JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri agriculture officials are looking for ways to boost exports to Cuba following President Barack Obama’s announcement that he plans to ease trade restrictions with the Communist country.
Gov. Jay Nixon says he has asked the state Department of Agriculture to explore additional economic opportunities with Cuba.
The governor says he also is inquiring of federal officials about opportunities for trade missions to Cuba involving Missouri business, agriculture and government officials.
The U.S. already exports about $350 million of farm products annually to Cuba, including corn, soybeans and rice. Those exports could surge if the U.S. eases restrictions on financial transactions and allows Cubans to pay for products on credit instead of with cash up front.

ROCKFORD, Ill. (AP) — A northern Illinois resident recognized as the oldest man in the U.S. has died at 110.

The Rockford Register Star reports C. Conrad Johnson died Tuesday. The director of the funeral home handling Johnson’s arrangements also confirmed his death.

The Swedish-born Johnson worked as a carpenter and lived in Rockford most of his life.

On his 109th birthday, he told the Register Star, “I feel good and I haven’t been sick for a long, long time.” But he suffered a stroke a few months later.

The Rev. Jane McChesney of Tabor Lutheran Church knew Johnson. She described him as smart, good-humored, “a self-made man” and “very giving.”

Senior database administrator for the national Gerontology Research Group, Robert Young, says Johnson was the oldest verified American man. Several women are older.

JEFFERSON CITY (AP) – Missouri Supreme Court judges have reversed convictions against a deputy who reportedly assaulted a meth maker during an arrest.

Judges ruled Tuesday that St. Charles County Regional Drug Task Force Deputy Christopher Hunt deserves a retrial after reportedly beating Phillip Alberternst.

Hunt was charged in 2009 and later convicted of assault, burglary and property damage for kicking open a trailer door and repeatedly hitting Alberternst during a sting.

The Supreme Court judges reversed the lower court’s convictions. They say police are protected from charges for burglary and property damage during an arrest.

The judges say Hunt had the authority to strike Alberternst, but he could receive a retrial to determine whether he used excessive force.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Los Angeles judge has ordered a stop to a smartphone application that facilitates the delivery of medical marijuana.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Robert O’Brien issued the preliminary injunction Tuesday against Nestdrop. The app connects patients with marijuana dispensaries and also facilitates the home delivery of alcohol.

Nick Valente, a senior account executive with Nestdrop, says the company is debating its next move and will continue to connect patients and dispensaries outside Los Angeles city limits.

City Attorney Mike Feuer sought the injunction because he says Nestdrop’s business violates Proposition D. The measure approved by voters last year limits the number of Los Angeles dispensaries and bans marijuana delivery services.

Nestdrop’s creators marketed the application as the nation’s first app-based, on-demand medical marijuana delivery service.

WASHINGTON (AP) — In a first-of-a-kind case, the Federal Trade Commission is targeting a data broker for allegedly selling sensitive consumer information — including bank account numbers — to marketers that authorities said the broker knew had no legitimate need for it.

In its lawsuit, the commission charges that Arizona-based LeapLab bought the payday loan applications of people strapped for money, then turned around and sold that data to third-parties who most often weren’t lenders at all. The loan applications contained sensitive information such as a consumer’s Social Security number, bank account number and routing number to the bank.

The FTC says at least one of the marketers buying data from LeapLab used the information to withdraw more than $4 million from consumers’ bank accounts without authorization.

JEFFERSON CITY (AP) – Missouri’s high court has upheld the child abuse convictions of a Springfield man who confined his son to a church bathroom and limited his food.

In a unanimous ruling Tuesday, the Supreme Court rejected assertions by Peter Hansen that there wasn’t enough evidence to prove that he knowingly inflicted cruel and unusual punishment on his teenage son.

The court had heard arguments in the case on Oct. 1.

Hansen had been living with his wife, son and daughter at a Seventh-day Adventist church after being evicted from their Springfield home in 2009. Child-abuse investigators responding to a hotline call found the boy being kept in a small, cold, dark bathroom as punishment.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Two of the biggest U.S. agribusiness companies say they have agreed to settle their patent-infringement lawsuits against each other that had been pending in a St. Louis federal court.

Terms of the deal announced Tuesday by DuPont Co. and Monsanto Co. were not announced.

St. Louis-based Monsanto had claimed that DuPont had infringed upon certain Monsanto patents for determining a seed’s genetics. Based in Wilmington, Delaware, DuPont had alleged that Monsanto had infringed upon certain DuPont seed-processing patents.

The presidents of both companies say settling the matter enables both companies to focus on their businesses.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The holidays are a fun time for animals as well as people, but the Humane Society of Missouri is urging pet owners to keep them safe during the Christmas season.

The Humane Society says pets should not be fed foods they are not used to eating. Chocolate is especially forbidden since it can be fatal for some dogs. Bones from poultry and ham can get lodged in the animal’s throat or damage the stomach or intestine.

It isn’t just foods. Poinsettia, mistletoe and other holiday plants can be toxic for pets and should be kept out of reach. Tinsel, ornaments and lights can also be hazardous for pets.

The commotion of a holiday gathering can also be stressful, so owners may want to keep pets in a quiet area.