Tagged: discrimination

Regional news coverage from the KBIA newsroom, including:

• Nonprofit group for family abuse children expanding services to Callaway County
• St. Louis man convicted of 1983 rape and murder expecting prison release
• Law upheld for St. Louis firefighters to live outside city limits
• Missouri unemployment rate remains below national average
• UM Press receives anonymous $10K donation
• Missourians for Equality pushing for discrimination petition

A Missouri group may start circulating petitions for a ballot measure aimed at making it illegal to discriminate against gays and lesbians in the state.

The Springfield City Council voted to table a proposal to expand the city's nondiscrimination ordinance.

The city is considering prohibiting discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The council was considering Monday night whether to vote on the issue or put it to a public vote.

Instead, the council voted 7-2 to postpone action on the ordinance.

The city will instead appoint a task force to work toward a compromise on an issue that has created passionate debate for weeks.

The recession has been particularly hard on older workers, and many suspect age discrimination.

Among them is Larry Wilson, a 57-year-old resident of St. Charles County. He told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he long ago stopped counting the number of rejected employment applications and is resigned to the fact he may never find a full-time job again.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that unemployed job-seekers over 55 typically wait 56 weeks to find a job, far more than the 38-week average for the rest of the unemployed population.