State briefs

Bill to allow breaks for school events

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri parents could be guaranteed time off work to attend a school event with their child if enough lawmakers support the proposal. State Rep. Karla May of St. Louis recently filed legislation that would allow parents and legal guardians to take off eight hours from work a year. Parents could use that time to attend school events with their children that overlap with work. They would first need to try planning any activities outside their work schedules. Employers could deny the leave if it causes unusual difficulty for the business. Parents or guardians would get eight hours each academic year per child. Employers could limit that to three-hour increments and require proof from the school.

Bridge for Arch project complete

ST. LOUIS -- A massive project to upgrade the area around the Gateway Arch in St. Louis has reached a milestone: The bridge work is complete for the park-over-the-highway work. Organizers of the $380 million project gave an update Thursday, saying the next phase is putting trees, grass and dirt over the 97-foot-wide bridge that will ease pedestrian traffic from downtown to the Arch. Previously, pedestrians had to cross a narrow bridge that included vehicle traffic. Missouri Department of Transportation engineer Deanna Venker told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that landscaping should start in the next couple of weeks. The park land eventually will stretch from the Old Courthouse to the Arch.

Audit: St. Louis Zoo policies need polish

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Zoo is getting high marks in a new audit, but some policies need improvement. According to the audit, among the highlights of the zoo are the thousands of volunteer hours logged at the facility and a $17 million increase in donations over three years. The audit also shows the zoo spent less than it budgeted to buy, demolish and landscape the grounds of the former Forest Park Hospital. But auditors noted the zoo hasn't been following a policy that requires companies bidding for work to certify no zoo employee has a financial interest in the work. Other recommendations by auditors were smaller, including the zoo to tag and inventory its equipment. Zoo chairman emeritus Jim Conway said he thought the report was fair overall.

Protesters seek police limits

ST. LOUIS -- A woman who protested in Ferguson, Missouri, and St. Louis on the night of the grand jury decision in the Michael Brown case says police used tear gas without provocation. Protester Alexis Templeton testified Thursday as part of a lawsuit seeking a temporary restraining order that would place strict guidelines on police use of force during demonstrations. It isn't clear when U.S. District Judge Carol Jackson will rule. Her decision will apply only to Missouri.

-- From wire reports