The supervisor is Heather Hollingsworth. She can be reached in the Kansas City bureau at 800-852-4844 or 816-421-4844. AP stories, along with photos that accompany them, can be obtained from http://www.apexchange.com. Reruns are available from the Service Desk (800-838-4616).
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MO--MISSOURI RIVER-LEVEE REPAIRS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — More than $180 million worth of repairs to Missouri River levees battered by the historic 2011 flooding are beginning to wind down, but critics are complaining the work took too long. By Heather Hollingsworth.
NIXON-ONLINE UNIVERSITY
COLUMBIA — Jay Nixon's push to increase college completion rate is bringing to Missouri a nonprofit online university started by 19 other governors in the western U.S. Nixon announced the partnership between the state of Missouri and Western Governors University in his Jan. 7 State of the State Address. Indiana, Texas and Washington state have established similar alliances with the Salt Lake City-based virtual school. The school charges about $6,000 for annual tuition, rates far cheaper than its for-profit competitors. The average student is 37, and two-thirds of its students work full-time. Students advance through classes at their own pace, rather than rely on a defined academic calendar in a process known as competency-based education. By Alan Scher Zagier.
MISSOURI ADOPTIONS
JEFFERSON CITY_The Missouri Senate voted to eliminate tax incentives for international and out-of-state adoptions. The program cost $2 million and allowed families adopting internationally to get a tax break on their adoption costs. By Jordan Shapiro.
MO--SLAIN SPORTS EDITOR
COLUMBIA, Mo. — A Columbia man serving a 40-year sentence for the 2001 slaying of a local newspaper sports editor has appealed a Cole County judge's denial of a new trial, claiming the judge made several errors.
OBIT-ACKERMAN
PHILADELPHIA — Former Philadelphia schools superintendent Arlene Ackerman, who left abruptly a year and a half ago after clashing with local officials, died Saturday of pancreatic cancer, according to her son. She was 66. Anthony Antognoli said his mother died in Albuquerque, N.M., where she lived. He said she hadn't been ill long and "it was too short a battle." By Ron Todt.
AP Photos NY112, PAPHQ201, NY113.
ALSO:
— TAX PREPARER — A Kansas federal judge has put a tax preparer out of business.
— MISSOURI S&T PROFESSOR-AWARD — A Missouri University of Science and Technology researcher is being recognized for his work understanding human behavior through Internet usage patterns.
WEEKEND FEATURE EXCHANGE:
HIV RESEARCH
COLUMBIA — A team of scientists led by a University of Missouri researcher believes they have found a new "soft spot" in the structure of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. "If we know what the lock looks like, we can make the key," said Stefan Sarafianos, who conducts research at the Bond Life Sciences Center. By Jodie Jackson Jr., Columbia Daily Tribune.
STOPPING ABSENTEEISM
BENTON — When Matt Tabor walks the halls of Benton High School, he could pass for a student. He's not much taller than a freshman. Kids pull him aside and joke with him like he's their BFF. And he smiles a lot. "He's a great guy, strict but fair," said Colton Brown, one of Tabor's charges. By Alonzo Weston, St. Joseph News-Press.
THERAPY DOG
ST. LOUIS — Lofty ambitions for one dog, but very achievable, says Ron Harder, her handler. Her name is Madison and she's the Rock Community Fire Protection District's specially trained therapy dog. She wears a blue vest and is a badged member of the department. By Leah Thorsen, St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
SPORTS:
BKC--T25-AUBURN-MISSOURI
COLUMBIA, Mo. — No. 17 Missouri tries to bounce back from its fourth road loss and remain unbeaten at home, facing Auburn in an SEC game. The Tigers are 15-5 overall and 4-3 in conference play while Auburn (8-12, 2-5) has lost five in a row. 12:47 p.m. CST start.
— With: Hometown lead
The AP-Kansas City
