JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri drivers would not have points assessed against their license for tickets issued by automated traffic cameras under legislation endorsed by the state House.
The House gave initial approval to the bill Wednesday that would regulate red-light and speeding cameras.
Photo traffic enforcement systems for Missouri municipalities have been the subject of ongoing court cases and many cities have temporary halted enforcement. The measure would require cities to meet certain standards in order to operate speeding or red-light cameras.
Supporters say the measure would streamline traffic enforcement across different municipalities and give guidance to the courts. Opponents say it circumvents the point system and could keep dangerous drivers on the road.
The bill needs one more affirmative vote before moving to the Senate.
DETROIT (AP) — General Motors is offering free loaner cars to owners of compacts that are being recalled for a deadly ignition switch defect.
The company also will offer a $500 cash allowance to owners who want to buy or lease a new GM vehicle.
GM made the disclosures in documents posted Wednesday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The loaners will be available until parts arrive to fix the switches. The cash offer runs through April 30.
GM says it isn’t offering to buy the cars back. But the cash offer will be made to people who don’t feel safe driving their cars.
GM is recalling 1.6 million older small cars because faulty ignitions can shut off engines unexpectedly. GM says 13 people have died in crashes linked to the problem.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Herbalife is facing an inquiry from the Federal Trade Commission.
The nutrition and supplement maker said Wednesday that it received the civil investigative demand from the FTC on Wednesday. A representative from the FTC was not immediately available to comment.
Herbalife says it welcomes the inquiry, saying there is a “tremendous amount of misinformation in the marketplace” about its business. The company says it believes it is in compliance with all laws and regulations and plans to cooperate fully.
The company made the announcement just a day after hedge fund manager William Ackman renewed his attacks on the company. Ackman repeatedly has bet against the company and says he believes it operates as a pyramid scheme.
Herbalife Ltd.’s shares plunged more than 12 percent after a suspension in trading was lifted.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A White House official says President Barack Obama will direct the Labor Department to strengthen overtime pay protections for millions of workers.
The directive is meant to help salaried workers, such as fast-food shift supervisors or convenience store managers, who may be expected to work more than 40 hours a week without receiving overtime pay.
For example, the Labor Department could raise the pay threshold for workers covered by overtime rules. Currently, salaried workers who make more than $455 per week are exempt from overtime.
It’s the latest move in Obama’s self-described “year of action,” a series of economy-focused executive decisions that don’t require congressional approval.
The White House official spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss the directive on the record before the president’s announcement, expected Thursday.
An artist’s rendering of a proposed Northland Innovation Campus in Gladstone-photo NWMSU
Northwest Missouri State University joined the city of Gladstone, North Kansas City Schools and Metropolitan Community College-Maple Woods Tuesday in announcing a partnership and vision to create an innovation center designed for enhanced educational and research opportunities.
The cutting-edge Northland Innovation Campus, to be built in the heart of Gladstone’s emerging downtown development, will create a non-traditional educational environment for students to learn, lead and succeed in school, college and career fields, city and education leaders said.
The facility will provide needed classroom space to accommodate North Kansas City Schools’ steadily growing enrollment. It will house the district’s Students in Academically Gifted Education (SAFE) program and the Northland Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS) program, a partnership with North Kansas City Schools and five Northland school districts. CAPS students are immersed in professional environments with industry partners – such as Cerner Corporation, Holland 1916, Ford Motor Company and North Kansas City Hospital – that mentor students to innovate and achieve real project results.
The center also could provide opportunities for students to earn college credit toward degrees from Maple Woods and Northwest.
“We’ve created partnerships to provide our students with enriched opportunities, to be embedded into the workforce and have the opportunity to learn and, more importantly, the opportunities to create a value to businesses,” said Dr. Todd White, superintendent of North Kansas City Schools.
Northwest President Dr. John Jasinski thanked the education, business and community partners for their collaboration and emphasized the importance of building relationships while keeping education relevant and rigorous for students.
“We all know education is changing, and it has to be relevant for our students,” Jasinski said. “I’m very proud to stand here and say that Northwest Missouri State University is looking forward to our relationship with the city of Gladstone and North Kansas City Schools as we move forward.”
