( KTRS ) Amtrak and the Illinois Department of Transportation say they have reached an agreement to maintain existing service on state-supported routes while reducing costs. IDOT says the deal will maintain service through the end of the fiscal year on June 30, at a cost of $38.3 million to the state. The department paid…
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) – Two dozen black protesters twice interrupted a meeting of the University of Missouri system’s governing board to read a list of demands for improvements in diversity. The demonstrators on Thursday stood side-by-side, their arms locked, outside a room on the Columbia campus when the Board of Curators were starting a finance…
Mount Vernon, IL (KTRS) A Mount Vernon math teacher faces felony charges after police in southern Illinois say he used an anonymous social media app to arrange a sexual encounter with an eighth-grader. Kevin Battas, 25, was charged Wednesday in Madison County with grooming and indecent solicitation of a child using the Internet. Troy police say…
( KTRS ) St. Louis city’s Civil Rights Enforcement Agency is set to host a “Expanding Opportunities and Creating Equity” Conference, this weekend, at the Saint Louis University School of Law. Maggie Crane, spokeswoman for Mayor Slay’s office says, the goal of the conference is to equip communities that receive federal funding with the data…
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) – Missouri’s Democratic governor is pledging to circumvent the Republican-led Legislature if needed to fill vacancies on the board overseeing the state’s flagship university. Gov. Jay Nixon’s announcement Thursday further escalated the tensions of legislators already frustrated about the handling of racial issues that culminated in the resignations of the system president…
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – Missouri and Peru have agreed to trade $300 million worth of products over the next four years. Economic Development Director Mike Downing signed the pact Thursday with an official from Peru’s export and trade promotion board. The agreement comes two days after Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon announced a $750 million…
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – A Republican lawmaker wants to make it easier for Missouri women to get birth control. Rep. Sheila Solon told a House committee Wednesday that pharmacists should be able to prescribe oral contraceptives because fewer unwanted pregnancies would lead to fewer abortions. Those under 18 would have to show pharmacists a…
CHICAGO (AP) – Gov. Bruce Rauner has used his executive powers to create a privately run and funded economic development agency that he says will “jump-start” job growth. The first-term Republican signed an executive order Wednesday establishing the Illinois Business and Economic Development Corporation. It’s a nonprofit group the governor, a former private equity investor,…
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) – Stefan Moody had 23 points and hit two free throws to put Mississippi ahead by a point with 13.4 seconds left in a late-game rally that led to a 76-73 victory over Missouri on Wednesday night. Moody also matched his career best with eight rebounds and had five assists for the…
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) – Illinois is continuing to approve patients to use medical marijuana, with about 400 more approval letters sent in January. The Illinois Department of Public Health announced Wednesday it has approved 4,400 patients for the pilot program. That includes 32 children. The pace of approvals is about the same as December. Marijuana…