Christy's Hamburgers in Winchester has closed (STLToday)

By Ian Froeb  

Christy's Hamburgers at 14560 Manchester Road in Winchester has closed. A poster in the Eat at Joe's forum tipped us off to the news yesterday:

It looks like Christy's in Winchester has closed, no lights on, no one inside at 1:00 this afternoon.

The restaurant's phone number has been disconnected.
The Christy's in Winchester was the second area location for the small, Starkville, Mississippi-based chain. The Christy's at 3957 Mid Rivers Mall Drive in Cottleville remains open. A call there this morning confirms the closure of the Manchester Road location.

Original Article:
Christy's Hamburgers in Winchester has closed : Entertainment

Gannett to buy TV station owner Belo for $1.5 billion

By Lisa Brown 

updated at noon

The parent companies of the NBC and CBS television affiliates in St. Louis, KSDK (Channel 5) and KMOV (Channel 4), are combining, but area viewers shouldn't expect to see any changes in their local newscasts.

McLean, Va.-based Gannett Co., which owns KSDK and 22 other TV stations nationwide, said Thursday that it's acquiring Belo Corp. of Dallas for $1.5 billion in cash, plus the assumption of $715 million in debt. One of Belo's 20 TV stations is KMOV.

The combination, which still needs approval from the Federal Communications Commission, would make Gannett the fourth-largest owner of major network affiliates with 43 stations reaching nearly a third of U.S. households. (CBS, Fox and Sinclair Broadcasting Group are the top three.)


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Gannett to buy TV station owner Belo for $1.5 billion : Business

Wacha will debut Thursday at Busch

(Photo by Chris Lee / clee@post-dispatch.com)

By Derrick Goold

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Less than a year removed from his selection in the draft, celebrated prospect Michael Wacha will make his major-league debut Thursday at Busch Stadium against the Kansas City Royals.

A team official confirmed the move this morning and the team announced that they will promote the righty before Thursday's game.

Wacha, 21, was the 19th overall pick in the 2012 draft.
 

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Wacha will debut Thursday at Busch : Sports

VIDEO: New Lego Store To Open This Weekend at West County Center

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Motte has Tommy John surgery

(Photo by Chris Lee, clee@post-dispatch.com)

By Derrick Goold

CHICAGO • Cardinals closer Jason Motte had elbow surgery today, ending his season and beginning a long rehab that could extend into next spring.

Motte had Tommy John surgery performed in St. Louis by the Cardinals team physician Dr. George Paletta at Mercy Hospital. The surgery went as expected, according to a team official.

The ligament transplant procedure was necessary to repair a torn ligament within Motte's right elbow.

The standard recovery from the surgery is about 12 months.
 

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Motte has Tommy John surgery : Sports

Tarasenko may return to lineup for Game 4

Photo by Chris Lee, clee@post-dispatch.com

By Jeremy Rutherford  

LOS ANGELES • As Blues coach Ken Hitchcock left his news conference after Saturday’s 1-0 loss to Los Angeles, he walked by rookie forward Vladimir Tarasenko, who’s been a healthy scratch in the first three games of the playoff series.

“Get ready to play,” Hitchcock told Tarasenko.

Whether Tarasenko will make his NHL playoff debut in Game 4 tonight, or later in the series, was still uncertain after Sunday’s practice. One day after the Blues were shut out by the Kings, Hitchcock wouldn’t commit to returning Tarasenko to the lineup.


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Tarasenko may return to lineup for Game 4 : Sports

Blues Bytes: Picking the Game 4 hero

Photo by Chris Lee, clee@post-dispatch.com

BY BERNIE MIKLASZ

The Blues and Los Angeles Kings have pretty much skirmished to a standoff in their first-round Western Conference playoff series.

True, the Blues have a 2-1 lead in games won. But the overall play has been even for the most part. The space on the ice is as tight as the separation between the teams.

Game 1 went into overtime. The Kings probably deserved to win Game 2 and lost. The Blues probably deserved to win Game 3 and lost. It’s been a series of regrets, with missed scoring chances and mistakes.

The Blues are doing so many good things.


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Blues Bytes: Picking the Game 4 hero : Sports

Cards clear a spot for Matt Adams

(Photo by J.B. Forbes / jforbes@post-dispatch.com)

By Derrick Goold

CHICAGO • Cardinals utility infielder Jermaine Curtis jetted straight from Milwaukee to join Class AAA Memphis in Omaha for this morning's game. He started at third base for the Triple-A Redbirds.

Curtis had been with the major-league club for more than a week and did get a courtesy appearance late in Sunday's 10-1 win against the Milwaukee Brewers.

By optioning out Curtis, the Cardinals clear a spot on the 25-man roster for first baseman Matt Adams.
 

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Cards clear a spot for Matt Adams : Sports

Strauss: Blues deserved to win opener

(Photo by Chris Lee / clee@post-dispatch.com)

BY JOE STRAUSS

Little brother came over the Scottrade turnbuckle Tuesday night. Twice.

