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Top Of The Morning News: Tuesday, February 21, 2012

A daily digest of headlines from KCUR:
Brad Pitt’s Foundation To Help Revamp Empty Kansas City School, Free Clinics Not So Free Anymore, A Push For A Shorter Candidate Filing Period & more of today's headlines.

Brad Pitt’s Foundation To Help Revamp Empty Kansas City School

 An abandoned midtown school will become the next and most visible project in Kansas City’s Green Impact Zone.  The project at 43rd and Tracy will mix government tax and private philanthropy.  The school will house 30 apartments, a community center, satellite police station, and a branch of Truman Medical Center.   The  Make it Right Foundation, started by actor and Missouri native Brad Pitt to rebuild New Orleans housing after Hurricane Katrina, is donating $2.3 million to the project.  Read more here.

Free Clinics Not So Free Anymore

Free health clinics have long been caring for people who have no health coverage and limited resources to pay for private care.  That’s why services are free.  Well, mostly. A down economy and growing demand has many clinics, including a Kansas City mainstay, reassessing.   Find out more here.

A Push For A Shorter Candidate Filing Period

Legislation that would move the candidate filing period for the August primary back by one month is now moving through the Missouri House.  It passed the House Elections Committee and it next goes to the Rules Committee.  However, House Majority Floor Leader Tim Jones (R, Eureka) seems to favor an alternate approach:  Having a two-week filing period that would begin sometime in mid-March and end on March 27th as currently scheduled.  Read more here.

Missouri House Endorses English-Only Driver’s Exams

The Missouri House has given first-round approval to legislation that would require driver’s license exams be given only in English.  Currently, the state of Missouri provides the written driver’s exam in English and eleven other languages. Learn more here.

Curators OK 3 Percent Tuition For UM System

Missouri residents attending the four campuses of the University of Missouri system will see their tuition increase by three percent - about $230 - next year.  Find out the details here.

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