COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) _ Rising prices at the gas pump appear to be having at least one positive effect: Traffic deaths around the country are plummeting, just as they did during the Arab oil embargo three decades ago.

Researchers with the National Safety Council report a 9 percent drop in motor vehicle deaths overall through May compared with the first five months of 2007, including a drop of 18 percent in March and 14 percent in April.

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Sixty years after President Truman desegregated the military, senior black officers are still rare, particularly among the highest ranks.

Blacks make up about 17 percent of the total force, yet just 9 percent of all officers. That fraction falls to less than 6 percent for general officers with one to four stars, according to data obtained and analyzed by The Associated Press.

WARRENSBURG, Mo. -- Hawthorne Plaza, the 200-acre commercial, residential and recreation area on Highway 13 hit a snag in its development and will not open until the end of the year, said David Edwards of CEAH Realtors, developer of Hawthorne Plaza.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP)-- An initiative to allow high-stakes gambling in Missouri overcame a court challenge Thursday from opponents who claimed its official ballot summary could mislead voters.

WARRENSBURG, Mo. -- Every Wednesday and Saturday morning, an empty lot downtown becomes a farmer's market, as area growers, cooks, bakers and crafters set up booths to sell their goods.

WARRENSBURG, Mo. -- Instances of the Warrensburg community helping each other can be found throughout the town on any given day, but perhaps there is no better example of the community’s care than that of the Teachers’ Warehouse.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)-- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is planning to move its annual national managers meeting from Kansas City, taking away the city's largest annual convention.

The retail giant told city officials Tuesday that it was backing out of an informal promise to hold the meeting in Kansas City through 2012. Scheduled for two weeks in January, the meeting was expected to attract 8,000 people and generate almost $8 million in revenue for the local economy next year.