SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. (AP) — A jury has returned a guilty verdict in the case of a man charged with armed robbery of a Scottsbluff convenience store in January.

The Scotts Bluff County District Court took just under three hours Tuesday to convict 29-year-old Michael Galindo of the Jan. 15 armed robbery of a Git ‘N Split store.

Prosecutors showed jurors video surveillance tapes from the store and a bank taken on the same day of the robbery. They show clothing worn by the robber is similar to that worn by Galindo in the bank video.

Defense attorney Bill Madelung argued to the jury that “similar” or “kinda like” are not grounds for a conviction beyond a reasonable doubt.

Galindo will be sentenced on Aug. 29.

CHADRON, Neb. (AP) — A mountain lion has been shot south of Chadron after a man observed it crouching in the grass about 20 yards from his home where two young children were on a patio.

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission says in a statement the 5-month-old female mountain lion was shot Saturday.

The man retrieved a rifle from the house and approached the animal, then shot it when it stood but did not flee. The mountain lion weighed about 30 pounds.

As required by law, the man immediately notified authorities after shooting the animal.

The Dawes County Sheriff’s Department investigated the incident and took possession of the animal. It was transferred to Nebraska Game and Parks officials Sunday.

Authorities determined the man acted within the law.

CHADRON, Neb. (AP) — Backyard chicken enthusiasts can now own their own birds in the city limits of Chadron.

The Chadron City Council has given final approval to an ordinance allowing backyard or hobby chickens.

The council has passed an amendment to an existing ordinance regulating animals in the city. It allows residents to keep up to six chickens in an enclosed area that’s at least 20-feet from the sides of the lot. Roosters are prohibited.

A $25 annual fee is required. Renters must have signed landlord approval.

Councilman and veterinarian Dr. John Gamby voted against the change saying it wasn’t needed. He says the ordinance is discriminatory against ducks and other bird species since it addressed only chickens.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — New airport stations designed to serve a firefighting plane in rural Nebraska are now up and running.

The Nebraska Forest Service said Tuesday that the state-contracted plane and crew arrived last week for a two-month stint during the summer wildfire season.

The state forest service recently hired a manager for the single-engine air tanker base in Chadron. Bases are also located in Valentine and Alliance, in addition to a mobile unit. The bases serve as storage facilities for water and flame retardant, allowing the plane to reload and circle back to a fire quickly.

The planes and bases were approved after massive wildfires in 2006 and 2012 that threatened lives and property. Nebraska has not seen any major fires so far this year.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska has fared well in a new national study of children’s education and economic well-being.

The Kids Count report released Tuesday by the Annie E. Casey Foundation ranks Nebraska 10th overall.

The annual study ranked Nebraska fifth this year for children’s economic well-being, down from fourth place the previous year. The state placed ninth overall when it came to education, up from 17th place in 2013.

The report says 18 percent of children lived in poverty as of 2012, the most recent year shown. Carolyn Rooker, executive director of Voices for Children in Nebraska, says the report demonstrates the need for heightened attention on the issue of child poverty.

HEARTWELL, Neb. (AP) — Some old tractors have been deployed to help a south-central Nebraska farmer turn a hail-torn cornfield into a future field of winter wheat.

The tractors were among those registered for the 17th annual Heartwell Plow Day on Saturday. The Plow Day event is for tractors made in the 1960s and earlier.

Organizers had been planning to turn over a field of wheat stubble belonging to Glen Haselbarth. But the event location was moved to a field about four miles away, southwest of Heartwell. About 80 acres of corn there and 10 acres of alfalfa nearby were damaged during a hailstorm on July 9.

The old tractors pulled plows through the 90 acres on Saturday, preparing them for a fall planting of wheat.