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THE LEDE

“I’ve gotten to work with some teachers, which has been really wonderful. There’s a teacher over at Buder Elementary that is just a delight to be around. She comes in every other week to get new books. ... And it’s so fun to get to see how her kids grow and react. I’m not getting to meet any of these kids in person, but they all know who I am because I give them books every week. And they came in as she came in at the end of last semester. And she has like a big bouquet of paper flowers that they’d all decorated. Like, ‘Thanks for the funny book!’ It just kind of hit home, like ‘OK, I am doing what I’m supposed to be doing. I’m here for a reason.’”

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LAURA GUEBERT, YOUTH SPECIALIST AT ST. LOUIS PUBLIC LIBRARY-CENTRAL LIBRARY, PHOTOGRAPHED ON HER BREAK ON SUNDAY, AUGUST 29 riverfronttimes.com

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Health Scare

nless you’re the kind who prefers to pretend COVID-19 isn’t really a problem, you’ve likely come across news about hospital intensive care units swelling again with patients. But as the RFT’s Jaime Lees explains in this week’s cover story, there is the related and largely overlooked crisis of overrun urgent care clinics. In recent years, such clinics have become a safety valve in our health-care system, handling injuries and illnesses that don’t normally require an emergency room visit but are still, well, urgent. As the delta variant has flooded the system with new cases, those who have come to rely on the option of quick help outside of the hospital are discovering long waits and delayed access. That has left people scrambling for care. It’s not something that has drawn a lot of attention, but after reading Jaime’s story, you’ll see why it should. —Doyle Murphy, editor in chief

TABLE OF CONTENTS Publisher Chris Keating Editor in Chief Doyle Murphy

E D I T O R I A L Digital Editor Jaime Lees Interim Managing Editor Daniel Hill Staff Writer Danny Wicentowski Contributors Cheryl Baehr, Eric Berger, Jeannette Cooperman, Mike Fitzgerald, Ryan Krull, Andy Paulissen, Justin Poole, Theo Welling, Ymani Wince Columnists Thomas Chimchards, Ray Hartmann Editorial Interns Zoë Butler, Holden Hindes, Erin McAfee, Jack Probst, Victor Stefanescu A R T

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C I R C U L A T I O N Circulation Manager Kevin G. Powers

An Urgent Problem

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HARTMANN The Science of Selling Out Eric Schmitt would kill to be your senator BY RAY HARTMANN

t’s surreal to say it, but Missouri Republicans’ race to the bottom regarding the COVID-19 pandemic might have hit a new low last week. State Attorney General Eric Schmitt, formerly known as a rational human, unleashed one of the most dimwitted lawsuits on record, seeking to prohibit local school districts from enacting mask mandates. We’re not talking daft politics here, the sort of thing Schmitt needs to win the Republican carnival primary for the seat being vacated by U.S. Senator Roy Blunt in 2022. No, this one is about life and death, in the real world, for actual schoolchildren in Missouri. But they’re not on the GOP ballot next summer. Schmitt has taken it upon himself to attempt to reject and override the professional judgment of public-health and medical experts around the world regarding the need for mask-wearing in schools. He would have the courts prohibit school districts from protecting students (and others) in the name of what he likes to call “the science.” If Schmitt succeeds with the suit, no school district could require masks, no matter how much the virus spreads and no matter what the parents in that district desired for their local schools. If Schmitt fails, he’ll still win red-meat bragging rights in his contest with disgraced ex-Gov. Eric Greitens and three other Trump cultists. He has nothing to lose. By contrast, with kids under twelve unable to get vaccinated, the very real consequences to their health and lives posed by the delta variant could be devastating for them and their families. And now they face another risk factor:

Schmitt’s lawsuit. Recently filed in Boone County Circuit Court, it begins with his bullet points for a Republican fish fry: “1. Mask mandates for kids in schools are not supported by the science and are an arbitrary and capricious measure. The cure should not be worse than the disease. “2. The science shows that children are at a significantly lower risk of contracting a serious illness due to COVID-19 and that they do not generally spread the virus, even in school settings. “3. The science shows that public mask use has little effect on community spread or stopping infection surges. “4. The science shows that masks cause schoolchildren to suffer headaches, difficulty concentrating, impaired learning, drowsiness/fatigue, a reluctance to go to school, and less happiness. “5. The science shows that mask use by young children is detrimental to their communication skills at a critical stage of their development. “6. The science shows that school mask mandates are arbitrary and capricious. “7. Parents have the right and the responsibility to make health care decisions for their minor children. “8. Parents should have the freedom to choose whether their child wears a mask to school, not school administrators. “9. Despite the science, some public school districts require all students to wear a mask on school buses, school property, and while engaging in school activities. These mask mandates are arbitrary, capricious, unreasonable, and unlawful, and such measures are unsupported by data or science. “10. There is no evidence that Defendants considered the underlying data, science, and evidence that fail to justify issuing a mask mandate for schoolchildren at this time.” If you think all that sounds stupid — and it does — try wading through the rest of it. The body of the brief rails on with a bunch of random nonsense about why kids are at such low risk from dying from the virus. And why masks don’t work. And that it’s the masks that pose the true danger. No, really. The words “masks can harm children” are an actual argument made by the attorney

The data Schmitt cited was outdated or twisted out of context. One study he cited, purporting to show that masks were damaging to kids, has been thoroughly debunked as “unsupported and misleading.” general of the state of Missouri in the context of why the world’s health authorities are mistaken about their strategies to combat the pandemic. Much of the data Schmitt cited was outdated or twisted out of context. One German study he cited, purporting to show that masks were damaging to kids, has been thoroughly debunked as “unsupported and misleading.” It was internet research of parents most likely biased against mask-wearing. Here are some actual facts, recently published by actual scientists, as opposed to whatever Clorox peddlers Schmitt finds in the QAnon yellow pages: “As of August 19, over 4.59 million children have tested positive for COVID-19 since the onset of the pandemic. Over 180,000 cases were added the past week, reaching levels of the previous winter surge of 2020-21. After declining in early summer, child cases have increased exponentially, with over a four-fold increase the past month, rising from about 38,000 cases the week ending July 22nd to 180,000 the past week.” That’s from the American Academy of Pediatrics on August 23. Three days later, the Yale School of Medicine published this: “‘A recent study from the United Kingdom showed that children and

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adults under 50 were 2.5 times more likely to become infected with Delta,’ says Dr. Yildirim. And so far, no vaccine has been approved for children 5 to 12 in the U.S., although the U.S. and a number of other countries have either authorized vaccines for adolescents and young children or are considering them. … Delta seems to be impacting younger age groups more than previous variants.” The latest guidance for the fall 2021 school year from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends “universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status. Children should return to full-time in-person learning in the fall with layered prevention strategies in place.” And from the Wall Street Journal on August 26: “Hospitals in the South and Midwest say they are treating more children with Covid-19 than ever and are preparing for worse surges to come. Cases there have jumped over the past six weeks as the highly contagious Delta variant spreads primarily among unvaccinated people. That is leading to more sick kids in places where community spread of the variant is high, public-health experts say.” Last week, the Missouri Foundation for Health announced it was teaming up with pediatricians for a statewide vaccination campaign “sounding the alarm as pediatric COVID cases surge throughout Missouri and much of the country.” In Missouri, children make up 11.5 percent of the total number of COVID-19 cases in the state, it noted. It makes one wonder about the timing of Schmitt going to court at this moment, trying to prohibit measures to protect those kids. How could he try to bar school districts from taking whatever steps they deem necessary — following real science — as pediatric COVID-19 cases are spiraling? Well, the voting age is eighteen. n Ray Hartmann founded the Riverfront Times in 1977. Contact him at rhar tmann1952@gmail.com or catch him on Donnybrook at 7 p.m. on Thursdays on Nine PBS and St. Louis In the Know with Ray Hartmann from 9 to 11 p.m. Monday thru Friday on KTRS (550 AM).

SEPTEMBER 1-7, 2021

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NEWS

Elizabeth Cooke Blocked Medics in Man’s Death, Cops Say Written by

DOYLE MURPHY

edics working to revive Bobby Phillips on New Year’s Day could detect a faint pulse and were ready to start procedures they hoped would save the 62-yearold’s life when they were blocked by Elizabeth Cooke, according to newly released police documents. Cooke, now 35, pulled out paperwork that showed Phillips had signed over power of attorney to her just two days before. And, Cooke insisted, Phillips did not want to be resuscitated, according to the police documents. The medics stopped, and Phillips died shortly after. The account of Phillips’ death is described by police in an incident report obtained by the Riverfront Times through a public records request. In recent weeks, the case has received international attention thanks to a bizarre series of events. A man, whom we’re calling Jeff because he has requested anonymity, told the RFT’s Daniel Hill that he encountered Cooke last month when he caught her trying to steal his vehicle. After a brief confrontation, which eff filmed, she took off and left behind her phone. Jeff says he then used the phone to take over Cooke’s social media accounts, posting to Cooke’s Facebook page photos and messages that he believes are proof she was involved in a variety of crimes, mostly stealing and drug use. But Jeff also uncovered images of Bobby Phillips’ documents, including his Social Security card,

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Elizabeth Cooke, filmed as a man accuses her of trying to steal his car. | SCREENSHOT ID and paperwork that seemed to show the older man had granted Cooke power of attorney on December 30. Jeff’s Facebook posts on Cooke’s account quickly went viral, with thousands of followers from across the world. Even after the page was shut down, separate Facebook groups dedicated to the bizarre episode continued on. And internet sleuths are still on the hunt for clues to what some have come to believe is Cooke’s hand in Phillips’ death. In the police incident report obtained by the RFT, fficer Sean Martini writes that he and another officer were called at a.m. to the house on Kensington Avenue in the Academy neighborhood. Cooke showed them the same paperwork she had shown the medics, according to Martini. And it did indeed include a section saying Phillips didn’t wish to be resuscitated. But Martini seemed suspicious of the timing of the paperwork, noting it had been signed just two days before on December , . oo e told officers she had been talking to Phillips that morning, before going upstairs.

