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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri Auditor Tom Schweich is questioning millions of dollars of welfare payments made to low-income residents.

Schweich released an annual audit Tuesday examining Missouri's use of $12.7 billion of federal funds during the 2012 budget. He raised concerns about $68 million of expenses, mainly through programs run by the Department of Social Services.

As he has in the past, Schweich questioned whether some of Missouri's payments under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program were allowed under federal law. The department has said that they are.

Among other things, the audit also cited improper payments to some child care providers and noted that the state failed to perform annual eligibility verifications for some senior and elderly residents receiving home-based services.

After winning the A-10 tournament 62-56 over VCU Sunday, the Saint Louis University Billikens are the #4 seed in the Midwest for the NCAA tournament. They'll take on #13 New Mexico State on Thursday.

The Missouri Tigers also got a ticket to the big dance. Mizzou is the ninth seed in the Midwest. They'll face the No. 8 seed Colorado State on Thursday.

If Mizzou and SLU make it through the first two rounds of the tournament, they would face each other in the Elite 8.

After an up and down season, the Fighting Illini made it into the tournament with a No. 7 seed and will face No. 10 seed Colorado in the Eastern Region on Friday.

Teens are being targeted in a crack down to enforce seat belt laws in Missouri.

Police say on 66 percent of Missouri teens wear their seat belt when driving or riding in a vehicle. Under the graduated driver's license law, all passengers in a car being driven by someone 16 to 18 years must wear their seat belt. Otherwise, police can pull the driver over and issue a ticket.

Safety officials say eight out of 10 teens killed in traffic crashes are unbuckled. And wearing a seat belt is the single most effective way to protect people and reduce fatalities in motor vehicle crashes.

JEFFERSON CITY - Still no word on what caused nearly two dozen people to become sick at the Missouri Coroner's and Medical Examiners Association conference.

The conference began Tuesday at the Truman Hotel in Jefferson City and by Wednesday several attendees became sick with symptoms that include coughing, fever, chest pain, and muscle ache. By Thursday, 27 of the 100 association members had fallen ill with five taken to the hospital. One remains hospitalized.

Cape County Coroner John Clifton tells KTRS news he had to take his deputy to the hospital."He was there for five hours. They didn't know what it was. They assured it wasn't contagious." Clifton tells KTRS News among those ill are the Perry County coroner and both the Scott County coroner and his deputy.

The general manager of the Truman Hotel, Lisa Steiner, told KOMU-TV the Department of Health investigated the hotel today and could not find a problem. Steiner said the investigators were not able to advise her on any action to take. The rooms of those who became ill have been closed off.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Missouri House has passed legislation that would renew tax credits for charitable causes such as food pantries and centers for pregnant woman.

The vote Wednesday by the House puts the legislation just one final step from the governor's desk. The Senate previously passed the bill and must give it another vote.

The legislation would reinstate tax credits for food pantry donations that expired in 2011 and for donations to pregnancy resource centers and child advocacy centers that expired in 2012. All three of those tax credits would be extended to 2019.

The bill also renews tax credits for surviving spouses of deceased public safety officers and for people who improve their homes to be accessible to the disabled.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - State lawmakers are hoping that new incentives can help Missouri compete for big-time sports events.

The House gave final approval Wednesday to legislation authorizing up to $3 million annually in subsidies for cities, counties and nonprofit groups that host amateur sports events such as college basketball tournaments.

The bill is the first one of the 2013 session to make it to Gov. Jay Nixon.

Missouri has a long history of hosting sports events. Kansas City, for example, is hosting the Big 12 basketball tournament this week and games for the NCAA men's basketball tournament next week.

But supporters of the legislation say Missouri has been losing bids for future events to states offering incentives.

Missouri's bill would provide tax breaks equal to $5 for every ticket sold to the events.

Missouri's attorney general is looking for new ways to curb mathamphetatime use in the state.

At a news conference today, attorney general Chris Koster will outline initiatives against "smurfing," a practice that involves recruiting people to purchase medicines containing pseudoephedrine.

The campaign calls partly for Missouri pharmacies to display warnings at cash registers letting would-be smurfers know their actions have serious consequences.

Two Nevada companies have agreed to pay Missouri $41,500 in penalties for violating the state's no-call law for telemarketers, according to the Missouri attorney general's office.

Attorney General Chris Koster said in a statement that his office received more than 175 complaints about the companies, Firebrand Group SL and Worldwide Commerce Associates. Consumers reported that the companies were trying to sell services such as cruise packages and tax services.

In addition to the cash penalty, the companies have agreed to stop making telemarketing calls to any consumer in the state of Missouri who has placed his or her phone number on the Missouri do-not-call list without the consumer's express consent, Koster's office said.

Missourians can sign up for the do-not-call hotline on Koster's website at ago.mo.gov or by calling (866) 662-2551.

St. Louis, MO - AP - Missouri will get about $324,000 from a multistate settlement with Google over its collection of emails, passwords and other sensitive information transmitted on unprotected wireless networks.

Attorney General Chris Koster said Tuesday that he had signed on to the $7 million settlement between Google and several dozen states.

The settlement ends an inquiry dating to 2010. Google revealed at the time that company cars taking street-level photos for its online mapping service also collected personal data transmitted over wireless networks that didn't require passwords.

Koster says Google agreed in the settlement to destroy all data collected from unsecured wireless networks and not to collect such information in the future.

Google didn't acknowledge any wrongdoing in the settlement.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Some Missouri senators are raising concerns that legislators wouldn't have much control over a proposed 1-cent sales tax for transportation projects.

The Senate began debate Tuesday on legislation that would ask voters to approve a dedicated sales tax for highways and other transportation needs. But some senators expressed concern that the money would go straight to the Department of Transportation without need of legislative approval in the budget process.

The sales tax is estimated to raise nearly $8 billion over 10 years. Ten percent of the proceeds would go to local transportation needs. The tax would be resubmitted to voters after 10 years for potential renewal.

When the increased sales tax is in effect, the gas tax rate would be frozen and existing roads could not become toll roads.