News Blog

Victim Opens Fire on Gunmen Who Robbed 13 People at St. Louis Bar the Mack

by Daniel Hill on January 10, 2019 at 12:15PM

One of the victims of a dramatic robbery in a Southhampton neighborhood bar opened fire on the suspects with his personal firearm as they fled the scene. The incident happened Wednesday night at the Mack, 4615 Macklind Avenue.

Ex-St. Louis Cop Cauncenet Brown Gets Jail Time in Chiropractor's Bribery Scheme

by Doyle Murphy on January 10, 2019 at 10:37AM

A former St. Louis city cop has been sentenced to ten months for taking bribes from an ambulance-chasing chiropractor and his wife. Cauncenet "Sunny" Brown pleaded guilty to conspiracy in September.

Lawyers Bought 13,702 Ads on St. Louis TV in 2018's 3rd Quarter Alone

by Sarah Fenske on January 10, 2019 at 9:49AM

Noticed a lot of advertising from personal injury lawyers on TV? It's not your imagination: A new report says St. Louis is one of the top media markets in the country for such advertising.

With 'Bell Plan,' Wesley Bell Aims to Become More Than the Anti-McCulloch

by Danny Wicentowski on January 8, 2019 at 3:03PM

Staging his first press conference as St. Louis County prosecutor, Wesley Bell addressed supporters this morning to announce the "Bell Plan," which aims to expand the county's diversion programs for criminal defendants with addiction and mental health issues. But during the press conference, Bell's audience — or at least, the reporters in that audience — seemed more interested in the tensions inside an office being dramatically reshaped after more than two decades under Bob McCulloch.

Pastor Ticketed for Feeding Homeless People Sues St. Louis

by Doyle Murphy on January 8, 2019 at 1:06PM

As long as that remains a possibility, people like Redlich and Ohnimus are in jeopardy of being stopped and cited again, Roland says. The city's decision months later not to prosecute "is cold comfort for the people receiving the citations," he adds.

Shutdown? What Shutdown? Gateway Arch Grounds Still Look Great in Week 3

by Danny Wicentowski on January 8, 2019 at 8:36AM

Follow Danny Wicentowski on Twitter at @D_Towski. E-mail the author at Danny.Wicentowski@RiverfrontTimes.com

St. Louis County Settles With Fired Animal Control Director Beth Vesco-Mock

by Danny Wicentowski on January 7, 2019 at 10:11AM

Though she was denounced for inappropriate conduct and blamed for a mass exodus of employees, Beth Vesco-Mock is walking away from the wreckage of her brief tenure as a St. Louis County official with a $150,000 settlement. Fired in March, Vesco-Mock first arrived in St. Louis as the county's director of animal care and control in September 2017, leaving behind a trail of controversy at her previous job as director of an animal shelter in Doña Ana County, New Mexico.

Women's March Returns to St. Louis This Weekend

by Jaime Lees on January 7, 2019 at 6:18AM

The Women’s March on St. Louis is returning to downtown on January 19, and this year the organizers say they are aiming to spur marchers to action. On the march's Facebook page, the organizers wrote, "In 2018 we marched.

Swastika and 'Trump 2020' Graffiti Appear at St. Louis County Park

by Danny Wicentowski on January 4, 2019 at 11:44AM

Obviously, this doesn't mean there's a Panzer tank division hiding out in Buder Park preparing to blitzkrieg into St. Louis County — could you imagine the traffic on I-44? — but it's shocking nonetheless to discover in a public park.

Missouri Airbnb Hosts Earned $48 Million in 2018 Because We Are True Players

by Jaime Lees on January 3, 2019 at 2:30PM

Missouri might be a total disaster politically, but in many other ways we totally have our shit together. Take, for example, the latest statistics from Airbnb.

"Tremendous Amount of Blood" After 3 Shot at Bottoms Up Strip Club Overnight

by Daniel Hill on January 3, 2019 at 11:58AM

Police are searching for a suspect after three people were shot outside of a Metro East strip club in the early morning hours Thursday. KMOV reports that the incident occurred around 4:30 a.m. outside of Bottoms Up Strip Club in Brooklyn, Illinois.

City Museum Announces Sale to New Owner and Operator, Says Existing Staff Will Remain

by Danny Wicentowski on January 3, 2019 at 11:15AM

St. Louis' City Museum is getting a new owner and operator. This morning, employees were notified of the sale to Premier Parks LLC, which runs ten amusements parks in the U.S. and Canada.

St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner Fined for Campaign Violations

by Doyle Murphy on January 3, 2019 at 9:42AM

St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner repeatedly violated campaign finance laws, dating back to her time as a state representative, according to the Missouri Ethics Commission. Gardner used campaign money to pay rent on an apartment, misreported donations and expenses and never reported others, according to the allegations.

How Missouri Marijuana Activists Plotted to Stop Brad Bradshaw from Becoming Weed Czar

by Danny Wicentowski on January 3, 2019 at 6:06AM

In the weeks leading up to the 2018 midterm election, Missouri's cannabis backers were already gearing up for what they feared would be the real fight: a post-election legal battle between two competing constitutional amendments with vastly different visions for the state's medical weed industry. That legal battle never happened.

New Year, New Problems with the Loop Trolley

by Jaime Lees on January 2, 2019 at 2:46PM

Well, the Loop trolley has been shut down since last week. As if St. Louis’ Favorite Boondoggle™ didn’t already have enough issues, now the silly thing isn’t running at all.

Elderly Suspect in Custody After Spanish Lake Nursing Home Resident Killed

by Doyle Murphy on January 2, 2019 at 12:36PM

We welcome any tips or feedback. Email the author at doyle.murphy@riverfronttimes.com or follow on Twitter at @DoyleMurphy.

Missouri's Broken Public Defender System Gets Kicked to Supreme Court (Again)

by Danny Wicentowski on December 28, 2018 at 2:38PM

St. Louis County's public defenders are buckling under heavy caseloads, but a new opinion from an appeals court may undercut the court-ordered reforms established earlier this year to aid the overworked attorneys. The latest development also means that Missouri's beleaguered public defender system is set for yet another reckoning in the state Supreme Court.

Here's How to Ditch Your Christmas Tree in St. Louis Without Being a Jerk

by Jaime Lees on December 27, 2018 at 1:32PM

If you’re lazy like us, you’ll enjoy your beautifully lit living room Christmas tree all the way through Valentine’s Day. But if you’re one of those “new year, new me” people, you might already be anxious to get the dated thing out the door.

Sure, Give Missourians a Left Turn On Red, What's The Worst That Could Happen?

by Danny Wicentowski on December 27, 2018 at 12:59PM

In St. Louis, making a left turn can often feel like taking your life into your hands — here's looking at you, Gravois — but a bill contending for passage in the state's legislature is seeking to give Missouri drivers a brand-new traffic maneuver that's already legal in 38 other states: a left turn on red. Granted, that legal left turn would only apply to turning onto a one-way street, meaning it wouldn't affect the more complex urban monstrosities facing St. Louis drivers.

St. Louis Company Offers Your Drunk Ass Free Rides Home on New Year's Eve

by Jaime Lees on December 27, 2018 at 10:47AM

There’s no better way to forget all about this terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year than to get shithammered on New Year's Eve, right? Well now you can do it in the best way: with a free ride home courtesy of your booze-shilling friends at Major Brands.

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