(Missourinet) – A weather expert is forecasting a relatively wet and mild summer for Missouri.

Mizzou atmospheric science professor Tony Lupo is making that prediction, following a dry and mild winter in the Midwest.

“Projections for this summer would lean toward a warmer than normal summer, but only slightly so, and enough precipitation right around the normal mark for the total amount,” Lupo said.

Lupo attributes the mild, average summer forecast in part to the projected El Niño conditions in the Pacific Ocean.

Lupo is also predicting slightly higher than normal corn and soybean yields throughout the Show-Me State, with the exception of southeast Missouri.

“When we look at corn and soybean yields by climate division, you look at in most areas it’s greater than normal under the kind of conditions that we’re expected to have,” Lupo said.

Lupo said normal temperatures and average rainfall this summer should help Missouri farmers, after the dry winter.

Rainfall has been increasing, especially in mid-Missouri.

ABC 17 KMIZ meteorologist Brittany Beggs reports Columbia Regional Airport has seen 5.87 inches of rain since New Year’s Day, with 4.65 inches of that since March 1. Beggs said Columbia Regional is still 1.84 inches below normal for the year.

Beggs said Jefferson City has picked up 6.65 inches of rain since the first of March, with 1.57 inches in April alone.

Lupo is crediting the wet spring with virtually eliminating drought conditions in Missouri.

(Missourinet) – The Missouri Senate is in the beginning stages of crafting a state budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

Governor Greitens had released his $9.4 billion spending plan in February. It included $572 million in cuts to state agencies and programs, with higher education taking the hardest hit.

The House finalized its budget earlier this month, which would spend slightly less than Greitens’ proposal.  Now, the Senate has begun its process of churning through the numbers.

The chamber’s Appropriations Committee went through all items, line by line, Wednesday, making minor adjustments to the plan crafted by the House.

Republican panel Chairman Dan Brown of Rolla said he thinks the changes he’s made have been minor, but notes there are still funding issues that need to be resolved.

“There’s not really huge differences,” said Brown. “I’m fully funding MOSERS (Missouri State Employee’s Retirement System), they did not.  A lot of how we close out this budget has to do with whether or not Circuit Breaker tax credit passes or not. That is a huge pivot point.”

Circuit Breaker is a tax break for low income seniors who rent their residences. The program has been repealed by the House, which has freed $56 million for other portions of the budget. But the money is in limbo because the Senate has not yet to weigh in on the House repeal.

A couple of issues raised passions of Appropriations Committee members during Wednesday’s hearing. One concerned a prisoner re-entry program.

Chairman Brown chose to zero out its budget, which drew the ire of Democrat Jamilah Nasheed of St. Louis.

“I cannot overemphasize the importance of allowing for those who are coming out of prison to reenter into society, and not have to deal with recidivism because they have no jobs, and no place to live, no place to work,” said Nasheed. “This is dear to my heart. This is something I’ve been fighting for for the last 10 years, to make sure that we have the funding available for those that are coming out of prison.”

The Governor and the House both allocated $2 million for the program after the Department of Corrections chose to seek no money for it.

At the committee hearing, a department spokesperson noted the $2 million was actually still included in its request for funding, but had been moved to a different column in order to free up different ways for it to be applied.

Nasheed then said the department would support a resulting boost in funding, which the spokesperson affirmed. The Senate will determine whether to restore the $2 million after further discussion Friday or next week.

At another point in the hearing, Democrat committee member Kiki Curls of Kansas City took issue with the elimination of funding for a summer jobs program.

“The summer jobs program is something that’s very important to certain communities,” Curls said. “When you have a bunch of kids, over the summer during the hot months when things tend to happen in communities, these kids are out working instead of hanging out doing other things potentially that some should not be doing.”

After Governor Greitens zeroed out the $8.5 million allocated for summer jobs, the House restored $6 million of its funding. As with the prison reentry program, the committee has tabled its decision until taking more time for discussions.

