© 2024 St. Louis Public Radio
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Morning headlines: Tuesday, July 24, 2012

(via Flickr/Indofunk Satish)

Ill. Gov. calls for stricter gun laws

Days after the Colorado theater shooting, Governor Pat Quinn is calling for stricter gun laws in Illinois. Gun-rights advocates have long argued that public safety would be improved if people were allowed to carry concealed firearms. Illinois is the only state without any form of concealed carry for the general public. And Quinn says he'd oppose any attempt to permit concealed carry.

"The idea of allowing people to carry loaded weapons that are hidden on their person, and be able to go in public places, whether it's a movie theater or a shopping center, I just don't think that's a good way to prevent violence," Quinn said.

Quinn says Illinois ought to "show the way" by renewing an effort to ban assault weapons and ammunition magazines with high capacities. He says legislators should take up those measures this year.

St. Louis Public School District sells another building

The St. Louis Public School District has sold one of its school buildings for nearly $1.2 million. Gardenville Elementary School on Gravois Avenue now belongs to Concept Schools. It's the third closed school building sold by the district this year. Garfield Elementary is being developed as temporary housing for the homeless, and Scruggs Elementary has become a place of worship. The district also is trying to sell Cook and Lyon schools.

Opponents of new UM publishing meet to discuss next step

Opponents of the University of Missouri's decision to revamp its academic publishing business will meet today. Organizers say the school's plans to replace the press with a digital publishing operation that will rely largely on student workers will provide a poor substitute for the traditional university press model.

Some members of the Columbia campus chapter of the American Association of University Professors are scheduled to meet with university system president Tim Wolfe later today.

Wolfe decided in May to shut down the 54-year-old academic press in part to put the business' $400,000 annual university subsidy to better use. The decision has generated significant nationwide criticism in the publishing industry, and several authors want the school to return their publishing rights.

Follow St. Louis Public Radio on Twitter: @stlpublicradio