The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced this morning that it is charging a St. Louis County jail administrator for helping an unnamed businessman fraudulently apply for COVID-19 relief funds in exchange for a cut of the money. The indictment against Anthony Weaver, a St. Louis County jail change management coordinator, accuses him of four counts of wire fraud. Weaver appeared in federal court today and pled not guilty.
When chef Joe Luckey began playing around with ideas for what would become Gerard Craft's latest restaurant, Fordo's Killer Pizza (3730 Foundry Way), he knew he had to nail the classics. Margherita, four-cheese and pepperoni were essentials, but he was equally determined to dish up the unexpected. "Pizza has always been my favorite part of [working at] Pastaria over the last four years, and Gerard was happy that I showed interest in Fordo's," Luckey says.
The gunman in the murder-for-hire scheme that took the life of reality TV star Andre Montgomery Jr. in St. Louis pleded guilty in Federal court Friday. Travell Hill, 30, pleded guilty to one count of murder-for-hire and one count of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire for shooting and killing Montgomery on March 14, 2016, outside a home recording studio on Natural Bridge where Montgomery was recording music. Hill's co-defendants include Montgomery's uncle and fellow reality TV star, Tim Norman; an exotic dancer from Memphis, Terica Ellis; and former Nelly producer Waiel “Wally” Yaghnam.
Last month we formally announced RFT Art A’Fair , a live celebration of St. Louis’ arts and music community, taking place at the Golden Record (2720 Cherokee) and four more venues on Cherokee Street on Thursday, June 23. The initial lineup reveal included Alexis Tucci, Maxi Glamour and the Knuckles to name a few — but we also teased a future announcement.
Another St. Louis institution is closing its doors. Hampton Avenue landmark Bayer’s Garden Shop will be closing permanently at the end of the month. The business has been open for 81 years and had two locations — the bustling city site at 3401 Hampton Avenue and a shop at 5926 Old State Road in Imperial, which is also closing its doors.
St. Louis City is reporting high levels of COVID-19 transmission and in the community. The city’s Department of Health reported a 12.5 percent increase in new cases, pushing the city over the CDC’s guideline threshold into “red” territory. Due to this surge, the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County health officials have renewed their calls for residents to mask up.
Leslie Joanne Wayne, mother of rap super producer and St. Louis native Metro Boomin, was reportedly killed by her husband over the weekend in an apparent murder-suicide. According to TMZ, who broke the story, the tragic slaying happened on Friday. Police reportedly informed the artist of his mother's death after they found Wayne's body just outside of Atlanta.
St. Louis’ favorite potato chip, Red Hot Riplets, will soon be available in a version that contains THC, simultaneously bringing new meaning to the word "baked" and proving that dreams really do come true. Described as “all that and a bag of chips,” the special snack is named “Twice Baked Red Hot Riplets” and each $14 bag contains 20mg of THC. [content-2]
The bags of extra special Riplets will be sold under Vivid’s 'Missouri’s Own' brand of edibles and Tony Billmeyer, CMO of Show-Me Organics (which operates Vivid), says that the Twice Baked version of the chips delivers the same taste and texture as the original while "providing an additional kick suitable for everyone from first-timers to experienced cannabis users.”
A growing number of St. Louis aldermen are calling on President Lewis Reed to resign in light of federal corruption charges filed against him. Ward 12 Alderman Bill Stephens told Reed in a letter this morning he believed Reed’s resignation was necessary to “repair what credibility we might still salvage” from constituents. Alderwoman Christine Ingrassia, who represents Ward 6, called on Reed to resign due to the “seriousness” of prosecutors' allegations against him.
A Japanese filmmaker is coming to St. Louis to create a documentary about radiation exposure in the United States, specifically focusing on the Baby Tooth Survey, a scientific study started in 1959 to ascertain if above ground nuclear testing was causing harmful radioactive chemicals to get into people's bodies. Scientists collected and tested baby teeth because they needed bone samples for the study. The filmmaker is looking for people who participated in the study to talk to for his documentary, which will play on television in Japan and hopefully travel to theaters and film festivals in the U.S. when complete.
Late last year, Eric Wilson opened the doors at ERG Gallery (10438 W Florissant Avenue), one of the only Black-owned galleries in north St. Louis County. He began selling his own mixed-media artwork and that of community artists. “Art lives, wherever you do,” Wilson says.
Thanks to the internet, physical distance doesn't have to equate to intimate distance. There are many ways to get close to others and have a full-functioning intimate life all from the comfort of your couch. Enter: adult webcam sites.
The bombshell indictments that rocked St. Louis politics last week drew indignation from all quarters. The message was clear: This is not how we do our bribery around here. Aldermanic President Lewis Reed and Aldermen Jeffrey Boyd and John Collins-Muhammad face federal bribery-related charges for helping the owner of a small business get tax breaks from the city, among other nefarious activities.
For the past year, Daniel Poss has been helping make Juniper (4101 Laclede Avenue, 314-329-7696) one of St. Louis' most exciting restaurants in his role as executive sous chef. Now, he is tasked with leading those efforts in an even bigger role. On May 25, the restaurant announced that Poss has assumed the job of executive chef, replacing the highly regarded Matthew Daughaday, who had led Juniper's kitchen since January of 2020.
It happened. People were stuck in the St. Louis Arch's tram, a small capsule that takes people to the top of the arch. Fox 2 News is reporting that a tram was stuck in the north leg of the Arch for at least two hours. Electricity and lights were on inside the tram, but it couldn't move.
“You should be a mother” was what my own mother said to me the week before she died. I held her thin, weakened hand across the hospital bed and nodded. I was in my early 20s, and children seemed a faraway possibility in an unlikely land that included marriage, mortgages and other such responsibilities.
A line of nurses gathered outside of SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital, holding a long fabric signs stamped with handprints. They chanted and shook noisemakers to protest conditions inside the hospital. One nurse held a sign that read “Honk if you support nurses” and passing cars responded frequently in kind.
It seems as though the Cementland dream is officially dead, as the land has now been sold. Cementland was an unfinished project of the late Bob Cassilly, founder of the City Museum (750 North 16th Street, CityMuseum.org). The artist bought the 55-acre site along the Mississippi River in the early 2000s and set out to turn it into a magical spot in the way that only Cassilly could deliver.
In 2014, my editor at the LGBTQ publication Vital Voice sent me to interview St. Louis Effort for AIDS co-founder and 1982 Miss Gay Missouri America Daniel Flier, a.k.a. Vanessa Vincent. While Flier was kind, humble and very approachable, he was an intimidating assignment. I was more of a gossip columnist and often at odds with the community, while Flier was the embodiment of “community.” He was someone who carried our people during our darkest chapter, a patron saint.
Steamrollers will be front and center outside of the Foundry Art Centre (520 N Main Center, St. Charles; 636-255-0270, foundryartcentre.org) on June 11. They’re not leveling the roads, though, they’re crafting large prints in celebration of the Foundry’s second annual Block Party. Jessica Mannisi, exhibition coordinator at the Foundry, says the center is looking forward to celebrating the art of printmaking.
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