PARIS, Mo. (AP) — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is exploring whether there’s interest in developing a resort at northern Missouri’s Mark Twain Lake.

The corps manages the 18,000-acre lake created by construction of the Clarence Cannon Dam on the Salt River about three decades ago.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that it is soliciting private-party interest in a lodging and recreation complex on 331 acres of public land.

Interested developers may submit proposals that contain at least a 100-room lodging site, a restaurant, conference and meeting amenities for 300 people, and a boat-mooring structure.

Applicants also can propose other amenities, including golf courses, tennis courts, trails, indoor sports facilities or a conference center.

The corps says it is merely assessing market interest and won’t necessarily end up soliciting final development proposals.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) —Governor Nixon is calling for regulating and taxing online fantasy sports leagues in Missouri. Nixon said Wednesday in his State of the State address that the online gambling is completely unregulated and lobbyists want to keep it that way.

“Let’s get real,” Nixon said. “This is gambling, kids are playing, and it’s completely unregulated.”

Nixon said treating online fantasy sports like other casinos in the state could bring in millions of dollars for education.

GovernorNixon says he wants to sign into law a small increase in Missouri’s fuel tax. During his final State of the State Address, the governor said a bill from the Senate’s transportation chairman is a fair way to pay for roadwork. Doug Libla, a Poplar Bluff Republican, has proposed increasing the tax by 1.5 cents-per-gallon for gasoline and 3.5 cents for diesel.

Nixon said roads aren’t free and drivers should pay for updating the state’s transportation system. He said shifting money from elsewhere in the budget would be patching potholes with money for cops and schools, which he opposes.

Nixon also called for a $5 million increase in port funding.

Governo Nixon’s proposed budget for fiscal 2016 includes a pay increase for state employees and more spending on education. The governor and legislative leaders agree that the state’s revenues will increase 4.1 percent next year. Public universities and community colleges that froze their undergraduate tuition rates would receive around $55.6 million more in performance-based funding under Nixon’s proposed budget.

The foundation formula for K through 12 public schools would remain underfunded. Nixon has proposed increasing that funding by about $85 million. The state budget director says that would still leave it about $425 million short.

State employees would get a 2 percent pay increase starting July 1st.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri’s unemployment rate has fallen to its lowest point in more than a decade.

The state Department of Economic Development announced Wednesday that Missouri’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.4 percent in December. That’s down three-tenths of a percentage point from November and is the lowest mark since July 2001.

Missouri’s seasonally adjusted employment dropped by 100 jobs from November to December.

The agency also said employment grew by about 4,100 new jobs from October to November. The department previously had reported it rose by 2,200 jobs in that time period.

NEW YORK (AP) — Another plunge in the price of crude oil sent the stock market sharply lower.

Oil and gas companies led the way down Wednesday as sliding oil prices threatened even more damage to the battered energy sector.

Chevron fell 7 percent, the most in the Dow Jones industrial average.

The price of U.S. crude oil sank 7 percent and is trading at its lowest level since May 2003.

U.S. indexes are down 10 percent or more since the beginning of the year.

Bond prices rose as investors shifted money out of stocks.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas lawmakers are reviewing a bill that would lessen the state’s penalties for marijuana possession and allow the limited use of marijuana for medical purposes.

The Senate Corrections and Juvenile Justice Committee was meeting Wednesday for the first of two days of hearings on the marijuana legislation. The panel was taking testimony from supporters first and hearing from opponents Thursday.

The House approved the bill last year.

The measure would decrease the maximum penalties for first-time, misdemeanor marijuana possession to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine from a year in jail and a $2,500 fine. A second possession conviction would no longer be a felony.

The bill also would allow cannabis to be used in treating seizures and set up a program to research industrial hemp production.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Two men from Joplin have pleaded guilty to participating in a scheme that sold cooking oil stolen from restaurants in five states.

Neal Robbins pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court to money laundering. Another man, Virgil Bird, pleaded guilty to the same charge on Thursday.

Prosecutors say the scheme involved stealing cooking oil to sell to a recycling business in Oklahoma.

A third man, Brian Fleming, of Mountain Grove, admitted taking the oil to Oklahoma. He pleaded guilty in November.

Prosecutors say the three men trained and helped others steal the used cooking oil from restaurants. They were arrested as part of an undercover operation.

Sentencing dates for the three men have not been set.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Prosecutors say they may upgrade murder charges against a Kansas man and wife accused in the death of a child who authorities believe is the man’s missing 7-year-old son and may have been fed to pigs. Wyandotte County Deputy District Attorney Sheri Lidtke told a judge Tuesday that charges against Michael and Heather Jones may be upgraded to premeditated first-degree murder in the coming weeks.

She didn’t say what evidence prosecutors may have to support the new charge, which carries a minimum 50-year prison sentence. The Joneses are currently charged with felony murder, which carries a life sentence but parole eligibility after 20 years.

Authorities found remains of a juvenile on the family’s property in November. Tests to identify the remains are pending.

Another hearing is scheduled for April 8.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A bill to outlaw small, flame-powered paper air balloons in Nebraska has sped through first round debate in the Legislature.

Lawmakers voted unanimously on Tuesday to advance the measure.

The bill’s advocates say the lanterns create dangerous fire hazards if they land in neighborhoods or dry fields.

If the bill passes, violators would face a $100 fine. The lanterns are made of flame-retardant paper and lifted by hot air from open flames at their bases. They’re often released into the sky at memorials or celebrations. Hot air balloons large enough to carry people would not be included in the ban.

Sen. Jerry Johnson of Wahoo has designated the bill his priority this session.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — A Springfield zoo has euthanized a 37-year-old bull elephant that was known for his throwing abilities. The elephant, “Khun Chorn,” was found lying in the barn at the Dickerson Park Zoo on Saturday.

Zookeepers unsuccessfully tried to encourage him to stand. They even called the fire department to assist.

The elephant,” known locally as “Mr. Ed,” was sedated and allowed him to rest while zookeepers observed him throughout the night. He was euthanized after another unsuccessful attempt to get him to stand.

The elephant was born at the zoo in Portland, Oregon, and arrived at Dickerson Park Zoo in 1980. When he was a juvenile, zookeepers taught him to throw a softball. He even threw a ceremonial first pitch at a Springfield sports complex.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas House has approved a bill aimed at making it harder for judges or prosecutors to influence the work of grand juries convened by citizens.

The vote Tuesday was 101-20.

The bill that would allow people who are responsible for calling a grand jury to observe a judge’s instructions to the jurors. The measure goes next to the Senate.

Supporters said the bill would make grand juries less secretive and more responsive to the people who call them.

Kansas is one of six states allowing citizens to petition for grand juries. The 1887 law was rarely used until about a decade ago, when anti-abortion activists began using it to convene grand jury investigations of abortion clinics. The law also has since also been used to investigate adult bookstores.