BC-MO--Missouri Digest, MO

The supervisor is Margaret Stafford after 5:30 a.m. She can be reached in the Kansas City bureau at 800-852-4844 or 816-421-4844. AP stories, along with photos that accompany them, can be obtained from http://www.apexchange.com. Reruns are available from the Service Desk (800-838-4616) or through the Kansas City bureau.

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MISSISSIPPI RIVER FLOODING

ST. LOUIS - The Mississippi River is on the rise again, the latest round of flooding along the nation's largest river. Parts of northern Missouri, western Illinois and southeastern Iowa received 2-3 inches of rain Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, causing a sudden and sharp rise in the river from southeastern Iowa to near St. Louis. By Jim Salter.

MISSOURI RIVER FLOODING

HAMBURG, Iowa - The surge of water released from dams holding back the rain-swollen upper Missouri River reached deeper into Nebraska and Iowa on Thursday, headed swiftly toward Missouri and a soggy summer. Almost all the levees along the way have held strong. There have been no significant injuries or deaths. Now comes the weeks of fretting and worry over whether levees in several states will continue to hold until the river starts to drop sometime this fall. By Josh Funk And Grant Schulte.

AP Photos

BIRDS POINT LEVEE

CHARLESTON - Southeast Missouri farmers were elated over news that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would quickly repair the Birds Point levee that was intentionally breached in early May to relieve flooding upriver. "They're doing backflips as we speak," Mississippi County Presiding Commissioner Carlin Bennett said about the news that the corps was ready to start work. "It's a temporary levee, it's not a permanent fix. But we're so glad that something is finally going to be done."

RIVER FLOODING-MISSISSIPPI

VICKSBURG, Miss. - The cost of repairing Mississippi River levees that were damaged by this year's historic flooding could reach $1 billion, but it's not clear how much funding will be available, a high ranking U.S. Army Corps of Engineers official said Thursday. Col. Thatch Shepard, deputy commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Mississippi River Division, told The Associated Press that repairing the Mississippi River levee system could cost $700 million to $1 billion. The Corps budget for the fiscal year is $210 million, so Shepard said he's hoping Congress will approve supplemental funding. By Holbrook Mohr.

Advantage Capital Finances St. Louis Based Environmental ...

Advantage Capital Partners, a leading venture capital and small-business finance firm, today announced it has provided $5.85 million in financing to Environmental Operations, Inc. (EOI), the St. Louis region’s largest environmental services firm.

In a financing partnership with Southwest Bank, Advantage Capital provided funding in connection with the Missouri New Markets Development program and the federal New Markets Tax Credit program. The Funds will be used to support Environmental Operations’ continued growth.

“EOI has a strong track record and competitive edge and has developed into a leader in high-profile environmental waste removal projects,”said Mark Lewis, principal at Advantage Capital. “This financing will provide much-needed capital to an award-winning, innovative business run by a local entrepreneur who is well-regarded within the St. Louis business community.”

Founded in 1986, EOI provides specialized environmental services to clients throughout the St. Louis region. The company identifies and resolves environmental site issues and has developed a strong expertise in Brownfield incentives and risk assumption tools. EOI has been recognized by the national Phoenix Brownfield Awards, Associated General Contractors Build America Awards and government officials. Recently completed projects include Busch Stadium in St. Louis, the River City Casino in Lemay and the Hazelwood Commerce Center and NorthPark (Phase 1), located in north St. Louis.

EOI is currently undertaking a project involving the remediation and demolition of the former Monsanto Solutia John Queeny plant. Once the remediation is complete, the site will be redeveloped into a mixed-used commercial and office space complex totaling 500,000 square-feet of usable, energy efficient space. Hundreds of permanent jobs are expected to be created in an area that previously sat vacant for more than three years.

“EOI is a growing company that employs highly skilled managers and engineers,” said Stacy Hastie, EOI Chief Executive. “The financing from Advantage Capital and Southwest Bank will allow us to continue our growth in the St. Louis region and expand our efforts to other parts of the country.”

The state and federal New Markets programs are designed to stimulate economic growth in communities that historically have been under served by traditional sources of capital.

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