John Brunner enters Senate race

ST. LOUIS, MO (ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO) - The Republican race to challenge Senator Claire McCaskill in 2012 is officially a three-way contest.

John Brunner chairs the board of Vi-Jon, a St. Louis-based company that makes the hand sanitizer Germ-X.

He has a long track record of donating to Republican and conservative causes. But he’s never run for public office – which he says makes him the most qualified person to serve.

"Career politicians with political experience alone are just unable to restore the American dream. They have no because they have no real world experience to guide them," Brunner said.

A spokesman for Congressman Todd Akin welcomed Brunner into the race but said he remained confident Akin would win. The campaign of former state treasurer Sarah Steelman did not return a phone call for comment in time.

Brunner’s entry into the race affects Akin more, says University of Missouri St. Louis political science professor Dave Robertson.

"Brunner, as someone who has supported Akin in the past, who comes from the general area that Todd Akin comes from, really has a chance to split the vote that Akin would have gotten and so probably weakens Akin a little bit more," Robertson said.

Campaign finance records show Brunner and his wife donating five thousand dollars to Akin’s campaign as recently as March.

Rachel Lippmann, St. Louis Public Radio

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St. Louis Muslims remember 9-11

ST. LOUIS, MO (ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO) - Members of the Muslim community in St. Louis gathered at the grounds of the Gateway Arch Sunday to remember the 10th anniversary of the September 11th attacks with prayer and service.

Worshippers recited the Islamic afternoon prayer before many participated in the United Way’s day of service doing community clean-up in East St. Louis.

The executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations of St. Louis, Faizan Syed, helped organize the event.

He says ten years ago, members of his community were blamed for the attacks in Washington and New York even though they had nothing to do with them

"Ten years later we have come here and we have gathered under the shade of the Arch as a way of standing together in a united front, and a way of showing of our unity towards the people and the society that we live in," Syed said.

Other 9-11 ceremonies in the area included a traditional Mass at the Cathedral Basilica, and the display of three thousand flags on Art Hill to commemorate those killed.

Rachel Lippmann, St. Louis Public Radio

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Nixon defends withholds from 2012

ST. LOUIS, MO (ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO) - Governor Jay Nixon is defending his decision to withhold more than $170 million from Missouri’s 2012 budget, despite a state lawsuit challenging its constitutionality.

Before the start of the current budget year, the Democrat announced that his administration would withhold funds from more than 40 state programs, partially to help pay for disaster relief.

State auditor Tom Schweich, a Republican, filed suit, saying that the governor can only do so if revenue is coming in below projections.

Speaking after a ribbon cutting in north St. Louis County, Nixon called such withholdings a common practice.

"Spending your accounts to zero is not the way to start a fiscally prudent year," Nixon said. "In order to have the resources to meet the obligations we have, me and governors over the last 40 years have done the exact same thing."

Nixon said he reached the $170 million figure by cutting out revenue that lawmakers included but never passed legislation to collect.

Rachel Lippmann, St. Louis Public Radio

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Educators working with sponsor on fix for "Facebook" law

ST. LOUIS, MO (ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO) - A group of educators led by the Missouri National Education Association says its confident it can strike a deal with lawmakers to settle confusion over a new state law governing how students and teachers interact using social media like Facebook.

The law, the Amy Hestir Student Protection Act, blocks students and teachers from communicating privately on electronic media without a third party present. For example, an e-mail between a student and teacher would have to be copied to someone else as well.

Teachers have expressed concern that the law would prevent them from "friending" students on Facebook even after the students have left their classroom. Other say the laws would prevent teachers who are also parents from emailing or texting with their child if the child has ever also been their student.

The Missouri State Teachers Association has filed suit, claiming the law is too broad and infringes on the First Amendment rights of its members.

Kit Crancer, the chief of staff to the act's sponsor, Republican state Senator Jane Cunningham of Chesterfield, said the changes would be minimal.

"Frankly, we’re in favor of the provisions which are blocking private communication between an instructor and a student," Crancer said. "We want to clarify and at least provide guidelines for all the instructors in the state."