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Then she claimed she heard a “loud thud-like sound” and came bac down to find hillips lying on the oor of the itchen. She called . community organizer at Eco Village previously told RFT contributor Ryan Krull that the top oor of the house was an Airbnb operated by the nonprofit, and that oo e was a nightmare guest who refused to leave for months after her stay was supposed to end. Police say they didn’t see any signs of trauma or drug use. An in estigator from the office of the St. Louis medical examiner approved the release of Phillips’ body to Cooke. In most cases, that would be the end, but little about events surrounding Phillips’ death has played out normally. He died on a Friday, and Cooke called Michel Funeral Home to collect his body. The funeral home’s owner, Calvin Whitaker, tells the RFT two of his employees called him from the scene. The employees had worked with medical examiner offices in St. ouis, St. ouis County and Jefferson County, and to them, the situation looked questionable. They told Whitaker

it looked like there had been drug use at the house, although they weren’t sure by whom. “They were even surprised that the medical examiner wasn’t picking him up,” Whitaker says. Two other men were at the house when the employees arrived, but Cooke was gone. She later came to the funeral home. Another man was with her, but Cooke did the talking, Whitaker says. “She was a different sort of lady to deal with,” he recalls. She wanted Phillips cremated and told Whitaker she had power of attorney. “I was like, ‘Yeah, but power of attorney stops at death, so that doesn’t really help us,’” he recalls. Absent a signature from Phillips’ next of kin, Whitaker says they were stuck. Through the weekend, he texted Cooke to see if she had located any of the other information he needed for the death certificate. n that Monday, a different investigator from the medical examiner’s office called to say they wanted the body after all. Whitaker says he texted Cooke and she quickly called back. “She seemed agitated with me and upset that I couldn’t hold onto him,” Whitaker says. “I just said, ‘Hey, that’s their choice. Here’s their number.’ Nothing I could do about it.” In the police report, Martini writes that on Monday, January 3, a different medical examiner told police that they were taking custody of Phillips’ body after all. He mentioned that the Michel’s crew had seen drug use at the scene (Whitaker says he thinks it was actually paraphernalia), and he added that he’d received a tip that Cooke was bragging that she was going to get a lot of money from Phillips’ death. Martini writes that he and his fellow police officer hadn’t spotted any drug use or paraphernalia in the hour that they were at the scene. The medical examiner and Cooke’s attorney didn’t respond to the RFT’s requests for comment. Cooke is currently in jail in Illinois on charges of possession of meth and a stolen vehicle. St. Louis police have told the RFT they are investigating Phillips’ death and allegations of theft against Cooke. n

Police Balk at Hazelwood School’s Diversity Training Requirement Written by

JENNA JONES

en hours of training in diversity, equity and inclusion remained a sticking point between Hazelwood School District and three local police departments as students returned to the classroom last week. The district added the training requirement to a long-standing contract, and now the police departments have refused to provide school resource officers for the 2021-2022 school year. The officers — normally provided by the Hazelwood, Florissant and St. Louis County police departments — won’t be returning for at least the beginning of the school year, something parents say the district and department will come to regret. Hazelwood parent Lynda Pearson, who had five kids attend schools in the district, says there were fights almost daily at the high school when her daughter, a 2020 grad, went there. She thinks the district “100 percent needs” the resource officers. “The school is not unreasonable requiring additional training for the SROs,” the mother tells the RFT. Serving more than 17,000 students as of the 2019-2020 school year, the Hazelwood School District is one of the most diverse in the state. Pearson says she would like to know why the department would refuse the training. In a letter obtained by KSDK, chiefs of the three police departments — Gregg Hall of Hazelwood, Tim Fagan of Florissant and the now-retired St. Louis County police Chief Mary Barton — write that they “believe our officers receive training that is more than adequate and addresses the critical matters of diversity, equity, and inclusion.” The chiefs explained the officers must obtain 24 hours of “continuing education” that achieves Peace Officer Standards and Training requirements yearly. A spokesperson for the St. Louis County Police Department says Hazelwood’s training does not meet POST standards. “The St. Louis County Police Department is committed to training relative to diversity, equity and inclusion. Our officers will continue to receive specific and developed training in these critical areas

Hazelwood police participated in a back-to-school event, handing out school supplies last month at Hazelwood West. | HAZELWOOD POLICE/FACEBOOK that is Missouri P.O.S.T. approved,” the spokesperson writes in an email to the RFT. “Unfortunately, Hazelwood School District’s required training does not meet that criteria. We recognize the value of the School Resource Officer Program and hope to maintain a positive and productive relationship with the Hazelwood School District in order to get our officers back in their schools in the future.” In the 24 hours of POST training required, one hour is dedicated to racial profiling and another hour is dedicated to implicit bias training. One hour of deescalation training is also required. Officers then choose the rest of their classes but must meet sixteen hours of electives, two hours of legal studies, two hours of “interpersonal perspectives,” and two hours of firearm skill development, per the Missouri Department of Public Safety’s website. The implicit bias and de-escalation training requirement was just added this year. Interpersonal perspective classes can range from understanding hostage incidents and using social media to help investigations to ethics or inclusivity training, according to the website of one of Missouri’s POST providers, Police One Academy. However, Hazelwood schools sought a more targeted approach. A statement from the district says the training would’ve been based on the “extensive work” done by the district since it issued

a statement of solidarity after George Floyd was killed. The statement promises engagement on diversity and inclusion practices and to reduce the disparities in student discipline. “The training would have helped SROs better serve the social and emotional development of our students,” the statement from the school board members reads. “Additionally, much of the training mirrors professional development activities that HSD faculty and staff participate in year round.” The training requested would’ve covered topics including language sensitivity and communication with diverse student populations, trauma-informed practices and Hazelwood School District children, a district and school resource officer partnership to combat the school-to-prison pipeline, the adultification of African American children, and the role of the school resource officer in partnership with school safety officers and school hall monitors. Pearson agrees with the district’s goals of better serving the students. “The school district knows better than the police department the needs of students,” she says. “If they have identified or have concerns or are just being proactive regarding police-as-SROs’ interaction with students, we should trust and support their judgment. The police department is absolutely wrong to refuse additional training.” The district is using the funds it

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would’ve spent with the three departments “to hire additional safety officers and purchase additional safety resources,” according to a statement. Contacted by the RFT, a district spokesperson declined to say anything beyond the statement. The union representing Hazelwood teachers did not respond to multiple messages. The RFT also reached out to the police departments for comment. The police chiefs of Florissant and Hazelwood replied with iterations of the same statement: They value the long-standing partnership they have with Hazelwood School District but haven’t been able to reach an agreement on a new contract. “We continue to welcome any dialogue that would allow our department to re-establish this program as soon as possible,” Hall, who oversees the Hazelwood Police Department, added. Fagan of the Florissant Police Department also said he looked forward to continued discussions about returning the officers to the schools. A spokesperson for the St. Louis County Police Department said there had been no further discussions taking place for the 2021-2022 school year. The school district’s board members said in their statement that while the officers will not be in the schools at the start of the school year, their relationship with local law enforcement will continue, as well as the “never-ending respect” for the role the police play in their community. n

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A Long Hot Weekend in St. Louis PHOTOS BY REUBEN HEMMER

It was a big weekend for fans of barely clothed athletic persuits. Photographer Reuben Hemmer pulled double duty, documenting the World Naked Bike Ride for the Riverfront Times on Saturday and then hitting up wrestling’s return to the Chase with the Billy Corgan-owned (that’s Billy getting into the mix in the lower right corner) National Wrestling Alliance’s spine-twisting event on Sunday.

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THE BIG MAD DOWN WITH THE SICKNESS Testy testimony, Rush’s replacement and Schmitt the stuntman Compiled by

DANIEL HILL

elcome back to the Big Mad, the RFT’s weekly roundup of righteous rage! Because we know your time is short and your anger is hot: DEFINITELY, MAYBE: It’s not surprising that the Missouri legislature would entertain the deranged election conspiracies of how the 2020 election was stolen, but the degree of dumb reached during an August 24 meeting of the Missouri House Elections Committee pushed the needle from parody to farce to just a line of facepalm emojis. The hearing featured “testimony” from Republican Representative Ann Kelley on what she’d learned at the Cyber Symposium hosted by deranged pillow magnate Mike Lindell, who had spent months promising damning evidence that hackers changed the 2020 votes and robbed America of a second Trump term — of course, no evidence was provided. That meant Kelley and her Republican colleagues had to work twice as hard to make the nonsense sound reasonable, while also distancing themselves from the radioactive insanity of Mike Lindell... which is a tough sell when you’re getting info from “experts” who fundamentally do not understand how elections work. The solution, for Kelley, was to hedge every statement with self-contradiction. “I think it’s very evident that there could be a problem,” she argued in one of many moments of incoherence. Later, when a Democratic committee member asked for the identity and credentials of one of those “experts,” Kelley lashed out, “What does it matter? What does it matter?” At least, in that moment, she was finally being honest. MISSOURI’S L’S: Just when we thought Missouri could stop apologizing for Rush Limbaugh, we’re reminded of Dana Loesch. The ex-St. Louis blogger was featured in a, let’s say “generous” Washington Post profile, set in her ridiculous Texas home where she, like Limbaugh did in Florida, goes full elitist while posing as a voice for the average American. (If you read the story, you might spy the line, with accompanying photo, about her taking up smoking a tobacco pipe and be tempted to wonder if that qualifies her as a hipster soyboy.)

