St. Louis Post-Dispatch

ST. LOUIS -- Professional boxing in America used to be a big deal. It used to be important. It used to have a grip on the American sports consciousness the way football, baseball and basketball now do. The great heavyweights are now NFL tight ends or NBA power forwards, and the audience that once craved the sweet science has shifted its obsession to the mixed martial arts octagon.

Now in the only places that matter in its sport -- Las Vegas and your television set -- the sweet science has been reduced to something of a sideshow attraction. It seems that the only one left in the boxing game capable of elevating the sport to its old high perch is the extremely loud, slightly irritating, brilliantly calculating and very talented Floyd Mayweather Jr.

"THE COVE." By Ron Rash. Ecco. $25.99.

Setting a story in Appalachia during the dark days of World War I promises a certain gloominess to the tale. And while Ron Rash delivers that in "The Cove," he also spins a moving tale of the hardships faced by two siblings as they fight for their existence in the hills of Appalachia.

ST. LOUIS -- A woman who failed to sway jurors with her claim that a "Girls Gone Wild" video exploited her bare chest has won $5.77 million in a retrial before a judge.

ST. LOUIS -- In his quest for the Republican nomination for president, Mitt Romney faced off against one rival who carries a pistol while jogging and another who stopped for target practice on the campaign trail.

Romney, however, has had trouble demonstrating familiarity with hunting and firearms. His sometimes tenuous relationship with gun owners, which will be in the spotlight when he addresses the National Rifle Association Friday at its convention in St. Louis, reflects a theme that has long nagged at Romney's candidacy.

While he cultivated an heir of inevitability in the GOP race, Romney has not inspired much enthusiasm among grassroots conservatives. Also, he has found it difficult to shake the perception that some of his views are carefully calibrated for the moment.

ST. LOUIS -- For those wondering which forwards Blues coach Ken Hitchcock will suit up when everyone is healthy, join the group -- a group that includes the players themselves.

Hitchcock hasn't been forced to make many difficult decisions yet because of the extended absences of Alex Steen and Matt D'Agostini because of concussions. Also, 18 games after returning from his concussion, Andy McDonald went back out of the lineup with a shoulder injury.

But with Steen rejoining the Blues on Sunday, and D'Agostini and McDonald on the verge of coming back, Hitchcock soon will have 16 bodies and only 12 spots he can fill. In perhaps a sneak peek of what could lie ahead, B.J. Crombeen has been a healthy scratch the past two games and Chris Porter was displaced Sunday when Steen returned.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Some Missouri lawmakers want to protect gun owners from any threat of workplace discrimination, just as state residents currently are protected for race, religion and gender.

The good news is that at least some members of Congress and their staffs seem to be busy doing real work.

CQ Today, the authoritative online news journal covering Congress, is reporting that small bipartisan groups in both the House and Senate are back at the tough task of tackling the long-term federal deficit challenges that threaten the economic health of the nation. The activity is taking place quietly, out of sight of the distorting lenses of election-year campaigning and ideological posturing.