Associated Press

Missouri Auditor Tom Schweich says the state lost out on nearly $1.3 million because of how the Office of Administration has billed for a new telephone system.

The Jefferson City News Tribune reports the Office of Administration was supposed to determine costs for the phone system and charge state agencies for their share. Money would be deposited in a revolving fund and bills paid from that fund.

A crop duster plane has crashed in north-central Missouri, killing the pilot.

The Columbia Daily Tribune reports that the crash occurred Friday morning in Randolph County when the small plane crashed into a corn field north of Huntsville.

Randolph County Sheriff Mark Nichols says the victim's name hasn't been released.

Nichols says a witness told deputies the small plane appeared to have clipped a tree top before crashing.

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon now has received more than 10,000 messages urging him to sign or veto legislation related to health insurance coverage for contraception.

Nixon has scheduled a Thursday news conference to announce his action on legislation. That comes a couple days ahead of a Saturday deadline for him to sign, veto or allow bills to become law without his signature.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is streamlining the process for farmers to apply for government disaster help as crops in many states burn up in the widest drought in nearly 25 years.

Secretary of State Robin Carnahan says in a news release that Missourians need to be registered by today if they want to take part in the Aug. 7th primary election.

Carnahan says residents can register in person or by mail, and a mailed voter registration application has to be postmarked by the July 11th deadline in order to cast a ballot for the August primary.

Former Missouri Gov. Roger Wilson has been sentenced to two years of probation for misusing money to make political donations.

Vice President Joe Biden praised Democratic U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill as a "strong, strong ally" while helping raise money for her re-election campaign.

Missouri Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder is filing a lawsuit to challenge the ballot summary for a measure restricting the creation of a state health insurance exchange without specific approval from lawmakers or voters.

A 26-year-old Hazelwood woman has died in another electrocution near a dock at Lake of the Ozarks.

The Lake Sun Leader reports that the woman was swimming with two children near Dry Branch Cove's 4-mile marker on Saturday night when a current of electricity hit the water. The two children were not injured.

Work is resuming on the intentionally breached Birds Point levee in southeast Missouri now that a protest to a construction bid has been deemed "without merit" by the Army Corps of Engineers.

An Oklahoma company last month protested the $20 million in contracts awarded to three other companies to rebuild the levee, which was intentionally breached at the height of 2011 flooding along the Mississippi River. The breach relieved pressure on the flood wall at nearby Cairo, Ill., but damaged 130,000 acres of rich Missouri farmland and dozens of homes.