(AP) — The flooding along the South Platte River continues to set records in western Nebraska, but the defenses communities built are generally holding and the floodwater is slowly flowing east across the state.

The National Weather Service says the South Platte rose to a record of 14.36 feet early Monday morning.

The river had continued to rise since Sunday when it exceeded the old record of 14 feet that was set in June 1935.

The South Platte declined slightly to 14.1 feet by 8 a.m. Monday. The gauges upstream from North Platte show that the water flowing in from Colorado has started to decline.

But the Weather Service predicts minor flooding this week in several central Nebraska cities. The river is already rising near Lexington and Overton.

(AP) — A 36-year-old woman has been ordered to stand trial on a charge that she took her 13-month-old niece from the girl’s Chadron home and fled to South Dakota.

Court records say Aimy Dixon, of Chadron, is accused of felony false imprisonment. Prosecutors dropped two related misdemeanor charges. She has told authorities she’d been granted custody of her niece last spring.

Authorities say Dixon and Jesse Morrison broke into the home on June 21, scuffled with two adults there and then fled to South Dakota. Authorities issued an Amber alert. The toddler was recovered unharmed a few hours near Hot Springs, S.D., as another couple was driving the girl back to Chadron.

Records say Morrison has pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors. He was given 30 days in jail and fined $500.

(AP) — Nebraska’s two Democratic candidates for governor are emphasizing their rural backgrounds as they campaign across the state.

Nebraska state Sen. Annette Dubas kicked off a statewide tour on Monday, one day after she formally announced her candidacy at her family farm in Fullerton. Former University of Nebraska Regent Chuck Hassebrook launched his campaign in June, and has talked about his experience with the Center for Rural Affairs in his hometown of Lyons.

Both candidates are looking to replace Gov. Dave Heineman, who can’t seek re-election due to term limits.

University of Nebraska Omaha political science professor Paul Landow says both candidates have demonstrated an ability to win in rural districts, and their knowledge of rural issues could help win votes in the Republican-dominated state.

The Nebraska Department of Natural Resources, local natural resources districts, and irrigation districts in the Platte River Basin have taken steps to divert floodwaters out of the river as they moved into Nebraska from Colorado. These efforts consisted of developing agreements and coordinating the timing of the diversions of this flow in an attempt to attenuate the peak flood flows. The diversion of these floodwaters will have the added benefit of recharging the aquifer as these waters seep into the ground beneath the canals and lakes along the South Platte, North Platte, and Platte Rivers.

The flows on the South Platte River measured at the Colorado stateline peaked at 21,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) on September 18. While flows are slowly receding, they are expected to remain elevated for several weeks. The diversions will continue as long as these excess flows are available in order to maximize the aquifer recharge benefits. These groundwater recharge benefits will be realized in both the Platte and Republican River Basins as this groundwater slowly percolates through the ground into these rivers and their tributaries over time.

These diversion projects were set up in a very short time frame as Nebraska braced for the large flows expected after the devastating floods in Colorado. The Director of the Department of Natural Resources, Brian Dunnigan, said “the expeditious work by all parties in developing and implementing these agreements is a wonderful demonstration of what can be achieved when all parties are able to work in close collaboration toward the same goal.” This effort is similar to the diversion of flood waters carried out along the Platte River in 2011 by the Department and the local natural resources districts and irrigation districts, which also provided significant flood mitigation and aquifer recharge benefits.