Stores prepare for back-to-school sales tax holiday Back-to-school shoppers will save a little more when they stock up on supplies this weekend.  A sales tax holiday goes into effect on Friday in Missouri and on Saturday in Arkansas.  Both events last through Sunday night. Over the weekend, the states will not charge state sales taxes on certain items to help families get ready for schools.  In both states you can save on clothes ...

Kansas City moves to ban open carry of firearms Kansas City councilmembers have unanimously voted to ban people from openly carrying firearms within city limits. Mayor Sly James has advocated for the prohibition that was voted on Thursday. He says the city doesn't need any more weapons on the streets. The ban takes effect in 10 days. It's unclear how long it will last. The Missouri General Assembly approved a bill prohibiting such bans for permit holders ...

Foggy start, nice afternoon Fog will clear by the late morning leading into a partly cloudy afternoon with temperatures in the mid-80s. ...

FIT FRIDAY: Get fit jumping rope On today’s Fit Friday, David Poland of Extreme Fitness shows the ease and value of jump roping. Jump roping gives you a full body workout; your legs, abs, arms and heart are all working while you jump. You gain strength, agility, speed, and improve your timing and rhythm through jump roping, and it is not as hard on your joints as running. All you need is ...

Voter turnout projected at 27 percent in Missouri  Missouri election authorities are predicting about one in four voters will cast ballots in next week's primaries. Statewide voter turnout on Tuesday is projected at nearly 1.1 million people — about 27 percent of the almost 4.1 million Missourians registered to vote. The turnout projections are compiled from figures collected by the secretary of state's office from each of Missouri's 116 local election jurisdictions. They range from a ...

Patrol announces August enforcement plans The Missouri State Highway Patrol has a busy August planned for watching drivers and boaters. Troop D officers will conduct sobriety checkpoints and saturations in Barry, Newton, and Stone counties. These efforts will concentrate on highways which have been found to have a high number of alcohol-related crashes and enforcement contacts. The Patrol reports impaired driving contributes to more than 30 percent of all Missouri fatal ...

Tunisia guards fire in air to disperse crowds at Libya border
Tunisian guards shot into the air and fired tear gas on Friday to stop a group of Egyptians from storming across the border with Libya after fleeing violence in Tripoli, a Reuters reporter said. Around 350 Egyptians were allowed to cross into Tunisia on Wednesday, TAP said.

US adds 209,000 jobs in July, unemployment rises to 6.2%
The US economy generated 209,000 new jobs in July, down from June but maintaining a solid 200,000-plus monthly streak since February, the Commerce Department said Friday. The unemployment rate, rose a mere 0.1 point to 6.2 percent, still near its lowest level since October 2008 and well down from the 7.9 percent at the start of 2013. The new jobs were well-spread between the construction, manufacturing, professional service and retail sectors, and got a boost as well from 11,000 new jobs in the government sector.

W. African leaders, WHO meet to address Ebola
CONAKRY, Guinea (AP) — Presidents from the West African countries hit by the Ebola outbreak are meeting with world health leaders to come up with ways to stop the spread of the deadly disease.

35 Palestinians killed, Israeli officer missing
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — A Gaza cease-fire quickly unraveled Friday as violence erupted in and around the southern town of Rafah, with at least 35 Palestinians killed by Israeli shelling and the military saying an infantry officer may have been captured.

Instant View: July U.S. job growth above 200K, below expectations
(Reuters) - U.S. job growth slowed more than expected in July and an unexpected rise in the unemployment rate pointed to some slack in the labor market that could give the Federal Reserve room to keep interest rates low for a while. The one tenth of a percentage point increase in the unemployment rate to 6.2 percent came as more people entered the labor market, a sign of confidence in the job market. * Average hourly earnings, which are being closely monitored as a potential signal of reduced slack that could prompt the Fed to raise rates, rose only one cent. * That left the annual rate of increase at 2.0 percent, still well below the levels that would make Fed officials nervous. It will reinforce for now the Federal Reserve's commitment to a gradualist policy approach.”  SARAH HOUSE, ECONOMIST, WELLS FARGO SECURITIES, CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA: “On balance it was still pretty positive, we saw job growth come in a little bit lower than expected, but it’s still over 200,000 and the trend remains overall very strong.