State briefs 5/26/2015

Recall petition set for Ferguson mayor

FERGUSON, Mo. -- A group seeking to recall the mayor of Ferguson says it will present a petition to the city council at an upcoming meeting. The petition was a response to the August shooting death of Michael Brown, who was black and unarmed, by a white police officer and to city practices cited in a federal report. Phil Gassoway, a leader of the Recall Knowles 2015 group, said the group needed about 1,828 signatures of registered voters and had collected about 2,200. Organizers plan to present the petition to the council tonight. If it's approved, the City Council would set a date for an election. James Knowles III has said an effort to push him out of office would set the city back and divide the community.

Man faces charges for kidnapping girl

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- The Lawrence County Sheriff's Office says a St. Louis area man is being held on $1 million bond after authorities say he was found with a 12-year-old southwest Missouri girl who had been missing since Friday. The 47-year-old suspect is in custody in the St. Louis area and faces kidnapping charges. It's unclear whether the suspect has been charged. The child was reported missing Friday afternoon and was found alive in St. Louis about 24 hours later. The Missouri State Highway Patrol said earlier an Amber Alert was not issued for the child because the situation did not meet the appropriate criteria.

Fredbird holds 'police lives matter' sign

ST. LOUIS -- A photo of St. Louis Cardinals mascot Fredbird holding a "police lives matter" sign was posted to a police association Facebook page before the team asked it be taken down. The sports website Deadspin took aim at the mascot last week after the photo was posted to the St. Louis Police Officers Association Facebook page. Cardinals spokesman Ron Watermon says the photo was taken at Busch Stadium after a couple asked Fredbird for a photo. Watermon said Fredbird didn't know what was on the sign, and when the team learned it was on the association website, the team asked for the photo to come down. "Black lives matter" and "Police lives matter" were used on social media after the shooting death of Michael Brown.

University speaker allegedly plagiarized

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A motivational speaker used similar or identical phrasing from passages by Mark Twain and poet Berton Braley without attribution during her 2015 commencement speech at Missouri's Lincoln University earlier this month, according to a newspaper report. Atlanta-based speaker and attorney Patricia Russell-McCloud quoted from or paraphrased at least eight passages previously attributed to authors, poets and others on May 16, the Jefferson City News Tribune reported. Russell-McCloud did not credit others whose work was referenced in her 20-minute speech, for which she received a standing ovation. She also received an honorary degree from the university. She did not respond to requests for comment. Lincoln University President Kevin Rome said in an email the speech "was quite inspirational," and he doesn't believe the intent was to "deceive" students.

-- From wire reports