JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Cole County judge has rejected a Missouri death row inmate’s request to force the state to disclose the identity of its drug supplier for lethal injections before his upcoming execution.

Condemned inmate John Winfield sought a preliminary injunction for the information. He argued that the Missouri Department of Corrections is violating state public records laws by keeping the information secret.

Winfield’s attorney said he filed a request Friday for a stay of execution with the U.S. Supreme Court.

Like the vast majority of the 32 death penalty states that refuse to disclose the source of their execution drugs, Missouri prison officials and state prosecutors say that anonymity is vital to protecting the unidentified compounding pharmacy which supplies pentobarbital. They say that opponents of capital punishment could retaliate against the pharmacy, including possible physical harm to its employees.

But legal pressure against such secrecy is mounting as states have turned to the lightly regulated drugmakers after other manufacturers stopped supplying execution drugs for use in capital punishment.

Beetem still must rule on three separate public records lawsuits over the identity of Missouri’s drug suppliers. Plaintiffs include The Associated Press, The Kansas City Star, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, a reporter for St. Louis Public Radio and retired Democratic state lawmaker Joan Bray of University City.

Missouri’s next execution would be its first since another convicted killer, Russell Bucklew, was spared on May 21, when the U.S. Supreme Court sent his case back to the appeals court. Another execution is scheduled for July. Since November 2013, Missouri has executed one death row inmate every month using pentobarbital.

DAN JOLING, Associated Press

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The U.S. Geological Survey has released a clip of the first video shot from the neck of a polar bear on Arctic sea ice.

Scientists in April placed cameras on four females roaming Beaufort Sea ice north of Alaska’s Prudhoe (PROOD’-oh) Bay.

The cameras are part of a study led by research biologist Anthony Pagano to understand how polar bears respond to loss of sea ice from climate warming.

The clip shows a bear entering the icy ocean waters, trying to eat a frozen seal and interacting with a male.

Pagano says in a release the information will help scientists understand the bears’ nutritional demands and energy expenditure in the context of less sea ice

NEW YORK (AP) — General Motors is recalling more than 89,000 autos because of air bag defects and other problems.

The automaker said Friday that is recalling 31,520 Buick Verano and Chevrolet Camaro, Cruze and Sonic cars because the air bags might not deploy. GM says at least one person was hurt in a related crash.

General Motors Co. is also recalling 57,512 other autos including the Chevrolet Silverado LD and the GMC Sierra LD because the base radio that sounds a warning if the key is in the ignition when the driver’s door is opened may not work.

Since February GM has recalled 2.6 million cars due to an ignition switch problem that the company says is linked to at least 13 deaths.

Friday’s recalls are not related to that flaw.

Olathe, Kan. – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) and the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment (JCDHE) have confirmed two cases of measles in Johnson County, Kan. All those at risk for the disease are being contacted and the investigation is ongoing.

Measles is a respiratory disease caused by a virus. With the creation of the MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) vaccine, measles cases are rare in the United States; however, it still sickens approximately 20 million and kills 164,000 people worldwide each year.

“The best way to keep from getting the disease is by being vaccinated. Protect children by making sure they have the MMR vaccine when they are 12 to 15 months old, and again before they enter kindergarten,” said Robert Moser, M.D., KDHE Secretary and State Health Officer.

Measles is highly contagious and is spread through the air by breathing, coughing, or sneezing. The signs and symptoms of measles typically begin one to two weeks after someone is exposed to an infected person. Symptoms include:

Fever
Blotchy rash on the skin, which spreads from the head to the trunk then to the lower extremities (Measles can be spread to others from four days before to four days after the rash appears.)
Cough
Runny nose
Red, watery eyes (conjunctivitis)
Feeling run down, achy
Tiny white spots with bluish-white centers found inside the mouth (Koplik’s spots)

“If you have a fever, stay home except to see a healthcare provider. If you need to visit your healthcare provider, call ahead so appropriate measures can be taken to protect other patients and staff,” said Lougene Marsh, JCDHE Director.

People at high risk for severe illness and complications from measles include infants and children aged 20 years, pregnant women and people with compromised immune systems.

WASHINGTON – Following a briefing by General Motors (GM) CEO Mary Barra-ahead of the release of an internal investigation conducted by former U.S. Attorney Anton Valukas in relation to the defective ignition switches linked to at least 13 deaths, including a fatality in Missouri-U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, Chairman of the Consumer Protection Subcommittee, announced that she will hold a follow-up hearing later this summer, and released the following statement:

“I’m going to reserve judgment until I can take a closer look at the report-which I expect to find comprehensive and thorough-and I’m looking forward to getting a full briefing from Mr. Valukas. I won’t be letting GM leadership, or federal regulators, escape accountability for these tragedies. That’s why I’ll be holding a follow-up hearing later this summer to address unanswered questions. The families of those affected deserve no less.”

Last month, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced that GM agreed to pay a record $35 million civil penalty and comply with additional oversight requirements as a result of findings from NHTSA’s timeliness investigation regarding the defective switches. As part of the settlement, set forth in a Consent Order signed with NHTSA, GM agreed to provide NHTSA with full access to the results of GM’s internal investigation into this recall, to take steps to ensure its employees report safety-related concerns to management, and to speed up the process for GM to decide whether to recall vehicles.