Tuesday’s announcement is a continuation of Northwest’s partnership with North Kansas City Schools and Metropolitan Community College-Maple Woods.
WASHINGTON – Continuing her work to protect whistleblowers and strengthen accountability across federal agencies, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill hosted a roundtable discussion to hear from whistleblowers who were fired after raising safety concerns at the Hanford nuclear site, and led a formal hearing on whistleblower retaliation.
The roundtable and hearing examined the safety culture at the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant, a federal nuclear facility in Hanford, Washington, and reports of whistleblower retaliation by Department of Energy (DOE) contractors at the site. One of the major contractors at the site, URS, recently fired Donna Busche, its Environmental and Nuclear Safety Manager, who had repeatedly raised safety concerns with the facility. URS fired another employee who raised safety concerns, Dr. Walter Tamosaitis, in October 2013.
“I don’t think anyone wants to be a whistleblower,” said McCaskill, a former Missouri State Auditor and Chairman of the Subcommittee on Financial & Contracting Oversight. “Reporting your colleagues, who may be your friends, for actions that look like waste, fraud, abuse or a danger to others, isn’t an easy decision for most people. And life after you’ve blown the whistle isn’t easy either. But the job that whistleblowers do is tremendously important and valuable. That’s why, when courageous men and women feel compelled to speak out, we do not want to silence them. We want to give them a process that allows them to report that information without fear of retaliation.”
At the roundtable discussion, McCaskill heard directly from the two whistleblowers. At the hearing, McCaskill examined and questioned the roles and responsibilities of the Department of Energy and its contractors regarding whistleblowers who raise safety concerns.
“Rather than fix the problems at Hanford, the contractors and Federal agencies involved are simply trying to silence the people who raise concerns,” said Senator Ron Wyden, who participated in the roundtable. “The only way these serious matters have become public knowledge is because courageous, committed employees like these two individuals have come forward to tell us and to tell the American people. I will continue working with Sen. McCaskill to get to the bottom of what’s going on at Hanford, starting with our request to GAO to investigate not only the actions of the contractors in retaliating against whistleblowers, but also those of the DOE, which has done nothing to stop this unacceptable behavior.”
The Hanford Waste Treatment Plant is a federal nuclear facility currently being built to convert hazardous, highly radioactive nuclear waste into a more stable and safe form for permanent disposal. However, the costs of constructing the Waste Treatment Plant have skyrocketed, and the estimated date of completion has been pushed back repeatedly-owing largely to a simultaneous “design-build” approach, which has led to construction without first resolving with technical challenges associated with the pumping radioactive material from the tanks to the plant.
Critics of the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant have expressed numerous safety concerns-including the potential for hydrogen explosions and uncontrolled nuclear reactions. The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board has expressed repeated concerns about explosive conditions due to hydrogen gas generation within the tanks that could lead to dispersal of radioactive waste at Hanford. Critics are also concerned about radioactive seepage into the ground water and nearby Columbia River.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A state Senate committee has advanced legislation that could raise Missouri’s minimum wage to $10 an hour.
Tuesday’s vote by a Senate business committee means the proposed increase could be brought up later for debate by the full Senate. But there is no guarantee that will occur, because the measure has been opposed by many Republicans who control the Legislature.
The bill by Democratic Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, of St. Louis, would raise Missouri’s minimum wage to $10 an hour in 2015 and continue to adjust it annually for inflation.
The state’s minimum wage currently stands at $7.50 an hour — 25 cents more than the federal minimum wage. Missouri’s minimum wage already is adjusted annually for inflation, as a result of a 2006 law approved by voters.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – Missouri’s House has endorsed a proposed amendment to the state Constitution that would enshrine a fundamental right for parents to raise their children as they see fit.
The House gave the measure initial approval Tuesday. It states that parents have a right to make decisions involving the “discipline, education, religious instruction, health, medical care, place of habitation, and general well-being” of children.
Sponsoring Republican Rep. Todd Richardson, of Poplar Bluff, says parents should have constitutional protections when it comes to raising children.
The proposal needs one more House vote before moving to the Senate. If it passes there, the proposed constitutional amendment would go on the November statewide ballot.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri drivers would not have points assessed against their license for tickets issued by automated traffic cameras under legislation endorsed by the state House.
