KRCU

Reporting by KRCU's Jacob McCleland contributed to this piece.

Republican Jason Smith easily won a special election on Tuesday to fill Jo Ann Emerson’s vacant seat in the US House of Representatives.

It was a strong night for Smith, as the 32-year old Missouri House speaker pro tem cruised past Democratic rival Steve Hodges 67 percent to 27 percent.

Updated 4:49 p.m. with reporting from KRCU's Jacob McCleland

The United States Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday in a Missouri case that police cannot take a blood test from a drunk driving suspect without a warrant during a routine drunk driving arrest.

Tony Rothert is the legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Eastern Missouri and says the decision requires police officers to consider all circumstances during a drunk driving arrest when deciding if a warrant is necessary.

Reporting by Jacob McClelland and Chris McDaniel.

Updated at 2:28 with announcement of the date of the special election.

As expected, U.S. Representative Jo Ann Emerson submitted her letter of resignation to Governor Jay Nixon and House speaker John Boehner on Tuesday. Emerson is leaving to become president and CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.

Now, Nixon must call for a special election to fill out the remainder of Emerson’s term.

Reporting from Jacob McCleland of KRCU.

The Republicans who hope to replace Jo Ann Emerson in the U.S. House of Representatives stressed their conservative credentials while trying to differentiate themselves in a crowded field at a voter forum in Cape Girardeau Thursday night.

Reporting by Jacob McCleland of KRCU.

The United States Supreme Court will hear arguments this Wednesday (today) to determine whether police officers can take blood tests from drunk driving suspects without a warrant.

The case springs from a drunk driving arrest in Cape Girardeau in 2010.

Audio will be available later.

The United States Supreme Court will tackle the question of whether or not police must obtain a search warrant prior to conducting blood tests in drunk driving arrests.