Category Archives: Regional News

     LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) Arkansas lawmakers have approved a measure requiring voters to show photo identification before casting a ballot, sending to the governor's desk a requirement that was struck down as unconstitutional more than two years

Police say a man has been shot in the head on a light rail platform across the street from Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that a gun went off after a group

A southwest Missouri woman and her boyfriend are charged in the death of the woman’s 18-month-old daughter. Twenty-one-year-old Jennifer Bolin and 22-year-old Michel Perrin, of Seymour, are scheduled to appear in court Tuesday on charges of child

Hot Springs police say a man plotted to have a woman killed following a number of incidents with her and her husband. The Hot Springs Sentinel-Record reported that 58-year-old Ricky Cleveland Alexander was charged last week with

     (AP) – An Arkansas teen has been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of a 42-year-old man in Pope County.      The sheriff’s office says 19-year-old Nathaniel Z. Symonds of Dover was arrested following Friday’s fatal shooting

     (AP) – The manager of Wild Wilderness Drive Through Safari in Gentry denies allegations of violating U.S. Department of Agriculture regulations.      Leon Wilmoth told the Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette he's addressed issues raised in the January complaint

     (AP) – Nearly 3,000 state employees in Arkansas are now paid $100,000 or more per year.      Figures obtained by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette show the number increased by 211 this fiscal year to 2,933.      The greatest increase was

     (AP) – Authorities in Florida are investigating after a 25-year-old Missouri woman died after undergoing a cosmetic procedure at a Miami-area surgery center.      Police in Hialeah, Florida, said in a news release that Ranika Hall of Kansas

     (AP) – Missouri lawmakers are pushing to give all state workers paid parental leave after Republican Gov. Eric Greitens signed an order providing the benefit to some executive branch employees.      Greitens' order gives up to six weeks

     (AP) – The St. Louis childhood home of late poet Maya Angelou is up for sale.      With a listed price of $159,000, the 1,100-square-foot place at 3130 Hickory St. was Angelou's home for her first three years

     (AP) – Small and medium-sized Missouri companies interested in exporting their products overseas could get a boost from a state economic program.      State officials were in Joplin last week to discuss the State Trade & Export Promotion,

     (AP) – Fans mourning Chuck Berry's death can look forward to an album of mostly new material expected this year.      The 90-year-old Berry died Saturday at his home near St. Louis. Berry's songs include the classics "Johnny

     JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – Missouri lawmakers are pushing to give all state workers paid parental leave after Republican Gov. Eric Greitens signed an order providing the benefit to some executive branch employees.      Greitens' order gives up

     PARAGOULD, Ark. (AP) – Arkansas State Police is investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a Greene County Jail inmate at a cemetery in Paragould.      The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that the body of 22-year-old Christopher A. Daniels

     PINE BLUFF, Ark. (AP) – Police in Pine Bluff say a 30-year-old man has died following an early-morning shooting.      Little Rock Television Station KTHV reports that officers found David Ibemesi of Pine Bluff in a car following

     ST. LOUIS (AP) – Chuck Berry, the rock 'n' roll founder who defined its joy and rebellion in "Johnny B. Goode" and other classics, has died in St. Charles County, Missouri, west of St. Louis. He was

     KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Two brothers and two other Kansas City, Missouri, men are accused of abducting two people.      Federal prosecutors charged 30-year-old Jeremy Dobson, 25-year-old Joshua Dobson, 25-year-old Courtney Devero and 21-year-old Justin Watson with

     LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – An Arkansas Supreme Court ruling will let the Fayetteville Public Library expand onto property next door.      The justices on Thursday said the Washington Regional Medical Center owned the site of the old

     LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – President Donald Trump's budget plan includes cutting funds for a government agency that promotes economic development in eastern Arkansas and other parts of the Mississippi Delta.      The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports the Delta

     LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – Arkansas lawmakers have given final approval to a bill opposed by animal-welfare groups that would let companies sue anyone, including employees, if they share a secretly made videotape aimed at harming a

     LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – Arkansas lawmakers have given final approval to legislation removing Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from the holiday honoring slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.      The state House approved the proposal

     CLAYTON, Mo. (AP) – A man charged with murdering a retired firefighter in suburban St. Louis has been acquitted.      The jury on Thursday acquitted 21-year-old Garrett Watts in the 2015 fatal shooting of 68-year-old Joe "Buddy" Davidson

     COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) – The University of Missouri's Columbia campus will cover a $17 million gap between budgeted spending and available revenue with the help of the medical school and campus operations.      The Columbia Daily Tribune reports

     PLEASANT HILL, Mo. (AP) – Missouri fire investigators are helping local authorities in trying to determine what sparked a fire in a western Missouri house where a man's body was found.      The Cass County Sheriff's Department says

     ST. LOUIS (AP) – Authorities say a man found dead during a southern Illinois house fire had been shot in the head, and that a gun was found in his ex-wife's SUV after the vehicle plunged into

     ST. LOUIS (AP) – A man convicted of shooting two police officers during a 2015 protest in Ferguson, Missouri, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.      Jeffrey Williams was found guilty in December of first-degree assault

    (AP) Arkansas drivers could soon reach their destinations a little faster.     The Arkansas House has approved a bill directing the state Highway Commission to raise the speed limit on controlled-access highways to 75 mph. The current limit

     (AP) – The Arkansas Public Service Commission has decided customers who now get credit on their utility bills for electricity they generate at their homes and businesses will be able to continue at current rates for 20

     (AP) – A teenager has found a 7.44 carat diamond at a state park in southwestern Arkansas.      Officials at Crater of Diamonds State Park at Murfreesboro say the rock found Saturday by 14-year-old Kalel Langford is the

     (AP) – Police say an 89-year-old man whose body was discovered in a suitcase on a rural Arkansas farm was a World War II veteran from New York.      Johnstown, New York, police Lt. David Gilbo tells the

