The Associated Press

Associated Press

This content is either partially or entirely curated from St. Louis Public Radio's subscription to the Associated Press news wire.

Pages

Scott Air Force Base
11:51 am
Mon March 21, 2011

Scott AFB Ill. Air National Guard unit supports effort over Libya

Credit (via Wikimedia commons/SSGT CHAD R. GANN, USAF)
The Belleville Gate entrance to Scott Air Force Base near Belleville, Ill.

A unit of the Illinois Air National Guard is joining the mission to maintain a no-fly zone over Libya.

The 126th Air Refueling Wing is based out of Scott Air Force Base in southwest Illinois. It refuels aircraft in mid-air at speeds of more than 500 mph.

The unit flies the KC-135R Stratotanker. That's the military version of the Boeing 707.

Read more
Archdiocese of St. Louis
11:31 am
Mon March 21, 2011

Archdiocese of St. Louis reaching out to potential victims of long-dead priest

Archbishop Robert Carlson of the Archdiocese of St. Louis.

The Archdiocese of St. Louis is taking the unusual step of reaching out to potential victims of an allegedly sexually abusive priest who has been dead for nearly a half-century.

The Rev. John Wieberg was ordained in 1918 and served at parishes in Advance, Charleston and Arcadia in southern Missouri, and Josephville in St. Charles County, through 1961. He died in 1963.

The archdiocese says several people came forward with abuse allegations against Wieberg that have been deemed credible by an archdiocesan review board.

Read more
AT&T & T-Mobile USA
11:13 am
Mon March 21, 2011

AT&T to buy T-Mobile USA for $39 billion

Credit (via Flickr/pasa47)
The AT&T building in downtown St. Louis.

AT&T Inc. is about to become the largest cellphone company in the U.S. The company says it will buy T-Mobile USA from Deutsche Telekom AG in a cash-and-stock deal valued at $39 billion.

Right now AT&T is the second largest wireless carrier, behind only Verizon Wireless. AT&T expects its acquisition to take a year to close.

Read more
Morning round-up
9:28 am
Mon March 21, 2011

Morning headlines: Monday, March 21, 2011

Credit (via Flickr/jimbowen0306)
The dome of the Missouri Capitol Building in Jefferson City, Mo.
  • Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Rob Mayer says he is looking for around $500 million of savings in the state budget over the next several years. Missouri's Legislature is not in session this week because of its annual spring break. But Mayer says he nonetheless will be meeting with Senate budget-writing staff to try to identify changes that can save the state money. Mayer is a former chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. He gave little indication of what he is looking to cut. But Mayer did note that a gubernatorial commission has identified potential savings by restructuring and paring back the state's tax credits. Senate Majority Leader Tom Dempsey says the chamber is expected to take up a package of tax credit changes when lawmakers return from their break.

  • University of Missouri curators head to Rolla to determine the qualifications for the system's next president. The two-day meeting beginning Monday at Missouri University of Science and Technology follows several statewide public forums by a 20-member advisory panel that will help curators choose the new president. Curators are looking to replace Gary Forsee, who retired in January to care for his ill wife. Former general counsel Steve Owens is the interim president but is not interested in the permanent job. Campus leaders expect the presidential search to last most of this year. Curators will craft a statement on the desired qualifications of the four-campus system's next leader based in part on public comments from the statewide meetings.

  • The state of Illinois' decision to eliminate the death penalty means about three dozen state employees will soon be out of work. The (Decatur) Herald & Review reports that State Appellate Defender Michael Pelletier began notifying about 37 employees in his office on Friday that their jobs are being eliminated. That's because Gov. Pat Quinn abolished the death penalty earlier this month and commuted the sentences of the 15 men on death row. Most of the employees being cut are lawyers who handled death penalty cases. The reduction will save about $4.7 million.

Read more
Missouri Congressional Redistricting
4:42 pm
Fri March 18, 2011

Nixon names legislative redistricting panels

Credit (Screenshot via Mo. Sec. of State website)
A map of Missouri's current nine congressional districts.

Gov. Jay Nixon has appointed the members of two bipartisan commissions that will redraw Missouri's legislative districts based on the 2010 census.

The Missouri Constitution requires the governor to appoint a panel of five Republicans and five Democrats to redraw state Senate districts, and a panel of nine Democrats and nine Republicans to redraw the House districts.

Read more

Pages