Category Archives: Regional News

     (AP) – An outreach coordinator in Arkansas Treasurer Dennis Milligan’s office has resigned after social media posts surfaced that Milligan says were “insulting” to women and the LGBT community.      Milligan spokeswoman Stacy Peterson tells the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

     (AP) – An Arkansas House panel has endorsed a plan to link public college and university funding to performance goals such as the number of students who complete their degrees.      The House Education Committee on Tuesday advanced

     LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – A proposal to make permanent Arkansas’ decision to move its primary to March is heading to the state Senate for a vote.      The Senate State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee endorsed legislation

     (AP) – A Missouri Republican wants people who donate to political campaigns to get up to $100 in tax credits.      Sen. Rob Schaaf said Tuesday that the goal is to increase small donors’ role in politics.      Schaaf’s

     JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – Missouri Chief Justice Patricia Breckenridge is calling for a review of the way courts hold people in jail before trial.      In her final State of the Judiciary address Tuesday, Breckenridge told lawmakers

     (AP) – A former suburban St. Louis nurse has been sentenced to life in prison for the 2014 shooting death of her brother-in-law.      The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports 63-year-old Denise Hein’s sentencing Tuesday in St. Louis County

     (AP) – Missouri lawmakers again are mulling a plan to cut the number of weeks the state’s unemployed can claim jobless benefits.      The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that a House panel on Tuesday heard testimony about the

     JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – Two Missouri lawmakers are clashing after one accused the other of giving her an unwanted hug and calling her “boo,” which the other forcefully denied.      Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal on the Senate floor

     (AP) – The rideshare company Lyft says it will start providing services in Springfield, Missouri.      The announcement comes Tuesday after the Missouri House gave initial approval to statewide regulations for app-based transportation companies. Uber and Lyft say

     JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – Missouri’s new Republican attorney general says he doesn’t intend to live in Jefferson City, despite a state law that appears to require him to “reside” there.      Josh Hawley took office Jan. 9

     (AP) – A special election to fill a vacant Senate seat for west-central Missouri is scheduled for Aug. 8.      Gov. Eric Greitens announced on Tuesday the election date meant to fill Mike Parson’s vacant seat after Parsons

     LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) Arkansas-based Windstream Holdings says it has eliminated 164 jobs, including 25 in Little Rock.      Windstream spokesman David Avery says the job cuts came from various areas, including engineering, finance and information technology. Avery

     (AP) – An Arkansas woman whose nephew accidentally shot and killed himself with a pistol in her car was given a one-year suspended sentence as long as she gets therapy.      The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports 39-year-old Kenya Brevard

     (AP) – Little Rock police are responding to a shooting in a parking lot outside the Arkansas Department of Health.      Little Rock police say the shooting occurred at midday Monday near the department’s main offices on Markham

     (AP) – Arkansas-based Simmons First National Corporation says it plans to acquire Texas-based First Texas BHC, Inc., the parent company of Southwest Bank, in a transaction valued at about $462 million.      Under terms of an agreement announced

     (AP) – Doctors prescribing medical marijuana won’t have to tell Arkansas regulators that the benefits of marijuana outweigh the risks for their patients. The Arkansas Senate gave final approval Monday to a bill that says doctors don’t

     ST. CHARLES, Mo. (AP) – A court hearing has been delayed for a suburban St. Louis woman accused of killing a man in an effort to shift attention away from herself in another killing.      Pamela Hupp of

     HANNIBAL, Mo. (AP) – Police in the northeast Missouri town of Hannibal are investigating after two men were found dead inside a home.      Police were called just before 11 a.m. Saturday to a home on a call

     JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – Missouri’s new Republican secretary of state is defending his decision to appoint a securities industry insider to head a state watchdog division.      Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft in a Monday statement said

     ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) – A proposed bill would impose penalties on Missouri gun owners who don’t report a lost or stolen firearm within three days of discovering the item is missing.      The St. Joseph News-Press reports

     ST. LOUIS (AP) – Some charter schools in St. Louis are starting to worry that their increased popularity is making it difficult for them to stay accessible to low-income students.      The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports City Garden

     JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – Supporters of a right-to-work measure to ban mandatory union dues in Missouri are challenging ballot proposals that would undermine that policy.      The National Right to Work Foundation announced Monday it’s helping three

The city of Sherwood held a ceremony at the Sherwood Central Fire Station to honor a city firefighter who was fatally shot one year ago. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports Ronald Jason Adams, a volunteer with the East

     (AP) – With a federally-owned property continuing to stay vacant for at least several months more, the U.S. Health and Human Services Department has the opportunity to convert the Arkansas facility into a short-term shelter for migrant

     (AP) – Benton County officials have drafted a second set of bid documents as they search for a contractor to repair the 109-year-old War Eagle Bridge.      Documents will be sent to the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department

     (AP) – The Arkansas State Police say a 44-year-old Sherwood man has been killed in a car crash in Pulaski County.      State police said in a preliminary crash summary that Albert Anderson was killed Saturday afternoon after

     (AP) – The Arkansas State Police say a 44-year-old Sherwood man has been killed in a car crash in Pulaski County.      State police said in a preliminary crash summary that Albert Anderson was killed Saturday afternoon after

     (AP) – Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens is making a school choice measure called education savings accounts a priority this legislative session.      The accounts, which transfer state dollars to parents through a bank account, can be used for

     (AP) – A central Missouri technical college plans to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate the school’s mandatory drug testing policy that federal appeals courts have deemed unconstitutional.      An attorney for State Technical College of Missouri

     (AP) – Thousands of protesters, mostly women, gathered in Missouri’s two biggest cities and Kansas’ capital city in disapproval of Donald Trump’s inauguration as U.S. president.      Packing a park across from Kansas City’s landmark Union Station, the

           (AP) – A University of Missouri professor hopes his invention of a new mug that maintains the coffee’s temperature longer percolates into hot sales.      The Columbia Missourian reports that Columbia professor Hongbin “Bill” Ma’s company, ThermAvant

     (AP) – A southwestern Missouri man is taking recycling to the extreme by building a house made from everything from old tires to cardboard and wood scraps from dilapidated barns.      The Joplin Globe reports that 36-year-old Jimmy

     (AP) – Missouri’s new governor, Eric Greitens, is pushing to give the state the country’s toughest penalties for attacking a police officer, reflecting similar efforts elsewhere.      The former Rhodes Scholar and Navy SEAL’s pledge has played well

     JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) _ Missouri's new governor, Eric Greitens, is pushing to give the state the country's toughest penalties for attacking a police officer, reflecting similar efforts elsewhere.      The former Rhodes Scholar and Navy SEAL's pledge

     BENTONVILLE, Ark. (AP) – Benton County officials have drafted a second set of bid documents as they search for a contractor to repair the 109-year-old War Eagle Bridge.      Documents will be sent to the Arkansas Highway and

     LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – A study at a hog farm located 6 miles from the Buffalo River has found no evidence of a manure leak at the operation.      The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that the Arkansas Department

     LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – Hundreds of women in Little Rock and other Arkansas cities joined hundreds of thousands more in cities around the world to rally for equal rights and to send President Donald Trump a

     JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens is making a school choice measure called education savings accounts a priority this legislative session.      The accounts, which transfer state dollars to parents through a bank account, can

     SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) – A southwestern Missouri woman faces up to 23 years in federal prison after admitting in court that she embezzled more than $380,000 from her former employer.      Forty-seven-year-old Regina Allison of El Dorado Springs

     LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – Arkansas' unemployment rate has dipped back below 4 percent in the final month of 2016.      The Arkansas Department of Workforce Services said Friday that the state's unemployment rate in December was 3.9

     LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – Arkansas forestry officials say 2016 was a relatively quiet year for wildfires, but the fires still burned nearly 30 square miles in the state.      The Arkansas Forestry Commission says there was a

     LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – Stormy weather is in the forecast for parts of southeast Arkansas this weekend.      The National Weather Service says the greatest risk for bad weather is Saturday night and Sunday. The Storm Prediction

     JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) – Gun sales in Missouri are seeing a spike while the number of permit applications fall, thanks to a new law that no longer requires residents to have a permit when carrying a concealed

     SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) – A former Missouri State University student who claimed to be the victim of a so-called “knockout game” attack outside a fraternity party has been awarded $1.63 million in damages.      The Springfield News-Leader reports

     COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) – A report from the Women’s Foundation and a University of Missouri researcher shows that women in Missouri continue to struggle to close the pay gap with men.      The Columbia Daily Tribune reports the

     UNION, Mo. (AP) – Authorities in eastern Missouri are investigating after a body was found in a river.      The Washington Missourian reports that the body was found just before 8 a.m. Friday in the Bourbeuse River. A

     NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – Timex Group says it plans to close its distribution center in North Little Rock by the end of the year, which would leave 64 employees out of a job.      The Arkansas

     LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – The Arkansas House has approved tapping into $8.5 million in unused money from the 1999 settlement with tobacco companies to provide more services to the developmentally disabled.      The House on Thursday voted

     LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – An Arkansas legislative committee has voted to outlaw an abortion procedure that opponents call “savage” and “barbaric” while others deem it the safest way to end a pregnancy in the second trimester.

     ST. LOUIS (AP) – St. Louis police say a 79-year-old man fatally shot the assistant manager of an apartment for the elderly after accusing her of stealing his money.      The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports the shooting happened

     ST. LOUIS (AP) – The man who was the face of Ferguson, Missouri, in the turmoil that followed the 2014 fatal police shooting of Michael Brown has opposition in his re-election bid.      The St. Louis suburb announced

     COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) – A Missouri man who died of a gunshot wound during a traffic stop in Columbia was accused of exchanging gunfire with a state trooper days earlier.      The Missouri State Highway Patrol identified the

     ST. LOUIS (AP) – Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens has made it clear he’s opposed to state funding for stadiums, yet a revised proposal for a $200 million soccer stadium in St. Louis calls for the state to

     SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) – A southwest Missouri woman was sentenced to two years in prison without parole for selling more than $90 million worth of counterfeit cell phone parts.      Federal prosecutors say 59-year-old Sherrie Householder, of Nixa,

     (AP) – Monticello Mayor Zackery Tucker has resigned as he faces a felony charge of tampering with a public record and a misdemeanor count of abuse of office.      Tucker submitted a one-sentence letter Tuesday to City Attorney

     (AP) – Two makers of airguns are planning to expand the Daisy plant in northwest Arkansas.      Keith Higginbotham, the president of Rogers-based Daisy and Gamo Outdoor USA, joined Gov. Asa Hutchinson to announce the expansion of the

     (AP) – A Little Rock man who prosecutors say ran a brothel out of his home has been sentenced to nearly two years in prison for lying to the Social Security Administration about his ability to work.

     (AP) – Carroll County authorities say a man has been found dead inside a home in Carroll County and a 17-year-old has been arrested in the case.      The sheriff’s office said in a statement to reporters that

     (AP) – An Arkansas Senate panel has advanced Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s $50 million proposal to cut income taxes for more than 600,000 low-income residents.      The Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee on Wednesday endorsed the Republican governor’s proposal

     (AP) – An Arkansas Senate committee has advanced legislation to delay the launch of the state’s voter-approved medical marijuana program and a proposal to ease a restriction for doctors of eligible patients.      The Senate Public Health, Welfare

     (AP) – There’s new life for a plan to have St. Louis taxpayers help fund a new downtown soccer stadium.      Eight days after the public funding proposal was declared all but dead, Alderwoman Christine Ingrassia on Wednesday

     (AP) – Federal authorities say they’re investigating threats to Jewish centers nationwide.      A brief FBI statement Wednesday says it and the Justice Department’s civil-rights division are investigating “possible civil rights violations in connection with threats.” The statement

     (AP) – St. Louis police are investigating the shooting death of a 15-year-old girl.      Two masked gunmen with assault rifles fired at the girl as she sat in a car Tuesday night. A St. Louis Public Schools

     (AP) – The commissioner of Indiana’s Department of Environmental Management will move to Missouri to lead the Department of Natural Resources under Gov. Eric Greitens.      Greitens announced Wednesday that Carol Comer will be the newest addition to

(AP) – Missouri’s Republican-led House has pushed forward a proposal to make Missouri the 28th right-to-work state despite Democratic efforts to send the measure to a public vote. The House voted 101-58 Wednesday to give initial approval

     (AP) – The Missouri State Highway Patrol is investigating after a man died of a gunshot wound after a traffic stop in Columbia.      Boone County Sheriff Sgt. Scott White says the confrontation began Wednesday afternoon when Columbia

The former campus president of a Kansas City trade school says he was fired for letting a homeless student sleep overnight in the school’s library during a cold snap. Snow was on the ground and temperatures dipped

St. Louis police are investigating the shooting death of a 15-year-old girl. Two masked gunmen with assault rifles fired at the girl as she sat in a car Tuesday night. A St. Louis Public Schools spokesman on

A Pulaski County Circuit judge approved paying $29.1 million from a lawsuit settlement fund to more than 21,000 Marlboro Lights users and their attorneys. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports the $45 million settlement fund was set up to

     (AP) – A sign on the door of a post office in Springdale says the office was closed Monday for the birthday of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.      A U.S. Postal Service spokeswoman says post office workers

     (AP) – Arkansas would ban food stamps from being used to buy soda or junk food under a plan that's heading to the state House for a vote.      The House Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee on

     (AP) – Authorities say a North Carolina man wanted on assault charges has been arrested after a police pursuit in Arkansas.      Arkansas State Police say a state trooper pulled over a pickup truck in Little Rock at

