Phyllis Young

Musicians Squawk As City Quadruples Price of a Street Performer Permit

On January 1, the city quietly quadrupled the price of a busker's permit from $25 to $100 annually -- and Charles Haller of the Bates Street Folk and Blues Band feels compelled to make some noise. "It's going to diminish the music on the streets of St. Louis," he predicts to Daily RFT. Haller con ... More >>

Musicians Squawk As City Quadruples Price of a Street Performer Permit

On January 1, the city quietly quadrupled the price of a busker's permit from $25 to $100 annually -- and Charles Haller of the Bates Street Folk and Blues Band feels compelled to make some noise.  "It's going to diminish the music on the streets of St. Louis," he predicts to Daily RFT. Haller ... More >>

Alderwoman Phyllis Young on Board Shrinkage: I May Never Pass Another Bill Again!

Alderwoman Phyllis Young of the Seventh Ward was the one who really pushed to allow city voters to decide whether to shrink the city's governing board from 28 to 14 members by 2022. Not all of her colleagues liked her idea, but she did it anyway. The measure did pass on election day -- leaving her " ... More >>

So the Board of Aldermen Will Shrink in Ten Years. Now What?

On election day, city voters approved Prop R, which will shrink the Board of Aldermen from 28 to 14 members by 2022. But even among board members, uncertainty remains about how this will actually go down. "I opposed it," says Eleventh Ward Alderman Tom Villa. "My concept of an alderman is front line ... More >>

The Pros and Cons of Shrinking the Board of Aldermen, a.k.a. Prop R

Here we go, St. Louisans: Time to decide whether we should shrink the Board of Aldermen from 28 members down to 14 members by 2021. Even aldermanic proponents such as Phyllis Young of the Seventh Ward and Scott Ogilvie of the Twenty-Fourth Ward concede that it wouldn't save taxpayers a lot of cash. ... More >>

"Saucer on South Grand" Developer Gets His Tax Abatement

Albert Samaha​Developer Rick Yackey will get the tax abatement he requested to redevelop The Saucer on South Grand. As expected, the Board of Aldermen passed Board Bill #118 today, by a vote of 15 to 9. Given the bill's high profile, most of this debate had already been hashed out over the pas ... More >>

Nightclubbing: The Warehouse, A New Bar/Venue on Jefferson

Diana BenantiThe Warehouse, 2501 South Jefferson. ​If you've been to the Way Out or Trader Bob's in recent months, you may have noticed a new venue popped up a few doors down from those Jefferson Avenue institutions. The Warehouse opened in late November, and owner Tony Labarbera says so far ... More >>

How Much Are Lobbyists Spending on Your St. Louis Alderman?

kaciestarrtriplett.comKacie Starr Triplett (Ward 6) leads the Board of Aldermen with $1,327 in lobbyist expenditures this year.​Poor St. Louis Aldermen. Sure, their $32,000 a year salary is nothing to sneeze at and roughly on par with what state reps ($36k) and senators ($31k) earn. But when it co ... More >>

Downtown Residents Want Lure Nightclub Disciplined or Closed

Members of the Downtown St. Louis Residents Association hosted a meeting last night to discuss what can be done about disruptive behavior outside area nightclubs. ​Of specific concern to the group is the Lure nightclub (formerly Lucky's) at 1204 Washington Avenue. Just last week club-goers who may ... More >>

Committee of Homeless People Meet to Air Grievances to City Officials (But Few Show Up)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mager/ / CC BY-SA 2.0​It was supposed to be an exchange between city officials and downtown's homeless. By 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, about 50 people had filled up room 306 of the St. Louis Public Library's central branch. But for a pair of cops and a few service provider ... More >>

RFT readers wonder what's got into Alderwoman Phyllis Young

Horny Mothers, Bonehead Academics, "Butt" Peddlers and Questionable Politicos: Who is This Week's Ass Clown?

​Ladies and gentlemen, it's that time of the week again. Vote for the local headline maker you think made the biggest ass of themselves this week. And the nominees...1. Mizzou Officials: Administrators at University of Missouri helped make headlines this week when they sold old cell phones belongi ... More >>

Controversy Brewing Over Soulard Oktoberfest

www.soulardoktoberfest.comNow that I have your attention, take note: The Soulard Oktoberfest may be forced to move downtown this year.Alderwoman Phyllis Young, the Historic Soulard Market Merchant's Association, and a handful of neighborhood residents say the annual festival, now entering its sixth ... More >>

Man at Work

First Run Theatre offers plays that are under construction

When the Levy Breaks

Two years and more than $4 million later, a downtown tax is drowning under charges that it was illegally imposed

You're in St. Louis Now

If you thought Irene Smith was strange, you haven't been to City Hall lately

Side Dish

Negotiations for a new riverfront restaurant are going swimmingly

A Twist of Faith

From her small-town Baptist roots to her run for public office, Jeanette Mott Oxford has relied on her religious convictions to overcome fear and prejudice -- including her own.

Last Call for 3 a.m. Closings

Mediating the city's liquor-license madness is enough to drive an alderman to drink

The Albatross

St. Louis has a long and tortured history with the Admiral, home of the President Casino, but the city is about to gamble another $3 million to keep it afloat. It's a risky bet.

Not Such E-Z Terms for the E-Z Hotel

The St. Louis Board of Aldermen have passed a bill funding the new convention-center hotel, but many of the lawmakers aren't very happy with their handiwork; plus, other St. Louis follies and foibles

Jungle Boogie

St. Louis clubs play host to inspired DJs

ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT

When a nightclub switched to hip-hop, Laclede's Landing and the city clamped down. The fans don't fit in with the plans.

MARKET FORCES

After more than 150 years of operation, Soulard Market is being reinvented. But the change isn't going down easily.

Reclamation Project

Youth Build works to rebuild lives as it rebuilds the city