Voters Guide 2012

Columbia Mayor Bob McDavid was re-elected to a second term Tuesday, but challengers Karl Skala and Ian Thomas defeated incumbents to win seats on the City Council.

Ian Thomas, former director of the PedNet Coalition, defeated incumbent Daryl Dudley and Bill Weitkemper with more than 47 percent of the vote.

Bob McDavid won with 60.9 percent of the votes and plans to focus a lot of attention on the growth of the business community.

Challenger Karl Skala defeated incumbent Gary Kespohl with 54.2 percent to take back a seat on the Columbia City Council.

The three-eighths-cent tax takes effect Oct. 1. Boone County officials said they'll start working toward upgrades as soon as this week.

The ballot measure passed by 70 percent to 30 percent. The final vote tally was 8,950 in favor to 3,851 against.

In Columbia, three seats on the City Council are up for grabs. Voters also cast ballots for mayor and for a Boone County amendment that would increase sales tax to pay for an overhaul of the 911 and emergency management operations.

Voters will elect a mayor, fill the Third and Fourth ward seats on the Columbia City Council and cast ballots on a charter amendment. Here's what voters need to know before they go to the polls.

The three-eighths-cent sales tax would generate about $9.3 million per year and would be used to finance a new building for 911 and emergency management operations as well as staffing and equipment upgrades.

The Missouri Democrat's support of the Ready for Hillary PAC on Tuesday marked the first time a member of Congress has endorsed the group.

The governor has until mid-July to sign, veto or allow gun legislation to take effect without his signature. People from across the country are voicing their opinions on how he should proceed.

The Boone County Children's Commission will have nine members who will serve staggered terms. The tax is expected to generate an estimated $5.4 million per year.

The automatic spending cuts that took effect Friday might be another example of how government action, or inaction, historically has unexpected results.

President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans continue to disagree, making compromise unlikely as the March 1 spending cuts draw near.

Democrat and Republican governors expressed frustration about the impending sequester and its impact on the economy at an annual governors' meeting Saturday.

The Affordable Care Act is unfolding as an experiment to decide whether the states or the federal government will do a better job getting uninsured people covered. 

State Rep. Linda Black, of Bonne Terre, announced Thursday that she would not seek the Democratic nomination to succeed Republican Congresswoman Jo Ann Emerson.

In specific proposals for his second term, President Barack Obama called for increased federal spending to fix the nation's roads and bridges, the first increase in the minimum wage in six years and expansion of early education to every American 4-year-old.

President Barack Obama is delivering the State of the Union address to Congress on Tuesday evening in Washington. YouTube is streaming live video of the president's speech from the White House website.