Crancer and Otto Fajen, the legislative director for the MNEA, met on Tuesday to start discussions about the changes. Both are confident a deal can be worked out to get the new language included in the special session that starts Sept. 6, but Fajen says teachers shouldn't panic if that doesn't happen.

"There’s no need, from our perspective, for teachers to try to independently decipher what this all means," Fajen said. "They can just kind of look to, 'what does my supervisor say is the policy?'"

A spokesman for Gov. Jay Nixon, who sets the agenda for a special session, would not say if the session would be expanded if a compromise could be reached.

Rachel Lippmann, St. Louis Public Radio

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Schweich sharply critical of budget withholdings for disasters

ST. LOUIS, MO (ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO) - A new report from the Missouri state auditor says Gov. Jay Nixon did not follow the Missouri Constitution when he withheld $170 million from the current budget to help fund disaster relief.

Auditor Tom Schweich says withholdings can only be made if actual revenues come in below what’s estimated. That wasn’t possible in this case because the fiscal year hadn’t even started.

Schweich also said his office was "startled" by the fact that Nixon’s office could not demonstrate how it reached the 170 million number.

"We would have expected spreadsheets, estimates, projections, comparative scenarios of possible revenue," Schweich says. "We would have expected the typical things any auditor would expect."

Schweich says the governor should have worked with lawmakers instead of taking unilateral action.

"There’s a supplemental budget coming up, there are future fiscal years coming up, those budgets can account for Joplin," Schweich says. "And also there’s a rainy day fund with $500 million in it that’s never one time been tapped for disasters. Now if there was ever a rainy day, it’s what happened in Joplin."

In a statement, Nixon spokesman Scott Holste called the auditor’s letter “wrong,” and said the withholdings are a further example of Nixon’s fiscal responsibility.

Rachel Lippmann, St. Louis Public Radio

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Chuck Berry statue dedicated in U-City

ST. LOUIS, MO (ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO) - A nearly two-year effort to raise money for a statue of St. Louis native Chuck Berry in the city came officially to a close Friday as dignitaries gathered with the man they call the father of rock and roll to dedicate the sculpture.

The eight-foot tall figure shows a younger Berry jamming away at his guitar. It sits right across from Blueberry Hill in the Loop, where the 84-year-old still performs once a month.

Harry Weber, another native, designed the sculpture. He called the project a great challenge and privilege.

"Chuck is a part of history that goes beyond music. He created a new means of expression through rock and roll that inspired generations of young people to find their voice," Weber said. "He has shown us all what it means to have a calling, always find joy in what he does, and sharing that joy with everyone who hears his music."

Private donations covered the $100 thousand cost.

The statue generated some controversy. Berry is a convicted felon, and University City residents protested the fact that it’s on city property, making the city responsible for lighting and maintenance.

Rachel Lippmann, St. Louis Public Radio

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Express Scripts and Medco Health Solutions announce merger

ST. LOUIS, MO (ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO) - St. Louis-based Express Scripts is buying one of its rivals in the prescription benefit management world.

If approved by shareholders and regulators, the merger with New Jersey-based Medco Health Solutions would create the largest such company in the United States.

Express Scripts’ chief spokesman, Larry Zarin, says size would gives the new firm an edge on reducing health care costs, which he called a priority of the nation and the company.

“Where we are with health care costs, where we are with health care reform, the size of that challenge and the absolute call for new innovate solutions, both structurally and tactically, and we’re going to take on both,” Zarin said.

The companies say they have identified one billion in savings from the merger. Zarin refused to discuss the possibility of layoffs.

Rachel Lippmann, St. Louis Public Radio

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Humane Society takes custody of 70 dogs

ST. LOUIS, MO (ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO) - The Humane Society of Missouri has officially taken custody of more than 70 dogs from a breeder in southwest Missouri. 
Attorney General Chris Koster filed suit against the breeder, Linda Brisco, in June. The dogs, which arrived in St. Louis Thursday, are the first seized under Missouri’s new Canine Cruelty Prevention Act.

