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Direct Cash Assistance Applications Put on Pause

2 years 10 months ago

An application portal for the direct cash assistance program has been put on pause after the city received over 10,000 applications in four days.

United Way of Greater St. Louis, one of the city’s partners for the program, paused the portal this afternoon to take time to process and review the submitted applications. Opened on December 18, the program aims to assist St. Louisans in need who have lost income due to COVID-19.…
Jenna Jones

Copper Pig Has Closed

2 years 10 months ago


Copper Pig (4611 Macklind Avenue; 314-499-7166), a beloved Southampton gathering place, has served its last guests. The restaurant, which opened six years ago, announced the closure on Facebook Monday evening after service, citing simply "Thank you.…
Cheryl Baehr

Saint Louis Science Center Adds Michael Jackson, Trans-Siberian Orchestra to Laser Light Shows

2 years 11 months ago

The Saint Louis Science Center (5050 Oakland Avenue, St. Louis; 314-289-4400) has two new additions to their popular laser light displays: The Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Michael Jackson. The artists' music will run with the December laser shows, taking place from December 27 to December 31.

This isn’t the first time the King of Pop has been included in the light shows, with his songs being played for a “Fright Light” Halloween session, but he will now have a full show dedicated to his music.…
Jenna Jones

Perspective: A Cancer Doctor's View of the Great Mask War

2 years 11 months ago

This winter was supposed to be better.

As a cancer doctor trying to navigate immunocompromised patients through a respiratory pandemic, I have seen the devastating impact of COVID-19 from the outset. And as a lifelong resident of a blood-red county, I have also witnessed the battles of The Great Mask War in grocery stores, businesses and schools in this divided community.

The introduction of mRNA vaccines last December offered hope for a truce in The Great Mask War.…
Dr. James Beattie

City Foundry to Open Toasted Ravioli Eatery in New Year

2 years 11 months ago

A love of toasted ravioli arguably runs in the blood of every St. Louisan and now, t-ravs will be honored with an eatery at City Foundry (3730 Foundry Way) dedicated to nothing but the unofficial official food of The Lou.

STL Toasted is the latest addition to the City Foundry’s bustling lineup, and it will feature a range of “artisan toasted ravioli with creative fillings,” according to a press release. Boasting flavors like a Lemon Blackberry Gooey Buttercake dessert filling and a savory buffalo chicken bite, the restaurant will make its debut some time in 2022.

“We chose to open our concept at City Foundry STL because we believe it represents everything we love about St. Louis,” founder Matthew Fuller says in a press release.…
Jenna Jones

New St. Louis Jails Leader Touts Reforms; Critics Still Waiting

2 years 11 months ago

When Jennifer Clemons-Abdullah became the new commissioner of the city Division of Corrections in September, she took control of an organization that in just the past year had experienced national news-making uprisings, accusations of a culture of detainee abuse, and potential lawsuits from the federal government for civil rights violations.

In an interview with the RFT, Clemons-Abdullah says she isn't interested in "Monday morning quarterbacking" the mistakes of past administrators.…
Ryan Krull

New St. Louis LGBTQ Bar Finds Home in the Grove, Opens in Early 2022

2 years 11 months ago

Prominent St. Louis gay bars, like Attitudes Nightclub, have closed over the past year, but four people are hoping to create a new space for the LGBTQ community when Prism STL opens in early 2022.

The newest LGBTQ bar in St. Louis will take residence in the Monocle’s former building at 4510 Manchester Avenue. Divided up into three sections, Prism will have a cocktail lounge, outdoor patio and a cabaret stage that will feature regular drag shows.

Sean and Jack Abernathy, Michael Klataske and Matthew Connell announced their plans in a press release Monday morning, saying they hope Prism will become “another anchor in the Grove for the queer community to call home.” Sean and Jack Abernathy, a husband-and-husband duo, will become the bar managers, with the former acting as the bar’s compliance officer.…
Jenna Jones

Evolving Weed Laws Led to St. Louis' Latest Decriminalization Bill

2 years 11 months ago

In 2018, attorney Bret Narayan stood before the St. Louis City's Board of Aldermen and urged the members to "strike at the heart of the two-tiered justice system that we have now" — and to approve a bill that would effectively legalize marijuana in St. Louis.

That bill would fail. But three years later, on December 13, Narayan watched as St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones signed into law the most sweeping cannabis decriminalization bill in the city's history.…
Danny Wicentowski

St. Louis City Partners With Rep Cori Bush for Direct Cash Assistance Program

2 years 11 months ago

Over 1,000 people have applied for the city of St. Louis’ direct cash assistance program since it opened on December 18, a press release from the mayor’s office says. St. Louis residents who are approved will receive a payment of $500.

In a press release, the mayor’s office announced more application clinics will be held to help those without internet access, as well as a partnership with Congresswoman Cori Bush’s “Congress in Your Neighborhood” program.…
Jenna Jones

Jazz Singer Denise Thimes Returns to St. Louis Stage In February

2 years 11 months ago

Metro Theater Company’s latest production will bring a St. Louis jazz legend to the stage: Native St. Louisan Denise Thimes will star in the company’s musical Last Stop on Market Street during next year's 2021-2022 season.

Beginning February 6 at the Grandel Theatre (3610 Grandel Square), the musical follows Thimes as Nana, with a press release describing the character as “a veritable force of nature who lives in a world considerably different” from her grandson, CJ, who is reluctantly staying with her.…
Jenna Jones

Bubble Encased Santa Returns to Eckert's for Christmas Photos

2 years 11 months ago

For a second year, Eckert's Farms in Bellville, Illinois is rolling out a Santa-sized globe for its annual meet-and-greet events. Encasing the jolly Christmas icon in plastic allows kids to interact with him safely — while not sharing anything more infectious than holiday cheer.…
Danny Wicentowski

St. Louis' Bar K Invites Humans and Pups For Ugly Sweater Party

2 years 11 months ago

Most of us know the feeling of glancing at our pup’s face as we shut the door behind us, leaving them for a night out on the town. This year, however, your beloved pet can join you for Bar K’s (4565 McRee Avenue, 314-530-9990) Ugly Sweater Party.

Both humans and furry friends can attend the event on December 18 from 12 to 5 p.m.…
Jenna Jones

Pop-Up Supper Club The Mainlander Brings Nostalgia to STL Dining Scene

2 years 11 months ago


When Blake Askew thinks back on what inspired him to get into food in the first place, it all goes back to his nostalgia for a bygone era of dining — one that he hopes to recreate with his new pop-up series, The Mainlander (www.themainlanderstl.com).

"I always had this desire to go back in time, which is what drew me to restaurants in the first place," Askew says. "I got serious about cooking in my mid-twenties, and I read everything I could get my hands on — cookbooks, memoirs of chefs.…
Cheryl Baehr