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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - As Republican state lawmakers consider increased access to firearms, a new study claims Missouri's gun-friendly policies have increased gun violence. The study's author says homicides involving firearms have increased in Missouri by 25 percent between 2008 and 2010. Daniel Webster, a professor and gun policy analyst at Johns Hopkins University, cites the repeal of the state's "permit to acquire law" in 2007 as the turning point. Prior to that year, people had to get a permit and a background check from the local sheriff's office to acquire a firearm even in cases of private sales. Now, no such check is required for gun purchases. Webster's research shows that Missouri's increased level of gun violence in the last five years runs counter to the national trend.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - Missouri House members have approved legislation that would require simplified report cards for schools.

The report cards would include scores on state performance measures with a translation into a letter grade for the individual standards and their components. The report cards would apply to public schools and charter schools with classes beyond second grade. They would be available starting December 2014.

Principals could provide up to 250 words of context or background on the scores. Schools that receive an overall score of less than 70 percent would need to submit a plan to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education explaining what will be done to improve.

The House passed the measure 128-23 on Thursday. It now goes to the Senate.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - A special panel created by Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander is recommending that the state allow early voting and expand absentee voting by mail.

The bipartisan commission released its recommendations Thursday for overhauling Missouri's voting laws.

Missouri now allows people to vote by mail only if they meet certain conditions, such as a disability or absence from their district on election day. The commission says voters should be allowed to mail their ballots without such restrictions.

It also recommends requiring all local election authorities to establish one location where voters can cast ballots in-person beginning six weeks before election day. For presidential elections, highly-populated areas would be required to establish an additional polling place for early voting.

The 11-member commission is made up of local election authorities, attorneys and former lawmakers.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - Missouri senators have passed legislation scaling back tax breaks for developers and offering new incentives for high-tech businesses and world trade.

The Senate's 27-7 vote Thursday sends the bill to the House, where it already faces some opposition.

House Speaker Tim Jones has said senators "over-reached" by significantly lowering the amount of tax credits available for the construction of low-income housing and the renovation of historic buildings. But Jones likes provisions in the Senate bill that create new tax credits for air cargo exports, computer data centers and investors in high-tech, start-up businesses.

Gov. Jay Nixon praised the bill Thursday for containing "long-overdue reforms" to tax credits.

A similar proposal to overhaul Missouri's tax credits failed during a 2011 special session.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - Missouri legislation could land teachers and doctors in trouble if they ask students about gun ownership or note such information from patients on medical records.

A state Senate committee heard testimony Tuesday on a bill that would bar school personnel from asking students whether their parents or guardians own guns. Violators could face a $200 fine.

The bill would also bar medical professionals from putting information about a patient's firearm into a medical record unless it relates to the patient's immediate medical care or safety.

That language was added by Republican Sen. Brian Nieves, of Washington. He says the bill would prevent inappropriate questions about firearm ownership.

But Republican Sen. Rob Schaaf, a physician from St. Joseph, said there shouldn't be limits on what doctors can insert in medical records.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - The Missouri Supreme Court has rescheduled oral arguments in a case stemming from a state law that allows students to transfer out of unaccredited school districts.

The case was scheduled to be heard Wednesday. But the court agreed to move it to March 5 because of this week's snowstorm.

The school transfer case was filed by families who were paying to send their children to public schools in suburban Clayton when St. Louis lost accreditation in 2007. They argued St. Louis should pick up the tab.

But the St. Louis district is no longer subject to the law after regaining provisional accreditation last year. Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster has argued that the change in St. Louis' accreditation status makes the case largely moot.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - About 30,000 people in northwest Missouri and northeast Kansas woke up without power as heavy, wet snow hitting the region downed power lines.

Kansas City Power & Light reported at 6 a.m. Tuesday that just over 25,000 customers were without power. The outages stretched throughout the utility's service area from Emporia, Kan., to Sedalia, Mo., but the highest number of outages was in the Kansas City metro area.

BPU, which provides service in Wyandotte County on the Kansas side of the metro area was reporting about 7,600 customers without service. Westar Energy reported 8,900 outages throughout its Kansas region, which includes pockets near Kansas City. Westar's highest number of outages early Tuesday was in Greenwood and Douglas counties, which includes the Wichita area.

   

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - Missouri House Republicans have given a resounding `no' to Democratic plans to expand Medicaid.

Two separate House committees rejected the plan Monday. One shot down an attempt to add funding for a Medicaid expansion to the 2014 budget. Another panel defeated legislation that would have authorized the expansion of Medicaid coverage to an estimated 260,000 lower-income adults.

Both committees voted along party lines, with Republicans opposing the Medicaid expansion and Democrats supporting it. More than 30 people representing health care, business and social services groups testified in support of the proposed expansion.

The Medicaid expansion is called for by President Barack Obama's health care law and supported by Gov. Jay Nixon.

House Republicans are working on an alternative that may include a more modest expansion combined with cost-savings measures.

ST. LOUIS (AP) - A Washington University survey of Missouri tanning salons has found that nearly two-thirds allow children as young as 10 or 12 to tan, and many provide misinformation about the dangers of tanning beds.

Dermatologists at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis led the telephone survey in 2007. Results were published online Monday in the journal Pediatrics.

Questioners posed as prospective clients. Operators at 65 percent of the salons said they would allow 10- or 12-year-olds to tan. Employees at 43 percent said there was no risk posed by indoor tanning.

American Suntanning Association executive director Tracie Cunningham questioned the survey methods and said many of the businesses in the six-year-old survey are no longer operating.

 

The opening of Missouri's catch-and-keep trout season is this Friday at Bennett Spring State Park, Montauk, Roaring River State Park and Meramec Spring. The conservation department operates hatcheries at all four trout parks.

The long-range weather forecast for Friday points to highs in the 40s and a small chance of rain. But the four state parks will be stocked with more than 25,000 trout. About 8,600 anglers are expected to turn out. Governor Jay Nixon will be at Montauk Hatchery near Licking to fire the opening pistol.