RFT 📰

Let's all say goodbye to one of the better guilty pleasures on TV. Yesterday came the news that HBO Max had pulled the plug on FBoy Island — and St. Louis-based host Nikki Glaser — after two seasons, news that was both largely inevitable and also deeply disappointing.  Inevitable because last spring's Warner Bros. Discovery merger meant HBO Max had no need for unscripted programming like this.

Life is seldom like we see in the movies, and particularly not those popular holiday romantic comedies that proliferate this time of year. While Ginna Hoben’s comically relatable, if not quite believable, The Twelve Dates of Christmas, frequently reminds us of this point, the funny show might just make you wonder whether real life rules apply to the holiday season.

Cardinals announcer Dan McLaughlin was arrested for driving while intoxicated on Sunday and charged as a persistent offender for the crime the following day. McLaughlin, 48, calls play-by-play for the Cardinals games on Bally Sports Midwest and has been a big presence in the city’s sports scene for two decades, having worked in various capacities on broadcasts for the Blues, Mizzou Tigers and the NFL. Prior to his arrest on Sunday, around 6:30 p.m. police received two calls about a white BMW similar to the one McLaughlin was allegedly driving, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 

You may not associate St. Louis with sinning, but a new demographic study of 182 cities shows that St. Louis is positively proficient in the seven deadly sins, with a special aptitude for anger and giving into excess. Neither of these things should come as any surprise to anyone who's witnessed our road rage — or our penchant for cheap liquor. For those of you who have never seen the film Seven (Is there another way to learn about the deadly sins?), the seven deadly sins are:

Like anyone who regularly patronized the iconic Kohn's Kosher Meat & Deli Restaurant (10405 Old Olive Street Road, Creve Coeur; 314-569-0727), AJ Moll had known for years that the Kohn family was looking to sell. Though their desire was never officially made public, Lenny Kohn and his sister, Rosemary Cooper, let it be known throughout St. Louis' Jewish community that they were looking for change, a desire that became even more explicit when they put the business up for sale this past March. Now, Moll is a minority partner in a three-way partnership that will ensure that Kohn's continues serving guests well into the future.

ChatGPT is an open source AI that is supposed to write stories and poems, help explain complicated ideas and carry on conversations. We figured if it is truly wise, let’s ask it to write about St. Louis and see what it has to say. Write a limerick about St. Louis.

Those in the St. Louis region who misuse taxpayer funds are going to have to re-cork that champagne. Veteran watch dog journalist and host of Fox 2's "You Paid For It" segment Elliott Davis is very much still alive. Earlier today, a Facebook page called Jefferson County, MO posted an image of Davis along with the words "Rest in Peace 1954 -2022."

After someone carjacked one of his closest neighbors a few years ago, Tom Scheifler had enough. His neighborhood, St. Louis Hills, did not feel the same as it did when he and his wife moved there about 30 years ago. Crime had become more and more frequent.

A 20-year-old was playing a video a game Sunday when police say he was shot by his older brother. According to a police incident report, the shooting occurred just before midnight last night in Walnut Park West. The victim was playing the game in his living room when his 23-year-old brother entered with a handgun and shot him in the shoulder.

Proper Cannabis plans to open its fourth location in the St. Louis area in the coming months, St. Louis Business Journal reports. The St. Louis-based company recently finished construction on its newest location in Bridgeton, where it will replace a former Bank of America. Once approved by the state,  business could begin within 60 days.

Missourians know what we’re about. Barbecue, our sports teams, making national political embarrassments of ourselves. But who knew we had good taste in fast food restaurants?

It's go time for the holiday season. While that's pretty much top-notch delightful most of the time, it can also be — to be frank — really redundant to look at all those beautifully decorated trees, bright lights, Christmas-oriented sale advertisements and mulled-wine recipes all the time. So do yourself a favor and take an art break.

Sure, socks are nice, but pizza is the best gift of them all. And in this case, it’s the gift that keeps on giving.

An 18-year-old St. Louisan accused of being part of a ring that burglarized area restaurants is now facing gun and drug possession charges. Last week, burglary and property damage charges were filed in state court against Zavion McGee, of Florissant. Fox2News reported that police believed McGee may be responsible for as many as one third of the 69 burglaries reported within the city in the past month.

County Executive Sam Page provided a preview last week into what four full years of his control of St. Louis County government will look like. It isn’t pretty. The county appealed a judge’s order to enforce a settlement that Fitch had apparently reached after courts sided with his pension claim.

Emmy Award-winning actor Sterling K. Brown showed up to a special event at St. Louis’ Lift For Life Academy yesterday to give his support and encouragement. Raised in Olivette, the This Is Us actor brought his star power back to St. Louis to shine a spotlight on a project the school is trying to finish. The Lift for Life Academy was the first independent charter school to open in the City of St. Louis, and it is currently in the process of building a theater in Soulard.

This weekend, Pop’s Nightclub will be hosting an assortment of local bands for two nights of performances: the STL Showcase on Friday, December 2, and the Pop’s Local Showcase on Sunday, December 4. A variety of genres will be represented on both evenings, including thrash metal (Stormrazor), heavy metal (Mental Fixation), pop punk (Beaser, Atlas on Fire, Breezy Point), indie rock (Euphoria), hard rock (Dead Birds Can Fly, the Intrusion) and alternative metal (Holding Ground).

A 39,000-square-foot indoor slide park, with 10 slides, air-filled basketball courts and a zip line, has opened in Chesterfield. Slick City Action Park, described as the “world’s first indoor slide park with no water” to the Ladue News, launched its facility in the St. Louis area in late November. It’s the Slick City Action Park's second location, with its first in Lakewood, Colorado.

The month of November ushered in cooler temperatures and a flurry of restaurant openings with it. Mexican cuisine was a hot commodity, with three different restaurants opening around the area: El Catrin, from the team behind the wildly successful La Catrina; Tacos Wey & Grill, a fast-casual Mexican street food spot; and Casa de Tres Reyes, from Derek Deaver, owner of Three Kings Public House and featuring the culinary firepower of chef Marcos Godines and consulting chef Andrew Cisneros (yes, his outrageously delicious sanguichitos make an appearance on the menu). One of the most anticipated openings of the month featured cuisine from across the Atlantic, however.

Imagine that you’re working on self-publishing a book. It’s been five years of ups and downs of fundraising and editing. Now, it’s finally here on your doorstep — all 3,250 copies on 12 pallets — and it’s time to get them in the hands of your readers.