Julie Bierach

• It appears that first basemen Albert Pujols will enter spring training on Wednesday with no deal in place with the St. Louis Cardinals. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that a source familiar with negotiations confirmed Pujols recently rejected the team's contract extension offer. If so, talks presumably would halt Feb. 15 because of a deadline put in place by Pujols' agent. And the likelihood of the three-time National League Most Valuable Player reaching free agency after the upcoming season would increase. There was no comment from the Cardinals on Sunday night. According to reports, Pujols wants a 10-year deal.
• Missouri lawmakers are calling for efforts to combat school bullying. Legislators are expected to hold a new conference today in the state Capitol building to discuss legislation. One proposal would develop definitions for "cyber-bullying" and instruct schools to develop policies to combat online bullying. The efforts are backed by the Safe Schools Coalition, which represents 40 organizations across Missouri.
• Illinois Republicans are criticizing Governor Pat Quinn ahead of his budget address. Quinn is scheduled to lay out his proposed state spending plan for the next year on Wednesday. Last month, Quinn signed a bill raising income and corporate taxes to help balance the state's multi-billion dollar deficit. Republican State Senator Matt Murphy says he wants Quinn to repeal the tax increases and make more spending cuts. Murphy says given the state's budget problems, he would be open to cutting education funding. Meantime, Quinn says he's made $3 billion in budget cuts since taking office.

• According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, a judge has postponed the trial of Christopher Coleman, who's accused of killing his wife and sons. His defense lawyers asserted they needed more time to examine DNA evidence. Jury selection in the trial was to begin Tuesday. On Thursday, the judge also denied a defense effort to exclude Coleman's taped six-hour interview with Columbia police on May 5, 2009, the day the bodies were found in the family's home.

Updated 1:58 p.m. Feb. 10, 2011 with comment from Rep. Carnahan

St. Louis Congressman Russ Carnahan says he remains frustrated by the systemic problems and slow pace of improvements at the Cochran VA Medical Center in St. Louis.

• Congressman Russ Carnahan is meeting with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki today to discuss problems at the John Cochran VA Medical Center in St. Louis. The St. Louis democrat says he is calling for an independent, thorough review of the facility in the wake of reports that it canceled all surgeries last week after evidence of a possible new sterilization problem.

• The state of Missouri has carried out its first execution in nearly two years. Early this morning, 47-year-old Martin Link was put to death for the 1991 kidnapping, rape and murder of 11-year-old Elissa Self-Braun. Missouri Department of Corrections spokesman Chris Cline says Link died by lethal injection shortly after midnight at the state prison in Bonne Terre. On Monday, Gov.