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RFT Reviews the Week: December 11 to December 17 | St. Louis

Published

10 months ago

December 18, 2023

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click to enlarge BRADEN MCMAKIN The Teamsters authorized a strike at A-B’s North American breweries on Saturday.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 11. The Post-Dispatch reports that the once high-flying St. Louis developer Green Street is in trouble — it owes $800K in unpaid taxes and is getting hit with lawsuits from numerous contractors. Even the St. Louis Board of Aldermen is considering turning off the spigot for tax incentives. That’s how you know it’s dire! Speaking of tax incentives, remember Asprient/STL CityWide/Lux Living, which the city was happy to give tax breaks to even as tenants complained bitterly about living conditions? Residents of the Ely Walker Lofts downtown have blamed STL CityWide owners Vic Alston and Sid Chakraverty for buying up a majority of units, taking over the condo board and then running the place into the ground. Now the trustee appointed to take over operations in their stead tells a judge they can’t help out after all. Boo!

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 12. After an uneven start, Craig Berube is out as the coach of the St. Louis Blues. Guess that Stanley Cup four short years ago wasn’t enough. City SC aside, it’s just not a good year for St. Louis sports. Meanwhile, the Saint Louis Zoo says Raja the Asian elephant will be shipped to Columbus, Ohio, poor guy. He was the first elephant born at the zoo 31 years ago and has already sired three li’l elephants. Poor Raja’s such a stud, they need to move him around the country to ensure the species’ survival. Imagine your sex life being that important!

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13. St. Louis Circuit Court judges want the ability to hire their own security staff, which would strip hiring power from Sheriff Vernon Betts. He calls the plan “malarkey,” which sounds Biden-esque in a not very good way. Meanwhile, St. Louis County is trying to figure out how to eliminate a $14 million budget deficit. Might they have to walk back the property tax freeze recently bestowed on seniors? But, but, seniors vote!

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14. State Representative Sarah Unsicker (D-Twitter) announces she’s dropping out of the race for Missouri attorney general — but not because she regrets libeling her Jewish opponents as potential “foreign agents.” No, the Shrewbury politician is doubling down on her nonsense, saying that one of her terminally online friends has filed a criminal complaint against Democratic opponent Elad Gross, and it would supposedly be a conflict of interest for her to stay in the race. Good riddance. Her press release quitting the Democratic primary calls for Gross to withdraw from the race and “public life.” Gross tells us he’s staying in the race — oh, and also, “I’m pretty sure I’m not working for the Israeli government here.”

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Virginia), who promised to make it “painful” if Congress’ defense spending bill did not include funding for St. Louisans exposed to radioactive contamination, fails in his quest, as the bill sails through both House and Senate without said funding. It’s a bummer to have such an impotent senator. Also, the Israeli military accidentally kills three hostages who apparently escaped their captors or were released, and approached their own military waving white flags — yet were wrongly seen as a threat. Heartbreaking. Also, Matthew Perry’s autopsy is complete and says he was in a ketamine stupor when he drowned. Dangerous stuff.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 16. It’s a rainy Saturday, and the Teamsters vote to authorize a strike at A-B’s North American breweries, including the Soulard flagship. The union says 99 percent of membership voted yes, which could lead to walkouts. Meanwhile, a St. Louis woman now faces criminal charges for threatening to shoot a Lyft driver in the head after he insisted he couldn’t drive her kids without car seats. Unsurprisingly, KSDK reports, she already has a pending felony case in St. Louis County, this one for stealing from Kohl’s.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 17. It’s finally a little bit cold in St. Louis but not bad for December, really. Also, just as all good St. Louisans are heading to bed, a 3.1 magnitude earthquake shakes Illinois — and you can feel the tremors as far west as South Grand. The U.S. Geological Survey says the earthquake was 10 miles underground in Mount Vernon, Illinois. Note to self: Do not Google “New Madrid disaster.”

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Fenton Man Charged in Sword Attack on Roommate

Published

5 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

5 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

5 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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