Overall, committee Chairman Brown said the state’s financial picture looks good from the Senate’s standpoint, as long as other sources of funding are shored up, including a tobacco settlement.

“So we should get $50 million there, $56 million out of Circuit Breaker. That gives us a lot of relief. There’s a couple of other bills floating out there that could save us another $30-35 million, then that puts us on pretty good ground.”

Brown said he is frustrated the budget wasn’t taken up earlier in this year’s session.  He said it’ll be a tight squeeze getting the plan finalized for the governor by the statute required May 5th deadline.

(News release) – A Unionville man was sentenced in federal court Tuesday for possessing child pornography.

Joel R. Bremer, 51, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 18 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Bremer to supervised release for the rest of his life following incarceration.

On June 10, 2016, Bremer pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography. The investigation began in February 2013 when the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department received a report from a 19-year-old female (identified in court documents as “Jane Doe”) that she had been sexually abused by Bremer for a period of time when she was a child. She also stated that Bremer had taken nude photographs of her when she was a minor and that she had recently seen those pictures on his laptop computer, which he kept in his home.

According to court documents, Jane Doe alleges that Bremer engaged in sexual intercourse with her over 100 times and made her perform oral sex at least 20 times. A second victim, identified in court documents as “Jane Doe 2,” alleges that Bremer also committed sexual offenses against her, including engaging in sexual intercourse several years ago before she was 16 years of age. Bremer has been charged under state law for these alleged offenses against both victims.

Investigators with the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department and the Kirksville Regional Computer Crimes Unit executed a search warrant at Bremer’s residence on Feb. 11, 2013, and seized a laptop computer and several CD/DVDs. A forensic analysis was conducted at the Kirksville Regional Computer Crime Laboratory. No pornographic images of Jane Doe were located; however, the analysis located approximately 1,472 photos and 40 videos which contained child pornography that appeared to have been obtained via the Internet. The content of the numerous images and video files include depictions of adults engaging in sexual conduct with prepubescent children, including toddlers.

According to court documents, Bremer continued to download child pornography after he was indicted in this case and while he was under pretrial supervision. Bremer borrowed a laptop computer from a friend, according to court documents, who discovered evidence of child pornography on the computer when it was returned at the time of his guilty plea. Investigators located 211 images of apparent child pornography under the profile name “Joel Bremer.”

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Luna. It was investigated by the Putnam County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Kirksville, Mo., Police Department and the Kirksville Regional Computer Crimes Unit.

(Missourinet) – State lawmakers are considering proposals aimed at curbing racial profiling by law enforcement personnel.

Currently, all police agencies in the state are required to have a policy prohibiting the practice.

Since 2000, law enforcement stops have been tracked by age, race and gender. The information is compiled and released in a report by the attorney general.

In the first year, it was discovered that African Americans were 33 percent more likely to be stopped, searched and arrested than whites, a disparity that has grown over the years.

Among the measures now in the legislature is one sponsored by House member Shamed Dogan. It expands the tracking requirement to include disabled people and foreign language speakers.

Dogan says the bill “puts teeth” into the current racial profiling law by providing penalties for non-compliance.

For example, if a law enforcement agency fails to report it is tracking figures to the attorney general, it’ll forfeit 10% of its annual revenue received from fines, bond forfeitures, and court costs for traffic violations.

If reporting shows an agency has an ongoing disproportionate number of racial profiling instances, the governor could withhold any of its state funding, and up to 25% of its revenue from fines and court costs could be sacrificed, depending on circumstances.

Dogan’s measure also replaces disparity rates with disparity ratios of stops between whites and minorities. He said experts have determined that ratios are a more accurate way of tracking stops.

A similar measure sponsored by Representative Paul Curtman (R-Pacific) was presented simultaneously with Dogan’s offering before a House committee.

Curtman’s proposal eliminates the phrase “raced based traffic stop” from the current law and replaces it with the term “unlawful policing,” to better represent the activity as stopping someone simply because of the color of their skin.

It also uses a minority group’s percentage of the population to clarify whether officers are stopping them disproportionately.

