JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Missouri Senate has passed a bill that would exempt veterans and military spouses from some business fees.

The bill that passed Thursday by a 33-0 vote would exempt veterans and military spouses from paying small fees when filing for a limited liability company, or LLC. The proposal now moves to the House.

The fees would amount to $45 if the paperwork is filed online and $100 if it’s filed in person.

The bill also extends the “Big Government Get Off My Back Act” for five years. The act prohibits the state from increasing user fees unless the Missouri Legislature or federal government requires it.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Foreign dignitaries from around the world are converging on Kansas City, Missouri, and its towering World War I monument to observe the 100th anniversary of the day the U.S. entered “The Great War.”

A sellout crowd of 3,000 onlookers also snapped up tickets for the daylong observance Thursday titled, “In Sacrifice for Liberty and Peace.”

The event on the grounds of the Liberty Memorial — the nation’s official WWI monument — will feature patriotic music, speeches and readings from the time America declared war on Germany.

As president and CEO of the city’s National World War I Museum and Memorial, Matt Naylor says Thursday’s event that’s been years in the making “is commemorating, not celebrating” the day the U.S. was drawn into war.

BELTON, Mo. (AP) — Authorities say they have identified one set of human remains found in rural western Missouri as those of a 21-year-old woman who disappeared in September.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office says a medical examiner identified the remains as Jessica Runions, of Raymore, Missouri, who was last seen on Sept. 8 leaving a gathering in south Kansas City. Her burned vehicle was found two days later. Runions left the gathering with 27-year-old Kylr Yust, who was later charged with burning Runions’ vehicle. A judge entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.

The remains of a second person found in the same area have not been identified.

A mushroom hunter found the remains Monday in an area south of Belton and a second skull was found nearby Tuesday.

PITTSBURG, Kan. (AP) — An incoming Kansas high school principal has resigned after student reporters raised questions about her credentials.

The Pittsburg Morning Sun reports that school board members voted Tuesday to accept Amy Robertson’s resignation as Pittsburg High School’s principal.

The main concern stemmed from her receiving her masters and doctoral degrees from Corllins University, an unaccredited, online school. Robertson says she received her degrees before the university lost accreditation.

Superintendent Destry Brown praised the reporters with the student newspaper, The Booster Redux, saying: “Our kids ask questions and don’t just accept something because somebody told them.”

Brown says the district will likely make changes to its vetting process.

An anonymously circulated letter also raised questions about Robertson’s qualifications. Robertson is currently working in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback has endorsed a proposal to use a “flat” personal income tax to raise new revenue to fix the state’s serious budget problems.

The conservative Republican governor said in a statement Wednesday that he would sign a bill like one before the state Senate.

It would impose a 4.6 percent rate for all filers starting next year. That is the top rate for higher-income earners, and the bill would eliminate the 2.7 percent rate now in place for lower-income filers.

The bill would also eliminate an income tax exemption for 330,000-plus farmers and business owners that Brownback has championed.

Critics contend the bill would hit middle-class families hardest. It would raise about $690 million over two years. Kansas faces budget shortfalls totaling more than $1 billion.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed against a Nebraska State Patrol commander by a former trooper who alleged the commander torpedoed his chances for advancement. The Lincoln Journal Star reports the lawsuit was filed by Todd Steckelberg, who was a trooper for more than 25 years before retiring last year.

The lawsuit alleged Col. Brad Rice created a hostile work environment and passed Steckelberg over for a job to protect the governor because he feared Steckelberg “might run his mouth.” But a federal judge said the allegations weren’t supported by facts.

The judge dismissed the lawsuit late last month. Steckelberg had sought damages for lost wages and damage to his reputation, along with punitive damages.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A state commission that will decide whether to approve the Keystone XL pipeline’s route through Nebraska has scheduled a five-day public hearing on the project.

The Nebraska Public Service Commission says the hearing will run Aug. 7-11.

The hearing will be held at the Lincoln Marriott Cornhusker Hotel in Lincoln, beginning at 9 a.m. each day.

Pipeline developer TransCanada has requested the review as part of its efforts to complete the project. The $8 billion pipeline would transport oil from Alberta, Canada, across Montana and South Dakota to Nebraska, where it would connect with the existing leg of the Keystone project feeding refineries in Illinois and Texas.

The project faces opposition from environmentalists as well as some landowners and Native American tribes.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Possession of small amounts of marijuana in Kansas City will no longer bring a large fine or the possibility of jail time.

Kansas City voters on Tuesday approved a proposal that lowers the maximum fine to $25 from $500 and removes the possibility of up 180 days in jail.

The Kansas City Star reports the change applies only to cases in municipal court in which defendants possessed 35 grams or less of marijuana — about 1 1/4 ounces.

The measure also eliminated city charges for possession of marijuana-related paraphernalia.

Twenty-nine states plus Washington, D.C., have legalized marijuana either for recreational or medical use. Missouri this year eliminated jail time for first-time offenders convicted of possessing less than 10 grams of marijuana.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — A Colorado company that produces organic milk and butter is confirming that it plans to build a plant in northeast Columbia, which would eventually create 150 new jobs.

Aurora Organic Dairy and the Department of Economic Development announced Tuesday that the Platteville, Colorado-based company will build a $90 million plant.

The plant is expected to create more than 90 jobs initially and up to 150 in the next five years. Aurora says it will begin site preparation this spring and be fully operating in 2019.

Aurora will receive a 75 percent abatement of real and personal property tax for 10 years and will pay an estimated $1.7 million in property taxes during that time.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri House lawyer is warning lawmakers to be on guard against bribery attempts after a recent email from a solar power company official offered donations while referencing legislation.

The email, provided to The Associated Press, was sent to lawmakers by Serra-Lesa Ivener, the Missouri president for Hog Power Energy. She writes that she is making a list of pro-solar lawmakers for campaign donations and asks how they would vote on a bill to impose fees on people who generate their own solar energy.

House counsel David Welch later sent an email to lawmakers, which also was provided to AP, saying such notes violate bribery laws.

Ivener told the AP on Wednesday she doesn’t know the rules and doesn’t know how else to get lawmakers’ attention.