Alex King

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Updated 3:54 p.m. with comment from Walker

We have an update on that steam pipe rupture that happened in downtown St. Louis Thursday morning.  The City of St. Louis Department of Health says that "while swab samples have indicated small amounts of ground level asbestos, air quality tests have come back clean."

Missouri House approves advertising on school buses

Missouri House members have approved legislation that would allow advertising on school buses to help districts cover transportation costs. 

The legislation would allow school districts to lease space on the inside and exterior of school buses for private advertisements. Ads could not feature gambling, alcohol or tobacco.

Mo. Senator accuses state labor department of improperly manipulating wages with unions

A top Missouri Senate leader says the state labor department is improperly working with unions to manipulate wages paid on public works projects. The state calculates an annual "prevailing wage" for various construction trades in each county based on surveys of wages already paid on jobs.

Senate President Pro Tem Rob Mayer, a Republican from Dexter, said Wednesday that state bureaucrats and labor unions had engaged in what he called "collusion.

Mississippi River is second-most toxic river in United States

A new report released by Environment Missouri says the Mississippi River is the second-most toxic river in the nation.

Data released Thursday shows that 12 million pounds of toxins were dumped into the Mississippi in 2010, with 672,000 pounds being released in Missouri. The only waterway more toxic is the Ohio River.

Forty-three teams of teens from Missouri and four surrounding states be competing in the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition regional this weekend at Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis.

(You can see a full feature on last year's FIRST competition here, too).