LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Remains of Nebraska’s second Lincoln Capitol have surfaced as workers have excavated dirt in the building’s northwest courtyard for the installation of new fountains.

The workers discovered about four dozen pieces of buried limestone that probably made up a portion of the facade of the old Capitol. Before the discovery, the Capitol Commission had only one piece of stone from the old building.

Architect Matt Hansen is cleaning the decades-old, caked-on dirt and mud from the limestone. The commission will keep some of the stones in its masonry shop for people to see and touch on tours.

The second Capitol building was built from 1881 to 1888. It turned out to be too small almost as soon as it was built.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A new report says Nebraska’s unemployment remained 3 percent in January.

The Nebraska Labor Department said in the report issued Monday that the preliminary January rate was the same as December’s revised rate and was a tenth of a point higher than the revised January 2015 rate of 2.9 percent.

The new Nebraska rate remained well below the preliminary national unemployment rate of 4.9 percent in January. U.S. Labor Department figures say Nebraska’s rate was a tenth of a point higher than New Hampshire’s 2.9 percent in January and two-tenths higher than the 2.8 percent reported for North and South Dakota, the lowest rate in the nation.

UPDATE (3/14/16 3:50 pm)

Another day of searching has come up empty as authorities continue to try to locate Ronald Kubiak’s missing vehicle.

Chief Deputy Roland Kramer says Nebraska Game and Parks Conservation officers deployed a boat equipped with sonar earlier today.  Kramer said the search “did not produce any vehicles.”

According to Kramer, that section of the canal has effectively been eliminated as the possible location of Kubiak’s vehicle.

The search will resume on Wednesday, when authorities will focus their search on an area of the canal west of the Sutherland Inlet Campground.

Authorities say they are continuing to search for a vehicle belonging to a Sutherland man whose body was found in the Nebraska Public Power District canal, near the Gerald Gentleman Power Plant.

The Lincoln County Dive Team has been attempting to locate Ronald Kubiak’s 1993 Chrysler in the canal since last Thursday. Kubiak’s body was discovered in the canal by NPPD employees on Wednesday.

After an unsuccessful attempt to locate Kubiak’s car on Thursday, the search continued on Saturday but was again unsuccessful.

According to Chief Deputy Roland Kramer, the search will resume today, with assistance from a Nebraska Game and Parks Commission boat equipped with sonar, which is used to locate objects under water.

Kramer said the vehicle is possibly located in a short section of the canal, just north of the power plant.

An autopsy will be conducted on Kubiak’s body on Tuesday, in Gibbon.

Kubiak was last seen by family members in early February. Authorities say there is no reason to suspect foul play or suicide at this point.

RELATED CONTENT:

https://www.northplattepost.com/2016/03/10/updated-authorities-id-body-found-in-canal-near-sutherland/

https://www.northplattepost.com/2016/03/09/lcso-body-found-in-canal-near-gerald-gentleman-plant/

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Department of Agriculture is now seeking proposals for its specialty crop block grant program.

The program is designed to promote specialty crops such as potatoes, dry edible beans, fruits, vegetables, tree nuts and nursery crops. The submission deadline is April 1 at 5 p.m.

Director Greg Ibach says the program has proven successful in recent years, and has received grants from different parts of the state.

The program is administered by the state and funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. For the 2016 program, state officials expect to receive about $620,000.

Producers, organizations and associations, state and local agencies and educational groups are all eligible to apply.

More information is available on the Department of Agriculture’s website at https://1.usa.gov/1QHj7Kx .

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A series of prescribed burns are being planned at wildlife areas across the state to promote habitat for animals and improve the grasslands.

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission plans to set the fires at an assortment of wildlife management areas when weather permits.

The fires help remove invasive trees and bushes while stimulating the growth of desired grasses. They also help reduce the risk of wildfire because fuel is reduced.

Burns are being planned in the following counties: Antelope, Buffalo, Cass, Custer, Dawson, Dixon, Dodge, Fillmore, Gosper, Howard, Jefferson, Johnson, Keith, Knox, Lancaster, Lincoln, Madison, Nemaha, Otoe, Pawnee, Pierce, Richardson, Scotts Bluff, Seward, Sherman, Stanton and Thayer.