(AP) — A status hearing for the man charged in the shooting deaths of his ex-wife and his former divorce attorney has been postponed for a second time.

58-year-old Michael Petersen, of Glenvil, was supposed to have the hearing Friday morning. It was postponed until April 21.

Petersen is charged with two counts each of first-degree murder and use of a weapon in the Nov. 13 slayings of 52-year-old Todd Elsbernd and 58-year-old Nancy Peterson.

Elsbernd was shot in the back with a rifle outside his Grand Island law office. Police say that earlier in the day, Nancy Petersen was found dead outside her rural Buffalo County home.

Michael Petersen has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

(AP) — A western Nebraska woman accused of helping her husband kill himself, then hiding his body, will stand trial in the case.

Cheyenne County Sheriff’s deputies say 53-year-old Deann Kimble, of Sidney, was arrested last month and charged with assisting suicide and concealing a body in the death of her husband, 61-year-old Russell Kimble.

Deputies say Kimble told them that she had promised her husband she would not intervene when he decided it was “his time to die.”

She told investigators that Russell Kimble shot himself on March 22, believing he was gravely ill. Investigators say Deann Kimble then wrapped his body is a shower curtain and sheet and buried him in a shallow grave.

Her first appearance in trial court is set for Tuesday.

State park areas temporarily closed by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission last fall will reopen April 18 – two weeks earlier than previously planned.

The parks will reopen early because work crews reassigned from the closed parks completed their assigned projects ahead of schedule. The purpose of the closures was to redirect Game and Parks staff and resources from the closed areas in an effort to reduce the more than $40 million of identified deferred maintenance needs of an aging Nebraska State Park System and meet compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and environmental requirements.

Work groups of 2-3 employees each were located in six sites across Nebraska. They built 42 double-wide vault toilets to replace deteriorated ones, exceeding their goal by six. The new vault toilets will be distributed to park areas around the state.

During the closure period, several communities, civic groups and political subdivisions provided volunteers and funding to keep some of the park areas open for varying periods of time.

“We are gratified that many communities and persons stepped forward and provided resources to keep some of the parks open,” Game and Parks Director Jim Douglas said. “We are truly grateful for their efforts.”

It was announced last Aug. 30 that 29 state park areas would temporarily close to all services and vehicle access. Management of one park area, Oliver Reservoir, has since reverted from Game and Parks back to its owner, the South Platte Natural Resources District.

The following state recreation areas will reopen April 18: Alexandria, Blue River, Cheyenne, Conestoga, Cottonwood, Dead Timber, DLD, Keller, Long Lake, Long Pine, North Loup, Olive Creek, Pelican Point, Riverview Marina, Rock Creek Lake, Sandy Channel, Schramm, Sutherland, Union Pacific, Verdon, Stagecoach, Walgren, and War Axe.

The state historical parks that will reopen are Arbor Lodge, Ash Hollow, Buffalo Bill, Fort Atkinson, and Fort Hartsuff.

(AP) — Republican Pete Ricketts has won the endorsement of Sarah Palin in his primary bid for Nebraska governor.

Palin, a former vice presidential nominee and Alaska governor, joined Ricketts Friday at a campaign rally at the Nebraska State Fairgrounds in Grand Island. She praised Ricketts as a “principled conservative” with private sector experience.

Palin has ventured into Nebraska politics before. Last month, she endorsed Midland University President Ben Sasse in his primary bid for U.S. Senate. In 2012, she publicly supported Republican Deb Fischer’s successful U.S. Senate campaign.

Ricketts is competing in a six-way Republican primary race with Attorney General Jon Bruning, State Auditor Mike Foley, Omaha tax attorney Bryan Slone, and state Sens. Tom Carlson and Beau McCoy.

(AP) — An effort to encourage more wind energy development in Nebraska hit a roadblock this legislative session, but some Nebraska lawmakers are determined to capitalize on the state’s wind potential.

Despite Nebraska’s strong potential for wind energy, the state has had difficulty getting major wind developments because of a lack of significant tax incentives and a public power structure that requires low-cost energy.

This session, Sen. Ken Haar of Malcolm withdrew a bill that would have encouraged public power districts to consider more renewable energy.

A bill by Sen. Al Davis of Hyannis remains alive. It seeks to study Nebraska’s future needs for transmission infrastructure to serve consumers and to export electricity out of the state.

That bill faces one more vote in front of the Legislature.