Social Policy

Steve Cookson's "Don't Get Sick" Bill That Could Punish Poor Students Gets National Attention

Another Republican lawmaker in Missouri is getting national attention -- this time for a very short piece of legislation that critics say could punish poor children who get sick. House Bill 1040, introduced last week, says in its entirety: "School age children of welfare recipients must attend pub ... More >>

Schadenfreude Overdose: National Restaurants Anti-"Obamacare" Policies Hurt Business

Last month, following the reelection of President Barack Obama, Gut Check examined five national restaurant chains sticking to anti-"Obamacare" policies. Papa John's chief executive John Schnatter threatened to raise pizza prices and cut employee hours to part-time to side-step paying for health ins ... More >>

Eighth Circuit Lets Local Business Owner Violate Obamacare Pending Appeal

As we reported last month, Frank O'Brien -- the devoutly Catholic owner of an industrial business in Forest Park Southeast -- believes Obamacare will make him betray his faith by providing his employees insurance that will cover contraception, so he sued the federal government. Yesterday, the Eighth ... More >>

Guns Blazin' n' Insults Flyin', GOP Candidates Wrap Up "Victory Tour" in STL County

We didn't find Abby Wambach amid the stacks of GOP yard signs, but 300 or so STL-area Republicans were on hand to celebrate their slate and revel in partisan glory... however premature.

Vibriosis: Another Reason Not to Eat Uncooked Shellfish

Remember paragonamiasis? It's a rare disease caused by eating raw crawfish, also known as Ozark sushi. It's pretty gross. When Riverfront Times reported on it last summer, it was noted that a lot of sufferers from paragonamiasis contracted the disease while on drunken float trips in Missouri's river ... More >>

Is Civil Disobedience the Answer to Immigration Debate?

Supreme Court Decision on Arizona Will Divide Nation

Teen Birth Rates Decline in St. Louis City, and Across the Country

The St. Louis Department of Health is proudly touting its steady decrease in teen pregnancies, a trend that mirrors the national decrease in teen pregnancies since 1991. In fact, the national rate of teen pregnancies dropped 44 percent in the past 20 years. Locally, that drop reflects a change from ... More >>

Preview "Spanish Lake": A Documentary on White Flight, Section 8 Housing and Decline

Phillip Andrew Morton grew up in Spanish Lake, studied film at Webster University and then headed to Hollywood, where he's produced videos for comic Katt Williams and edited trailers for movies like "Ocean's 13." But now, the 32-year-old is putting the finishing touches on a documentary about his ho ... More >>

Dancin' in the Streets About Birth Control, Bollywood-Style

Dancing birth control pack? Check.​By now, surely you've heard that the Department of Health and Human Services has determined that birth control is basic preventive health care and is required to be provided without a co-pay by health insurers. (You've probably also heard about the moronic compar ... More >>

[Updated]Turkey Burger Not Always the Healthy Choice When It's Loaded With Salmonella

Hardee's/Carl's Jr.​ Updated Tuesday, April 5 Today the St. Louis City Department of Health issued a warning about the recalled Jennie-O Turkey Burgers as a precaution. In an email to Gut Check, Harold L. Bailey, Jr., Public Information Officer for the St. Louis City Department of Health sai ... More >>

Breast Milk Ice Cream & Six Other Grown-Up Foods Made From Breast Milk

Ewww, gross! Ice cream made from breast milk! Oh, wait ... maybe that's not so bad. We're mammals. Cows are mammals. The milk's screened to hospital standards. And it's free-range! As long as Mum gets out of the house on occasion. "How can anybody possibly say this is disgusting? If it's good ... More >>

Chipotle Partners with Delta Dental Health Theatre for Kids Nutrition Education

Chipotle​Among the night spots on Laclede's Landing, there's a theater working to teach St. Louis area kids about oral health. Since 1977 the Delta Dental Health Theatre has been entertaining and educating kids from its stage, surrounded by giant teeth. On March 7, local Chipotle restaurants ... More >>

Comment of the Day: Time to Drug Test that CEO

While the real dialogue on DailyRFT today could be found on a post about the efficacy of red-light cameras in saving lives, the most succinct and humorous comment of the day came in response to a post about a bill allowing welfare recipients to be drug tested. Commenter "AN" had this to say: So seri ... More >>

Smoking Ban: Week 2, and Everyone's Still Confused

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 Patt ... More >>

St. Louis Smoking Ban: Still Confusing In Week Two

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 Patt ... More >>

Tyson Foods Visionary Dies.

Donald J. Tyson, who turned his father's Arkansas chicken business into one of the largest meat producers in the world, died yesterday. He was 80 years old. The New York Times has his obituary, featuring the story of Tyson Foods' massive growth under Mr. Tyson. He retired in 1994, but not before fin ... More >>

Missouri Attorney General Goes to Bat for Arizona's Immigration Law

Koster: Como se dice "bandwagon" in espanol?​Two days after Republicans bolstered their numbers in the Show-Me State and across the nation, Missouri's Republican-turned-Democrat attorney general is out with a move that's sure to please the Tea Party masses. Chis Koster announced today he is leadin ... More >>

Wash U Program Aims to Prevent Pregnancy in Foster Girls

​Nearly half of all girls in Missouri's foster care system are pregnant or give birth before age 19. That's a lot of babies facing challenges from their first breath of life -- many of these girls and young women are aging out of the system without health insurance of their own or a reliable safet ... More >>

USA Today Tells the Sad Story of Venice, Illinois

​Back in January, Riverfront Times published "Meltdown in Venice," a feature story detailing the  many troubles of Venice, a tiny, rundown industry town just across the river from St. Louis in southern Illinois. Hundreds of people there -- almost all of whom are poor and black -- suffer from ... More >>

Hey, LGBT Folks: Sound Off!