Koster says he will prosecute Brisco for the new crime of canine cruelty.

“But we are very pleased that the defendant in question was willing to sign a consent judgment to give the Humane Society the authority to bring these dogs to provide them with the kind of veterinary care, the safe haven that they deserve,” Koster said.

Koster says Brisco was not providing adequate food and water for the dogs, and would routinely use gunshots as a method of euthanasia.

There are currently 12 active investigations into violations of the new law, and Koster says a lawsuit should be filed in one of them next week.

Rachel Lippmann, St. Louis Public Radio

Photo: Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster (left) with rescued puppies.

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Planned Parenthood reacts to new Mo. abortion law

ST. LOUIS, MO (ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO) - Planned Parenthood officials in St. Louis say they’re disappointed with the governor’s decision to allow a bill on late-term abortion to become law.

The legislation, sponsored by Republican lawmakers, prohibits doctors from performing abortions after a fetus is 20 weeks unless the mother’s health is at serious risk.

Paula Gianino is president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri. She says the law will affect women whose pregnancies are in crisis.

“These are wanted pregnancies that have gone wrong, and women deserve to know that their physicians can act fully and freely within the law without any confusion, without any hesitancy,” Gianino said.

Gianino says lawmakers should have focused on prevention and family planning instead of further restricting abortion.

Governor Nixon is allowing the bill to become law without his signature.

The sponsor of the House version, GOP Floor Leader Tim Jones, is happy the bill is becoming law but he says he's disappointed the governor didn't actually sign it.

He added that if he were a Democrat, he would be angered that Nixon, "chose not to take a side."

Rachel Lippmann, St. Louis Public Radio

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Nixon signs package of legislation impacting disabled Missourians

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon has signed into law a package of legislation impacting disabled residents of the state.

The governor calls the measures monumental.

Among other changes, the bills require more accessible parking in new or re-striped lots, including spots for lift vans.

State statutes will be scrubbed of the words mentally retarded and handicapped.

And parents with disabilities can no longer lose custody of their children unless officials can prove that the disability puts the child at risk.

Freshman Republican representative Thomas Long, from the Springfield area, fought for that provision.

"We are better as a state when you fully participate," Long said. "And we need everyone in this state participating to the fullest that they can."

Gov. Nixon signed the measures at the headquarters of Paraquad, which is one of the largest organizations dedicated to helping individuals with disabilities live independently.

Rachel Lippmann, St. Louis Public Radio

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Nixon hints at special session

ST. LOUIS, MO (ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO) - Governor Jay Nixon hinted Thursday that he may be prepared to call lawmakers back to Jefferson City for a special session on economic development.

A major economic development bill that created 360 million dollars in tax incentives to boost Lambert Airport as a hub for Chinese cargo got tangled up in a political dispute on the last day of session.

Elected officials have been pushing for Nixon to bring the General Assembly back to complete the job.

Nixon repeated his stance that he won’t call a session unless there’s consensus on an issue. But he says negotiations have gone well over the last five weeks.

“I think that we are headed down a path that if folks are serious and they roll up their sleeves, we might be able to meet that three-part test and get people to provide us some additional tools,” Nixon said.

The dispute centered around attempts to rein in tax credits, especially ones given to companies that want to rehab historic buildings.

Rachel Lippmann, St. Louis Public Radio.

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Newman asks for investigation into Akin voting

ST. LOUIS, MO (ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO) - A Democratic state Representative from the St. Louis area is asking for a formal investigation into whether Congressman Todd Akin voted from the wrong address for the last two years.

Stacey Newman sent the request to the Secretary of State’s office on Friday.

It’s in response to a St. Louis Post-Dispatch article that found Akin has voted in the last 10 elections in Town and Country despite saying since 2009 that he lives in Wildwood.

“I cannot address if there is an intent to be fraudulent, but there are too many suspicions, there are too many irregularities,” Newman said.

