(AP) — The opening of Postal Service retail centers in dozens of Staples stores around the country is being met with threats of protests and boycotts by the agency’s unions.

The new retail outlets are staffed by Staples employees, not postal workers.

Labor officials say that move replaces good-paying union jobs with low-wage, nonunion workers.

The average postal clerk earns about $25 an hour, according to the union, plus a generous package of health and retirement benefits. The Staples post office counters are run by nonunion workers often making little more than the minimum wage.

Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe says the program has nothing to do with privatization and everything to do with customer service.

Senator Blunt Discusses Taxpayer Transparency Act On Fox News With Neil Cavuto

Attorney General Chris Koster  announced Friday that Wisconsin now recognizes concealed-carry permits issued to Missouri residents. As a result, Missourians holding valid permits can carry concealed weapons while in the state of Wisconsin.

Legislation signed into law by Governor Nixon in 2013 requires Missouri’s county sheriffs to utilize a National Instant Criminal Background Check (NICS) system when processing applications for permits. The NICS check assists law enforcement in recognizing whether an applicant has certain prior convictions making him or her ineligible for a permit.

With the new law in place, Missouri’s concealed-carry permitting process is substantially similar to Wisconsin’s, paving the way to reciprocity between the states. Koster asked Wisconsin officials to officially recognize the reciprocity agreement. In a letter received by the Attorney General’s Office on January 16, Wisconsin affirmed that Missouri’s concealed-carry permits would be honored in their state. Koster said, “We are pleased that Wisconsin is joining the list of states that welcome Missouri’s concealed-carry permit holders.”

TOPEKA (AP) — The Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site in Topeka has a full slate of activities planned to mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Monday’s lineup includes music and dance performances, dramatic readings and a student art exhibition. Throughout the day, park rangers will also offer art projects, games and other activities.

All activities and performances are free and open to the public.

The Brown site is housed in a former all-black school and tells the story of the U.S. Supreme Court decision that declared segregated schools unconstitutional.

(AP)  An abortion facility in Missouri would need to be inspected at least four times annually under a newly proposed measure in the state House.

The legislation introduced this past week is a priority for Missouri Right to Life, which calls it a “strong bipartisan and pro-life” bill. Anti-abortion groups have pointed to a state inspection that identified several issues at a St. Louis clinic and to demonstrators who have witnessed about two dozen ambulance trips at the facility over the past several years.

The legislation, sponsored by Cape Girardeau Republican Kathy Swan, has more than 100 co-sponsors, including the House speaker and majority leader.

Missouri’s only facility currently performing elective abortions is in St. Louis, and Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri says about one-fifth of patients travel more than 100 miles to get there.

President and CEO Paula Gianino said the state already can inspect as frequently as it chooses without advanced notice and that there is no precedent for the proposed requirement among other health facilities that provide even more complex procedures. She said the legislation is unnecessary and would increase costs for taxpayers. She said the facility and its staff are committed to providing quality care.

“This is not a bill that’s responding to a problem. This is a bill meant to create further burdens on us because we provide abortion care, pure and simple,” Gianino said.

Missouri Right to Life said witnesses have seen 23 instances of ambulances responding to the clinic over four years.

A January 2013 inspection cited by the organization included several findings. Among them were ceiling air vents with “copious amounts of visible dust/dirt,” dust covering a plastic bin with emergency supplies and rust on equipment such as a table and an IV pole. Some boxes of surgical gloves and three postpartum balloons used to control bleeding had expired. There also were expired drugs, including ammonia inhalant used for fainting, Valium used for sedation and a drug used to counter the effects of a narcotic overdose.

The facility developed a corrective plan, and the state health department reported during an unannounced revisit survey in March 2013 that it was in substantial compliance with rules and regulations.

Gianino said none of the findings were considered serious violations or involved quality of care. She said the facility this fall passed a national accreditation through Planned Parenthood Federation of America involving inspection and observation.

Gianino said about 17,000 patients and family members come to the clinic annually for family planning and abortion services and that there are more than 100 staff members in the building. She said there are a variety of reasons someone would be transported by ambulance and that the clinic has a policy of sending people to the emergency room if they fall and hit their heads. Employees have been sent by ambulance, she said.

Under the House legislation, inspections would be conducted as the Department of Health and Senior Services deems necessary but at least four times per fiscal year. No notice would be required before the clinic is examined. Inspectors could immediately close the facility if continued operation would constitute a serious risk of harm to the health or safety of patients.