Fairview Heights

Ten Dumbest Criminals of 2012

It doesn't take much to become a criminal. But these ten people take criminal behavior to a whole new level -- of stupidity. Really, it takes some effort to fail this miserably. And so we honor the ten stupidest criminals in the St. Louis area/Missouri of 2012. 10. Baron Calmese, Jr. Calmese, who, ... More >>

Best Buy Employee, 61, Insulted and Pushed Down by ESTL Councilwoman & Companion

Back on December 19, police in Fairview Heights responded to a "battery" call from the Best Buy at 26 Plaza Drive. Little did they know an upstanding civic leader was involved (and by "upstanding," I mean "childish hothead"). When officers arrived at about 12:45 pm, they learned that two customers i ... More >>

Illinois Man Who Web-Cammed Child Porn to Cops Pleads Guilty

Last December, detectives in Boise, Idaho began chatting up a guy online about his child pornography offerings on the Internet. It soon led them to Fairview Heights, Illinois and 43-year-old Andrew Gerald Millas.Yesterday, Millas pleaded guilty in East St. Louis federal court to three counts of prod ... More >>

Washed Out or Still On? St. Louis Labor Day Weekend Events

The rain from tropical depression Isaac is pattering softly down right now, but forecasters are predicting five inches or more before the weekend's over. And this being Labor Day weekend, there are -- or were -- a ton of festivals and events scheduled. So what's washed out, what's pushed back and wh ... More >>

Isaac Rain Forces Cancellation of Midwest WingFest

The organizers of Midwest WingFest, slated to be held this weekend in Fairview Heights, Illinois, have canceled the event due to the remnants of Hurricane Isaac forecast to drench the region Friday through Sunday. (A tip of the cap to George Mahe of St. Louis Magazine for the news.) The organizers ... More >>

King of Wings

Too Much Water Leads to Red Lobster Fracas?

A trio of women were arrested after allegedly attacking their waitress at the Fairview Heights Red Lobster last Friday afternoon. Sharrel Evans, 21, Britley Green, 22, and Geneen Green, 44, have each been charged with one count of mob action and one count of assault. They're being held on individual ... More >>

Foiled Again! Gas Thieves Try Wrapping Their Way to Success

Fairview Heights police received an unusual phone call this past Saturday. A man was behaving suspiciously on the roof of the BP gas station at 6400 North Illinois Street. It was 11 a.m., so the caller had a good look at the man, and was able to describe him and the two men waiting in a parked car w ... More >>

Serial Hugger On the Loose

Ladies of St. Louis beware. There is a new menace stalking the aisles of local grocery stores looking to exploit gullible women. He's slick. He works fast. And he's got a hankerin' for some huggin'. That's right -- he's a serial hugger.

Jeremiah Merello McGee Charged in Explosive Attack on Federal Building

FBI agents arrested Fairview Heights man Jeremiah Merello McGee in connection with the firebomb attack on the Robert A. Young Federal Building early Monday morning. According to the affidavit, McGee parked near the guard shack at the building at 1:11 a.m. April 23, approached the building, then turn ... More >>

February 2012 Openings & Closings

Openings once again outpaced closings this month, but you'll pardon us if we dwell for a moment on those closings. This has been one of the most spectacular months for restaurant closings that Gut Check has ever seen. You had the abrupt shuttering of Root after three weeks, the closing of the four ... More >>

Casa Gallardo Shutters St. Louis Locations

Kholood Eid​Yesterday, around the time that Gut Check was trying to process the news about Monarch, officials from Real Mex Restaurants in California abruptly closed the four area locations of Casa Gallardo: Bridgeton; Fairview Heights, Illinois; Maryland Heights; and south St. Louis County. ... More >>

Live Holiday Music on the Metrolink this Weekend

Courtesy of MTAPokey LaFarge & the South City Three during last year's Rhythm & Rails performance.​The second Rhythm & Rails series brings Funky Butt Brass Band and the Folk School of St. Louis Syncopators aboard MetroLink cars this weekend. Last year, Pokey LaFarge & the South City Three and ... More >>

November 2011 Openings & Closings

​To begin our monthly roundup of restaurant openings and closings (and closings, with a question mark implied), some final news items from November:- As Gut Check learned when we spoke with co-owner Jennifer Heath a few weeks ago, the new Edwardsville, Illinois, restaurant Cleveland-Heath opened b ... More >>