We suppose it’s fitting that she’s now being eyed as the successor to Limbaugh’s talk radio time slot. They both discovered the profit of twisting facts to stoke America’s worst impulses. And, sure, it’s nice knowing she’s not beaming her anti-mask, vaccine-skeptical, anti-critical race theory diatribes from here these days, but maybe the universe could shift the focus to some non-Missouri clowns for a while? WASTED TIME: In a world where dating apps have become the bane of most people’s existence, where love seems like it will forever be unattainable, we have to wonder: How the fuck did we not think of making our own dating website where we are the sole profile? St. Louis resident Colin O’Brien’s pure genius of crafting a site where women can only apply to date him — DateColinOBrien.com, naturally — is the reason we may once again believe in love. This innovation begs the question: Where was this all our lives? We could’ve spent our nights doing something besides swiping through an app, losing our last hopes for a meaningful relationship in modern society. O’Brien has accumulated over 150 invites for dates, all with women seriously interested in him, without having to wade through the jungle of Tinder to do it. The back-and-forth that comes with the woes of dating apps, the potential ghosting, the “So, can I have your actual number instead of using this app to contact you?” question — all of those obstacles, gone. Honestly, it’s not O’Brien we have beef with on this one. We’re big mad at ourselves. SCHRÖDINGER’S VIRUS: In today’s rightwing political landscape, intellectual incoherence and bald-faced hypocrisy are the stuff winning campaigns are made of, as Missouri Attorney General and Senate hopeful Eric Schmitt is acutely aware. How else would you explain his recent decision to file lawsuits against school districts that implement masking rules while simultaneously going forward with his totally-not-a-stunt suit against the Chinese government over the spread of the disease? Back in April 2020, when the battle lines of the COVID culture war weren’t yet clearly defined, Schmitt insisted that “The Chinese government lied to the world about the danger and contagious nature of COVID-19... and did little to stop the spread of the disease,” demanding the nation be held accountable. Fast-forward to last week, Schmitt’s latest base-pandering suit downplays the danger and contagious nature of COVID-19 while actively seeking to remove one of the best tools we have to stop its spread. Shouldn’t he be demanding accountability for these actions, too? Maybe we’ll get lucky and he’ll sue himself. n

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SEPTEMBER 1-7, 2021

RIVERFRONT TIMES

AN URGENT

PROBLEM As a new wave of COVID-19 cases flood urgent-care clinics, patients’ small problems become big ones BY JAIME LEES

“When it starts to spread across your face and your genitals, that’s when you know you need some help.” St. Louisan Amy Whited-Hylton got what she described as a “pretty wicked case of poison ivy” two weeks ago. She’d just bought a house in south city and had been doing some weekend maintenance on her new overgrown yard shortly before she started getting itchy. By that Tuesday afternoon, the irritation that she’d initially thought was caused by a cluster of mosquito bites had started to rapidly spread and began to take over her most sensitive areas. She knew she had to see a doctor. Whited-Hylton had been to the Total Access Urgent Care nearby on multiple occasions previously and had always been impressed by the swift, expert care provided, so she stopped in to get what she thought would be a quick exam and a prescription. “It’s not like it’s life-threatening. It just got really bad,” Whited-Hylton says. “But that’s why you have urgent cares — so that even under normal times, you don’t crowd the

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hospitals with poison ivy. That’s a waste of their resources. I mean, that’s what I thought. But I guess not, because urgent cares are all filled up with other people. She arrived at a Total Access location at about 3:15 p.m., assuming she’d ha e no trouble finding a spot before it closed at 8 p.m., but she was told that the clinic was already booked for the rest of the day. She asked if any other locations had openings available. The receptionist checked her computer and said that all Total Access locations were fully booked except one that was a 45-minute drive away in O’Fallon, Missouri — and that location already had 29 people in line. Knowing that her case was “not an emergency-room thing,” WhitedHylton tried to call her primarycare physician. Her doctor’s phones were down because of a recent storm, so she just drove straight there. he office was due to close soon and her primary was her only hope of getting help that day.

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She wasn’t able to see her doctor, but another physician in the office took pity on her and squeezed her in between patients. One steroid shot to the behind and a prescription for prednisone later, she was on her way to getting all fixed up. Now that she knows that her goto spot might not have space for her when she needs help, Whited-Hylton isn’t sure where she’ll turn for care the next time something comes up. “I don’t really have any serious underlying health issues, but if I did, ’d be terrified to lea e the house, she says. “With health care, having good insurance is half the battle, but good luck with being actually able to use it somewhere right now.”

n inability to access immediate help at an urgent-care clinic has become common in St. Louis and beyond as the COVID-19 crisis has worsened. As the delta variant sweeps across the nation this summer, the fragile health-care system has been slammed with another in ux of infected patients. While most of the focus lately has been on o er owing s and Continued on pg 15

At a Total Access Urgent Care in St. Louis, staffers work to care for an influx of patients. Appointments are often booked solid before the center even opens. | THEO WELLING

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RIVERFRONT TIMES

Isley Brothers Tribute SEPT

with music director Terry Coleman, lead vocalist Dana Austin, and guitarist Brian White

Dennis Edwards and the Temptations Tribute

SEPT

with Master’s Touch and lead vocalist Marvin Rice PRESENTED BY

SEPT

McDonald’s of Metro St. Louis Co-Op

6–8pm Forest Park • Museum’s North Lawn mohistory.org/twilight-thursdays

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Chuck Berry Tribute with the Chuck Berry Band featuring Chuck Berry III on guitar

Tina Turner Tribute with Seviin Li

SEPT

AN URGENT PROBLEM Continued from pg 12

emergency rooms, it’s often the hardworking urgent-care clinics that keep patients from ever entering a hospital through a combination of early intervention and skilled outpatient treatment on demand. From stitching up minor wounds to saving patients in the middle of heart attacks, the range of services provided at urgent-care locations frees up both hospital staff and primary-care physicians. But now that emergency rooms and urgent-care clinics are all filling up, people who need immediate help often don’t know where to turn. Essentially, the safety valve that keeps hospitals from o er owing is disappearing. And that’s something that nobody nows how to fix through any other method except increased vaccination.

f we were to see every patient that needed care then I would be asking my people to work 24 hours a day until they collapsed,” says Dr. Troy Dinkel, chief medical director of Total Access Urgent Care. “Our queue is full before we open. Literally.” Before the COVID-19 crisis, Dinkel and the other employees of St. ouis’ prolific urgent care chain were accustomed to working hard. But with the pandemic worsening again, no matter how tirelessly they work they can’t eep up with the ood of local patients seeking help. It’s more than just demand from increased caseloads; Total Access is facing the same staffing shortages now prevalent across the health-care sector. Technically, there are 27 Total Access locations in the St. Louis area, but only 23 are currently open due to loss of staff. While consolidating employees in fewer locations has kept the quality of care up, the organization still has no choice but to turn away many potential patients each day. The huge amount of people who need medical treatment right now is just too large to keep up with across medical settings, not just in urgent-care centers. “ICUs are full. Hospitals are full. Emergency departments have people lined up in the hallway getting their lacerations sewn up right in front of everyone else because the health-care system is overwhelmed,” Dinkel says. “So this is not a circumstance that is unique

Amy Whited-Hylton had turned to urgent-care clinics in the past, but when poison ivy hit two weeks ago, she couldn’t get in. | THEO WELLING

“I don’t really have any serious underlying health issues, but if I did, I’d be terrified to leave the house. Having good insurance is half the battle, but good luck with being actually able to use it somewhere right now.” to urgent care — it just has to do with capacity and the realities of the delta variant running rampant right now. The urgency of getting accinated is extreme. don’t now how it could be more extreme. in el is ex military, and he speaks about challenges for his staff in a direct, no-nonsense way. He describes the COVID-19 healthcare force as heroic and says he’s glad to be on the same team, but it’s clear that it pains him that his team — his fellow soldiers in this war — are up against an enemy with an unfair advantage. “There’s a lot of information, there’s a lot of emotions surrounding the vaccines. I’ve always been a humongous advocate of vaccination,” he says. “I was fortunate in the military; I got vaccinated against everything. I had an anthrax accine fi e times, small pox three times. If I were to give any advice, it would be please, please, please get vaccinated and have

thoughtful conversations with other people — nonjudgmental conversations. Not political discussions, but just thoughtful, statistical discussion where you say, ‘I care about ya. I love ya. I want ya to be protected. Let’s just make sure that you are protected.’”

