News

U.S. Rep. Todd Akin has amended his voter registration to the St. Louis suburb of Wildwood.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported last month that the five-term Republican has been voting from the address of his old family homestead in another suburb, Town and Country, despite moving to Wildwood more than three years ago.

Missouri's unemployment rate remained just below 9 percent in May.

Figures from the state Department of Economic Development indicate that Missouri's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 8.9 percent last month - the same level as in April.

The total number of nonfarm jobs, however, fell by 1,500 in May.

The department says the figures were based on conditions in the second week of May, when flooding was occurring in southeast Missouri but before a tornado hit Joplin.

Minor Flooding Expected this Week in Mo.

Minor flooding is expected along the Mississippi River in Missouri this week. In St. Louis, the river is slightly above flood stage at 30.5- feet, and expected to stay that way for the next four days.

There is a flood warning in effect towns from Quincy, Mo., down to Chester, Ill. until Sunday. National Weather Service meteorologist Butch Dye says the flooding is expected to remain minor, barring significant rainfall.

A common issue for community garden groups is varying levels of participation among the gardeners. The result of some gardeners not tending their beds on a regular basis means that, at best, the beds are weedy and aesthetically unpleasing or, at worst, the beds are completely overgrown and spreading weeds, diseases, and pests to the other beds. Beyond these consequences, lack of full involvement hampers the spirit of community--building relationships with one's neighbors, demonstrating pride in one's neighborhood--that community gardeners aspire to achieve.