News

  A Missouri Senate committee has slashed the amount of money that’s to be used to keep Normandy schools open the rest of the school year.   

  Grocery store bakeries in Missouri must continue to pay tax on the utilities they use to warm their food.

The state Supreme Court rejected a request on Tuesday, March 11 for a sales tax refund on the electricity and natural gas used by the bakeries at 40 Schnucks grocery stores.

President Barack Obama appeared on Between Two Ferns, an Internet program hosted by comedian Zach Galifianakis on funnyordie.com.  The two exchanged barbs before getting into a discussion about registering the March 31, 2014 deadline for registering for insurance through the Affordable Care Act.

 This week on Talking Politics, there are three candidates running for the First Ward Columbia City Council seat. Bill Easley, Ginny Chadwick and Tyree Byndom will be on the April 8 ballot.

Also on the show, a freshman state representative from St. Louis County wants to make the high five the official greeting of Missouri.

  Missouri residents and government agencies could not use drones to conduct surveillance without a warrant under legislation advanced by the state House.

The measure would also prevent journalists and other organizations from using drones to observe private property without an owner's consent. State universities could still use unmanned aircraft to conduct educational research.

  St. Louis-based utility company Ameren announced today that executive Michael Moehn has been named chairman, president and chief executive officer of the utility's Ameren Missouri subsidiary.

Moehn succeeds Warner Baxter, who will become Ameren CEO on April 24.

Moehn has held several leadership roles since joining Ameren in 2000.

Ameren provides electric and natural gas services in parts of Missouri and Illinois.

  A recent walkway collapse at an apartment complex for graduate students and their families has led more than 500 people to ask the University of Missouri to move a child-care center to a safer location.

The Columbia Daily Tribune reports that 549 people have signed a petition concerning the day-care center after the fatal walkway collapse. Twenty-three-year city firefighter Bruce Britt died after he fell from the second-floor walkway at University Village on February 22.

  Candidates for the Columbia City Council and School Board met today to discuss disability issues at a Forum at city hall.

Multiple Mid-Missouri disability services agencies hosted the forum to get the candidates talking about accessibility in the city. Community members submitted questions online, and the candidates discussed a range of issues, from playground accessibility, to inclusive hiring processes and expansion of the para transit system.

  Low humidity and heavy winds have created opportune conditions for controlled fires to run away. Since Friday, Fire departments in mid-Missouri have responded to about 20 outside fires. “For this time of year, it’s pretty common,” said Martina Pounds, a spokesperson with the Boone County Fire District. “The weather was decent and it’s been dry for a couple days, so people were out burning their fields.

The University of Missouri welcomed Rebecca Skloot on Monday night at Jesse Auditorium as part of the university’s Decoding Science: Life Sciences and Society Symposium. Skloot spoke about her book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, and the lessons learned from doing research and writing the book.