Royals still need to improve their pitch selection

The Royals came out of Tuesday's eighth inning with a lead and won the game against the Astros 7-3, but this one could have gone the other way because of poor pitch selection. Too many times on this road trip, Royals fans have seen hitters take when they should be swinging and swing when they should be taking.

CEOs get a raise: Median pay rises 6.5 percent to $9.7 million

CEO pay has been going one direction for the past three years: up. The head of a typical large public company made $9.7 million in 2012, a 6.5 percent increase from a year earlier that was aided by a rising stock market. The highest paid CEO was Leslie Moonves of CBS (pictured), who made $60.3 million.

Boy Scout leaders to vote on lifting gay ban

As protesters made one last stand, the Boy Scouts of America's leadership began a conference Wednesday that was expected to culminate in a long-anticipated vote on whether to allow openly gay Scouts - a decision that, either way, could deeply affect the organization's membership and funding.

Broke no laws, IRS official says _ then takes 5th

At the center of a political storm, an Internal Revenue Service supervisor whose agents targeted conservative groups swore Wednesday she did nothing wrong, broke no laws and never lied to Congress. Then she refused to answer lawmakers' further questions, citing her Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate herself.

Royals rally for 7-3 win over Astros, get back to .500

The Royals rallied Tuesday for a 7-3 victory at Minute Maid Park by scoring all seven runs against the Astros’ bullpen and with the aid of some atrocious defense. So what? The Royals ended their four-game losing streak, pulled back to .500 at 21-21 and avoided the possibility of getting swept by the Astros.

Immigration bill heads to full Senate

A far-reaching bill to remake the nation's immigration system is headed to the full Senate, where tough battles are brewing on gay marriage, border security and other contentious issues, with the outcome impossible to predict.

Kansas City Zoo will open early all summer

Beginning Saturday and lasting through Labor Day, the zoo will open at 8 a.m. instead of 9:30 a.m., allowing visitors to view animals when they are more active than during the heat of the day.

New civil suits are filed against priest, bishop and KC diocese

They allege that Bishop Robert Finn and the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph aided and abetted the Rev. Shawn Ratigan as he sexually abused and engaged in “child pornographic offenses” with two young girls while Ratigan was employed as a priest. Last week the diocese settled a similar case for $600,000.

Senate GOP leaders propose compromise tax plan

In the latest twist on tax talks, Senate Republicans pitched a compromise plan Tuesday to drop the state’s temporarily elevated sales tax from 6.3 percent to 6.25 percent while dropping income tax rates and phasing out almost all tax deductions.