Johanna Mayer

The city of Joplin is off the hook for paying for the first couple of months of debris removal following a devastating tornado in May.

The federal government is paying 90 percent of the cost in the hard-hit area designated for the Federal Emergency Management Agency's enhanced cleanup payments, instead of the usual 75 percent. The state will be picking up the 10 percent not covered by FEMA under the expedited debris removal program that runs through next Sunday. Mo. Gov. Jay Nixon said two-thirds of the properties have been cleared so far.

A second Missouri Republican state lawmaker will be running for Mo. secretary of state.

Republican Sen. Scott Rupp announced his candidacy Monday, joining Republican Sen. Bill Stouffer in the race.

In a news release, Rupp cites his experiences on issues such as illegal immigration and Internet predators as qualifications for the position.

He also says he’s created the only oversight committee to root out fraud and abuse of taxpayer funds in the stimulus package.

Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri says Republicans need to offer more compromise regarding a plan on how to handle raising the debt ceiling.

McCaskill says Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's proposal includes spending cuts larger than the rise in the debt ceiling and no increased taxes.

She says those were the requirements Speaker of the House John Boehner put forward at the start of the debate. But he has come up with his own plan that McCaskill says is similar, but with a catch.

Durbin opposes short-term extension of debt-ceiling

Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Ill. has announced that he wants to extend the debt ceiling until after the 2012 election. He says Republican House Speaker John Boehner’s plan to raise the ceiling as budget cuts are made would do nothing to help the economy, and won’t keep credit agencies from downgrading the nation’s debt. Rather, he says it would lead to higher interest rates.

 New conservative ad campaign targets Mo. Sen. McCaskill, among others

Residents in St. Charles County will soon need a prescription to purchase cold and allergy pills containing pseudoephedrine, the key ingredient in methamphetamine.