     (AP) – The Arkansas House has approved delaying the launch of the state's medical marijuana program and legislation easing the requirements for doctors who certify a patient is eligible to use the drug.      The House voted 91-0

     ST. LOUIS (AP) – The wife of a fallen St. Louis County Officer is using social media to process her grief and humanize officers.      The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports 24-year-old Elizabeth Snyder has been making a series

     SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) – Drury University officials are acknowledging hazing occurred on the men's swimming team but say they do not believe a culture of hazing exists in the school's athletic department.      Evan Petrich says hazing he

      AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – Texas and 12 other states have asked a federal court to block final rules from President Barack Obama's administration designed to reduce coal mining's impact on streams.      Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton petitioned

     JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) – Budget cuts announced by Gov. Eric Greitens will suspend plans for a dental school at Missouri Southern State University in Joplin.      Missouri Southern planned to open the dental school in partnership with the

     JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – Republican legislative leaders are planning to get to work quickly on some of the priorities outlined by Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens in his first State of the State address.      In a nearly

An Arkansas technical college will require legislative approval this session before it can merge with the University of Arkansas System. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that due to not having the “community college” name, Pulaski Technical College can

     TEXARKANA, Ark. (AP) The company that manages the Bi-State Justice Center in Texarkana is asking a judge to dismiss a civil lawsuit filed after the death of a 20-year-old inmate, who was diabetic.      Morgan Angerbauer was jailed

     WALNUT RIDGE, Ark. (AP) The city of Walnut Ridge is hoping to consolidate with another city this year with the intention of growing economically and improving quality of life.      KAIT-TV reports Walnut Ridge Mayor Charles Snapp mentioned

     (AP) – Arkansas State Police say three people have died in separate crashes on state roads.      Troopers say 33-year-old Leamon Wilson Burns of Harrisburg, 70-year-old Jimmy Bolin of Beebe and 24-year-old Megan Margaret Ruth Browning of Faulkner

     (AP) – An Arkansas inmate who was sentenced to life in prison without parole for a crime he committed as a juvenile could soon be released from custody.      Circuit Court Judge John Putman on Friday resentenced 37-year-old

     (AP) – President-elect Donald Trump and congressional Republicans have pledged to cut federal taxes to boost the economy. But some GOP-controlled states have already adopted similar strategies, only to see growth falter and budget gaps widen.      The

     (AP) – A southwest Missouri county highway is expected to be closed until Thursday as crews clean up an oil pipeline spill.      Enbridge Energy said Sunday that nearly 200 barrels of oil leaked from a pipeline at

     (AP) – The Missouri State Highway Patrol says a 28-year-old man died after a four-wheeler he was riding on overturned.      The 52-year-old driver of the vehicle involved in the accident on Sunday was arrested on suspicion of

     (AP) – Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens is cutting $146 million of spending from the budget, including tens of millions of dollars to public colleges and universities.      The Republican governor said the cuts announced Monday are necessary to

     (AP) – New Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens will outline his policies on jobs, ethics, public safety and education during his first State of the State address.      The Republican will speak Tuesday evening at the Capitol. Spokesman Parker

     (AP) – Arkansas State Police say three people have died in two crashes on state roads.      Police say 47-year-old Dennis Stone of Blytheville and 26-year-old Kaylam Diggs of Osceola died in a head-on collision near Blytheville and

     (AP)A Clarksville man who says his girlfriend was killed when a car fell on her in Newton County has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the woman’s death.      The Harrison Daily Times reports that 44-year-old Johnny

     (AP) – A Leachville woman has pleaded guilty to killing a rural grocery store manager in northeast Arkansas.      Prosecutor Scott Ellington told reporters that 31-year-old Stacy Keplinger pleaded guilty Friday to first-degree murder and attempted murder and

      (AP) – Every third Monday in January, Arkansas state offices are closed in observance of an unlikely holiday: the shared birthdays of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.        Now

     (AP) – Police in Fort Smith say one man is dead and two men are being questioned following a shooting on the city’s north side.      Sgt. Daniel Grubbs says officers were called to a camping trailer behind

     (AP) – Fire officials say a man was critically injured when he was trapped upside down in a pipe for about 26 hours near St. Louis before being rescued.      New Melle Fire Protection District Chief Rick Massey

           (AP) – Another Missouri school district is considering whether to join 18 others that have adopted a four-day school week.      East Newton Superintendent Todd McCrackin says the district is considering the change because of an expected

     (AP) – Rideshare services such as Uber and Lyft are hoping to expand services to Missouri customers under proposed statewide regulations for the app-based companies.      The proposal requires background checks for drivers, vehicle inspections and includes a

     (AP) – Missouri authorities are searching for a suspected parole violator they say exchanged gunfire with a state trooper after a chase.      The Missouri State Highway Patrol says the trooper escaped injury during the alleged confrontation with

     SPRINGDALE, Ark. (AP) – More than 21,000 students enjoyed what will essentially be counted as a "snow day" on an Arkansas school district's calendar – except that temperatures were in the 60s.      A break in a main

     LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – Jurors are ordering Union Pacific Corp. to pay a former engineer $2 million for injuries he suffered in a 2013 train crash.      The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that nine of 12 Pulaski County

     LITLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – An Arkansas high school that was at the heart of the civil rights movement has received nearly $500,000 to help restore the building's historic exterior.      Little Rock Central High School received the

     SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) – A southwestern Missouri man has been ordered to spend two decades in prison for sexually abusing a girl over a seven-year period dating to when she was 12 years old, ultimately impregnating her.

     SPRINGDALE, Ark. (AP) – More than 21,000 students enjoyed what will essentially be counted as a “snow day” on an Arkansas school district’s calendar – except that temperatures were in the 60s.      A break in a main

     ST. LOUIS (AP) – A former FBI agent who played a key role in cracking the disappearance of two Missouri boys, one of whom had been missing for nearly five years, is rejoicing in the 10-year anniversary

     FREDERICKTOWN, Mo. (AP) – Authorities say a 74-year-old woman was killed in a house fire in southeastern Missouri's Madison County. KFVS-TV says Lucille Francis' body was found after the fire that was reported after 11 p.m. Friday.

