SIDNEY, Neb. (AP) – A 37-year-old Sidney man has pleaded not guilty to possession of child pornography.  Court records say a November trial has been scheduled for Kenneth Steffens.  According to The Sidney Sun-Telegraph, Steffens entered his plea earlier this week.  The allegation stemmed from an investigation into what officials say was a phony kidnapping.  Prosecutors say a 16-year-old girl had sent text messages to another man about her supposed kidnapping.  When the girl called her mother to report the supposed abduction, the mother found photos and racy text messages on her daughter’s cellphone.  Prosecutors say the photos and texts had been sent to Steffens.  Court records say a hearing is scheduled for next month.

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) – A cougar has been reported in the south-central Nebraska city of Grand Island, but the report has not been confirmed. Police say someone reported seeing a cougar in a backyard early Thursday morning. According to The Grand Island Independent, an officer who was sent to the area couldn’t find the big cat. Cougars, which also are called mountain lions or pumas, have turned up as far east in Nebraska as Omaha. There were at least four unconfirmed cougar reports during June in York County, which is east of Grand Island. A study estimated that at least 19 cougars are living in the Pine Ridge area of the Nebraska Panhandle.