CAPE GIRARDEAU (AP) – Missouri farmers are hopeful as the U.S. and Cuba begin to normalize relations for the first time in half a century.

The Southeast Missourian reports that currently, exports to Cuba are limited by prohibitions requiring it to pay cash for the shipments it receives. If diplomatic ties are secured, U.S. exports such as rice, soybeans, poultry, beef and pork will be popular items to ship to the communist nation.

Rice is particularly promising because Missouri is among the nation’s top rice producers. Cuba is a huge consumer of rice.

Southeast Missouri State University’s Agriculture Department chairman Michael Aide says Missouri rice is readily exported throughout the Caribbean. He says there would be a great market opportunity for Missouri rice in Cuba.

PITTSBURGH (AP) —A northeast Kansas man is among 19 people being honored with medals and cash from the Pittsburgh-based Carnegie Heroes Fund Commission.

The commission founded in 1904 by steel magnate and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie has now honored 9,737 individuals

Winners of Carnegie Hero medals announced Monday:

— Paul W. Mongiello, 57, of Overland Park, Kansas, who rescued two workers from a natural gas explosion at a Kansas City restaurant in February 2013.

— Frederick J. Levesque Jr., 52, of Stafford Springs, Connecticut, who rescued a 7-year-old girl from a burning apartment in Somers, Connecticut, in December 2013.

— Brett Allen Thoele, 36, of Shorewood, Illinois, who helped save a man from drowning in Branson, Missouri, in June 2013.

— Pawel L. Kruszewski, 28, of Auburn, Maine, who saved three men from a burning vehicle that crashed in September 2013.

— Donald Schaus Sr., 52, of Katonah, New York, who saved an 82-year-old man from a burning apartment in Bedford Hills, New York, in February.

— Bernard Kozen, 56, of Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania, who saved others by subduing a gunman who killed three people at a municipal meeting in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, in August 2013.

— Richard Blessen, 45, of Crete, Nebraska, who saved two 14-year-old boys from drowning after they fell through ice in Duncan, Nebraska, in December 2013.

— Gregory D. Plancich, 58, and Daniel C. Hardwick, 53, both of Vashon, Washington; Jim O. Fultz, 48, of Siletz, Oregon; and Wayne Kitt, 35, of Loon Lake, Washington, who all helped save five members of another commercial fishing boat from drowning when it capsized near Kodiak Island, Alaska, in January 2012.

— Samuel Irick, 44, of Houston, Texas, who was fatally wounded rescuing a woman from an armed purse-snatching in November 2010.

— Clifford Faraci, 43, of Desert Hills, Arizona, who was burned trying to save a woman from a wrecked car in Phoenix, Arizona, in March 2013.

— Donald E. Thompson, 54, of West Hills, California, who rescued a 72-year-old man from a crashed, burning car in Los Angeles in December 2013.

— Jonathan A. Barthel, 21, of Lake Norden, South Dakota, who helped save a man and his 9-year-old son from drowning after their canoe capsized in April.

— James M. Kocker, 53, of Poulsbo, Washington, who helped save a man from downing after his car crashed into a pond in Ellensburg, Washington, in October 2012.

— Ronnie Lee Moore Jr., 42, of Hortense, Georgia, and John Shannon Gibson, 45, of Woodbine, Georgia, who rescued a woman from a burning car that crashed in Waverly, Georgia, in October 2013.

— Jeffrey A. Johnson, 48, of North Freedom, Wisconsin, who helped saved a man from drowning while ice fishing in Briggsville, Wisconsin, in April.

JEFFERSON CITY (AP) – An audit says the Missouri board that regulates accountants hasn’t been following state law when holding closed meetings.

A report from Auditor Tom Schweich says the State Board of Accountancy held 13 closed meetings during the past two years. In 10 cases, it says the board didn’t properly document the vote to close the meetings or the reasons for doing so.