     ST. LOUIS (AP) – Missouri's U.S. senators are renewing efforts to get the legendary riverboat the Delta Queen cruising again on the Mississippi River and its tributaries.      Legislation filed this past week by Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – Gov. Asa Hutchinson has announced six appointments to the state's police commission and boards of trustees at several universities. Hutchinson appointed Stephen Edwards of Marianna to the Arkansas State Police Commission. Therral

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – An Arkansas congressman has been named to the House Intelligence Committee. Rep. Rick Crawford announced Friday he had been selected by House Speaker Paul Ryan to join the panel, which was formed

NEW MELLE, Mo. (AP) – A suburban St. Louis man is hospitalized with critical injuries after being trapped upside down for about 26 hours in a 20-inch-wide pipe. Authorities say 47-year-old Leon Lyke was rescued about 2

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) – A man allegedly arrested at a Jackson County truck stop with a 13-year-old girl has been charged with a federal sex crime. The Kansas City Star reports 25-year-old Dominic Keith Pearson was charged

     (AP) – Top Arkansas lawmakers say they’ll move quickly on Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s proposed $50 million tax cut for low-income residents, but say there are questions about part of his plan to give military veterans a tax

     (AP) – The National Transportation Safety Board says it will soon issue a preliminary report on a plane crash in southwest Arkansas last week that killed a former Oklahoma Christian University baseball player and another person.      An

     (AP) – Arkansas State Fair officials have announced that the fair will expand, open a day earlier and have a new carnival operator in 2017.      The fair will run for 11 days, from Oct. 12-22, an increase

         (AP) – Drinking water in the south Arkansas town of Bearden has tested high for lead, but state officials say it is still safe to drink.      The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that the water tested three parts

     (AP) – The Arkansas Supreme Court has admonished Lincoln County’s clerk over how her office handled court papers submitted by inmates unable to pay their filing fees.      Cindy Glover had previously pleaded not guilty to a contempt

     (AP) – Top Arkansas lawmakers say they’ll move quickly on Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s proposed $50 million tax cut for low-income residents, but say there are questions about part of his plan to give military veterans a tax

    (AP) – With the growing season still weeks away, chicken waste that will be used as fertilizer is piling up in barns across the South and causing worries about spontaneous combustion.      A chicken litter pile this week

     (AP) – The Missouri House is moving forward on a top campaign promise by Republican Gov. Eric Greitens to ban lobbyist gifts to elected officials.      House members voted 147-6 in favor of a proposed ban Thursday. It

     (AP) – A former principal of the year from northern Kansas City has been charged with having sex with a high school cheerleader nearly two decades ago.      The Kansas City Star reports that 48-year-old Matthew Lindsey, of

     (AP) – Tommy Allsup, a guitarist best known for losing a coin toss that kept him off a plane that later crashed and killed rock ‘n’ roll stars Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. “Big Bopper” Richardson,

     (AP) – Missouri’s Republican House budget leader says without more cuts the state is expected to end the fiscal year about $40 million in the hole.      Budget Committee Chairman Scott Fitzpatrick told lawmakers Thursday the difference between

     (AP) – An attorney for a man sentenced to 25 years in prison for rape is arguing that a Missouri law allowing sexually violent predators to be indefinitely committed to mental institutions is unconstitutional.      The Missouri Supreme

     (AP) – A St. Louis man has been sentenced to two years of unsupervised probation in connection to a November 2015 lockdown of the Lincoln University campus.      The Jefferson City News Tribune reports that 19-year-old Zaccheus Griffin

     (AP) – An Ohio man could face up to life in prison after being convicted of transporting four teenage girls to Missouri to engage in prostitution.      A four-day trial in U.S. District Court in St. Louis ended

     (AP)Authorities have arrested a man in the shooting death of a woman in a Springfield home.      The Springfield News-Leader reports that police received a call around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday about a possible shooting. Lt. Mike Lucas says

A former principal of the year from northern Kansas City has been charged with having sex with a high school cheerleader nearly two decades ago. The Kansas City Star reports that 48-year-old Matthew Lindsey, of Oak Grove,

   A prosecutor says a sheriff’s deputy in northwest Arkansas was justified when he fatally shot a knife-wielding man outside a tire store last month.    Washington County Prosecuting Attorney Matt Durrett says Cpl. Brad Robinson “had no other

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – The parents of Hailey Owens, a 10-year old girl kidnapped and killed in Springfield in 2014, are joining with the parents of the man suspected of killing her to seek updates to

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – The family of a Kansas lawmaker’s 10-year-old son killed last summer on what was billed as the world’s tallest water slide has reached a settlement with the park’s owner. Terms of the

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – A Missouri House panel has voted to advance a right-to-work bill to bar mandatory union fees. House Economic Development Committee members voted 8-4 in favor of the bill Wednesday. Kearney Republican Rep.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – Some Republican lawmakers in Missouri are proposing to overhaul the state’s Medicaid system without waiting for President-elect Donald Trump and the Republican-led Congress to act first. A Senate committee heard testimony Wednesday

     The Arkansas Medical Marijuana Commission decided Tuesday to allow 32 dispensaries that will be evenly distributed among the state’s four congressional districts, according to the Arkansas Democrat Gazette.      The voter-approved Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment allows the commission

     (AP) – An Arkansas businessman convicted of bribing a state official is now in a federal prison after an appeals court rejected his request to remain free while challenging his convictions.      The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports 51-year-old Ted

     (AP) – Organizers of the Arkansas Inaugural Gala say the event to celebrate the inauguration of the President of the United States has been canceled this year due to low demand for tickets.      The event is hosted

     (AP) – A transit system serving four counties in northwest Arkansas has restricted its service after an early morning fire destroyed nearly all its buses.      Ozark Regional Transit says the fire broke out Tuesday in a bus

     (AP) – The Joplin school district has suspended a middle school Bible study that provided doughnuts to those who participated.      The district announced the action after a complaint from the American Humanist Association, which alleged school employees

     (AP) – A southwestern Missouri man charged in the shooting death of an 82-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder.      The Joplin Globe reports 44-year-old Shannon Hensley entered the plea Monday in Lawrence County Circuit

          (AP) – Missouri’s new Gov. Eric Greitens is putting a temporary freeze on new government regulations.      Greitens on Tuesday signed an executive order banning state agencies from creating new regulations through the end of February.      He

     (AP) – Bagnell Dam and Osage Energy Center at Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks will get a $52 million upgrade starting this spring.      Ameren Missouri said Tuesday that new anchors and concrete will be installed on the

     (AP) – A passenger in a stolen SUV that crashed while fleeing from St. Louis police is charged with murder in the driver’s death.      The driver, 21-year-old Davion Henderson, was fatally shot by police Monday. But the

     (AP) – Missouri lawmakers are putting a right-to-work measure on a fast-track to passage with support from a new Republican governor.      House members within days of the session’s January start held a Tuesday committee hearing on right-to-work

     (AP) – A recent census says a majority of Arkansas'work-related deaths in 2015 were linked to transportation.      The Arkansas Department of Labor's census shows the state had 74 work-related deaths in 2015. That is up from 67

     (AP) – Arkansas officials say the number of mumps cases in the northwest part of the state appears to be leveling off.      The Arkansas Department of Health says there were 2,400 confirmed or strongly suspected cases as

     (AP) – Motorists in Arkansas and Oklahoma are enjoying some of the lowest gasoline prices in the nation.      AAA Oklahoma said Monday the average price of a gallon of unleaded gas in Arkansas was $2.16, the sixth

