Granite City

Illinois Man Sentenced for Plot to Abduct Man, Use Fake Bomb, Electrocute Him, Frame a Cat

Brett Nash, a 46-year-old Granite City resident, developed a plot to abduct an attorney, strap a fake bomb to him, electrocute him in a bathtub and try to frame the victim's cat -- who he also was going to kill. So says Stephen Wiggnton, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, who ... More >>

Matthew Barnett: Granite City Dad Accused of Breaking Six-Month-Old Son's Legs

Today in terrible parenting news, we bring you the case of Matthew Barnett, a 24-year-old Granite City father who, police say, badly injured his six-month-old child. On Friday at around 1:40 a.m, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services alerted the Madison County Sheriff's Office to ... More >>

Which St. Louisans Have the Strongest Livers?

It's no secret that folks in the St. Louis region like to throw a few back from time time. Sometimes every day, in fact. We live in a beer town, and many of us are quite proud of that piece of our cultural heritage, thank you very much. But is it possible to split up the alcohol-consumption demogra ... More >>

Suspect Arrested for Murder of Neighborhood Alliance Volunteer

​On Friday, the Circuit Attorney's office charged RaMaurice Williams, a 26-year old from Granite City, Illinois, with the January 1 murder of Conyea Boroum Willis. It happened less than an hour into the new year. Willis had been getting into his car in the Walnut Park East neighborhood, when he w ... More >>

Seven Flyers Make Belleville News-Democrat All-Area First Team

Jennifer SilverbergLamontiez Ivy was named all-area first-team quarteback. Jeremy Nicholson was named first-team punter and honorable mention running back and kicker.​Today, the Belleville News-Democrat released their all-area football teams. The East St. Louis Senior High Flyers, whom we covered ... More >>

Vacancy

[UPDATE] Outlaw Blues Closes, Changes to Ravanelli's

Sunday was the final day for Outlaw Blues at 1214 Central Park Drive in O'Fallon, Illinois. The southern-themed restaurant, open since 2008, will reopen as a third outpost of Ravanelli's Restaurant on Wednesday. It's not a huge change, since Steve Edwards of Ravanelli's has always owned Outlaw Blu ... More >>

Karaoke Singer Shot in Granite City Bar

​Karaoke can be insufferable. But don't blame that tone-deaf singer, blame the bar that's hosting this detestable open-mic free for all. Darrell Buettner, 52, of Pochantas, Illinois, followed that strategy and failed miserably at a tavern outside Granite City this month. Captain Brad Wells with th ... More >>

Off-Duty Cop Who Shot a Man Gets Probation, Swipes at SLMPD Firearm Policies

flickr.com/photos/dubswede​Ex-city cop Bryan Pour -- who got into a fracas on the east side two years ago and shot a man -- was sentenced to four years probation this morning in Madison County court. The hearing was extraordinary for two reasons:1) "Technically, if you shoot someone, it is a non- ... More >>

East St. Louis: The Future Home of the Rams?

stlelsewhere.blogspot.comAdmit it. This view could use improvement.​That's what Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn suggested during a stop in Granite City. Speaking to KMOX, the governor said of metro East residents: "The way they support the Cardinals baseball team is a good indicator in how strong of a fan ... More >>

Confessions of a 'Femi-nazi Deathscort'

Small Victories Ministries"Femi-nazi deathscort" or Riverfront Times reporter? You decide.​Be sure to read this week's RFT cover story, "She's Not There," about how activists on both sides of the abortion debate are paying more attention to men affected by abortion. On Saturday, August 14, I ... More >>

Bryan Pour: Off-Duty St. Louis Cop Pleads Guilty in Shooting Man During Bar Brawl

Pour graduated at the top of his class from the academy. Seriously. He did.​An off-duty St. Louis police officer involved in a wild fight two years ago outside a Metro East tavern has pleaded guilty to the crime of "reckless discharge of a firearm." Bryan Pour, 28, was one of several people involv ... More >>

Seven Arrested in Jefferson County Meth Lab Bust

Meth: It does a body bad.​A meth lab seizure in Jefferson County last week has led to drug charges against five area men and two females. According to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department, deputies arrived last Thursday to a residence in the 12000 block of Big Pine Place in rural Desoto aft ... More >>

St. Louis Art Caps

Jessica Baran encapsulates the St. Louis art scene

Nelly Celebrates Country Grammar's Tenth Anniversary. Also, Enormous Richard and the Plimsouls' Peter Case Perform in Town.

​Tonight at HOME Nightclub, Nelly is celebrating the tenth anniversary of his genre-defining album Country Grammar with -- what else? -- a fancy party. DJ Sno is on the decks. The event is a culmination of a ten-city, VIBE magazine-sponsored tour celebrating Nelly's career. The festivities sta ... More >>

St. Louis Art Capsules

Jessica Baran encapsulates the St. Louis art scene

Workers of the World Unite and Celebrate the General Strike of 1877!