A spokesman for Akin – a Republican Senate candidate – called it a “non-issue.”

The Secretary of State’s office will forward the request to the St. Louis County clerk and prosecutor, who handle voter registration complaints.

Rachel Lippmann, St. Louis Public Radio

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Discrimination lawsuit against Anheuser-Busch will go forward

ST. LOUIS, MO (ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO) - A Missouri appeals court has ruled that a gender discrimination lawsuit against Anheuser-Busch can go to trial.

It's a case that Anheuser-Busch wanted to handle outside the courtroom.

Francine Katz – once AB’s top female executive – sued the company in 2009, alleging that she had been systematically paid less than her male predecessor.

AB argued that several clauses in her contract required that the lawsuit be handled in arbitration. A trial court said no – saying that Katz had never agreed to one clause and that a second clause was invalidated when Belgian company In-Bev took over AB in 2008.

The appeals court agreed with the lower court ruling.

Katz’s attorney called the ruling “gratifying.” AB did not return calls for comment, but has said in the past that the Katz was paid fairly.

Rachel Lippmann, St. Louis Public Radio

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Clay not concerned by possible rival

ST. LOUIS, MO (ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO) - Democratic Congressman William Lacy Clay says he’s unconcerned about a possible primary challenge in 2012.

New Congressional maps approved earlier this month over Governor Jay Nixon’s veto put Clay and fellow Democrat Russ Carnahan in the same district.

Carnahan appears to be leaning toward running in the new Second District, but has not ruled out a primary challenge to Clay.

Clay says primaries are part of the political process.

“I’ve run six times and I’ve been primaried six times. I put my record up against whomever. And that’s for the people, because they ultimately make the decision,” Clay said.

He says he’s focused more on introducing himself to new constituents in south St. Louis city.

Rachel Lippmann, St. Louis Public Radio

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Gunman allegedly goes on crime spree

A crime spree that stretched from Fort Leonard Wood army base to Rolla is over.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol apprehended 31-year-old Cody Willcoxon early Thursday afternoon just outside Rolla.

Willcoxon allegedly attempted to get on the Fort Leonard Wood base and when denied… drove through the gate. He purportedly fled the base, engaged in a rolling gun battle with authorities on Interstate 44, then drove into Rolla.

Rolla police chief Mark Kearse says investigators have a lot of work to do.

"We need to trace all the bullets, the vehicles, then where his vehicle ended up crashing, of course that's a scene. There is where he stole the other vehicle and the occupants of that place and interviewing them and how he broke in, and the scene where he was captured," Kearse said.


Kearse says officials believe Willcoxson acted alone, and they do not yet have a motive. Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla was locked down for more than four hours.

Rachel Lippmann, St. Louis Public Radio

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MODOT announces job cuts, facility closures

The Missouri Department of Transportation has announced plans to eliminate 12,000 jobs and close 135 facilities across the state.

The reductions will help the state cope with a sharp drop in funding for road construction.

For the past five years, MoDOT has been able to spend about $1.2 billion a year on road construction and maintenance.

Due to a variety of factors, that annual number has been cut in half for the next five years.

Department director Kevin Keith says the $500 million in savings the layoffs and closures will generate will be redirected to make up part of that reduction.

"This is hard," Keith said. "There is no other way for me to describe it. It’s hard on the employees, it’s hard on communities. But we’re in a situation where we have to move forward and do something."

The plan doesn’t solve the agency’s long-term funding problems, Keith told the state’s Highways and Transportation Commission. The department’s yearly budget for road construction and maintenance will drop by half next year.

"But it does I think keep faith with the citizens and taxpayers of Missouri that we’re doing everything we can with the resources we have first before we deal with the next problem and that is how do we increase investment in infrastructure in this state," Keith said.

The cuts will save the agency 512 million over five years, which will be used to leverage federal dollars. Keith says the restructuring also allows any new revenue to go directly to roads.

Keith said the bulk of the job reductions will be at the agency’s central office in Jefferson City.

The closed facilities include MoDOT district offices in Macon, Joplin, and Willow Springs.

