RFT 📰

You supply the night. They’ll supply the Lukather.

First, let us lead by saying that, in a way, the entire damn world is one big Man Cave Extravaganza. But in this man's world, the Man Cave Extravaganza in Belleville, Illinois, looks like a genuinely fun event that could be enjoyed by all — men, women or anyone in between — as long as they like beer. Vendors from multiple states will crowd into the Belle Clair Fairgrounds (200 South Belt East, Belleville; 618-235-0666) with their breweriana, collectibles, lighted signs, decor and more this Saturday, April 1.

An eagle at the World Bird Sanctuary in St. Louis has captured the internet and our hearts.  A viral tweet shared over the weekend shows Murphy, a male eagle at the sanctuary in Valley Park, carefully incubating a rock.

St. Louis Treasurer Adam Layne plans to extend a parking-management contract for one year that will pay $2.35 million to a company that, along with its chief executive, has donated $38,000 to Mayor Tishaura Jones’ political campaigns. The original three-year contract for more than $7 million with Hudson and Associates LLC, of St. Louis, was signed April 10, 2020, when Jones was still serving as city treasurer. In the weeks that followed, the deal came under scrutiny from both local news and members of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen, not least because the contract paid a set fee of nearly $2.35 million per year without the company having to meet performance goals or show evidence of cost-savings.

On Friday, police arrested a man who they say admitted to throwing rocks off the Hampton Avenue overpass onto cars traveling on I-64/Highway 40 below. Over the weekend, SLMPD spokeswoman Evita Caldwell said that the arrest of 37-year-old Phillip Carter stemmed from several reports of rocks being thrown from the overpass. Police questioned Carter about the incidents on Friday and, according to Caldwell, he admitted to throwing rocks at vehicles.

The owners of Kitchen House Coffee have shut their doors for good. In a Facebook post yesterday, owners Paul Whitsitt and David Rodgers said they made the difficult decision to close the almost nine-year-old Tower Grove East coffee shop, located at 3149 Shenandoah Avenue. "This decision was both long coming and made suddenly," they wrote.

Music is an integral part of sports, and St. Louis CITY SC hired Muhammad "Mvstermind" Austin as director of musical experience. While there's no music during the game, he builds the soundtrack for the pre-game shows and block parties, including selecting which artists will perform.

This afternoon, Lincoln County prosecutors charged Davionne McRoberts, 25, with two counts of murder for allegedly killing his grandparents Donald and Kathy McRoberts, of Troy. The couple is believed to have been killed on Monday night, though police did not discover their bodies until Tuesday.

New details have emerged about the 25-year-old Missouri man who is suspected of killing his grandparents in Troy earlier this week. Davionne McRoberts released music under the name Woozy the Goat and had alarming interactions with relatives prior to the deaths of his grandparents. On Wednesday, McRoberts walked into a psychiatric hospital covered in blood, asking to be admitted to the facility.

As part of his ongoing investigation of the Transgender Center at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, Attorney General Andrew Bailey yesterday launched an online form through which any old Missourian can weigh in on the issue.  Bailey's announcement says the form is for any complaints or concerns residents might have "about gender transition intervention you have experienced or observed in Missouri."

As COVID-19 began its rapid spread throughout the country three years ago, jails across the country implemented strategies to reduce their populations to mitigate the virus’ spread. As violent crime and homicides started to increase after the start of the pandemic, speculation circled that these reforms were the cause. 

Excuse me, what? The Washington Post just claimed that D.C. has the best fan base in the XFL. We all know that when it comes to the XFL, St. Louis Battlehawks fans are the best.

Not all heroes wear capes … but some of them should consider wearing bibs. Check out our new hero below, Amanda Schweiss, who Courtesy Diner says “managed to wolf down” 10 slinger platters the other day.

When St. Louis County prosecutor Doug Sidel took on the 1993 case against Gary Muehlberg, he immediately recognized Muehlberg as a sadist. The 44-year-old Bel-Ridge man was on trial for the February 1993 killing of 57-year-old Kenneth “Doc” Atchison, whom Muehlberg lured over to his house on the pretense of selling him a car. Muehlberg killed Atchison, stealing $6,000 in cash and the car Atchison had driven over.

It is a serendipitous day to catch up with St. Louis singing sensation Joanna Serenko. As we sit down in a Webster Groves coffee and garden shop earlier this month, it is not only the one-year anniversary of the release of her debut album, Best of Me, but also the day Neil Salsich has gone public with the news that he will be a contestant on the upcoming season of NBC's The Voice.

This week, Riverfront Times founder Ray Hartmann moves on from the weekly column he’s written for the paper since 2019 — and onto Substack. Hartmann hasn’t owned the paper since 1998 but has kept himself busy with other business ventures, including a stint owning St. Louis Magazine, nearly four years hosting a talk show on KTRS (550 AM) and his ongoing run as a panelist (and co-founder) of Nine PBS’  Donnybrook.

“Welcome to the better-late-than-never portion of the Imploding the Mirage Tour!” The Killers frontman Brandon Flowers told the crowd at Chaifetz Arena yesterday after a three-song opening that included a cinematic build-up and a massive confetti explosion. Flowers is referencing the six-month delay for the St. Louis concert originally scheduled for September of last year.

Joan Mitchell had enough of being compared to Claude Monet.  “[Monet] was not a good colorist.

As Metro Transit prepares to slash its Call-a-Ride service, leaving disabled St. Louisans in the lurch, an old-timey transportation option prepares to sputter back to life, helping precisely no one. Yes, the Loop Trolley is coming back on April 26 — just two weeks after paratransit cuts are set to go into effect in St. Louis County. It would be ironic if it wasn't so galling.

Thursday 03/23 One Thing We've Got Classic film, Truman Capote, Audrey Hepburn, breakfast for dinner — if you're a fan of any of those things, this is your lucky week.