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Missouri lawmakers pass bill supporting land banks	5/17/2012 11:40 AM
The Missouri General Assembly on Wednesday passed land bank legislation that would let Kansas City buy and sell swaths of abandoned land. The Greater Kansas City Local Initiatives Support Corp. hailed the passage of the land bank bill, calling it the culmination of two years of work to get lawmakers to agree to the measure. “The passage of this important legislation is a victory for Kansas City residents as we all continue to seek solutions that reduce the number of vacant and abandoned properties...
Report: Ford will offer more redesigned vehicles than rivals	5/17/2012 11:15 AM
Ford Motor Co. will put more redesigned vehicles on the road in America during the next four years than any other automobile producer. According to various media reports, the new “Car Wars” report by automotive analyst John Murphy at Bank of America Merrill Lynch showed Ford will replace 26 percent of its existing vehicles with new designs between the 2013 to 2016 model years. That’s a much higher rate than Ford’s historical average replacement rate of 14 percent, and it’s above the industry...
U.S. Postal Service scales back facility closing plans	5/17/2012 10:43 AM
The U.S. Postal Service now plans to shut down a smaller number of mail-processing centers over a longer period of time, including potentially some locations in Missouri and Kansas. On Thursday, postal officials said they would close 48 processing centers in August and 92 more in early 2013, creating an estimated $1.2 billion in annual savings. If the post office’s financial status doesn’t improve, a third round of consolidation affecting 89 locations would occur in the spring of 2014. In...
Stay home for dinner — and stay skinnier	5/17/2012 7:10 AM
A new study reports that a stunning 96 percent of main entrees sold at top U.S. chain restaurants exceed daily limits for calories, sodium, fat and saturated fat, USA Today reports. The 18-month study found that most meals come up short of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s recommended limits, the newspaper reports. “If you’re eating out tonight, your chances of finding an entree that’s truly health are painfully low,” Helen Wu, who oversaw the study, told the newspaper.
Baby trend gives birth to a new era in U.S.	5/17/2012 7:10 AM
Most of the nation’s babies are members of minority groups — the first time this has happened in U.S. history, The Washington Post reports. Census figures show that 50.4 percent of children younger than 1 were Hispanic, black, Asian American or a member of another minority group, the paper reports. “This is a watershed moment,” one sociologist says.
Cash-strapped millennials avoid traditional banking	5/17/2012 7:10 AM
Financially stressed millennials are turning to payday loans, check cashing and prepaid debit cards instead of traditional banking, USA Today reports. The information comes from a survey by Think Finance, USA Today reports. Lack of financial literacy, growing debt, poor credit and no savings drive millennials to nontraditional services, Think Finance CEO Ken Rees said.
White House ratchets up bank regulation efforts	5/17/2012 7:10 AM
The White House wants to ensure a tough interpretation of a banking regulation in the wake of JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s $2 billion trading loss, The Wall Street Journal reports. The regulation involves preventing banks from making bets with their own money. The newspaper attributed the information to people familiar with the matter. The coming election adds impetus to the White House’s stepped-up push to toughen enforcement of the “Volker rule,” the newspaper reports.
Verizon will hang up unlimited data plans	5/17/2012 7:10 AM
Verizon Wireless is taking steps to discontinue unlimited data plans, which probably will mean higher bills for millions of the largest U.S. carrier’s customers, The Wall Street Journal reports. When customers upgrade to Verizon’s high-speed 4G LTE network, they won’t be able to keep their unlimited data plans, the newspaper reports, though it’s unclear when the change will occur. Overland Park-based Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S), the No. 3 U.S. carrier, still offers unlimited plans.
Missouri legislators start cramming before finals	5/17/2012 7:10 AM
Missouri legislators are loading bills with amendments — sometimes additions that are unrelated to the legislation — that probably will require resolution in conference in the session’s waning days, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. The bills winding their way through both the House and Senate are attracting dozens of proposed amendments, the newspaper reports. Legislators failed to resolve two of three key issues related to workers’ compensation, the Springfield News-Leader reports. A...
Kobach turns to courts for Kansas redistricting	5/17/2012 7:10 AM
Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach has asked a federal court to step in to draw new legislative districts for Kansas, the Kansas City Business Journal reports. The Legislature’s failure to complete the once-a-decade redistricting process has pushed back election filing deadlines and triggered what Kobach has called a “constitutional crisis.” In a response to a voter’s lawsuit in U.S. District Court, Kobach on Wednesday requested a three-judge panel to draw up new maps and a plan of apportionment.

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