// a href = ./ //

A St. Louis woman has pleaded guilty to misdemeanor animal abuse charges for starving her two dogs to near death, then tossing one in a trash bin behind her home.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that 22-year-old Cennitra Fowler pleaded guilty on Friday. As part of plea deal she was placed on probation for one year, ordered to perform 24 hours of community service, must take an animal care class, and must donate $75 to the Humane Society of Missouri. She is also prohibited from owning or caring for any pets during her probation.

 Fowler called the city about her dogs in October 2011, though it wasn't clear why. The dog thrown in the trash later died. The other dog ultimately recovered and was adopted.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department is expected to announce their Bomb and Arson Unit will merge with St. Louis County's Bomb and Arson Squad .

The proposed merger is just the latest in a series of moves that the region’s two largest departments have made in the name of saving money on equipment and personnel costs.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill says she is supporting a super political action committee encouraging Hillary Rodham Clinton to run for president in 2016.

McCaskill is the first sitting member of Congress to endorse the group, called Ready for Hillary.

The organization does not have official ties to the former secretary of state but it's trying to lay the foundation for another Clinton campaign.

McCaskill was an early supporter of Barack Obama when he was running for president in 2008. She says it's important for supporters of Clinton to start early and build a "grassroots army from the ground up" to help the former first lady if she decides to run for president.

McCaskill was re-elected to her second term in the Senate in 2012.