The Rogers (AR) School Board is considering a proposal that it hire a professional fundraiser to solicit donations to support high school athletics. Rogers Athletic Director Mark Holderbaum, brought the idea of a fundraiser to the board.

If approved, the fundraiser would be paid a commission based on the money he or she raises. [more]

The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission today selected Paseo Corridor Constructors as the design-build contractor for the Interstate 29/35 corridor improvement project.  The $245 million kcICON project features a landmark cable-stay Christopher S. Bond Missouri River bridge, and will upgrade Interstate 29/35 to six lanes from north of the Route 210/Armour Road interchange to Independence Ave.  It also adds a southbound lane from the northeast corner of the Central Business…[more]

From the folks at the airport:

Lambert-St. Louis International Airport passengers have a new seating option with the debut of rocking chairs. The “Lambert Rocks” campaign kicked off Tuesday with an open-house style event in the East Terminal to allow visitors to try out the custom blue rockers. Passengers can take a seat on 70 rocking chairs now located beyond the security checkpoints near airline gates and other…[more]

Jefferson City, Mo. — Attorney General Jay Nixon today provided the Missouri State Highway Patrol with the names and other information of 249 additional convicted sex offenders identified as having pages on the popular social networking Web site MySpace.com. Nixon has now provided a total of 688 names of Missouri sex offenders to the Highway Patrol, and has asked the Patrol to examine the data to look for parole violations…[more]

U.S. Representative John Boozman (R-ARK) today took to the floor of the House to call for passage of a measure to honor work of slaves in building of the U.S. Capitol.

H.R. 3315, legislation offered by Rep. Zach Wamp (R-TN), would name the great hall of the Capitol Visitor Center: Emancipation Hall.[more]

A recent Maritz(R) Poll found that one-third of respondents (37 percent) plan to shop on the day after Thanksgiving. In last year’s poll, a similar number (34 percent) said they would shop on Black Friday.

Black Friday = Higher Income, Younger Generations

The consumer market research poll shows that…[more]

Average costs of diesel fuel in Missouri and across the nation rose to record highs in the last week, as crude oil costs also set new records, according to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources Energy Center’s biweekly Missouri Energy Bulletin.

On Nov. 5, the U.S. and Missouri average retail prices for diesel fuel set new records of $3.30 and $3.21 per gallon respectively, representing increases of 32…[more]

Arkansas’s Congressional delegation today announced that Congress has finalized legislation with funding for several projects critical to Arkansas’s military installations, research institutions and defense contractors. 

The members of the delegation said they are pleased the FY2008 Department of Defense Appropriations Act includes a 3.5% pay raise for military personnel, an additional $70 million to better meet the medical needs of wounded service members, $11.6 billion for body armor…[more]

Jefferson city, Missouri — Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan issued a warning to Missourians regarding unsolicited e-mails about tax refunds appearing to come from the Internal Revenue Service. The e-mail asks recipients for personal financial information such as ATM pin numbers and debit card information.

An auditor in the Missouri Securities Division of the Office of Secretary of State recently received a copy of one of the…[more]

SALEM, Mo.-Deer hunters headed to the Ozarks for Missouri’s firearms deer season need to know that the Mark Twain National Forest has closed an 11-square-mile area in Dent, Iron and Reynolds counties.

The USDA Forest Service closed the area 20 miles east of Salem in response to the crash of a fighter jet in the area Nov. 2. The closure is expected to remain in effect for 45…[more]