State of Missouri

Gov.-elect Jay Nixon issued pink slips to about 150 state employees recently, ending their jobs the moment he takes office. The termination letters were sent primarily to employees in Cabinet-level, senior staff or policy-making positions, said a Nixon spokesman. In December, Nixon's gubernatorial transition team sent letters to about 600 employees whose jobs were not covered by the state merit system. Those letters asked employees to either justify their jobs or lose them.