Two drivers were injured in a Wednesday night crash in Jackson County

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported the crash occurred as a 2009 Kia driven by Mark A. Steinmetz, 50, Kingsville, was traveling southbound on Buckner

Tarsney in Jackson County. The vehicle pulled into the path of and struck a westbound 2001 Chrysler 300 driven by Regina G. Taylor, 58, Sedalia.

Steinmetz was transported to Taylor was transported to Lee’s Summit Medical Center. Taylor was transported to Centerpoint Medical Center.

The MSHP reported both drivers were wearing seat belts.

By Dan Margolies
KCUR

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — HCA Inc. today agreed to pay $77 million to the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City on top of nearly $162 million it was ordered to pay last year.

The payment averts a hearing in May in which a judge was to decide how much additional money, if any, HCA owed the foundation.

The payment stems from a lawsuit the foundation, which was created from the proceeds of the sale of Health Midwest to HCA in 2003, filed in 2009. The suit alleged that HCA Midwest Health System reneged on obligations it assumed when it bought Health Midwest.

That agreement required HCA to make $450 million in capital expenditures over five years. Unless it met that obligation, HCA was required to pay the shortfall to the foundation.

“Today’s filing of the stipulation related to required capital improvements was another step in a long process,” Bridget McCandless, the foundation’s chief executive, said in a statement. “During this ongoing litigation, HCF’s board remains dedicated and committed to making sure the uninsured and underserved receive the resources that were afforded to them through the sale of Health Midwest.”

Last year Jackson County Circuit Judge John Torrence ordered HCA to pay the foundation $161.9 million after finding that it had failed to make promised building improvements to the hospitals it bought.

The foundation said it would use the funds to create grants to provide care for uninsured or underinsured families in the Kansas City area.

Still unresolved is whether HCA, the largest for-profit hospital chain in the country, owes additional money for charitable care spending it also was required to undertake as part of the 2003 sale. A hearing on that issue has been set for July.

Both sides have reserved the right to appeal.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri lawmakers have given final approval to a bill calling for creation of an economic development office in Israel.

The office would be established by the state Department of Economic Development to promote partnerships between Missouri and Israeli companies involved in agriculture, biotechnology and other emerging fields.

The Senate included money for the office in a proposed state operating budget endorsed earlier this week.

Missouri already has economic development offices in 12 countries around the world.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – Missouri House members have endorsed legislation that deals with a student transfer law.

Legislators are trying to revise the law after recent decisions by the state Supreme Court upholding a requirement for unaccredited districts to pay costs of transferring students. Those costs already have put a financial strain on the unaccredited Normandy district in suburban St. Louis and soon could affect the unaccredited Riverview Gardens and Kansas City districts.

House members endorsed the legislation 91-64 on Wednesday after limiting provisions that could allow some students to attend private schools at local taxpayers’ expense. That now would apply only to districts in St. Louis city, St. Louis County and Jackson County and local voter approval would be required.

The bill now returns to the Senate, which earlier passed a different version.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill met today with Kansas City business leaders to discuss infrastructure needs and ways to expand job and business opportunities in the Kansas City region.

“Hearing directly from folks in Missouri is the best way to craft policies that can boost jobs and business opportunities for our state,” McCaskill said. “It’s encouraging to hear about Kansas City’s plans for infrastructure growth and development. The more we focus on strengthening and growing our roads and bridges, the more we will grow our economy and create good jobs throughout the region.”

Earlier this year, McCaskill was in Kansas City to address the Kansas City Chamber’s Federal Affairs Committee, Public Policy Council and Board Members on the importance of investments in public infrastructure such as roads and bridges, in light of news about funding shortfalls, and how such investments can successfully boost job and business opportunities.

Last month, McCaskill hosted a town hall in KC, as part of her “McCaskill on Main Street” tour across the state. The tour focused on ideas to help continue moving Missouri’s economy in the right direction.

