Julie Bierach

During his State of the Union address last night, President Barack Obama emphasized the need for more background checks for gun buyers, saying that that the majority of Americans favor the proposal as a way to keep firearms out of the hands of criminals.

On the heels of outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s testimony in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the Benghazi attack Wednesday morning, Missouri’s U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill says she will be speaking to Senator John Kerry about embassy security prior to his confirmation hearings.

During a conference call with reporters Wednesday, McCaskill said that she feels very strongly that the U.S. should not have contracted security in places where we are in conflict. She said the military should guard those embassies.

The Missouri Department of Transportation will soon begin what they’re calling “significant” improvements to state roads in the St. Louis metro area.

MoDOT’s St. Louis District Engineer Ed Hassinger says the extensive improvements to the interstate system will help relieve some of the problem areas during morning and evening commutes.

The complete list of projects includes:

The flu season has started early across the US. Doctors have been treating a large number of cases at area hospitals since October. Pediatricians at Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital in St. Louis are treating a high number of patients diagnosed with the flu.

St. Louis Public Radio's Julie Bierach spoke with Dr. Ken Haller, a pediatrician at Cardinal Glennon. He says to be prepared for a second peak of flu cases.

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