OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Results from a monthly survey of business supply managers show a slight slip in the economic conditions in nine Midwest and Plains states.

The Mid-America Business Conditions Index report released Monday says the overall economic index for the region dropped to 60.1 in March from 60.5 in February. It’s the first index decline in five months.

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss oversees the survey, and he says the figures still point to a healthy regional manufacturing economy.

The survey results are compiled into a collection of indexes ranging from zero to 100. Survey organizers say any score above 50 suggests growth in that factor. A score below that suggests decline.

The survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.

MINATARE, Neb. (AP) — A Bayard man is scheduled to be sentenced April 25 for the crash death of an Alliance woman.

Court records say 29-year-old Trevor Teichroeb pleaded no contest to misdemeanor vehicular homicide.

The Nebraska State Patrol says 68-year-old Barbara Fritzler was fatally injured Oct. 18 while waiting for a pilot car at a construction site on U.S. Highway 26, about a mile and a half east of Minatare. The patrol says Teichroeb’s pickup truck rammed into the rear of Fritzler’s car, knocking it into a vehicle ahead of hers.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Endurance athletes are invited to sign up for a 191-mile race down the Cowboy Trail in May.

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission says the second annual Cowboy Ultra Run will be held May 20-21 for individuals and teams.

The race will cover the entire Cowboy Trail between Valentine and Norfolk. That trail is the longest former stretch of railroad to be converted into a trail in the United States.

The event will be limited to 75 people. Registration is $70 per person.

More information is available online at https://bit.ly/2noIciB or by calling 402-432-3622.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — An effort to unite Nebraska business and farm groups behind a sweeping tax plan is on shaky ground as both sides argue over which taxes should be cut.

The state’s largest business groups are calling for income tax cuts, while some leading farm groups say lawmakers should continue their focus on lowering property taxes. Gov. Pete Ricketts is touting a plan that he says would help them both, but its fate remains uncertain.

Sen. Jim Smith of Papillion, chairman of the Revenue Committee, says he’s still hopeful the groups will reach some agreement before the session ends, but he is concerned the dispute could derail the whole package.

Some senators say lawmakers shouldn’t consider tax cuts when the state faces longer-term challenges with its prison system and mental health services.

KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) — Residence hall students at the University of Nebraska at Kearney recycled more than 13,000 pounds (5896.76 kilograms) of material during a six-week recycling competition between residence halls dubbed “Recycle-Mania.”

3,250 pounds (1474.19 kilograms) more was recycled this year than last year’s 9,457 pounds (4289.67 kilograms).

Associate director of residence life LeAnn Jochum says that the effort keeps waste out of landfills.

Men’s Hall won this year’s competition with an average of 15.7 pounds (7.12 kilograms) recycled per resident. The residence hall with the greatest improvement over last year was Mantor-Randall Hall, with an average of 10.7 pounds (4.85 kilograms) per resident.

UNK’s Residence Life and Sustainability Committee sponsored the event.

KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) — The University of Nebraska Board of Regents has approved a $6 million upgrade to the student union on the Kearney campus.

The board on Friday approved the plan, which will include the addition of a Chick-fil-A restaurant, an expansion of Starbucks, a new dining area and a meeting space at the University of Nebraska at Kearney student union.

The project is slated to begin as early as this month and will renovate the building entrance and adjacent corridors, reconfigure meeting and dining spaces, update interiors, fix issues with the heating and air conditioning systems and address lighting and sewer issues.

Vice Chancellor for Business and Finance Jon Watts says the renovation will enhance the social and student activities hub of the university.