Local, National, and Sports News.
CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois Secretary of State’s offices _ including driver services facilities _ will resume in-person services in the coming days. In a news release, Secretary of State Jesse White says offices that have been closed since Jan. 3 because of the surge in COVID-19 cases across Illinois are opening their doors again. Those…
ST. LOUIS (AP) — A U.S. Navy medical team will arrive in Missouri next week to help a St. Louis County hospital staff strained by an increase in COVID-19 cases. Missouri Gov. Mike Parson and the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force announced Friday that a 44-person team of medical specialists will arrive next week to…
GENEVA (AP) — The United States and Russia are trying to avert another devastating conflict in Europe. But the two powers’ top diplomats warned Friday that no breakthrough was imminent as fears rise that Moscow is planning to invade Ukraine. Armed with seemingly intractable and diametrically opposed demands, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and…
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — State education officials say COVID-19 has caused 62 Missouri school districts to temporarily close for one or more days in January. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education said that is 12% of the state’s school districts. The Kansas City Star reports the closures come as COVID-19 cases increase because…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Voting legislation that Democrats and civil rights groups argue is vital for protecting democracy has collapsed. The outcome late Wednesday in the Senate was a setback for President Joe Biden and his party after a raw, emotional debate. Democrats were unable to change Senate rules to push past a Republican filibuster. Biden…
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri’s Republican Gov. Mike Parson is calling for higher teacher pay and money to increase access for child care. Parson outlined some of the ways he wants to spend nearly $2.8 billion in federal COVID-19 aid during his State of the State address on Wednesday. Parson is asking the GOP-led…
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration will begin making 400 million N95 masks available for free to Americans starting next week. The step comes after federal officials emphasized the masks’ better protection against the omicron variant of COVID-19 over cloth face coverings. The White House said Wednesday the masks will come from the government’s Strategic…
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Missouri House has given initial approval to a congressional redistricting plan that keeps the state’s political balance in Washington largely intact. The map endorsed Tuesday by an 84-60 vote adjusts the boundaries of districts to account for population changes in the 2020 census. It’s projected to continue the state’s…
KEMMERER, Wyoming (AP) — A tiny Wyoming town faces transformation when a company started by Bill Gates builds a new type of nuclear power plant there. Bellevue, Washington-based TerraPower plans to launch its Natrium reactor in Kemmerer, Wyoming, in the latter part of this decade. The reactor would be cooled by molten sodium instead of…
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A task force created by Gov. Mike Parson is recommending several steps that could help small businesses in the state recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The task force’s final report was issued Monday. The recommendations include improving childcare availability and affordability; expanding hospitality industry apprenticeships; and promoting and enhancing existing…