State News

A Jackson County judge has postponed Kansas City’s ban on smoking in bars and restaurants.

Thirty-nine of the 58 participating newspapers reported using at least 50 percent recycled newsprint, according to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

Monsanto Co. plans to develop strains of corn, soybeans and cotton that can yeild more grain and fiber while consuming less water by 2030.

Missouri collected $7.2 billion in May, which is higher than the growth rate anticipated by the budget.

A frequently ignored state panel that sets salaries for judges and elected officials appears to be missing almost half its members.

A Catholic priest from St. Charles County is facing charges of second-degree assault and driving while intoxicated following an accident in St. Louis County.

The Grocery Manufacturers Association plans a high-profile campaign against biofuels, saying they're a key reason for rising food costs. That campaign will bring together diverse groups such as hunger-prevention advocates and environmental activists.

Although tire dumping is less of a problem than it used to be in Boone County and elsewhere in Missouri, some landowners still struggle with aging dump sites.

Sen. Kit Bond said ethanol would lower the cost of transportation and lower the cost of food.

Kansas City-based Hallmark Cards Inc. is consolidating much of its greeting card operations to plants in Kansas.

The investigation into whether Matt Blunt’s office violated Missouri’s public records laws has been extended until Aug. 29 because the attorney general’s appointed investigators recently sued to compel the governor to provide documents at no cost.

The plea came after the trial was interrupted when his brother-in-law allegedly tried to attack him.

Jay Nixon said he’s concerned Missourians will wrongly think they can get married in California and have it recognized in Missouri. He also said it doesn’t make sense to implement a ruling that might be overturned by California voters in November.

John Johnson’s daughter is the first female soldier from Missouri to die in Iraq and her death was ruled a suicide. Johnson is petitioning Congress to take a closer look because he says his daughter was attacked, raped and her body dumped in a tent, where a fire was started. “I could let it go, but then, someone will get away with murder,” he said.

The 2008 Health Summit sponsored by Missouri Foundation for Health focused on the issue of sexual and domestic violence against women in Missouri.

A sixth superdelegate has chosen to support Barack Obama in his bid for nomination. Five others have not backed a candidate.

Traffic jams are rare in rural southern Missouri. Leave it to a bear cub to cause one.

A 15-year-old eastern Missouri girl is dead following a one-car accident.

The Missouri Supreme Court said late Friday it will set dates for two men in “due course” and the Department of Corrections confirmed Monday for the first time that its execution team is in place.

The Missouri Horse Racing Commission met for the first time in 10 years to discuss the potential for a live horse racing track in the state.