Former State Senator Danny Staples of Eminence has died of a heart attack at the age of 68. Staples, a Democrat, was elected to the Missouri House in 1976, 1978, and 1980. He won election to the Senate in 1982 and served until he was forced out by term limits last year. During his time in the Senate, Staples served as Chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee and as Chairman of the Joint Committee on Corrections. Funeral arrangements are not yet completed.