     (AP) – Authorities in Little Rock are investigating the city’s first homicide of 2017 after a fatal shooting Sunday.      Little Rock police responded to the shooting Sunday night near Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and West 34th

     (AP) – Three Arkansas lawmakers who defected from the Democratic Party to the GOP over the past two years will be leading top committees in the House this year.      House Speaker Jeremy Gillam on Monday announced who

     (AP) – A 13-year-old boy is injured after being accidentally shot by an uncle playing with a gun in St. Louis County.      The shooting happened Sunday night at an apartment complex in north St. Louis County. Police

     (AP) – Court documents say a Missouri baby girl who was delivered after her mother was killed in a crash on her way to a hospital to give birth has brain trauma.      Seven-month-old Maddyson Iler was delivered

     (AP) – Missouri State University has agreed to pay $25,000 to a former student who sued after he was removed from a counseling program because he wouldn’t counsel gay couples.      The Springfield News-Leader reports the settlement with

     (AP) – A St. Louis police officer has fatally shot a 21-year-old man who crashed a stolen SUV and allegedly pointed a gun at arriving officers.      The shooting happened Monday afternoon on the city’s north side. Names

    (AP) – Arkansas lawmakers are set to return to the Capitol for this year’s legislative session, with dueling tax cut proposals and efforts to launch the state’s medical marijuana program dominating the agenda.      The House and Senate

CONWAY, Ark. (AP) – Funeral services have been scheduled for former Arkansas state Sen. Stanley Russ of Conway. Roller-McNutt Funeral Home in Conway says services are set for 1 p.m. Monday at Central Baptist Church. Russ died

NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – The suspect in a 2015 fatal shooting in North Little Rock who was free on bond pending the start of his first-degree murder trial has been arrested on marijuana and weapons

BEE BRANCH, Ark. (AP) – Arkansas State Police say three people, including a juvenile, have been killed in automobile crashes on snow-covered roads. Police say 40-year-old Amanda Sue McKinnon of Damascus and the juvenile whose name wasn’t

     (AP) – Independence police say officers responding to reports of a suicidal man fatally shot him after he allegedly pointed a weapon at them.      The confrontation happened Saturday evening at an apartment complex in Independence.      KCTV5 reports

     (AP) – Former U.S. Attorney Todd Graves is the new chairman of the Missouri Republican Party.      The Missouri Republican State Committee elected Graves on Saturday as the party’s new statewide chief. Graves has served as western Missouri’s

     (AP) – Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway and her husband, Jon, are welcoming a third son.      Galloway announced in a news release Sunday that Joseph Nickels Galloway was born Friday afternoon.      She says her new son is

     (AP) – Some Missouri school leaders are worried that a new state law might lead to felony arrests for students involved in fights and bullying, but legal and legislative officials say the concern is overblown.      The new

BENTONVILLE, Ark. (AP) – Prosecutors say they won’t seek the death penalty for a Siloam Springs man accused in the Christmas night 2014 murder of his father. The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that prosecutors made the announcement

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – The Arkansas Air National Guard has a new commander to oversee thousands of troops, training missions and intelligence gathering. The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports Col. Marc Sicard will be promoted to brigadier

TULSA, Okla. (AP) – Transportation officials in Arkansas and Oklahoma are warning drivers to use extra caution on state roads and bridges as crews continue cleaning up after a winter storm pushed through the area. Frigid temperatures

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. (AP) – A southeast Missouri woman is accused in the death of her 87-year-old mother after police say they found the elderly woman malnourished and dehydrated at her daughter’s home. KFVS-TV reports that Butler

MOUNT VERNON, Mo. (AP) – A southwestern Missouri man is jailed without bond after being accused in the shooting death of an 82-year-old man. Lawrence County prosecutors charged 44-year-old Shannon Hensley on Friday with first-degree murder, first-degree

     NEW YORK (AP) Wal-Mart says it named John Furner as CEO of its Sam’s Club stores to replace Rosalind Brewer, who is retiring next month.      Furner, who is 42, will head the membership-only warehouse chain next month.

     CLARKSVILLE, Ark. (AP) Arkansas State Police say an Arkansas man has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of a man whose body was found in a wooded area in Johnson County.      State police announced Friday

     LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) The lawyers who secured a $45 million settlement for smokers of Marlboro Lights in Arkansas have asked a judge to decide how much they should be paid.      The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports the lawyers

     JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) Missouri’s incoming Republican Gov. Eric Greitens is tapping former GOP state Treasurer Sarah Steelman to be his administration commissioner.      Greitens announced the pick Friday on Facebook. His inauguration is Monday.      Steelman’s appointment is

     JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – A special election for a vacant central Missouri House seat that covers a portion of Columbia and Ashland is set for Aug. 8.      Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon announced

     ROLLA, Mo. (AP) Two people have been accused of making a bogus bomb threat that forced the evacuation of a central Missouri county’s courthouse.      Thirty-four-year-old Bryan Riden and 36-year-old Melissa Hannon, both of Rolla, are charged in

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – Facebook is donating 500 virtual reality kits to Arkansas schools under a first-of-its-kind partnership between the social media giant and the state. Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced the donation as part of

     (AP) – Hot Springs has paid $87,500 to settle a 2015 lawsuit alleging the deputy city manager fired a city employee for corroborating a female coworker’s sexual harassment claim against him.      The settlement led a federal judge

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. (AP) – A Kirksville man has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the shooting death of his wife. The Kirksville Daily Express reports 41-year-old Danny Welte also pleaded not guilty Wednesday to armed criminal

     (AP) – Visitors to Arkansas' House of Representatives will have to go through additional metal detectors when the Legislature convenes for the session next week.      The House on Thursday announced that the detectors have been placed at

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) – Federal regulators have renewed the operating license for the University of Missouri's nuclear research reactor. The university says the Nuclear Regulatory Commission granted a 20-year operating license to the University of Missouri Research

     (AP) – Authorities say two people were killed when a single-engine airplane crashed near Gurdon in southwestern Arkansas while on a flight from Texas to North Carolina.      Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Tony Molinaro says the two were

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – A Kansas City group is seeking a required citywide vote before any streetcar expansion can occur. The Kansas City Star reports that the group filed petition signatures with the city clerk's office

ST. LOUIS (AP) – The Humane Society of Missouri has rescued 31 dogs from what officials call "filthy" conditions at a home in west-central Missouri's Benton County. Thirty of the dogs are small mixed-breed, and one is

ST. LOUIS (AP) – A St. Louis man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for his role in a drug-related crime that resulted in a fatal shooting.      A federal judge on Thursday sentenced 29-year-old Walter

     (AP) – A southwest Missouri car dealer was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for inaccurate reporting of mileage on dozens of vehicles he sold.      Federal prosecutors say 62-year-old Kenneth Smith, of Lebanon, was sentenced Thursday

