St. Louis News Blog

​But of course. The CityArchRiver 2015 Foundation competition has announced a briefing for Joe Public on the nine designs that are in the running to remake the Arch grounds, and who else but a sports commentator will moderate it: Joe Buck. 

​The Better Business Bureau is out with a scathing report on the dog-breeding industry in Missouri.

According to the BBB, Missouri is home to 30 percent of federally licensed dog breeders in the United States. That's four times the number of dog breeders found in the next highest state.

State law requires that all of Missouri's 1,800 dog-breeding facilities be examined once a year, but the state has only 13 inspectors who must juggle their inspections with other duties. As a result many of the breeders go unchecked.

A survey by the BBB suggests that Missouri officials must inspect twice as many kennels as their counterparts in other states.

The lack of oversight allows for haunting tales such as that of a mega-breeder in southwest Missouri said to buy and sell 90,000 puppies a year.  

Google Street View

The ACORN office on Manchester Road.

​That's at least the news over at KMOX, where the radio station reports that the St. Louis ACORN office has permanently closed.

Daily RFT tried calling ACORN at its Manchester Road office yesterday. We got the same vague phone recording that KMOX did: "the person at extension 294 is unavailable, please leave your message after the tone...."

We also tried to contact ACORN's national office, but the phone number listed on the agency's website is no longer in service. That said, we're relatively confident that the social action agency is still in business.

Why? Because they've been touting how prosecutors in Brooklyn have cleared the agency of criminal wrongdoing in those edited videos that James O'Keefe put out showing ACORN agents giving advice on how to set up a brothel.

Thornton's mother was evicted today from the home she shared with her son in Meacham Park.

​Updated 4:23 p.m.

The home of Charles Lee Thornton, a.k.a. "Cookie" Thornton, was seized today by creditors.

Thornton made national headlines two years ago this past February, when he went on a rampage, shooting and killing five people (a sixth victim would die months later) at Kirkwood's City Hall. Thornton was killed by police, bringing the total death toll to seven.

In 2003 Thornton took out a $93,000 loan on the home at 351 Attucks in the Meacham Park neighborhood of Kirkwood, a mortgage that his family could not pay.

According to reports, Thornton's 85-year-old mother, Annie Bell Thornton, still called the place home as recently as last month. Today her belongings are stacked at the curb, literally.

The morning after Thornton's rampage in February 2008, I visited the Thornton home, where I interviewed Annie, as well as Cookie's brother, Arthur.

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Even a billionaire has a right to be cranky when he drops 80 places on Forbes's list of the world's richest people.

​Times are tough here in St. Louis, even for billionaires. In Forbes magazine's annual ranking of the world's richest people, Enterprise Rent-a-Car owner Jack Taylor fell an embarrassing 83 spots, all the way down to 123. Last year (for those of you too lazy to do the math), he ranked fortieth with a net worth of $9.5 billion.

This year, Taylor, who is 87, and his family have a net worth of only $6 billion. Still, the only person in St. Louis who even comes close is Pauline MacMillan Keinath, a descendant of the founders of Cargill, Inc., who, with a net worth of $4.5 billion, ties for 176th on Forbes's list.

At least they still qualify as billionaires. Thirty people from the 2009 list are now mere millionaires.

R.I.P. Corey Haim. If car accidents don't kill our teen typecasts, the drugs will.

​If you haven't heard yet, police across Missouri are cracking down on unbuckled teenagers over the next couple weeks as part of that state's "Arrive Alive" program.

From now through the end of the month, cops will be looking to ticket teen drivers (and their passengers) caught not wearing their seat belts.

Here, though, is where Arrive Alive's advocacy program gets interesting. According to the agency, a staggering 40 percent of Missouri teenagers don't wear seat belts.

That seems inflated to me, but then there's this (courtesy of Arrive Alive):

​It has been frequently labeled "the Citizen Kane of bad movies." For midnight events, it might be the Rocky Horror Picture Show for the twenty-first century. It is a new cult classic, stupid and inept without bottom, sloppy as ballpark nachos and clueless as a farm turkey. It is called, quite simply, The Room.

Over the weekend, the Tivoli twice screened this phenomenon that has volcano'd in popularity since it was released, to tumbleweed silence, in 2003. Written, produced and directed by hombre-misterioso Tommy Wiseau, The Room reportedly cost $6 million (including marketing) to make, yet ignores or violates all known film conventions, as if the last 100 years of cinema did not happen.