​You may have noticed a survey floating around Facebook or other corners of the intertubes. (We found it on our pal Ed Reggi's page.) If you're a member of the lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender community, for heaven's sake, take it!The survey, which is being conducted by Services and Advocacy ... More >>

Russ Carnahan, Ed Martin Debate Tonight!

Yep that's right. Tonight is the real debate (not the fake ones) between Congressman Russ Carnahan and Republican challenger Ed Martin. The debate gets underway at 7 p.m. at the auditorium at Forest Park Community College. (Map here.) Another debate takes place Sunday at 7 p.m. at the community rec ... More >>

Abortion activists have a new target: men

St. Louis Nun Named 19th Most Powerful Person in Health Care

image viaHer smile says "hello," but her eyes say "power."​Sister Mary Jean Ryan (so nice they named her thrice) made Modern Healthcare Magazine's list of the nation's most influential people in health care for the eighth year in a row. She ranks nineteenth on the list of one hundred, coming in be ... More >>

Misssourians Reject Federal Health Care Overhaul by Margin of 2-1

Well, that settles that -- for now.​Given how Missouri Republicans and Tea Party members have railed against federal health care reform for over a year now, yesterday's results aren't all that surprising.On Tuesday those same people had a chance to finally put their ballot where their mouth is in ... More >>

Kinder Finally Files that Lawsuit vs. Health Care Reform

Peter Kinder​He's been huffing and puffing about it since April. But will the lawsuit Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder filed yesterday be enough to blow health care reform down? Probably not. But, hey, it makes for good political theater. In his federal lawsuit filed yesterday in Cape Girardeau, Kinder argue ... More >>

Ask a Mexican: Special Potpourri Edition

Readers speak up for Cecilia Velazquez, Glenn Beck, the Beautiful Kind and other controversial figures

Harry Truman Endorses Ed Martin -- No Not That Ed Martin

When Harry Met Ed ... on the Internetz.​Ed Martin, the Republican candidate who seeks to dethrone incumbent Russ Carnahan in Missouri's Third Congressional District recently posted an interesting letter of support on his campaign website. It's an endorsement (of sorts) from Harry Truman (posted on ... More >>

Cecilia Velazquez: Ambitious and driven, the publisher of Red Latina doesn't always play nice with others

Claire McCaskill Makes a Boehner Joke on The Colbert Report

Image viaJohn Boehner not happy about the tanning salon tax in the health care bill​House minority leader John Boehner made himself the butt of many jokes when he proclaimed that the passage of health care reform was "Armageddon" that would "ruin our country," but Missouri senator Claire McCaskill ... More >>

Coffin Set Up on Congressman Russ Carnahan's Lawn

Image viaCome on, you guys! It's just symbolism!​A death threat? A prank? Or an unusual expression of symbolism?Just WTF is up with the coffin that apparently appeared outside Congressman Russ Carnahan's Compton Heights home on Sunday night, in the course of the health care reform vote? Carn ... More >>

Obama Signs House Bill, Now Health Care Reform Heads to Senate for Debate

cnn.comObama signs health care reform today in the presence of, Gary Coleman???​President Obama moments ago signed the House version of health care reform. At a signing ceremony this afternoon Obama stated: "It's been easy at times to doubt our ability to do such a big thing, such a complicated th ... More >>

How They Voted on Health Care: Missouri and St. Louis Area Representatives

Todd Akin: Health care reform = fightin' words.​Updated 10:00 a.m. The health care reform bill passed the House of Representatives last night with a 219 to 212 vote. No Republicans supported the measure. Thirty four Democrats also voted no, including Missouri rep Ike Skelton.The bill now heads to ... More >>

Judge to Missouri Woman: Your Monkey is Not a Service Animal

Monkey may be a "Dick" but it's no service animal.​Remember the story of Debby Rose? She's the woman from Springfield, Missouri, who claims she suffers a social-anxiety disorder and needs monkeys -- 26 of 'em at last count -- to help ease her pains. The monkeys are the bane of her neighbors who cl ... More >>

Ask a Mexican!: Latin Lovin': When's a Mexican girl supposed to get hitched?

More Ruckus in Valley Park, Over Dinero and Jesus

Down in Jeff City, the confirmation of Linda Martinez as Missouri's Director of Economic Development got held up this week because of her legal wrangling against infamous illegal immigration issues in Valley Park.Meanwhile, out in Valley Park, city leaders have finally owned up to how much dinero th ... More >>

Press Release of the Day: Ice Can Make You Fall

In case you never understood the dangers of walking on snow and ice, this just in from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services... The entire press release follows the jump, including the tip: "Keep your eyes on where you are going."

Krispy Kreme and Abortion, Together at Last

Great catch by our sister paper Miami New Times: An Inauguration Day offer from Krispy Kreme has prompted an absolutely insane response from a pro-life organization.Here's the deal: On Tuesday, every Krispy Kreme customer is entitled to one free doughnut. Or, as the official Krispy Kreme press rele ... More >>

Catfight: Why are Mexicans catty toward the Catalans?

Readers hammer deadbeats and RFT's theater critic

If Someone Had Bought the Dessert, Maybe They Could Have Paid for an Exterminator

Dan Horkheimer: "He Loved the Community"

Feds to Tour Bridgeton Schnucks

Bush Creates Food-Safety Panel

Hasta La Vista...Whitteaker?

Many Valley Park residents want their mayor to step down.

Digable Planets

Thursday, November 3; Blue Note (17 North Ninth Street, Columbia)

Talking Heads

Their mouths move when they speak, but is someone pulling the strings?

The Two Faces of John Ashcroft

Meet Missouri's master of deceit

The Pro-Life Movement Strikes Again