SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) – A nearly blind bald eagle will be getting a new home at a bird sanctuary near St. Louis.

The eagle, which is blind in its left eye, was rescued from LaClede County a month ago and taken to Dickerson Park Zoo in Springfield. It was in danger of being euthanized if a new home could not be found soon.

Zoo spokeswoman Melinda Arnold says the bird will be transferred Friday to the World Bird Sanctuary at Valley Park, which includes a wildlife hospital.

The Springfield New-Leader reports the Springfield zoo has two bald eagles and doesn’t have room for a third. Zoo officials say the bird can’t be released into the wild because it wouldn’t survive without vision in its left eye.

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SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri congressman is asking the National Zoo director to help find a home for a bald eagle that’s blind in its left eye.
The eagle was rescued from LaClede County a month ago and brought to Dickerson Park Zoo in Springfield.

A zoo veterinarian says the facility already has two bald eagles and doesn’t have room for a third. The zoo has 180 days to find a home for the eagle. According to federal regulations, the bird will have to be euthanized if the zoo can’t find a new home for it.

Zoo officials say the bird can’t be released into the wild because it wouldn’t survive without vision in its left eye. It’s not known how the bird’s eye was damaged.

U.S. Rep. Billy Long tells the Springfield News-Leader that he’s reached out to the National Zoo director for help.

FULTON – A Missouri man died in an accident just after 1 p.m. on Wednesday in rural Callaway County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2015 Freightliner dump truck driven by Danny L. Boyken, 52, Columbia, was exiting the left side of County Road 325 one mile east of County Road 334 when the vehicle overturned.

Boyken was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to the University of Missouri Morgue.

The MSHP reported he was not wearing a seat belt.

The accident remains under investigation.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The U.S. General Services Administration has officially begun transferring ownership of its property at a south Kansas City complex to the National Nuclear Security Administration.

The two agencies currently share ownership of the 310-acre complex. On Wednesday, officials with the two agencies signed an agreement that will transfer ownership to the nuclear administration.

The GSA owns about 2 million square feet, or about half the total square footage, at the complex, which opened in 1942 to build aircraft engines for World War II.
The Kansas City Star reports  the two federal agencies have been working for more than three years to prepare the complex for redevelopment. An environmental and engineering evaluation of the property has begun.
The GSA is moving its 1,000 employees to downtown Kansas City.

BRADLEY KLAPPER, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration says new rules to significantly loosen the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba and open up the communist island to greater American travel will go into effect Friday.

They are the next step in President Barack Obama’s plan to re-establish diplomatic relations with Cuba. They come three days after U.S. officials confirmed the release of 53 political prisoners Cuba had promised to free.

Only Congress can end the five-decade U.S. trade embargo of Cuba.

The measures include permission for Americans to use credit cards in Cuba and U.S. companies to export some technologies. Americans authorized to visit Cuba need no longer apply for special licenses.

Americans can also bring home up to $100 in alcohol and tobacco from Cuba, meaning the ban on Cuban cigars is officially over.

JAKE COYLE, AP Film Writer

Two extravagant comedies, “Birdman” and “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” tied for the most Oscar nominations Thursday morning with nine nods each, including best picture.

They were joined in best-picture nominations by “Boyhood,” ”Whiplash,” ”The Theory of Everything,” ”The Imitation Game,” ”American Sniper” and “Selma.”

“The Imitation Game” trailed close behind with eight nominations. Clint Eastwood’s Navy SEAL drama “American Sniper” did especially well, landing six nods including best actor for Bradley Cooper.

Also with six nominations was Richard Linklater’s coming-of-age epic “Boyhood,” which remains the best-picture favorite.

Last year’s Oscars, hosted by Ellen DeGeneres, drew 43 million viewers, making it the most-watched entertainment telecast in a decade. “12 Years a Slave” took best picture. This year’s ceremony on Feb. 22 will be hosted by Neil Patrick Harris.

Click HERE for a complete list of nominations.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal regulators have approved an appetite-suppressing implant designed to treat obesity by zapping nerves that connect the stomach and the brain.

The Maestro Rechargeable System uses electrodes implanted in the abdomen to stimulate the vagus nerve, which signals to the brain that the stomach is empty or full. Patients and doctors can adjust the device settings using external controllers.

The Food and Drug Administration approved the device for patients 18 and older who have been unable to lose weight via other methods and have a body mass index of 35 to 40 with one other obesity-related health condition, such as diabetes. BMI is an estimate of body fat based on weight and height used to calculate obesity. Someone who is 5-foot-9 and weighs 240 has a BMI of 35.

JEFFERSON CITY (AP) – Proposed Missouri legislation would ban the use of spanking or paddling by educators in public schools.

Democratic state Sen. Joe Keaveny of St. Louis this week filed a bill to prohibit corporal punishment in those schools.

Missouri is one of 19 states that allow teachers to hit children as a form of discipline.

Local school boards are responsible for deciding whether educators can use corporal punishment and whether parents must be notified if it’s used. School boards also can determine whether parents can opt for an alternative form of discipline.

Similar legislation that also would have banned spanking in private schools failed last year.

AMARILLO, Texas (AP) — An appeals court has ruled the nation’s pre-eminent quarter horse organization may refuse to register cloned animals.

The ruling Wednesday by a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans trumps a lower-court ruling that had forced the American Quarter Horse Association to admit cloned quarter horses to its breeding registry. The prestigious list adds financial value to listed animals.

In August 2013, U.S. District Judge Mary Lou Robinson had issued a permanent injunction against the group’s prohibition after two Texas ranchers sued. The ranchers argued the association was operating a monopoly by not allowing clones.

The lower-court ruling would have set a precedent.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Construction crews will use explosives this week to remove parts of Fairfax Bridge connecting Missouri and Kansas to make way for a new replacement bridge.

Northbound and southbound U.S. 69 will be closed from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday to accommodate the demolition work.

Crews will use two blasts to remove the end spans of the bridge. The first is set for 9 a.m. Friday and the second about a half hour later. The part of the bridge that spans the Missouri River is set to be torn down by blasts on Jan. 30.

A spokesman for the Missouri Department of Transportation says the Friday work is contingent upon the weather.

The new U.S. 69 bridge is expected to open to traffic in 2016.