(AP) – A Planned Parenthood clinic in Columbia will reopen after closing for a few hours when employees reported an unknown hazardous materials emergency. Assistant Fire Chief Brad Fraizer says four clinic employees had eye and throat

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – The Missouri House has passed a bill that would require teenagers to be older before they could get married without permission from a judge. House members voted 139-1 Thursday to send the

     (AP) – The Missouri House has voted to end a tax break for low-income seniors and disabled renters.      House members voted 85-72 Thursday in favor of axing the roughly $55-million-a-year tax break. Republican House budget leaders say

     (AP) – The Missouri House has passed a bill that could allow charter schools to expand to more districts.      With an 83-76 vote on Thursday, the House passed a proposal that would allow charters to operate in

     (AP) – A Missouri prosecutor says he'll seek the death penalty against a woman accused of killing a disabled man to shift attention away from her in another slaying.      St. Charles County Prosecutor Tim Lohmar announced Thursday

     (AP) – A bill advancing in the Missouri Legislature would change whom patients could sue for medical malpractice.      The bill passed the House 101-50 Thursday and now goes to the Senate.      If made law, patients could only

Authorities say two people were killed after a pickup truck traveling the wrong direction on a busy central Arkansas bridge crashed into a bicyclist. North Little Rock police say both the bicyclist and the driver of the

Police say an 89-year-old man whose body was discovered in a suitcase on a rural Arkansas farm was a World War II veteran from New York. Johnstown, New York, police Lt. David Gilbo tells the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

     (AP) – An Arkansas inmate accused of beating a female guard to death at the Miller County jail last year has pleaded not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect.      The Texarkana Gazette reports that a

     (AP) – A federal judge says all proceeds from an imprisoned doctor's high-end gun collection will be given to a man severely injured by the 2009 explosion that sent the doctor to prison.      The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports

     (AP) – The Arkansas Senate has approved a bill that would let companies sue anyone, including employees, if they share a secretly made videotape aimed at harming a business owner. The bill was set up to target

     (AP) – Gov. Asa Hutchinson says a new law grants broad secrecy to the state Capitol Police force but says the overall purpose of the bill "was good," so he let it become law.      Act 474 lets

     (AP) – A measure to repeal tax breaks for low-income Missouri seniors and disabled residents who live in rental housing is advancing in the Legislature.      House members voted 89-65 to give the bill initial approval Wednesday. At

     (AP) – The parents of a 12-year-old St. Louis boy was accidentally shot to death while playing with his younger brother are accused of causing the death.      Prosecutors on Wednesday charged 41-year-old Donnie L. Holmes and 40-year-old

     (AP) – Missouri’s House budget leader is proposing fully funding state K-12 schools next fiscal year.      Republican Budget Committee Chairman Scott Fitzpatrick’s budget proposal released Wednesday includes roughly $45 million more than what GOP Gov. Eric Greitens

     (AP) – The Missouri House has given initial approval to a bill that could expand access for charter schools in the state.      In an 83-74 vote Wednesday, the House approved a bill that would allow charters to

     (AP) – The Missouri Senate has passed a bill that would establish a new standard for vetting expert witnesses in jury trials.      The proposal, which passed Wednesday with a 21-11 vote, would allow judges to decide whether

     (AP) – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is defending itself at trial against more than 300 farmers and other landowners who say the agency's management of the Missouri River has contributed to major flooding in five

     (AP) – Officials with Fayetteville Public Schools say five employees have been placed on administrative leave after a 6-year-old boy went missing from a school playground and later died after being found unresponsive in a nearby swimming

     (AP) – A bill that would allow people with a concealed carry license to carry their firearms at Arkansas colleges, some bars and many state buildings if they undergo additional training has advanced out of a House

     (AP) – A bill to ask voters to approve a highway improvement plan that would be paid for by raising taxes on gas and diesel has failed in the Arkansas House.      The House voted 38-35 Tuesday on

     (AP) – An effort to end Arkansas' practice of commemorating Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee on the same holiday as slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. is heading to a final vote in the Legislature.

    (AP) – The agency that protects Arkansas' state Capitol and grounds now has the authority to operate in secret after Gov. Asa Hutchinson let a Freedom of Information exemption become law without his signature.     Hutchinson spokesman J.

     (AP) – A filmmaker is denying that surveillance video in his documentary about the Michael Brown case in Ferguson, Missouri, was edited in a deceptive way.      Jason Pollock's documentary raises new questions about events leading up to

       (AP) – Missouri House members have passed a bond measure for a new music and dance conservatory at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.        Lawmakers voted 117-39 in favor of the resolution Tuesday. The legislation would grant the

     (AP) – Two Mexican nationals have admitted in federal court their role in a large marijuana-growing operation at a central Missouri federal wildlife refuge.      Twenty-seven-year-old Carlos Horacio Vasquez-Duarte and 24-year-old Rigaberto Camacho Reyes pleaded guilty Tuesday in

     (AP) – University of Missouri-Kansas City students are expressing ongoing concerns about a lack of transparency following an alleged rape in a dorm last month.      The Kansas City Star reports university administrators called a meeting Monday to

The curator at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is leaving the northwest Arkansas museum to take a job in California. Curator Chad Alligood says he's accepted a position as chief curator of American art at The

Two bills introduced in the Missouri Legislature would use driver education and exams to educate drivers on how to react when they are pulled over by police officers. Missouri joins several other states, including Illinois, that are

    (AP) – The Arkansas Senate has again rejected an effort to ban smoking medical marijuana after opponents said the move undermines a voter-approved initiative that legalized the drug for people with certain ailments.     The Senate voted 15-11

     (AP) – An Arkansas prisons spokesman says the state has obtained enough doses of a lethal drug to execute eight inmates next month.      Arkansas uses three drugs in its execution protocol, but its supply of potassium chloride

     (AP) – The U.S. Attorney for eastern Arkansas has resigned after being asked to do so by the nation's attorney general.      A spokesman said Monday that Chris Thyer resigned Friday. Thyer had been U.S Attorney since Dec.

