In 2012, St. Louis County in Missouri used a grant from the Department of Homeland Security to buy a refrigerated trailer that can hold more than 20 human bodies. The trailer was intended for use after a terrorist attack or natural disaster, and the county is fortunate that the money spent to buy it was wasted. Until now, when the compressor in the already-full morgue went out. [More]
st louis
Feds Say Landlords Offered Reduced Rent For Sex, Evicted Tenants When They Refused
By 9.1.16
Tenants of homes owned by a pair of St. Louis landlords say the weren’t just subjected to inappropriate sexual comments, but that one landlord also offered to look the other way on the rent if tenants would sleep with him. When the renters refused these advances, they claim the landlords tried to throw them out on the streets. [More]
Blueprints For St. Louis Disney Theme Park That Never Opened Its Doors Up For Sale
By 12.7.15
When it’s time to head to a Disney park, images of the warm, sunny environs of California or Florida probably come to mind. But if things had gone another way, we might have also thought of a decidedly Midwestern vibe: Walt Disney Co. had plans at one time for an indoor theme park in St. Louis, home of the Gateway Arch, with nary a palm tree in sight. [More]
Moms Try To Snag Taylor Swift Tickets, Get Scammed Twice
By 9.30.15
Two moms wanted to take their daughters to see Taylor Swift when she played in St. Louis recently, but didn’t have tickets. That’s fine: that’s what the underground ticket economy is for, right? In theory, but they managed to get scammed twice in one night by two different ticket sellers, and almost missed the concert. [More]
People Mad About Dinner Roll Lawsuit Keep Calling Wrong Attorney
By 8.14.15
When you’re the lawyer behind an infamous lawsuit against a beloved institution, members of the public will call you. For example, there’s the one where a woman is suing a restaurant after she was injured by a hurtling dinner roll at a restaurant famous for its “throwed rolls.” Fans of the restaurant are looking up the lawyer behind it and calling or e-mailing to complain. The problem: they’re calling the wrong attorney. [More]
USPS Sued By Feds For Labeling Whistle-Blower A Drug-Using “Terrorist”
By 7.28.14
If you think an employee of yours might be too quick to gripe or prone to exaggerated complaints, there are proper ways to handle that situation. Among those accepted methods is not falsely telling others that he’s a terrorist and that he’d threatened to blow up your building. [More]
Contractor Found Dead Before TV News Investigation About Him Was To Air
By 11.7.13
On Monday night, a St. Louis TV station was planning to air a “5 On Your Side” investigation into a local contractor. Instead, they announced on the air that the subject of their investigation had been found dead in his home just a few hours before the scheduled broadcast. [More]
Panera Expanding Pay-What-You-Want Model To All Of St. Louis, But Only On One Item
By 3.27.13
It’s been three years since sandwich chain Panera opened its first pay-what-you-want eatery, where customers can disregard the listed menu price and pay what they can afford or what they feel the meal is worth. The company soon added others in a handful in other cities. Now the eatery says it is expanding the model to all 48 Paneras in and around St. Louis, though it will only involve one menu item. [More]
Mom Claims 4-Year-Old Found Drugs At Chuck E. Cheese’s, Manager Wouldn’t Call Cops
By 2.19.13
A mother in Illinois says her young daughter found an unexpected gift baggie while attending a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese’s. Making matters worse, the mom claims that the restaurant’s management refused to notify the police for fear of being shut down. [More]
Restaurant Owners Unite To Snare Free-Lunch Scam Artist
By 10.22.12
There are hundreds of restaurants in St. Louis, which would seem like a ton of potential targets for a scam artist. But one bad consumer didn’t take into account that the owners of these eateries actually know each other — and that they talk about the customers who try to pull one over on them. [More]
Would You Shop In A Store Hot Enough To Turn A Snickers Bar Into A Beverage?
By 7.3.12
For at least five days, the employees at a Family Dollar store in the St. Louis area claim they have been working without proper air-conditioning and that temperatures in the store have been in the triple digits. But that hasn’t stopped some customers from coming in. [More]
Landmark St. Louis Del Taco Building Granted Reprieve From Demolition
By 7.25.11
A flying saucer-shaped former Del Taco, built in 1967 and slated for destruction this year, has been saved from the wrecking ball, thanks in part to an active Facebook campaign — and a personal plea from St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay. [More]
Yes, This Is Clearly The Best Shirt To Wear When Robbing A Bank
By 8.12.09
The FBI is currently searching for this man, a bank robber with a keen eye for t-shirts. He robbed the Commerce Bank at 8050 Big Bend in Webster Groves, Missouri by handing the teller a note which read, “I have a gun. I will kill you. Give me your $100’s and $50’s.”
Sorry, You Can't Eat At BK Because Your Baby Isn't Wearing Shoes
By 8.6.09
One Burger King manager in St. Louis, MO is really excited about the no shoes, no shirt, no service policy in his restaurant. In fact, if you bring a 6-month-old infant into his restaurant with no shoes and refuse to leave until you’re finished eating, he’s calling the police.
Turns Out Buying Furniture Is Not A Good Way To Get Free Grocery Gift Cards
By 6.27.09
Thousands of St. Louis furniture buyers are clamoring for the free $25 grocery gift cards they were promised in exchange for buying more than $500 worth of furniture and then spending more than $100 per month at a grocery store. The complicated if not weird promotion was managed by BBZ Resource Management, an Arizona-based company that doesn’t seem to have any intention of sending out the promised gift cards.
Chuck E Cheese Entertains Kids With Sexual Assualt
By 5.2.09
22-year-old Jennifer Sorbello got an extra-special welcome to Chuck E Cheese when William Thigpen, dressed as Mr. Cheese, reached out and groped her breast. Sorbello is suing the restaurant, claiming she has been “damaged in the form of emotional distress and humiliation.”
American Airlines Flight Makes Emergency Landing Due To Engine Fire
By 9.28.07
A passenger on the flight, Lane Harris, told MSNBC that he credited the pilot for bringing the plane in as smoothly as possible, although the landing was rough.
When Your Bank Says You're Dead, But You're Demonstrably Alive
By 5.4.07
Poor Madeline Coburn. She’s not dead, but her credit is. A mix up at her bank and a mysterious phone call led to her being listed as dead.
