Federal appeals court in California upholds mentions of God in Pledge and on currency: It rejected arguments that "under God" and "in God we trust" violates the First Amendment. | Associated Press

Illinois primary appears headed back to March: It was moved to February in 2008 to boost Obama's candidacy, but bill sent to Gov. Quinn would restore the earlier date. | Chicago Tribune

Obama donates Nobel Peace Prize money to charities: The $1.4 million will be divided among several recipients, including scholarship funds, Haiti earthquake relief and projects in Asia and Africa. | USA Today

Nixon proposes consolidation, cost savings for Missouri government: He wants to combine education departments, merge Highway Patrol and Water Patrol, cap state tax credits and more. | Legislature.com

Area casino revenue flat in February: The $88.1 million in revenue was down just 0.2 percent from a year ago. | St. Louis Business Journal

Jetton testifies before federal grand jury probing adult entertainment bill: The former Missouri House speaker says he never demanded money in return for action on the legislation. | Kansas City Star

With casino license in play, maneuvering begins: After President closes July 1, operators are expected to compete for site in north St. Louis County, Cape Girardeau, near Kansas City and elsewhere. | STLtoday

Charles Merritts Sr., former political power in East St. Louis, dies at age 92: The one time school board president pleaded guilty to conspiring to have a political opponent killed. | STLtoday

Coronary angiograms are overused, creating unnecessary risks for patients: An angiogram uses a catheter threaded into the heart to check for blockages. More than a million Americans have the procedure each year. l Wall Street Journal

Monsanto battles civil antitrust suit filed by DuPont: Monsanto is defending its dominance of the biotech seed industry. l STLtoday

Bluefin tuna and shark considered for U.N. endangered list: The international group will focus on overfishing of the world's oceans. l Associated Press

Obama's Medicare payroll tax, explained: The proposed new taxes would affect millions of Americans. l Kaiser Health News

Actor Corey Haim dies of apparent drug overdose at age 38: The one-time teen idol appeared in movies such as "The Lost Boys" and "Lucas" in the 1980s. | Chicago Tribune

Pianist Claude Frank will perform works by Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert as part of the Maryville concert series at 3 p.m. March 21 in the Auditorium, 650 Maryville University Dr. $5-$10.

The Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum is hosting a Factory Film Festival March 23-25 at the Tivoli Theatre. All shows 7 p.m.: March 23 - “Modern Times.” March 24 - “Norma Rae.” March 25 - “24 City.” Information, click here . Free

What a garage sale. Come to the Zoo’s Living World from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. March 20 when such attractions as Cahokia Mounds, the Humane Society, the Art Museum, Eugene Field House, the Zoo and more clean house and sell things at a discount.

Want a model for a group to mentor young African-American males? Look to St. Louis  Twenty-six years ago the Rev. C. Garnett Henning of St. Paul A.M. E. Church set up “a manhood, leadership and development group” that is still at work today. | George Curry, NNPA Columnist

Health care changes should be more incremental: Most Americans don't want this health care legislation because they worry it will hurt their own coverage, raise their premiums and add to the deficit they and their children must pay for. | Jim Talent/Springfield News-Leader

Low-tax Texas beats big-government California: The nation's two most populous states have different approaches to government, with vastly different results. | Michael Barone/Rasmussen Reports

The courage of his convictions: Whether you like Barack Obama or not, you have to admit he does everything humanly possible to keep his promises. | Susan Estrich/Rasmussen Reports