     (AP) – An effort to prevent cities and counties from raising the minimum wage higher than the state or federal rate has failed in the Arkansas Senate.      The Senate voted 14-10 in favor of the bill by

     (AP) – Arkansas legislators have approved a bill preventing the general release of dashcam video showing the death of a police officer in the line of duty.      Rep. Jimmy Gazaway, a former prosecutor, said video showing Officer

     (AP) – Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson says a budget analysis of the Republican health care plan underscores the need for Congress to take a second look at the proposal and concerns he's raised about it.      The Republican

     (AP) – Missouri's House budget leader says lawmakers might not have changed corporate tax law if they'd known what it would actually cost.      Republican House Budget Committee Chairman Scott Fitzpatrick told The Associated Press that lawmakers had

     (AP) – Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens is giving paid parental leave to state executive branch workers.      The Republican announced an executive order Monday to grant up to six weeks paid leave for primary caregivers and three weeks

     (AP) – A circuit judge has approved a settlement of a lawsuit against the University of Missouri Board of Curators over a Columbia firefighter's death.      The amount of the settlement in the February 2014 death of Fire

     (AP) – A filmmaker is denying that surveillance video in his documentary about the Michael Brown case in Ferguson, Missouri, was edited in a deceptive way.      Jason Pollock's documentary raises new questions about events leading up to

Birds are to blame for a power outage that knocked out electricity to thousands of people in the North Little Rock area. North Little Rock Electric spokeswoman Jill Ponder says about 11,000 customers lost electricity late Sunday

Contractors are planning to start reconstruction of a runway at the Columbia Regional Airport, reflecting the increasing popularity of the largest airport in mid-Missouri. The airport will use an $11 million federal grant and transportation sales tax

     (AP) – Election officials in states across the U.S. are trying to figure out how to fund the nation's next generation of voting equipment.      Aging voting machines in many cases have reached the end of their lifespans.

     (AP) – The mayor of Berryville says his city received $61,000 in state grants after he dropped objections to other state grants to a private college in Springdale.      Mayor Tim McKinney told the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette he

     (AP) – As open records advocates mark Sunshine Week, Arkansas legislators are looking at a number of bills that would considerably weaken the state's Freedom of Information Act.      The state's 50-year-old public records law has had fewer

     (AP) – Tammy Dickinson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, has resigned.      Dickson is one of 46 U.S. attorneys who were holdovers from the Obama administration asked to resign Friday by Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

     (AP) – The Missouri State Highway Patrol says two people are charged after a shooting injured a sheriff's deputy and one of the suspects.      The patrol says Mississippi County Sheriff's deputies were executing a search warrant related

     (AP) – Missouri’s 12 community college systems are working together to train students for jobs offered by the state’s businesses.      Leaders from the colleges signed an agreement Thursday to officially begin the Missouri Community College Workforce Development

      (AP) – A convenience store is disputing a new documentary's claims that surveillance video suggests Michael Brown didn't rob the store before he was fatally shot by police in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014.       Filmmaker Jason Pollock tells

     (AP) – Missouri's House budget leader says lawmakers might not have changed corporate tax law if they'd known what it would actually cost.      Republican House Budget Committee Chairman Scott Fitzpatrick told The Associated Press that lawmakers had

     PARKVILLE, Mo. (AP) – Kansas City police say a car pulled from the Missouri River belonged to a missing Wichita woman and a female body was inside the car.      Capt. Stacey Graves couldn't confirm the body discovered

     KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Tammy Dickinson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, has resigned.      Dickson is one of 46 U.S. attorneys who were holdovers from the Obama administration asked to resign Friday by Attorney

     ST. LOUIS (AP) – Law enforcement authorities say a man was shot after he allegedly pointed a weapon at an officer who was pursuing him in St. Louis County.      St. Louis County police spokesman Benjamin Granda says

     CHARLESTON, Mo. (AP) – The Missouri State Highway Patrol says two people are charged after a shooting injured a sheriff's deputy and one of the suspects.      The patrol says Mississippi County Sheriff's deputies were executing a search

The Arkansas Board of Education has decided to keep the "academic distress" labels on two school systems and 15 schools for another year. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports the board unanimously voted Thursday to maintain academic distress classifications

Two Little Rock police officers have been cleared of any wrongdoing in the August death of a man who died while in police custody. According to Little Rock police, an autopsy found that 22-year-old Marcus Robert Doyle

A foundation set up to help rid Arkansas of boll weevils says it will lower its dues this year from $4 to $3 per acre. The Arkansas Boll Weevil Eradication Foundation said Friday the drop is due

Gov. Asa Hutchinson says a Republican proposal to replace the federal health overhaul is "inadequate" for Arkansas, but says the U.S. House should move forward with the proposal so the Senate can address concerns he and other

The mayor of Hot Springs has turned in her immediate resignation as the city's leader. Ruth Carney did not offer a reason for her resignation in her letter, submitted Friday to city leaders. Carney, who has served

Northwest Missouri State University says it will close its early college entrance program for academically gifted teenagers. The university announced Friday the Missouri Academy of Science, Mathematics and Computing will end at the end of the 2017-2018

The University of Missouri System will stop giving performance bonuses to top administrators. Missouri System President Mun Choi made the announcement Friday after an audit found that top administrators had received $1.2 million in bonuses from an

     (AP) – An Arkansas House panel has rejected a measure that would have allowed hospitals and health care workers to refuse to treat patients based on religious or moral objections after it faced criticism that the move

     (AP) – An Arkansas House committee has approved and sent to the full House bills intended to fund highway construction, maintenance and improvements and to raise the tax on gasoline and diesel fuel by 6.5 percent to