McCaskill had previously responded to GM’s decision to put two engineers on leave as they were conducting the internal investigation. Following the announcement, GM indicated that employees Gary Altman and Ray DeGiorgio are among those who have been dismissed from the company. DeGiorgio is the engineer who GM CEO Mary Barra acknowledged-during questioning from McCaskill-may have lied under oath about ordering replacement switches in 2006 without properly reporting.

McCaskill also issued a statement reacting to NHTSA’s announcement that it would be issuing GM a fine of $7,000 per day for every day the company failed to provide answers to all 107 questions in the agency’s request to the company-questions about the faulty ignition switches. In addition to the $35 million civil penalty, the Consent Order from last month continued to fine GM $7,000 a day beginning April 4, 2014 and ending today, when GM provided the final report of its internal investigation.

McCaskill accused GM of having a “culture of cover-up” at a hearing in her Consumer Protection Subcommittee in April. McCaskill grilled witnesses on GM’s decisions over more than 10 years to not issue a safety recall-despite the fact that engineers discovered the problem in 2004-and questioned whether NHTSA has the capability, data, and resources to effectively monitor vehicle safety defects.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Hall Family Foundation has donated $4 million to help fund capital improvement projects at Union Station in Kansas City.

Union Station officials announced the gift Thursday, saying the money would go toward improvements to Science City and other projects, such as a pedestrian bridge and a new lower-level entrance.

The Missouri Development Finance Board last year awarded Union Station $2.25 million in state tax credits for the project, allowing contributors to deduct 50 percent of their donations from their state taxes.

The Kansas City Star reports (http://bit.ly/1kQps1D ) the Hall Family Foundation is making an outright gift of $3 million to Union Station, which uses $1.5 million in tax credits and leaves $750,000 in credits available for other donors.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A federal weapons charge has been filed against a witness in the case against a 73-year-old man accused of fatally shooting three people at suburban Kansas City Jewish sites.

A May 7 grand jury indictment shows John Mark Reidle is accused of lying about buying a Remington shotgun at a Walmart in southwest Missouri on April 9. Reidle has pleaded not guilty to the charge of importing/manufacturing firearms.

The Kansas City Star first reported that Reidle is among witnesses listed on the Johnson County, Kansas, complaint against Frazier Glenn Cross Jr.

Cross is charged with killing three people in attacks at the Jewish Community Center in Overland Park, Kansas, and the nearby Village Shalom senior care facility.

The indictment does not link the shotgun purchase to the April 13 shootings.

TOPEKA, KAN.— On Thursday, the Association of Defense Communities, in collaboration with the Kansas Governor’s Military Council, presented Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins (KS-02) with the 2014 Congressional Leadership Award. This award, which was given to only three Members in the House of Representatives,  recognizes her commitment to supporting defense communities in Kansas, and across the country. Congresswoman Jenkins issued the following statement in response:

“Over three years ago, I founded the Defense Communities Caucus with my colleague Congressman Sam Farr (D-CA) to ensure our nation’s defense communities have a bipartisan voice in Congress. Since its founding, I have worked hard to see that my colleagues and I stay well-informed on the needs of these vital communities, as they assist America’s troops and are home to their loved ones.  There is no question that the way military installations are managed is changing as we work towards more collaboration between the public and private sectors to find budget efficiencies.

“I am honored to receive this award today, and pleased that our efforts within the Defense Caucus and with the Kansas Governors Military Council have helped improve the level of support and the delivery of resources for soldiers and their families. As more of our soldiers return home, I look forward to continuing our outreach and advocacy on behalf of these communities.”

Items to note:

• Congresswoman Jenkins represents Fort Leavenworth, host to the Army Command and General Staff College, Forbes Field, and over 11,500 National Guard and Reserve members.

• Congresswoman Jenkins is a co-founder and co-chair of the Defense Communities Caucus in the House of Representatives.

•  Congresswoman Jenkins has worked extensively to transition the former Kansas Army Ammunition Plant in Parsons, Kansas, into a usable, industrial development that will benefit the Parsons community, the Southeast Kansas region, and the state of Kansas.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – Missouri will receive $2 million from drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline as part of a national settlement over deceptive marketing by the British company.

The London-based pharmaceutical has agreed to pay $105 million to 44 states to settle allegations that it unlawfully marketed its asthma drug Advair and the antidepressants Paxil and Wellbutrin. Missouri was among states whose attorneys general filed identical lawsuits in local courts.

The state lawsuits claimed that GlaxoSmithKline violated state consumer protection laws by misrepresenting the uses and qualities of the drugs and marketing them for purposes unapproved by the Food and Drug Administration in a practice called off-label marketing.

GlaxoSmithKline did not acknowledge any wrongdoing under the settlement, which is similar to one reached with the federal government in 2012 for a record $3 billion.

ANDERSON, Mo. (AP) — Ten people had to be rescued in one southwest Missouri county after it was inundated with heavy rain.

No serious injuries were reported after the rescues early Friday in McDonald County.

 The county’s emergency management office says the rescues, including six children, were needed after rapidly rising water stranded people in their homes north of Anderson.

KOLR-TV reports another rescue occurred south of Goodman, where Highway 59 was flooded and cars were stranded at a railroad underpass.

The National Weather Service says the heaviest rain fell from Goodman to Powell, where 2 to 3 inches of rain fell in less than 2 hours.