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By Metro Creative Many people aspire to eat more nutritious foods in an effort to take charge of their overall health. For some, this may include turning to fresh vegetables and plant-based protein sources with greater frequency. While it may seem like a trend, vegan and vegetarian eating can have many benefits, even if people

By My Courier-Tribune Birds are returning to neighborhoods. One in particular is the state bird of Missouri, which is often associate with cheerfulness. Some say its song sounds like “Cheer Cheerful Charmer.” Perhaps that is why the eastern bluebird is thought of as a symbol of happiness. According to the Missouri Department of Conservation, bluebirds

By My Courier-Tribune The National Garden Bureau has named African violet as its houseplant of the year for 2024. The choice is an excellent one, said University of Missouri Extension state horticulture specialist David Trinklein. African violets thrive in most interior settings, provide nearly continuous color and are inexpensive, according to a press release. African

By My Courier-Tribune Missouri Department of Conservation naturalists celebrate the colors of Missouri’s fish, forests, and wildlife and there is no better month than March to celebrate the coming of green. Green is everywhere in nature. March sees the amorous serenade of several species of frogs. Leopard frogs show dark bronzy spots on a mossy

By Metro Creative Italian cuisine is beloved across the globe. Flavorful and filling, Italian cuisine is also versatile, as different regions of the country produce very different dishes featuring meat, poultry, fish and, of course, pasta. For those who want to try their hand at Italian cuisine from the comforts of home, the following recipe

By Associated Press NEW YORK — U.S. stocks climbed to records Thursday, with easier interest rates beckoning on the horizon. The S&P 500 rallied 1% to set its 16th all-time high so far this year. It’s been on a terrific run and is on track for its 17th winning week in the last 19 after

By Associated Press WASHINGTON — A sweeping bank regulatory proposal will be significantly revised by year’s end, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Thursday, a potential victory for the large banks that have aggressively opposed the likely changes. The proposed rule, issued last summer by the Fed and other regulatory agencies, is intended to implement

By Associated Press Candy companies want to know: What will make Americans start chewing gum again? Gum’s bubble burst during the COVID-19 pandemic, when masks and social distancing made bad breath less of a worry and fewer people spent on impulse buys. The number of packages of gum sold dropped by nearly a third in

By Associated Press NEW YORK — Once upon a time, there was a brief outage on some social media platforms. It got fixed. The end. On the face of it, kind of a boring story. But the widespread attention given to the blanking of Meta’s Facebook, Instagram, Threads and Messenger platforms on Tuesday suggests another,

By Associated Press WASHINGTON — The Senate passed legislation Thursday that would compensate Americans exposed to radiation by the government by renewing a law initially passed more than three decades ago. The bill by Sens. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., would expand the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act to include more people who

By Associated Press ORLANDO, Fla. — Shane Lowry knew he was playing good golf because he gave himself a chance to win last week. He also knew his record at Bay Hill was as bad as any course he has played. Good form won out Thursday in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Lowry made three birdie

By Associated Press In a span of just a few days in the 2022 offseason, the Denver Broncos and Cleveland Browns made aggressive trades to acquire what they hoped would be franchise-altering quarterbacks. The results so far have been underwhelming. The Broncos are cutting ties already with Russell Wilson after investing heavy draft capital and

By Associated Press WASHINGTON — The House on Thursday passed a bill that would require federal authorities to detain unauthorized immigrants who have been accused of theft, as Republicans seized on the recent death of a nursing student in Georgia to rebuke President Joe Biden’s border policies. After 22-year-old Laken Riley, an Augusta University nursing

By Associated Press UVALDE, Texas — An investigation Uvalde city leaders ordered into the Robb Elementary School shooting put no blame on local police officers and defended their actions Thursday, despite acknowledging a series of rippling failures during the fumbled response to the 2022 classroom attack that left 19 children and two teachers dead. Several

By Associated Press A major French union warned of possible strikes, including at hospitals, during the Paris Olympics, when a massive influx of people is in the French capital. Speaking to France Info media on Thursday, the general secretary of the CGT said the union will give a notice of strike in public services during

By Associated Press DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa has been the only state in the U.S. to explicitly mandate that state, county and local decision-making bodies are balanced by gender. That will end when Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signs a bill that aligns with a broader abrogation of gender- and race-conscious policies across the country.

By Associated Press TOPEKA, Kan. — Kansas moved closer Thursday to requiring abortion providers to ask patients why they want to terminate their pregnancies and report the answers to the state. It would join other states with Republican legislatures that ban most abortions even though Kansas voters have affirmed abortion rights. The House approved, in

By Associated Press Chris Jones won’t have to wait so long to cash in this year. The Kansas City Chiefs’ star defensive tackle will be among the headliners when free agency opens next week and he could eclipse Aaron Donald’s three-year, $96 million deal that made Donald the league’s highest-paid defensive tackle. Teams can begin

By Associated Press SAN DIEGO — Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher made three saves and converted a penalty herself in a shootout after a rain-soaked 2-2 draw with Canada on Wednesday night, earning the United States a spot in the CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cup final. The United States advanced 3-1 on penalties and will play Brazil in

By Missouri Independent via My Courier-Tribune Speaker Dean Plocher’s attorney sought to attend a closed-door hearing of the Missouri House Ethics Committee on Wednesday night, arguing he should be allowed to stay in order to listen to the panel review a report detailing the investigation of his client. Lowell Pearson, a veteran Republican attorney, was

By Missouri Independent via My Courier-Tribune For the second year in a row, a Missouri House committee debated GOP-backed legislation that would face the same limits on drag performances as govern “sexually oriented businesses.” The bill, sponsored by Bethany Republican Rep. Mazzie Christensen, would also create penalties for engaging in an adult cabaret performance in