News

Reporting from Jake Wagman of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch was also used in this report.

Vice President Joe Biden is getting a first-hand look at damage left from a tornado that hit the St. Louis area last month.

Biden flew into the area Wednesday morning and took a walking tour with Gov. Jay Nixon of portions of the St. Louis suburb of Berkeley.

Neighborhoods there still showed signs of ruin from the April 22 storms. Some large trees remain toppled onto houses while piles of debris were found along many of the streets.

A judge in Cape Girardeau has postponed approval of a $1.5 million settlement in a woman's death at the home of former Anheuser-Busch CEO August Busch IV.

Busch had offered the settlement to a lawsuit filed by the ex-husband of Adrienne Martin, who died of a drug overdose Dec. 19 in Busch's mansion near St. Louis.

Local Control Hits Another Roadblock

Just when it appeared the local control issue was moving forward in the Missouri Senate, the bill has been delayed again.  This time, some Senate Republicans are holding off on advancing the bill in order to force the House to pass the Senate’s tax credit overhaul measure. 

While no one’s openly saying that the local control bill is being held up, Senate President Pro-tem Rob Mayer indicates they’re willing to delay bills from the House if their leaders continue to sit on Senate bills.

The Missouri State Treasurer is making low-interest loans available to over 40 counties trying to rebound from a string of weather-related disasters.

State Treasurer Clint Zweifel, who was in the St. Louis region Tuesday, says the loans will help homeowners and businesses qualify for loans in less than 24 hours.

Zweifel also says the new program will cut red tape and help qualified borrowers receive low-interest assistance loans in less than 24 hours.

The St. Louis Board of Police Commissioners has reached a collective bargaining agreement with the St. Louis Police Officers' Association.

It's a three-year deal that locks in salaries, benefits and department operating procedures. Mayor Francis Slay called the hard work it took to reach the deal worth it.

"I think it gives us a good opportunity to have a stronger partnership and to work together more closely for a better department and one that helps us address crime and other issues in the city of St. Louis," he said.