Police say four people have been arrested following a New Year’s Day shooting at a Fort Smith nightclub that injured three people. Fort Smith police say the shooting happened at about 2 a.m. Sunday at the Fort

     (AP) – A former Arkansas Department of Human Services employee has been sentenced to nine years in prison for fraud related to a program that provides food for low income children.      Court records show 39-year-old Tonique Hatton

     (AP) – Researchers say a six month study looking for long-term financing for state highways found Arkansans prefer maintaining roads to building new ones, favor a sales tax on fuel wholesalers and support making permanent a temporary

     (AP) – Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson says he’s not making an economic argument for ending the state’s practice of honoring Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert E. Lee on the same day. He just says removing the

     (AP) – Arkansas’ highest court will hear arguments next month in a legal battle over whether a whether a city’s ban on discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity conflicts with a state law aimed at

     (AP) – Prosecutors say an Arkansas lawmaker set to leave office next week has pleaded guilty to conspiracy for arranging bribes while he was a member of the state House.      The U.S. Attorney’s office says 42-year-old Republican

     (AP) – A Newton County judge has sentenced a Neosho man to three years in prison for leaving the scene of a 2015 traffic accident that killed a 19-year-old man.      The Joplin Globe reports that Circuit Judge

     (AP) – Police chief Paul Williams says a man who was fatally shot by Springfield officers fired his gun before being shot.      Williams says James Lewis did not fire at officers early Sunday during a confrontation at

     (AP) – Investigators have found evidence that fireworks were being manufactured at a business that exploded and burned in suburban Kansas City.      The explosion a JW Lawn Service in Grandview Tuesday broke windows and caused damage to

     (AP) – A former Joplin police officer will serve six months of home detention for trying to get a woman’s drunk-driving charge dismissed in exchange for sexual favors.      Brian Rogers was sentenced Wednesday on a misdemeanor charge

     (AP) – After meeting with investors in a proposed St. Louis soccer stadium, Missouri Gov.-elect Eric Greitens still opposes spending state money for the project.      Senior adviser Austin Chambers said Greitens met Wednesday in Jefferson City with

     (AP) – Missouri lawmakers are kicking off the 2017 legislative session with flowers and a reading of the Bill of Rights.      Wednesday is the first day of session, which runs through mid-May.      Most House members wore red

Authorities say a man suspected in the killing of a woman near Little Rock has been found dead in a rural area of Woodruff County. Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Cody Burk says George Ricky Jenkins was

A man has been charged with causing a deadly mid-Missouri crash while on probation for being a persistent driving while intoxicated offender. Thirty-three-year-old Joshua Keller made his first court appearance Tuesday on charges of second-degree murder in

     (AP) – Authorities in western Arkansas have arrested a man on suspicion of two counts of first-degree murder after two brothers were found dead in a Sebastian County home.      The Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office says a relative

     (AP) – The new Hot Spring County sheriff says he’ll likely ask Arkansas State Police to investigate what he calls the trashing of the department’s Malvern office during the previous administration.      Sheriff Mike Cash tells the Arkansas

     (AP) – Pulaski County authorities say a woman has been found shot to death at a home south of Little Rock and a suspect is being sought.      Lt. Cody Burk told reporters that Brandi Johnson-Bennett was found

     (AP) – Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson hasn’t formally announced his plans to seek a second term, but is already raising money for his re-election bid.      The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports a fundraiser for the Republican governor’s 2018 campaign

      (AP) – An Arkansas judge has left office and agreed to never serve on the bench again after a disciplinary panel said it was prepared to administratively charge him with trading sexual favors with female defendants in

     (AP) – Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon set an aggressive agenda to attract jobs after the Great Recession.      An Associated Press analysis shows the Democratic governor promoted business deals projected to cumulatively create about 48,000 jobs in exchange

     (AP) – The Missouri Supreme Court has suspended a Lincoln County judge accused of delaying the assignment of public defenders in probation cases.      The court on Tuesday suspended Judge Christina Kunza Mennemeyer without pay for six months

     (AP) – A Columbia state lawmaker will be Missouri Republican Gov.-elect Eric Greitens’ deputy chief of staff.      Greitens on Tuesday announced he picked Republican Rep. Caleb Jones for the job. Jones will work alongside Greitens’ pick for

     (AP) – Missouri lawmakers will start the 2017 legislative session with a new ally for Republicans: Gov.-elect Eric Greitens.      Legislators will meet for the first day of session Wednesday at the Capitol in Jefferson City.      Republicans hold

Missouri’s outgoing Democratic governor says he’s made plenty of “solid accomplishments” during his two terms as the chief executive. In an interview with the Associated Press, Gov. Jay Nixon cites increased funding for education and mental health

Authorities in western Arkansas have arrested a man on suspicion of two counts of first-degree murder after two brothers were found dead in a Sebastian County home. The Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office says a relative found the

     A former U.S. senator who defended an impeached president and a former U.S. representative who helped draft articles of impeachment against another president are among the notable Arkansans who died during 2016.      Former governor and Sen. Dale

     (AP) – A prosecutor says no police officers will face charges for the fatal shooting of a Mississippi man on Christmas Day.      Prosecutor Don McSpadden tells the Batesville Daily Guard that the death of 33-year-old Joseph Garcia

     (AP) – Residents say they’re seeing more crashes involving big trucks on the steep, hilly roads of the Arkansas Ozarks.      In the past 21/2 years, seven trucks have wrecked on a 2-mile stretch of Arkansas 43 near

     (AP) – Authorities have identified the person killed in a chain-reaction crash on Interstate 40 in eastern Arkansas that also left 10 people injured.      Arkansas State Police said in a preliminary report released Monday that 68-year-old David

     (AP) – MFA Inc. officials say a $27 million grain-handling facility in northwest Missouri should be ready to open by the summer.      The St. Joseph News-Press reports weather hasn’t significantly delayed work on the shuttle-loader operation in

     (AP) – Jefferson City police are investigating the shooting death of a 23-year-old man early New Year’s Day.      Police responding to a call at a Jefferson City home about 1 a.m. Sunday found Quonterio Davis with several

     (AP) – Kansas City police are investigating three separate triple shootings in a violent New Year’s holiday weekend.      Police say one man was killed and two other people were injured in a shooting Saturday evening. KCTV reports

     (AP) – Springfield police have identified a man who was fatally shot by officers on New Year’s Day as 44-year-old James Lewis. Lewis died hours after he was shot Sunday near Silver Springs Park in north Springfield.

