Politics

Clay Waller was arraigned in court Monday on charges of killing his wife, Jacque Waller. 

An annual report released Friday by the attorney general found black drivers were 72 percent more likely than white motorists to be pulled over in 2011. Black drivers were stopped 2.5 times more often than Hispanic drivers.

The report compares racial characteristics of Missouri's driving-age population to the racial composition of drivers in the roughly 1.7 million traffic stops, 129,000 searches and 81,000 arrests.

Among the more than 110 bills passed by Missouri lawmakers this year is one designed to help law enforcement officers track a missing person through the potential victim’s cell phone signal.

The group Keep Columbia Free has started a campaign to recall First Ward Representative Fred Schmidt.

Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson is in Missouri hoping to help a man with a similar background score a similar victory.

Johnson was attending a fundraiser and campaign event Wednesday for John Brunner, one of three prominent Republicans seeking to challenge Democratic Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill in November.

A Brunner spokesman said the campaign hopes to raise $50,000 from the fundraiser in suburban St. Louis.

Missouri's annual legislative session has officially come to a close.

Lawmakers stopped debating and passing legislation on May 18 in compliance with a constitutional deadline.

But the session officially ended Wednesday, when leaders of the House and Senate signed the bills that passed, delivered them to the governor and banged the gavel for the final time.

A total of 114 bills and proposed constitutional amendments passed the Legislature during its 2012 session.

Gov. Jay Nixon has 45 days to sign or veto legislation.

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon has signed legislation redirecting casino fees to nursing homes for military veterans.

The legislation signed into law Wednesday provides a dedicated funding stream for the state's seven nursing homes that serve about 1,300 veterans.

Casinos already pay a per-person fee to the state. Most of that money has gone to early childhood programs. But the new law redirects the bulk of those fees to veterans homes.