the[in]sider by tony di martino [ Meet Us at The Muny ] Thanks to a $1 million gift from the David B. Lichtenstein Foundation, visitors to The Muny in Forest Park will soon enjoy a renovated concession area. Located near the venue’s east entrance, the new Cafe One will feature expanded and upgraded concessions and continue to offer preshow entertainment. “The reimagined area enables us to offer a greatly improved and more enjoyable audience experience,” says Muny president Dennis Reagan. Construction begins in fall 2013.
cafe one
[ Faith in Action ] Rev. Earl E. Nance Jr., pastor of Greater Mount Carmel Missionary Baptist Church, recently received Congregation Temple Israel’s Malachi Award for Interfaith Relations and Understanding. The honor was presented at a worship service in memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “Rev. Nance is a true leader in promoting dialogue in the interfaith community and across racial divides,” says Rabbi Amy Feder. Nance has led numerous organizations, including Mathews-Dickey Boys’ & Girls’ Club and the St. Louis board of education. He co-founded Interfaith Partnership/Faith Beyond Walls with Temple Israel’s Rabbi Emeritus Mark Shook. Rich and Terri loRusso LoRusso
Rev. Earl E. Nance Jr.
[ Pasta Fest ] If you’re ready to abandon your New Year’s weight-loss resolutions for a worthy cause, the Jan. 30 Pasta Bowl event at LoRusso’s Cucina is a good place to do it. For $65 per person plus gratuity, attendees can enjoy three pasta dishes and vote on their favorite. This year’s choices are ziti con vodka, linguine di carciofi and fettuccine pollo asiago. The winning pasta will be featured on LoRusso’s menu for the entire year. Each time the dish is ordered, local food bank Operation Food Search receives $2. “Over the years, the Pasta Bowl has raised more than $60,000 for Operation Food Search,” says OFS executive director Sunny Schaefer. “For every dollar donated by individuals and business owners like Rich LoRusso, we provide $20 worth of food and nutrition services to help the hungry.” Doors open at 6 p.m. To make a reservation, call LoRusso’s at 314.647.6222, ext. 102.
[ Duck! ]
Don Kessler, Melissa Butts
Mary Jo Blackwood, Town&Style’s health editor, had an out-of-this-world experience at the recent world premiere of Space Junk 3D, held at the Saint Louis Science Center’s OMNIMAX Theater. The documentary focuses on the dangers presented by more than 6,000 tons of space program debris clogging Earth’s orbit. Blackwood got to meet the film’s director, Melissa Butts, and Don ‘The Father of Space Junk’ Kessler, retired director of NASA’s office of orbital debris. “Most scientists agree we’ve reached the tipping point; orbital debris will continue to grow if we don’t address the problem,” Kessler told Blackwood.
[ Back to the Future ] If you’ve experienced deja vu when tuning into KSHE-95 lately, it’s because John Ulett is hosting an all-rock morning show weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. Ulett, who has been with KSHE 35 years, recently replaced the nationally syndicated Bob & Tom Show, which focused more on Howard Stern-style comedy than music. “John’s the perfect person to lead this change—he grew up here and understands what St. Louisans want to hear,” says KSHE vice president of rock Rick Balis. Lauren ‘Lern’ Colvin, also a native St. Louisan, rides shotgun, providing news and traffic reports.
[ Supply and Demand ]
lauren ‘lern’ colvin
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JANUARY 25, 2012
West County now has its own school of nursing. Missouri Baptist Medical Center and Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College have teamed up to open a state-of-the-art nursing school at MoBap’s Town & Country campus. The $12.6 million, 42,750 square-foot education, research and training facility houses classrooms and advanced simulation labs. “Our vision is to become one of the region’s premier teaching and research hospitals for nurses,” says vice president and chief nurse executive Tim Mislan. The Clinical Learning Institute will graduate more than 100 nurses per year.