COLUMBUS, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska’s largest public power utility is urging those who use its water systems to clean, drain and dry their boats to prevent the spread of invasive zebra mussels.

Nebraska Public Power District’s water system is located in the western part of the state, which includes Sutherland Reservoir and Lake Maloney. Those are also popular locations for recreational boats, which can transport zebra mussels from one body of water to another if not cleaned and dried properly.

The small black-and-white striped mussels, native to eastern Europe, are voracious eaters, gobbling up plankton that many native freshwater fish need to survive.

The mussels can also attach themselves to dam and utility mechanisms, causing damage to motors and facilities.

Tips for preventing the spread of zebra mussels can be found at www.neinvasives.com.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A former Nebraska State Patrol trooper fired over a deadly chase is looking to get his job back.

Tim Flick plans to pursue reinstatement through a formal arbitration process.

On Thursday, a special prosecutor dropped misdemeanor motor vehicle homicide and false reporting counts against Flick, citing concerns about whether he would be able to introduce critical evidence, as well as statute-of-limitations concerns.

Flick’s charges had stemmed from his role in the October 2016 high-speed chase of a drunk driver in Sheridan County.

Dashcam videos show Flick saying he used a tactical move to bump the fleeing vehicle so it safely spins out. But the car crashed and rolled, killing 32-year-old Antoine LaDeaux.

Flick spent 20 years as a trooper and was previously cleared of wrongdoing in the chase by a grand jury.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A graduate student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is assisting with gathering data to determine Lincoln’s red fox population.

24-year-old Kyle Dougherty has captured seven red foxes in Nebraska’s capital city.

“I’d never really done this before,” Dougherty said. “It’s the worst animal to learn on. They’re notorious for not going into the box.”

His traps send a signal to his phone once it has been triggered, but it can’t tell him what it caught.

“Sometimes you’re a little anxious walking up to it,” he said. “You can generally tell if it’s a fox; they tend to move around more when you’re walking up to it than a possum.”

The foxes Dougherty manages to capture are released after he and others take blood, fur, and fecal samples. Some have also been fitted with GPS collars.

“We’re trying to get the most complete picture,” Dougherty said. “If we find that there’s a bunch of some particular disease inside the city, then we can use that information to inform if people need to be concerned about it.”

The data being collected will give researchers a better understanding of how many red foxes are in Lincoln, what diseases they carry and their population patterns.

Since January, residents have reported on Dougherty’s Lincoln Fox Project website more than 150 fox sightings — most of them inside city limits.

Dougherty said he hopes to finish trapping by fall, but said he has a challenge ahead of him. He needs 70 foxes for a good sample size.

Animal Control started fielding fox reports last year after a busy summer of coyote sightings and scares near Holmes Lake.

AUSTIN, Minn. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture is recalling more than 228,000 pounds of Spam and another product made by Minnesota-based Hormel after four consumers complained about metal objects in the food.

The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service says the canned chicken and pork in question was produced in February at the company’s plant in Fremont, Nebraska. The agency says “minor oral injuries” have been reported.

The recall covers 12-ounce metal cans containing “SPAM Classic” with a “Best By” date of February 2021 date. Those products were shipped throughout the U.S.

The production codes are F020881, F020882, F020883, F020884, F020885, F020886, F020887, F020888 and F020889.

The recall also includes 12-ounce metal cans of “Hormel Foods Black-Label Luncheon Loaf” with a “Best By” date of February 2021. Those products were shipped only to Guam, with production codes F02098 and F02108.