MONDAY, JULY 24. Local grocer Fields Foods seems to be in deep trouble: Its Pagedale store, a much-lauded collab with a local nonprofit, has closed less than a year after launching, and across the city, shelves are empty. Owner Chris Goodson says he’s selling to an employee group — oh, and he needs massive tax breaks to redevelop Cleveland High School. This bodes well. Also, state Senator Andrew Koening (R-Manchester) is running for state treasurer, and we’re enjoying the idea of all the GOP candidates beginning a circular firing squad to rival the Democrats’.
TUESDAY, JULY 25. It’s super hot in St. Louis — and beyond. Water temps in southern Florida are at 100 and 102 degrees Fahrenheit. Is boiling to death our fate? Well, convicted child killer Johnny Johnson may get a reprieve; a three-court panel of the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals issues a stay in his execution, which had been set for August 1. More problems with the city’s 911 dispatch system: KSDK reports a man died of a heart attack after playing baseball in Forest Park. His friends called 911 over and over again, to no avail. They note that the park also apparently lacks defibrillators, which just seems dumb.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 26. A morning downpour does little to cut through the heat. In Delaware, a judge blocks Hunter Biden’s plea deal. In London, Kevin Spacey is found not guilty of sexual assault. And across the world, music lovers mourn Sinead O’Connor. Sinead, let this 45-year-old newspaper decree on behalf of all of Gen-X: Nothing compares 2 U.
THURSDAY, JULY 27. The U.S. Senate votes 61-37 to expand a federal program for survivors of nuclear radiation to include all the St. Louis-area residents poisoned by the waste the feds carelessly dumped here after the Manhattan Project — the subject of our cover story three weeks ago. We hate ever to credit that Hawley dipshit, but this is good. Really good. Meanwhile, security at City SC pepper sprays rowdy fans en route to the team losing 4-0. Now they’re out of the Leagues Cup, which we will pretend means something to us. Also, the Loop Trolley goes offline because it’s too hot. That clown car always was quick to throw in the towel.
FRIDAY, JULY 28. It’s still ridiculously hot, yet the Pig & Whiskey Festival is packed. No trolley-style quitting for Bone Thugs-n-Harmony! Alas, one music fan who isn’t in attendance: Robert “Beatle Bob” Matonis. His sister confirms he died July 27 after suffering from ALS, better known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. RIP. In unrelated news, Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore charges a 34-year-old man with statutory sodomy and sexual misconduct after he allegedly snatched a child in St. Louis Hills and assaulted him behind a dumpster. The same guy is also accused of attacking a kid at Francis Park. Terrifying.
SATURDAY, JULY 29. A massive storm rolls through the metro area in the late afternoon, and in a frustratingly common occurrence this summer, tens of thousands are again without power. Powering along: The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals, which overrules the three-judge panel that granted convicted killer Johnny Johnson a reprieve earlier this week. His execution is now set after all for August 1, as long as the U.S. Supreme Court doesn’t get involved. Meanwhile, the Archdiocese of St. Louis hosts a summit on gun violence. Says Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski, "It's a human life issue, and it's a quality of life issue.” Hear, hear.
SUNDAY, JULY 30. It’s the final mass for the Catholic parishes ordered to close under the archdiocese’s All Things New plan, and it feels like the end of a (very flawed) era. It’s also incredibly hot yet again — but the trolley is supposedly back. To which we have to ask: Who cares, and is anyone even riding the damn thing? Meanwhile, the beleaguered Cardinals trade no fewer than three pitchers, and righthander Jordan Hicks posts a photo of his Imo’s order, purchased from the Hampton Avenue pizzeria earlier in the day. The Texas native even got the Provel bites before heading off to Toronto. We’re not crying, you’re crying!
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