Its first public screening in St. Louis attracted the very same guilty-pleasure aficionados, curious couples, hardcore cineastes, and rowdy groups of friends who have transformed it all over the country into that most precious of commodities: a must-see with a crowd.

Image source

Another wild and crazy day in St. Louis, more specifically, the City Museum.

​Oh, look, the Daily Beast has posted another dumb ranking of America's states and cities! Why do we even pay attention to them anymore after they called us ugly and bitched us out for lousy traffic? Well, this time because they're wrong, wrong, wrong! It's not a matter of opinion, like the ugly thing. They are legitimately wrong! Ha!

This new ranking is "America's Craziest Cities". Which should probably be pronounced "America's craaaaaziest cities!" According to the Beast, "After two years of national doldrums, crazy is on the rise again." Really? Even though in the previous two years there was a national election involving Sarah Palin? Just for starters?

Oh, well moving on, to the Beast's (always) unimpeachable criteria: Psychiatrists per capita, stress, eccentricity and drinking levels.

Number One is Cincinnati on the basis of a dude who made something that looks like a Port-a-Potty but is really a ten-stall public crapper. Whoa! Crazy! How can St. Louis possibly compete with that?

From the online St. Louis police forum, CopTalk:

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Downtown St. Louis has been the setting for at least one post-apocalyptic movie, but on Saturday, fans of another end-of-days flick took the top award at the Idiotarod shopping-cart race for their wheels.

Employees of the City Museum fashioned their shopping cart in the spirit of Mad Max: Beyond the Thunderdome. Building the contraption took about two weeks, says Daniel Heggarty, an eight-year employee and welder at the museum.

Photo: Kholood Eid

Heggarty (far left) pushes the cart while watching flames shoot from the top on Saturday, March 6 in St. Louis.

​Daily RFT talked with Heggarty on Wednesday while he took a break from assembling a Rube Goldberg-inspired machine on the museum's third floor.

St. Louis ArtWorks

​Happen to haul out an old bike during your spring cleaning? Don't throw it out. 

Usually these weekly updates come with a tinge of grouchiness, and if you're a fan of Up in the Air, last night's Oscar snubs may still sting a bit. But, the weather's warming up and the winter that left icicles everywhere seems to be in its death throes. So we've got that going for us. Here's  recap of our weekend coverage.

The Magnetic Fields at the Pageant

Photo: Todd Owyoung

Stephin Merritt of The Magnetic Fields on Saturday night at the Pageant. See a full slideshow here. and read the review here.

​The Magnetic Fields hadn't played St. Louis in more than five years before Saturday night. Writes music reviewer Mike Appelstein:

[The Magnetic Fields'] sold-out Pageant show featured the core band of Merritt, Gonson, violist Sam Davol and guitarist John Woo, augmented by vocalist/autoharpist Shirley Simms. Merritt claims to hate touring and performing, but he's developed the kind of repartee and self-confidence that can only come with two decades of playing live. He actually seems more relaxed onstage than ever. Sitting on a stool on one side of the stage, sheet music open, he resembled the band's musical director rather than its leader, and it's a role that suits him well. Read the full review here.

jetsongreen.com

A rendering for the $4-million Animal House that's now off the table.

​The non-profit agency that's been raising money since at least 2004 for the construction of a new animal shelter in St. Louis is a long way from reaching its goal of $4 million, according to financials obtained by Daily RFT.

The most recent tax filings for Animal House Fund state that the agency had just $107,870 in net assets though calendar year 2008, and in recent years has actually spent more than it's taken in. For example, in 2008 the non-profit raised just over $40,000 and spent $114,000 in salaries, fees and other expenses for a net loss of more than $64,000. Ditto 2007 in which the agency recorded a net loss of more than $38,000.

Reading a Post-Dispatch item this morning one could get the impression that the Rock Hill City Hall has been knee-capped -- perhaps even "shanghaied" -- by its Chinese restaurant neighbor.

As the daily reports, part of the strip mall in which the St. Louis suburb houses its government is now condemned after the roof collapsed in the adjacent Rock Hill Chop Suey.

Google Street View

Rock Hill City Hall sits sandwiched between a payday loan store and a Chinese take-out on Manchester Road.

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Wikimedia Commons

Which porn-star-cum-sex-guru is this? (Hint: Click on her!)

