PRNewswire/—Lowe’s stores across the Midwest are serving as official cash donation sites for the United Way 2008 Midwest Flood Recovery Fund to support long-term recovery and rebuilding efforts to areas devastated by the recent floods. Through July 21, 2008, Lowe’s will match in-store customer donations up to a total of $100,000. Donations to the fund will help the Red Cross provide immediate needs such as food and shelter and longer…[more]

From a story on stltoday.com recounting a visit today by InBev CEO Carlos Brito to US Sen. Claire McCaskill:

But he faced a hostile reception in Congress, where McCaskill, D-Mo., Bond, and others are strongly opposed to the takeover.

“I was very upfront,” McCaskill said of her discussion with Brito. After offering him a Budweiser and sipping one herself,[more]

GLADSTONE, Mo. — Oakhill Day School, a private Independent school in the Northland, will receive a $10,000 donation on Friday, June 19, 2008 at 8 a.m. from the new Best Buy that is located in the new Tiffany Springs Market Center.

Oakhill lost much of its roof, the library, computer lab, early childhood playground, gas lines, air conditioning units and much more from the May 2nd EF2 tornado…[more]

The United States is at risk of falling behind other countries in transportation funding, meaning lost jobs and lost lives, Missouri Department of Transportation Director Pete Rahn warned federal lawmakers today.  Testifying before a House Congressional committee, Rahn laid out the funding crisis, encouraging Congress to take action to dramatically improve the nation’s transportation system.

“We have grossly under funded both our state and federal transportation systems over…[more]

An Internet law expert argues that automatically punishing those who illegally download music violates the First Amendment.

“The First Amendment comes into play because downloading is a form of speech,” said Ned Snow, assistant professor in the School of Law. “Downloading is the same as copying, and copying is a form of expression.”
[more]

Beak ‘N Wings, Inc., an Educational Pet Bird Club is proud to announce that Ken Globus, also known as The Bird Whisperer, world-renowned for taming “difficult” birds in a very short time, will present a demonstration of his amazing bird taming techniques. Come see him work with birds that are considered un-tamable.

• Intrigue Park Place Hotel, 1601 N. Universal, Kansas City, MO 64120
• 816-483-9900…[more]

American Idol winner David Cook has been signed to 19 Recordings / RCA Records and is preparing to start recording his debut album which is due for release in fall 2008.

“David Cook is an extraordinarily versatile and talented artist with an impressive sense of musicality,” says Tom Corson, Executive Vice President and General Manager, RCA Music Group. “He is a natural performer and a true star. We…[more]

Greenville, Mo. - Former Crawford County Collector Danny Gladden was sentenced on Friday (May 30) to seven years in prison after he was found guilty at a Feb. 26 trial on 22 counts of stealing more than $335,000 from the county. The maximum sentence for the class C felony of stealing is seven years. The office of Attorney General Jay Nixon prosecuted Gladden on the charges.

Associate Circuit…[more]

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Despite recent progress, Afghanistan remains a poor country. Its agriculture industry, which employs 80 percent of all working Afghanis, hasn’t changed much in centuries. It is a nation that can’t feed itself without foreign aid.

To help change this, a pilot program called the Agribusiness Development Team (ADT) has been created. The effort is being led by Missouri National Guard members, many of whom are…[more]

HOLLYWOOD — If Chris Aronoff has his way, Harry Potter will soon have some competition as a film favorite among young audiences.

Aronoff, co-founder of Antibody Films, recently bought the rights to an action-adventure story featuring a 12-year-old boy named Andy Sweet as the central character.

The unpublished novel is titled “Andy Sweet and the $20 Gold Piece,” and was acquired from Ron Hutchison, a writer…[more]