BC-MO–Missouri News Digest, MO

TOP STORIES:

MISSOURI TAXES

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A Republican plan to cut Missouri income taxes for individuals and businesses won quick approval Thursday from a Senate committee, potentially putting it near the top of the list for Senate debate this year. The legislation would gradually reduce Missouri’s top individual income tax rate from 6 percent to 5 percent over a decade. It also would phase in a 50 percent deduction over five years for business income reported on individual income tax returns. By David A. Lieb. SENT: 500 words.

STATE GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS:

ETHANOL-MISSOURI

JEFFERSON CITY — A Senate panel was to hear public testimony Thursday on whether to block a proposed rule allowing greater amounts of ethanol to be blended into the gasoline sold in Missouri. The rule has been on hold since last fall while awaiting action by the Legislature. By Jordan Shapiro. UPCOMING: 500 words.

TRANSPORTATION FUNDING

JEFFERSON CITY — Missouri’s transportation director was expected to outline the financial woes facing the state’s highway program Thursday during a conference that also was to feature a pitch from supporters of a proposed transportation tax initiative. By David A. Lieb. UPCOMING: 600 words.

MENTAL HEALTH HOSPITAL

FULTON — Gov. Jay Nixon was traveling to the Fulton State Hospital on Thursday to defend his call for about $200 million of bonds to build new mental health facilities there. A key senator has called Nixon’s proposal “extremely troublesome” because it wouldn’t go to a vote of the people. By Chris Blank. UPCOMING: About 500 words.

AROUND THE STATE:

EARTHQUAKES-NEW MADRID

LOS ANGELES — The New Madrid fault zone in the nation’s midsection is active and could spawn future large earthquakes, scientists reported Thursday. It’s “not dead yet,” said U.S. Geological Survey seismologist Susan Hough, who was part of the study published online by the journal Science. By Science Writer Alicia Chang. SENT: 410 words.

BEER VIDEOS-LAWSUIT

ST. LOUIS — Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. has removed the “Hold my beer and watch this” videos from its Bud Light YouTube page, and the craft brewer that sued over use of the phrase has dropped the legal action. Big Sky Brewing Co. of Missoula, Mont., sued Anheuser-Busch in December, saying it had a trademark for the phrase “Hold my beer and watch this” and had used the slogan since 2004. Big Sky dropped the suit on Wednesday in exchange for Anheuser-Busch removing the videos. There was no financial settlement, Anheuser-Busch spokeswoman Lisa Weser said. By Jim Salter. SENT: 415 words.

BAT FUNGUS

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A fungus that has killed millions of bats around the eastern U.S. and Canada has landed in western Missouri. Tony Elliott, a bat specialist for the Missouri Conservation Department, said three tri-colored bats with white nose syndrome were recently found in an old limestone quarry in Jackson County, The Kansas City Star reported (http://bit.ly/LYDPI3 ). Animals with the disease were found last winter in east-central Missouri, and before that it was found in the cave colonies of Pike County near the Mississippi River. SENT: 300 words.

MU ADVISING CORPS

COLUMBIA, Mo. — A group that helps Missouri high school students pursue a college degree plans to expand across the state and double in size in the next two years. The Missouri College Advising Corps places recent University of Missouri graduates at high schools where many students don’t go on to college. The advisers help students pursue a college degree. SENT: 285 words.

IN BRIEF:

— CHEMICAL SPILL-RIVERS — A water pollution control agency for the Ohio River says it will be difficult to tell if or when the chemical spill that contaminated West Virginians’ water reaches the Mississippi River.

— GREENE COUNTY HOMICIDE — Greene County authorities say a 51-year-old man is jailed after a fatal shooting at a rural home.

— PIT BULLS SEIZED — Kansas City animal control workers seized 24 dogs, most of them pit bulls, from two homes in the same neighborhood.

— INMATE DEATH — Goodland police are investigating the death of a Kansas City woman while she was being held in the Sherman County Jail.

— WOOD COMPANY FIRE — A fire destroyed a wood product plant in southwest Missouri but 50 employees were able to escape without injury.

— KIDNAPPING CHARGE — A 29-year-old man is accused of trying to kidnap a woman in the eastern Missouri town of Louisiana.

— INMATE DEATH — Goodland police are investigating the death of a Kansas City woman while she was being held in the Sherman County Jail.

— FACEBOOK POSTING-SHOOTING — A posting on Facebook is the apparent cause of a shooting in St. Louis County that led to a police pursuit, ending in an accident in St. Louis city.

— STUDENTS-WEAPONS — Two students at Hazelwood Central High School in St. Louis County have been arrested after two weapons were found inside a car parked on the school parking lot.

— KCI MAINTENANCE OPERATION — Aviation Technical Services says it plans to open its aircraft maintenance plant at Kansas City International Airport by April.

— DEMENTIA SHOPPING SPREE CON — Kansas City police say an 88-year-old man with dementia was tricked into buying a 19-year-old man shoes and hats.

— SPRINGFIELD MANSLAUGHTER — A Springfield man was sentenced to 15 years in prison in the death of a 48-year-old man during a fight over his girlfriend.

— ATHLETES-HOTEL — A new $23 million hotel and field house project in suburban St. Louis will cater to traveling athletes and their families.

— BUDGET SHORTFALLS — Missouri is looking for other sources of money for education and health care after experiencing shortfalls in gambling and tobacco revenues.

— MEDICAID-MISSOURI — A Missouri House committee is considering raising the amount of assets elderly and disabled Medicaid recipients can hold in order to be eligible for the state health care program.

— STOLEN CAR-GARAGE — A St. Joseph man says he needed a car, but he didn’t expect one to turn up in his garage overnight.

SPORTS:

HKN–BLUES-RANGERS

NEW YORK — St. Louis Blues, coming off a 7-1 blowout loss to the Devils, travel across the Hudson River to play the New York Rangers, a team they haven’t lost to in regulation in 16 years. The Rangers are coming off a loss to the Islanders but have won three of four. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos. 6 p.m. CT.

PICK SIX-CONFERENCE STRUGGLES

UNDATED — The non-conference season is a time for average teams to boost their confidence with easy games and good teams to beef up their resumes against other good teams. The start of the conference season often separates the true contenders from the teams that may not be as good as their records indicate. By Basketball Writer John Marshall. SENT: 740 words, photos.

ALSO:

No. 17 Texas A&M women at Missouri, 8 p.m.

SIU-Edwardsville at SE Missouri, 8 p.m.

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If you have stories of regional or statewide interest, please email them to [email protected]. If you have photos of regional or statewide interest, please send them to the AP state photo center in New York, 888-273-6867. If you have questions about the Missouri AP news report, please contact News Editor Chris Clark at 800-852-4844 or [email protected].

MARKETPLACE: Calling your attention to the Marketplace in AP Exchange, where you can find member-contributed content from Missouri and other states. The Marketplace is accessible on the left navigational pane of the AP Exchange home page, near the bottom. For both national and state, you can click “All” or search for content by topics such as education, politics and business.