LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Gov. Pete Ricketts has appointed 11 members to the Nebraska Tourism Commission as part of a legislative reshuffling.

The appointees announced Thursday are Roger Dixon of Omaha, John Chapo of Lincoln, Jeanna Stavas of Nebraska City, Roger Kuhn of Ashland, Darrin Barner of Laurel, Debra Nelson-Loseke of Columbus, Ashley Olson of Red Cloud, Roger Jasnoch of Kearney, Sarah Sortum of Burwell, Barry McFarland of Lexington and Starr Lehl of Minatare.

A law passed earlier this year expanded the commission from nine members to 11. Four are required to have professional, volunteer or public service experience related to the commission’s duties. Seven must be affiliated with the tourism industry.

A set of gates used for water stabilization by Nebraska Public Power District on the Sutherland Canal near Hershey will be replaced beginning in October. With that work being done, water levels along the canal and at Lake Maloney will gradually lower during the month of September.

The mid-1950’s era gates are being replaced due to their age and condition, as part of NPPD’s maintenance on the Sutherland Canal. The work will reduce inflows through the canal into Lake Maloney, where lake level are expected to drop about four feet from normal by the end of the month.

At the end of September, there will be no inflows coming through the canal into the lake until work on the gates are completed.

“The gate replacement project is scheduled to be completed by late October or early November,” said NPPD’s Land Management Coordinator Brian Hope. “This work is a major undertaking and the completion date will rely on many factors, including weather conditions,” Hope added that once work is completed, inflows to the lake will begin at a slow pace with gradual increases over several weeks. Once normal operating levels are reached at Lake Maloney, the hydro will begin generating and NPPD will resume its standard operations of the lake.

“When we reduce inflows into the lake from the canal system for maintenance work, various locations may see areas where fish are trapped and may die,” Hope explained. NPPD works with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission which will issue salvage permits for the public to recover those fish.

Salvage permits can be obtained from the Nebraska Game and Parks offices located at 301 East State Farm Road in North Platte or contact that office at 308-535-8025.

LINCOLN, Neb. – Nebraska Game and Parks officials ask that visitors to Nebraska’s state parks and recreation areas refrain from hiding painted rocks so others may find and re-hide them.

The practice of hiding rocks with painted messages is becoming more common at state and national parks across the United States, including in Nebraska. Placing rocks in parks distracts from an area’s natural beauty,” said Jim Swenson, state parks administrator for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Additionally, the practice of hiding rocks violates a state park regulation that prohibits guests from removing, defacing or disturbing elements of a state park’s natural landscape.

“Nebraska state parks provide natural settings in the state’s most scenic and unique areas,” Swenson said. “For many visitors to these areas, encountering painted rocks diminishes the land’s beauty and the experience of being in nature.”

Officials at many other state and national parks across the United States have also asked park guests to refrain from hiding painted rocks.

Swenson encourages park visitors instead to explore Nebraska’s park areas by hiking, watching wildlife, photographing their beautiful surroundings or participating in scheduled park activities including crafts, guided wildlife hikes, holiday activities, naturalist programs and much more. Scheduled park activities are listed at Calendar.OutdoorNebraska.gov.

A 26-year-old North Platte man is facing sexual assault charges after police say he engaged in sex acts with two minor females.

On August 25, North Platte police received information that Tim Scholar had been involved in a prior sexual relationship with two females under the age of 16.

Investigator John Deal says officers viewed text messages between Scholar and victims which led them to believe that some type of sexual contact had occurred between Scholar and the girls who were around 13 and 14-years-old at the time of the incident.

According to Deal, both females were interviewed at the Bridge of Hope Child Advocacy Center and, as a result of the interviews, police learned that Scholar had allegedly had oral sex with one of the victims and had digitally penetrated the other.

Scholar was located by police on September 6 at a residence in the 400 block of South Bailey Avenue.

He was placed under arrest and jailed charged with two counts of 1st-degree sexual assault.

According to jail records, Scholar is being held without bail.

Nebraska law prohibits anyone 19-years-old or older from engaging in sexual activity with anyone under the age of 16.