RFT 📰

A gray skyline, an empty couch, lonely bed pillows, a clutter of coffee cups, the antique lace that adorns the bust of a woman’s negligee. The first five, five-second shots of Christos Nikou’s Apples march forth to the staccato beat of what sounds like a drum but — as we find out in the sixth shot — is actually the thud of a man’s forehead deliberately knocked against a wall. For a film overtly devoted to the mystery of what goes on inside our minds, the terse montage feels eerily apropos, launching questions that the rest of narrative slowly, and only sparingly, seeks to address.

St. Louis has its first probable case of monkeypox, the city's health department says. In a statement Tuesday morning, the health department reported the possible case and that it was awaiting confirmation from the Centers of Disease Control. The patient likely contracted the virus during recent travels out of state.

Community members went door-to-door in the Jeff-Vander-Lou neighborhood on Saturday, with hopes of drumming up support to clean up the nearby Grand Motel. Residents say the motel, located on North Grand Boulevard, is a haven for drug activity and prostitution. They claim people sleep outside, dump trash on the sidewalk, and grill against the brick wall surrounding the motel.

The overturn of Roe v. Wade has concerned area doulas, who say that it will increase health disparities between white and Black mothers. Doulas are women who assist other women during pregnancy, labor and postpartum. The St. Louis Doula Project has long been working toward eliminating health disparities in Black and brown communities.

The new editor of Poetry: A Magazine of Verse takes me on a short video-conferencing tour of his place after we talk. The thing to see, actually, is the world outside Adrian Matejka's space: majestic views of downtown Chicago. He points out the Sears Tower.

The superintendent of Granite City schools responded on Friday to an online memoir written by a former high school teacher detailing an affair he had with one of his students. Andrew Crider, who taught English and journalism, resigned from Granite City High School in 2018 after the administration became aware that he was having an affair with an 18-year-old student. Then-superintendent Jim Greenwald told KSDK at the time that the affair had been consensual and that it happened off school property.

There's no way to sugarcoat it: June was rough. St. Louis' food scene saw the closings of some beloved spots — Pho Grand, Rise Coffee and Mandarin House all shuttered as the heat came in. But, as rain comes in after a drought, so do the openings after the closings: New sweet treat shops, a rebrand in the form of Jerk Unlimited, an addition to the food truck scene and more all hit the area.

There are many festivals that happen each year in small towns in the area. Some towns seem to excel at bringing in outsiders, too: They have an apple butter festival and a strawberry festival in Kimmswick, Missouri, that seems to pack ‘em in, for example. But O’Fallon, Illinois, is going a different route.

It’s not often that we get to see vintage St. Louis concert footage (with matching audio) in such high quality, so this footage from the KSHE Kite Fly is jaw-dropping. The KSHE Kite Fly festivals are a huge part of St. Louis music history.

You know him as the guy with the buff physique and the aggressive hip pumping who played the saxophone in The Lost Boys, but Tim Cappello is much more than a guy with a memorable movie cameo. The oiled-up, ponytailed multi-instrumentalist has a distinctive look, but he’s also had an amazing career.

If you have ever struggled with stress and anxiety, then you might want to try Delta 8 gummies. Not only are they good for your sweet tooth and midnight cravings, but they may also give you a sensation of relaxation and happiness. Like the name itself, Delta 8 gummies contain Delta 8 that is extracted from hemp plants.

Colorful umbrellas top wooden picnic tables that dot the outdoor patio at Station No. 3 (1956 Utah St, 314-925-8883, www.station3stl.com). A lush collection of purple coneflowers and wild grass line the perimeter, the occasional tiki torch brightening their path.

If you want to know what's wrong with today's Missouri Democratic Party, look no further than Trudy Busch Valentine's U.S. Senate candidacy. As heiresses worth up to $215 million go, Valentine comes across as down-to-earth and empathetic.

For a second straight day, Metro buses are experiencing delays as contract negotiations stall between the St. Louis transit company and the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 788. On Thursday morning, Metro sent out a Tweet warning riders of delays. It cited a driver shortage, with 100 workers calling out on Thursday, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

A Mexican national who was found to be in possession of a large quantity of methamphetamine in 2020 pleaded guilty today in St. Louis federal court to one charge of conspiracy of possession with the intent to distribute the product. On February 19, 2020, St. Charles police pulled over a pickup truck being driven by 35-year-old Juan Manuel Barajas-Magana. A search of the truck revealed more than 20 pounds of meth, a stolen 9 mm pistol and more than $5,000 in cash hidden in the truck's subwoofer.

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Today in St. Louis County Circuit Court, a judge handed down a maximum life sentence to Beau Rothwell, 31, who in April was found guilty of murdering his pregnant wife, Jennifer. At trial, Rothwell never contested that he killed his wife, but argued that it hadn't been premeditated. [content-1] Testifying on his own behalf, Rothwell said in April that on the day he killed Jennifer, he confessed to her that he'd been having an affair.

We are pleased to inform the wizards and witches of the St. Louis area that they have a place at Clementine’s Naughty and Nice Creamery (Multiple locations including 4715 Macklind Avenue, 314-896-4500) for National Ice Cream Day on July 17. The creamery has launched its Wizard collection in celebration of the world-famous wizard’s birthday on July 31, and the popular series' 20th anniversary. Flavors such as the Chocolate Frog — lime and coconut with a chocolate fudge swirl — or the Fizzie Whizzle Bees — vegan coconut with pineapple, orange blossom, lemon, sugar and natural vegan coconut butter-coated pink Poprocks — aim to make St. Louisans feel like they’re on the train to Hogwarts.

Progress requires sacrifice, and much of St. Louis is going to have to sacrifice quick highway drive times over the weekend because some construction is coming to Highway 44. All lanes of the interstate will be closed at Big Bend starting at 11 p.m. tonight as MoDOT moves to the next step in replacing the bridge.

Missouri Botanical Garden's "corpse flower" (legal name Amorphophallus titanum) has given signs it could bloom sometime in the next two weeks. The flower, which gets its street name because its bloom smells like rotting flesh, is notoriously finicky. From seed, a corpse flower takes 5 to 10 years to bloom at all, and when it does, it usually only stays open 12 to 36 hours.