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JEFFERSON CITY – Following a tidal wave of support that saw Republicans take 118 of the 163 seats in the Missouri House of Representatives, members of the historic Republican Caucus met Wednesday afternoon to select state Rep. Todd Richardson to serve as Majority Floor Leader for the 98th General Assembly. Richardson will take on the duties of the position when the House convenes for the 2015 legislative session in January. He will replace state Rep. John J. Diehl, Jr., who was selected by the caucus to serve as the next Speaker of the House. After being unanimously selected by the 118-member Republican caucus, Richardson said his focus in his new role will be on working closely with his colleagues to advance

Registration has begun for Spring semester classes at Three Rivers College, with openings available for new and returning students at all of the college’s locations. Online and on-site registration will continue through Jan. 9 at the Poplar Bluff campus and the centers in Sikeston, Dexter, Kennett, Malden, Willow Springs, Piedmont, and Cape Girardeau. The semester starts on Jan. 12. Those interested in enrolling can browse available courses by clicking “Search for Classes” at trcc.edu.  Current students, with advisor approval, can register online through the myTRCC system.  Prospective students must fill out a free application and attend a “ROCS” orientation session to be eligible to register for classes. For assistance or to schedule an orientation session, contact the Welcome Center at

SOUTHEAST MISSOURI — Sara Gerau has been named the Executive Director for the Southeast Missouri Chapter as the American Red Cross realigns boundaries within the state to most efficiently meet its mission goals. The appointment is effective November 1st. “I am excited to lead our team here in southeast Missouri and look forward to continuing my service to the communities we serve,” Gerau said. The Red Cross changes will result in increased assistance to people depending on the organization after a disaster. Some consolidation of regions and chapters is under way in an effort to achieve the Red Cross mission more robustly and consistently across a wider area. More detailed information is expected before the end of the year. “As the

POPLAR BLUFF — Jason Smith released the following statement on tonight's election results: "As a seventh-generation Missourian, I am truly humbled that the voters of southeast Missouri have re-elected me to represent them in Congress. "Since the voters first elected me as their congressman 17 months ago, I have battled to get government out of the way so southeast and southern Missouri can thrive. "As a farmer and small business owner, I've seen firsthand how government intrusion stifles economic growth. That's why I introduced legislation called the SCRUB Act to clear out the thousands of pages of regulations that hurt our businesses and farms and keep good jobs from being created. I have fought to keep unconstitutional government overreach from compromising our personal

JEFFERSON CITY - State Budget Director Linda Luebbering announced today that 2015 fiscal year-to-date net general revenue collections increased 4.3 percent compared to 2014, from $2.48 billion last year to $2.59 billion this year. Net general revenue collections for October 2014 increased by 6.1 percent compared to those for October 2013, from $530.9 million to $563.0 million. GROSS COLLECTIONS BY TAX TYPE  - Download the Excel Spread Sheet Individual income tax collections • Increased 5.8 percent for the year, from $1.74 billion last year to $1.84 billion this year. • Increased 6.4 percent for the month. Sales and use tax collections • Increased 3.3 percent for the year, from $644.8 million last year to $666.0 million this year. • Increased