JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – The Missouri House again is pushing this year for a measure to require photo identification at the polls.

The House gave initial approval Wednesday to a constitutional amendment that, if approved by voters, would allow the state to require voters show photo ID before casting a ballot.

Supporters say the requirements are needed to ensure the integrity of elections.

Democrats say the Republican proposal could make it harder for older people, minorities and women to vote, because they might have more difficulty getting necessary documents for an ID.

The Missouri Supreme Court overturned photo ID requirements in 2006. Voters would consider this amendment in November 2016 ballot if it passes.

The amendment faces another House vote. A bill to implement the requirements was also slated for consideration by the House.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Law enforcement groups say public access and retention of footage from police cameras should be limited to protect privacy and contain costs.

A Missouri Senate committee heard Wednesday from police groups who support a bill limiting the release of footage collected by officers.

Protesters have called for increased use of body cameras by police after the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown by a Ferguson police officer.

The bill also prohibits the state from requiring police departments to use body cameras or dashboard cameras in cars.

Opponents of the bill, including citizen groups and media organizations, say it goes too far and that making the footage secret will erode the public’s trust in police.

The committee did not vote on the bill.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A Bosnian immigrant accused of funneling money and military supplies to terror groups in Iraq and Syria will remain in federal custody, after her lawyer told a judge that he is seeking clarity on her immigration status.

Sedina Hodzic of St. Louis County is among six people named in a federal indictment earlier this month. Her husband and another St. Louis County man were also named, along with two people from Illinois and one from New York State.

At a detention hearing Wednesday, attorney Paul D’Agrosa told U.S. Magistrate David Noce that immigration authorities would take Hodzic into their custody if she is released.

After the hearing, D’Agrosa said he does not believe Hodzic is in the U.S. illegally, but he wants certainty before he seeks her release on bond.

INDEPENDENCE (AP) – Fire officials say a worker cleaning the fire pit at the Gates Bar-B-Q in Independence accidentally started a blaze at the restaurant.

The fire early Tuesday destroyed the restaurant in Independence near the Truman Complex. The worker escaped without injury.

The Kansas City Star reports officials on Wednesday said the worker was cleaning the pits when the fire started and quickly spread into the attic and the roof.

The building is a total loss but no dollar estimate was available.

Owner Ollie Gates said he plans to rebuild at that location. The restaurant was one of six Gates has built in the Kansas City area. It was popular among athletes, fans and team officials before and after Kansas City Chiefs and Royals games.

JIM SALTER, Associated Press

FERGUSON, Mo. (AP) — The city of Ferguson is attracting a large pool of applicants to police jobs, including minority candidates seeking the position left vacant by the resignation of Darren Wilson, the officer who fatally shot Michael Brown.

About 1,000 people applied for a dispatcher’s job, and 50 to 60 have applied for two patrol officer jobs. Two additional openings are expected soon from pending retirements.

Mayor James Knowles III says many black officers from neighboring towns are among the applicants.

After Brown’s death, Ferguson came under fire for having a mostly white police force in a town that is two-thirds African-American. A grand jury cleared Wilson of wrongdoing.

Knowles says the city was seeking more minority candidates long before the shooting, and city leaders have redoubled those efforts.

By Mike Sherry

The new owner of four Kansas City-area hospitals announced it had filled several executive positions.

Prime Healthcare Services, which is based in Ontario, Calif., said that Robert J. Erickson has been named CEO of St. Joseph Medical Center in south Kansas City, Mo. Erickson was president and CEO of St. Francis Health Center in Topeka for the previous five years.

Erickson replaces Mike Dorsey. A hospital spokeswoman said Dorsey decided not to stay on after the sale to Prime. She said Dorsey did not say anything about his future plans.

Before joining St. Francis, Erickson was the regional chief operating officer for Aspirus Inc., a nonprofit health system based in Wausau, Wisc.

Prime also named Debra L. Cartwright regional chief financial officer of the four Prime Healthcare hospitals in the Kansas City area – St. Joseph, St. Mary’s Medical Center in Blue Springs, Mo.; Providence Medical Center in Kansas City, Kan.; and Saint John Hospital in Leavenworth, Kan.

Cartwright was the CFO for six years of Via Christi Health in southeast Kansas. Most recently she was CFO of St. Francis Health in Topeka.

Prime also said that Deb Ohnoutka will remain as chief nursing officer for St. Joseph and St. Mary’s medical centers.

Prime said it would name a CEO for St. Mary’s at a later date.

Prime completed its acquisition of St. Joseph and St. Mary’s a few days ago. The company acquired Providence and Saint John in 2013.

Mike Sherry is a reporter for Heartland Health Monitor, a news collaboration focusing on health issues and their impact in Missouri and Kansas.

POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. (AP) — A writing conference that was kicked off the College of the Ozarks campus for sessions that were considered too racy has found a new home.
The Springfield News-Leader reports that a spokeswoman said the College of the Ozarks decided not to host the Ozarks Writer’s League because some of the topics of discussion were not consistent with the school’s Christian values.

Ozarks Writers League board member Jeanie Horn said that the group had been looking for a new host for their conference, but were disappointed with the way their relationship with the school ended. The College of the Ozarks had hosted the league since the mid-1980s.
The Ozarks Writers League will hold their conference at the Ozarks Technical Community College.

KANSAS CITY (AP) – The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority has released a video showing a man shooting at a city bus last year, seriously wounding a 15-year-old girl.

The video released Tuesday shows the man standing alone at a bus stop in eastern Kansas City on Dec. 30. He eventually pulls a gun out of his jacket and begins firing at the bus.

Bus passengers are seen scattering as the shots hit the vehicle.

Kansas City police told KSHB-TV that investigators believe the man was aiming for the girl’s boyfriend, who was sitting next to her on the bus.

No one has been arrested and detectives are asking the public for tips to help identify the shooter.

SPRINGFIELD (AP) – Springfield officials say a man was shot and killed by an officer on the city’s north side.

Police were sent to check on suspicious activity about 10 p.m. Tuesday. Springfield officials said in a news release that the officer contacted a suspect at the site and the suspect fled. The officer chased the suspect and eventually shot the suspect, who died at the scene.

Investigators were still at the scene early Wednesday collecting evidence.

No further details were released.