Top Stories:  Deaths from opioid overdose could exceed traffic fatalities in Missouri this year, for the first time ever.  The Columbia Daily Tribune reports that the state had recorded 733 opioid overdose deaths through August, compared to 591 traffic deaths.  Nine summits are taking place across Missouri to help first responders and others deal with the epidemic.  And Missouri U.S. Senator Roy Blunt appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press Sunday, where he defended the Republican Senate tax plan. He responded to calculations that the tax proposal would blow a $2.2 trillion hole in the deficit, by saying the loss would be offset by economic activity. Blunt said bill should be judged by its projections of growth.