State News

Mickey Carroll, 89, one of the last surviving Munchkins from the 1939 classic film "The Wizard of Oz," has lived for years in the village of Bel-Nor, a St. Louis suburb. His caretaker now says a former suburban St. Louis police chief took advantage of him.

Kansas City is having a hard time coming up with funding to repair damaged street lights, meaning some streets will remain dark as they await repairs.

Despite fears of voting calamities, a review of national Election Day readiness by a nonpartisan research center rates Missouri as one of the six most prepared states. Concerns do remain over the possibilities of long lines and voter fraud.

Sen. Claire McCaskill praises Judy Baker for her courage and independence. Meanwhile, Baker's Republican opponent for the 9th Congressional District seat, Blaine Luetkemeyer, hosts Vice President Cheney at a Monday fundraiser.

A deal that would combine two of the largest beef processing plants in the country is being called dangerous to consumers and ranchers alike.

Freddie Mac secretly paid the firm, DCI of Washington, $2 million to kill legislation that would have regulated and cut the mortagage finance giant and Fannie Mae three years before the government took them over. Two of the targeted senators were Kit Bond and Jim Talent from Missouri.

The recent repeal of capping donations to political candidates has had little effect on most Missourians and mostly affects the wealthiest donors.

After the candidate spoke beneath the Arch to his largest gathering yet, he spoke to thousands more later in the day in Kansas City as the campaigns fight for a lead in the state's polls.

U.S. Rep. Kenny Hulshof accused Attorney General Jay Nixon of wanting to raise taxes while Nixon painted his opponent as a Washington politician partly responsible for the nation's economic troubles.

Judge imposes maximum penalty for 27-year-old Thurman Shelton, convicted last month of involuntary manslaughter and first-degree assault for shooting his girlfriend, who was killed, and her friend, who survived.

A new state crime lab under construction in Springfield is expected to be complete by mid-November.

The editorial board of the Kansas City Star published a "Barack Obama for president" opinion page Saturday, calling the democratic candidate "the right person to lead the country forward."

The EPA has hired a Texas company to excavate 2.2 million cubic yards of surface mine waste in Kansas.

Thanks to a prominent highway sign depicting a turban-wearing, cartoon caricature of "Barack Hussein Obama," a very public conversation on race, religion, politics and free speech has dominated West Plains.

The St. Louis Post Dispatch editorial board has announced its support of the Missouri attorney general who is the Democratic candidate for governor, citing a need for stronger reform than his opponent, U.S. Rep. Kenny Hulshof, has offered.

Cheney is scheduled to appear at a private reception for 9th District congressional candidate Blaine Luetkemeyer at a club in the St. Louis area. Then, the vice president will fly to Cape Girardeau for a fundraiser for incumbent Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder.

Democratic lieutenant governor's candidate Sam Page scrambled to change his state finance report Friday after listing a check from a Canadian company, an apparent violation of a federal law banning foreign political donations.

Kansas City's liberty memorial might hold the distinction in addition to hosting the centennial in 2014 to 2018.

The former Engineered Support Systems CEO was sentenced to 15 months in prison and fined $4 million in St. Louis on Friday.

The garden added its 6 millionth plant specimen to that collection Friday. It's a member of the Philodendron family, collected by Thomas Croat during a trip to Equador last year.