(AP)  Republican former U.S. Senate candidate John Brunner says he is contemplating a run for Missouri governor in 2016.

Brunner told The Associated Press on Friday that he has received encouragement to run but doesn’t plan to make a decision until after the 2014 elections.

Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon is barred by term limits from seeking re-election. Democratic Attorney General Chris Koster already is building a gubernatorial campaign.

Brunner is a former St. Louis area businessman who ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate in the 2012 Republican primary.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal government is giving banks a roadmap for doing business with marijuana sellers.

It’s another step toward enabling a legalized marijuana industry to operate in the United States.

The Justice and Treasury departments issued new guidance on Friday. It’s intended to increase availability of financial services for legal marijuana businesses. But it still preserves the government’s power to enforce criminal laws.

The guidance comes after Washington and Colorado became the first states in the nation to approve recreational use of marijuana. A citizens’ group is hoping to make Alaska the third state to do so.

(AP) – There will be a new chairman of the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission starting in March.
Vice chairman Stephen Miller, of Kansas City, will take over as chairman from Joe Carmichael, of Springfield, who will become vice chairman. Both men are attorneys.
The rotation is common practice at the commission, which oversees funding for Missouri’s roads, bridges and other modes of transportation.
The six-member panel currently has two vacancies. Gov. Jay Nixon last week withdrew the nominations of Kelley Martin, of Kansas City, and Bryan Scott, of St. Louis, to the transportation commission after they were not confirmed by the state Senate.

 (AP) – A Springfield man was sentenced to life in prison without parole for his role in the death of a southwest Missouri couple.

Forty-five-year-old Tony Friend was sentenced Thursday for the deaths of 34-year-old Russell Porter and his 46-year-old wife, Rebecca Porter. They vanished from their home in Willard in April 2011. Their bodies were found in Taney County and prosecutors say they were shot execution-style.

Friend was one of five people charged in the death. He pleaded guilty in December to two counts of first-degree murder.

Friend’s son, Phillip Friend, has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. Tony Friend’s wife and two others still face murder charges in the deaths. They are scheduled for trial this year.

Investigators have not discussed a possible motive for the killings.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Officials are urging people to be cautious around ice-covered Midwestern lakes as temperatures rise this week.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said in a news release Thursday that there is no such thing as 100 percent safe ice. The corps’ Kansas City district urged people to watch for deteriorating conditions at its 18 lakes throughout Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska.

The corps says it’s impossible to judge the strength of ice by its appearance, thickness or temperature. Strength also is based on the depth of water under the ice, size of the water body, water chemistry and currents.

The corps also noted that ice seldom freezes uniformly. That means it may be a foot thick in one location but only an inch or two thick just a few feet away.

(AP) – Any money not spent by Missouri in a fiscal year would become a tax credit for the state’s taxpayers under a measure heard by a Senate panel.

Republican Sen. Kurt Schaefer, of Columbia, told the Senate Ways and Means Committee on Thursday that his bill would give lawmakers an incentive not to overspend on government services.

Opponents argued it would give the governor and the Legislature the incentive to spend more than the state has to avoid a refund.

The measure would need to be approved by voters.

Missouri already has a constitutional provision, known as the Hancock Amendment, which triggers a tax refund after state revenues hit a certain cap. Missouri’s actual revenues are well short of that amendment’s cap.

(AP) – A Missouri lawmaker wants to impeach Gov. Jay Nixon for not moving fast enough to call special elections for vacant legislative seats.

House Republican Mike Moon, of Ash Grove, filed articles of impeachment Thursday against the Democratic governor.

Currently there are three House vacancies and one open seat in the Senate. One House seat has been vacant since June, when Rep. Jason Smith resigned after being elected to Congress.

Last month, Nixon set an August election for the three House seats, but hasn’t set a date for the Senate vacancy. Moon’s articles say the delay has denied representation for almost 300,000 Missourians.

Another article of impeachment has also been filed against Nixon for his decision to direct state tax officials to accept joint returns from legally married gay couples.

U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill met Wednesday with Missouri State President Clif Smart and University leadership to discuss university affairs, including MSU’s ongoing focus on rural economic initiatives.

McCaskill also met with Missouri Community College Association representatives to discuss the importance of college affordability and new initiatives and opportunities made possible by federal grants, including the importance of Pell Grants to Missouri’s community colleges.

“Everyone deserves a chance at an affordable education in this country,” McCaskill said. “A college degree helps level the playing field, and gives our kids a fair shot at competing for the job and business opportunities of tomorrow.”

Since joining the Senate in 2007, McCaskill has been a strong supporter of higher education opportunities. She has previously fought for an expansion of federal student loans, and recently led the charge to prevent a drastic increase in student loan interest rates.

McCaskill also previously helped pass the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, which made college more affordable for Missouri families by boosting Pell Grants, cutting interest rates on college loans, and providing loan forgiveness for students who spend ten years in public service, as well as opening up TEACH Grants for undergraduates who commit to teaching in high-need school districts.