News

The country-and-western tourist town of Branson, Missouri, mourned Friday for more than a dozen sightseers who were killed when a duck boat capsized and sank in stormy weather in the deadliest such accident in almost two decades.

Divers found four more bodies in Table Rock Lake, bringing the death toll to 17, including the crew member who was driving the amphibious boat. In their initial assessment, authorities blamed thunderstorms and winds that approached hurricane strength, and a full investigation was underway.

Missouri House Minority Leader Gail McCann Beatty is resigning effective Sunday.

The Kansas City Democrat gave her resignation letter Friday to Gov. Mike Parson. She's stepping down several months before her final term would have ended so that she can start a new job Monday as head of Jackson County's Assessment Department.

Fish, frogs, birds and bugs will benefit from two stream buffer and wetlands projects the city plans to complete along two sections of Hinkson Creek.

The projects are planned for land along the creek near the city landfill and near the Hinkson's confluence with Perche Creek near Brushwood Lake. They would not only enhance wildlife habitat but also improve water quality, the Columbia City Council learned during a Monday evening work session.

It’s 9 a.m. on a sunny Thursday morning, and Kris Betz and his crew are hard at work restoring power to an apartment complex on Bryant Street.

The temperature is well above 90 degrees, but the linemen are decked out in jeans, long-sleeved shirts, gloves and hard hats, necessary protection as they climb high in the air to work with wires still buzzing with electricity.

Vice President Mike Pence is defending President Donald Trump against claims that the president is too soft on Russia, telling a St. Louis crowd that Russian aggression has been met with "American strength and action."

Pence spoke Thursday at a downtown hotel. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Pence said Trump's policies are making a positive difference in St. Louis and around the country.

Unions from around the country are pouring money into Missouri ahead of a statewide vote that could ban mandatory union fees at workplaces, just weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling that dealt a blow to public sector unions.

The group fighting a ballot measure that would make Missouri a right-to-work state has out-raised its opponents by nearly $6 million over the past four months.

A Clark man pleaded guilty Wednesday to involuntary manslaughter and assault over a crash last fall that killed a Harrisburg teacher.

On Sept. 28, Brandon Brill, 27, crossed the center line while driving on Route F and hit a bus driven by Brian Simpson that was carrying five high school and middle school girls to a track meet. Both vehicles overturned, and the bus caught fire.

Donald Trump will visit Missouri next week to deliver his first address as president to the annual Veterans of Foreign Wars convention.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders says Trump will head to Kansas City on Tuesday to address the gathering.

The former interim police chief in St. Louis who is white is alleging discrimination based on race or color in the selection of a permanent chief.

Lt. Col. Lawrence O'Toole was among six finalists for the permanent job late last year. The job went to John Hayden, who is black.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that O'Toole has filed complaints with the Missouri Commission on Human Rights and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Mayor Lyda Krewson calls the complaints "unfortunate."

The Missouri branch of Americans for Prosperity says it's spending $1.8 million on ads against Sen. Claire McCaskill.

The television and digital ad announced Wednesday by the Koch-backed group accuses the Democratic incumbent of saying she supports tax cuts but voting against President Donald Trump's tax bill.

Democratic candidate for Missouri’s 4th Congressional District Renee Hoagenson had a question for her opponent, Republican U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler: “Are you on Team America or Team Putin?”

Hoagenson held a last-minute news conference in front of the Boone County Courthouse Tuesday to express her “concern about Vicky Hartzler’s inability and unwillingness to take a stand against (President) Donald Trump.”

The future for fireworks wars in Columbia looked grim at a Boone County Commission work session Tuesday.

The work session’s purpose was to discuss ways to prevent fireworks wars from taking place in the future to protect both citizens and first responders.

Boone County Sheriff Dwayne Carey said the department needs the authority to enforce laws already on the books. Under the current statute, Boone County does not have the authority to regulate fireworks or the sale of fireworks because the county does not operate under a charter form of government.