News

Missouri lawmakers have given final approval to legislation replacing many provisions in a dog-breeding law approved by voters in November.

The House approved the legislation 85-71 on Wednesday. It cleared the Senate last month and goes now to Gov. Jay Nixon.

The bill eliminates a cap on owning 50 breeding dogs and rolls back various new requirements on dogs' living conditions. Instead, breeders would need to provide appropriate space for their animals based on regulations set by the Department of Agriculture.

View Holly Hills Bridge Demolition in a larger map

Interstate 55 will be closed from Carondelet to Broadway this weekend to allow for the removal of the Holly Hills Bridge.

Interstate 55 from Carondelet to Broadway will be closed in both directions this weekend as the Missouri Department of Transportation demolishes the Holly Hills Bridge.

The project is part of the Interstate 55 Bridge Replacement Project, which also includes the reconstruction of the Delor Bridge, which got underway last month. The total cost of replacing both bridges is $3 million.

The Missouri Senate has passed legislation extending several health care taxes that help generate about $3 billion annually for state's Medicaid program.

The special taxes are levied on such things hospitals, nursing homes and pharmacies. They are used to draw down federal Medicaid money, which is then distributed to health care providers through various programs.

Missouri's health care taxes are to expire Sept. 30.

A former police officer in the St. Louis suburb of Bridgeton faces sentencing in July after pleading guilty to taking a $5,000 bribe.

The U.S. Attorney's office in St. Louis says 38-year-old Scott William Haenel of O'Fallon also admitted obstructing a federal investigation in his guilty plea on Wednesday.

Federal authorities say a person cooperating with the FBI met several times with Haenel between November and January and paid him $5,000. In exchange, Haenel agreed to help conceal a money laundering scheme involving drug trafficking money.

A Missouri House committee has dealt a setback to Gov. Jay Nixon's quest for $1 billion in federal high-speed rail money.

The House Budget Committee rejected an attempt Wednesday to insert the rail money into a state budget bill.

That comes just two weeks after Nixon held a news conference to announce Missouri was applying for $1 billion of the $2.4 billion of federal rail money that Florida decided not to use.