A story today by the Associated Press tells of a study by Northeastern University that black teenagers are killing each other in rising numbers, despite an overall falling crime rate across the nation.

FBI crime statistics show overall decreases in murder and other violent crimes. The a report by criminal justice professors James Alan Fox and Marc Swatt uncovers other disturbing trends within that data. (Related: Updated FBI crime statistic)

Among their findings: an increase of more than 39 percent in the number of black males between the ages of 14 and 17 killed between 2000 and 2007, and an increase of 34…

In our story for Wednesday’s Post-Dispatch, we learn about The Villages of Hampton Grove, “a neighborhood that’s being marketed as Missouri’s first fully camera-secure subdivision, where three surveillance cameras resembling tiny, black shower nozzles come standard on the exterior of every home.” Owners of the $200,000 to $400,000 homes have computer access to security camera images from all over the neighborhood. They’ll be able to look back in the archives. There are cameras all over the neighborhood.

In a cutthroat housing market where weeds are sprouting up faster than homes in many unfinished St. Charles County subdivisions, developer Rodney Estes and his…

Our story today describes the many new laws that go into effect today in Missouri. Among them are changes in the blood-alcohol limit for boaters; property tax changes; new crimes; and a repeal of campaign donation limits.

But the one that interests me the most is new restrictions on heavy trucks, requiring them to stay out of the left lane on the interestates. According to the story:

Highway motorists choosing the far-left lane should be free of heavy truck traffic. A new law prohibits big trucks — mostly semis and heavy freight haulers — from driving in the far-left lane on highways that…

I wasn’t aware of the text message the text message hadn’t arrived by the time your friendly TOTD scribe sat down to write this. But the New York Times, AP and CNN say that Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware has been tapped by Barack Obama to be his running mate.

Oh, and did I mention it’s on Obama’s web site, too?

Here’s what the AP story says about it.

Biden, 65, has twice sought the White House, and is a Catholic with blue-collar roots, a generally liberal voting record and a reputation as a long-winded orator.

Across more than 30 years in the Senate, he has…

Stories about the security crackdown at Metrolink stations — particularly in the Delmar Loop — have been hot topics for debate in the cyberworld.

The Post-Dispatch wrote about the topic on Aug. 10 with a story headlined “Police establish heavy presence around Delmar Loop MetroLink station.” That story currently has 28 comments on it.

We’ve also done a Talk of the Day on the subject over here that, as I write this, has 91 comments on it.

They’re also going to town on the subject on the RFT’s story headlined (in part), “Is MetroLink a vehicle for crime?” So far, 25 comments over there….