Mo. Gross Revenue Up Slightly
Missouri’s gross revenue collection in July was up by .6 percent as compared to July 2010.
The revenue increase is driven by strong individual income tax collection, which was up 9.3 percent over the same time last year. Sales taxes remain stagnant, according to state budget director Linda Luebbering. She blames low sales tax collection on a stubbornly high unemployment rate.
“They’re still looking around them and seeing that there are still folks without jobs," said Luebbering." "That job turnaround really has got to happen before people will be confident enough to start spending money on anything that just food and gas.”
But the small overall increase in revenue was enough to convince Governor Jay Nixon to release 1.2 million dollars for social programs. Funding will go to the Area Agencies on Aging, domestic violence shelters and crisis care services for children who are at risk for abuse and neglect.
Nixon: state will pay for clean-up after federal government aid is reduced
Mo. Gov. Jay Nixon says the state will pay Joplin's share of the cost for picking up debris from a deadlytornado - even after the federal government starts paying less. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is paying 90 percent of the cost for cleaning debris from the hardest hit areas, but that will decrease to 75 percent after Sunday.
Earlier this week, Nixon said state government would cover the 10 percent of the cost that federal officials were not paying. Nixon said Thursday that state government would start to pick up a larger share of the costs after Sunday so local officials will not be expected to provide matching money. The large twister on May 22 killed 160 people and damaged or destroyed about 8,000 homes and businesses.
Wentzville tattoo parlor owner faces charges for videotaping women in the restroom
A tattoo parlor operator in Wentzville is facing charges for allegedly videotaping in the women's restroom. According to a local media report, an employee of the Full Moon Tattoo Studio called police Wednesday to say she saw a camera in the restroom and confronted the operator, Bruce Hymes. Authorities say the St. Charles County Cyber Crimes unit was able to find evidence that included several videos of women and girls.
Hymes is charged with invasion of privacy and tampering with evidence. He did not yet have an attorney.