Business

Some Missourians may be eligible to have someone else prepare their tax returns…for free. 

Missouri is one of 21 states and the District of Columbia that participates in State Free File, a program that partners with tax preparation services to provide free help for people who meet specific income and age requirements.  

The Missouri Department of Revenue website lists seven online tax service providers they have agreements with, each with its own specific eligibility requirements for free tax preparation.

Before the American Revolution, before the Civil War, before Lewis and Clark came through here, a huge tree has been standing in central Missouri, growing to 90-feet tall. The beloved bur oak – which everybody calls "The Big Tree" -- has survived floods, lightning strikes and all kinds of punishments during her 350 years on the prairie. But, as Harvest Public Media’s Peggy Lowe reports, last year’s record drought was especially hard on the Big Tree.

Gov. Jay Nixon says a new rail transfer facility in eastern Missouri has already helped local employers expand.

Nixon was in Washington, Mo., on Monday to help dedicate the $4.2 million rail transfer project.

Nixon says the project helped two local businesses expand their operations and create about 330 jobs. He was joined at the event by officials from those businesses — CG Power Systems and Canam Steel.

Columbia residents may soon have to wait a little bit longer for their mail to arrive.

The U.S. Postal Service has put together an Area Mail Processing proposal to move some operations, including 91 Columbia jobs, to St. Louis and Kansas City. This is in large part due to a decrease of 53 billion pieces of mail during the past seven years, a fourth of the overall volume.

The Federal Aviation Administration announced today in a press release that it is going to delay the closures of 149 air traffic control towers across the country by about a month, including the one at Columbia Regional Airport.