"I think we've all had enough of me," Riverfront Times founder Ray Hartmann says as he bids adieu to the paper after 25 years and one million words. "Through the years, we have fought a lot of fights, told a lot of stories. We challenged the elitist, closed Father-knows-best decision-making process of Civic Progress," Hartmann writes in his valedictory column. "We challenged their siphoning of millions of dollars in tourism funds to something called the VP Fair. There were environmental issues, race issues, social issues. Most recently, there was a five-year battle against the late, great stadium scam, arguably my favorite issue ever." Hartmann says the RFT flourished because it reflected "the real St. Louis."
Boston Phoenix Publisher Stephen Mindich faces a June 4 contempt hearing for his refusal to turn over his e-mails in a case involving his wife, Superior Court Judge Maria I. Lopez, the Boston Herald reports. A Massachusettes judicial commission investigating Lopez' handling of an attempted rape case issued the subpoena for Mindich's e-mails. Mindich's lawyer, Harvey Silvergate, says he has advised his client not to comply with the subpoena. ``When a court order is unconstitutional, one has a right to appeal it to the U.S. Supreme Court,'' Silvergate tells the Herald.
John Sewell of Metro Pulse interviews two authors who have recently published books about sluts. Sounds juicy, doesn't it? But these two works -- by Emily White, former editor of The Stranger, and Leora Tanenbaum -- deconstruct the myth of the "slut," a tag aimed to alienate any girl outside the mainstream teenage girl tribe. They also expose the double standard that expects young men to experiment with sex at an early age, yet demonizes any young woman who does the same.
Earlier this month, a Texas appeals court declined to dismiss a case in which the Dallas Observer and reporter Rose Farley were sued for libel by local officials who were offended by a "news story" penned by Ms. Farley. The article wasn't labeled as satire, so Denton County Judge Darlene Whitten and District Attorney Bruce Isaacks apparently are concerned that readers may have believed Ms. Farley's satirical tale, which has the pair jailing a first grader for a book report on Maurice Sendak's "Where the Wild Things Are."
