State digest 2/5

Three hurt in blast at chemical-testing site

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Authorities evacuated an industrial area on Kansas City's east side Monday morning after a chemical-testing building exploded and caught fire, injuring three people.

Those injured in the 9:11 a.m. blast were taken to hospitals with first and second-degree burns, officials said. Emergency crews evacuated the area as a precaution, authorities said.

Fire officials said the Stratco Industries building contained explosives, which kept firefighters from entering the building.

The cause of the explosion is still under investigation.

Execution date set for March 6 for Jeffrey Tokar

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A March 6 execution has been set for a Columbia man convicted of shooting a man twice in the head during a burglary of the victim's home.

The Missouri Supreme Court on Monday set the execution date for Jeffrey L. Tokar, who was convicted of killing Johnny Douglass on March 11, 1992.

Court records said that Tokar shot Douglass at his home north of Centralia while Douglass' two young children watched.

Tokar is being held at the Potosi Correctional Center, where Missouri carries out the death penalty.

-- From wire reports