LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — People who pay taxes on Nebraska land and buildings will get a tax credit of roughly $94 per $100,000 of valuation this year under the new state budget.

The Department of Revenue announced the rate Monday from the property tax credit fund. Lawmakers and Gov. Pete Ricketts approved $408 million over two years for the fund during this year’s legislative session.

Under the formula, the owner of a $150,000 home will get a $141 credit. The credit is applied to the property taxes that are owed to local governments.

Of the $204 million available this year, Douglas County residents will receive the largest share with $36.3 million. Lancaster County will get nearly $21 million.

The department says nearly $217 billion in real Nebraska property value is eligible for the credit.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts is pitching the state to Japanese companies as part of an annual conference with other Midwestern governors.

Ricketts said in a conference call from Tokyo on Monday that he met with company officials from Toyota and Meikyo Denki, a Japanese power distribution panel manufacturer.

The governor is visiting Japan for the 47th Annual Joint Meeting of the Midwest U.S.-Japan Association. This year’s conference includes the governors of Iowa, Indiana, and Michigan, the lieutenant governor of Wisconsin and governors from half a dozen Japanese prefectures. More than 300 business and government leaders are attending.

Ricketts says Japanese companies have invested $4.4 billion in Nebraska since 2010.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Emergency management officials are encouraging Nebraskans to participate in an earthquake drill next month even though quakes are rare in the state.

The Nebraska Emergency Management Agency says the state plans to participate in the Great ShakeOut drill on Oct. 15 at 10:15 a.m.

NEMA’s Bryan Tuma says it’s a good idea to plan for earthquakes even if they don’t happen often in Nebraska.

The drill is a worldwide event that encourages people to practice dropping, covering and holding on just as they would do during an earthquake.

More information is available online at https://www.shakeout.org/centralus/nebraska .

On Thursday, September 10, the Nebraska State Patrol conducted alcohol compliance checks at 14 retail outlets in Dawson County.

During the effort one business checked, Cubby’s Gothenburg Express, was found to be non-compliant after selling alcohol to a minor.

The retail outlets checked included convenience, liquor and grocery stores, as well as restaurants and bars.

Law enforcement performs compliance checks to ensure that businesses are complying with the state’s alcohol laws and to decrease youth access to alcohol.

The Dawson County compliance checks were conducted thanks in part to a grant from Partner For Success (PFS).

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — For drivers in Midwestern farm country, the growing season brings a special danger on the roads: tall corn that can obscure other vehicles until it’s too late.

The plant’s broad leaves and thick stalks can stand up to 12 feet high, forming a wall of foliage that turns rural roads into long, narrow corridors of green, yellow and brown. Many intersections have no stop signs.

The peril is especially pervasive in Iowa, the nation’s top corn producer, where crops cover more than 90 percent of the land. At least five people have been killed so far this season in crashes blamed on corn.

Authorities issue warnings, but they can do little more than plead with drivers to use caution.

The problem is also widespread across Illinois, Nebraska, Minnesota and Indiana.