MLM Counties News. Notices. Need-to-know Information.

U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales begins testimony Thursday before the Senate Judiciary Committee on his role in the firing of eight U.S. attorneys in Washington. Senators of both parties warned Gonzales that to keep his job he must explain contradictions ...

Two women whose life sentences for killing their abusive husbands were commuted by former Gov. Bob Holden in 2004 may soon walk out of prison after the Missouri Supreme Court ordered the state parole board to promptly conduct hearings on ...

Senate passes bill to ease public defenders’ caseload The Missouri Senate this week passed a bill aimed at helping ease the caseload of the state’s Public Defender’s Office, although it’s unclear yet by how many cases. The bill, by Sen. ...

A Bella Villa police officer threatened Florissant resident Suzette Hendricks and attacked her with a Taser gun during a traffic stop two years ago, according to a federal lawsuit filed Monday against both the officer and the city. After Hendricks ...

The Missouri Senate has passed a bill aimed at helping ease the caseload of the state’s Public Defender’s Office, although it’s unclear yet by how many cases. The bill, by Sen. Jack Goodman, R-Mt. Vernon, clarifies that the Public Defender’s ...

A proposal in the Missouri House could add a new judgeship in Jackson County’s courthouse in Independence to help ease the workload crunch there. The new position, along with one proposed in Greene County, is contained in an omnibus bill ...

Members of the House and Senate, supported by technology companies including Microsoft Corp. and Intel Corp., introduced legislation that would make the biggest changes to U.S. patent law in a half-century. The proposal, supported by Democrats and Republicans, would make ...

More than half of Americans are either overweight or obese, but that doesn’t make jurors sympathetic toward plaintiffs packing extra pounds. Jurors have preconceived, negative perceptions about overweight and obese plaintiffs, said Amy Pardieck, a trial consultant with MetaSystems in ...

Brookfield woman indicted on social security fraud charges A federal grand jury indicted Jennifer M. Lindsey, 29, of Brookfield, on Tuesday for receiving $21,676 in fraudulent Social Security benefits. According to the indictment, from July 2003 to April 2005 Lindsey ...

Panel postpones immunity vote for ex-Gonzales aide The House Judiciary Committee agreed to a Republican request to postpone for a week a vote on giving limited immunity to an ex-aide of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to compel her testimony about ...

The U.S. Supreme Court upheld a law that makes it a crime to perform so-called “partial birth” abortions, allowing the first nationwide ban on a procedure as two justices named by President George W. Bush tipped the balance. The decision ...