COLUMBUS, Neb. (AP) — Columbus police say they no longer plan to offer voluntary ride-alongs for civilians, at least for now.

The police department made the decision in after learning its insurance provider put a suspension on the rides.

Columbus Police Capt. Chuck Sherer says most people interested in riding with an officer are from the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Columbus class, the department’s Citizen’s Police Academy and criminal justice programs through Central Community College.

The department averaged 16 ride-alongs annually in 2014 and 2015, but only eight this year.

Sherer says he has to deny all requests until the suspension is lifted.

AURORA, Neb. (AP) — A central Nebraska man accused of hiring someone to kill his wife is asking a judge to dismiss one of the charges against him.

Robert S. Honken is charged with two felony counts of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. Authorities say he made arrangements with Derrick Shirley of Bradshaw to kill his wife. Both men were arrested Feb. 29.

Authorities say a concerned citizen notified them that Honken had contacted him with a request to kill his wife. During a recorded police call, Honken allegedly said he wanted his wife “out of the way” and admitted he had previously hired another person, Shirley, to do the job.

Honken is seeking to have one of the charges dismissed, saying it constitutes double jeopardy.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Authorities have arrested a Lincoln woman on suspicion of setting a car on fire.

29-year-old Gabrielle Loving is accused of setting fire to a car that she believed belonged to a former boyfriend.

Authorities say the blaze caused about $7,000 in damages.

Loving told police she had nothing to do with fire, but police say her daughter told a school counselor that her mother admitted to the crime and that her clothes smelled like smoke.

According to a police affidavit, Loving’s daughter said her mother told her to put the clothes in a neighbor’s trash can and instructed her about what to say if police asked her about the incident.

Online court records did not list an attorney for Loving in the case.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A national group of state agricultural leaders will meet in Nebraska next week.

The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture will meet in Lincoln from Wednesday through next Saturday and celebrate its 100th anniversary.

The head of Nebraska’s Agriculture Department, Greg Ibach (EYE’-bah), has been serving as president of the group.

The group promotes policies that promote American agriculture and protect the environment.

The group’s members will be looking ahead to what the next president and next farm bill might mean for agriculture. And there will discussions of current regulatory challenges farmers and ranchers face.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Lincoln high school player has joined San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick in taking a knee during the national anthem, protesting racial oppression and inequality.

Sterling Smith of Southeast High School says he did so before last week’s game and will do so again Friday against Omaha North and continue through the rest of the season.

Smith says the discussions that followed Kaepernick’s protests shed light on the difficult subject of race and give people a chance to talk about those issues. Smith says he, too, wanted to start a conversation.

The school district says it encourages athletes and spectators to stand during the national anthem but also recognizes the nation’s freedom of speech. It says no one is legally required to stand.