Posts Tagged ‘Lacy Clay’

A literary reception with wine and cheese of which the late Joe Pulitzer told the columnist he didn’t enjoy it because it played hell with the breath. . .Politicians who slap you on the back and say, “Great to see you” and have no idea who you are. . .Chinese fortune cookies are never wise, because all I want them to read is that someone like Sam Fox, Rex Sinquefield, Jack Taylor/Barbara Bryant, Ginny Weldon or Dennis Jones will lay a million bucks on me. . .Some labor unions send out statements that read members are not making enough, while the international presidents are pulling down massive, six-figure salaries. .  . Old-timers still guffaw over the yesteryore sign in the window of Clarence Baris windows on Skinker at Delmar, that read, “Help beautify St. Louis.  Buy a plastic plant today!”. . .Some doctors’ offices at Mo. Bap. medical buildings have plants that are real, but the furniture’s artificial. . .Cong. Lacy Clay is considered ballsy, because he won’t let Sen. Claire McCaskill push him around. . .Just think, that if Dick Cheney sat in a bathtub and opened his veins, he’d freeze to death. . .A Cardinal knows when he’s cut from the team, when he comes into the clubhouse and he’s told they won’t allow visitors. . . It’s thrilling to see a Cardinal pitcher at Morton’s raise a glass of water to his lips and misses. . ..A sign read in a Dogtown bar, “If you drink too much, pay in advance!”. . .My neighbor had a baby-sitter who fed the baby at twelve, two and four. She fed herself at one, three and five. . .At the Ritz Carlton a woman got bruise marks on her womb from the baby holding on until after the wedding. . .When will Starbucks in Creve Coeur begin selling Cafe Latke?. . ..Anytime a customer walks into Protzel’s Deli and orders pastrami on white bread, a Jewish person dies. . .At a visit to my dentist, Dr. Dean West, he told me my cavity was so deep he’s sending me to a podiatrist. . ..Always enjoy dinner at Cardwell’s at Plaza Frontenac, where there are usually a hundred face lifts. . . The best things the columnist can cook are peach cobbler and chili and was asked by a guest, “Which one is this?”. . .Chili will be de rigueur Friday night at the Chase Apartments, when the Symph’s David Robertson will cook his version before invited guests, who will each plunk down $300 for the privilege of devouring it and they might hear how the orch’s $25 million budget will be spent. . ..Whatever became of sex researcher Virginia Johnson? Can you just imagine an expert on sex introduced to an audience celebrating Masters & Johnson, when he would stand up and say, “It gives me great pleasure” and then sit down?. . .Miss the old-fashioned laundries, where they tore off buttons by hand?. . .There’s one guy, whose mother is Catholic and his father is Jewish and when he goes to confession at the Old Cathedral he brings along his lawyer. . .East St. Louis isn’t the safest town for criminals.  One guy held up a bank and got mugged on the way to the getaway car. . .The columnist misses the years, when John Vitale, Tony Giordano and Buster Wortman were fodder for reporters. A joke that made the rounds on The Hill in those days was the guy who was told by one of them to blow up a truck.  He burned his lips on the exhaust.

Lacy explained that the Scholarship and Research Fund provides full scholarships, based on financial need and academics. He said that 100 percent of the grads have turned to such professions as lawyers, engineers and a nuclear physicist. On the scene were real estater Dean Morgan, attorney Robert Adler, McMahon Ford’s Bill Schicker, power broker Gene Slay, Regis Hollow with his daughter, Mary Fran, Gateway Classic’s Earl Wilson and Court of Appeals Judge George Draper.  At their golf cart, Adler and Draper reminisced over when they both served as assistant prosecutors.  The subject of the television show, “Judge Judy”,  was raised.  “That doesn’t happen in a real court,” insisted Judge Draper.

