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RFT Reviews the Week: May 15 to May 21 | St. Louis Metro News | St. Louis

Published

2 years ago

May 22, 2023

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click to enlarge St. Louis Cardinals Archive After the controversy with Willson Contreras, the Cardinals started winning ball games, and Contreras went back to catching again.
Here’s What You Missed Last Week in St. Louis
MONDAY, MAY 15. The Cardinals beat the Brewers 18-1, which is not only a pile of runs but also means that weeks of losing has given way to a four-game win streak. Hooray! Also, news breaks in this very publication that St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner was moonlighting at a health clinic on the same frickin’ day that Judge Mike Noble called her out for running a “rudderless ship of chaos.” You can’t spend hours in class on a weekday without calling into question your devotion to your day job, and an even bigger problem for Gardner may be that pesky state law saying that circuit attorneys must devote “their entire time and energy” to their official duties. When Gardner announced she’d quit June 1, it seemed like an unduly long goodbye. Now it also looks like incredible hubris.
TUESDAY, MAY 16. Facing an afternoon hearing in the AG’s quo warranto case — and a deposition Thursday in the same case — Gardner quits in the most Kim Gardner of ways, peacing out with no notice. Her resignation email to Governor Mike Parson is so rushed, she has to send a follow-up a few minutes later confirming, yep, I meant effective immediately. It’s chaos. And while Gardner says Wesley Bell is now in charge, it quickly becomes clear Bell’s office had no idea she was quitting today. Parson, for his part, suggests the AG should take the reins. Gotta hand it to Gardner: She stayed on brand all the way up to her final minute in office. WEDNESDAY, MAY 17. Law books surely consulted, Parson clarifies that the AG’s office is in charge, and a throng of assistant attorneys general enters the circuit court. Meanwhile, the Post-Dispatch reports that the metro area continues to shrink. New census totals show that our 14-county region is down to 2.8 million, a drop of 0.4 percent. THURSDAY, MAY 18. A road rage attack in the parking lot of a Chesterfield Dierbergs lot leaves a 73-year-old man dead. The county geezers are out of control. Also out of control, but in a good way: The Cards kick off a four-game series against the Dodgers with a 16-8 victory. FRIDAY, MAY 19. The GOP declares a “pause” on debt-limit talks, which can’t be good for the economy or Congress’ ability to get anything done. In St. Louis, though, Parson and Mayor Tishaura Jones are singing kumbaya: Parson’s pick to replace Gardner, Gabe Gore, earns high marks from Jones, who shares the stage with Parson and Police Chief Robert Tracy for the announcement. The St. Louis police, the state of Missouri and the mayor on the same page? You’d have to look back to Mayor Francis Slay to find the last time that happened — and he was just playing nice to get city control of the police back.
SATURDAY, MAY 20. Woot! CITY SC positively clobbers Kansas City, 4-0. Yes, that counts as clobbering in soccer terms. SUNDAY, MAY 21. More wonderful weather as the Annie Malone Day parade marches through downtown. The Cards win 10-5, taking three of four from the Dodgers and moving into third in the NL Central, ahead of Chicago, which is the only thing that matters really. There’s a new circuit attorney, the sun is shining and the Cardinals are again winning. We’re calling it now: Happy days are here again!Subscribe to Riverfront Times newsletters.Follow us: Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

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Fenton Man Charged in Sword Attack on Roommate

Published

1 year ago

May 22, 2024

Natural Bridge

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A warrant is out for a Fenton man’s arrest after he allegedly attacked his roommate with a sword.

Police say that on Sunday, Angelus Scott spoke openly about “slicing his roommate’s head” before he grabbed a sword, raised it up and then swung it down at the roommate.

The roommate grabbed Scott’s hand in time to prevent injury. When police arrived at the scene, they found the weapon used in the assault.

The sword in question was a katana, which is a Japanese sword recognizable for its curved blade.

This isn’t the first time a samurai-style sword has been used to violent effect in St. Louis. In 2018, a man hearing voices slaughtered his ex-boyfriend with a samurai sword. His mother said he suffered from schizoaffective disorder.

As for Scott, 35, the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office was charged yesterday with two felonies, assault first degree and armed criminal action. The warrant for his arrest says he is to be held on $200,000 bond.

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Caught on Video, Sheriff Says He’s Ready to ‘Turn It All Over’ to Deputy

Published

1 year ago

May 22, 2024

Natural Bridge

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Video of St. Louis Sheriff Vernon Betts taken by a former deputy suggests that the sheriff has a successor in mind to hand the reins of the department over to, even as Betts is in an increasingly heated campaign for reelection.

