no less than the Wall Street Journal, which recently compiled a list of the 20 hottest job markets in the U.S. — and placed St. Louis at No. 18.
The beer: Crisp Chinos
The brewery: Rockwell Beer Company If your beer wore pants, what kind of pants would it wear? It’s a question that lingers on the minds of Rockwell Beer Company Head Brewer Jonathan Moxey and Zack Kinney, owner of Kings County Brewery Collective in Brooklyn.
A defense attorney who last week went public with a photo of a client lying in his filth in the St. Louis city jail says the Sheriff's Office barred her from meeting with other clients yesterday. "They wouldn't let me back to my clients," Susan McGraugh tells the RFT. "It was total retaliation."
SLICE is back for round two! St. Louis’ premier annual indie-print showcase, the St. Louis Independent Comics Expo, will return for the second time on Saturday, October 26, at the Sheldon Concert Hall and Art Galleries (3648 Washington Avenue). SLICE, a nonprofit organization, brings writers, artists, poets and printmakers from all over to display their self-published books, comics, zines, magazines, poetry and more.
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