MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — A crew drilling a natural gas well through an abandoned coal mine in West Virginia's Northern Panhandle hit a pocket of methane gas that ignited, triggering an explosion that burned seven workers, state and company officials said Monday.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Federal regulators claim an Illinois coal mine is continuing to put workers in danger despite more than $230,000 in proposed fines since late 2008, prompting a panel that decides disputed violations to hasten its review of the underground mine.

SUN PRAIRIE, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin health officials will launch a public relations campaign this week to promote the state's smoking ban, state Department of Health Services Secretary Karen Timberlake said Monday.

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico's state-run oil company filed a lawsuit Monday against five companies, including the U.S. subsidiary of German chemical maker BASF, for allegedly buying stolen Mexican petroleum products.

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Federal regulators approved plans Monday allowing a second gas pipeline project in Alaska to begin seeking shipping commitments in what's known as "open season."

WASHINGTON (AP) — Swipe your debit card at the supermarket and you've placed yourself at the heart of a contentious congressional debate.

ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Gov. Charlie Crist announced Monday that the state will provide one-year, interest-free loans to small businesses affected by the Gulf oil spill.

CHALMETTE, La. (AP) — Members of Congress vowed Monday to amend a 90-year-old law that limits the amount of money survivors can recover in the deaths of family members killed in the Gulf of Mexico oil rig explosion.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — A former slaughterhouse manager embraced his attorneys and slapped them on the back Monday as a jury acquitted him of allowing minors to work at a meatpacking plant in Iowa.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The security firm formerly known as Blackwater is looking for new ownership, announcing Monday it is pursuing a sale of the company that became renowned and reviled for its involvement with the U.S. government in Iraq and elsewhere.

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — State oil and gas regulators are about to vote on new rules that would require energy companies to disclose the chemicals used in a process that increases the productivity of oil and gas wells.

So far this year, the AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust has committed more than $330 million in financing for projects nationwide, spurring work through more 2,900 union jobs, including in St. Louis.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Helen Thomas, the opinionated White House correspondent who used her seat in the front row of history to grill 10 presidents and often exasperate them, lost her storied perch Monday in a flap over calling on Israelis to get "out of Palestine."

DENVER (AP) — DCT Industrial Trust said Monday it acquired a 19-acre land parcel in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., for $4.7 million on which it plans to custom-build industrial properties.

Tenet Healthcare Corp. (NYSE: THC) said Monday it has withdrawn from efforts to acquire Australian private hospital operator Healthscope Limited (HSP.AX). (THC) (THC)

Therapeutic Horsemanship, a nonprofit in Wentzville, Mo., has landed $102,000 in state tax credits.

A continued play-it-safe approach among CFOs nationwide is expected to keep a pall over the accounting and finance industry hiring outlook at least through September, according to a new report from Robert Half Financial.

Supervalu Inc. is among several large grocery retailers that have funded secretive oppositions to new Wal-Mart stores, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday. (SVU)

Nurses licensed in some states outside Missouri can practice in the Show-Me State under new regulations from the State Board of Nursing.

BIG SETTLEMENT: Bank of America settled charges that Countrywide Financial, which it acquired nearly two years ago, collected outsized fees from borrowers facing foreclosure.