ST. LOUIS, MO (AP) — St. Louis’ land bank is facing pressure from city officials and residents to reduce its inventory of vacant properties as the agency struggles with staffing and limited funding. The Land Reutilization Authority owns about 12,000 parcels, which is almost half of St. Louis’ 25,000 vacant lots and buildings. The authority…
MOSCOW (AP) — For yet another weekend, thousands rallied across Russia on Saturday to protest the government’s plan to raise the eligibility age for retirement pensions by five years. Several thousand people attended a Moscow rally organized by the Communist Party and other leftist groups, which was authorized by city officials. Communist Party chief Gennady…
WASHINGTON (AP) — The high-stakes confrontation over whether Brett Kavanaugh’s accuser will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee grinded into Saturday as Republican Chairman Chuck Grassley gave Christine Blasey Ford more time to decide whether to tell her story to his panel and a riveted nation. Grassley had set a Friday night deadline for the…
SPRINGFIELD, MO (AP) — President Donald Trump has issued an ominous warning about the Justice Department and the FBI, promising more firings to rid a “lingering stench” after reports that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein discussed secretly recording Trump. Trump, at a political rally Friday night in Missouri, did not explicitly mention the Rosenstein furor,…
CENTRALIA, IL (AP) — An ironworker was killed while working on a construction site at Centralia Junior High School in southern Illinois. Marion County Coroner Troy Cannon said Friday that 32-year-old Matthew Smith of Tilden appeared to have been electrocuted. His death would have been instant. Cannon said Smith had been using a welder operated…
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Gunmen disguised as soldiers attacked an annual Iranian military parade Saturday in the country’s oil-rich southwest, killing at least 25 people and wounding 53 in the bloodiest assault to strike the country in recent years. The attack in Ahvaz saw gunfire sprayed into a crowd of marching Revolutionary Guardsmen, bystanders and…
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A survivor has been found inside a capsized Tanzanian ferry two days after the disaster on Lake Victoria, an official said Saturday, while coffins arrived for at least 167 victims and counting. An engineer was found near the engine of the upturned vessel, Mwanza regional commissioner John Mongella told reporters. The…
SPRINGFIELD, IL (AP) — Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner signed an amendatory veto of a bill that imposes a prohibition on employers asking applicants their salary history. The bill is aimed at eliminating the pay gap between male and female employees. In his veto message Friday, Rauner noted House Bill 4163 “substantially resembles” the bill he…
SPRINGFIELD, MO (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump (all times local): 8 p.m. President Donald Trump says he won’t rush into any deal with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Trump tells a rally Friday in Springfield, Missouri, that he received a “beautiful letter” two days ago from Kim. But he’s not saying…