The State Board of Health says those interested in serving on a board can obtain an application by contacting the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services’ Division of Public Health.

Those boards having vacancies include the boards of Alcohol and Drug Counseling; Massage Therapy; Medicine and Surgery; Nursing; and Occupational Therapy.

The slots are unpaid but do include some stipends for travel, meals and other expenses.

Professional boards are responsible for granting license privileges to health care providers. Full terms are five years. Most run through Nov. 30, 2023, but there are currently some vacant partial terms.

“The unemployment rate has remained under 3 percent for 16 consecutive months,” state Labor Commissioner John Albin said in a news release. The rate has been among the 10 or so lowest among U.S. states over the same period.

Last month’s rate also was well below the national rate, which dropped to 3.9 percent in July from 4 percent in June.

Nonfarm employment was 1,033,228 in July, up 1.9 percent over the year and down eight-tenths of a point over the month. Private industries with the most growth year over year were manufacturing, up 4,791; leisure and hospitality, up 4,160; and professional and business services, up 4,038. Month to month, the largest gains were seen in professional and business services, up 986; education and health services, up 831; and manufacturing, up 624.

The preliminary Omaha-area rate remained 3.1 percent in July, matching the June figure and up three-tenths of a point from 2.8 percent in May. The new rate was two-tenths of a point lower than the 3.3 percent of July 2017. Lincoln’s preliminary rate dropped a tenth of a point in July, to 2.8 percent from 2.9 percent in June. The year-ago figure was 2.9 percent. Grand Island’s preliminary rate for July was 3.1 percent, matching the June rate and that of July 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 July, followed by the June rates:

— Beatrice: 3.4, 3.4

— Columbus: 2.9, 3.0

— Fremont: 3.0, 3.1

— Hastings: 3.2, 3.3

— Kearney: 2.6, 2.7

— Lexington: 2.9, 2.9

— Norfolk: 2.8, 2.9

— North Platte: 3.2, 3.3

— Red Willow: 3.2, 3.1

— Scottsbluff: 3.6, 3.5

County election officials are currently processing more than 135,000 signatures that were submitted from a petition drive. At least 84,269 must be declared valid for the measure to qualify for the ballot. Additionally, organizers were required to gather signatures from at least 5 percent of the registered voters in 38 of Nebraska’s 93 counties.

Gale says that, as of Friday, 56,288 signatures have been deemed valid. Of the 79 counties that have reported their totals, 42 have cleared the 5 percent signature threshold.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Attorney General’s Office and the Catholic Diocese of Lincoln are urging residents to report any allegations of abuse by clergy or others in authority.

Lincoln Bishop James Conley and the attorney general’s office said anyone who has experienced even an uncomfortable incident with a priest should report it to law enforcement or the diocese.

The move follows a Pennsylvania grand jury report released Tuesday accusing 300 priests of molesting more than 1,000 children. The grand jury also accused senior church officials of systematically covering up the complaints, according to the report.

The Lincoln Diocese recently announced it had investigated abuse allegations involving five priests, all of whom no longer work for the diocese. Two accused priests resigned, one was dismissed from his position, one retired and the fifth has been deceased for a decade.

Conley said the diocese is continuing to gather information on the allegations.

Conley published a column in the Lincoln Diocese’s Southern Nebraska Register newspaper Friday asking for forgiveness for not pursuing allegations more aggressively and transparently.

“I will not and we must not dismiss or rationalize any account of any person who comes forward with a concern, and we must fully investigate every report, even more strenuously than we have in the past,” Conley wrote.

The attorney general’s office suggests reporting allegations to its agency, the Nebraska Child Abuse Hotline or the Nebraska Crime Stoppers Tip Line.

“It is important that you speak up so perpetrators are brought to justice and other possible victims are protected from future harm,” the office said.