Reports: Nixon Aide New of E.Coli Sooner Than Revealed

. . . AND WHEN HE KNEW IT

An aide to Gov. Jay Nixon was told about high E. coli levels at the Lake of the Ozarks long before Nixon's office has said it became aware of the problem, a former state official told Senate investigators, according to dueling reports by The Kansas City Star & The Springfield News-Leader.

A former Department of Natural Resources official told Senate investigators she informed Nixon aide Jeff Mazur about the E. coli results on May 29-the day after the state agency got the test results, the newspapers reported Thursday afternoon.

Nixon's staff has said previously the governor's office was not aware of the E. coli problem until June 23. The results were not released to the public until June 26, when lower E. coli levels from later tests also were reported.

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BOFFO reporting by The Star's Dillon & The News-Leader's Livengood:

Read Dillon's piece, posted at 3:42 p.m. HERE.

Read Livengood's story, posted 4:38 p.m. HERE.