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RFT Reviews the Week April 17 to April 23 | St. Louis Metro News | St. Louis

Published

2 years ago

April 24, 2023

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MONDAY, APRIL 17. The Missouri House passes a new concealed carry law that cracks down on kids with guns. Just kidding! The bill they actually passed today, HB 282, makes it easier to carry guns on buses and in churches. Oh, and it would lower the age of concealed-carry eligibility from 19 to 18 — because what we need in this state is more teens packing heat. Unbelievably, the bill passes 102 to 45. Now we’ll see if the Senate is on board for this nonsense. Meanwhile, in St. Louis, the Circuit Attorney’s Office no-shows a murder trial, and Judge Scott Millikan wants to know why Kim Gardner isn’t in contempt of court. He’d best get in line.

TUESDAY, APRIL 18. Dashing the hopes of good liberals across the country, Dominion Voting Systems decides to cash in for its private equity stakeholders instead of drilling down further on Fox News for the sake of democracy — forging a $787 million settlement with Rupert Murdoch & Co. Anyone who’s shocked by that decision was probably also convinced Robert Mueller and the FBI would save the nation from Donald Trump. LOL. Meanwhile, Kim Gardner is in court for the state AG’s quo warranto case seeking to remove her from office. For all the back-and-forth, the most memorable moment came from a lawyer representing a group that’s not actually party to the case: soft-spoken former appeals court justice Booker Shaw, who was hired to speak for the judges in the St. Louis circuit. “The practical effects and uncertainty of the situation we’re in now have placed the judges in an untenable and unsustainable position,” Shaw told Appellate Judge John Torbitzky. “Whatever the cause of it, the Circuit Attorney’s Office is now in a state of near-total collapse.” Anyone else just brace for pure chaos?

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19. Nearly one week after a Kansas City homeowner shot 16-year-old Ralph Yarl for the apparent crime of ringing his doorbell while Black, Missouri Governor Mike Parson finally weighs in — and naturally he blames Joe Biden. “When the president of the United States is trying to make a political statement over a very serious tragedy, it is very unfortunate,” he told the Kansas City Star, “and I don’t agree with trying to make political points out of terrible — I’ve never done that since I’ve been governor.” Ah yes, a thought many a Missourian holds deep in his breast: If only President Biden could be more like Governor Parson!

THURSDAY, APRIL 20. It’s 4/20 and Afroman is in court — how fitting is that? The “Because I Got High” rapper is being sued by Ohio deputies who raided his home and then got mad when he used the footage of their bumbling raid in music videos and in merch. Did we mention they were in his home at the time? Also, BuzzFeed News is shutting down, which is a bad buzz indeed.FRIDAY, APRIL 21. The U.S. Supreme Court says you can keep your abortion pills! Apparently letting a Texas judge instantly overturn seven years of FDA procedures was a bridge too far for everyone but Sam Alito and Clarence Thomas. Instead, we’ll get at least a year of legal wrangling and potentially the same result. Lovely.SATURDAY, APRIL 22. Everyone’s celebrating Earth Day, but in St. Louis, we’ve given up. If we can’t recycle without having to haul our crap off to a drop-off recycling center, we’re out. (We still get to party on Mother Earth’s behalf in Forest Park, right?) Meanwhile, CITY SC tied the Colorado Rapids 1-1, thereby suggesting your hoosier uncle may have been right when he drunkenly slurred that soccer isn’t a real sport. What kind of sport allows games to end with ties?
SUNDAY, APRIL 23. The Battlehawks are eliminated from the XFL postseason due to complicated rules involving ranking and points scored and frankly it’s too much to follow. Gotta keep this sportsball stuff simple. Also, RIP Tom Hall. Friends confirmed he died in a fire in Soulard Saturday night. Hall was a regular at Hammerstone’s and, per the St. Louis Blues Society, “one of the best acoustic Blues guitarists that St. Louis had to offer.” Heartbreaking.Coming soon: Riverfront Times Daily newsletter. We’ll send you a handful of interesting St. Louis stories every morning. Subscribe now to not miss a thing.Follow us: Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

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Fenton Man Charged in Sword Attack on Roommate

Published

7 months 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

7 months 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

7 months 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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