     (AP) – Two women are facing kidnapping charges following a crash along Interstate 70 that injured three children in Missouri.      The Columbia Daily Tribune reports that 31-year-old Demetres Washington and 22-year-old Nia Boldridge were each indicted on

     (AP) – Southeast Missouri State University is reporting 29 confirmed cases of mumps, and officials say the number is expected to grow.      The Southeast Missourian reports state health officials are recommending that students consider getting a third

     (AP) – Missouri lawmakers are questioning the timing of administrators' response to claims of widespread harassment in state prisons.      Outgoing Division of Adult Institutions Director Dave Dormire told a panel of House lawmakers Thursday that top officials

     (AP) – A class-action lawsuit says the lack of funding and staff for Missouri's public defender system has left overwhelmed public defenders unable to provide adequate defense for indigent clients.      The ACLU of Missouri and the Roderick

     (AP) – The Missouri House has passed legislation backers say is aimed at stopping out-of-state plaintiffs from bringing lawsuits to the state.      House members voted 100-54 Thursday to send the bill to the Senate. Lawmakers disagree about

     'Showtime! Spotlight on Arkansas Tourism!' is the theme for this year's Arkansas Governor’s Conference on Tourism. Tourism industry partners from across the state will gather at the 43rd Arkansas Governor’s Conference on Tourism      Monday morning at 8:00

    (AP) – A bill expanding the types of wine that Arkansas grocery stores can sell is on its way to the governor's desk.     The Senate voted 18-14 Wednesday to give final approval to the measure changing the

      (AP) – Gov. Asa Hutchinson has signed into law a bill that sets up three centers aimed at reducing the incarceration rate of those with mental illness.       The governor has earmarked $5 million for three regional Mental

      (AP) – A proposal requiring Arkansas judges to use only American-based laws when making decisions has failed before a Senate committee, but the lawmaker sponsoring the measure says he’ll try again.       The proposal by Republican Rep. Brandt

    (AP) – An Arkansas House panel has endorsed the idea of naming the Bible as the state's official book.     The House Aging, Children and Youth, Legislative and Military Affairs Committee on Wednesday advanced the resolution supporting the

     (AP) – Arkansas legislators are considering a bill that would prevent the disclosure of police dashcam video that shows an officer being killed in the line of duty.      A lawmaker who helped prosecute Jonathan Schmidt's killer says

     (AP) – Federal prosecutors say two Kansas City residents admitted participating in a conspiracy that helped African nationals evade immigration laws by arranging fraudulent marriages.      U.S. Attorney Tammy Dickinson said in a news release that 49-year-old Delmar

     (AP) – Missouri lawmakers are considering repealing a tax break for low-income seniors and disabled residents who live in rental housing.      The bill debated in a Wednesday House hearing would set aside savings for other services for

     (AP) – A new nonprofit started by Gov. Eric Greitens' campaign treasurer plans to advocate for the governor and his agenda, raising some concerns because it can accept unlimited contributions and won't be required to disclose who

     (AP) – An assistant U.S. attorney in St. Louis says the man accused of making threats against at least eight Jewish institutions is responsible for a "hateful crime."      Juan Thompson of St. Louis was in court Wednesday

      (AP) – The Arkansas House has given final legislative approval to a bill allowing the police agency patrolling the state Capitol to keep information about officers private and passed and sent back to the Senate a bill

     (AP) – Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson is repeating his objections to a "bathroom bill" targeting transgender people after a lawmaker introduced legislation that would restrict who can use restrooms in government buildings.      Hutchinson told reporters on Tuesday

     (AP) – Arkansas lawmakers are putting a voter ID measure on the ballot next year as they try to reinstate a requirement that was struck down by the state Supreme Court more than two years ago.      The

     (AP) – A plan to end Arkansas' practice of commemorating Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee on the same day as slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. has won approval in the state Senate but faces

     (AP) – A southwest Missouri sheriff's deputy who was shot last week while serving a warrant in Joplin has been released from the hospital.      The Jasper County Sheriff's Office says deputy Nolan Murray was released from the

      (AP) – Missouri senators have given initial approval to a bill that would crack down on some immigrants living in the country illegally.       Senators voted 26-3 Tuesday in favor of the bill. It needs another vote of

      (AP) – A new report shows Missouri's jobless rate is ticking down.       Missouri Department of Economic Development data released Tuesday show unemployment dropped to 4.2 percent in January from 4.4 percent in December.       That's also down compared

     (AP) – Some of Missouri's biggest cities and counties have banded together to do what the state won't: track the prescription and sale of opioids.      St. Louis County, the city of St. Louis and several other counties

     (AP) – The Arkansas House has approved a bill that would prohibit the release of video or audio that depicts the death of a police officer in the line of duty.      Rep. Jimmy Gazaway proposed the bill,

     (AP) – Governor Asa Hutchinson wants to add a work requirement to Arkansas' hybrid Medicaid expansion and to lower its eligibility cap, which would add new restrictions to the program even as the future of the federal

     BENTONVILLE, Ark. (AP) – Amazon dropped its fight against a subpoena issued in an Arkansas murder case after the defendant said he wouldn't mind if the technology giant shared information that may have been gathered by an

     JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – Payroll records show that Missouri's former conservation chief is still getting paychecks even though he left the job more than seven months ago.      The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that records show that

     ST. LOUIS (AP) – Two court hearings have been rescheduled for a St. Louis man accused of making threats against Jewish institutions nationwide.      Juan Thompson is facing a federal cyberstalking charge. He was originally scheduled to be

     JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – The state auditor says the University of Missouri System approved $1.2 million in performance incentives for top administrators over the last three years without clear criteria.      A report issued Monday by Auditor

    (AP) Arkansas State Police special agents are investigating along with sheriff’s deputies after a person was found dead at a farm in Prairie County.     State police say the body was found Sunday afternoon. Authorities say agents worked

     LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – Despite metal detectors and armed guards at the Arkansas Capitol, a state lawmaker says he would feel safer if he was allowed to pack his own heat.      Republican Rep. Mickey Gates is

     LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – Police in Little Rock say a man has been critically injured in a shooting that apparently stemmed from a gambling disagreement.      Investigators say the man was injured at a residence about 8:25

      ST. LOUIS (AP) – A former longtime Missouri lawmaker who served in the Legislature for 32 years has died.      John Schneider's daughter, Anne Golterman, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that her father died at his home Thursday

     JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – Missouri lawmakers are considering raising the standard to sue for discrimination and capping damages in those cases.      St. Louis attorney Jon Berns told The Associated Press Friday that policy would have meant

     JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – Missouri lawmakers are pushing to expand charter schools around the state.      Advocates say less oversight from traditional public school boards and the state gives school leaders the ability to innovate in the

     OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) – A suburban Kansas City man hasn't given up hope that the 40-year-old disappearance of his missing wife will be solved.      The Kansas City Star reports that Donald Evitts' wife, legal secretary Loy

     PERRYVILLE, Mo. (AP) – The National Weather Service has reclassified a tornado that killed one person and destroyed dozens of homes in the Perryville area as an EF-4 twister.      The weather service's preliminary finding classified Tuesday night's

     TARKIO, Mo. (AP) – Supporters of a plan to reopen Tarkio College are another step closer to their goal.      The St. Joseph News-Press reports administrators said Friday the Missouri Department of Higher Education will conduct an on-site

     ST. LOUIS (AP) – St. Louis University is planning to cut about 120 employees in response to a $16 million budget deficit.      An email sent Friday from President Fred Pestello said staff and administrators – but not

     ST. LOUIS (AP) – A St. Louis jury has rejected a woman's claim that Johnson & Johnson baby powder contributed to her ovarian cancer.      The 11-1 verdict came Friday in a lawsuit filed by 55-year-old Nora Daniels,

     LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – The Arkansas Supreme Court has upheld a lower court's decision blocking a sales-tax election to raise funds to build a new courthouse in Mississippi County, calling the proposed tax an "illegal exaction."

     JUDSONIA, Ark. (AP) – A missing 10-month-old Texas boy has been found safe in Arkansas and his non-custodial parents arrested for interfering with child custody.      The White County Sheriff's Office says Jax Laymance was found in the

     POSSUM GRAPE, Ark. (AP) – Storm surveys conducted by weather forecasters show that at least six tornadoes touched down in Arkansas during this week's rounds of bad weather.      Of the surveys that had been completed by midday

     LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – The Arkansas Judicial and Disability Commission is dismissing complaints filed against a judge whose son died after being left in a hot car in 2015.      The commission said in a letter Friday

     COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) – The University of Missouri System's outlook for its overall credit rating has turned to stable from the negative outlook Standard & Poor's Global Ratings placed on the system's debt last year.      The Columbia

     KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – The youngest of five people convicted in a 1988 arson fire that killed six Kansas City firefighters could be released from prison soon.      A federal judge ruled Friday that Bryan Sheppard, who

     (AP) – Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson has signed into law a new program providing two years of tuition and fees at an Arkansas community or technical college for students enrolling in high-demand fields of study.      Hutchinson on

     (AP) – Arkansas has taken a first step toward celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. on the third Monday in January and moving its Robert E. Lee holiday to the fall.      Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Thursday made the

     (AP) – An Arkansas lawmaker is backing away from a broad “bathroom bill” targeting transgender people that had drawn opposition from the state’s Republican governor and tourism officials, but says he’ll propose another measure giving schools legal

     (AP) A former Arkansas lawmaker and two others have been named in a federal indictment alleging corruption.      Former Sen. Jon Woods is named in the 13 count wire fraud indictment along with Oren Paris III and Randell

     (AP) – The Arkansas Supreme Court has rejected an effort to invalidate orders setting executions for eight death row inmates, saying there's no stay preventing the executions from taking place.      The state's highest court on Thursday granted

     (AP) – A coroner says a high school student in Joplin died during an accident involving a basketball goal while he was volunteering at an elementary school.      Jasper County Coroner Rob Chappel identified the student who died

     (AP) – A panel has selected three choices for Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens to fill a state Supreme Court vacancy.      The Appellate Judicial Commission’s nominees are state Western District Court of Appeals Judge Lisa Hardwick, attorney Benjamin

     (AP) – A Missouri woman who tried to hire someone to kill her former son-in-law so she could see her grandchildren more has been sentenced to four years in federal prison.      Sixty-three-year-old Teresa Owen of the Kansas

     (AP) – The Missouri Senate has passed a bill to create a statewide prescription drug tracking program.      Senators voted 20-13 Thursday in favor of creating a database to track when prescriptions for controlled substances are written and

    (AP) – Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush says the slew of school choice measures moving through the Missouri legislature are the future of education in the state.     The longtime school choice advocate met with lawmakers and Gov.

The Arkansas House has approved a bill that expands wine sales in grocery stores, two days after the measure had narrowly failed. The House voted 53-34 on Wednesday in support of the bill by Republican Sen. Bart

U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton plans another town hall in Arkansas, this time in Heber Springs alongside U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford. The Republican lawmakers announced Thursday that the town hall will take place at 8 a.m. Saturday at

     (AP) – A group of Democratic lawmakers has filed legislation that would expand Arkansas’ civil rights law to cover sexual orientation and gender identity.      The bill filed Wednesday comes less than a week after the state Supreme

     (AP) – The Arkansas House has approved and sent to the state Senate a bill to freeze enrollment in the state’s hybrid Medicaid expansion while the future of the federal health overhaul that enabled the program remains

     (AP) – A federal judge has ruled in a civil rights case that two Arkansas police officers didn’t violate the civil rights of a 21-year-old man who killed himself in 2012 while handcuffed in a police car.