Rachel Lippman, St. Louis Public Radio

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VA under fire for oversights at medical centers

Officials with the Department of Veterans Affairs apologized Tuesday for “failures of leadership” that led to questions about the cleanliness of instruments at two Veterans Affairs dental clinics, including the one in St. Louis.

The Undersecretary for Health, Robert Petzel, told members of the House Veterans Affairs Committee some employees have failed to follow the department’s sterilization standards, which he calls the top in the country.

He says people in charge of oversight have been disciplined.

“We have proposed removal in a number of instances, and almost invariably the individual has resigned or retired. We have also reprimanded individuals, suspensions, and letters of counseling,” Petzel said.

The answer was not enough for some lawmakers at the hearing. Missouri Democrat Russ Carnahan, who requested the hearing along with a colleague from Ohio, noted that government concerns about sterilization practices go back as far as 2007.

Rachel Lippmann, St. Louis Public Radio

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Blunt calls Bin Laden raid "appropriate"

Missouri Senator Roy Blunt is calling the death of Osama bin Laden a huge moment for America.

Blunt, a Republican, praised President Obama’s decision to send Special Forces into bin Laden’s Pakistani compound, rather than conducting a bombing raid.

"The risk was appropriate, rather than sifting through the rubble of a compound to try to determine whether or not Osama bin Laden might have been there at that moment," Blunt said.

Blunt hopes the death of Osama bin Laden creates "confusion and chaos" inside al-Qaida and other Islamic extremist groups.

The Senator says it’s clear that al-Qaida cells in countries like Yemen and Somalia have operated more or less independently for several years, carrying out attacks inspired, but not directly ordered, by bin Laden.

"Having him removed as a figure to rally around is important. Eliminating both his money and his ability to raise money is important," Blunt said.

Blunt also praised the decision to bury bin Laden at sea to eliminate a rallying point or a shrine.

He downplayed the idea that bin Laden’s death will inspire revenge attacks, saying al-Qaida affiliates are trying every day to harm American and its allies.

Blunt says although bin Laden has not had operational control of al-Qaida for years, he was an important figurehead and source of financing.

In statements released Sunday night, other area politicians called the raid "justice served" – echoing a phrase the president used during his late-night address.

Rachel Lippmann, St. Louis Public Radio

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Lambert Airport resumes 70 percent of flights

ST. LOUIS, MO (ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO) - The director of Lambert-St. Louis International Airport says it’s “amazing” that the tornado-damaged facility is up and running as well as it is.

Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge says when she first surveyed the damage from the EF-3 tornado Friday night, she would not have expected to be able to handle 100 flights just 36 hours later. That’s about 70 percent of Lambert’s usual capacity.

“We had so much support and so many people pulled together and everyone went by the playbook as to who’s got to do what and organized stuff,” she said.

Hamm-Niebruegge says the heavily-damaged C Concourse remains closed indefinitely. “We took the four carriers that were there and relocated them. So it should not be an economic impact to us in terms of revenue because the airlines should be fully functional on their new homes," Hamm-Nierbruegge said.

She says the airport is structurally sound.

Insurance should pay for most of the repairs, she says, and the airport will also be looking for any state and federal assistance.

Rachel Lippman, St. Louis Public Radio

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Russ Carnahan points to "obvious inconsistency" in foreign policy

Congressman Russ Carnahan says the United States needs to be careful that its involvement in enforcing the no-fly zone over Libya does not expand into another Middle Eastern war.

The Missouri Democrat says he’s pleased that President Obama has tried to limit the role of the U-S military in Libya, and that international allies are also involved.

"But I still have serious concerns, and so do a lot of the people I talk to in terms of the cost of a third war in the Middle East, on top of what we’re already doing, and the costs on our soldiers and their families," Carnahan said.

Carnahan also says the decision to get involved in Libya but not other countries where protesters were also killed points to an “obvious inconsistency” in American foreign policy.

Rachel Lippmann, St. Louis Public Radio

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