RFT 📰

Former President of the Board of Aldermen Lewis Reed was a no show to a court-ordered deposition today, according to attorney Mark Pedroli. "Has anyone seen former St. Louis Board of Alderman President Lewis Reed today because he definitely didn't show up for his court-ordered deposition," Pedroli wrote on Twitter this afternoon. Pedroli is suing Reed as well as other former and current city officials over what Pedroli says were violations of transparency laws related to the failed effort to privatize St. Louis Lambert International Airport during Lyda Krewson's administration.

As if one major public health scare hasn’t already been enough to deal with, it seems that we might need to keep an eye on Monkeypox at the local level now, too. The City of St. Louis Department of Health made a Facebook post saying that they’re going to start sharing a “bi-weekly update on the monkeypox case counts in our community.”

A Missouri woman admitted in federal court today that last year — as she awaited sentencing on a $700,000 embezzlement case — she committed $27,000 worth of COVID-relief-related fraud. Today in federal court, Christen Diane Schulte of Franklin County pleaded guilty to bank fraud charges related to her attempts last spring to take out multiple Paycheck Protection Program loans. Schulte received two loans, each worth $13,566, for her Mama Bear Cake Company.

New York City-based comedian Mike Feeney made a little video about St. Louis recently, and it hit all of our major cultural talking points. In the video, part of a series of short "Welcome To" videos assessing various cities around the country, Feeney plays the part of two different guys having a conversation about St. Louis. One of them is a curious visitor and the other is a die-hard STL supporter, who says things like, “We’re more proud than Andy Cohen at a Cardinals game during Pride Month.”

A new analysis of FBI crime data shows that Missouri has the sixth highest rate of violent crime among all the states in the union. The study is based on FBI data from 2020 and ranks states based on the number of violent crimes per 100,000 residents. That year, Missouri recorded 33,385 violent crimes, equaling almost 543 crimes per 100,000 residents.

Two locations including 11361 Olive Boulevard, Creve Coeur; 314-942-6052 Runner-Up: Blu A Color Salon 12 Meramec Station Road, Valley Park; 636-251-3553

9802 Natural Bridge Road, 314-428-5069 Runner-Up: Patricia’s 3552 Gravois Avenue, 314-664-4040

4300 Manchester Avenue, 314-657-0125 Runner-Up: Profield Reserve 2309 Cherokee Street, 314-669-9003

Multiple locations including 6600 Clayton Road, Clayton; 314-644-0510 Runner-Up: Trader Joe’s Multiple locations including 48 Brentwood Promenade Court, Brentwood; 314-963-0253

9618 Watson Road, Crestwood; 314-849-1179 Runner-Up: Avalon Exchange 6392 Delmar Boulevard, University City; 314-725-2760

941 Park Avenue, 314-630-1163 Runner-Up: The Hill Antique Market 4923 Daggett Avenue, 314-961-7879

399 North Euclid Avenue, 314-367-6731 Runner-Up: Half Price Books Multiple locations including 630 North McKnight Road, University City; 314-991-6793

Multiple locations including 9200 Olive Boulevard #114, Olivette; 314-997-2301 Runner-Up: Pappy’s Smokehouse 3106 Olive Street, 314-535-4340

3195 South Grand Boulevard, 314-664-7435 Runner-Up: Grbic 4071 Keokuk Street, 314-772-3100

Now closed due to a fire 2017 Chouteau Avenue, 314-241-8989 Runner-Up: Carnivore 5257 Shaw Avenue, 314-449-6328

Head chef at Duke’s Runner-Up: Coria Griggs Chef/owner at the Crooked Boot

5213 Chippewa Street, 314-832-2211 Runner-Up: The Royale Food & Spirits 3132 South Kingshighway, 314-772-3600

11243 Manchester Road, Kirkwood; 314-858-1019 Runner-Up: Federhofer’s Bakery 9005 Gravois Road, Affton; 314-832-5116

Multiple locations including 6235 Delmar Boulevard, 314-932-5430 Runner-Up: Terror Tacos 3191 South Grand Boulevard, 314-260-9996

6001 Manchester Avenue, 314-781-7806 Runner-Up: Tin Roof 1000 Clark Avenue, 314-240-5400