ave Dillon, vice president of public and media relations for the Missouri Hospital Association, mirrors Dinkel in his concern over skyrocketing COVID-19 cases, access to prompt health care and the need for increased vaccination. The issue isn’t just that the emergency rooms and urgent-care clinics are o er owing, illon explains. “The real issue becomes how full is the critical-care space in Missouri,” he says, describing the scarce capacity of hospital ICUs and other places where patients battle life-threatening injuries and illnesses. After a decline

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in COVID-19 cases this spring, a surge in delta cases turned the state into one of the country’s hottest hot spots. ases exploded, going from 249 average positive PCR tests per week to an average of 2,137 per week in a two-month period. The southwest corner of the state emerged as the epicenter, and cities such as Springfield were quickly overwhelmed by the rush. Dillon uses the spike in Springfield as an example for what could happen next. “In southwest Missouri, hospitals are definitely still up against the wall. hey’re at or e en exceeding their licensed bed capacity, and their ICU capacity is very low. And those hospitals have been working for a month or more and when necessary transferring patients elsewhere,” he says. “Why that matters and why hospitals throughout the state are concerned about it is that even in St. Louis and Kansas City — and some of the other sizable but not metrotype areas, meaning St. Joseph, Columbia and Hannibal — when those hospitals begin to get close to their capacity, then you run out of the ability to transfer [patients].” While many St. Louisans might not have been too concerned about a surge in cases on the other side of the state, these sudden increases can still have an impact on local access to critical care. Many COVID-19 patients spend weeks in the intensive care unit. If patients

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AN URGENT PROBLEM Continued from pg 15

from far ung areas are sent to St. ouis hospitals and then St. ouis has its own surge, beds here could already be full when locals need them. Still, ha ing actual beds to put patients in or ha ing enough entilators to breathe for them isn’t e en the biggest problem the health care system is facing. Right now, the problem is that there aren’t nearly enough nurses to ta e care of e erybody. ur biggest challenge isn’t beds. t’s a wor force that has been up against the wall for eighteen months. t’s inade uate to expand the beds with the existing wor force that we ha e, illon says. So you ha e to bring in additional wor ers to staff beds. ra eling nurses are being hired by local hospitals at rates of hundreds of dollars per hour to co er the wor er shortage, but illon says that soon it’s li ely that finding money to hire expensi e part time nurses won’t be the biggest problem for hospitals it will be finding tra eling nurses to hire at all. illon says that as case counts grow in exas, it has already become harder to find nurses to wor in St. ouis. nd there are only so many nurses to go around. his issue ta es on e en more gra ity when it comes to ta ing care of sic ids. xtra pediatric and neonatal nurses are e en more difficult to come by in the current health care ecosystem, which could spell disaster in the coming months. n this wa e, the concern is of course that delta seems to ha e the ability to unli e the earlier irus affect ids more. nd if you’re ele en or younger, you can’t get accinated yet. So that’s the challenge as we’re sending ids bac to school right now, illon says. So you not only ha e the illness in ids, but you ha e the illness in ids and when they lea e school they will go home and infect others and so you get the collateral impact. ecause of the high accination rate of seniors, illon says the a erage age of people currently hospitali ed with in issouri is no longer people in their s and s, but people in their s and s. So it’s not grandmas and grandpas who are more li ely to be ta en down by now it’s moms and dads. recent article in Forbes said that the situation in allas is so dire that the orth exas ass

ritical are uideline as orce held a meeting to discuss using a patient’s corona irus accination status to factor in which patients get access to priority care based on the assumption that the accinated ha e a much better chance of sur i ing. hen as ed if issouri has any plans to implement similar protocols should things get as bad here

meant they should ha e had fi e nurses loo ing after them, but there were only two nurses a ailable per shift. e’re only using ill’s first name, because she isn’t authori ed to spea to media. Sometimes the will borrow a nurse from another oor of the hospital to help out. he nurses don’t dare ta e a day off, though. r uit. ill says

The latest surge in COVID-19 patients is overwhelming the health-care system. | THEO WELLING

“If we were to see every patient that needed care then I would be asking my people to work 24 hours a day until they collapsed,” says Dr. Troy Dinkel, chief medical director of Total Access Urgent Care. “Our queue is full before we open. Literally.” in the idwest, illon says, e ha e, since the beginning, been concerned about ha ing to mo e to a crisis standard of care. nd that would be, in essence, the clinicians would ma e those inds of udgments.

ipping the accine is li e playing the biggest game of chic en, says ill, a charge nurse who wor s at an in rural llinois. t her unit, ust a short dri e from downtown St. ouis, nurses are o erwhelmed, o erwor ed and don’t ha e any fuc s left to gi e about people’s opinion of the accine, she says. hen we tal ed recently, ill’s had nine patients, which

they’re already running their asses off to ta e care of the patients, and that losing another nurse would further endanger their efforts. She doesn’t ha e reuired o ertime at her hospital but says since nursing is a team sport that e erybody does their best not to lea e their cowor ers in the lurch. She describes each shift as a thirteen hour nightmare, o er and o er and o er. ost of the people now who ha e gone through all of this pandemic, we all ha e such S from these surges that half of our unit is on some anti anxiety meds. i e, don’t sleep anymore, she says. t’s ust ruining people’s li es. ust feel haunted by all of the people that ha e watched suffo-

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cate to death. lone. n an . now they’re not really alone because we’re there, but don’t want to die with a bunch of strangers who were ust wiping my ass. ust feel li e we ust carry them with us e erywhere all the time. remember e ery one of them. raumati ed and pushed to her limit, when ill spea s about her ob, her emotions are right at the surface. or her and for many other health care wor ers in her position, sadness, anger and panic o er are all intertwined. hen you thin about these young people in their s who ha e a tracheotomy who are now going into long term care, all because you wouldn’t get a accine because you saw it on aceboo , she says, it’s a confusing set of emotions. ecause it’s li e, ou fuc ing deser e it,’ and then on the other side you’re li e, hat is so fuc ing terrible.’ or me it’s so aggra ating when you need to transfer patients who are non and you can’t find a bed because they’re all full of idiots. an you imagine losing a close friend or family member because they couldn’t get to the care they needed because the hospital was full eople are still ha ing heart attac s. eople are still o erdosing. eople are still ha ing things that they need an bed for e en though is going on. hey don’t distribute accines at ill’s hospital, so she can’t try to con ince patients to get one during their stay, but she does ha e con ersations about the accine with the few patients who are able to tal to her because they’re not on a entilator. en though some of them ha e barely li ed through the worst of the irus, many still won’t e en consider getting the accine. ut they’ll all ta e experimental treatments once they’re in the hospital. could tell someone we tried this treatment on two mon eys and they both died. ut they are so frantic to not feel li e they’re drowning that they would ta e it, ill says. ut they won’t ta e a accine. t doesn’t e en ma e any sense. ecause literally they want it all. hey want the remdesi ir, they want the dexamethasone, they want the con alescent plasma, they want the antibodies from people who ha e had they want it all. hey ha e to sign all of these wai ers, but they will sign them all. So will their family. nd they will still not do the one thing that will ma e it so they don’t get this sic . he people who are un accinated are li e sitting duc s. n

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CAFE

Loaded’s definition of the nacho is expansive and delicious with versions such as toasted ravioli nachos, Hawaiian BBQ nachos, cannoli nachos, crab Rangoon nachos and banh mi nachos. | MABEL SUEN

[REVIEW]

In the Chips Loaded serves up a new fast-casual experience with its outstanding elevated nachos concept Written by

CHERYL BAEHR Loaded Elevated Nachos 1450 Beale Street #130, St. Charles; 636202-0841. Sun.-Thurs. 10:30 a.m.-9 p.m.; Fri.-Sat. 10:30 a.m.-11 p.m.

or the past fi e years, randon ol hueter and rad erten ha e been approaching ust about e ery dish they encounter with one simple uestion: an this be turned into a nacho t sounds li e a fun, culinary

thought experiment and in some ways, it started out that way. n , when ol hueter and erten were thin ing about adding food ser ice to their adult froen drin spot, arwhal’s rafted, they ept coming bac to the idea of nachos. rom a logistics standpoint, it made sense. heir setup at arwhal’s in ol ed low chairs and couches, so handheld dishes would be much easier to eat than nife and for entrees. lus, they wanted something shareable and lighthearted to match the spirit of their bar. achos tic ed e ery box for them, but they didn’t want to ust do any old tortilla chip based dish. ust li e at arwhal’s, where they made a point to ele ate the idea of fro en drin s beyond the pre mixed pi a colada, they new they could do the same for nachos, and set out to come up with recipes that would ma e people rethin the dish as more than ballpar food. s much as they lo ed the idea, they reali ed pretty uic ly that

arwhal’s ust wasn’t set up to do food and tabled the idea for another day. hat time came a couple of years ago, when they began thin ing about franchising arwhal’s out of state. n loo ing into li uor license re uirements, they found out that it was financially impossible to get one as a standalone bar, but ha ing a food ser ice element completely changed the picture. gain, they came bac to nachos as what they wanted to do, but ultimately decided they ust weren’t uite ready to ta e the leap. ot long after that came tal s with ity oundry S , where they entertained the idea of launching their nacho concept as a standalone shop. ol hueter and erten went all in, wor ing out recipes and e en bringing on a chef consultant to help them finali e dishes and write a menu. ltimately, they decided the arrangement with ity oundry was not the right fit, but they’d gone so far in gi ing life to their ision that they new there was no turning bac .

