ST. LOUIS (AP) — A St. Louis couple has donated $25 million to the Washington University School of Medicine’s Genome Institute that will help pay for its research on cancer treatment and prevention.
Genome Institute director Rick Wilson told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch the donation by James S. McDonnell III and his wife, Elizabeth Hall McDonnell, is the institute’s first big private donation.

James McDonnell, 78, served as a director of the family-owned McDonnell Douglas Corp. until its 1997 merger with Boeing Co. He and his family also helped the medical center build a pediatric disease research center in honor of their 2-year-old daughter, Peggy, who died of cancer in 1972.

Wilson said the contribution will help researchers study and sift through large amounts of genetic data. It’s a task, he said, that’s needed to help make discoveries about the illness.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A judge has refused to declare a mistrial for a Topeka rape suspect accused of punching his defense attorney in front of jurors.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Shawnee County District Judge Marc Braun also found 32-year-old Lance Franklin to be in contempt of court and sentenced him to 180 days in jail. Franklin’s attorney, David McDonald, was knocked unconscious Thursday. McDonald told the newspaper in a text message that he never saw the punch coming.

McDonald wasn’t in court, but attorneys from his firm argued for a mistrial. The prosecution, however, argued the trial was going badly for Franklin and said he shouldn’t be rewarded by getting a fresh start.

Braun scheduled the trial to continue in February and allowed McDonald’s firm to withdraw from the case.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A gorilla was able to slip from her cage at a Kansas zoo after someone accidentally left a door open, but zoo officials say she never had access to public areas or vistors.

The city of Topeka says in a news release the gorilla, Tiffany, made it into a service area off her exhibit around 9:10 a.m. Friday.

The Topeka Capital-Journal (http://bit.ly/1AslOVn) reports zoo employees quickly lured the primate back into her enclosure, but not before she spilled a cup of chalk and opened a cassette player.

The gorilla was never harmed, and the zoo issued an all-clear at 9:30 a.m. The city says zoo management is investigating how the exhibit was left unsecured.

THAYER- An Oklahoma truck driver was injured in an accident just before 10:30 a.m. Friday in Neosho County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2015 International truck driven by David Ryan, 56, Locust Grove, OK., was traveling on U.S. 169 in Thayer.

The diver had medical issue. The truck left the road and struck two unoccupied vehicles.
Ryan was transported to Neosho County Memorial Hospital.

The KHP reported he was properly restrained at the time of the accident.

NEW YORK (AP) — You know who else loves the falling price of gasoline? The gas station owners.

That’s because when the wholesale price of gasoline falls quickly, the difference between that price and the price at the pump gets wider, boosting profits for stations. The steeper the drop, the better. And with motorists paying well under $3 a gallon for the first time in four years, profits at the filling stations are rising.

Over the past five years, gas stations have charged an average of 17.1 cents a gallon over the price they pay at the wholesale level. According to the Oil Price Information Service, that difference has stretched this year to 21.7 cents a gallon, the highest ever.

But that’s certainly not all profit. The National Association of Convenience Stores says when you factor in credit card fees and other operation costs, net profit for gasoline sales averages three cents a gallon.

The owner of a station on New York’s Long Island says when prices fall, people don’t do as much shopping around for the cheapest price as they do when prices are rising. Kevin Beyer says they’re feeling “a relief at the pump” — and that as a result, “people are more friendly.”

Gov. Jay Nixon and First Lady Georganne Nixon today released their 2014 Christmas message to the people of Missouri:

“As Missourians celebrate the holidays this year, it’s also a time to reflect on the gifts we’ve been given,” Gov. Nixon said.

“The spirit of Christmas has always been one of giving, and the people of Missouri demonstrate that spirit everyday by sharing their blessings with others,” Mrs. Nixon said.

“During this holiday season, Georganne and I want to encourage you to carry that spirit of giving throughout the whole year, and there are countless ways to do that,” the Governor said.

“Thank you to everyone who volunteers at a food bank, donates to those affected by disasters or mentors a teen,” Mrs. Nixon said. “Your gifts of time and spirit add so much.”

“So from our family to yours, our best wishes for a safe and joyous Christmas season and for a 2015 that will be filled with peace,” Gov. Nixon concluded. “May God continue to bless our great state of Missouri.”

A divided U.S. Supreme Court halts the presidential recount in Florida, effectively making Republican George W. Bush the winner. (Dec. 12)

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