McCaskill has worked with Republican colleagues including Senator Rob Portman of Ohio to write the Federal Permitting Improvement Act, to cut through federal red tape and expedite job-creating infrastructure projects. She has joined with a bipartisan group of Senators, including Missouri Senator Roy Blunt, to introduce two innovative infrastructure proposals: the Building and Renewing Infrastructure for Development and Growth in Employment (BRIDGE) Act and the Partnership to Build America Act, both of which would provide hundreds of billions of dollars in loans and loan guarantees for infrastructure projects without the use of federal tax dollars.

ST. LOUIS (AP) – Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon has no plans to push for changes in the state’s execution protocol following a botched execution in Oklahoma.

Oklahoma inmate Clayton Lockett died of an apparent heart attack Tuesday night, 43 minutes after his execution began. Lockett was writhing on the gurney and grinding his teeth during the process. Oklahoma’s governor is calling for an independent review of that state’s execution protocol.

A spokeswoman for Nixon said Wednesday that Missouri has its own protocol, one that has been upheld by the courts. Spokeswoman Channing Ansley says Nixon continues to support the death penalty for the most “merciless and violent crimes.”

Attorneys for Russell Bucklew urged Nixon to reconsider. Bucklew is scheduled to die on May 21 for killing a man in southeast Missouri in 1996.

TOPEKA, KS – High school students across the state submitted video contest entries to the Office of the Kansas Securities Commissioner in hopes of winning prizes for themselves and their teachers. Students who are working toward or who have received EverFi Financial Literacy Certification through participation in the Kansas Financial Scholars Program created 30 seconds to 2 minute videos around this year’s theme of investing.

The contest is held in coordination with Financial Literacy Month in April each year. Videos are judged on message clarity and execution, creativity, overall impact, and number of modules completed in the Financial Scholars curriculum. New to the contest this year was the People’s Choice Award, where judges selected 6 videos to compete for the most Facebook likes on the Office of the Securities Commissioner’s Facebook page. The winners for this year’s contest are as follows:

1st place: Ell-Saline High School
Teacher: Ashley Hanson
Students: Lara Brockway, Sam Unruh, and Garrett Schuman
Video: “Cruise-in’ Into Investments”

2nd place: De Soto High School
Teacher: Kristina Saladino
Students: Yosilin Flores, Karen Marquez, and Valerie Portillo
Video: “Invest!!!” Link: http://youtu.be/EWv4bPoBHpQ

3rd place: Marcolesco Christian Academy (Home School family from Wichita)
Teacher: Cathie Marcolesco
Students: Zach, Bethany and Luke Marcolesco
Video: “Zany Zach’s Investment Tips” Link: http://youtu.be/rU4HgCF6fzo

People’s Choice Award: Derby High School
Teacher: Jessica Fuller
Students: Luke Palmer, Chandler Benway, and Jeremy Rogers
Video: “Stay Classy EverFi” Link: http://youtu.be/a99lEevOlYQ

“Investing can be complicated, so our office was very impressed with the high school students’ ability to convey the value of investing in their videos,” said Securities Commissioner Josh Ney “We are pleased to see schools like Ell-Saline, De Soto and Derby, as well as home school families like the Marcolescos, making financial literacy education a priority for our young people.”

“The EverFi Financial Scholars Program modules were very interactive. Financial literacy topics can be pretty dry, but EverFi makes it fun and engaging,” said Lara Brockway, Senior from Ell-Saline High School. “I would definitely recommend the program for other students.”

The first place winners will receive iPad minis for each of the 3 student winners and their teacher. Other prizes include Amazon.com gift cards and US Savings bonds.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Republican-led Missouri House panel has wrapped up a hearing on measures seeking to impeach Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon without voting on the proposals.

One of two resolutions considered Wednesday criticizes the governor for the amount of time he took to call elections to fill legislative vacancies. The other would impeach Nixon for refusing to fire officials involved with the Revenue Department’s decision last year to scan driver’s license applicants’ personal documents into a computer system.

Nixon called the hearings “some sort of show.”