State senator dies

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- State Sen. Paula Carter, a St. Louis Democrat who had served in the Legislature for 15 years, died Monday after a lengthy illness. She was 61.

Carter, who had cancer, missed much of the regular legislative session this year because of her illness but returned to the Capitol during a September special session to vote for a prescription drug benefit.

She is survived by her mother, two sisters and four children. Funeral arrangements were not immediately available.