Meeting in St. Louis next week, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious will have its first opportunity as an assembled group to consider what to do after the Vatican issued a mandate for change this spring. It calls on the conference to reorganize and more strictly observe church teachings.

When a family of four goes to the St. Louis Zoo, they can be forgiven for not knowing it will cost them $60, $72 if they park. If they can't pay, the alternative is to tell the kids they can't do what kids do at the zoo.

Missouri House Speaker Steve Tilley gave reporters less than a half-hour’s notice today when he announced that conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh’s sculptured bust will be formally installed in the Capitol at 1 p.m.

At the first meeting of a newly formed advisory committee, a motion to hire the dismissed principal of Grand Center Arts Academy back on an interim basis was unanimously sent on to the full board.

In the midst of a European trade trip heavy on aviation, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon sought Monday to highlight his administration’s actions to encourage Boeing’s plans to add at least 400 additional workers to its St. Louis County campus near Lambert St. Louis International Airport.

In what could be seen as a Republican rural-urban dust-up, state Rep. Caleb Jones, R-California, has announced he will be run for state House speaker when the election is held this fall to choose a new Republican leader for 2015. Jones’ announcement is a likely challenge to House Majority Leader John Diehl, R-Town and Country.

As The Muny turns 95, a new fan system makes the seats cooler than ever. Boosting the cool factor, overall, is the job of executive producer Mike Isaacson and president and CEO Denny Reagan, who talked with the Beacon about The Muny's future.

"Champion"  by Terence Blanchard has been described as "a jazz opera," but it would be more appropriate to describe it simply as "an opera." Or "a good opera." It does have elements of jazz, Afro-Caribbean music, Latin rhythms and the blues. 

Tossing a high school graduation cap into the air typically signals the launch of a bigger life. But a new study shows that's often not the case for young people with autism.

Mark Lynas, a noted British author and environmentalist, spoke Thursday at the Donald Danforth Plant Science center about his conversion from an anti-genetically modified crop activist to a proponent of GM plants.

St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay said the initiative is about keeping start-up businesses “here when they become successful and grow jobs here as well, rather than just being some sort of training ground for Silicon Valley companies.”

The Arch Angels celebrated their continued investment in the start up community. Investments exceed $30 million and membership has risen to about 75 investors.

Tossing a high school graduation cap into the air typically signals the launch of a bigger life. But a new study shows that's often not the case for young people with autism.

Recent research out of Mizzou suggests that excessive use of Facebook can have negative effects on romantic relationships, including cheating, breaking up and divorce. The negative impact tends to be on newer relations, under three years duration. Doctoral student Russell Clayton advocates more moderate Facebook use to prevent its threats.

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled against a company that had patents on genes linked to higher risks for breast and ovarian cancers. The ruling is disliked by a biotechnology industry group, but is praised by university researchers.

The twins are 89 years old. Health issues signal the end to each living in her own two-bedroom, two-bath condominium. Here's the story of one family's solution: The sisters now live in one unit and home-health services come in. How did they get to this resolution?

It turns out that the Obama administration has been conducting its own variation of electronic surveillance that the Bush administrated. The problem is not the need to combat terrorism, but the blanket invasion of privacy and the revelation of who the people are who have access to our secrets.

Richard Weiss writes that Father’s Day is just around the corner, and the anticipation in his home is palpable. "Today I received an e-mail from the best mother in the world that said: 'You need to be concerned.'”