     (AP) – The top administrator at the University of Missouri campus in Columbia says two students have been arrested for allegedly harassing another student with anti-Semitic comments.      Interim Chancellor Hank Foley didn’t publicly identify the students in

         (AP) – An eastern Missouri man has been ordered to spend a quarter century in prison in connection with a shooting death two years ago.      The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that 30-year-old Thomas Harris of Festus

     (AP) – Federal scientists forecast that Oklahoma will continue to have the nation’s biggest man-made earthquake problem but it probably won’t be as shaky as recent years.      In its annual national earthquake outlook, the U.S. Geological Survey

     (AP) – The last of six people involved in a teenager’s death during a botched drug deal in St. Joseph has been sentenced to prison.      Dayne Matthews was sentenced Wednesday to up to 10 years in prison

     (AP) – The superintendent of the North Callaway School District says the district will implement a four-day school week for the 2017-18 school year.      Superintendent Bryan Thomsen says the change is in response to a cut in

     (AP) – Missouri senators have voted against a proposal to ban discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.      Senators voted 20-10 against the protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people early Wednesday morning. The plan

     (AP) – Authorities in southwest Missouri say the suspect in the shooting of a sheriff’s deputy has been taken into custody after a standoff at a Joplin motel.      Police Capt. Rusty Rives tells the Joplin Globe the

    The top administrator at the University of Missouri campus in Columbia says two students have been arrested for allegedly harassing another student with anti-Semitic comments.     Interim Chancellor Hank Foley didn’t publicly identify the students in a statement

     (AP) – A measure that would expand wine sales in grocery stores has narrowly failed in the Arkansas House, though the bill will likely be brought up again this session.      The measure from Sen. Bart Hester of

     (AP) – The Arkansas Senate has endorsed a long-shot effort to push for amendments to the U.S. constitution that would effectively ban gay marriage and abortion.      The majority-Republican Senate on Tuesday approved by a 19-9 vote a

     (AP) – Arkansas’ governor says he opposes an effort to remove Bill and Hillary Clinton’s name from Little Rock’s airport, saying the Legislature shouldn’t interfere with what the facility’s name is.      Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Tuesday

     (AP) – A proposal to remove Robert E. Lee from slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.’s holiday in Arkansas would set aside a day in October to honor the Confederate general.      Lawmakers filed a bill

     JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill says that President Donald Trump’s proposal to build a wall along the Mexican border might not be the most effective solution for keeping out immigrants seeking to enter

     SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) – Attorneys for a man charged with killing a retired Missouri State University professor say they will enter a new plea for the suspect.      The Springfield News-Leader reports attorney Dee Wampler will file a

     SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) – A man who caused a long standoff with southwest Missouri officers has been sentenced to eight years in prison without parole for being a felon in possession of firearms.      Federal prosecutors say 40-year-old

     ST. LOUIS (AP) – St. Louis police have identified a man killed after his bicycle was struck by a car last week.      Police on Tuesday said the victim was 67-year-old Robert Buller. Buller was fatally struck Friday

     JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – Missouri senators have voted against a proposal to ban discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.      Senators voted 20-10 against the protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people early Wednesday

      (AP) – Arkansas lawmakers have approved bills that would limit public access to government records, including measures keeping security information about the state Capitol and the Governor’s Mansion secret.       The Senate on Monday approved a bill to

     (AP) – Arkansas lawmakers have given final legislative approval to a measure requiring the state to suspend or revoke the license of abortion providers for any rule or law violation.      The Senate on Monday voted 28-5 for

     (AP) – Arkansas is asking the state Supreme Court to clarify that it has lifted stays on the executions of eight death row inmates, accusing attorneys for the men of trying to manufacture a procedural loophole.      Rutledge’s

     ST. LOUIS (AP) – A St. Louis man is accused of killing his brother in a dispute over household duties.      The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that 48-year-old Antwain Hyche-El is charged with first-degree murder in the death

     ST. LOUIS (AP) – Three people are facing charges after being arrested at a St. Louis rally in support of LGBTQ issues.      Several hundred people rallied and marched Saturday. The arrests came after the rally as police

     BRANSON, Mo. (AP) – People working in Branson's entertainment industry say they're concerned about a local taxpayer-funded marketing strategy that has become more broadly focused.      The Springfield News-Leader reports that the local convention bureau, which is connected

     JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – A Missouri judge says the state Corrections Department intentionally delayed fulfilling a Sunshine request for the source of execution drugs.      The American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri announced the ruling in its

     JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – The Missouri public defender system says Gov. Eric Greitens' proposal to restore some of its budget cuts still won't cover all of its costs for defending people too poor to afford a

     (AP) – A Republican state lawmaker wants to remove the names of Arkansas’ most famous Democrats from Little Rock’s airport.      Sen. Jason Rapert says pilots have complained to him about flying into Bill and Hillary Clinton National

     (AP) – A Little Rock woman whose son was killed by a police officer who was later fired and charged with manslaughter wants a federal judge to reconsider a ruling dismissing the city and a former police

     (AP) – Police in Jacksonville say they have arrested a 63-year-old man in connection with his wife’s shooting death.      A police report indicates that Larry James Hawkins was arrested early Sunday at his home in Jacksonville on

     (AP) – Volunteers in Columbia, Missouri, have been working to create a sanctuary for millions of monarch butterflies that pass through the state as they migrate to and from Mexico.      The Columbia Missourian reports that efforts to

      (AP) – A Missouri woman has pleaded guilty to neglect after authorities say she left her 2-year-old boy near a space heater while using methamphetamine.       The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Kathleen Marie Peacock of St. Charles

     OSCEOLA, Ark. (AP) – A 16-year-old boy has been shot after an Arkansas police officer's weapon discharged as she was attempting to arrest him.      The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that the Osceola police chief has asked the Arkansas

     LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – Police in Little Rock are investigating after an off-duty officer fatally shot a man who authorities say tried to rob him.      Police Chief Kenton Buckner told reporters that the officer, who was

     LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – The Arkansas State Police says a 14-year-old girl has died in a Jefferson County car crash that also left four people injured.      The agency says in a preliminary report that the accident

     HOT SPRINGS, Ark. (AP) – National forest fire managers are conducting prescribed burns this weekend in two national forests in Arkansas.      The federal agency says it is conducting the burns Saturday in areas across the Ouachita and

     JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens is largely reversing his proposed cut to in-home care services for low-income disabled residents.      Greitiens said Thursday he wants to use a $52 million settlement payment with tobacco

     ST. CHARLES, Mo. (AP) – A woman is accused of stabbing a worker at a General Motors plant near St. Louis over what authorities say was an extramarital affair.      The St. Louis Post-Dispatch says St. Charles County

     LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – Arkansas' attorney general has asked for execution dates to be set for eight death row inmates, but state officials said they're still lacking one of the three lethal injection drugs needed to

     LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) A spokesman says Gov. Asa Hutchinson opposes an effort backed by the National Rifle Association to remove a training requirement and age restriction from legislation allowing concealed handguns at Arkansas colleges and universities.

     BRYANT, Ark. (AP) Arkansas health officials say a dead bat found at Bryant High School tested positive for rabies.      School officials told reporters that one student came near the bat, but the student's parents said their child

     LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) Gov. Asa Hutchinson has named a new leader for the Arkansas Department of Veteran Affairs.      The governor said Friday that he's appointed retired U.S. Army Col. Nathaniel Todd to serve as the agency's

     The Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division is investigating an officer involved shooting that occurred this morning (February 24th) in Osceola, AR involving three juvenile subjects.      At approximately 1:40 am, the Osceola Police Department responded to a

Arkansas health officials say two cases of Lyme disease have been confirmed in the state. Lyme disease is uncommon in Arkansas, where other tick-borne illnesses like Rocky Mountain spotted fever are more prevalent. The state says it’s

     (AP) – Arkansas lawmakers have again rejected a proposal to block funding to colleges and universities that don't cooperate with federal immigration authorities.      The House Education Committee rejected Republican Rep. Brandt Smith's proposal Thursday after it was

     (AP) – The Arkansas Supreme Court says a judge whose son died in a hot car in 2015 can return to the bench but won't be allowed to take up any cases involving child neglect.      Garland County

     (AP) – Arkansas officials have canceled a hearing on a satanic monument proposed near the state Capitol, saying a new law prevents them from considering the display until it’s approved by the Legislature.      The secretary of state’s

     (AP) – Thirteen people from Missouri and Illinois face federal charges for allegedly conspiring to distribute cocaine and other drugs in Hannibal and elsewhere in northeast Missouri.      The U.S. Attorney’s office in St. Louis announced the arrests

     JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – Missouri House members have passed a bill to reduce the duration of state jobless benefits to one of the shortest periods nationally.      House members voted 100-56 Thursday to send the measure to

     (AP) – Missouri’s GOP legislative leaders say it should be up to schools to decide how to handle transgender student bathroom access.      Comments from Republicans Senate President Pro Tem Ron Richard and House Speaker Todd Richardson to

    (AP) – A new ordinance in St. Louis prohibits discrimination based on “reproductive health decisions.” It’s an effort by the heavily Democratic city to pre-empt a slew of anti-abortion measures advancing through Missouri’s Republican-controlled Legislature.     While largely

     (AP) – An employee says working in Missouri’s troubled prisons is like “walking into hell.”      Northeast Correctional Center storekeeper Travis Case told a panel of House lawmakers Thursday that prisons are plagued by unfair hiring, little accountability

     (AP) – A 51-year-old man has been charged with murder and attempted murder in a shooting at a suburban Kansas City bar that left one man dead and two others injured.      Adam Purinton, of Olathe, was charged

     (AP) – Police in the eastern Missouri town of Wentzville are investigating after a woman working inside the General Motors assembly plant was stabbed five times.      The attack happened Wednesday night at the plant that employs about

     (AP) – Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens is largely reversing his proposed cut to in-home care services for low-income disabled residents.      Greitiens said Thursday he wants to use a $52 million settlement payment with tobacco companies to undo

City leaders in Blytheville have approved a special election for voters to consider a half-percent sales tax increase to support public safety efforts. The election will be held May 9. If approved, proceeds from the tax would

A Missouri man who was shot and wounded by police has been convicted of two felonies. The Columbia Daily Tribune reports that 35-year-old Charles Simcoe, of Sturgeon, was found guilty Wednesday of third-degree domestic assault and second-degree

The Arkansas Supreme Court has struck down a city’s ordinance banning discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, but it stopped short of saying whether a state law aimed at prohibiting local LGBT protections is constitutional.

     (AP) Amazon is resisting an effort by Arkansas prosecutors to obtain possible recordings from a slaying suspect’s Amazon Echo device, saying authorities haven’t established that their investigation is more important than a customer’s privacy rights.      The issue

     LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – A state Senate committee has endorsed legislation requiring online retailers who don’t collect Arkansas sales taxes to provide a list of purchases made by state residents.      The Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee

     MULBERRY, Ark. (AP) – Arkansas State Police say Interstate 40 in western Arkansas is shut down following a fiery tractor-trailer accident that killed the driver of the semi that was carrying about 40,000 pounds of ammunition.      Trooper

     SPRINGDALE, Ark. (AP) – Sen. Tom Cotton drew a hostile reception at a town hall forum in the Northwest Arkansas Ozarks.      A capacity, largely hostile crowd of 2,200 people filled the Springdale High School auditorium Wednesday to

     MARSHFIELD, Mo. (AP) – A southwest Missouri prison supervisor has been charged with pushing a female employee into a cell while she resisted.      The Springfield News-Leader reports that 56-year-old Johnny Burkdoll was charged Tuesday with false imprisonment.