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ate last year, ol hueter and erten reali ed that the empty storefront ad acent to their St. harles arwhal’s location was the perfect opportunity to try out their idea once and for all. hough the setup would allow the two concepts to operate separately, being connected meant that guests could patroni e both establishments seamlessly, ordering food on the arwhal’s side and drin s on the restaurant side. ith that ease of experience in mind, they too o er the space, wor ed out the branding, brought on chef aniel Sammons formerly of olite Society to guide the culinary side of the operation, and opened oaded this past ebruary. he moment you dig into one of oaded’s absolutely outstanding dishes, you understand why they ust couldn’t let the idea go. hough a restaurant built entirely around nachos might sound gimmic y, ol hueter, erten and Sammons ha e nailed the tone than s to

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LOADED

Continued from pg 19

thoughtful offerings created with the same le el of care you’d find in an upscale dining establishment. While the setup is fast casual and all dishes are prepared to order in front of you, this is not mere steam-table grub. Sammons and his crew prepare everything from scratch, from succulent meats to rich sauces to ultra-fresh accoutrements, making this one of the more surprising restaurants to open in recent memory. Consider the toasted ravioli. If you think you’ve had every variety of the St. Louis classic, Loaded will make you feel as if you are tasting it for the first time. or this deconstructed version, breaded pasta chips serve as the base for a thick Bolognese-style pork ragu. A dollop of luscious herbed ricotta and a sprinkle of shaved parmesan cheese finish a dish that is so perfect, you’ll wonder why t-ravs ever took any other form. In a similar vein, the crab Rangoon nachos completely shatter your notion of the ubiquitous appetizer. Here, Sammons and company pile large hunks of marinated crabmeat onto crispy won-

ton chips, then garnish the meat with cream cheese and sweet chili sauces, as well as black sesame seeds and chives. Unlike the traditional form, Loaded’s version puts the crabmeat front and center, which is a welcome change. or the buffalo chic en nachos, Sammons smartly uses pulled chicken thighs; the tender, juicy meat is tossed in a fiery bourbon buffalo sauce and dressed with ranch dressing, cherry tomatoes, celery, green onions and crumbles of blue cheese, then placed atop a bed of potato chips. It’s positively addicting, as are the gyro nachos, which reinvent the classic preparation by layering the beef and lamb gyro meat and traditional condiments onto tortilla chips. Spiced and toasted garbanzo beans are a thoughtful addition, adding a pleasant, mild spiced avor and crispy texture. In place of the standard hoagie bread, Loaded uses crispy potato chips for its version of the Philly cheesesteak. Velvety chipotle cheese is ladled over the chips, then piled with shaved beef, peppers, onions and mushrooms, which give the dish a wonderful earthy taste. The jerk chicken nachos are equally delicious with plantain and tortilla chips,

This is not mere steam-table grub; everything is from scratch, from succulent meats to rich sauces to ultra-fresh accoutrements. spiced pulled chicken thigh, black beans, jerk crema and a stunning compressed pineapple salsa that beautifully balances the heat from the jerk seasoning with juicy sweetness. Though Holzhueter and Merten wanted to make people rethink the nacho, they also felt that they needed to pay homage to a traditional version of the dish with the Ol’ Standby, an outstanding take on classic bar nachos. Ground beef and chorizo, pico de gallo, pickled veggies and jalapeños are stacked atop tri-colored chips, then covered in creamy chipotlecheddar cheese.

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Loaded even serves desserts in nacho form. A take on the cannoli features cinnamon-sugar chips, sliced strawberries, chocolatechip-laden mascarpone cheese, berry jam and orange zest. It’s outrageously good, but you might not have room for dessert considering it is impossible to stop eating Loaded’s banh mi nachos, which feature slow-cooked chili-ginger por that’s so uicy and a orful you want to pull up a chair and eat it straight out of the steam table. Sambal agave sauce, sriracha aioli, pickled vegetables and fresh cilantro gild this masterpiece. The banh mi shows that, just like Holzhueter and Merten knew from the start, there is no limit to what can be done in nacho form. They’re even in talks with the fol s at ai ee about figuring out a way to represent pho as a nacho; it seems like an impossible feat, but if Loaded has done anything — besides give us an outstanding new fast-casual concept — it’s proven that if you can imagine it, you can do it.

Loaded Elevated Nachos Toasted ravioli nachos .................................$8 Buffalo chicken nachos............................ $12 Banh mi nachos ....................................... $12

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SHORT ORDERS

[ S T. L O U I S S TA N D A R D S ]

Sign of the Times Federhofer’s Bakery stays true to its St. Louis roots while keeping up with current tastes Written by

CHERYL BAEHR

heryl Federhofer smiles when she recalls the hoopla she caused when she had to have her bakery’s iconic sign repaired a few years ago. For more than six decades, the massive neon Federhofer’s Bakery sign has been a beacon at the intersection of Gravois Road and Mathilda Avenue in Affton, its image of a smiling baker in a oppy white chef’s hat holding a birthday cake one of the city’s most unmistakable landmarks. Federhofer had every intention of keeping it that way, so she needed to have a little maintenance done. As the workers dug in to repair the sign, they revealed the name of the former bakery that used to be in that spot, Mueller’s. Everyone was confused. “People thought we’d sold the ba ery, ederhofer says. hen my dad bought the bakery from Mr. Mueller in 1965, the sign was already there, and he just put our name o er it. hen they too off the panels to repair it, people thought we had sold the business. But we aren’t going anywhere.” Federhofer may have only owned the St. Louis mainstay since 1997, but her loyalty comes from ties to the bakery business that go back much longer than that — even before she was born. Her father and the bakery’s founder, Bill Federhofer, grew up in the business, working odd jobs at the historic Carondelet establishment Doering’s Bakery. His family was poor, so everyone had to pitch in to make ends meet — even ten-yearold Bill, who got his start scraping the ba ery’s oors while his mom washed pans. Bill even slept alongside his brothers at Doering’s on

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Cheryl Federhofer is the second generation to run the iconic bakery. | ANDY PAULISSEN

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weekends when he was a kid so he could get started on his work before the crack of dawn. Bill stuck with the business, working at several bakeries around town with the goal of becoming his own boss. That dream came true in 1965, when he and his wife, Merle, bought Mueller’s Bakery with money from their kids’ piggy banks. Federhofer was seven years old at the time, and though she has little recollection of the sale, she vividly recalls working with her parents after they took it over. “My parents worked so much — it’s a hard business,” Federhofer says. “If we wanted to see them, we had to come to the bakery.” As Federhofer recalls, the bakery business was much different in those early days. At the time, she notes, there were roughly 100 other bakeries operating in St. Louis, and there were more than enough customers to go around. She describes the industry as hav-

ing a high level of camaraderie and cooperation, with different bakers getting together regularly to share ideas and recipes. There was even a baker’s co-op, run by her uncle, that several establishments, including Federhofer’s, belonged to that supplied ingredients, paper goods and other necessities. Additionally, there were several other professional organizations her dad belonged to, including Missouri Bakers, of which he served as president, and the Bakers Dozen Club, which was a fraternity of bakers who would meet monthly at different bakeries around town. he business defined her dad’s life — so much so that he has yet to fully retire, even at age 83. The elder Federhofer still comes into the bakery twice a day, where he handles payroll and paperwork, a job that keeps him going after losing his wife fi e years ago. “He tries to help us physically, but his body just doesn’t want to

do it,” Federhofer says. “I just tell him, ‘Just count my money and take it to the bank, Dad.’ He likes to come in and check on us.” Now, though, it’s Federhofer who runs the ship. She admits she did not necessarily set out to carry on her family’s baking legacy; it just sort of happened when it became clear that her other siblings were not going to take over when her dad retired. She made the transition official years ago when she bought the bakery from her parents. Ever since then, she has dedicated herself to keeping up its reputation as a St. Louis classic. Federhofer believes the key to that staying power is the fact that the bakery has remained true to its roots while adding some things that appeal to current preferences. Some things will never change; the gooey butter cake, Swedish crumb loaf, danishes, stollens and sheet cakes provide a continuous thread to the past; some, like the

[FOOD NEWS]

Vicia Gardenside to Open This Fall Written by

CHERYL BAEHR

ver the past year, as the pandemic has forced them to get creative about how they serve their guests, Vicia’s (4260 Forest Park Avenue, 314553-9239) Michael and Tara Gallina found themselves making use more and more of their outdoor space. Now, they are getting ready to make those innovations permanent with the launch of their new outdoor venue, Vicia Gardenside. “Last year, we used the lawn space at Vicia because we had to survive, and it ended up being this really cool surprise,” Tara Gallina says. “It’s really versatile, and people loved being out there. We figured we would be crazy not to transform this into something permanent that has more formalness to it and is a real, living, breathing space, not just tables on the lawn.” According to Gallina, Vicia Gardenside will consist of two tiers of seating that take advantage of the stadium-style nature of the space. The top tier will be completely covered by a steel roof and will have room for approximately 30 seats.

