State briefs 1/27/06

Jetton proposes more aid for food assistance

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- House Speaker Rod Jetton called for more state spending on Thursday to support food assistance programs. The Marble Hill Republican said existing assistance isn't enough and some seniors are going hungry as a result. He proposed to create a state supplement to the existing federal food stamp program, award tax credits for donations to food pantries and increase funding to the Meals on Wheels program. Those efforts "will do a lot this year to help alleviate a little bit of the hunger and the problems I see with our elderly who are trying to pay for their heating bills, pay for their medicine and then try to get enough to eat," Jetton said at a news conference at the Samaritan Center, a Jefferson City faith-based aid group.

Former Troy court clerk sentenced to five years

ST. LOUIS -- A former Troy court clerk was sentenced to five years in prison Thursday and ordered to pay $72,000 in restitution for embezzling municipal court funds and attempted arson to conceal the theft. Carol Gibson, 41, of Troy handled court money, including funds from traffic court, criminal fines and bond orders. She embezzled $51,000 for personal use, federal prosecutor Catherine Hanaway's office said. On Aug. 29, 2004, an off-duty Troy policeman was inside the municipal court building; he noticed smoke and called the fire department. A box of burning receipts for cash bonds and restitution to the city was found on top of a stove in the basement. Investigators said Gibson admitted to turning on the stove to burn the receipts to try to conceal her theft of cash. The state auditor's office had planned an audit the next day. The restitution amount included $51,000 to the city and $21,000 to the insurance company that paid for the damages of the fire.

Proposed development of Kemper land falls through

BOONVILLE, Mo. -- A proposed development plan for the former Kemper Military School campus has been withdrawn by the development group. Boonville businessman Jim Hackman, managing partner of the Kemper Redevelopment Group, said in a letter received Thursday by the city council and Boonville mayor that the project has become too controversial for the partners to continue. Hackman and his partners -- Adam Jones, a partner in the Frederick Hotel renovation; BNIM Architects, of Kansas City; and Neil Uebelein of the Kansas City-based nVision Group -- had proposed a mix of homes, retail units and other buildings on the 50-acre campus. It also planned to renovate the seven historic buildings on the campus.

Branson to get 2,500 new year-round jobs

BRANSON, Mo. -- The booming music resort town of Branson will get an estimated 2,500 year-round jobs this spring as new big-box stores and a lakefront shopping and residential complex open, easing a traditional problem with unemployment in the winter offseason. Jobs created by the retailers and the 95-acre Branson Landing development will add to the stock of year-round positions in a region where many employers cut back or shut down in winter until tourists return for the warmer seasons. Last year, Taney County's unemployment rate in January was 21.2 percent in a work force of 22,933 people. By July, with tourism business in full swing, unemployment was down to 5.4 percent. New store openings slated for this spring include Target, Home Depot and TJ Maxx. And Branson Landing plans to open in April, with a mix of retail stores, restaurants, convention center, hotels and condominiums.

Pharmacist fired for not dispensing Plan B

ST. LOUIS -- A suburban St. Louis pharmacist has filed a federal complaint after she was fired from a Target Corp. store for refusing to dispense the so-called "morning-after" birth control pill, an attorney for the pharmacist said Thursday. Heather Williams had worked at a Target store in St. Charles for five years before being fired last month. Until recently, the company accommodated her objection to dispensing the morning-after pill, her attorney, Ed Martin said. Her complaint was filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Calls to Minneapolis-based Target were not returned.

-- From wire reports