Politics

Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster reports raising more than a half-million dollars during the past quarter for his re-election campaign.

Candidates filed reports with the Missouri Ethics Commission laying out their fundraising activities from April through the end of June.

Koster, a Democrat, reported that his campaign raised $572,000 during the past three months and had nearly $2.4 million in available cash at the start of July.

Gov. Jay Nixon is building a big bank account for his re-election campaign.Finance figures released Monday show Nixon raised $2.1 million from April through June and had $7.6 million in his account at the start of July. 

Nixon's campaign said it was his strongest fundraising quarter this election cycle and that his bank account is twice as large as it was at a similar point in July 2008. 

The wealth of businessman John Brunner has allowed him to easily outspend his rivals in Missouri's Republican U.S. Senate primary.

Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder will lead a newly formed state committee reviewing Missouri's disaster recovery efforts and preparedness for future challenges.

The committee was created by Republican House Speaker Steven Tilley. It also includes lawmakers, a Joplin city council member, an official from a health care company and a Jasper County official.

Activists have submitted a petition that seeks to decriminalize marijuana in Springfield.

The Springfield News-Leader reported that petitions with more than 2,500 signatures were submitted Friday to the Springfield city clerk.

Assistant City Clerk Anita Cotter says about 2,100 valid signatures are needed to move the petition forward to City Council, which could pass the petition or submit it to a vote.

Show-Me Cannabis Regulation board member Maranda Reynolds says the group continues collecting signatures in case some of the ones it submitted aren't useable.