Renderings of the planned outdoor space. | COURTESY SPACE ARCHITECTURE + DESIGN The lower tier, which is divided from the upper level by a cement retaining wall, will have an additional twenty seats. She envisions the different seating areas as being separated by fruit trees, bushes or grapevines, and there will be a small orchard at the bottom of the space. To add to the garden feel, the ground will be covered with small pebbles. Both tiers will have ample outdoor heaters so that the Gallinas can offer the Gardenside experi-

ences even as the temperatures dip over the winter. “We have these really cool rope-mesh chairs and beautiful lanterns that will be on each table. The space is lit from the ground up and projecting onto the canopy, so it will feel really cozy at night, but really bright and beautiful during the day.” The Gallinas hope that Vicia Gardenside will provide a lovely outdoor setting

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doughnuts, are even made using the same equipment. However, she has also added items such as large muffins, cupca es and price friendly versions of the decorated cakes seen on television shows, which have been a huge success. Some of those ideas come from her children, who are now working alongside Federhofer, with plans to take over when it’s her turn to retire. This time, though, the torch will be passed intentionally. Both have explicitly expressed their desire to be the third generation of Federhofers to carry on the legacy — one that their mom represents both in and out of the bakery. “My husband just had the sign embroidered for me on the back of a jean jacket,” Federhofer says. “My mom was going to do it before she passed fi e years ago, and now finally got it. e use this logo on everything, and it’s something that we will always keep going.” n for those who aren’t yet comfortable dining inside and to accommodate the ever-shifting situation of dining during a pandemic. However, the new venue will also allow them to provide a more casual experience to diners who want to experience Vicia’s food, drink and hospitality in a more low-key manner. “Part of this is driven by the desire for us to have something more casual, which was a muscle we got to flex last year,” Tara Gallina says. “It was fun, but in reopening, we had to focus on one thing, which is our Farmer’s Feast. It’s amazing, we love it, and we are in the place we always wanted to be, but it doesn’t allow us to reach an audience that wants to come in for something other than a three-course meal.” To that end, Vicia Gardenside will focus on snacks, small bites and drinks — an experience Gallina describes as “a relaxing time with friends.” She and Michael are still working out what those offerings will be, as well as service logistics. They also see the new venue as being an ideal spot for special events, popups and private dinners. “We’re just taking it as it comes, and have an ‘if you build it they will come’ sort of approach to this,” Gallina says. “We really want to get into the space and see what it is before we really make a mark on it. However we use it, it’s going to give us a lot more flexibility; it’s going to become what it becomes, and I’m OK with that.” n

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[BARS]

Dream Team Acclaimed bartenders Meredith Barry and Tony Saputo to open Platypus Bar in the Grove Written by

CHERYL BAEHR

he Grove will get a new bar this fall, one that promises to be a great neighborhood spot with a small menu of wellmade drinks, low-key food and an unpretentious vibe. This will not be just any bar, however. The forthcoming spot, Platypus (4501 Manchester Avenue), will be owned and operated by two of the city’s most celebrated bartenders, Meredith Barry and Tony Saputo. “We have both just dreamed of having our own space for a long time,” Barry says. “Together, we have 40 years in this industry — he has twenty and I have twenty — so it seemed like the time to take that risk and jump with somebody that I trust and care about.” According to Saputo, the plans for latypus ha e been officially in the works since January when he formed the business’ LLC. However, the wheels had been turning ever since he left his job with Consips, the group behind the Midwestern, Start Bar and Wheelhouse, last July. Following his departure, Saputo was doing some bar consulting and working odd jobs here and there while looking at spaces with a few of his friends in the real estate business. His plans solidified when he and arry teamed up earlier this year and became even clearer when the pair found the former Urban Research Brewery (“the U.R.B.”) in July. Barry and Saputo both come to Platypus with impressive cocktail resumes. Barry traces her career in the industry back to her childhood, when she would help out her dad around the restaurants where he worked. Her career as a bartender began in earnest at Hamburger Mary’s in Chicago, where she wor ed for fi e years until moving into the hotel food and beverage business. That path led her to St. Louis and the Angad Arts Hotel, where she served as beverage director for the former Grand Tavern by David Burke, until leaving to join Niche Food Group. There, Barry has led the beverage team at Taste and de-

Meredith Barry and Tony Saputo will open Platypus in the Grove this fall. | COURTESY MEREDITH BARRY veloped chef Gerard Craft’s line of spirits, La Verita. Saputo got his start in the business in dive bars around town before honing his cocktail skills at Eclipse. From there, he went on to develop his own menu, not far from Platypus, at Layla. There he earned a reputation as one of the top cocktail minds in town and was credited as one of the major drivers of the city’s craft cocktail movement. He has also worked at Atomic Cowboy, the Benevolent King and Firecracker Pizza. Though outside observers would rightly consider Barry and Saputo to be a dream team, they are much more humble about Platypus. They both describe the bar as unpretentious and having something for everyone; whether making a creative drink or a rum and coke, the pair plan to do their best to provide drinks that make their guests happy. They also see Platypus as a talent incubator and plan to mentor people who are new to the industry. As Saputo explains, his gigs over the past year put him in contact with people who were also working hourly jobs here and there, whether that was at a

“I want to create people who are better than us. Instead of ‘my way is best,’ it’s better to soak up as much information as you can.” McDonald’s in Sullivan or the deli counter at Schnucks. In them, he saw a passion and an interest for the be erage field, and wanted to give them a springboard to a career in the industry. now it wor s if you find the right people with the right work ethic,” Saputo says. “If you throw enough sweat at it, it will work.” Barry, who plans to stay on with Niche Food Group in some capacity, echoes Saputo’s sentiment. “I want to create people who are

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better than us,” Barry says. “Instead of ‘my way is best,’ it’s better to soak up as much information as you can, because the more knowledge you have, the better you can take care of the guest. We want to create that sort of hospitality environment.” As for the space, Barry and Saputo note that Platypus will have a front room with a bar, a second room with a few arcade games like Ms. Pac-Man, a third room with a small stage for live music or DJs and a patio. The bar has a full kitchen, and though they are still working out the food component, Barry and Saputo hope to serve as an incubator for people who do not yet have a brick and mortar. Barry and Saputo are aiming for a fall opening, ideally in late September, though they admit it might be more like October. In the meantime, they are hosting an event this Saturday in the parking lot of the Monocle as a way of introducing themselves to the neighborhood. “It should be a lot of fun with both of us bartending,” Barry says. “We want everyone to come by, say hey and help support us for this next venture.” n

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REEFERFRONT TIMES [WEED NEWS]

Sweetening the Pot Recreational marijuana, criminal justice reform might land on Missouri’s 2022 ballot Written by

JENNA JONES

ohn Payne knows it’s time for Missouri to legalize recreational marijuana, but there’s something else he wants to go along with it: criminal justice reform. Payne serves as a campaign manager for Legal Missouri 2022, a statewide coalition of activists, cannabis patients, criminal justice reform advocates and entrepreneurs. The organization hopes to put legal recreational weed on the ballot, filing a citi ens’ ballot initiative on August 27. A petition will be created after it is approved by the secretary of state and will need signatures to get the measure on the ballot. In addition to the legal use of marijuana, the ballot initiative will also include complete expungement of nonviolent marijuana offenders’ records. “This is really one of the most profound criminal justice reforms that’s been proposed here in Missouri,” Payne says in an interview with the RFT. “What we’re talking about here is ending the prohibition on the adult use of marijuana and expunging records, in many cases automatically, so those people are no longer suffering the consequences of an arrest or con iction from fi e, ten, twenty years ago and are able to move on with their lives.” Payne was part of the campaign that would’ve put recreational cannabis on the ballot in 2020, but COVID-19 had other plans and quickly disrupted the signaturegathering process. The new initiative is similar to that of 2020’s; it allows adults over 21 to use, grow and possess weed. The key difference in the two proposals is the

John Payne, campaign manager for Legal Missouri 2022, is hoping to legalize recreational marijuana and expunge nonviolent marijuana offenders’ records with a new ballot initiative. | JAIME LEES automatic expungement. The 2020 initiative required people to apply for expungement, which Payne explains comes with costs and burdens to applicants. Automatically wiping the record would take that burden away. The provision does not include violent offenders or offenses that include distribution to minors or driving under the in uence. Payne explains nineteen other states have legalized the recreational use of weed, something he now sees as “politically viable in Missouri.” He noted that he has more recently watched other states lean in more toward the criminal justice aspect of marijuana legalization as well. “They’ve moved more and more towards the direction of criminal justice reform rather than just pure legalization,” Payne explains. “But also, now they’re also going back and rectifying some of the previous wrongs.” According to a press release from Legal Missouri 2022, only seven other states have the same process of automatic expungement for nonviolent offenders. Citing an American Civil Liberties Union study, the release also adds

Black people are more than twice as likely to be arrested for marijuana use in Missouri. Three counties — Johnson, Lincoln and Lafayette — are ten times more likely to arrest Black people for marijuana possession rather than white counterparts, per the study. “Cannabis reform is about more than establishing a safe and legal market,” Jamie Kacz, executive director of a cannabis reform nonprofit organi ation called R KC, said in a press release. “It is about righting the many wrongs prohibition has caused to our communities, especially to communities of color.” Beyond criminal justice reform and creating a safer market for marijuana sales, Legal Missouri 2022’s campaign would also help give back to the community in the form of a 6 percent sales tax. The money gained would first be used to pay for the expungements, then distributed equally to veterans’ health care, the public defender’s system and drug addiction treatment. Other taxes by state and local governments could generate what the organization’s press release

