Governor Jay Nixon HAS directed the Missouri Department of Agriculture, to request the USDA Farm Service Agency open Conservation Reserve Program lands to grazing in counties meeting requirements for shortages of hay/forage and
precipitation.

Senator Claire McCaskill's campaign office says she will begin her re-election campaign on Saturday with a statewide RV trip, beginning in St. Joseph, and over the course of the week, visiting 24 cities across Missouri.

A Lock Springs woman, known for her A-T-V racing skills, was injured Friday afternoon while competing in a qualifying race in South Dakota. Twenty-two year old Bailey Shea Williams was taken to a hospital in Sioux Falls with injuries that a family member described as broken ribs, a punctured lung, and a left shoulder injury.

Secretary of State Robin Carnahan has announced grants for libraries in Chillicothe, Gallatin, and Bethany. All grants will be used to help assist with electronic reading services.

As the month of June comes to a close, the city of Trenton has received just 4.67 inches of rain over the months of May and June, a number that is less than half of what is normal for those two months (normally the wettest two months of the year). Normal rainfall is normally in the area of TEN inches.

Members of a Missouri National Guard Agri-Business Development Team have received medals and awards for repealing an attack by Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan on Sunday, April 15th. Among the soldiers recognized were Senior Airman Ryan Derickson of Chillicothe, Staff Sergeant Troy Green of Cameron, Sergeant Derek Logsdon of Bevier, and Specialist Bobby Smith of Linneus. All four men were awarded a "Combat Action Badge".

An Iowa woman was hurt north of Grant City when the car she was driving traveled off Highway 169, hit a field entrance, went airborne, and overturned. Forty-six year old Sonia Lambson of Blockton, Iowa was taken to Northwest Medical Center in Albany. The Highway Patrol said she had SERIOUS injuries.

A Cameron man received what the Highway Patrol called moderate injuries on Wednesday afternoon when his truck ran off U-S Highway 69 and struck an embankment.

Harrison County Route AA in the extreme southern part of the county (between Interstate 35 and Highway 69) will receive "overlay" work on Wednesday and Thursday of this week (June 27th and 28th), weather permitting.

The Missouri Department of Transportation has announced that the Chariton County Highway 11 bridge over the Burlington Northern - Santa Fe railroad north of Mendon will close to traffic on Monday, July 9th.

Unincorporated areas of Grundy county have been added to the announcement by the communities of Spickard AND GALT that are publicly announcing a burn BAN, effective immediately.

Daveiss County Public Water Supply District #2 is asking its customers to conserve water by limiting water to household usage only. The request by Daviess County Public Water Supply District #2 is because of the dry conditions.

Performances are scheduled on Friday and Saturday, July 13th and 14th, as a fundraiser for the Gallatin Theatre League. An entertainer, known as Tobias, is scheduled to present an evening of "music, dancing, comedy, and inspiration".

The city of Cainsville plans to hold its "Fourth of July" celebration THIS weekend. Friday night's activities include a beer garden with a DJ providing the music, with the cook shack opened tonight (Friday night) and throughout the weekend.

Separate injury accidents occurred in and near Braymer about one hour apart yesterday (Thursday) afternoon. The Highway Patrol said two vehicles collided at 6th and Main streets in Braymer, sending one of the drivers, Courtney Cox of Braymer to Liberty Hospital. The patrol described her injuries as MODERATE.

The Highway Patrol said a Gladstone man had a medical issue, which contributed to the car he was driving going off Interstate 35 south of Bethany and hitting two road signs and several trees. Seventy-four year old William Durham was taken to Harrison County Community Hospital in Bethany, with what the Patrol called MODERATE injuries.

The University of Missouri and Texas A&M University will join the Southeastern Conference, officially, when the calendar flips to July on Sunday morning. The addition of the two former Big 12 schools will increase the SEC to 14 teams.

North Central Missouri College administrators have announced the hiring of Megan Cairns as the new women's softball coach at the Trenton two-year school, replacing Kristin Boyes, who resigned this spring after only one season at NCMC.

The Missouri Department of Transportation has announced that Route V in Carroll County has been scheduled to close on Wednesday and Thursday of THIS week (June 27th and 28th). This location is just southwest of the community of DeWitt and just northwest of the Missouri River.

Governor Jay Nixon has asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency (FSA) to conduct damage assessment reports for all of Missouri's 114 counties and the city of St. Louis. Those reports will determine the extent of damage to crops and livestock brought on by the excessive heat and severe drought conditions persisting throughout the state.