“I ain’t here for all this rigmarole,” Betts says in the video while seated behind his desk at the Carnahan Courthouse. “The Lord sent me here to turn this department around and I’m doing the best I can and I think I’ve done a good job. I’ve got about eight months and I’m going to qualify for my fourth pension.”

He goes on, “Right now I can walk up out of here and live happily ever after and forget about all this…and live like a king.”

The sheriff then says his wife has been in Atlanta looking at houses and that the other deputy in the room, Donald Hawkins, is someone Betts has been training “to turn it all over to him.”

Asked about the video, Betts tells the RFT, “My future plans are to win reelection on August 6th by a wide margin and to continue my mission as the top elected law enforcement official to make St. Louis safer and stronger. Serving the people of St. Louis with integrity, honor and professional law enforcement qualifications is a sacred responsibility, and I intend to complete that mission.”

The video of Betts was taken by Barbara Chavers, who retired from the sheriff’s office in 2016 after 24 years of service. Chavers now works security at Schnucks at Grand and Gravois. Betts’ brother Howard works security there, too.

Chavers tells the RFT that she was summoned to Betts’ office last week after Betts’ brother made the sheriff aware that she was supporting Montgomery. It was no secret: Chavers had filmed a Facebook live video in which she said she was supporting Betts’ opponent Alfred Montgomery in the election this fall. “Make the judges safe,” she says in the video, standing in front of a large Montgomery sign on Gravois Avenue. “They need a sheriff who is going to make their courtrooms safe.”

In his office, even as Chavers made clear she was filming him, Betts told Chavers he was “flabbergasted” and “stunned” she was supporting Montgomery.

“I don’t know what I did that would make you go against the preacher man,” he says, referring to himself. He then refers to Montgomery as “ungodly.”

Betts goes on to say that not long ago, he was walking in his neighborhood on St. Louis Avenue near 20th Street when suddenly Montgomery pulled up in his car and, according to Betts, shouted, “You motherfucker, you this, you that. You’re taking my signs down.”

Montgomery tells the RFT that he’s never interacted with Betts outside of candidate forums and neighborhood meetings.

“I don’t think anyone with good sense would do something like that to a sitting sheriff,” Montgomery says.

Montgomery has had campaign signs missing and on at least two occasions has obtained video of people tearing them down. (Chavers notes that the sign that she filmed her original Facebook video in front of is itself now missing.)

One man who lives near Columbus Square says that he recently put out two Montgomery signs, which later went missing. “If they keep taking them, I’ll keep putting them up,” he said.

Betts says he has nothing to do with the missing signs. In the video Chavers filmed in Betts’ office, Betts says that his campaign isn’t in a spot where it needs to resort to tearing down opponents’ signs.

“If you sit here long enough, a man is getting ready to come across the street from City Hall bringing me $500, today,” Betts says. “I’m getting that kind of support. I don’t need to tear down signs.”

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St. Louis to Develop First Citywide Transportation Plan in Decades

Published

1 year ago

May 21, 2024

Natural Bridge

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The City of St. Louis is working to develop its first citywide mobility plan in decades, Mayor Tishaura Jones’ office announced Tuesday. This plan seeks to make it easier for everyone — drivers, pedestrians, bikers and public transit users — to safely commute within the city.

The plan will bring together other city projects like the Brickline Greenway, Future64, the MetroLink Green Line, and more, “while establishing new priorities for a safer, more efficient and better-maintained transportation network across the City,” according to the release.

The key elements in the plan will be public engagement, the development of a safety action plan, future infrastructure priorities and transportation network mapping, according to Jones’ office.

The overarching goals are to create a vision for citywide mobility, plan a mixture of short and long-term mobility projects and to develop improved communication tools with the public to receive transportation updates. In recent years, both people who use public transit and cyclists have been outspoken about the difficulties — and dangers — of navigating St. Louis streets, citing both cuts to public transit and traffic violence.

To garner public input and participation for the plan, Jones’ office said there will be community meetings, focus groups and a survey for residents to share their concerns. The city will also be establishing a Community Advisory Committee. Those interested in learning more should check out at tmp-stl.com/

“Everyone deserves to feel safe when getting around St. Louis, whether they’re driving, biking, walking or taking public transit,” Jones said in a news release. “Creating a comprehensive transportation and mobility plan allows us to make intentional and strategic investments so that moving around St. Louis for jobs, education, and entertainment becomes easier, safer and more enjoyable.”

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