     ST. LOUIS (AP) – A federal trial involving a lawsuit that Michael Brown’s parents filed over his 2014 police shooting death in Ferguson, Missouri, now won’t happen until at least next year, though a judge is giving

     UNIVERSITY CITY, Mo. (AP) – Vice President Mike Pence is visiting a suburban St. Louis Jewish cemetery where more than 150 headstones were damaged earlier in the week. He says there is “no place in America for

     JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – The Missouri Senate has given initial approval for legislation establishing a prescription drug monitoring program.      Senators on Wednesday voted 20-13 to create a database that tracks when prescriptions for controlled substances are

     KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – A former Kansas City woman who stole more than $400,000 from a Missouri Lottery winner has been sentenced to five years in federal prison.      Freya Pearson, of Conyers, Georgia, was sentenced Wednesday

     An Arkansas legislative package on government efficiencies was signed into law Wednesday. Governor Asa Hutchinson put his signature on legislation aligning the missions of the War Memorial Stadium Commission, the Arkansas Energy Office and the Office of

     (AP) – Police say two Fort Smith men have been arrested for vandalizing mosques in the western Arkansas city.      Police on Tuesday said 19-year-old Craig Wigginton and 20-year-old Abraham Davis are being held on felony charges of

     (AP) – The Benton County Sheriff’s Office says a body found near Siloam Springs is that of a woman missing since September and a second is believed to be the woman’s missing infant daughter.      The agency announced

     (AP) – The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected an attempt by Arkansas inmates to stop their executions over claims that their deaths would be “intolerably painful.”      The nine inmates asked the justices to review an Arkansas Supreme

     (AP) – An Arkansas Senate committee has advanced legislation that would allow people 25 and older to carry a concealed handgun on a college campus if they undergo certain training.      The Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday endorsed

     (AP) – Lawmakers in several states are considering requirements for doctors to inform women seeking medical abortions about an unproven procedure called “abortion reversal.”      Doctors’ groups oppose the bills because of flawed science and ethical concerns. There

     (AP) – Democrats are asking Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens to allow an expansion of family leave options for employees of the state executive branch to take effect.      State Auditor Nicole Galloway sent Greitens a letter Tuesday supporting

     (AP) – Federal officials say a Missouri man is charged with helping to plan what he believed would be a terrorist attack in Kansas City.      Robert Lorenzo Hester Jr. was charged in federal court in Kansas City

     (AP) – Missouri lawmakers are considering proposals to update state driver’s licensing procedures to comply with federal law.      The House voiced initial approval Tuesday for a bill that would bring licenses into compliance with the federal Real

     (AP) – The wife and stepson of the leader of a Ku Klux Klan group who was found fatally shot in eastern Missouri have pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges.      The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports

     (AP) – Parents of transgender children are slamming a Missouri measure that would require public school students to use bathrooms and locker rooms that correspond with the sex on their birth certificates.      Republican sponsor Senator Ed Emery

     (AP)A Joplin man alleges that police used excessive force in his 2015 arrest.       The Joplin Globe reports that 46-year-old Joey Caulk named a current and former Joplin police officer as defendants in the suit filed last week

     LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson has formed a 15-member board that he says will look at ways to save costs in state government and identify ways to operate more efficiently.      Hutchinson's office on

     LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – Little Rock police say no injuries were reported after shots were fired inside a Marriott hotel in the city’s River Market district.      Police say the shooting was reported late Saturday on the

     MORRILTON, Ark. (AP) – Police in Morrilton say a 49-year-old Bryant man has died in a parachuting incident.      Morrilton police say Brick Smith was killed Sunday afternoon while parachuting on private property near the town’s municipal airport,

     LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – A long-shot effort to push for amendments to the U.S. Constitution banning gay marriage and abortion have fallen short in the Arkansas Senate by one vote.      The Senate voted 17-7 Monday for

     LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – A compromise struck between Gov. Asa Hutchinson and lawmakers would expand a plan allowing concealed handguns on college campuses to include some students and visitors, if they undergo training.     Supporters of the

     PLATTE CITY, Mo. (AP) – A truck driver from Springfield was sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty in a crash that killed a Kansas City, Kansas, woman.      Forty-one-year-old Adam Shaw pleaded guilty Friday to

     JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri (AP) – Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens has started complaining about the coverage his administration receives, but the Republican has granted few interviews during his first six weeks in office.      The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports

     KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – A group of homeowners is raising money for a man who was arrested in their neighborhood after a neighbor called police on him.      The Kansas City Star reports the Waldo Tower Homes

     UNIVERSITY CITY, Mo. (AP) – Authorities in Missouri are investigating after dozens of headstones were damaged at a Jewish cemetery near St. Louis.      The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports the vandalism was reported early Monday at the Chesed

     ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) – The Missouri State Highway Patrol says a 27-year-old man was died after a police shooting in St. Joseph.      The patrol and the St. Joseph police department are conducting a joint investigation.      The

Applications for concealed carry permits in Missouri are dropping after passage last year of a law making them unnecessary in many places. Highway Patrol data on fingerprints processed for concealed carry permits show submissions hit a low

A report for health insurance plans covering Arkansas school and state employees in 2015 found they spent an average of about 31 percent more on obese employees or obese spouses than on others. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports

Police in Pine Bluff are looking for suspects in connection with the south-central Arkansas city’s third homicide of the year. Television station KATV reports that officers responded to reports of gunfire shortly before 4 a.m. Saturday. Officers

Supporters of Route 66 are pushing to have the roadway added to a national list of historic trails. Stakeholders in the iconic 2,400-mile road pushed to have legislation introduced in the U.S. House for the designation, which

     DARDANELLE, Ark. (AP) – A Dardanelle man has been killed in a single-vehicle crash in Yell County.      Arkansas State Police say 44-year-old Brandon Crow died in the accident on Highway 7 south of Dardanelle shortly after 1:15