(Missourinet) – A state Senate investigation of Planned Parenthood has finished, but Senate Republicans aren’t saying whether they’ll pursue litigation or propose legislation.

The GOP-controlled Senate subpoenaed documents from Planned Parenthood in St. Louis about its handling of fetal tissue after abortions. The investigation found no evidence that tissue has been illegally sold, but Republicans including Senator Kurt Schaefer (R-Columbia) said the clinic kept poor records and that raises red flags.

“It somehow appears to be acceptable in this regard to have ill-kept records, no information on pathology reports. So it makes it virtually impossible to determine what happens,” says Schaefer.

Senator David Sater (R-Cassville) suggests that the clinic might not be giving a drug to stop the fetus’s heart before performing an abortion, which would be a violation of federal law.

“In videos taken by key Planned Parenthood executives, they discuss deliberate efforts to avoid using this drug as to not spoil the fetal tissue,” says Sater.

Senator Jeanie Riddle (R-Mokane) says the investigation also determined that the organization discourages its patients from calling 911 in emergencies. She called that that borderline medical malpractice.

“This level of callous disregard for the safety of women in our state is an apparent effort to protect their own business model from being damaged by news of a botched abortion and patients ending up in the ER,” says Riddle.

Senator Jill Schupp (D-Creve Coeur) says the investigation was for publicity.

“Complications from abortions are so miniscule that there really hasn’t been a problem. I would need to look at the paperwork they’re talking about and also the instructions that are provided to individual patients,” says Schupp. “In light of the recent Supreme Court decision, I think this group is going full force to do what they can to undermine a decision that was made in support of women’s access to the full range of reproductive health services.”

Pamela Merritt with Pro-choice group Reproaction agrees with Schupp.

“It was unclear. There were a lot of rambling accusations but there’s no heat behind them at all. It had that tone of. ‘I’ve done this theater and now I’m done,’” says Merritt.

The senate interim committee that led the investigation was formed last summer following the release of several videos alleging Planned Parenthood illegally profited from the sale of fetal tissue.

(Missourinet) – A Springfield woman pleaded guilty Tuesday to second-degree murder for the stabbing death of her mother last year.

Prosecutors say Gypsy Blanchard told her boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, to stab her mother, Clauddinnea “Dee Dee” Blanchard, to death in June of last year. The couple then took money from a safe in the Springfield home and returned to his home in Big Bend, Wisconsin where they were arrested.

After the murder it was revealed Gypsy and her mother had lied about Gypsy being disabled and wheelchair bound in order to take advantage of charities, including Habitat for Humanity. The Blanchard’s claimed they were displaced by Hurricane Katrina and bought the home from Habitat.

Gypsy’s attorney Mike Stanfield said as part of those deceptions, Gypsy was abused and that played a role in her getting a plea deal.

“It became abundantly clear as we went through more and more and more of the records that Gypsy’s mom was abusing her physically, medically,” said Stanfield. “Giving her medication she didn’t need, having her go through procedures that she didn’t need to the point where most of Gypsy’s teeth are not even hers because of the medication that her mom was giving her.”

Gypsy was sentenced to 10 years in prison. With time served, she will spend another 8.5 years in prison.

Godejohn faces trial for murder later this year.

(Missourinet) – A University of Missouri professor says Hillary Clinton appears to have no obstacles left on her way to the Democratic nomination for president, following yesterday’s FBI recommendation.

The FBI’s director said while she was Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton was “extremely careless” in using a private email address and server, but recommended no criminal charges be filed against her for her handling of classified information.

Political science professor at the MU, Peverill Squire, told Missourinet that was the last big question hanging over her campaign.

“Unless there’s something completely unexpected that happens between now and the Democratic convention she will be the nominee and she will be favored going into the General Election,” said Squire. “I think this is probably the end of the nomination phase. At this point we really will focus on the Trump versus Clinton campaign and that will be the sole focus of everyone’s attention.”

Squire says the FBI recommendation likely lets Clinton’s campaign shift focus.

“They’ll probably talk about this story for the rest of the week and then we’ll start looking ahead to the Republican convention and the Democratic convention, and at that point people will be thinking strictly in terms of Clinton versus Trump and which of those alternatives they prefer,” said Squire.

Squire thinks the FBI recommendation also likely means Bernie Sanders’ campaign for president is near its end.

“He wanted to be available in case something dramatic happened to damage her prospects, but I don’t think there’s much left for him to pursue at this point,” said Squire.

(Missourinet) – A volunteer for the Kansas City chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving encourages Missourians drinking this Independence Day weekend to have a designated driver.

Annette Murray of Lee’s Summit said she doesn’t want others to experience the tragedy that she and her family have gone through.

“My sister and my niece were killed by a drunk driver on July 4, 2011. It was an illegal immigrant that was driving the wrong way on 435 at 8:30 a.m. They were on their way to meet us for breakfast and they never showed up,” says Murray. “Our family always got together for breakfast and then went to a parade in Sugar Creek every year. We can’t do any of those things anymore.

The man who hit them is serving 15 years in prison.

Murray’s brother-in-law was also killed by a drunk driver in 2013. The person who killed him served 120 days in jail.

Murray honors her fallen family members by volunteering for MADD.

“A person drives drunk 80 times before they’re stopped the first time by a police officer. To me, that’s unbelievable. I just can’t believe how common it is,” says Murray.

She helps with fundraising, a law enforcement banquet, support groups and a panel that talks to drunk driving offenders.

