COLUMBIA, Mo. - Soy products are noted for their health benefits, but they can leave consumers with intestinal bloating and discomfort due to indigestible carbohydrates contained in soy.

University of Missouri researchers have developed a soy protein energy bar fortified with a strain of probiotics ("friendly" bacteria similar to bacteria that already exist in the human intestinal tract).

“Soy foods are recognized as healthy because of…[more]

LITTLE ROCK– Friday, in the face of Hurricane Ike, Attorney General Dustin McDaniel raised concerns about price gouging at the gas pumps. In an effort to address that concern, General McDaniel asked Arkansans to send his office photographs and other documentation of what they believe to be unreasonable gas prices. Arkansans quickly responded to the call to action.

Since Friday, the Attorney General’s office has received over 1450…[more]

Arkansas, the nation’s number one rice producer with about 1.3 million acres planted this year, could have up to a fourth of its crop damaged as remnants of hurricanes Gustav and Ike blew through the state.

Gustav affected large swaths of rice fields south of Interstate 40, while Ike seemed to save its worst impact north of that highway.

According to rice experts at the University…[more]

Thomas Nix, Jr. of Memphis, Tennessee and formerly of Shell Knob, Missouri, pleaded guilty to illegally taking paddlefish roe and selling caviar.

Nix was indicted on the charges in July. Although sentencing has not yet been set, he could face a $250,000 fine along with up to five years in a federal prison.

A news release from U.S. Attorney John Woods’ office stated: “Nix admitted that,…[more]

The campground at Finger Lakes State Park near Columbia will be closed temporarily from Sept. 15 through Sept. 18 while repairs to the entrance road are being made, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources announced today.

The culverts on the road leading into the campground were damaged by flooding during July and August and are being replaced. The road will be closed as the five smaller culverts are…[more]

Seth Russell, age 15 of Crossett, Arkansas, was being pulled along in an inner tube behind a boat in Lake Chicot when a Silver Asian carp leaped from the water, hitting young Seth square in the face.

The blow knocked Seth unconscious and he was rushed to a nearby hospital. Seth said he does not remember the fish, only waking up at the hospital. But the collision was…[more]

Little Rock --Power is being restored to parts of Louisiana, but Entergy crews from Arkansas have been forced to return home to help restore power here, and evacuees are being told that they are still facing a wait of seven to fourteen days before they can return home. That leaves Arkansas healthcare providers with the job of keeping the displaced population healthy.

“We are determined to give the…[more]

Today’s announcement by the U.S. Department of Transportation that it would curtail federal highway payments to the states could cause Missouri road and bridge projects to be delayed or even canceled.  If Congress fails to provide $8 billion to the Federal Highway Trust Fund as requested by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters, it could mean Missouri would lose $252 million, which translates to 8,770 jobs lost.

“If…[more]

At least some area students will breathe a little easier thanks to a grant received by the Ozarks Clean Air Alliance.

The grant, in the amount of $130,000 from the Environmental Protection Agency, is earmarked to retrofit 89 local school buses with catalysts and filters to cut down on pollutants. The EPA has voiced concern that repeated exposure to diesel fumes could lead to respiratory problems like asthma…[more]

Once they had been vibrant places to do business, shop, eat and socialize. Today, many downtowns in Missouri are almost forgotten. Economic development plans to revitalize downtowns are often too expensive for communities already strapped for resources, but several Missouri towns are getting outside help to develop a blueprint of what their downtown could look like over the next 25 years.

University of Missouri Extension specialists and 10…[more]