     (AP) – Missouri Gov.-elect Eric Greitens has named leaders for his public safety team.      Greitens announced Monday that Drew Juden, director of public safety in Sikeston, will be his director of public safety. Greg Favre, command staff

     (AP) – Lt. Gov.-elect Mike Parson says he is recovering after undergoing heart surgery. He says he will be ready to take office on Inauguration Day next week.      Parson released a statement Monday disclosing the surgery. He

     (AP) – West Fork leaders say they want to restore a nearly 100-year-old bridge and use it as a trail connection.      The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that the Woolsey Bridge is being moved from about 2 miles

     (AP) – Law enforcement officers in a small, three-county district in western Arkansas are responsible for nearly 40 percent of the seized cash from drug connected arrests from 2012 through 2015.      Reports from the Arkansas drug director’s

     (AP) – Police in Fort Smith are investigating an early morning shooting that left two men and a woman injured.      Police Sgt. Daniel Grubbs said in a news release that officers were dispatched to a shooting early

       (AP) A former U.S. senator who defended an impeached president and a former U.S. representative who helped draft articles of impeachment against another president are among the notable Arkansans who died during 2016.        Former governor and Sen.

     (AP) – First-time offenders convicted of possessing small amounts of marijuana no longer will face jail time, and most adults will be able to carry concealed weapons without a permit under new Missouri laws.      Those laws and

     (AP) – A Joplin woman has said "Yes" after her boyfriend proposed marriage in the newspaper.      The Joplin Globe reports that the Christmas Day edition of the paper was sitting in the center of the coffee table

     (AP) – MFA Inc. officials say a $27 million grain-handling facility in northwest Missouri should be ready to open by the summer.      The St. Joseph News-Press reports weather hasn't significantly delayed work on the shuttle-loader operation in

           (AP) – Police say a man died after he was shot by Springfield police officers during a confrontation on New Year's Day.      City spokeswoman Lisa Cox said in a news release that officers went to Silver

     (AP) – Jefferson City police are investigating the shooting death of a 23-year-old man early New Year's Day.      Police responding to a call at a Jefferson City home about 1 a.m. Sunday found Quonterio Davis with several

     BENTON, Mo. (AP) – A southeast Missouri sheriff and the man who unseated him in the November election say they're not giving up on trying to solve a 19-year-old woman's shooting death that's been unsolved for nearly

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – First-time offenders convicted of possessing small amounts of marijuana no longer will face jail time, and most adults will be able to carry concealed weapons without a permit under new Missouri laws.

     LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – A trial date has been set for a man accused of fatally shooting a northeast Arkansas farmer over a dispute about herbicide use.      The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports Missouri resident Allan Curtis Jones

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – Arkansas could be in for some wild weather next week as spring-like temperatures give way to thunderstorms and a cold front that could be packing snow and freezing rain. The National Weather

TONTITOWN, Ark. (AP) – Tontitown officials have agreed to settle a lawsuit brought by a former police chief who was fired in January 2015. The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that city aldermen agreed last week to settle

WEST FORK, Ark. (AP) – West Fork leaders say they want to restore a nearly 100-year-old bridge and use it as a trail connection. The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that the Woolsey Bridge is being moved from

PLEASANT VALLEY, Mo. (AP) – Authorities are investigating the shooting death of a 23-year-old man in Clay County. The Kansas City Star reports that the man was found shot to death late Friday in Pleasant Valley. The

LEE'S SUMMIT, Mo. (AP) – A small aircraft crash landed shortly after taking off from a suburban Kansas City airport, seriously injuring the pilot.      Sgt. Chris Depue of the Lee's Summit Police Department told The Kansas City

     KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Michael Brown’s parents are objecting to a request from Ferguson for the 18-year-old’s medical and academic records as the city defends itself against a lawsuit that the parents filed over the 2014

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – First-time offenders convicted of possessing small amounts of marijuana no longer will face jail time, and most adults will be able to carry concealed weapons without a permit under new Missouri laws.

     LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – A decision by Arkansas' voters to let residents with certain medical conditions obtain marijuana to ease their symptoms was an overwhelming choice as the state's top news story of 2016, according to

     LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – One of three drugs Arkansas uses for lethal injections is set to expire when the new year begins, and a prison system spokesman says the state does not yet have a replacement.

     PERRYVILLE, Mo. (AP) – A southeast Missouri teenager is accused of stealing a nursery tractor and drunkenly taking it for a joyride on a highway before crashing into a ditch.      The Southeast Missourian of Cape Girardeau reports

     JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – A state task force says Missouri needs to continue improving its public and private efforts to ensure its cybersecurity.      The Missouri Cybersecurity Task Force, which Gov. Jay Nixon formed in April, said

     ST. LOUIS (AP) – A judge has appointed state prosecutors to the retrial of a man once sentenced to death in the killings of two sisters pushed from an abandoned Mississippi River bridge.      The St. Louis Post-Dispatch

     BROWNING, Mo. (AP) – A northern Missouri school janitor has been charged with sexually abusing a student.      KTVO-TV reports that bond is set at $100,000 for 57-year-old Steven Klinger, of Browning. The Linn County R-1 schools janitor

     ST. LOUIS (AP) – A St. Louis federal judge says she wants to hear arguments over a lawsuit's challenge of a new law limiting campaign contributions before deciding whether to put a temporary hold on such caps.

     COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) – A panel set up by the University of Missouri has released a list of legislative recommendations that include redefining how students are charged for their education.      The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports the University

     SIDNEY, Neb. (AP) – Cabela’s say Bass Pro Shops’ $4.5 billion deal to buy Nebraska-based the outfitter faces some new hurdles.      Cabela’s said in a securities filing Thursday that the Federal Trade Commission wants more information about

The prosecutor in Sebastian County says he won’t file charges against a homeowner who shot two men on his property last month. Sebastian County Prosecuting Attorney Daniel Shue says the homeowner was justified when he shot and

A rescued bald eagle has regained its freedom after being treated in southwest Missouri for head and wing injuries. The Springfield News-Leader reports that the young bird launched out of its plastic cage Thursday at Lake Springfield,

     (AP) – A report by a private foundation says the percentage of Arkansas adults who went without medical care because of the cost decreased last year for at least the second year in a row.      The Arkansas

     (AP) – Officials with the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport have finalized a bond issue to build a new parking deck.      The contract for the new, 1,400-space parking deck has a maximum cost of $35 million. On Wednesday,

     (AP) – Police in Jonesboro say two men have been found shot to death in a home in the western part of the city.      Police say 57-year-old Kenny Coleman and 52-year-old Charles Jones were found Wednesday night

     With Donald Trump’s election, Republicans in Congress will have the opportunity to overhaul Medicaid, something they’ve wanted to do for years.      The program provides health care to millions of lower-income and disabled Americans. Currently, the federal government

     (AP) – An Arkansas museum that moved a Frank Lloyd Wright home onto its grounds will add one of Buckminster Fuller's geodesic domes next summer.      The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art will erect a 50-foot "Fly's

     (AP) – Authorities say a suburban St. Louis church Nativity scene fire appears to have been intentionally set.      The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the Nativity scene in front of the altar was ablaze Tuesday night when

