It was a year ago this month that Charlie Kirk was killed in Utah, but the fallout from his murder continues. Today, Ryan Krull breaks the news of a local restaurant being sued after firing its manager for expressing his opinion about Kirk's killing on Facebook. And that's not the only scoop Ryan has in today's edition; you won't want to miss his report on a South City scrapyard, which is doing gangbusters business to the irritation of its neighbors. It takes us to a corner of St. Louis few of us frequently visit. I hope you'll join him for the ride.
They're predicting a high of 97 degrees today—happy September?!?
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The former general manager of Lombardo's airport location filed a lawsuit yesterday. Screenshot
THIS JUST IN
Lombardo’s manager sues after being fired over his Charlie Kirk Facebook post
The former general manager of St. Louis eatery Lombardo’s alleges he was wrongfully terminated from his job after expressing his opinions about the assassinaiton of Charlie Kirk last September.
On the same day as the conservative commentator was killed while speaking at a Utah university, Michael Mormino posted to Facebook, “Couldn't happen to a bigger piece of shit except maybe one I can think of! How's that 2nd Amendment treating you now douche bag?” In a lawsuit filed Monday, Mormino says he was wrongfully terminated for his political beliefs, in violation of Missouri law.
Mormino is being represented by the same lawyer who represents Justin Kralemann, better known as “the Woke Ginger.” Edwin Ernst has based both lawsuits on an obscure portion of Missouri law that Ernst contends prohibits employers from firing employees because of their political beliefs or opinions. More on where Kralemann’s suit stands in our online story. —Ryan Krull
A prospective recycler hauls scrap down East Nagel towards SA Recycling's plant. Courtesy photo
DEEP DIVE
As a South City recycling plant hums, Patch neighbors are up in arms
If you find yourself near the intersection of Broadway and East Nagel in South City’s Patch neighborhood, you’re likely to see a steady stream of down-on-their-luck types hauling scrap metal to a recycling facility squeezed between the end of the block and the banks of the Mississippi River. This facility—and the brisk business it’s doing by DIY recyclers on foot—is the subject of SLM staff writer Ryan Krull’s new investigation, one that involved Ryan going undercover as a guy in raggedy sweats with scrap to sell.
SA Recycling, which owns the facility, is national, but neighbors’ concerns are local. They’ve noticed an uptick of air conditioners stolen and copper wire ripped out of their homes. Alderwoman Anne Schweitzer says bolts are even being stolen from park benches. They can’t help but wonder if the ease of recycling the parts are leading to the neighborhood being scavenged for parts. Fred Hessel, executive director of the Carondelet Community Betterment Federation, tells Ryan some neighbors are so angry at the facility, they’re “just short of grabbing the pitchforks."
SA’s regional manager tells Ryan the facility doesn’t want to buy stolen scrap. And indeed, when Ryan tried to sell wire tagged as being owned by the City of St. Louis, he was turned away. But the full story is more complicated—and Ryan’s reporting has already led to one change. You’ll have to read his story for the full details. —S.F.
DHS plans to launch voter fraud investigation surge today (CNN): The cable channel's exclusive report says The Department of Homeland Security is planning a surge in its efforts to investigate voter fraud in nine states, including Missouri.
More than 30 churches are victims of major thefts (stltoday): Most of the churches were in areas hit by the tornado. They’ve been stripped of air conditioning units, copper wire, and water meters. Police say it’s a difficult kind of theft to prevent—or prosecute.
Rape suspect arrested after leaving phone behind (Fox2): The victim found the phone in her bedding a month after the attack. Police found photos of the man matching her description of the alleged rapist she’d previously reported—and used facial recognition to track down the suspect.
Chef Rick Lewis will close Grace Meat + Three, leaving Grace Chicken + Fish. Courtesy of Grace Chicken + Fish
Around Town
🍲 THE RESTAURANT SCENE
It's been a tough summer for the hospitality industry, with local restaurant groups Salt + Smoke, Crushed Red, and Baileys all closing multiple locations, while Stacked STL and Syberg's shut down one eatery apiece. When so many experienced restaurateurs can't make it work, you know things are bad out there. And today brings news of another: Grace Meat + Three, the nine-year-old flagship of chef Rick Lewis' Southern-inflected restaurant group, will close September 13. Its Crestwood spinoff, Grace Chicken + Fish, will stay open, as does a food truck and catering operation. “Things have changed for us in the last year and a half,” Lewis tells SLM's George Mahe. “The year started out strong, then sales slowed down little by little, while cost of labor and goods continued to increase." Full details, including Lewis' thoughts on The Grove, in Mahe's story. —S.F.
🍺 THE LITERARY SCENE
When Joel Bittle began writing a book about St. Louis craft beer, he thought he knew where the story began. “I thought the book would hinge on the sale of Anheuser-Busch to InBev,” Bittle says. “It felt like collective trauma, and St. Louisans didn’t know how to deal with that. Some of them said, ‘I’m never drinking a Budweiser again.’ Others directed it toward this craft beer explosion that happened after it, and I really feel like St. Louis benefited from the culture that came out of that.” But once he dug in, Biddle tells SLM’s Jordan Palmer that he had a revelation: “This story is not a 2010 story. This is a 1990 story.” He was fascinated by Schlafly Beer,Morgan Street Brewery, and Trailhead Brewing Co., which challenged local beer conventions years before the craft boom. Their stories helped shape Gateway Beer: St. Louis Craft Brewing in the Shadow of Anheuser-Busch, which comes out this October. More on how the three breweries changed the name of the game, and how you can join the author talk at Schlafly Tap Room, in Palmer’s story. —S.F.
St. Louis booklovers, rejoice! Your new Half Price Books store opens in South County on Labor Day Weekend. Shop with Half Price Books during their grand opening and save up to 20% off your in-store purchase. Plan your visit!
Heard on the Street
In the (local) hospital: Lionel Richie. The Hollywood Reporterconfirms that the singer checked himself in after his Saturday night performance at The Muny, which concluded after he asked for a chair and performed “All Night Long" while sitting down. Richie apparently ended up in the ICU with dehydration, but is now "doing OK."
Broadcasting live from Union Station: CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil. The Tiffany Network has been exploring America, and last night was our turn. In addition to anchoring the broadcast from our grandest hotel bar, Dokoupil reported a segment about the growing backlash to data centers, with Exhibit A the one proposed for a warehouse next to the The Armory. His piece included interviews with David Daneshforooz (who did not threaten to sue him, unlike us!) andSLU's Kasey Fowler-Finn, who's part of the group suing to block the project.
On this date, in 1873: Susan Blow opened the first public kindergarten in the U.S. at the Des Peres School in Carondelet. The St. Louis native was inspired by similar schools she saw in Germany and soon created a model that would be followed across the U.S. When she died in 1916, the Globe-Democrat opined, “A great commander is gone, but the soldiers will go marching on.”
Tricky: Why local restaurants don’t take Visa gift cards
Busted: 70-year-old helps bust predator on Fee Fee Greenway
Last Call 🥃
Only watching if it ends in a crushing tenth-inning loss.
SOUNDBITE
“People are human and they do different things, and sometimes what's best for the story or what's best for the person, they don't always act in that way.”
—St. Louis-based producer Amy Marie Yaeger, explaining on The 314 Podcast how, like it or not, people put the real in “reality” TV.
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