LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A bill that would freeze Nebraska’s minimum wage at $8 an hour for most high school students has advanced out of a legislative committee.

The Business and Labor Committee voted Tuesday on the measure, which would apply to high school students younger than 19. Nebraska’s minimum wage increased from $7.25 to $8 an hour on Jan. 1, and is scheduled to rise again to $9 in 2016.

Sen. Laura Ebke of Crete has said she introduced the bill to help businesses that rely on high school aged employees. Some rural grocery stores have said they’re already struggling, and the higher wage would make it harder to stay in business.

Another bill that would increase the wage for tipped employees, such as restaurant servers, failed to advance.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Members of Nebraska’s local food movement say bakers and gardeners are being choked out by rules meant for larger businesses.

A legislative committee heard public testimony Tuesday on two measures to ease regulations on small-scale food operations.

A bill by Sen. Burke Harr of Omaha would allow cities, states and counties to designate vacant land for community gardens. It would also exempt free seed exchanges from regulations that apply to commercial seed operations.

Advocates say the measure is about making agriculture accessible to low-income families.

A measure by Sen. Rick Kolowski of Omaha would allow for potentially non-hazardous foods like fresh produce, baked goods and jams to be prepared in personal kitchens and sold on a small scale.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court says Nebraska should pay $3.7 million in damages to Kansas in a long-running legal dispute over use of water from the Republican River.

The justices on Tuesday also agreed with the recommendations of a special master who found that Nebraska should pay $1.8 million on top of actual damages for using more than its legal share of the river’s water in 2005 and 2006.

The dispute centers on a 1943 compact allocating 49 percent of the river’s water to Nebraska, 40 percent to Kansas and 11 percent to Colorado.

Since 1999, Kansas has complained that Nebraska uses more than its fair share of water from the river, which originates in Colorado and runs mostly through Nebraska before ending in Kansas.

A weekend traffic stop on I-80 in Keith County led to the seizure of 27 lbs. of marijuana and two arrests.

Just after 2:30 p.m. (MDT) on Sunday, February 22, a trooper stopped an eastbound, 2012 Volkswagen Jetta for following to close near the Ogallala exit on I-80 in Keith County. The trooper was given consent to search the vehicle. The search led to the seizure of 27 lbs. of marijuana, and 10 grams of hashish. The drugs were located in luggage in the trunk of the vehicle.

The driver of the vehicle, Richard J. Zuppelli, 28, of Buffalo, New York, and a passenger in the vehicle Shawn M. Reynolds, 28, Buffalo, New York, were each lodged in the Keith County Jail on a charge of Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Deliver.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska lawmakers have approved a $7 million cash transfer to prevent the state’s child welfare system from running out of money by mid-April.

Senators approved the funding measure on Tuesday. It now heads to Gov. Pete Ricketts.

Lawmakers have blamed the Department of Health and Human Services for the funding shortfall, saying past administrators denied that they needed help last year when senators asked them.

A department official told lawmakers the shortfall was caused by a variety of factors, including higher rates for foster care services, higher-than-expected mileage costs, unpaid bills and the loss of some federal foster care payments.

The federal government demanded reimbursement from the state for child welfare expenses submitted by a private contractor that weren’t properly documented.