WARRENTON, Mo. (AP) — Ten businesses have been evacuated after two 1,000-gallon tanks that were filled with a dangerous gas fell off a farm truck in east-central Missouri.

KMOX-AM reports that a stretch of Interstate 70 around Warrenton also was shut down Sunday because anhydrous ammonia was leaking from the tanks. The colorless, pungent gas is highly irritating and can burn the eyes, nose and throat in even small amounts. The chemical is a common farm fertilizer.

Warrenton Fire Department Spokesman Scott Weir says the evacuated businesses are mainly gas stations and fast food restaurants.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A new audit has concluded that the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s business school was allowed to run up an operating deficit of nearly $11 million in an ill-fated effort to boost its enrollment.

The Kansas City Star reports the Henry W. Bloch School of Management’s rankings did rise until the newspaper discovered faculty members had submitted false data to boost them.

The audit says the school’s shortfall rose from $1.5 million in 2009 to $10.6 million in the fiscal year that ended last June.

UMKC spokeswoman Stacy Downs says it’s not out of the ordinary for an academic unit to run up a deficit, but officials at Kansas State and University say it’s not their practice to do so.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Sixteen national organizations are asking the University of Missouri to ensure the safety of Jewish students after anti-Semitic messages were found last week.

The organizations sent a letter to Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin Thursday about graffiti found at the Mark Twain Residence Hall.

Loftin responded that he takes the issue seriously and regretted that he did not respond more quickly.

The Columbia Missourian reports a swastika, Illuminati symbol and the word “heil” were found in the residence hall April 9. After they were cleaned off, a swastika and “You have been warned” were written the next day.

Loftin issued a statement April 14 calling the graffiti deplorable.

The organizations’ letter questioned why Loftin didn’t respond sooner and said more needs to be done to protect Jewish students.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The aide to a former Kansas City councilman will receive a $225,000 settlement of her complaint that the councilman created a hostile work environment.

The city council approved the settlement Thursday for Tonia Titus, who worked for ex-councilman Michael Brooks. The city’s law department recommended the settlement because a jury might believe her allegations, subjecting the city to higher damages.

Titus also accused Brooks last year of assaulting her in his office but a Platte County prosecutor decided not to press charges. Brooks denied the allegations but did not seek re-election. Titus has a different job in city government.

The Kansas City Star reports Titus’ attorney, Athena Dickson, said her client feels the settlement validates her concerns.

Brooks’ attorney, John Picerno, said Brooks wanted to fight the claim.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Missouri Revenue Department would be blocked from considering how much a contractor would pay back to the state for running license offices under a proposal moving forward in the Legislature.

The Missouri Senate gave unanimous approval Thursday to a measure that would stop what some legislators have criticized as a pay-to-play arrangement that has disadvantaged nonprofit groups.

The Revenue Department has awarded contracts to run offices that issue vehicle and driver’s licenses in part based on how much of the profit bidders promise to pay back to the state.

Democratic Sen. Gina Walsh, of Bellefontaine Neighbors, says the money should stay in communities and the bidding process should more heavily consider nonprofits.

The bidding process was required under a 2009 law that ended a political patronage system.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Research at the University of Missouri indicates that more people are talking in advance about end-of-life wishes with their aged loved ones.

A study by lead author Nidhi Khosla and colleagues Angela Curl and Karla Washington will be published in the American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.

The MU researchers looked at trends in advance care planning from 2002 to 2010, using data from the Health and Retirement Study.

Advance care planning involves discussion of end-of-life care preferences, which researchers say is important because many people facing death are unable to make their own decisions.

Khosla says advance planning can reduce stress for caregivers and relatives facing difficult treatment decisions.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The public is getting a second chance to weigh in on an effort to review Missouri’s educational standards.

The meeting is planned for Monday in the State Board of Education meeting room in Jefferson City. Lawmakers last session passed a bill to take another look at the national Common Core standards.

The law gives the public three chances to comment on the work of several task forces. The groups have until October 2015 to make a recommendation to the State Board of Education. They can either suggest keeping the Common Core standards or ditching them for new goals.

There has been strong resistance to the Common Core standards, particularly from conservatives. Opponents claim there was federal overreach in their development. Backers say the new standards are more rigorous.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief veterinary officer says the country’s poultry industry may have to live with a deadly bird flu strain for several years and it could be devastating.

Dr. John Clifford spoke Thursday in Minnesota, the state hit hardest by outbreaks that led to the deaths of over 2 million turkeys and chickens in the Midwest since early March.

Clifford says that while new cases should drop close to zero once the weather warms up and kills off the H5N2 virus, there’s “very likely” to be a resurgence this fall when the wild waterfowl that are natural carriers of avian influenza fly south for the winter.

He says government and industry need to use the lull to learn and prepare.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A proposal to raise Missouri’s fuel tax for the first time in two decades appears unlikely to move forward this session despite warnings from transportation officials about the future of the state’s infrastructure.

The bill to raise the current 17 cent gas tax by 2 cents stalled earlier this week in the Senate. And Senate Majority Leader Ron Richard said Thursday that he doesn’t want to waste more time on the bill.

The increase would have brought in an estimated $55 million for the transportation department and allowed the state to match all available federal funds in 2017.

The Senate debated the proposal Tuesday for several hours but ran into opposition from conservative Republicans opposed to a tax increase.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A measure allowing Missouri lawmakers to hire defense attorneys for lawsuits is moving forward.

The Missouri Senate gave initial approval Thursday to a measure that was modified in response to a lawsuit filed by a liberal advocacy group against the Senate and three senators over alleged violations of the state’s open records law.

The lawsuit by Progress Missouri says the some Senate committee chairman have violated the Missouri Sunshine Law by barring the group from filming hearings.

Senate President Pro Tem Tom Dempsey says they are waiting to hear back from the state’s attorney general on a defense.

The measure would also allow the General Assembly to intervene in lawsuits challenging state laws if the attorney general declines to pursue further appeals or action.