Image sourceHow the great strike ended.​Did you know that St. Louis was once in danger of falling into the hands of the Commies? Yep, it's true. Back in July of 1877, workers in St. Louis, led by the Marxist Workingman's Party, organized the first general strike in American history. For six gl ... More >>

St. Louis Art Capsules

Jessica Baran encapsulates the St. Louis art scene

East St. Louis Police Chase Ends With Discovery of a Decomposing Corpse

Updated Friday 8:36 a.m.: Image via projectjason.orgMichael Parker was "nearly blind"​The St. Clair County Coroner completed an autopsy and confirmed that the body belongs to Michael Parker. The official cause of death is still unknown (a toxicology report is pending) but there are no signs of tra ... More >>

Meltdown in Venice: Larry Burgan wages an uphill battle to prove he was poisoned by radioactive waste

Video: Larry Burgan Claims Radioactive Waste Caused Health Problems in Venice, Illinois

This week's RFT feature story, "Meltdown in Venice" features Larry Burgan of Granite City, Illinois, and his fight to prove that his former employer is responsible for radiation poisoning that he believes damaged his health and the health of those who live nearby the factory.Here's a video interview ... More >>

Today In Pathetic Criminal Defense: Dimwit Robbers, Angry Drug Dealers, and Murder Dog Magazine

Image via Jurorthirteen.com​In America's justice system, sometimes the innocent are proven guilty, sometimes the guilty are found innocent, and sometimes the guilty are so monumentally stupid that they defy all logic and common sense and make you wish for the ability to skip the trial completely a ... More >>

St. Louis Weekend Concert Calendar: Friday, November 20 to Sunday, November 22

Friday, November 20 *Elvis Perkins in Dearland/AA Bondy, The Gargoyle *Japandroids/Surfer Blood, The BIlliken Club *LFMAO/Shwayze/Far East Movement/Paradiso Girls/Space Cowboy, The Pageant *Dex Romweber Duo/Bob Reuter's Alley Ghost/Dirt Daubers, Fox Hole at Atomic Cowboy *Steve Scorfina/Danny Liston ... More >>

Last Week's Most Popular Daily RFT Posts, July 20-26

G'morning! If you're just not ready to unclench the weekend from your grip, rewind with these highlights from last week on the Daily RFT, the top-ten most-read postsJoker Bites His Wife's Face, Tells Cops He's BatmanThomas Byrd of Granite City, Ass Clown of the Week nominee, was sentenced to 24 year ... More >>

Ass Clown of the Week: "Batman"

​The votes are in, and by an overwhelming margin Daily RFT readers picked Thomas Byrd (a.k.a. "Batman") as their Ass Clown of the Week. Who is Byrd and why is he known as "Batman"? I'll let your read the story here. Suffice to say, the Granite City man is no crime-fightin' superhero. Byrd captured ... More >>

Time to Vote! Who is This Week's Ass Clown? July 17-24

 It's been a couple weeks since our last Ass Clown competition and this week's field of contenders is starting to look like an Afghani presidential election. There are just so many candidates. So, here they are in no certain order. Vote for the local person you think made the biggest ass of the ... More >>

Joker Bites His Wife's Face, Tells Cops He's Batman

scrapetv.com"Never start with the head, the victim gets all fuzzy."You know, criminals in this town used to believe in things. Honor. Respect. Look at Granite City resident Thomas Byrd. What does he believe in?According to a story in this morning's Belleville News-Democrat, face-biting: Thomas ... More >>

Readers sound off on the fragile issue of Crystal City's smelter

Restaurant Tidbits: Special Everything Tastes Like Cough Drops Edition

Whole Foods Market
Organic Gummy Bears

$5.69
Whole Foods Market
1601 Brentwood Boulevard
Brentwood

Stand Up for St. Louis!

Should I take my boyfriend's parents to East St. Louis?

Week of October 12, 2006

East Side, Best Side

A pub crawl along the Illinois riverbanks

Auto e-Motive

Unreal might e-kiss, but we don't e-tell. Plus, Plus, we get a (painful) lesson in Judaism, find a local blogger in a gorilla suit and read real essays about harmful pranks.

“I miss too much caffeine and laid-back slacking, I miss acid suns.”

This Gland Is Your Gland

Unreal snags the rare prostate interview, drops in on a lawyer's blog and cracks open a can of Dinty Moore beef stew (the linchpin of the Pontoon Beach Diet); plus, how many Post reporters does it take to tell us it's really frickin' cold?

Letters

Week of December 15, 2004

Hide and Seek

Unreal dons pleather for a BDSM gathering, shows up to the office naked and gets into the mind of chocolate thieves; plus, we want to know why the F we can't see Saving Private Ryan

This Week's Day-by-Day Picks

Week of May 12, 2004

This Week's Day-by-Day Picks

Week of October 29, 2003

Inn Again

Week of August 13, 2003

Swirl, Smack and Spit

We're curious about Bill Roberti's intentions, Brent Feeney's exodus and Joe Edwards' alibi; plus, Missouri will taste damn good in a waffle cone

Best Name for a Bar

Straight Home

Foot Don't Fail Me Now

Local favorite J.D. Blackfoot returns to St. Louis for one last show

Casualties of War

When Angela Michael started fighting God's battle against abortion, truth took the first hit

This Czechvar's for You

Sporting a disguise, the original Bud readies for battle in the realm of the King of Beers

Eat Drink Man Woman

Taking some time to let 1999's dinners digest

The Merchant of Venice

The McKinley Bridge is broke — structurally and financially — and everyone wants it fixed. Trouble is, Mayor Tyrone Echols of Venice isn't about to give away the city's bridge. But he could be talked into trading it.

The Conviction of Tim Dreste

Tim Dreste's journey from Christian missionary to anti-abortion racketeer cost him a $6 million federal fine for his role in threatening to "kill, assault or do bodily harm" to abortion providers. But he isn't about to stop his crusade.