Agostino's Delays Opening in Fairview Heights

​Gut Check reported back in September on the new location of Agostino's Restaurant & Bar at 130 Ludwig Drive in Fairview Heights, Illinois. This replaces the previous location in Chesterfield, which the Gabriele family was forced to close after an eminent-domain claim.Agostino's announced last ... More >>

Tidbits from Max & Erma's, Smashburger

Screenshot: www.maxanderma.com​- November has already been a busy month at West County Center (I-270 & Manchester Road, Des Peres). This week saw the debut of  J. Gilbert's Wood-Fired Steaks & Seafood. Now, Max & Erma's has set Monday, November 7, for its opening, according to Sau ... More >>

Tidbits from Joanie's Pizzeria, Wasabi Sushi Bar

The original Joanie's Pizzeria in Soulard​- Gut Check reported in September that ​Joanie's Pizzeria (2101 Menard Street; 314-865-1994) planned to open a new location at 5441 Telegraph Road in the Oakville area of south St. Louis County. That location is now open, according to Joanie's Facebook p ... More >>

Agostino's Readies Illinois Restaurant, Eyes Chesterfield

​Agostino's Restaurant & Bar, the original incarnation of which was founded by Agostino and Rosa Gabriele in 1967, was forced to close its Chesterfield location at the end of 2010 so that the city could build a new flood levee.This August, the restaurant announced on its Facebook page that it ... More >>

Illinois City Wants to Ban "Tacky" Sales Method

See! Now this is what we're talking about!​You could say it's a "sign of the times" or more proof that some cities just don't have enough real problems to address. This month in Fairview Heights, Illinois, members of the city council will consider a bill that would ban the sale of personal vehicle ... More >>

August 2011 Openings & Closings

Ian FroebNew digs for La Vallesana on Cherokee Street​There are busy months for restaurant news, and then there is August 2011. The month that just ended featured numerous openings as well as a couple of relocations, a new building for Gut Check favorite La Vallesana and a contentious change of na ... More >>

12,000 Pounds of Wings Get Prepped for Midwest Wingfest

Image viaA scene from a wing-eating contest at last year's Midwest Wingfest.​This holiday weekend, the second annual Midwest Wingfest takes place in Fairview Heights, Illinois, on Saturday, September 3, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m, providing a way to honor U.S. veterans while dining supreme. The ev ... More >>

70-Year-Old Woman Gives Burglar a Beat-Down

Image viaBring it, punks.​Step to grandma, scoundrels and thieves, and she will Eff. You. Up. As told today by the Belleville News-Democrat: A  couple of old ladies returned home in Fairview Heights when they realized there was a burglary in progress. One took out her cell phone and called 91 ... More >>

Beat Me In St. Louis: Fairview Heights Mayor Fights Criticism Over "Porn Convention"

Welcome to Fairview Heights!​Two dozen Fairview Heights residents showed up Thursday to a special meeting called to discuss outrage over a "porn convention" held in the southwestern Illinois town earlier this month.  The event, titled "Beat Me in St. Louis," took place March 18-20 at the town ... More >>

Comment of the Day: Don't Like "Porn Conventions?" Then Don't Attend Them!

Today's comment comes in response to a story out of Fairview Heights where local politicians are outraged over a BDSM convention -- "Beat Me in St. Louis" -- held recently at the city-owned convention center.The political grandstanding over the conference prompted reader "anonymous" to respond:To me ... More >>

Ride the Rails -- MetroLink, That Is -- With Pokey LaFarge and Rough Shop

​This holiday season, MetroLink is running a train dubbed the Holiday Magic Express. This train is decorated with garland, lights, ornaments and other appropriately seasonal baubles. To increase the cheer even more, Metro has partnered with KDHX to create Rhythm 'n' Rails. Two Saturdays in a r ... More >>

St. Louis Happy Hours: Metro East

Five Reasons to Embrace the Food Safety Bill

That food safety bill we keep talking about? Exactly what's it going to do for us? MSNBC breaks it down into the five most important points, the first being less intestinal distress. ABC reports that a recent change in the bill will exempt small farms that make less than half a million dollars annua ... More >>

