JEFFERSON CITY - Governor-elect Matt Blunt announced Wednesday that Missouri Senate Administrator Michael Keathley is the budget adviser for his transition team.

Keathley will be responsible for overseeing the construction of the fiscal year 2006 budget.

JEFFERSON CITY - MoDot announced Wednesday that it will use revenue from the recently-passed Amendment 3 to improve 2,200 miles of state-maintained roads by the end of 2007. The roads selected account for 60 percent of traffic on Missouri roads.

This is just the first part of a three-part plan which includes accelerating a five-year construction program that had already began and talking to local officials to find out which state-maintained roads in their towns need the most attention.

JEFFERSON CITY - The state filed a motion in Cole County to push back the lawsuit more than 250 Missouri school districts filed, which claims the current school funding formula is not equitable.

The motion says with the legislature expected to create a new formula pushing back proceedings would save expenses.

JEFFERSON CITY - After a five month search the Coordinating Board for Higher Education announced Dr. Gregory Fitch as their choice for the commissioner of higher education. The position will be vacated November 15 after the resignation of Quentin Wilson, the current commissioner,who had held the position for two years.

Fitch, 56, had served for three years as the president of the Utah College of Applied Technology. Prior to that he had served as the Executive Director of the Idaho State Board of Education. Fitch is a native of Kansas City.

JEFFERSON CITY - The number of flu cases is not as high as it was this time last year, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.

Officials say these numbers are to be expected, because last year had a particularly early flu season.

JEFFERSON CITY - Based on estimates from the secretary of state's office, provisional ballots in Missouri will not impact the final outcome of the 2004 statewide office elections.

Provisional ballots are counted by individual counties.

The counties have two weeks after the election to certify election results with the secretary of state's office.

JEFFERSON CITY - Governor elect Matt Blunt's claim to be the second youngest person ever elected to Missouri's highest state office is undermined by what appears to be a couple of typos in Missouri's official state manual.

The latest edition of the Official Manual of the State of Missouri, gives two birth dates for Senator Kit Bond, who is widely reported as the youngest person to be elected Missouri's governor.

JEFFERSON CITY - Ken McClure says the reason he was appointed to the position of transition director is that Matt Blunt knows the value of experience.

Blunt's major objective is change the likes of which Missouri hasn't seen for decades, which McClure says is why he wants aides with such a grasp history and experience.

JEFFERSON CITY - For the first time in over 80 years the Republican party controls both the legislative and executive branches of Missouri government.

In 1989, Missouri Democrats held 22 seats in the state Senate. 16 years later, that number has been halved.