JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri lawmakers are at a standstill on broad anti-abortion legislation more than a month after Republican Gov. Eric Greitens called them into a special session to deal with abortion issues.

The legislation calls for several new regulations, such as annual state inspections of abortion clinics. But one of the provisions causing the most confusion addresses a St. Louis ordinance intended to prevent discrimination based on reproductive health decisions, such as pregnancy and abortion.

Greitens and other critics say the St. Louis ordinance could infringe on the rights of abortion opponents or prevent anti-abortion groups from only hiring staffers who share their views.

But the governor also says some media outlets have mischaracterized how the St. Louis ordinance would be affected by the broad legislation being considered by state lawmakers.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Thousands of Mediacom internet and television customers have experienced service interruptions in Georgia, Illinois and Missouri after a pair of large fiber-optic cables were accidentally cut.

Mediacom Communications spokeswoman Phyllis Peters says a mower for a road crew severed a cable Thursday morning near Fitzgerald, Georgia. A little over a half hour later, a construction crew severed another cable near Carrollton, Missouri.

Peters said it was “very unusual” for the company to experience two significant cable cuts in the same day.

She said the Missouri incident caused video problems for about 140,000 customers in Missouri and Illinois and internet troubles for an unknown number.

She said the Georgia incident interrupted video service for up to 36,000 customers and internet service for as many as 15,000.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri Republican state Rep. Paul Curtman is weighing a bid for Democratic U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill’s seat.

Curtman on Thursday announced he’s starting an exploratory committee for the campaign. That will allow him to start raising money as he considers officially entering the race.

Curtman is a former Marine and first was elected to the Missouri House in 2010. He’s from Pacific and has never before run for statewide office.

He’s one of several Republicans who have entered the race against McCaskill or are weighing a bid.

Republican U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner was considered a potential front-runner, but she announced July 3 that she’s running for re-election to her House seat.

Former Libertarian presidential candidate Austin Petersen and Tony Monetti, executive director of Central Missouri’s airport, are running as Republicans.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Relatives of a 58-year-old Missouri park worker who died of complications from the tick-borne Bourbon virus want to warn the public about the illness.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that after Tamela Wilson had worked at Meramec State Park, which is located about 60 miles southwest of St. Louis, near the town of Sullivan.

After her June 23 death, the state Department of Natural Resources announced that the park was “an area of interest” in an investigation of a case of Bourbon virus, and ticks were tested. The state health department confirmed the same day that a resident had contracted the virus, but didn’t mention the death.

Wilson’s daughter, Amie May, thinks the statements were too vague. She says she wants “people to know it’s out there.”

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. (AP) — An investigation continues after a man was fatally shot by police in a rural area of southeast Missouri.

Butler County Coroner Andy Moore on Wednesday identified the man who was killed as 48-year-old Steve Scott of Poplar Bluff. Autopsy results are pending.

Butler County deputies were called Tuesday night about a “domestic situation” at a home in a rural area near Poplar Bluff. Sheriff Mark Dobbs says Scott was armed when deputies arrived. But Dobbs has not disclosed further details, including what prompted the shooting of Scott or the name of the deputy or deputies involved in the shooting.

Phone messages left with the sheriff’s office and the Missouri State Highway Patrol, which is helping in the investigation, were not immediately returned.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Police are warning Lincoln residents of a phone scam coming from a number that appears to belong to the mayor’s office.

Police say they’re aware of at least eight spoofed calls coming from a number that resembles the main number from the mayor’s office. The caller tries to get personal medical information from the caller, leading them to believe it is a health insurance scam.

Police say the mayor’s office would never solicit personal information over the phone.

ST. CHARLES, Mo. (AP) — A man found injured off a trail near St. Louis had apparently been stranded in the area for days.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the man had been found by a passing bicyclist off the Katy Trail in the Weldon Spring Conservation Area on Tuesday.

Kyle Gaines is a spokesman with the St. Charles County Ambulance District. He says the man was taken to a hospital in serious condition, but his injuries aren’t believed to be life-threatening. Gaines says further details about the man won’t be released due to privacy laws.

Gaines advises state park visitors to take plenty of water and a fully charged phone when going to the trail in hot temperatures.

The park is a wooded area spanning nearly 8,400 acres.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Gov. Eric Greitens says his administration wants to hear suggestions from Missouri citizens on how the state can reduce government red tape.

Greitens on Wednesday announced the launch of a website, www.NoMORedTape.com. The website allows Missourians to submit recommendations to reduce what Greitens calls burdensome regulations.

The governor says government red tape kills jobs and hurts working families. He says the state has more than 113,000 regulatory requirements, using more than 7.5 million words.

In an announcement first posted on his Facebook page, Greitens said his administration has assembled a team to eliminate unnecessary regulations and he urged state residents to join the effort.