​St. Louis statistically outranks every other metro area in the U.S.of.A. (except Richmond) when it comes to which STD?  a) HIV  b) chlamydia  c) herpes  d) gonorrhea

Which stripper name did animal keepers give the Saint Louis Zoo elephant that can't quit its herpes infection?  a) Amber  b) Sparkle  c) Peaches  d) Jade

Which Missouri state legislators maybe doesn't get enough sex?  a) Cynthia Davis b) Cynthia Davis  c) Cynthia Davis  d) All of the above

Oops, sorry, just boning up on some local trivia now that we know St. Louis finally has a sex trivia night!

www.rivercity.com

​Missouri's 13th casino and the seventh within a half-hour drive of downtown St. Louis welcomes its first gamblers today.

The $357-million, 90,000-square-foot River City Casino in Lemay opens its doors at 2 p.m.

So, how long 'til the lovely people in the River City advertisement (right) are replaced by the type of gambler featured in the following photo?

flickr.com/photos/mr_t_in_dc

Which St. Louis Coffee Party will reign supreme?

​Updated March 2, 4:14 p.m.

The St. Louis Tea Party turned one year old last weekend. To celebrate, not one, but two, fledgling political groups are throwing their own warm beverage parties. Coincidentally, but not surprisingly, both call themselves the St. Louis Coffee Party.

The first St. Louis Coffee Party gathered Friday night, February 26, at Foam Coffee & Beer in Benton Park. The second, the local outpost of a DC-based national movement that has been profiled in the Washington Post and New York Times, will meet this Thursday, March 4, at 6:30 p.m. at Mokabe's Coffeehouse in Tower Grove South.

Both have positioned themselves as the alternative to the Tea Party. But why, oh why, could one not have called itself the Hot Cocoa Party, or the Hot Toddy Party, or even the Chicken Soup Party? Will one become the French Press Party, or is that too unpatriotic?

animalhousefund.org

New shelter at Francis Slay Sr. Park looks like a lost cause.

​Mayor Francis Slay's announcement yesterday that the city would no longer wait for construction of a new $4-million city animal shelter must have been something of a blow to his father, Francis R. Slay.

It was just last fall that Ellendale Park at the corner of Arsenal and McCausland was renamed in honor of the mayor's dad. One of the crowning features of the rather drab park along River Des Peres was to be the city's new Animal House. Architecture firm HOK already had the designs drawn for the center, which was to be a state-of-the-art facility with environmentally friendly accoutrements such as a grass roof.

Those plans appear d.o.a. now.

​Are you a do-gooder living in a hovel? If so, here's some encouraging news:

Daily RFT got a call yesterday from a Los Angeles publicist informing us that the hit program Extreme Makeover Home Edition is headed back to the Gateway City.

The show was in St. Louis in the fall of 2008 when the crew and volunteers remade the home of a Shrewsbury family and the West County coffee stand of a disabled business owner.

Now, once again, Extreme is looking for worthy candidates in St. Louis whose homes need major repair. What does it take to make it onto the show? We've got the requirements -- and contacts -- after the jump...

The St. Louis police have been under state control since cops looked like this, a.k.a. the Civil War.

​One down, one to go.

A bill that would turn oversight of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department to city officials cleared a contentious committee meeting yesterday in the Missouri House.

The legislation still has another committee hearing before it's introduced to the House floor. Meanwhile, a similar bill in the Senate gets its first hearing today.

​A group called United for Missouri's Priorities is holding a press conference right now in St. Louis City Hall in an effort to mount opposition to a ballot initiative that would end the city's earning's tax.

The ballot drive is the brainchild of Rex Singuefield, a wealthy investor who wants to eliminate the city's earning tax as well as the state's income tax. Sinquefield has proposed increasing sales taxes to make up for the loss of the income taxes. In St. Louis, the earnings tax provides about one-third of the city's budget.

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Will Zidane head butt for Haiti in St. Louis this summer?

​While St. Louis has its own "League of Nations" -- a rough and tumble multicultural amateur league -- it's a field-length free kick away from the United Nations benefit soccer match that will be played in the Edward Jones Dome in August.

The match is officially called the Players For Peace Goodwill Game. The brainchild of former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, the contest will feature an all-star squad of South Americans versus a team being called "The Rest of the World." Proceeds will go toward implementing sports and education programs in Haiti and St. Louis.

The rosters have not been filled yet but organizers say they are targeting retired French legend Zinedine Zidane. Once-great Brazilian and former F.C. Barcelona star Ronaldinho is also a likely candidate since has close ties to the UN's program.

More details after the jump...

Another week, another poll ranking St. Louis as one of the crappiest places to live.

This one from Forbes, which is out with its survey of "America's Most Miserable Cities".