The audit says the board also didn’t limit its closed-door discussions to the reasons that were publicly cited. It says that in one case, the board’s minutes say a closed session was approved to discuss complaints, investigations and disciplinary actions. But the audit says applications, professional education audits and exam issues also were discussed.

The board says it’s committed to complying with the Sunshine Law.

MONTGOMERY CITY- A Missouri teenage died in an accident just before 9p.m. on Sunday in Montgomery County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2005 Chevy Uplander driven by Cody M. Dempsy, 18, Warrenton, was traveling on MO 161 just north of Cedar Ridge Road. The vehicle traveled off the right side of the road in a curve. The driver overcorrected. The vehicle rotated, traveled off the left side of the road and overturned. The driver was partially ejected.

Dempsy was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Schlankers Funeral Home in Montgomery City.

The MSHP reported he was not wearing a seat belt.

JEFFERSON CITY (AP) – Missouri’s low-wage workers are getting a small pay hike in 2015.

Starting New Year’s Day, the state’s minimum wage will increase by 15 cents to $7.65 an hour. The minimum wage for tipped workers in Missouri will rise by 9 cents to $3.83 per hour.

A law passed by voters in 2006 provides an annual cost-of-living adjustment to Missouri’s minimum wage.

The National Employment Law Project said in a news release that Missouri is joined by 19 states that will also raise their minimum wage on New Year’s Day. New York will do the same on December 31, 2014.

The advocacy group for low-wage workers says the minimum wage increases will boost pay for a total of 4.4 million workers, including 136,000 in Missouri.

JEFFERSON CITY (AP) – Missouri’s legislative leaders say anti-abortion measures are not among their main priorities next session.

Eight bills have been filed so far, as the legislative session that starts Jan. 7 nears.

Legislative leaders say their focus will be on economics and education instead of potentially divisive abortion bills.

The dimmed interest follows Republican lawmakers’ success in September in overriding a veto by Gov. Jay Nixon to enact one of the nation’s longest waiting periods for abortions.

The GOP now has even greater numbers to override a veto by the governor.

Anti-abortion lobbyist Sam Lee of Campaign Life Missouri says a bill for annual health inspections of clinics has the best chances of passing.

Other abortion-related bills include a hotly contested measure to require the father’s permission for an abortion.

GREGORY KATZ, Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — Entertainer Elton John and longtime mate David Furnish officially married Sunday on the ninth anniversary of the day they entered into a civil partnership.

The couple converted their civil bond under new laws implemented in England earlier this year that allow same-sex marriages.

On Sunday the couple posted an Instagram picture of themselves preparing to sign official documents. “That’s the legal bit done. Now on to the ceremony!” they wrote.

John and Furnish planned a celebration at their estate near Windsor Castle west of London. An A-list crowd is expected — even if the festivities are likely to be much more sedate than the parties in John’s hell-raising rock ‘n’ roll days.

The singer — known for an impressive string of hits dating back decades — promised to post pictures of the festivities to fans around the world.

The nuptials came as no surprise: John had tweeted about his plans earlier in the week, and earlier in the year had praised England for embracing same-sex marriage. He said there had been a remarkable change in a country where homosexual acts had long been deemed criminal offenses.

John said the wedding would be a joyous occasion shared with the couple’s two sons, Zachary and Elijah.

The singer had said earlier this year that he and Furnish planned to take advantage of the changes to the law, even though they already had a civil bond recognized by the courts.

“We shouldn’t just say, ‘Oh well, we have a civil partnership, we’re not going to bother to get married,” he said.

John and Furnish met in 1993. Both have been active in a number of charities, with John focusing on efforts to combat the spread of HIV and AIDS.

He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1998 in recognition of his charitable works.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Police are investigating after three people were shot in east Kansas City, with one person seriously injured.

Authorities were called around 10 p.m. Saturday, KSHB-TV reported (http://bit.ly/1xzTRO6 ). It said when they arrived, they found two people had been shot — one of them with a life-threatening wound.

Police later found a third person who had been shot, whose injuries were not considered life-threatening, the report said.