The Belleville Chili Cook-Off: Charities, Marital Strife and Death by Runners

Robin WheelerPick your poison: You got your Chili Cheetos on the left and a Chili Slider Bowl on the right.​This past weekend Belleville, Illinois, held its 27th chili cook-off. Forty-five vendors from local businesses and nonprofit organizations lined six blocks of downtown and circled the Ve ... More >>

Ex-Boyfriend Killed by His Replacement

​Imagine waking up in your bedroom to see your ex-boyfriend standing over you and your current lover. In the hand of your ex is a butcher knife. That scene played out in real life yesterday morning in Fairview Heights. The Belleville News-Democrat reports that a 31-year-old woman awoke in her home ... More >>

Five More Dogfighters Plead Guilty in Southern Illinois

Illustration by Brian Stauffer​The largest dogfighting bust in U.S. history just got a little bigger, at least in terms of the number of defendants who have pleaded guilty in connection with the case -- which was the subject of an RFT feature story earlier this month.The southern Illinois U.S. Att ... More >>

Butt-Smack Ambushers On the Lam from Fairview Heights Police

Image viaA peaceful pastoral walk turns to sheer terror.​A 56-year-old lady went a-strolling through Moody Park in Fairview Heights yesterday morning and we bet she was enjoying it!Until events took a dark and sinister turn.  Two youths aged around 14 and cleverly disguised in t-shirts and sh ... More >>

Belleville Bans Strippermobile

Strippermobile in St. Louis last month.​Belleville last night followed Fairview Heights in becoming the second area municipality to pass an ordinance banning the so-called Strippermobile.The vehicle, owned by the Hustler Club, has made headlines around the nation in recent weeks. Thank God that in ... More >>

Woman Kidnapped from Kansas City, Saved at Metro East McDonald's

A likely suspect.​I'm guessing it was the Hamburglar and perhaps Grimus, too. Though police have yet to name the two male suspects arrested for kidnapping a woman from Kansas City on Tuesday and driving her to a McDonald's in Fairview Heights, Illinois. As the Belleville News-Democrat reports this ... More >>

'Pampered Pets' Are Anything But, Says Animal Rights Group

Image via When pampering your pet goes too far. This dog looks like he would rather be in a puppy mill than wear this outfit.​Pampering your pets is good, but Pampered Pets is bad. So says a local animal rights group. Metro East Pet Lovers will be protesting Pampered Pets, a pet store ... More >>

St. Louis Man Finds Ex-Girlfriend with Naked Lover, Goes Crazy

bnd.comMinchul McCullough​Here's a wild-ass tale from Fairview Heights, Illinois. Police there arrested Minchul McCullough, 24, of St. Louis, on Saturday after he busted into his ex-girlfriend's apartment and found her with another man. According to the Belleville News-Democrat: The man had awaken ... More >>

Review Preview: Hanley's Grille & Tap

This week, I visit Hanley's Grille & Tap, which has taken over the former J. Buck's space at West County Center in Des Peres and in Fairview Heights, Illinois. For this review, I dined at the Des Peres location.Jennifer SilverbergOwner Jeff Constance in the Hanley's kitchen​Follow me after the ... More >>

Ass Clown of the Week Is Back! Cast Your Vote for Biggest Local Bozo!

​Yes, 'tis that time of the week once more. Time for you, the readers of Daily RFT, to vote for the most despicable/idiotic local newsmaker of the past seven days. And the nominees...Amanda Hanneman and Jessra Johnson: The University of Missouri lady basketball players accused of beating the crap ... More >>

"I was a witness to 20 murders. I dug ten holes. I had to dig one up." Goodfella Henry Hill Talks

Photo by Nicholas Phillips​One day after his arrest for disorderly conduct in Fairview Heights, Illinois, former wiseguy Henry Hill, whose life story inspired the film Goodfellas, agreed to sit down and chat with the Daily RFT. Daily RFT: What did Goodfellas get right?Henry Hill: Ninety-five perce ... More >>

FoodWire: Some J. Buck's No Longer J. Buck's

I've received a couple of reader e-mails noting the strange goings-on at some of the area's J. Buck's: signage disappearing, menus without the restaurant's name. This article from the Belleville News-Democrat does a nice job of summing up what's happening: The Clayton and downtown J. Buck's will re ... More >>

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Ink Stand

Fairview Heights tries to protect its young women from the evil lurking in tattoo and body-piercing shops. It's time for a reality check.

Best Comic-Book-Store Chain

Fantasy Shop

Semper Phi