Associated Press

More than a dozen Missouri school districts are among nearly 900 nationwide planning to apply for a slice of nearly $400 million in grants from the U.S. Education Department.

Former Missouri House Speaker Steven Tilley is now a registered lobbyist in Jefferson City.

Republican Congressman Todd Akin has returned to public campaigning for the U.S. Senate with an appearance in rural northwest Missouri.

Attorneys for Premium Standard Farms and hundreds of northern Missouri residents have reached a settlement of lawsuits over odors from large hog operations.

Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster apparently has decided not to appeal a judge's decision rewriting the summary that voters will see for a ballot measure on health insurance exchanges.

Gov. Jay Nixon is reviving a commission that recommended widespread changes to Missouri's tax credit programs.

Nixon says the growing cost of state tax credits is reason to reconvene the Missouri Tax Credit Review Commission on Sept. 12.

The panel released a report in late 2010 recommending that Missouri eliminate some of its 61 tax credit programs and reduce or change others.

But lawmakers have done little because of a disagreement among those who want to pare back Missouri's tax breaks and others who want to create new incentives for businesses.

Supporters of Planned Parenthood have delivered petitions with 40,000 signatures to the office Republican Missouri Congressman Todd Akin, expressing anger and outrage over comments he made about rape.

About a dozen advocates and supporters of Planned Parenthood gathered at Akin's district congressional office in suburban St. Louis on Wednesday to deliver the petitions. Akin aide Steve Taylor collected them and invited five of the protesters in for a face-to-face meeting.

The path of Tropical Storm Isaac northward from the Gulf Coast is still uncertain, but Missouri officials are urging people to prepare for possible heavy rain and power outages.  The powerful storm lost some of its strength yesterday afternoon and has been downgraded to a tropical storm.  

The Midwest may get a break from the drought when remnants of Hurricane Isaac arrive late this week, but the torrent of rain could create problems.

The language used in a ballot initiative approved by Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan has been tossed out by a Cole County judge. 

Proposition-E centers on the conditions for creating a health care exchange in Missouri. It read in part if the law should, quote, “deny individuals, families and small businesses the ability to access affordable health care.”  Republican Lt. Governor Peter Kinder called the language used by the Democratic Secretary of State unbelievably biased.