State briefs 3/4/05

Democrats say GOP stifling license office bill

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- House Democrats complained Thursday that their legislation to require bids to run driver's license offices is being ignored by Republican leaders. Legislation by Rep. Wayne Henke, D-Troy, would require driver's license office contracts to be awarded to school districts first, and competitively bid if districts weren't interested. The bill was introduced Feb. 15, but House Speaker Rod Jetton has not assigned it to a committee yet for a hearing.

McCaskill: State should track tax exemptions

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri businesses sell tens of billions of dollars worth of merchandise each year on which consumers pay no sales tax. Yet the state has no way of tracking how much money it's forgoing for each of its 117 tax exemptions, State Auditor Claire McCaskill said Thursday. Rejecting McCaskill's audit recommendation, the Department of Revenue said it would be way too costly -- both for businesses and the state -- to require merchants to categorize and report the specific reason for each penny of sales tax that gets waived. Missouri charges a 4.225 percent sales tax on most purchases, and cities and counties often add their own taxes on top of that.

Soldiers not allowed in Big Louie's strip club

ST. ROBERT, Mo. -- For reasons the Army won't specify, a popular strip club employing 120 people has been placed off limits to soldiers from nearby Fort Leonard Wood. Louie Keen, whose Big Louie's is the largest adult entertainment business in the region, wasn't notified in advance of the ban and is puzzled by it. Fort Leonard Wood spokesman Mike Alley said Maj. Gen. R. L. Castro, the post commander, made the decision Monday because of an unspecified emergency, releasing it through the military chain of command.

Ex-judge faces child pornography charges

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- A former Douglas County judge is facing two federal charges related to possession of child pornography. Former associate circuit judge Roger E. Wall, 57, of Ava, made his initial appearance in federal court Thursday. He is charged with one count of possession of child porn and one forfeiture count that would allow the government to seize videotapes and other materials related to the first charge. "There is no 'typical' child porn defendant," U.S. Attorney Todd Graves said.

-- From staff, wire reports