By JANET McCONNAUGHEY (NEW ORLEANS, AP) — A federal judge has given final approval to BP’s settlement with a bulk of businesses and individuals who lost money because of the… Read more »

(WASHINGTON, AP) — House Speaker John Boehner says he’s still open to talks with President Barack Obama on avoiding the double economic hit of automatic tax hikes and spending cuts… Read more »

(MARSHALL, Mo., AP) — Cargill Meat Solutions is undertaking a $15 million expansion of its facility in Marshall by adding a new production line for its meat products. Gov. Jay… Read more »

By CHRISTINA REXRODE and LARRY NEUMEISTER (NEW YORK, AP) — When the Justice Department announced its record $1.9 billion settlement against British bank HSBC last week, prosecutors called it a… Read more »

By ROB CURRY (WARRENSBURG, Mo., digitalBURG) – Just before the winter holidays, battery manufacturer EnerSys Energy Products laid off approximately 130 employees at the plant in Warrensburg, Mo., according to… Read more »

By CARRIE ANTLFINGER (MILWAUKEE, AP) — The vast collection of J.R.R. Tolkien manuscripts initially sold senior Joe Kirchoff on Marquette University, so when the school offered its first course devoted… Read more »

(JEFFERSON CITY, Mo., AP) — Missouri hospitals report providing a record $1.1 billion of uncompensated care to patients in 2011. The Missouri Hospital Association says the figure includes $623 million… Read more »

By PAN PYLAS and PETE YOST (LONDON, AP) — HSBC avoided a legal battle that could further savage its reputation and undermine confidence in the global banking system by agreeing… Read more »

By JEFF KAROUB and JOHN FLESHER (LANSING, Mich., AP) — Even with the outcome considered a foregone conclusion, the heated battle over right-to-work legislation in the traditional union bastion of… Read more »