     (AP) – A new study by Washington University in St. Louis researchers has found that current safety standards to protect welders from harmful fumes may be inadequate.      Dr. Brad A. Racette, senior author of the study, tells

     (AP) – A woman has died in a Columbia crash while fleeing from a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper.      The Columbia Daily Tribune reports that 51-year-old Karin Kespohl, of Columbia, drove off Thursday morning after a trooper

     (AP) – A Republican Missouri lawmaker says he has a solution to end tense debates over same-sex marriage.      Rep. T.J. Berry wants to take government out of marriage and leave it to houses of worship by classifying

     (AP) – Missouri Republican Gov.-elect Eric Greitens will make budget cuts after he takes office.      Greitens’ senior adviser Austin Chambers announced plans for budget cuts Thursday but declined to provide further details, including how much spending previously

     (AP) – The Missouri Department of Conservation says a beetle that is fatal to ash trees has spread to southwest Missouri.      The department says the emerald ash borer was recently found in Laclede County. It is the

     (AP) – A state commission says Arkansas residents hoping to grow medical marijuana must pay a $15,000 application fee in addition to a licensing fee.      The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Commission approved the

     (AP) – Voters in Newton County will consider a sales tax increase to help fund salaries for sheriff’s deputies, which are among the lowest in the state.      A special election is planned for Feb. 14 asking voters

     (AP) – Two escapees from the federal prison in Forrest City have been recaptured in Fayetteville.      The U.S. Marshals Service said Wednesday that Devoy Nokes and George Roberts were arrested without incident Tuesday at a home in

     (AP) – Arkansas State Police say three people have been killed in two separate auto crashes on state roads.      State police say 39-year-old Kevin Gray of Judsonia and 46-year-old Robert Adams of Bradford died in a head-on

     (AP) – The reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction for those responsible for the fatal shooting of a 2-year-old Little Rock girl is being doubled to $40,000.      The city of Little Rock announced Wednesday

     (AP) – Authorities investigating the death of an Arkansas man whose body was found in a hot tub want to expand the probe to include a new kind of evidence: any comments overheard by the suspect’s Amazon

     (AP) – Authorities have identified a man whose body was discovered in a car pulled from the Mississippi River in Southwestern Illinois as a 26-year old from Missouri.      The Belleville News-Democrat reports Jersey County Coroner Larry Alexander

     (AP) – St. Louis' prosecutor has asked a judge to appoint state prosecutors to the retrial of a man once condemned for his alleged role in the deaths of two sisters pushed from an abandoned Mississippi River

     (AP) – Prosecutors have dismissed four first-degree murder charges against a Missouri man less than two weeks before his trial had been scheduled to begin.      But the Springfield News-Leader reports that prosecutors anticipate refiling charges against 49-year-old

     (AP) – A northeast Kansas man whose 8-year-old granddaughter was killed in a crash as she drove him home from church has pleaded no contest in her death.      The St. Joseph News-Press reports that Dennis Meers, of

PLATTE CITY, Mo. (AP) – An armed trucker whose hours-long standoff at a Missouri rest stop snarled a freeway’s traffic for miles heading into the holiday weekend has been charged with making a terrorist threat. Prosecutors in

     28-year-old Jamie Anderson, of Jonesboro, was arrested by the Craighead County Sheriff’s office and held at the Pulaski County Detention Facility on no bond. She is charged with one count of Medicaid fraud, a Class C felony.

     (AP) – A Little Rock Police spokesman says dozens of teenagers were asked to leave Park Plaza Mall on Monday night in an incident mirrored at several shopping centers nationwide.      Lt. Steve McClanahan says police dispatch received

     (AP) – Michigan State Police say a man who died along an Arkansas highway in 1989 has been identified as a long-missing Battle Creek man.      Charles Cornell was 30 when he was last seen by relatives in

     (AP) – Arkansas State Police say one youth was killed and two others were injured in a single-vehicle crash in Jefferson County.      A police report says the three were in a pickup truck that went off the

     (AP) – A man has been formally arraigned on a capital murder charge in the fatal shooting of a 3-year-old boy in a road rage incident in Little Rock, Arkansas.      A Little Rock district judge on Tuesday

     (AP) – Arkansas State Police say a prosecutor has decided no charges will be filed in connection with a fatal auto accident that killed two people and injured a state trooper.      State police say Prosecuting Attorney Terri

     (AP) – A grand jury has accused an Arkansas woman of creating a fake will for a Deepwater Horizon oil explosion survivor who was later killed in a car wreck so her daughter would inherit his million-dollar

     (AP) – A Kansas federal judge has lifted a stay of execution for a former soldier who was sentenced to death for killing two women and three rapes.      Ronald A. Gray has been held at Fort Leavenworth,

     (AP) – A 14-year-old southeast Missouri boy remains hospitalized after falling through a school’s skylight.      The Kennett Daily Dunklin Democrat reports that the incident happened before 5:30 a.m. Friday. A 16-year-old boy ran to the police department

     (AP) – A shooting in the southeast Missouri town of Sikeston remains under investigation.      The Southeast Missourian reports that a 32-year-old Cape Girardeau man was shot three times outside of a party about 2 a.m. Christmas Day.

(Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com) ST. LOUIS (AP) – A recent report by a Missouri task force says the state’s public universities and community colleges should not stray from the types of degrees their institutions can

     (AP) – One of mid-Missouri’s fastest growing tourist attractions is a place where nobody wanted to be prior to its closing in 2004 – the Missouri State Penitentiary.      The Jefferson City News Tribune reports that 32,811 people

     (AP) – Ninety-six-year-old Cyrus Porter is a devoted Taylor Swift fan and has traveled to her shows, but on Monday, he didn’t have to go anywhere. Swift came to him.      A day after Porter hosted 72 people

     (AP) – Missouri Gov.-elect Eric Greitens has chosen a northeast Missouri woman to be the next director of the Missouri Department of Agriculture.      Greitens announced on his Facebook page Tuesday that he had chosen Chris Chinn, 41,

     (AP) – Arkansas State Police say two people died over the weekend in a single-car wreck in Yell County.      State police say the wreck happened Saturday on South Liberty Road in Yell County. According to a preliminary

     (AP) – Three members of Arkansas’ congressional delegation are opposing a proposal to convert an abandoned facility near Hot Springs as a shelter for unaccompanied immigrant children.      The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services visited the

     JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – Republicans are planning to use majorities in many state capitols to push policies limiting unions, lawsuits and abortion in 2017 while also seeking to expand gun rights and school-choice laws.      This year’s

     (AP) – Missouri lawmakers hope that the upcoming session will finally produce a ban on lobbyist gifts, thanks to support from Republican Gov.-elect Eric Greitens.      It's among the top priorities for House Speaker Todd Richardson, who said