Jefferson City

JEFFERSON, Missouri (Reuters) - Argentina's Juan Jose Haedo outsprinted Norwegian Thor Hushovd in the final 100 meters to win the Tour of Missouri's fourth stage on Thursday and grab the overall lead.

Canadian inventor sues Idaho, Washington, Oregon universities over yellow mustard seed patent. Three Pacific Northwest universities face a federal lawsuit that accuses them of using, without permission, a Canadian inventor's patented process to build a better yellow mustard seed.

Federal Reserve imposes restrictions on banks in Nebraska and Missouri and their owner. The Federal Reserve has imposed restrictions on two correspondent banks in Nebraska and Missouri owned by Midwest Independent Bancshares Inc. of Jefferson City, Mo. because of concerns about the banks' exposure to the commercial real estate market.

New wanted poster: Electric billboards with photo of brazen bank robbery help FBI name suspect. The brazen bank robber didn't bother to hide his face as he threatened tellers with a gun in at least 10 heists from Kentucky to the Carolinas to Tennessee.

Sherwood Cryer

A look at government subsidies for flights in and out of rural communities.

Spokes, grapes and pioneer history: Cycling Missouri's Katy Trail, one sip at a time. The 19th century German settlers who saw visions of the Rhineland in the rolling Missouri hills likely didn't anticipate the more modern voyagers who flock to these parts: Spandex-wearing, energy-bar-chowing cyclists lured by a 236-mile rails-to-trails path ? the nation's longest.

St. Louis putting on best face for baseball's All-Star Game crowds after effort to revitalize. Baseball's All-Star Game on Tuesday will bring more than 200,000 visitors to St. Louis, which has worked hard in recent years to make its streets safer and re-energize its downtown.

Bedeviled by budgets, states don't have time, money to keep campaign promises or start reforms. As lawmakers in cash-strapped states wrestled this year with revenues that kept on falling, both campaign promises and long-standing reform efforts got pushed to the side. There just wasn't enough time or money to expand health care or improve education ? or, in Rhode Island, finally get around to banning indoor prostitution ? while also passing a budget.

Kyle McCarty's photo album looks different from other children's: One picture shows him riding in a red wagon down a hospital corridor. In another, he drapes a stethoscope around his neck. A third shows him sporting a dinosaur Halloween costume, in the company of nurses.

After kidney transplant, 3-year-old Mo. boy leaves hospital that's been home for 2 years. Kyle McCarty's photo album looks different from other children's: One picture shows him riding in a red wagon down a hospital corridor. In another, he drapes a stethoscope around his neck. A third shows him sporting a dinosaur Halloween costume, in the company of nurses.

Laid off from factory job, Missouri senior citizen trains to walk thin blue line. Laid-off factory worker Dorie Clark had a choice: settle into a life of leisure whittling wood or lazing around the fishing hole, or find a new job.

Missouri, Connecticut, Illinois attorneys general to meet with Craigslist over sexual ads. State attorneys general from Missouri, Illinois and Connecticut plan to begin negotiations with Craigslist to eliminate what they contend are advertisements for illegal sexual activities.

Pa. township sued over proposed Hindu temple. A group seeking to build a Hindu temple has filed a federal lawsuit alleging that a suburban Philadelphia township's zoning and land development ordinances are infringing on the group's constitutional rights.

Religion News in Brief. A group seeking to build a Hindu temple has filed a federal lawsuit alleging that a suburban Philadelphia township's zoning and land development ordinances are infringing on the group's constitutional rights.

Biden focuses on affordable higher education in St. Louis visit, promises more gov't backing. Vice President Joe Biden pledged Friday to close gaps between family incomes and college costs to make higher education a reality for more young people.

AP sources: FBI investigating whether Mo. lawmakers traded committee posts for campaign cash. The FBI is questioning Missouri lawmakers about allegations that legislative leaders demanded campaign contributions in exchange for prestigious committee posts, legislative sources told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Arkansas governor finds funding for dairy stabilization program; milk fee off the table. Gov. Mike Beebe said he has found funding for a program to protect prices at in-state dairies, without resorting to a tax on milk, butter, ice cream and other dairy products.

On the way to the economy, stimulus hits speed bumps in state legislatures. Think Congress moves slowly? Try getting something past more than 7,300 lawmakers in 50 states.