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RFT Reviews the Week: November 6 to November 12 | St. Louis Metro News | St. Louis

Published

11 months ago

November 13, 2023

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click to enlarge AB is betting on people forgiving (or forgetting) about that Dylan Mulvaney personalized beer can.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 6. After last week’s freezing cold Halloween, St. Louis is back to being so balmy, it’s all we can do not to turn on the A/C. Mayor Tishaura Jones signs legislation aimed at cracking down on short-term rentals; cross your fingers it works. Meanwhile, Anheuser-Busch InBev says 40 percent of Bud Light drinkers are willing to forgive the brewing behemoth for sending a personalized can of beer to trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney — apparently because Bud Light now sponsors the UFC? We’ll believe it when we see it.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 7.Spin says our music scene is “on fire” — and unlike when it happens to our dumpsters, this is meant as a good thing. Over at City Hall, Alderwoman Alisha Sonnier officially pulls the plug on her homeless bill of rights. And with that, unhoused St. Louisans remain like the rest of us in not being allowed to piss in the streets but still doing so anyway.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8. In LA, the actors’ strike is over, as SAG-AFTRA and the studios now have a new three-year deal. Does anyone even care now that no one watches TV? At a Republican presidential debate in Miami, Nikki Haley speaks for the nation by calling Vivek Ramaswamy “scum.” And, in Jefferson City, new Missouri Supreme Court Justice Ginger Gooch hears her first case. The court now has a female majority.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9. The first feature film to be shot in Missouri in ages, On Fire, kicks off location shooting at Saratoga Lanes, and all of St. Louis has gone movie mad. Score one for Governor Mike Parson’s tax credits. Meanwhile, the House GOP is proving to be the one entity that believes House Speaker Dean Plocher actually meant to reimburse taxpayers for those double billed expenses, so it looks like he’s keeping his job … for now. Also, a pro-Palestinian protest stops traffic in St. Louis County, and there’s another dead elephant at the Saint Louis Zoo. Is there a small dog we can pin this on?

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 10. A government shutdown looms again. But never fear, that new House Speaker who monitors his son’s porn use will be totally capable of bringing everyone together. Back home, in yet another battle in the proxy war between supporters of Israel vs. Palestine, Saint Louis University student government ousts its pro-Palestine president Marquis Govan.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 11. The Blues beat the Avalanche 3-2, while a road rage incident in Fenton ends with a High Ridge man charged with first-degree murder. Gotta be careful in those mean suburban streets. Meanwhile, the carpetbaggers recruiting for the Atlanta Police Department in St. Louis can’t find any qualified locals interested in the job — a familiar feeling in these parts.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 12. The maple trees are flaming red, and the air crisp but only cool at night — perfection. Alas, a hiker finds human remains at Creve Coeur Lake. (Remember what we said about the suburbs?) In the afternoon, a massive pro-Palestine protest fills the Central West End.

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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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