Curtman’s bill further requires officers to supply a justifiable reason for stopping someone when they ask the person to consent to a search.  During the committee hearing, Sara Baker with the American Civil Liberties Union said having the requirement led to a significant drop in profiling by police in Austin, Texas, over the course of a year.

“The consent searches declined 63 percent overall, from over 2,000 searches to around 800,” Baker said. “And the racial disparity rate for consent searches fell from 2.7 to 1.8, or a 33 percent decrease.”

Baker said people often don’t feel they have any choice but to grant consent to a law enforcement officer.

Lieutenant Perry Johnson with the St. Louis Police Department teaches racial profiling classes. Before the committee, he said provisions need to be in place to ensure police accountability.

“It’s not a thing where we’re going to simply say, ‘Well, I don’t want to fill out the form,’” Johnson said.  “If you’re out there and you truly want to serve your community, and you want to make your community better, then the form is just something that’s minor for that.”

Dogan’s proposal specifically requires that every time officers make a stop, they report detailed information, including the reason for the stop.

Both pieces of legislation seek to more clearly define procedures and standards for officer conduct during stops. House member Bruce Franks Jr. (D-St. Louis), who sits on the committee, said he knows firsthand how the term “probable cause” can be manipulated.

“I’ve been pulled over a million times for a broken license plate light that wasn’t broken,” Franks said. “So when they found out it wasn’t broken, what’s the probable cause. The probable cause still is the fact that they thought it was broken. Or they thought that the bulb was out when it wasn’t. So we have these incidents.”

Kevin Merritt with the Missouri Sheriff’s Association was the only person to testify against the legislation. He objected to the stipulation that racial profiling policies would be under the supervision of the attorney general.

“If the sheriff’s agency or police agency is going to write a policy on non-biased policing, why is that policy any different than any other policy that that particular law enforcement agency may have.”

Dogan responded to the complaint by noting that state policies under the civil rights act have been under the scrutiny of the federal government for many years.

(Missourinet) – A Missouri House committee voted Tuesday to approve legislation placing additional restrictions on sex offenders.

A bill that would prohibit registered sex offenders from being present or loitering within 500 feet of any children’s museum or zoo has been approved unanimously by a Missouri House committee.

Tuesday morning’s vote by the House Crime Prevention and Public Safety Committee was approved 10-0.

State Rep. Kathryn Swan’s (R-Cape Girardeau) bill would also apply the same restrictions to other locations whose primary purpose is “entertaining or educating children under 18.”

Swan chairs the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee.

The bill now heads to the Missouri House Rules Committee. If approved there, it would go to the full Missouri House.

(Missourinet) – Residents from across the Show-Me State packed a Missouri Capitol hearing room in Jefferson City on Monday to hear testimony on concealed firearms legislation.

The House General Laws Committee heard testimony Monday for more than three hours on four gun-related bills.

About 24 volunteers from the group “Moms Demand Action” were in the room. Group members were wearing red shirts.

One of the main gun bills that was heard was State Rep. Nick Schroer’s (R-O’Fallon) bill that makes a business that posts signs prohibiting concealed firearms liable for injuries sustained by people on the premises of that business.

The O’Fallon Republican tells committee members he doesn’t believe HB 96 will pass this year, because of timing.

“The likelihood of this passing through this (General Laws) committee, the next committee and then getting to the (House) floor with the priorities that we have and the bills that are coming over from the Senate, you know, common sense would state that it’s probably not going to pass this year,” Schroer said.

The 2017 session ends May 12.

Schroer mentioned the deadly San Bernardino school shooting during Monday’s hearing.

“We’ve got another school shooting in California,” Schroer told committee members. “So, these are the reasons why we’re filing these bills, it’s not for some special interests, it’s not for some monetary gain. It’s what we believe is going to keep Missourians safer, so I thank you for having this discussion with me.”

Schroer also said he wants to prevent an incident like Aurora, Colorado, and tells Missourinet he’s trying to preserve Second Amendment rights.