Over at The Cedars, Florissant mayor Robert Lowery, Sr., for whom I had tremendous empathy, told the columnist, “People are beating the shit out of me! (Post-Dispatch reporter) Paul Hampel told me he followed me for five days. The proposal to change our charter is a smoke screen – a Trojan horse.  Just because 30-40 people don’t like me, they got Paul sold on it (an investigation).”  Also there was  Bob O’Loughlin, chief of LHM, who said that he will close in a month on the purchase of the Cheshire Inn and  Lodge.  He added, “We’ll tear down the restaurant and build a new one, that will connect with the hotel.” Other tidbits gathered there were:  HBO is lensing a documentary on the Pulitzer legacy and began by shooting in the offices of the daily newspaper; Lombardo’s restaurants is opening a fourth eatery in Arnold, Mo. The columnist’s coverage took place during the 30th anniversary of the St. Louis Port Council where Michael Sacco was front ‘n center. The labor leader, prez of the Seafarers International Union of North America, AFL-CIO, repping 4.5 million members, said, “We’re still recruiting young people for apprentice programs. There’s almost full employment. Ship owners are replacing old tonnage and building new.”  And the health care bill?  “It will help a lot of our people, but there’s so much missing.  People are confused and get nervous, because they don’t  understand it.”  With Sacco were his daughter and son-in-law, Angela and Dave Baker, principal of South Tech High School in Sunset Hills. Oddskins-bodkins! St. Louis Sheriff James W. Murphy bought a full-page ad in the program to heap kudos on the honorees – Patrick Kellett, James Murphy, Cong. Lacy Clay and Richard Kellett.

Representative William Lacy Clay has filed a change of address with his employer.  The newly single congressman has moved into a central corridor condo owned by his sister, attorney Michele
Clay.  (The columnist knows the address, but thinks the recent bad behavior outside the private residence of US Representative Russ Carnahan by some of the Tea Party group makes it prudent to withhold it.)

If writer Neal Peirce is correct, former state senator Jeff Smith might eventually be counted by the on-going 2010 Census as a resident of St. Louis and Missouri rather than Manchester and Kentucky. Peirce reported in the Washington Post last weekend that US Rep. Lacy Clay had negotiated an agreement with the Census Bureau that would let cities reclaim their residents rather than have them counted as residing in the rural areas where they are temporarily housed.  The Census Bureau will listen to states’ arguments on the issue in 2011, with legislative reapportionment and federal funding on the line.  Meanwhile, the City of St. Louis is broadcasting public service messages in Spanish and Bosnian on its cable station to remind local communities to complete the Census form.

The odd couple of Mayor Francis Slay and County Exec Charlie Dooley seemed to be auditioning for prme time.  They joined Cong. Lacy Clay and United Way prez Gary Dollar and members of the Gateway Earned Income Credit Community Coalition (GECC) at the Metropolitan, Education and Training Center (MET Center) to alert the public on the availability of earned income tax credit (EITC) and free tax preparation services. After they were introduced by Clay, Dooley began presenting the county proclamation. “Unlike my good friend Mayor Slay, I am not going to bore you by reading this long document, but he will,” joshed Dooley.  Slay then thanked Clay and Dooley and said, “Thanks Charlie and by the way, I have no plans to read this proclamation. I’m just going to proclaim it EITC Day in the city. . .and the county. And, if you’ve noticed, my proc is not only bigger than Charlie’s, but it has a nice decorative frame.”

Gladys Kandel-Reeves at the Delmar Gardens family of 20 facilities

PITCH & CATCH: It doesn’t take a doctor (though there were plenty of them at Busch Stadium on Thursday afternoon) to diagnose the condition of patient Cardinal Nation. The Nation is suffering from acute Cardinal fever. The all-too-obvious symptoms include a preoccupation with a certain Magic Number, a preference for the color red, an aversion to a team from Chicago, and a willingness to skip more usual pastimes (including actual work) to sit in Busch Stadium drinking $8 malted beverages. While examining the patient, this columnist collected plenty of fastballs, a couple of curveballs, and a wicked brushback pitch or two.