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says will be tens of millions of dollars annually. Local governments are also allowed to assess local taxes of up to 3 percent. Medical marijuana has already proven successful since sales began in October 2020. The industry surpassed $90 million in sales in July and more than 136,000 medical marijuana cardholders in Missouri. The initiative would also create a new category of cannabis licenses to encourage participation from disadvantaged groups, which will in turn add a minimum of 144 new businesses to the cannabis market. Missouri already has certified and licensed cannabis businesses. The groups have to meet at least one requirement in a set of criteria: They must have graduated from or live in a ZIP code with an unaccredited school district for at least three of the past fi e years; have a net worth of less than $250,000 and income below 250 percent of the federal poverty level for at least three of the previous ten years; or have a valid service-connected disability card issued by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Other criteria for the new category: those who have — or are related to a person who has — committed a nonviolent marijuana offense and those who live in an area with high poverty, unemployment or marijuana imprisonment rates. ew license holders will be selected by lottery. The ballot initiative would also allow for medicalonly licensees to “quickly convert” their facilities to serve retail and medical customers. “Opening up the medical cannabis industry to more women, veterans, people of color, drug war casualties, those with disabilities and residents of job-starved neighborhoods is long overdue,” Adolphus Pruitt, president of the St. ouis ity , said in a press release. “Increasing social equity in this sector is right for Missouri, just as it’s right for the rest of our country.” The petition is expected to begin collecting signatures in the fall and will continue into next year. An estimated 175,000 voter signatures will be required to put the initiati e on the o ember ballot. n

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CULTURE [HOMESPUN]

In Full Flood Signed to Devon Allman’s Create Records, the River Kittens are on the rise Written by

JACK PROBST

he River Kittens are getting some much-deserved attention stretching across both sides of the mighty Mississippi. The Americana duo of Mattie Schell and Allie Vogler have lit up stages across the nation with their fun filled bluegrass tunes, using ust guitar, mandolin and their oices. hat hard wor has paid off, with the duo signing to Devon Allman’s Create Records earlier this year. llman, son of the legendary singer songwriter regg llman, was introduced to Schell by her boyfriend, ate raham, who’s wor ed for Allman for the past four years. Graham put the River Kittens bug in llman’s ear, and soon llman fell in lo e with their sound, signing the group to Create earlier this year as part of an effort to expand the label’s roster. ne day, he in ited me o er for a meeting and said, hat would you think if I was gonna sign the River Kittens?’” explains Schell. “I left and immediately called llie, and she said , id my whole life change ust now ’ e were ery excited, to say the least. he duo’s new , Soaking Wet, dropped back in May. The sixsong release was recorded and produced by Devon Allman at the historic Sun Studios in Memphis. t’s the same place l is, owlin’ olf and arl er ins once recorded some of their biggest hits. The band also worked closely with engineer att Ross Spang, famous for recording ohn rine, the Mountain Goats and Margo rice, among many others he even won Grammys for his work on Jason Isbell’s Something More Than Free and The Nashville Sound. n addition, notable talian artist Alessio Vitelli created Soaking Wet’s striking cover art.

Allie Vogler and Mattie Schell have invested years into their sudden success, and are just now introducing themselves to a nationwide audience via Create Records. | COURTESY THE RIVER KITTENS The album contains recordings of four new songs, including a wild cover of the Beastie Boys’ “Fight for Your Right.” Longtime River Kittens fans will notice new recordings of two of their most popular songs as well. The inclusion of those trac s, familiar to those in the St. ouis scene, is meant to reach out to new fans that are just learning about the group. e were definitely hesitant to put out both songs again, li e rouble’ and ressin’ on the Side,’ because we lo e our St. ouis fans, Schell says. e don’t want to give them something they’ e been hearing for years, but, at the same time, it is our national debut. Knowing that we hadn’t been on any tour [or] any circuit where we could have introduced those songs anywhere but here, we decided maybe the rest of the country should hear those songs first. nd then we’ll start working on another record right away.” t’s a good strategy Soaking Wet is a fantastic introduction to the band and a solid production overall. But if this is the only way you’re listening to the River Kittens, then you’re doing it wrong. he recordings are excellent, but what really makes this group shine is its live show. e really connect with the audience whenever we’re playing with them, says ogler. e li e to converse with them and see where they all like to go in town.

Sometimes we go with them. e make friends fast everywhere we go. That is the strongest part about our band. e connect with people, and we ha e fun on stage. The obvious chemistry the duo brings to the stage was come upon naturally. hile Schell and ogler have been playing together for se eral years, Schell wasn’t always in the group the Ri er ittens have had a few lineup shifts since their conception. “I started the River Kittens with another gal. It was just the two of us for about a year until one day we went to the row’s est in aplewood, says ogler. ur bartender was attie, and she was really cool, and we got introduced to her that day. e were there long enough for her to clock out of her shift. She came out on the back porch and started singing and jamming with everybody. I heard her voice and just immediately was li e, o you want to be in our band?’” She got down on one nee, and I said yes!” laughs Schell. The River Kittens have subsequently played many rooms around the Midwest and plenty of midsize festivals. But since signing with reate, the duo is starting to play bigger venues all over the country. s a duo, we loo pretty small on those stages, but so far, the response has been awesome, says Vogler. “I feel like we’ve been playing together so long that we’re

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almost like each other’s security blan et. e don’t get ner ous anymore. The theater doesn’t seem so big once you get used to it. It just seems like it’s almost the same as playing for your friends at Venice [Cafe].” One show the duo performed since signing to reate Records, howe er, made a significant impact on the rising act. “Playing the Ryman was one of the first things we got to do after being signed with Create Records, says Schell. laying the Ryman uditorium in ash ille, you’d think that would be something you’d do by the time you’re if you wor really, really hard. ut no, boom, that was li e the first big thing that we did. “After not playing any shows for a year, that was a different story for me, adds ogler. here weren’t even that many people there because it was COVID restricted, but the building itself is what made me so ner ous, ust knowing the weight that it held.” ith many enues implementing proof of accination for entry, it’s likely more shows will continue to go as planned at present, the River Kittens’ current slate of tour dates is still scheduled to take place. The group will be opening for the Allman-Betts Band as a duo this fall, but they may expand the lineup for a tour in the future. e’ll see how it goes, but we definitely do want to ha e a full band tour and that experience sooner or later, says ogler. or the time being , it’s a lot more convenient to do just the two of us, and it’s not really lac ing anything either, you now As far as what the River Kittens are doing in the near future, eep an eye out for the music video for the hilarious “Dressin’ on the Side it should be online toward the beginning of September. After all the touring is done, and Soaking Wet has been dried off, ogler and Schell will start to work on their follow-up collection of songs for Create Records. And no matter where their careers go, they’ll never forget the love St. Louis has given them over the years. e’re ust so excited, ogler says. e’re o er the moon with everything that’s happening. You’re the people that got us here. onestly, we want to than St. Louis.” n

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FILM

The Horror of Not Knowing Your Romantic Partner Written by

EILEEN G’SELL The Night House Directed by David Bruckner. Written by Ben Collins, Luke Piotrowski. Starring Rebecca Hall, Sarah Goldberg, Vondie Curtis Hall, Evan Jonigkeit. Now showing.

gnore the repeated staccato piano key and overcast sky, and the first scene of a id ruc ner’s The Night House could inspire considerable en y. ithin a la efront residence screaming minimalist chic meets bucolic escapism, a series of shots set the stage for what will soon re eal itself to be one part ghost story, one part psychological thriller and one part domestic drama: wall to wall windows, a sculpted wind chime, exposed ceiling beams, a double marble bathroom anity, woodgrain picture frames of a handsome hetero couple. or the ma ority of us uarantined for more than a year in smaller, humbler abodes, the setting seems less scary than a swell spot to start an indoor herb garden, read hardbound boo s or sin into sea salts in a freestanding tub. So how does a house that loo s li e a bac drop for a est lm catalog become a claustrophobic hellhole of dread and despair y redefining what haunts it. s explored in an array of horror films from the past few years ta e ri ster’s Hereditary or atalie ri a ames’ Relic family trauma can be ust as blood curdling as the clearly supernatural. ut while most hauntings frame the ghastly and ghostly in filial terms a demonic child or delirious parent The Night House examines how marriage itself can be a site of unspea able dar ness. oo closer and the opening shots clue us in to what’s to come:

