Cronkite to be buried in Missouri after NYC funeral; Memorial planned at Lincoln Center

NEW YORK — Walter Cronkite’s final resting place will be next to his late wife in Missouri.

EPA plan for Missouri lead waste worries residents; ‘treated like second-class citizens’

LEADWOOD, Mo. — For generations, people in Leadwood have lived near huge piles of dangerous, lead-contaminated mining waste. Now the EPA has decided the answer to the problem is to pile on more lead-tainted earth.

Residents in Leadwood, Mo. fight plan to top heaps of hazardous waste with more waste

LEADWOOD, Mo. — The folks in this aptly named southern Missouri town know full well they’re living amid giant piles of what amounts to hazardous waste. To them, that doesn’t make the logic of trucking in tons of lead-contaminated soil from a neighboring county to cover it up sound any less ridiculous.

An Ozark Woodstock: Fans, foes recall ‘74 festival that rocked Missouri town

SEDALIA, Mo. — Baby boomers in America’s heartland are reminiscing about one of the biggest, yet least-known music festivals of its time that rocked the Missouri State Fairgrounds.

Fireman at Sotomayor hearing embodies struggle to right racial wrongs without harm to whites

WASHINGTON — He spoke, this 35-year-old firefighter, to frustrations that still ripple in an undercurrent across the nation.

Farmers say Ill. peach harvest looks steady despite May storm; national prospects a bit fuzzy

ST. LOUIS — Sara Lipe glanced at her southern Illinois peach orchard after winds topping more than 100 mph tore through in May and felt dread in the pit of her stomach.

The presidential pitch: Obama throws low with All-Star toss

ST. LOUIS — President Barack Obama was true to his word: He didn’t bounce it.

Court documents show informants helped undercover agents infiltrate illegal dogfighting

ST. LOUIS — Undercover agents tipped off by informants infiltrated the illegal world of dogfighting by attending underground fights, leading to the arrest of at least a dozen people in several states, court documents show.

Mo. governor unfreezes $1.5M in state funds for Tour of Missouri, says race should go on

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon says the 2009 Tour of Missouri should go on.

Mo. jail to host ‘bed and breakfast’ event to pay for new mattresses

HILLSBORO, Mo. — Want to spend a night in jail? And how about paying for the privilege? The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department in eastern Missouri has come up with a novel way to pay for mattresses at a new jail addition.

UnitedHealth gets military health contract worth up to $21.8 billion, Aetna wins $16.7B pact

NEW YORK — The Pentagon said Monday it has awarded military health care contracts worth tens of billions of dollars to managed care providers Aetna Inc. and UnitedHealth Group Inc., deciding not to renew deals with current contractors Humana and Health Net after a more than year-long bidding process.

H&R Block’s Smyth receives $5.3 million in fiscal 2009 compensation as he takes over as CEO

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — H&R Block Inc. CEO Russell Smyth received compensation valued at $5.3 million in fiscal 2009, the year he took over leadership of the nation’s largest tax preparer.

Boeing eyes $10 bn Indian contract with Super Hornet

ST LOUIS - As the race to supply the Indian Air Force with 126 Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA) hots up, Boeing, a leading contender, is showcasing the Super Hornet, promising a new generation of air power.

Ex-cons mediate in rough neighborhoods from Kansas City to Chicago before feuds turn violent

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — An argument earlier in the day between teens from rival neighborhoods had Jason Broom worried as he stood in a pothole-riddled parking lot pondering his next move.

Pilot practicing aerial acrobatics dies when propeller plane crashes in northwest Missouri

TARKIO, Mo. — A pilot has died after her propeller plane crashed into a bean field in far northwest Missouri while she practiced acrobatics for an air show.

Missouri charged in quadruple killing, bodies were left in apartment with wandering toddler

RAYTOWN, Mo. — A Kansas City, Mo., man has been indicted in the March killing of his ex-girlfriend, her boyfriend and her two young nephews. Their bodies were found in an apartment with the woman’s toddler wandering among the corpses.

Mo. tourism commission reaffirms Tour of Missouri support in face of potential funding cut

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri tourism officials and professional cycling teams are reaffirming support for the Tour of Missouri race in the face of budget cuts that could force its cancellation.

Free speech vs. cultural sensitivity: Missouri campus program seeks balance when views collide

COLUMBIA, Mo. — They call it Speakers’ Circle, a First Amendment gathering spot at the University of Missouri where just about anything goes.

State-by-state list of cites and areas to receive stimulus money to combat homelessness

State-by-state look at cities, counties and communities where stimulus money will be distributed to combat homelessness and the dollars for each location, according to the Housing and Urban Development Department:

Arrests of Little League coach, nurse and teacher in raids show dogfighting is alive and well

ST. LOUIS — The arrests this week of a Little League coach, a registered nurse and a teacher during the largest coordinated raids on dogfighting in U.S. history confirm the shadowy blood sport is alive and well despite tough laws across the country.

Sprint Nextel signs $5 billion networking deal with Ericsson, transfers 6,000 employees

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Sprint Nextel Corp. on Thursday announced it will transfer operation of its wireless and wireline networks to Swedish telecommunications equipment maker LM Ericsson.

As many as 350 dogs seized, about 30 people arrested in dogfighting raids across 5 states

ST. LOUIS — As many as 350 dogs were seized and about 30 people arrested during raids in five states Wednesday that animal welfare groups are calling the largest simultaneous raid of dogfighting operations in the U.S.

Cardinals manager Tony La Russa drops lawsuit against Twitter prompted by impersonator’s posts

ST. LOUIS — St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa has quietly dropped his lawsuit against the social networking site Twitter Inc.

Suspected white supremacist charged in Scottsdale bombing case could be released on bond

PHOENIX — One of two suspected white supremacists charged in a 2004 bombing that injured a black city official in Scottsdale could be released from federal custody on Wednesday, despite a prosecution argument that he’s a danger to the public and a flight risk.

Missed revenue forecasts could mean more troubles ahead for state budgets

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — With its IOUs and plans to close state offices three days a month, California gets all the attention as lawmakers fight to write a budget set off balance by a $26.3 billion deficit.

Missouri woman in MySpace cyberbullying case says she should never have been prosecuted

LOS ANGELES — A Missouri mother said she never should have been prosecuted for her role in a MySpace hoax directed at a 13-year-old girl who ended up committing suicide.

Midwest economy: a state-by-state glance for June

The Institute for Supply Management, formerly the Purchasing Management Association, began formally surveying its membership in 1931 to gauge business conditions.

Former KC Chiefs player Rich Baldinger won’t be charged in Mo. car collision that killed woman

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Former Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Rich Baldinger will not face charges in a traffic accident that left a 61-year-old woman dead.

H&R Block reports strong fourth-quarter profit on higher bank income, tax prep fees

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — H&R Block, the nation’s largest tax preparer, has reported better-than-expected profit for its fiscal fourth quarter as higher fees and more consumer financial services income offset a decline in the number of tax returns it prepared.

Supreme Court won’t step into case over Missouri funeral protest law

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to consider Missouri’s appeal of a court order barring the state from enforcing a law restricting protests near funerals.