Another potential chapter in Blues’ postseason misery instead ended incredibly as a redemptive 2-1 win when Alexander Steen turned a short-handed predicament into a steal-and-tuck goal during an overtime that never should have occurred.

One minute the Blues were ready to dispose of the defending champion Los Angeles Kings behind a flawless performance from goalie Brian Elliott.

In the next, they were headed to overtime created by right wing Justin Williams’short-side goal with just 31.6 seconds remaining in regulation.
 

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Strauss: Blues deserved to win opener : Sports

Adkins, Michaels and Counting Crows will headline Fair St. Louis

By Kevin C. Johnson

Country star Trace Adkins, rocker Bret Michaels and alt-rock group Counting Crows will headline the 33rd Annual Fair St. Louis, downtown's July Fourth celebration.

The lineup was announced Tuesday afternoon by Fair St. Louis Foundation officials and Mayor Francis Slay in Tower Grove Park.

Slay pointed out that this summer's event — "the very best Independence Day in the country" — will be his 13th attending as mayor.

"It makes our city look great every year," he said.

Adkins performs July 4, followed by Michaels on July 5 and Counting Crows on July 6. Adkins and Michaels both are featured on the current season of "All-Star Celebrity Apprentice."



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Adkins, Michaels and Counting Crows will headline Fair St. Louis : Entertainment

Earlier: Cards reach deal with Wainwright

By Derrick Goold

JUPITER, Fla. • After almost two months of talking about Adam Wainwright as the unmatched ace of the staff and talking to Wainwright about a long-term contract, the Cardinals agreed with the righthander on a deal Wednesday that turns all that talking into permanence.

Wainwright and the Cardinals reached an agreement on a five-year, $97.5 million extension, two sources with knowledge of the deal told the Post-Dispatch.

The contract will keep the righty a fixture in the rotation through 2018.


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Earlier: Cards reach deal with Wainwright : Sports

Cards sign Craig to 5-year deal

Photo by Chris Lee

By Rick Hummel

JUPITER, Fla. • The Cardinals did something they rarely do when they reached agreement today with first baseman Allen Craig, who was not yet arbitration eligible, on a five-year contract taking him through 2017 with a club option for 2018.

Craig is guaranteed to earn $31 million over the course of the contract.

He will make $1.75 million this year, $2.75 million in 2014, $5.5 million in 2015, $9 million in 2016 and $11 million in 2017.
 

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Cards sign Craig to 5-year deal : Sports

Cards add McGee as special assistant to GM

Photo by Chris Lee

By Derrick Goold

JUPITER, Fla. • Former Cardinals center fielder and beloved No. 51 Willie McGee has been hired by the organization as a special assistant to the general manager, a move that makes McGee an official member of the organization with duties that will involve instructing in the minors.

McGee, 54, spent several weeks this spring with the club as an instructor, coming to camp at the invitation of manager Mike Matheny.

For more on this story:
Cards add McGee as special assistant to GM : Sports

VIDEO: Restaurant explosion in KC captured on video (LINK)

For those of you that are keeping up to date on the Kansas City explosion, I found a link to a video that shows the initial explosion... CLICK HERE to view video.

VIDEO: Winter Storm Headed to St. Louis

Office Depot, OfficeMax agree to merge

NEW YORK  •  Office Depot Inc. said Wednesday it agreed to buy OfficeMax in an all-stock deal that would transform office supply retail sector.

Boca Raton, Fla.-based Office Depot Inc. and Naperville, Ill.-based OfficeMax said holders of OfficeMax shares will receive 2.69 shares of Office Depot for every OfficeMax share they own.

That's equal to about $13.50 per share, based on Office Depot's $5.02 per share closing price Tuesday, giving the deal a total value of about $1.2 billion. OfficeMax had about 86.7 million shares outstanding as of Oct. 26, according to SEC filings.

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Office Depot, OfficeMax agree to merge : Business

Creve Coeur Park zip line wins approval

Photo by Robert Cohen

By Steve Giegerich

CLAYTON • Brushing aside vociferous opposition, the St. Louis County Council on Tuesday approved a treetop adventure course that naturalists fear will jeopardize birds populating a migratory habitat in Creve Coeur Park.

A disappointed Mitch Leachman, the executive director of the St. Louis Chapter of the Audubon Society, said he hopes to meet immediately with park officials to minimize the impact on the 425 bird species that nest or pass through the area of the park where the course is expected to welcome its first visitors this spring.


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Creve Coeur Park zip line wins approval : News

Mountain Dew introduces a breakfast drink

AP Photo/Reed Saxon

CANDICE CHOI AP Food Industry Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — If you don't like coffee or tea, Mountain Dew has a new breakfast drink that might perk you up.

PepsiCo Inc. is rolling out a new drink called Kickstart this month that has Mountain Dew flavor but is made with 5 percent juice and Vitamins B and C, along with an extra jolt of caffeine.

The company, based in Purchase, N.Y., is hoping to boost sales by reaching Mountain Dew fans at a new time of day: morning.
 

For more on this story:
Mountain Dew introduces a breakfast drink : Stltoday