State briefs 1/4/18

ST. LOUIS -- A lawsuit alleging that Missouri's new voter identification law was intended to make it harder for poor and minority residents to cast their ballots has been dismissed.

Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem on Tuesday threw out the suit filed in June by the ACLU and the Advancement Project on behalf of the Missouri NAACP and the League of Women Voters.

Missouri voters overwhelmingly approved a November 2016 ballot measure instituting voter ID. The law became effective June 1.

The suit alleged that Missouri failed to provide adequate funding for voter education, free voter IDs for those who need them, and training for poll workers.

Opponents claim voter ID laws, typically backed by Republicans, are really meant to dissuade poor people, people of color and others who tend to be Democrats from voting. The ACLU and the Advancement Project said Texas, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania are among states where implementation of voter ID laws led to confusion.

Springfield homicide total more than doubles in 2017

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Police say the number of homicides more than doubled in Springfield from 2016 to 2017.

The News-Leader reports Springfield recorded eight homicides in 2016 and 17 in 2017. Springfield police Lt. Culley Wilson says only one death appears to be random. In that case, a man is accused of climbing outside a car window and firing a handgun into the night sky. One bullet struck and killed a man in a McDonald's parking lot. In all the other cases, the victim and the accused knew one another.

While the 17 homicides in 2017 were more than double 2016's total, it's not a particularly high number for Springfield. In 2012, there were 19 homicides.

-- Associated Press