​The magazine ranks cities based on a number of factors, including:

• unemployment
• taxes (both sales and income)
• commute times
• violent crime
• Superfund pollutions sites
• convictions of public officials
• performance of sports teams

Writes Forbes:

St. Louis is a baseball town, but what about those Rams? The NFL team has won only six games out of 48 the past three years, the fewest wins in football.

View the full list of other miserable cities after the jump...

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MayorSlay.com

​The United States census form does not always keep up with the times. On this year's form, for instance, people still have the option to identify themselves as "Negro," a term that all but disappeared in the late 1960s. The Census Bureau defended its decision by claiming that many elderly people continue to identify themselves as "Negro" rather than "black" or "African American."

The mayor's office has recently fielded questions from same-sex couples about whether they should identify themselves as "married," even though gay marriage is still illegal in Missouri.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Mayor Slay gave his answer: "That depends."

In short, if you are legally married, in any state, yes. If you are just shacking up, you should check "unmarried partner." Either way, he said, it's important that LGBT couples be recognized.

Mayor Slay has long been a supporter of LGBT rights. He has expanded the city's Domestic Partnership Registry and has frequently stated that he is in favor of civil unions for same-sex couples.

The mayor's full statement after the jump:

You might recall an RFT feature story, "Deadbeats Ho!", from a few years back. A run-down of high-profile delinquents who hadn't made good on their personal property and/or real estate taxes, it brought to light tons of bills that had gone unpaid by folks you didn't expect would be hurting, negligent or gaming the system.

Turns out that at least one muni is now advertising that info on its city website. And it's probably the last city you'd expect to do so. Yep. Ladue.

Click on through for the roster.

Photo Source

St. Louis City is the least healthy part of Missouri, according to the County Health Rankings statistics.

​Fat, lazy and stupid. Those character traits make for great cartoons (think Homer Simpson). But according to a new report that ranks health factors in all U.S. counties, the City of St. Louis may have too many Homers.

This report, from the University of Wisconsin and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, ranked St. Louis as dead last in the state in healthiness, after every county. Meanwhile, St. Louis County and St. Charles County were among the top.

So, what exactly is the city doing wrong? So states the study: apparently, just about everything.

courtesy Save the Beavers

​For the second year in a row, a group of Saint Louis University students will be organizing a Save the Beavers benefit party. And, uh, yeah, it's just what it sounds like: raising money for organization that protect women from violence, particularly rape.

"'Beaver' is a colloquial term for 'vagina'," explains Audrey Madison, a SLU senior and one of the party's organizers. "It's a play off words. And it's fun to put up posters all over campus with 'beavers' on them."

The benefit will be held tomorrow night, February 18, from 9 p.m. till 1 a.m. in the rec room of the University Village Loft Apartments, 3720 Laclede Avenue. There is a $5 cover, and all money will go to Karen House and the Women's Safe House here in St. Louis and women's shelters in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Image source

The Saint Louis Science Center is a prime makeout spot -- especially for the Avatar-obsessed.

​It's only been up since yesterday, but already the Secret St. Louis Facebook discussion group has garnered more than 2,500 fans who have generated several pages of recommendations and reminiscences about St. Louis' finest diners, pho joints, make-out spots and mommy pick-up parks.

It sounds, come to think of it, remarkably similar to the Riverfront Times' annual Best of St. Louis issue. Except updated continuously.

Valenti

​Well, gee, now that we can vote and hold jobs and get (almost) equal pay for equal work -- hell now that we have an entire month to honor women's history (a long one, too) -- does feminism still matter?

Jessica Valenti, founder and editor of the blog Feministing and author of the book Full Frontal Feminism: A Young Woman's Guide to Why Feminism Matters, says yes. She will be speaking at Meramec Community College on Why Feminism STILL Matters. The lecture will be on Monday, March 1, at 11 a.m. in the Meramec Theatre, kicking off St. Louis Community College's celebration of women's history month.

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Even if you're from -- omigod! -- Jefferson County, they'll still let you in. For free.

​Mayor Slay just Tweeted earlier this afternoon that the Saint Louis Zoo will remain free for all visitors. "A gift from city and county taxpayers," he writes.

Last week the Missouri Senate had voted to endorse a bill that would have allowed the four institutions in Forest Park -- the zoo, the Saint Louis Art Museum, the Missouri History Museum and the Saint Louis Science Center -- to charge admission for visitors who did not live in the city or county.

But Kara Bowlin, the mayor's press secretary, says that even if the bill does pass in the state senate, the zoo will not exercise the option to charge admission fees.