JEFFERSON CITY - New shipments of flu vaccines entering Missouri in the coming week will easy the state's shortage on shots, but a full remedy has yet to be found, a spokeswoman for the state department of health said Friday.

The department is urging at-risk Missourians to seek out shots, but still recommends that healthy adults forgo vaccination.

JEFFERSON CITY - Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon announced his support for two bills requiring judges to listen to crime victims before releasing felons early from prison.

A similar bill last legislative session did not pass.

JEFFERSON CITY - State leaders meet to discuss how to raise more money for road construction.

Senator John Dolan said tolls, a gas tax adjusted to inflation, and licensing fees are all options.

JEFFERSON CITY - After the presentation of her lastes audit finding, Claire McCaskill talked about her future political career as state auditor, a job she says she wants to do again after 2006.

With her opponent now in the governor's office, McCaskill said she will work hard to keep Missouri government accountable.

JEFFERSON CITY - Missouri has no record on the amount of recipients in the I-SaveRx program, after more than a month.

The four participating states have no direct control over the program.

JEFFERSON CITY - Missouri's Joint Interim Committee on Multimodal Transportation is considering new ways for the state to subsidize Amtrak.

Currently Amtrak receives more than six million dollars from the state.

JEFFERSON CITY - Blunt named five key players to his gubernatorial team on Tuesday. Included are Ken McClure as chief of staff, John Russell

as the deputy chief of staff for administration, Rob Monsees as the deputy chief of staff for policy, Lynne Angle as director of

operations, and Carolyn Loethen as the director of scheduling.

JEFFERSON CITY - Congressional negotiators have come to an agreement with the White House on the details of intelligence reform. One of the main points of the proposed bill is that state driver's licenses not be assigned to foreigners illegally in the country.

Missouri law already prevents illegal immigrants from getting a license.

JEFFERSON CITY - Missouri Homeland Security Director Tim Daniel announced his resignation today, effective Dec. 7, 2004. He had held the position since it was created Sept. 11, 2002. Before becoming the homeland security director, Daniel was a special advisor for homeland security.

Gen. Dennis Shull, Adjutant General of the Missouri National Guard will act as interim homeland security director.

Daniel could not be reached Monday afternoon for comment.

JEFFERSON CITY - A spokesman for Governor-elect Matt Blunt said recent reports criticizing the management of Missouri's Medicaid system show that a reorganization of the program needs to be seriously considered.

Inadequate computer systems, poor organization and mistakes by staffers have allowed taxpayer dollars to be misspent, according to two reports issued by the Committee on Legislative Research on Monday.

JEFFERSON CITY - A spokesman for Attorney General Jay Nixon said that he will defend the state's current school foundation formula.

The decision will allow the lawsuit to proceed into the legislative session.

JEFFERSON CITY - A judge in Cole County Circuit Court decides to temporarily halt litigation in the state's school foundation formula battle. The attorney general's office has 15 days to decide whether the formula does not meet Missouri constitutional standards for equity and adequacy.

The motion to delay the case until the legislative session is conditional upon on a decision made by the attorney general's office.

JEFFERSON CITY - There will be at least two different invitations printed up for Governor-elect Matt Blunt's inauguration, though neither will be required to gain admission.

Rep. Jeff Harris of Columbia says the move is necessary to protect the privacy of Missouri Democrats.

JEFFERSON CITY - State employers are confident they will be able to pass new liability lawsuits limits and restructure worker compensation laws now that Republicans control both the General Assembly and the Governor's mansion.

Democratic Governor Bob Holden has vetoed such bills that have made it through the General Assembly the past two years.

JEFFERSON CITY - Gov.-elect Matt Blunt appointed Senate Administrator Michael Keathley as commissioner of the Office of Administration and Deputy Secretary of State Dan Ross as chief information officer.

True to his campaign promise of executing state government with more efficiency, Blunt discussed the role of Keathley and Ross in the consolidation of the states information technology infrastructure.

JEFFERSON CITY - Dolan wants to make not wearing a seat belt a punishable offence without having to connect it with another violation.

Currently in Missouri, you can only be ticketed for not wearing a seat belt if you are pulled over for another reason first.

JEFFERSON CITY - At a meeting before the Joint Committee on Transportation Oversight, MoDOT director Pete Rahn explained the plans for funding from the overwhelming passage of Amendment 3.

Rahn says their priortity is improving road safety, and that their first project will be a massive road smoothing project that will improve 2,200 miles of Missouri roads by December 2007.

JEFFERSON CITY - Safety and smoothness rather than extended capacity for Missouri's roadways is how MoDot plans to spend its increased revenue from the passage of Amendment 3.

Acting on what he called a "mandate" from the citizens of Missouri, Missouri's new transportation director unvieled a three-year plan for Missouri's highways on Tuesday.

JEFFERSON CITY - Over 8,000 people arrived at polling places to find their names not on the voting list, so they were forces to cast provisional ballots.

Of these 8,183 provisional votes cast, Missouri counties found only 3,292 votes were valid. However, this large number of uncounted votes would not have changed the outcome of the statewide races. Secretary of State Matt Blunt will certify the 2004 election results on Wednesday.

JEFFERSON CITY - A proposal being considered inside the federal Department of Education would require Missouri colleges -- both public and private -- to submit the personal information of their students, including social security numbers, to the federal government.

Supporters of the measure say the information would remain confidential and that the data is necessary to ensure accountability. Opponents claim it is a threat to the privacy of students.

A spokesman for Gov.-elect Matt Blunt said the soon-to-be governor would reserve his judgement on the issue until he had conferred with the stakeholders in the conflict.