Auburn, Neb. – Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) declared an unusual event at its Cooper Nuclear Station at 9:04 this morning. The utility declared the emergency classification when site personnel discovered a hazardous gas environment in the basement of the plant. While investigating the gas, safety and plant personnel detected a fire within a pipe chase.

The station’s fire brigade extinguished the active fire at 9:51 a.m. but additional responders have been brought in to monitor the piping, assess any equipment damage, provide engineering support, and maintain a fire watch in the area until there is no long any potential for a fire to restart.

At no time did plant conditions threaten public safety, and the plant remained stable and operating during the event.

A NOUE is defined as unusual events, minor in nature, which have occurred or are in progress which indicate a potential degradation in the level of station safety at the station. If placed on a scale of 1 to 4, with 1 being the least serious level of an emergency and 4 being the most serious level of an emergency, a NOUE would equal a 1.

In situations like this, plant personnel follow an emergency response plan and notify appropriate local, county, state, and federal agencies as part of their processes.

Cooper Nuclear Station is located three miles southeast of Brownville near the Missouri River. It is owned and operated by the Nebraska Public Power District, with headquarters in Columbus. More information will be provided as it becomes available.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The end of 2018 seemed to signal good things to come for America’s farmers. Fresh off the passage of the farm bill, which reauthorized agriculture, conservation and safety net programs, the Agriculture Department last week announced a second round of direct payments to growers hardest hit by President Donald Trump’s trade war with China.

Then parts of the government shut down.

The USDA in a statement issued last week assured farmers that checks would continue to go out during the first week of the shutdown. But direct payments for farmers who haven’t certified production, as well as farm loans and disaster assistance programs, will be put on hold beginning next week, and won’t start up again until the government reopens.

There is little chance of the government shutdown ending soon. Trump and Congress are no closer to reaching a deal over his demand for border wall money, and both sides say the impasse could drag well into January.

Although certain vital USDA programs will remain operational in the short term, that could change if the shutdown lasts for more than a few weeks.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or food stamps, helps feed roughly 40 million Americans. According to the USDA, eligible recipients are guaranteed benefits through January. Other feeding programs, including WIC, which provides food aid and nutrition counseling for pregnant women, new mothers and children, and food distribution programs on Indian reservations, will continue on a local level, but additional federal funding won’t be provided. School lunch programs will continue through February.

USDA has earmarked about $9.5 billion in direct payments for growers of soybeans, corn, wheat, sorghum and other commodities most affected by tariffs. The first round of payments went out in September. The deadline to sign up for the second round of payments is January 15.

The impact of the shutdown, which began shortly before most federal workers were scheduled for a holiday break, started coming into focus by midweek.

About 420,000 employees are working without pay, while 380,000 are being forced to stay home. In the past, federal employees have been paid retroactively. But government contractors won’t get paid for hours they’ll lose staying home, causing problems for those who rely on hourly wages.

In anticipation of the financial bind many federal workers and contractors may soon find themselves in, the Office of Personnel Management offered some advice: haggle with landlords, creditors and mortgage companies for lower payments until the shutdown is over.

The shutdown also is affecting national parks, although unevenly: Some remain accessible with bare-bones staffing levels, some are operating with money from states or charitable groups, while others are locked off.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska officials are taking steps to improve the state’s education testing scores, starting by adopting new, more rigorous standards.

About 68 percent of Nebraska public school students tested as proficient in science last spring, down 2 percentage points from 2016-17 and 4 percentage points from 2015-16, the Omaha World-Herald reported . The scores were taken from fifth, eighth and 11th grades.

The state is moving to a new science test to reflect changing standards that come with the Nebraska Student-Centered Assessment System. The current test is measuring students’ proficiency against old standards set in 2010, not the new standards the state Board of Education approved last year.

High school students are also taking the ACT exam for the 11th-grade assessment, which may also be more rigorous.

The temporary disparity between the standards and the test could be a factor in the drop, said Nebraska Education Commissioner Matt Blomstedt.

Districts have likely been adjusting curriculum for when the new testing standards are adopted in 2021, Blomstedt said. The new standards raise expectations around science, and will challenge students to think and act like scientists, he said.

“It’s not just about content mastery but the engagement with science content,” Blomstedt said.

The state has also changed standards for English language arts and math proficiency, so schools may be focusing their attention on those subjects, he said.

Changing the testing standards can be difficult, but Blomstedt said state officials believe the increasingly challenging proficiency targets will help measure students’ academic growth.

