Maria Altman

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Now here's a change. Earlier this year, the worst drought conditions seen in the Midwest in decades threatened to close the Mississippi River to barge traffic. Now, communities along the river in Missouri and Illinois are bracing for flooding.

St. Louis Public Radio Maria Altman reports.

MARIA ALTMAN, BYLINE: The threat of flooding on the Mississippi River came on quickly after last week's storms dumped rain across the Midwest. The town of Clarksville, Missouri didn't even have time to erect its metal flood wall.

The Missouri state auditor released a report Wednesday on the state’s Public Defender system.

Among the findings: public defenders need to better track the hours they spend on each case and update the standards they use to determine what’s the appropriate caseload.

Auditor Tom Schweich says Public Defenders have relied on national standards that are out-of-date.

Judge William Ray Price, Jr. served on the Missouri Supreme Court for 20 years including two terms as chief justice.

Price left the high court earlier this month to return to private practice.

Eleven states have been issued waivers from some provisions of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, but Missouri was not one of them.  But as Maria Altman reports, the State Board of Education is trying to change that.

The number of foreclosures in Missouri jumped nearly 14 percent in January compared to the month before. Meanwhile, foreclosures were up only 3 percent nationwide.

Missouri’s presidential primary is today, but one of the leading GOP candidates is not on the ballot.