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SWEET SUITES: “I’m going to lead a delegation to Cuba on Sept. 20 to try and open up a dialogue about travel opportunities,” said US Representative Jo Anne Emerson, who was in a suite with US Rep. Lacy Clay and some other colleagues. “President Barack Obama will drop a bombshell in a joint session on September 9 on health insurance reform,” said Clay, who brags out that he occasionally hears from the President by telephone. Nearby, fellow Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) had a bone to pick with Clay about barbeque. Cohen favored Memphis’s Rendezvous, while Clay (and other locals in the suite) spoke up the ribs for our town’s C&K . . . Nearby was Mike DuBois, a legislative assistant to US Senator Christopher “Kit” Bond, and the new father (with wife, Linda) of 2-month-old Ryan Patrick. DuBois mentioned that, while Bond was recently in Japan, our town’s Roy Pfautch, who spends a lot of time in Japan, arranged a sumptuous feast for Bond and ministers of the Diet. DuBois had this to say about Clay and Bond: they get along very well “despite what you hear.” Sen. Claire McCaskill? Not so much, apparently. “Claire brings nothing to the people,” remarked a bystander (not named DuBois or Clay). “She just tells staff members each morning to get her on television.”. . .David Steward, founder and chairman of World Wide Technologies, said his company is expanding with facilities in China, the Netherlands, Sao Paulo and Singapore. “In 2008, we grossed almost $2.6 billion and are buying $1.5 billion worth of network equipment,” said Steward. “We’re in a tech revolution and thinking about the next level. We’re still hiring.” . Elsewhere, Brenda and Jim Talent were entertaining. “I’m doing public policy stuff and have become a consultant to Fleishman-Hillard,” said the ex-senator.

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WITH THE WORKING STIFFS: Carpenters Union bossman Terry Nelson said, “For $12,000 a week, we are getting groceries to the unemployed in the union.” How many, Terry? ” Of our 20,000 members, 4,000 are out-of-work. But, I’m sure that we’ll pick up after the first quarter of 2010.” As Hemingway’s Jake said in “The Sun Also Rises”, “Isn’t it pretty to think so?”

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IDIOT BOX BOX: In the Fox Midwest Sports box, account exec Tim O’Connor did the honors for a select Steak ‘n Shake crew. Anchoring the group were Brad Manns, head of franchising, and Springfield, Mo., franchisee Gary Leonard, who tipped us that the 420 restaurants in the chain will soon bow a new entry on the menu: a combination called Pico De Gello, a chilled combination of peppers, onions, tomatoes, lime and lemon juice and cilantro served up on either a steak burger or a steak frank.

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David Steward with US Rep. Lacy Clay and Corbin

INVESTORS CORNER: “The Post-Dispach is too episodic,” insisted investments guru Joe Schlafly in the Merrill-Lynch suite. (A charge that a newspaper published daily would find it hard to rebut.) “I invested my own money and got Bill Danforth to contribute seed money for the St. Louis Beacon. We need responsible journalism.” (The St. Louis Beacon is a news/features website staffed primarily by former employees of the episodic P-D.) . . .Between pitches, Ralph Gaia, an IT’er with Centene Corp. raved non-stop about the company’s topper, Mike Neidorff. Why does Gaia love his boss? “I was so impressed that he conducted an ethics meeting, and that he’s arranged a golf tournament for employees at the Bogie Club a week from Friday,” said Gaia . . . Nestle/Ralston Purina makes the best-selling Fancy Feast cat food. That’s the best I could get from the company’s CEO, Patrick McGinnis. “This is my day off and we don’t need any publicity,” he barked when he noticed my notebook . . . Stuart Shelp of the RCGA probably should have listened to McGinnis. “We don’t get along with them (the Regional Business Council) and we got them started.” (Does anybody know RBC exec director Kathleen T. Osborn’s email address?) . . . Brian Rhame, head of institutional advancement, and Mike Loyet, president, of St. John Vianney High School, got my congratulations on the 50th anniversary of their school — and quickly dropped names of some illustrious alums.

