Jay Nixon

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Suspect Is Given Unusual Public Defender —the Governor

Assignment is a protest against chronically overloaded system

(Newser) - Missouri's top public defender says his office is so overworked that he has had to assign a case to a lawyer who can do something about the problem: Gov. Jay Nixon. Michael Barrett says he assigned the assault case to the Democratic governor under a rule that allows him...

St. Louis Mayor: Violence 'Will Not Be Tolerated'

He and governor urge calm ahead of grand jury decision

(Newser) - About two hours ahead of the grand jury announcement in the Michael Brown shooting, the governor of Missouri and the mayor of St. Louis issued an appeal for calm. Neither revealed whether officer Darren Wilson will be indicted on criminal charges or exonerated, but Mayor Francis Slay predicted that "...

Missouri Governor Warns Ferguson: No Riots

State, city prepare ahead of grand jury decision

(Newser) - Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon said today that law enforcement officials have been working around the clock to make sure residents and businesses are kept safe once prosecutors announce whether a Ferguson police officer will face charges for fatally shooting 18-year-old Michael Brown . A grand jury is expected to decide later...

Missouri Executes Armed Robber

Earl Ringo was convicted of 1998 double murder

(Newser) - A Missouri inmate convicted in a 1998 robbery and double murder was put to death just after midnight in the eighth execution in the state this year and the 10th since November. Earl Ringo Jr. and an accomplice killed delivery driver Dennis Poyser and manager trainee JoAnna Baysinger at a...

Missouri Governor Calls Off National Guard

Jay Nixon orders withdrawal from Ferguson

(Newser) - With the violence in Ferguson seemingly winding down, Missouri's governor has told the state's National Guard to go home, reports the St. Louis Post-Dispatch . Jay Nixon made the controversial move to deploy the Guard earlier this week , but his office said today that "the situation has greatly...

Missouri Deploys National Guard to Ferguson

Governor says Guard will 'restore peace and order'

(Newser) - Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon ordered the National Guard to Ferguson early today, hours after another violent night. The National Guard will help "in restoring peace and order" to the St. Louis suburb that has been rocked by angry protests since the fatal police shooting of unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown,...

1 Shot as Ferguson Protesters Defy Curfew

Police use smoke, tear gas; arrest 7

(Newser) - One person is in critical condition after having been shot overnight in Ferguson as protesters defied a midnight-to-5am curfew , reports the New York Times . Police, who are still seeking the shooter, used smoke and tear gas in the renewed unrest that came less than half an hour after the curfew...

State of Emergency, Curfew Declared in Ferguson

Jay Nixon institutes measures after more riots related to Michael Brown

(Newser) - Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency today and imposed a curfew in the St. Louis suburb where a black teenager was shot to death by a white police officer a week ago. Nixon said that though many protesters were making themselves heard peacefully, the state would not...

Ferguson Tensions Ease as Police Ditch Armor

Authorities to identify officer today after Anonymous apparently got it wrong

(Newser) - After several nights of protests—and clashes with police in riot gear—the mood was a lot lighter in Ferguson last night after the Missouri Highway Patrol took over from local police . Armored vehicles were absent, cars honked their horns in celebration, and Capt. Ronald Johnson, the highway patrol official...

Missouri Governor Vetoes Abortion Waiting Period

Because it has no exception for cases of rape or incest

(Newser) - Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon today vetoed legislation that would have required a 72-hour waiting period for women seeking abortions. The Democratic governor said he vetoed the bill because it didn't include an exception for rape and incest victims, and hence showed "a callous disregard for women who find...

Missouri Passes 72-Hour Abortion Waiting Period

It's not clear whether governor will sign

(Newser) - Missouri women who want an abortion may soon have to wait three full days before getting one. The state House voted 111-39 last night to approve legislation that will require a 72-hour waiting period. The state Senate had passed it earlier this week, and now it heads to Gov. Jay...

Student Charged With Slashing College Dean's Throat

Allegedly planning to knife Missouri governor

(Newser) - A deranged student who is accused of slashing a college dean's throat may have been planning to attack Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon, police say. The dean was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries after the attack at a community college, and Casey Brezik, 22, was charged with felony assault, the Kansas City ...

Missouri Strippers Battle Bill to Keep Them Clothed

Governor deciding whether to sign bill

(Newser) - Missouri’s strip clubs are begging Gov. Jay Nixon to veto a bill that they say would cost the state thousands of scantily clad jobs. The Republican legislature has passed a law that would forbid Show Me State strippers from dancing naked or touching patrons, and would bar clubs from...

States Get Creative as Jobs Disappear

Even as tax revenues shrink, states pay to entice employers

(Newser) - State governments, reeling from diminished tax revenues that have forced cuts in services and, in some cases, jobs, increasingly are offering tax breaks and incentives to employers in an effort to stimulate the job market, reports the Wall Street Journal. “Now is not the time to back off the...

14 Stories