Associated Press

A candidate for Missouri secretary of state is counting on his dog to help pick up some votes.

Republican state Sen. Bill Stouffer says his bloodhound, Duke, has been a popular sidekick at campaign events. Now, the long-eared, droopy-eyed dog is starring in a campaign commercial.

The spot opens with Stouffer's wife, Sue Ellen, saying ambiguously that he's loyal, protects those he serves, fights for what's right and hunts for the truth. After Stouffer thanks her for the praise, she jokes that the compliments were directed at Duke.

Fort Leonard Wood is honoring the first female soldier from Missouri who was killed in action in Iraq.

A building at the fort will be dedicated Thursday to Sgt. Amanda Pinson, who died in Iraq in 2006. A memorial plaque will also be unveiled.

The 21-year-old Pinson, of St. Louis, died when a mortar detonated near Tikrit, Iraq. She was a member of the 101st Military Intelligence Detachment of the 101st Airborne Division.

Farmers and other property owners in a southwestern Missouri village are being offered free water to fight grass fires amid continuing heat and drought.

KOLR-TV reports the Lawrence County village of Freistatt announced plans Wednesday to provide water to anyone living within a three-mile radius. Those taking advantage of the offer must have a portable tank to hold 3,000 to 5,000 gallons.

The water can be used only to prevent or fight grass fires.

A Columbia man has been indicted on allegations that he tried to fraudulently claim a state tax break meant for lower-income disabled residents and senior citizens.

The Cole County indictment accuses 27-year-old Christopher Hill of one felony count of filing a false state income tax return. The charge is punishable by up to a $10,000 fine and five years in prison.

The Missouri Department of Revenue said Wednesday that Hill attempted to file a forged rent receipt with his 2011 taxes in order to claim the tax credit.

Republican Sarah Steelman has loaned her U.S. Senate campaign an additional $100,000 for the final couple of weeks before Missouri's primary elections.

The Missouri Corn Growers Association has endorsed Gov. Jay Nixon's re-election campaign.

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon has appointed new circuit judges in St. Louis and Kansas City.

Opponents of the University of Missouri's decision to revamp its academic publishing business plan to meet to discuss their next steps.

Organizers of Tuesday's meeting say the school's plans to replace the press with a digital publishing operation that will rely largely on student workers will provide a poor substitute for the traditional university press model. Some members of the Columbia campus chapter of the American Association of University Professors are scheduled to meet with university system president Tim Wolfe later Tuesday.

Discrimination because of gender identity and sexual orientation is now illegal in the St. Louis County town of Creve Coeur.

The town's city council voted unanimously Monday to update a non-discrimination ordinance. The amendment prohibits discrimination in matters such as housing, employment and use of public spaces.

Five other St. Louis-area cities have passed similar measures. They are St. Louis, University City, Olivette, Richmond Heights and Clayton.

Folks in the western Missouri city of Nevada are getting the chance to make examples of themselves when it comes to health and wellness.

The town is embarking on an initiative to improve the health of its citizens and the quality of health care they receive.

The Kansas City-based health care technology company Cerner is teaming up with local officials on the initiative. The city's hospital will spend $10 million on an electronic medical records system that will allow information to be shared with the town's two dozen doctors and medical experts in bigger cities.