from left: Standford Chase, Tony La Russa, Christian McBride

ANOTHER KIND OF SWING FOR LA RUSSA: During the last part of the second set at Jazz at the Bistro on Thursday night, while the faithful were swinging to Christian McBride and his…

A TOUCH OF THE BALABAN: We can’t help but wonder what Herbie Balaban would think. The name - or, rather, names — of the beloved local restaurateur, who died in Chicago in 2000, now graces a second restaurant.

What Herbie Balaban…

MAJOR CONTRIBUTORS: St. Louis attorney, civil rights pioneer and nonagenarian, Frankie Freeman, and “Voice of the Cardinals” Mike Shannon are two new, local members of the Academy of Missouri Squires.

Gov. Jay Nixon and his wife, Georganne Wheeler Nixon, hosted a lunch…

from left: Steve Lopez, Adam Crane, Nathaniel Ayers

ERASING THE STIGMA: Adam Crane, communications director for the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, will be honored Saturday night with the President’s Award from the St. Louis chapter of the National Alliance on Mental…

ZOO KNEW: The Coovert Foundation, Wells Fargo Advisors, St. Louis businessman Jay Henges and Ian Craig of the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, were presented with major awards from the St. Louis Zoo at the zoo’s recent Marlin Perkins Society dinner at the Ritz Carlton.

Henges got…

RINGED: Dr. Marcie Epstein and David Siteman Garland, founder and host of a business shows that’s broadcast online and on television, were ringed on Saturday night when Garland popped the question while surrounded by 50 dozen roses, rose petals, a chocolate…

WEDDING BELLS, MON: Kacy Voskuil, owner and artistic director of the St. Louis Academy of Dance in Olivette, and her beau, Jeremy Stagner, had one of those romantic destination weddings and came back to town to whoop it up with…

NEW CITY HURRAH: When New City School marked its 40th anniversary on Friday night with a Founders’ Scholarship Celebration, Thomas Hoerr, head of the school, said it marked New City’s “coming of age” and evolution from a social and cultural…

LES LIKELY: The closest our town might come to having a Bernard Madoff-like character is Lester Miller. Not the swindling part, but the big-spending, larger-than-life part.

So it’s only fitting that Miller, owner of Lester’s Sports Bar and Grill and the…

Allison Turner

TIME FOR TURNER: Ali Turner of Cape Girardeau made it into the top five today in the Victoria’s Secret model competition leading up to a Dec. 1 fashion show that will be nationally televised on CBS.

Turner, who is using her full name, Allison,…