Maria Altman

Not many of us are chemists.

Yet by removing one oxygen atom average people here in Missouri regularly are turning common decongestants like Sudafed and Claritin-D into the illicit drug methamphetamine.

Nationwide those explosive mom and pop meth labs were estimated by a Rand study to cost taxpayers more than $23 billion a year in health care costs, child endangerment and clean-up.

Reporting in part from Illinois Public Radio's Amanda Vinicky. Last update 4:04 p.m.

Legislation to expand gambling the General Assembly approved nearly two years ago is finally dead. Governor Pat Quinn vetoed a measure that would have given Illinois five new casinos.

When Governor Quinn gives his annual budget address later this week, he's expected to highlight Illinois' plethora of financial problems.

The famous “Budweiser” sign on the St. Louis brewery will start to come down on Monday.

But, have no fear - a new, brighter one will replace it in a few weeks.

The current sign on Anheuser-Busch’s Bevo Building has been up since 1979.

General Manager Jeff Pitts says it was getting susceptible to bad weather.

Tuesday is the 40th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Roe v Wade, the landmark case that legalized abortion.

Groups on both sides of the controversial issue will be marking the day.

The Archdiocese of St. Louis was the first Catholic diocese to organize a Pro Life committee just 6 weeks after the famous court ruling.

Today that committee is called the Respect Life Apostolate.

Executive Director Karen Nolkemper says the Archdiocese will focus on commemoration of the un-born  and recommitting to ending abortion.