Rachel Lippmann

Updated to correct spelling of Isaacson's name.

Four new shows will mark the Muny's first season under new executive director Mike Isaacson.

One of those shows has appeared on the Muny state before, says Kate Lane, Isaacson's assistant. But the Muny did not produce the version of "Chicago" that theatergoers saw in 1977. Instead, the Broadway cast left New York for a week of performances. This will be the first time the Muny itself produces the show.

Updated at 4:55 to correct grammatical error.

Three Catholic schools in south St. Louis county will be merging into one next school year.

A preliminary review of the St. Louis corrections department finds "numerous weaknesses" in the management, physical structure and operations of the two jails the department oversees.

Six inmates have escaped from the facilities in the last 15 months. Three of the four escapes took place within five months of each other.

A federal appeals court has ruled against a Missouri town's funeral protest ordinance, saying peaceful picketing is protected by the right to free speech under the First Amendment.

The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday upheld a district court ruling in favor of members of Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan.

A two-year-old gender discrimination lawsuit filed by Francine Katz, once the top female executive at Anheuser-Busch, is finally on its way to trial.

The St. Louis Business Journal reports that the Missouri Supreme Court yesterday upheld a June 14 state appeals court ruling that Katz's case does not have to be settled by arbitration.