Maplewood firefighter and paramedic Ryan Hummert (right, in a photo from the Maplewood Fire Department) was ambushed and fatally shot at what initially appeared to be a routine fire. Attacks on firefighters and paramedics are thankfully rare, but increasingly fire departments across the country are developing ways to keep firefighters safe from violence.

Updated at 3:27 p.m., July 23 - The new Ballpark Village plan will have to go back to the city and state for approval. The residential component is close to being gone. But also disappearing is the hole in the ground that is the future village. Some details were made public in a press release Wednesday. (Photo by Rachel Heidenry | The Beacon)

The Americans are excited, says the head of the locally based Bosnian newspaper Sabah. But Bosnians have waited 13 years for the arrest of Radovan Karadzic, charged with the massacre of thousands at Srebrenica. "Everything came too late." (Photo from 1994)

Which is worse: Foreclosure or bankruptcy? Sometimes, the rock can be better than the hard place, insist bankruptcy lawyers. It all depends on an individual's situation. And, they add, financially distressed consumers who haven't been able to negotiate a loan modification with their lenders might not think about bankruptcy as an option. But they should at least consider it. It may help them save their home.

Posted Tuesday, Updated 1:30 p.m.: The beleaguered banking giant Wachovia Corp. cut its dividend to near invisibility Tuesday as it posted a record second-quarter loss and said it would fire 6,350 workers. It also will eliminate 4,400 open positions and contractors. However, thanks in part to its acquisition of St. Louis brokerage A.G. Edwards last year, one bright spot in Wachovia's financial picture was its brokerage business.

Next month, Anheuser-Busch and the Teamsters start negotiations on a new contract to replace the one that expires in Februrary. With the looming merger of InBev plus the overall weak economy, management and labor are both asking themselves: Is it in our best interest to play ball -- or to delay?

Investigators began searching the ashes of a Maplewood house Tuesday for remains of the person they think may have killed firefighter Ryan Hummert and shot two police officers, the Post-Dispatch reported. The community was in shock, and the motive for the shooting remained a mystery. Read the Post-Dispatch article.

Are there any changes to the Arch grounds that would have improved your visit to the Arch today?

We posed that question to visitors at the Gateway Arch on the St. Louis riverfront Friday. And their responses flowed faster than the now receding Mississippi flood waters. Suggestions ranged from better parking and concessions to improved accessibility for the disabled and parents pushing strollers.

On the other hand, several visitors said to leave the grounds just as they are.

People continue spending on their pets despite a tough economy -- day spas, special treats, "enhancements." As Gregg Miller says, "Nothing is too good for my dog."