National Guard Pulling Out of Ferguson

Gov. Jay Nixon is withdrawing the Missouri National Guard from Ferguson, his office announced this afternoon.

The governor said in a statement that the guard had carried out its mission of protecting the Unified Command Center in Ferguson, an assignment that began Monday, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

"Since that time, the situation has greatly improved with fewer incidents of outside instigators interfering with peaceful protesters, and fewer acts of violence," Nixon said.