March 23, 2011

The new Kit Bond Bridge is a wonderful sight to behold from the bluffs of Historic Northeast that overlook the Missouri River valley below.

The newly configured entrance ramp that runs from Independence Avenue north onto I-35, however, needs a complete re-do, or at least substantial signage warning of the nasty dog-leg right turn located in the middle of the ramp.

It’s located at the point most drivers are powering up to interstate highway merging speed.

At the time of last week’s double fatality motorcycle accident, the new guardrail had already been smashed through by an errant driver. This cautious li’l two-wheeled canine almost bit the dust there the first time through, also.

Note to MoDOT – Rumble strips and/or substantial reflective, brightly colored signage won’t fix a poorly designed entrance ramp, but it might save a life or two and is a cheap price to pay for someone “lawyerin’ up” for a potential wrongful death legal action.

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The Scarritt Renaissance neighborhood was out in force last Saturday, thinning out invasive Honeysuckle and doing general clean-up around the Colonnade at The Concourse. Things look much better up there after the efforts of the many hardy souls who beat the impending rains to make the neighborhood a little nicer to look at. This reminds this cleanin’ li’l news pooch that this really is a pretty nifty place to live.

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We hear that the local alternative weekly The Pitch has just been sold to a group from Nashville, Tenn., for an undisclosed sum. The move sends Editor Joe Tone out in the cold, as well.

Hal Brody started the weekly back in the 1970s as a venue for local alternative news and entertainment listings. It grew exponentially and actually cloned a few other alternative weeklies like the now defunct New Times. Brody sold the mag in 1999 to Village Voice Media out of Los Angeles, Calif.