HASTINGS, Neb. (AP) — The Adams County Courthouse in Hastings will be more secure when it opens for the new year.

Officials restricted access to the courthouse’s south entrance. Visitors who enter the building when it opens Jan. 4 also will have to walk through an X-ray machine and metal detector monitored by security guards. One guard will be armed and the other won’t.

Adams County Supervisor Scott Thomsen says officials studied the issue for more than two years before making the security upgrades. They follow enhanced security implemented recently at the city building.

The county paid about $40,000 for the X-ray machine and $5,000 for the metal detector. The annual cost of the security guards will be about $100,000.

Supervisors awarded additional money for cameras and security doors.

___