During the hearing, a vocal critic of the bill suggested that Republicans are contradicting themselves.

State Rep. Peter Merideth (D-St. Louis) opposes Rep. Schroer’s bill.

“I hear from folks on your (the Republican) side of the aisle all the time about how we let the private market decide things,” Merideth told Schroer. “And that, this strikes me as a case where you’re trying to say …. to hell with the private market.”

The bill says that by posting signs prohibiting firearms, the business would assume a duty to defend its customers. Schroer tells committee members the bill’s aim is to keep Missourians safer.

“Moms Demand Action” testified against the bill, urging lawmakers to focus instead on protecting communities and to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people.

Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry general counsel Brian Bunten also testified against Schroer’s bill, saying it creates a new cause of action against business owners who are following the law.

The Missouri Hotel and Lodging Association, the Missouri Railroad Association and the Kansas City Chiefs also testified against the bill.

State Rep. Jered Taylor (R-Nixa) tells the committee that 98 percent of mass shootings happen in gun-free zones.

Schroer’s House district includes O’Fallon, St. Peters, Wentzville and Lake St. Louis.

(Missourinet) – A packed room is expected Monday afternoon at the Statehouse in Jefferson City for a Missouri House committee’s hearing on concealed firearms legislation.

The Missouri House General Laws Committee will hold a public hearing at 1 p.m. Monday on State Rep. Nick Schroer’s (R-O’Fallon) bill.

The legislation makes a business that posts signs prohibiting concealed firearms liable for injuries sustained by people on the premises of that business.

The bill says that by posting signs prohibiting firearms, the business would assume a duty to defend its customers.

Representative Schroer, who’s an attorney, tells Missourinet he’s trying to preserve Second Amendment rights. He also notes that in Missouri, there’s a constitutional right to carry.

Schroer also confirms he will offer an amendment Monday to bar business owners who allow guns from liability, unless there’s “extreme negligence.”

Each witness will be limited to two minutes of testimony, because of the anticipated high turnout.

The House General Laws Committee is chaired by State Rep. Robert Cornejo (R-St. Peters).

(Missourinet) – The Missouri Conservation Department expects the weather to cooperate with hunters heading into the woods this weekend. The youth hunt runs one half hour before sunrise to sunset each day Saturday and Sunday. Children who are ages 6 to 15 on opening day may hunt.

Shotguns with shot not larger than No. 4, most bows, crossbow’s and atlatls are allowed methods of taking turkeys. Recorded turkey calls, dogs, bait or live decoys are not allowed.

Although four consecutive years of poor hatches caused Missouri’s turkey population to decline during the late 2000s, improvements in productivity have since resulted in a rebound in turkey numbers throughout much of the state.

“Since 2011, we’ve seen an increasing trend in the spring turkey harvest,” says MDC Turkey Biologist Jason Isabelle. “A great deal of what makes for a good spring turkey season depends on the hatch two years prior. Although the 2015 hatch was not as high as in 2014, it, along with carry-over from previous years, should result in a strong 2017 harvest.”

This year’s turkey harvest in the Northeast and West Prairie regions is expected to be down from one year ago. Isabelle expects spring harvests in the Ozarks, Lindley Breaks, Union Breaks, Mississippi Lowlands, and Northwest regions to be similar to last year’s.

Isabelle does note that last year’s poor hatch will result in fewer jakes on the landscape.

“I think hunters will notice a reduction in the number of jakes they’re used to seeing,” he says. “However, because most hunters prefer to harvest adult gobblers, the effects of last year’s hatch won’t be fully realized until the 2018 spring season.”

Isabelle stressed that hunters can easily avoid the main cause of turkey-hunting incidents—mistaking or being mistaken by another hunter for game. He also advised hunters to wear some hunter-orange clothing when moving through the woods or fields, particularly when hunting public land, and to always know the locations of all members of a hunting party.

MDC offers turkey hunting opportunities on more than 500 conservation areas. The regular spring turkey season runs April 17 through May 7.