C'mon, officer. It's not that bad.

​Not gonna make a Provel joke here. It's gonna be hard, but we won't stoop to that level.

Yesterday evening, a police officer who'd been working security at the Schnuck's on Union Boulevard stopped at a nearby Imo's for some pizza. He adjusted his gun -- and shot himself in the leg, the Post-Dispatch reports.

The officer, whose name hasn't been released, was treated and released for the self-inflicted cap-pop.

No word on whether he shot himself before or after eating his crackery, rubbery delight.
More >>

With 23 percent food sales, Milo's clears the exemption threshold, but Alderman Joe Vollmer might still adopt a no-smoking policy to keep families coming in.

​As expected, one week into the smoking ban, and the ashtray wars are on! Yesterday, local blogger/gadfly/development activist Steve Patterson launched a grenade at one particular bar owner who he thought might be gaming the system. That bar owner? None other than Alderman Joe Vollmer, who for 22 years has run a joint on the Hill called Milo's.

Patterson measured the outside of the lawmaker's building using the website Geo St. Loius and then took a look at his menu. His initial determination was that Vollmer was in violation of his own law. "No way does Milo's meet the criteria for an exemption," hypothesized Patterson on his blog. Comments began pouring in.

Well, it turns out that Vollmer did have his building inspected, and he does meet the city's square-footage and food-sales specs, which Patterson now acknowledges after speaking to the alderman later in the day. (His blog has since been updated.)

More >>

Where can I go to do this?

​With all the hoopla surrounding the new smoking ban, we've yet to find a good resource offering a list of city establishments where patrons can still light up. Certain bars are exempt, right? How's a smoker to know?!

As it turns out, there's good reason for the confusion: The city has yet to release any such list. But officials promise that will change soon, possibly as early as today. (You're encouraged to check the Department of Health's website; we'll also stay on the story here at Daily RFT.)

But even that won't bring an end to the discussion. Why? Because health inspections (which have been occurring in bars across the city in recent weeks) will continue into the weeks ahead. That official list of exempt establishments will continue to evolve.

More >>

Who's Elena Kagan? Read that, then read this -- here's your weekend in review.

Frightened Rabbit at the Old Rock House
​On Friday night, Scottish rockers Frightened Rabbit played their first-ever show in St. Louis, with openers Maps & Atlases. Roy Kasten has the full concert review here and Jon Gitchoff brings back these photos.
More >>

Image source

​This Thursday, April 29, marks the seventeenth annual Dining Out For Life event where you eat at one of more than 140 local restaurants and they donate a share of the profits to Saint Louis Effort for AIDS, 25-year-old organization that provides support services to people who have AIDS and HIV.

They also provide AIDS education. A couple of weeks ago, Cheryl Oliver, the group's executive director, and Matthew Palmer, the director of operations, sat down to bombard Daily RFT with information about AIDS and HIV. The barrage was welcome since we hadn't had any AIDS education since junior high. That was a very long time ago, back when HIV was considered a sure death sentence.

The good news is that things have changed.

"It's no longer a death sentence," says Palmer. "But it's a life sentence, if you test positive."

More >>

You know what's just awesome? Greeting a new work week with snow. Please excuse the grouchy attitude, but by this time each winter (early February), aren't most of us just ready to end it all (winter, not commit suicide, although it's probably warmer in Hell)?

Anyway, weather-caused grumpiness aside, here's a toasty recap of our weekend coverage.

So Many Dyanmos at the Old Rock House

Photo: Corey Woodruff

On Friday night So Many Dynamos rocked the Old Rock House. See more photos here.

​ The nasty weather on Friday night didn't stop indie rock fans from heading down to the Old Rock House just south of downtown to see So Many Dynamos, Sleepy Kitty and Capybara (who drove in from Kansas City). Photographer Corey Woodruff brings back these photos from the show.

More >>

With weather like this (in the low 20s), many St. Louisans may find themselves searching the web for airfare discounts to milder climates. But if a flight to the tropics is outside your budget, here are ten inexpensive alternatives guaranteed to warm up your weekend. TGIF. (Here's the weekend concert calendar.)

Image: Tim Curtis

Tim Curtis: See How My Mind Works opens with a free public reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at Craft Alliance Grand Center in Midtown.

​Tim Curtis: See How My Mind Works at Craft Alliance Grand Center (Friday)
When you view a work of art you often wonder what the artist was thinking while making it. When you view Tim Curtis' work you know exactly what he was thinking, but it doesn't necessarily bring any greater understanding of why he did it -- and that's a curious frisson. For his new show Tim Curtis: See How My Mind Works, Curtis has covered the walls of the gallery with small chalkboards, each bearing a brief statement written in a clear hand. The opening reception is Friday at Craft Alliance Grand Center (501 North Grand Boulevard) and it's free. Read the rest of Paul Friswold's preview here.

More >>

​As Riverfront Times music editor Annie Zaleski reported this morning on A to Z, the popular bar and restaurant on South Grand announced yesterday via their Twitter feed that they're going to become a non-smoking establishment starting March 1.

An RFT interview earlier this month with David Timney, the restaurant's executive chef, revealed that they had been pondering the change for some time, having received several smoke-related customer complaints.

Robin Wheeler quoted Timney on Gut Check:
More >>

It was a diverse weekend for coverage here for RFT photographers this past weekend. We sent them to a burlesque dancing showcase that got all the St. Louis-based performers of the saucy arts in a single room together, then to a grand opening of a new restaurant downtown and finally to a fashion show dedicated to mixed-martial arts.

Without further ado, here's a recap of our weekend coverage:

St. Louis Burlesque Showcase

Photo: Crystal Rolfe

On Friday night, St. Louis burlesque dancers converged on Off Broadway, giving us reason to create the 2010 edition of the St. Louis burlesque trading cards! Collect 'em all in our slideshow

​
More >>

The first full week of work after the holidays is always a killer. Sure, you come in on Monday morning, buzzed and amped for the week ahead, but by Thursday you're as defeated and tired as Dilbert on quaaludes.

Re-energize, then, this weekend with some of these inexpensive entertainment options. Also, feel free to hype your own event in the comments section. Anything goes. Some events are 21-and-up. As always, call ahead before venturing out.More >>