After her husband’s suicide, Beth (Rebecca Hall) is left to search her home and herself for answers. | COURTESY SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES tissues wadded up aside an empty tumbler, a prescription bottle tuc ed behind a ewelry box, a a e ac ontrol facial mas on the bathroom counter. Shortly after, we meet eth Rebecca all , the film’s defiant heroine, dumping a lasagna after the funeral of her husband wen an onigeit . Spinning his suicide note in her left hand while swilling brandy with her right, eth scrutini es their li ing room, frantic for answers in the house that he both designed and helped build. id you seriously not now anything was wrong as s a tactless teacher colleague during a night out at the pub. o, didn’t now, she responds bluntly. ’m the one who struggled with that stuff depression, dar thoughts maybe infected him with my bullshit. uch of the rest of the film consists of eth doggedly searching the house and herself for reasons for wen’s suicide. n a scene reminiscent of Babadook, she pages through what seems to be an innocuous boo of blueprints for their home, ipping from meticulously detailed oor plans to e ually detailed and so eerie measurements for a labyrinth. ric t, on’t isten to t, reads an ominous notation in wen’s bloc y script. ur ouse, the erso reads below a figure of the fa ade, the recto mysteriously labeled Re erse loorplan next to a mirror image of the first. as he designing two identical houses

at the same time nd whom or what was he trying to tric he next morning, the opening chords to Richard hompson’s al ary ross blast from the home stereo. , glows the screen of eth’s i hone with a message from wen, followed by, ’ R . f course, li e eth, we should be afraid though of what, precisely, the film duly obscures, sprin ling her psychological unra eling and hea y drin ing with some serious ump scares. The Night House acillates between alidating eth’s deepest fears that she is to blame for her husband’s death and suggesting that, in fact, wen’s not the affable oc with a circular saw that she and we ha e ta en him for. ust remember who you fell in lo e with, counsels her best friend laire Sarah oldberg , in response to the string of eth looali es found in wen’s i hone photos. o matter who he became, he was that, too. s li ely as it may be that a wife or husband would blame themsel es if their spouse suddenly and iolently too their own life, some might ta e The Night House as yet another story indicting the wife for her husband’s misdeeds. here’s nothing, eth tells laire, recounting a near death experience she had as a teen in an attempt to decipher wen’s cryptic suicide note. wish could tell you something a light at the

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end of the tunnel. ut there’s ust tunnel. o eth, her attraction to death is to blame for it all, no matter how preposterous the logic. roubling and implicitly sexist as this logic may be, as the film’s protagonist, eth is an unapologetic badass, a lan y s eptic whose stubbornness and occasional bitchiness in igorates the frame. o matter her torment, she swings purposefully from room to room, confronting her demons external and internal, and shattering final girl horror tropes in the process. rom a sarcastic eye roll at a grade grubbing parent to a ui ering lower lip when a storm door shudders, all’s face is preternaturally expressi e, dominating each shot as much as the nightmarish terrain of the la efront property. ou wanna say something al to me, she demands of eath, the house, her absent husband. Rather than ee whate er is chasing her, eth downs a tumbler of brandy and rallies against the oid. y contrast, wen remains but a strapping cipher or an excuse to get onig eit na ed onscreen . f interpreted as suggesting that a wife’s depression can cause her husband’s suicide, The Night House may feel a shallow exercise in sur i or blaming mas ed as pathology. ut as a gripping exploration of how grief can twist our clearest perceptions, it’s a thrilling row across the waters of marital terror. n

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SAVAGE LOVE COUNSELED CULTURE BY DAN SAVAGE Hey, Dan: Hello! I am a heterosexual man! My wife came out as a lesbian after 30 years of marriage. We have children together and we love each other. Therefore, we’ve decided not to divorce. We visited some therapists and they all coerced us to divorce, even though we really do not want that. We believe that an open relationship would satisfy both of us. I’ve always wanted a threesome anyway! We read some books about opening up a relationship and we feel like we could make an open marriage work. And we know there are others out there, so we know it’s possible! Divorce is not in our plan. My questions are ... 1. Is it normal for therapists to force a couple to divorce when the couple does not want that? 2. Can open relationships be awesome relationships? Shrinks Hereabouts Revel In Not Knowing Shit Hello! I am a gay man! My answers are … 1. Calm down. Only your wife can force you to get a divorce, SHRINKS, and you’re still married. Which means you haven’t been coerced into doing anything. And while I wouldn’t describe what you encountered as normal, SHRINKS, there are a lot of therapists and counselors out there who regard preserving and protecting monogamy — its practice by individual couples, its position as a sacrosanct norm — as their chief responsibility. Now I don’t know whereabouts you live, SHRINKS, but a married couple that sees more than one therapist or counselor in a big city like mine is gonna encounter at least one open to helping married couples negotiate the transition to non-monogamy. But there’s a really simple way for couples like you to make sure you’re not wasting your time on anti-open and/or sex-negative counselors, SHRINK, and that’s to ask the therapist or counselor what their positions are on open relationships before ma ing your first appointment. Zooming way out for a second: t’s abbergasting that so many

couples counselors think a marriage that isn’t monogamous — or one that has to become nonmonogamous for both parties to remain happy in it — isn’t worth saving. The bias against non-monogamous relationships is so insidious that even people whose job it is to help couples who wanna stay together figure out how they can do that will urge couples to divorce, instead of exploring non-monogamy. Never mind suggesting non-monogamy to a couple that is clearly being failed by — not failing at — monogamy. Okay, now let’s talk about those threesomes … Your wife came out as a lesbian, SHRINKS, she didn’t come out as bisexual, so it doesn’t follow that you’re in line to have a bunch of threesomes. Even if your wife had come out as bisexual, SHRINKS, that doesn’t mean you hit the pussy lottery and you’re going to be having a lot of threesomes now. Or any threesomes. Maybe you and the wife discussed this, and she wants to have sex with you despite being a lesbian — maybe she’s willing and/ or able to grandfather in your dick (grandmother in your dick?) and is looking forward to having threesomes with you and a girlfriend to be named later — but if you haven’t heard that from your wife’s mouth, SHRINKS, you might wanna tamp down those expectations. And if you haven’t heard that from your wife and you’ve been excitedly telling every couples counselor you see about all the threesomes you’re looking forward to having now that your wife is a dyke, SHRINKS, it’s possible that all those couples counselors urged you to get divorced because your wife was sitting next to you on the couch blinking out distress signals. 2. Open relationships can be awesome! They can also suck! If you’re happy and the wife’s happy and her future girlfriends and/or your thirds are happy, that’s awesome. But if you and/or the wife are unhappy after opening the marriage up, SHRINKS, then you’ll either have to close it again or you’ll end up having to take the advice of all those shrinks and end it. Hey, Dan: I’m a 36-year-old woman from the UK who currently resides in the Middle East. I’ve been seeing a man my same age who is also from Western Europe. The relationship is

rather new and we are still getting to know each other, but we have grown very close. However, he has only managed to come inside me once. He is a fit and healthy man who exercises regularly and does not have any underlying health conditions. So why does he lose his erection every other time and have to finish himself off when he doesn’t? He said he doesn’t know why this keeps happening, but he thinks it might be because he is “too in his own head” to come when he’s inside me and often loses his erection because of it. I brought up the fact that we reside in the Middle East because, as an unmarried couple, it is impossible for us to seek professional help here. I have tried reassuring him and prolonging foreplay and we have an open dialogue over what we like sexually, all to no avail. Should I give it more time? Are there any toys we could use that would help? Should I advise him to seek professional help when he travels home for his holiday? I feel helpless when he gets more frustrated with every unsuccessful attempt. Having A Realistic Discussion On Needs This is going to sound weird, HARDON, but you need to watch some gay porn with your boyfriend (if you can safely view it where you happen to be living right now). In gay porn you’ll also see a lot of tops finishing themsel es off. he top fucks the bottom for a while — sometimes for a long while — and then the top pulls out and strokes himself until he comes. Sometimes you’ll see tops pull out, give their dicks a few pumps, and shove back in. Right now your boyfriend has it in his head that he’s disappointing you when he does what most guys in gay porn seem to enjoy doing — stroking themselves a little during sex, sometimes finishing themselves off at the end — and he’s got that in his head because you put it there, HARDON, or it was already there and you’ve been reinforcing it. Here’s how you can help: Stop pathologizing the way his dic wor s. ell him it’s fine: Tell him the sex is still a success if he wants to stroke himself now and then during sex; tell him the sex is still a success if he wants to finish himself off at the end li e all the gay porn stars and many women do and tell him it’s fine if he wants to bail on vaginal intercourse for whatever reason — including going

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soft — and eat your pussy instead. Take the pressure off his dick and his dick is likelier to come through. Hey, Dan: After a decade of celibacy, I started a strictly sexual tryst with a much younger man. He is lovely. We both agreed on terms: no strings. This is the first time I’ve ever had sex with a relative stranger for such an extended period. It has been two months. This is also the first time I’ve been honest about what I wanted sexually. So, it’s a good thing. There is no possessive neediness, I have more freedom, etc. But because I have more time on my hands and a proclivity for fantasizing, I have started to resent the fact that we always follow his schedule. It’s understandable, as he works hard and shares custody with an ex, and is younger than I am. Intellectually, I know and accept that. I just need help reconciling myself to these limitations. I like the sex a lot. It’s what I want. Somehow This Resentment Is Not Good I think you need to ask yourself why you’re sabotaging a good thing here. There are limitations you’ve placed on this relationship (no strings, the sex you want) for what I assume are emotional reasons, STRING, and there are limitations he’s placed on this relationship (not when he’s parenting, not when he’s working) for purely logistical reasons. If your decade of celibacy and your aversion to possessive neediness were reactions to negative experiences you had with past sexual partners — with men who were controlling or abusive — then you might be reacting to the limitations your fuck buddy needs to set as if he were attempting to control you, like past sex partners may have. In reality, of course, it’s not him who’s controlling you here, but circumstances beyond his control. When you feel resentful of him, STRING, go look in a mirror and say, “My reaction, while understandable given my history and potentially helpful, isn’t entirely rational in this instance, it isn’t fair to him, and I’m not going to let it cheat me out of sex I enjoy with someone I li e. Repeat as necessary. mail@savagelove.net @FakeDanSavage on Twitter www.savagelovecast.com

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