News

Updated 2:24 p.m. with verdict information:

A jury has convicted Rod Blagojevich of nearly all the corruption charges against him, including trying to sell or trade President Barack Obama's old Senate seat.

(See full list of charges and verdicts below with details)

Jurors delivered their verdicts Monday after deliberating nine days.

Blagojevich had faced 20 charges, including the Senate seat allegation and that he schemed to shake down executives for campaign donations. He was convicted on all charges regarding the Senate seat.

He testified for seven days, denying wrongdoing. Prosecutors said he lied and the proof was on FBI wiretaps. Those included a widely parodied clip in which Blagojevich calls the Senate opportunity "f------ golden."

Jurors in his first trial deadlocked on all but one charge, convicting Blagojevich of lying to the FBI.

Blagojevich already faces up to five years for the lying conviction.

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn signed two traffic safety measures Monday. Quinn said in a press release that the new laws are “common sense measures that will help all motorists in Illinois arrive at their destinations safely.”

Engineers who studied the Joplin Home Depot where at least seven people died say the store's construction method might have led to some of the deaths.

The Kansas City Star reports that the "tilt-up wall" method used at the Joplin store met city codes, but didn't offer much protection when an EF-5 tornado roared through the community.

Sewer line rupture forces lane closures on EB I-70

The Missouri Department of Transportation is urging motorists to avoid eastbound Interstate 70 between Shreve and west Florissant Monday as repairs continue on a ruptured sewer line.

Deanna Venker, MoDOT area engineer for St. Louis City, says crews worked overnight to fix the sewer line. Concrete is curing and crews are working on road repairs.

The two-person office that helped directors find locations, talent and equipment when they shot movies in Missouri is closing its doors Thursday, the victim of ongoing tight budgets.