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RFT Reviews the Week: March 27 to April 2 | St. Louis Metro News | St. Louis

Published

2 years ago

April 3, 2023

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MONDAY, MARCH 27 Three children and three adults are dead in Nashville after yet another horrible school shooting. Never mind that authorities are only beginning to dig into the shooters’ manifesto; Josh Hawley knows what happened — it’s a hate crime targeting Christians! Meanwhile, the writers over at Deadspin are in awe of St. Louis’ new MLS team. “City SC have started the year 5-0-0, are atop the Western Conference, have the best goal difference in the league, and have already collected just shy of a third of the points they’ll probably need to get to the playoffs in their inaugural season with only 15 percent of the season gone. So who the fuck are these guys?” Yo Deadspin: We’re St. Fucking Louis!
TUESDAY, MARCH 28 The Saint Louis Zoo train is going green. The new electric locomotive, one of seven now circumnavigating the zoo, is named for Mary Meachum, an abolitionist and conductor in the Underground Railroad. Pretty cool! St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner hosts a “criminal justice reform roundtable” and somehow manages to say not a thing about the urgent criminal justice reform issues confronting St. Louis, like people being stuck in jail for months awaiting trial because her office isn’t ready to proceed, or the fact that St. Louis police lead the nation in shooting civilians, yet never get charged for it. Nope, the “roundtable” is all about her own political future. Also, she’s apparently running again. And with that, the progressives defending Gardner from the AG’s witch hunt — even while despairing at her utter incompetence — release a quiet sob. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29 In Rome, Pope Francis is in the hospital. Maybe we could send him St. Louis’ newly acquired Holy Toe (™)? In Jefferson City, Democrats filibuster a bill to make it harder to change Missouri’s constitution. It’s time well spent: Everybody knows the only way to enshrine Democratic values into law in this state is to put them on the ballot separate from all partisan affiliation. THURSDAY, MARCH 30 It’s really and truly spring now — and it’s glorious. The trees are budding, the sun is shining … just in time for the Cardinals to lose 10-9 to Toronto. Unrelatedly, the Post-Dispatch says more people are leaving the region. The metro area is now down to 2.8 million, and the city of St. Louis is now smaller than Henderson, Nevada, and Wichita, Kansas. (Who?) Will the last one to go turn off the light? Meanwhile in New York, a failed real estate developer has been indicted for business fraud. Is it bad we’re more riveted by Gwyneth Paltrow’s legal travails? Today we learned she’s not at fault, naturally. Gwyneth is never at fault. FRIDAY, MARCH 31 The predictions got ever more terrifying — hail the size of baseballs! Gale-force winds! Tornadoes! Somehow, St. Louis again avoids the worst of the carnage, even as a twister touches down in Little Rock and 32 are left dead throughout the South and Midwest. Once again, we thank the Arch for sparing us from destruction. SATURDAY, APRIL 1 Soulard pizzeria Pizzeoli is now Pete’s Aioli, the Battlehawks are taking their talents to Inglewood, the Chicago Bean has moved atop our own Gateway Arch and Imo’s is now selling a pizza solely composed of “crunchy corners” — April Fools’! (Really, brands, is this tomfoolery actually worth your time?) In real life, all good things come to an end, and so it is for both the weather (brutally cold winds whip across the region) and our expansion team (CITY SC falls 1-0 to Minnesota). Boo.SUNDAY, APRIL 2 All of yesterday’s sadness is forgotten as the Battlehawks win, 24-15, in Houston. Spring is back — sunshine and warmth fill the air, but not too much warmth: It’s perfect marathon-running weather, and the dedicated nutjobs who run 26.2 miles for fun are at it again as we lazy slobs wave, hungover, from our front stoops. More good news: Pope Francis makes a remarkable recovery! Christians around the world wave palm branches in the streets, preparing to reenact their journey from praising Jesus to agitating for his death within one brief week. A further reminder (as if you needed it) that humans suck. 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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