Sen. Barack Obama is now poised to become the first African-American presidential nominee of a major party -- a historic achievement. But whether Obama becomes the nation's first black president depends on the willingness of white voters, especially in rural areas of swing states like Missouri, to vote for him. Will they?

Chris Koster may claim to be the Democratic nominee for Missouri attorney general victory based on a 0.2 percent margin, but Margaret Donnelly has announced that she will formally challenge the result and call for a recount.

Wachovia Corp. has agreed to buy back from investors about $8.8 billion in controversial securities, settling allegations that its St. Louis-based brokerage unit misrepresented the ease with which consumers could get their money. "Wachovia neither admits nor denies allegations of wrongdoing," the company said Friday, referring to a tentative settlement that will create a bigger loss than the banking giant had predicted.

When Dr. Elbert P. Trulock started practicing 25 years ago, a diagnosis of pulmonary arterial hypertension was basically a death sentence. Physicians had little knowledge about the disease, which causes runaway high-blood pressure in the lung's arteries, with the net result of a steadily weakening heart. In the past couple of decades, though, St. Louis has become an important center for treating and researching PAH.

The internet can get messages out to millions, was the basis for Ron Paul's entire campaign and is a potent fundraising tool. But is the Internet, the only growing source of political information, helping or harming the political process?

After months of work on a plan to reopen the long-dark Kiel Opera House downtown, the St. Louis Blues owners and McEagle Properties aren't ready to say that they are raising the curtain and putting entertainment back on stage there. But they are moving in that direction. Details are hard to come by. Before they make their plans public, they want to make sure that what's on the drawing boards will work.

Rachel Kurowsi arrived in Beijing on July 5 to work at the Olympics as one of 300 English-speaking volunteers, all of whom are students of journalism. Her job is in the office of the Agence-France Presse in the Olympic Village's press center. At the press center, Kurowski works with Chinese volunteers who are also university students. They are curious about her -- as she is about them. In this letter from China, Kurowski talks about her newfound friendships.

The John Edwards affair acquires a St. Louis connection: Former Post-Dispatch online community editor Virginia "Pigeon" O'Brien, who says she is a friend of Edwards mistress Rielle Hunter, has been interviewed by FoxNews and CBS' The Early Show this week.

O'Brien disputes Edwards' claims about the timing of the affair, telling the Early Show's Maggie Rodriguez it began in "February, March of '06".

A Kansas City Star blog has a recap of the Early Show appearance , as does philly.com .

Controversial securities marketed by Wachovia Corp.'s St. Louis-based brokerage unit could cost the banking giant $500 million in legal settlements. The company has set aside $500 million, before taxes, in reserves to cover "active settlement negotiations" with state regulators and the Securities and Exchange Commission over its selling of auction-rate securities.