“The proficiency levels that we’ve set, I would say, are probably among the highest in the nation,” he said.

John Witzel, president of the Nebraska State Board of Education, said schools are working to promote science, but districts are having a difficult time finding science teachers. The western part of the state in particular is seeing a high demand for science teachers.

“I think that might be part of it,” Witzel said.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska’s school police programs disproportionately affect students of color and students with disabilities, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.

The ACLU of Nebraska released a report Thursday that says such programs fuel a “school to prison” pipeline. The report cites several cases where police were called over, including one involving brothers in elementary school yelling and cursing at each other. Another case involved a school employee who sought police help after a student stole a candy bar from her desk.

As a result of having a permanent police presence in schools, children are far more likely to face school-based arrests for disciplinary matters than they were a generation ago, said Rose Godinez, the ACLU’s legal and policy counsel for Nebraska.

“A school-based arrest is the quickest route from the classroom to the courthouse,” Godinez, who co-authored the report, told the Omaha World-Herald.

The report found that more than 1,500 students in public schools with school police were referred to law enforcement during the 2015-16 school year. About 200 of those were for wellness checks, traffic offenses, truancy and offenses that occurred off school grounds. About 56 percent of Nebraska school districts with school police don’t require that parents be notified when their child is questioned about an incident at school.

The report notes that some schools have police but no counselor, social worker or nurse. And in some districts, students of color and students with disabilities accounted for twice as large a share of students referred to police than their share of the student population.

In Lincoln Public Schools, students of color made up 33 percent of the student population but accounted for 70 percent of students referred to police. In Omaha Public Schools, students with disabilities accounted for 18 percent of the student population but 44 percent of students referred to police.

Lincoln Public Schools official Russ Uhing said the district is working to address the disparities, including through student diversion programs and training for school administrators about when police referrals are appropriate.

Omaha Police Capt. Russ Horine noted that referral decisions are made by school officials but said more data would be helpful in understanding the apparent disparities.

“We don’t want to bring students into the system if we can help that,” Horine said.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A settlement between Wells Fargo and attorneys general from all 50 states will mean more than $5 million for Nebraska.

Wells Fargo and the attorneys generals announced the settlement Friday following an investigation into fake accounts opened without the knowledge of customers and other questionable practices.

Besides paying $575 million to the states and the District of Columbia, Wells Fargo agreed to respond to customer complaints about its banking and sales practices.

Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson says the state’s share of the settlement will be $5.2 million.

Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) have responded to roughly 200 weather-related incidents during the winter storm that has dropped several inches of snow in central Nebraska and forced the closure of Interstate 80 for several hours Thursday.

As the snow continues to fall in some areas, the moisture and cold temperatures have contributed to icy conditions on some roads. Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) crews have been working around the clock to clear roads. NSP responded to more than 20 crashes overnight and several more this morning.

“Our troopers and dispatchers have been busy assisting stranded motorists, investigating crashes, and working with NDOT crews to both close and reopen Interstate 80,” said Colonel John Bolduc, Superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol. “We’d like to thank the public for their patience and for the vast majority who have utilized sound winter driving practices to stay safe.”

Since the storm began, troopers have performed nearly 150 motorist assists, such as helping stranded motorists. If any motorist becomes stranded, they can call *55 from any cell phone to reach the NSP Highway Helpline. For any emergency, please call 911.

Travelers are urged to check the most up-to-date travel conditions available through 511, Nebraska’s Advanced Traveler Information System. The system is available at all times via phone by dialing 511, online at www.511.nebraska.gov, or on Nebraska 511’s smartphone app.

Drivers are also urged to follow Nebraska’s Move Over law and allow first responders, road crew workers, and tow truck operations room to perform their jobs.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska state lawmaker slated to leave office next month because of term limits has stepped down early.

Former Sen. Tyson Larson, of O’Neill, announced his resignation in a letter Wednesday to Gov. Pete Ricketts.

Larson has represented the mostly rural 40th legislative district in northeastern Nebraska since 2011. He will be replaced by Tim Gragert, of Creighton, who is set to take office when a new legislative session begins next month.

Larson doesn’t say why he’s stepping down early. He describes his experience in the Legislature as a humbling, valuable experience.

Larson served as chairman of the General Affairs Committee. He faced criticism for spending a lot time in Omaha instead of his district, which he says was necessary to care for his son during a custody battle.