Marshall Griffin

Another Mountain Lion Roaming Northwest Mo.

The Missouri Department of Conservation says a landowner in Macon County took pictures of large tracks in a muddy creek bed on April 20. The conservation department confirmed that the tracks belonged to a mountain lion.

Some minor progress, but no breakthrough yet in efforts to pass both the St. Louis Police local control and tax credit legislation.

The Missouri Senate this evening confirmed Governor Jay Nixon’s appointment to the state-run board that oversees the St. Louis Police Department.  Tom Irwin’s appointment is seen as a precursor to implementing local control.

The Missouri Senate has passed legislation that would lower the age for getting a concealed firearm permit from 23 to 21.

The conceal-carry language was added onto a larger firearms regulation bill.  The bill's Senate handler, Brian Munzlinger (R, Williamstown) says lowering the concealed permit age to 21 would bring Missouri into line with most other states.

Local Control Hits Another Roadblock

Just when it appeared the local control issue was moving forward in the Missouri Senate, the bill has been delayed again.  This time, some Senate Republicans are holding off on advancing the bill in order to force the House to pass the Senate’s tax credit overhaul measure. 

While no one’s openly saying that the local control bill is being held up, Senate President Pro-tem Rob Mayer indicates they’re willing to delay bills from the House if their leaders continue to sit on Senate bills.

The Missouri House has given final passage to legislation that would require some Missourians on public assistance to undergo drug testing.

Under the bill, work-eligible recipients of the state’s Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program would lose that assistance for three years if they test positive for drug use or refuse to take a drug test.