LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts has rejected a rule change that would’ve adjusted the passing threshold of an exam required for admission into the state’s teacher colleges.

The Lincoln Journal Star reports that Ricketts is concerned that the change to the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators proficiency exam would reduce standards for teachers in Nebraska. But education advocates say the adjustment would eliminate a barrier for good candidates and help increase the state’s teaching workforce.

Ricketts says state Department of Education officials will work to revise the rule to increase the teaching workforce and maintain high teacher quality.

College students must pass the exam in order to be accepted into the state’s teacher education programs. The proficiency test measures academic skills in reading, writing and math.

The debate scheduled between Legislative candidates Judy Pederson and Mike Groene has been canceled.

Groene issued a statement saying that he is battling the stomach flu.

Groene said the debate which was slated to take place at Sutherland High School will be rescheduled.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Twenty-one Nebraska lawmakers have signed a letter defending Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bob Krist against Republican allegations that he drank alcohol on the job.

The letter released Friday was signed by current and former senators who served with Krist in the Legislature. The senators say they never saw Krist impaired by alcohol when he was in service to the state. The letter says the attack is without merit.

The Nebraska GOP released videos last week showing Krist sitting at a Lincoln restaurant with a beverage, standing behind the bar with his back turned to the camera and getting into his car outside the restaurant. State investigators who reviewed the footage say they couldn’t substantiate the allegations.

Fifteen of the signers are Democrats, five are Republicans, and one is a Republican-turned-independent.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska’s preliminary unemployment rate dropped a tenth of a point to hit 2.8 percent in August, the state said in a report released Friday.

Last month’s rate remained well below the U.S. figure, which remained steady at 3.9 percent. The Nebraska Labor Department report said the state’s rate was down from 2.9 percent a year ago.

“Nebraska’s seasonally adjusted employment reached another record high this month,” state Labor Commissioner John Albin said. “The nonseasonally adjusted employment level for the Lincoln metro area is the highest since 1990, when data (were) first collected for the metro area.”

Nonfarm employment was 1,032,536, up 15,402 over the year and down 264 over the month, the report said. Private industries with the most growth year over year were manufacturing, up 4,649; leisure and hospitality, up 4,156; and education and health services, up 3,552. Month to month, the largest gains were seen in leisure and hospitality, up 1,318; education and health services, up 690; and manufacturing, up 145.

The preliminary Omaha-area rate declined to 2.7 percent from 3.1 percent in July. The new rate was three-tenths of a point lower than the 3 percent of August 2017. Lincoln’s preliminary rate dropped two-tenths of a point in August, hitting 2.6 percent, compared with to 2.8 percent in July. The year-ago figure was 2.7 percent. Grand Island’s preliminary rate for August was 2.8 percent, down three-tenths of a point from July’s 3.1 percent and down a tenth the 2.9 percent recorded in August 2017.

The unemployment rates for Grand Island, Lincoln and Omaha have not been seasonally adjusted, so they cannot be directly compared with the state unemployment rate.

Here are preliminary area labor market unemployment rates for August, followed by the July rates:

— Beatrice: 2.9, 3.4

— Columbus: 2.6, 2.9

— Fremont: 2.7, 3.0

— Hastings: 2.9, 3.2

— Kearney: 2.4, 2.6

— Lexington: 2.5, 2.9

— Norfolk: 2.4, 2.8

— North Platte: 2.8, 3.2

— Red Willow: 2.8, 3.2

— Scottsbluff: 3.1, 3.5