JEFFERSON CTY, Mo. (News Release) – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) encourages people to discover nature this summer by learning more about cicadas. There are two types of cicadas, annual and periodical. As their names suggest, annual cicadas make an appearance every summer in July, whereas periodical cicadas emerge in 13 and 17-year cycles in late May.

Annual cicadas have dark eyes and greenish bodies, unlike the slightly smaller periodicals which have red eyes and blackish bodies.

After spending two-to-five years underground feeding on root juices, the annual cicada nymphs emerge and begin the search for mates using their raspy hum.

The cicada’s endless drone seems to come from everywhere. Cicadas emit a sound that can reach up to 95 decibels, depending on proximity. That is the equivalent noise level of a Boeing 737 before landing.

Unlike crickets rubbing together parts of their wings to create a chirp, male cicadas rapidly vibrate a piece of their exoskeleton to produce their loud call.

Despite the mild sound annoyance cicadas induce, the insect is a valuable food source for wildlife such as birds and other insects. In other countries it’s common for people to chow down on the meaty bug due to its predictable emergence in the summer. Cicadas pose no threat to people and minimal threats to trees.

While Missouri doesn’t have to worry about a large periodical cicada invasion this summer, states toward the east such as Ohio and West Virginia are dealing with a 17-year brood. The next 13-year periodical will not make an appearance in Missouri until 2024.

(Missourinet) – Governor Jay Nixon (D) says he expects to have to freeze the spending of tens of millions of dollars in the state budget for the year that begins Friday.

The governor will announce how much spending he’ll restrict, and in what state programs, July 6 after all the information he says he’ll need will be ready.

“We’ll wait ’till the sixth after we’ve seen the final numbers for the year. Some of the returns had to be late because of the flood and that sort of stuff. We’ll wait ’till the sixth to announce those initial restrictions,” Nixon told reporters.

Nixon said that’s better than in years when he’s needed to restrict hundreds of millions.
“Clearly the economy’s getting better and the numbers we’re dealing with here are smaller than other years than they’ve been in other years that I’ve been here – not to say that tens of millions is small but in a budget of almost $9-billion in General Revenue and almost $27-billion total, relatively small.”

Republican House Budget Committee vice-chairman Scott Fitzpatrick (Shell Knob) agrees it appears restrictions will be necessary. He said state tax refunds to date have increased by 15 percent compared to the same time last year, and revenue growth is off.

“As of today we’re up less than one-percent and we’re looking at growth of only about $76-million over last year, so it’s just not going to be adequate to fully the budget that was passed if that’s where we end up being – slower than anybody anticipated.”

Fitzpatrick hopes no restrictions are made in K-12 education funding, or in a Transportation Department cost-share program that was re-started this year.

“Communities have started applying for those funds and MODOT’s been accepting applications. There are projects that need to be done all over the state,” said Fitzpatrick.

The budget includes $20-million for that program.

(Missourinet) – Governor Jay Nixon (D) has vetoed two litigation reform bills that were important to Republican legislative leaders and business groups.

The governor vetoed a bill that would change Missouri’s procedures for evaluating whether a person can be considered an expert witness in a trial to a federal standard. Nixon said the change would make it harder to use expert testimony.

“Make it more expensive for people who have been damaged and more difficult for people who have suffered damage, or businesses, to qualify experts and take power away from local circuit judges to make a determination in their courtroom who’s an expert and who’s not,” said Nixon. “That’s why we have judges – to make those determinations,” said Nixon.

Bill sponsor, Senator Mike Parson (R-Bolivar), doesn’t believe Nixon’s argument.

“That was just an excuse for the trial attorneys for that veto. That was a piece of legislation that needs to be done. I don’t think there’s anybody in the state that, when you put somebody on a witness stand and they claim to be experts, that you wouldn’t want it to be verified they’re experts,” said Parson.

Parson will seek an override attempt but the bill did not pass with enough votes in either chamber for one to succeed.

Another bill vetoed by Nixon would limit what juries can review in a trial to out-to mak-pocket expenses of insurance companies and victims and not the cost of medical treatments.

(Missourinet) – Some Mid-Missouri veterans will depart from Columbia early Wednesday to visit Washington, D.C. Central Missouri Honor Flight President Mary Paulsell says this is the largest-ever honor flight for her organization – 75 veterans will be visiting the national war memorials that honor them. Of those going, five are Korean War veterans and 70 are Vietnam War veterans.

“For us, it’s really a life-changing experience that we see in them and that’s a great deal more than just a ticket to Washington,” says Paulsell. “It energizes them and makes them feel, rightfully so, very proud of their service.”

She says these trips have been a life changing experience for many of America’s heroes.

“This is much more than just visiting the memorials of granite and marble. It’s something that resonates for them deep in their soul because for many of them, their military experience was a defining experience of their lives,” says Paulsell.

Paulsell says nearly every trip includes veterans who’ve lost touch with one another.

“We always say God winked and put them together on this particular day. We’ve had World War Two veterans find each other after decades,” said Paulsell. “A couple were living within a block or two of one another in Moberly. They went to the same church but they went to different services. They just had never encountered one another. That’s kind of miraculous when that happens. We just shake our heads. A couple of them have told us that they go to dinner every Friday night now.”

Paulsell says the welcome home ceremony is one of the most popular parts of the trip for these veterans.

“They always say the memorials were very nice, but the people along the way who thanked us, stopped us, shook our hands and waved flags is very meaningful to them,” says Paulsell.

Missourians are encouraged to attend the welcome home ceremony at Columbia’s Courtyard Marriott Wednesday at 10 p.m.

About 600 Mid-Missouri veterans are on a waiting list to go on an honor flight. Each honor flight costs about $65,000 and is funded solely through donations.