I thought I knew what to expect out of Radiohead on Wednesday night. After all, I had seen the band play the same venue in 2003. Message boards let me know what to expect from the setlist. And every self-respecting music blog around had praised the epic light show. But no review prepared me for 50-foot rope ladders, extra songs, or a suspiciously large pair of women's undergarments.

April showers might bring May flowers, but May showers don’t bring much of anything. At least not until farmers can get their crops in the ground. A persistently cold and damp spring has pushed field work almost a month behind schedule for corn and soybean growers in Northwest Missouri.

Dr. Marv Moose has known for more than a year that Ameri-Pac needed more space. In a few months, the company will have it. Ameri-Pac broke ground on a 20,000-square-foot expansion last week that will add manufacturing capacity and warehousing space to the company’s facility at 751 S. Fourth St. The addition will adjoin the existing Ameri-Pac and Ameri-Vet facilities.

A new form of road rage has turned up the heat on local drivers. One doesn’t have to look far for the source of anger. It’s spelled out above busy streets in 3-foot type: Gas prices are going up. Jennifer Whitley saw this coming when she bought a Toyota Corolla three years ago. She considered a sports car with V-8 power, only to opt for the fuel mileage of a four-cylinder.

The death of the filly Eight Belles after a freak injury in the Kentucky Derby on Saturday continues to raise complicated questions about the nature of horse racing.
Yet for people unfamiliar with horses, a simpler question remains unanswered: Why are horses euthanized after leg injuries?
Dr. Shawn McCoole, a veterinarian at Cedar Ridge Veterinary Clinic in Atchison, Kan., explained how the anatomy of a horse makes leg injuries so severe.

Restored homes play a funny trick on the imagination. They show what used to be and what could be, both at the same time.

The Apple Blossom Festival Bar-B-Que Contest provides a good sample of St. Joseph’s local flavor. But the secret isn’t just in the sauce, it’s in the meat itself.
St. Joseph’s Triumph Foods will provide fresh pork loin for the pork loin contest in which all teams will compete.

I have a quick follow-up for yesterday’s post about Wal-Mart. But first, a recap: Wal-Mart (and Sam’s Club) will cash all stimulus checks free of charge, while giving customers the option to keep the cash or load the money onto a Wal-Mart MoneyCard. For more details, scroll down a bit and read the old post.

Rita Naughton has a pretty good idea who shot her dog. She just can’t prove it.

You generally don’t hear topics like government economic policy and tax law pop up in everyday conversation. But two little words have changed that this spring: stimulus checks. How much are you getting? Where are you going to spend it? Will I have any left after I put gas in my SUV?