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THE GOLDEN YEARS: It’s a great time to be young, in an area that hasn’t quite grown up yet, in a world on the brink of disaster. But, still poised for the future is optimistic visionary Gladys Kandel-Reeves, who has toiled for more than four decades at the Delmar Gardens family of 20 facilities, which stretch from here to Atlanta, and including Omaha, Kansas City and Las Vegas. And now, the glamorous woman is touting the company’s fifth retirement center in O’Fallon, Mo., the Garden Villas of O’Fallon, that opens in November with a bowling alley, no less. . .

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PINHEADS: St. Louis Sheriff’s Deputy Charles Kraft has been accused of threatening a couple with a gun during a dispute about a parking spot at a Shrewsbury bowling alley. His subsequent legal problems in St. Louis County have drawn the support of his friends, including managers in his department and judges. A recent fundraiser to help pay his lawyers was hosted by the St. Louis Sheriff Lt. Ray Harris, and Deputies Charles Russo and Kathy Kraft, sister of Charles. Wonder what the St. Louis County prosecutor thinks about that?

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COMINGS & GOINGS: Cop talk (no, not CopTalk) says that Governor Jay Nixon will dump the decades long tradition of being escorted through St. Louis by a special detail of the Metropolitan St. Louis Police Department. The guv is rumored to be considering using the state patrol to take over the duty. Is this an early indication of how the guv is leaning on the contentious issue of surrendering state control of the city’s police force? . . . One of my all-time favorite news anchors, Deanne Lane, sent a note to set the record straight. “I was not fired. I resigned from KSDK (Channel 5), because I no longer wanted to work at night.” Could she still be working in TV? “Among the offers I’ve had was one from KMOV (Channel 4),” Lane penned from Centene Corp, where she is listed as media contact . . .David Bonetti, sharp-tongued art critic with the Post-Dispatch has written that he “took advantage of advanced age and a benefits package and decided to retire.” He further stated, “Although some of the Cherokee Street clique would like to think that I was fired by an enlightened management that wants reviews of inept artists showing their woeful attempts at self expression in vanity galleries, that is not the case”. . . Z. Dwight Billingsley, whose most recent column for the Post-Dispatch compared President Obama’s national healthcare prescriptions to bad public education policies, has penned his last column for the newspaper. (Will Z. Dwight now follow familiar migration patterns and end up in the St. Louis Beacon?). . .Speaker of the U.S. House Nancy Pelosi will be special guest on Oct. 3 at the Chase-Park Plaza for the fifth annual gala with Rep. Russ Carnahan. For more info or to RSVP call 314-534-2004. Former Post-Dispatch editor Ellen Soeteber still has her CWE condo and regularly visits her mom, Norma Soeteber, in Shiloh, Ill., as well as other family and friends. But, she and her husband, Dick Martins, are enjoying being back in South Florida, where multiple cultures and lifestyles are the happy norm.  When not in our town, she misses her family, her friends, and former colleagues at the Post-Dispatch and the Missouri Biotanical Garden. Christine Bertelson has ankled the Post-Dispatch for what she hopes will be a brighter future with Guv. Nixon’s office, beginning Tuesday. A media maven mentioned to her how nice Nixon’s state fair speech was on Aug. 13, while still in the paper’s employ. She is rumored to have replied, “I wrote it” The maven also suggested, that her dealing with Nixon while in the employ of the P-D, got other staffers’ noses out-of-joint. Bertelson served a number of posts at the paper, including editorial page editor, colyumnist and features editor…

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HELLO?: The announcement that the local telco will no longer have to deliver its White Pages directory to customers will deprive some of us a favorite pastime: playing the Name Game. One favorite: the St. Louis directory contains a Hitler (and a bunch of Hittlers), a Tojo, two Roosevelts, nine Trumans and 12 Churchills. (There are also eight Schmucks and eleven Dierbergs – but, that’s not a food fight, not a World War.)

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BURY MY HEART: David Simon, family service guy at Kriegshauser Mortuary West, is tub-thumping the firm’s pre-arranged funeral services.