By JOSH FUNK , AP Business Writer

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Union Pacific Corp. hauled in 29 percent more second-quarter profit as the railroad handled 4 percent more shipments, but the results might have been better with some operational challenges.

The Omaha, Nebraska-based company said Thursday it earned $1.51 billion net income, or $1.98 per share. That’s up from $1.17 billion, or $1.45 per share, a year ago.

The results exceeded the $1.94 per share that the analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research expected.

Union Pacific CEO Lance Fritz said the railroad’s performance was hurt by shortages of train crews and a tunnel outage in June, but it is working on improving its operations.

“Overall, I am pleased with the effort put forth by the entire Union Pacific team; however, I recognize the results could have been better,” Fritz said.

The railroad’s revenue grew 8 percent to $5.67 billion in the period. That surpassed the $5.6 billion analysts expected.

But Union Pacific’s expenses increased 10 percent to $3.6 billion as fuel costs jumped 48 percent to $643 million.

Fritz said he expects the economy to remain strong through the rest of the year.

Union Pacific shares have increased slightly more than 5 percent since the beginning of the year, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 index has increased slightly more than 5 percent. The stock has risen 29 percent in the last 12 months.

The railroad operates 32,400 miles of track in 23 states.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Midwest grocery store chain Hy-Vee Inc. has recalled its store-brand spring pasta salad after 20 people got salmonella in Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Iowa.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday the West Des Moines-based grocery chain discovered potential salmonella contamination on Monday night and pulled the product from its shelves.

The recall includes 16-ounce and 48-ounce containers of Hy-Vee Spring Pasta Salad produced between June 1 and July 13. It was available from deli service cases in the company’s 244 stores across eight states including Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Salmonella can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in the young, frail and elderly.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha company says Russian hackers didn’t breach its election machines or software in 2016.

Kathy Rogers is an executive with Omaha-based Election Systems & Software, which supplies voting systems for U.S. elections. She tells the Omaha World-Herald that the company worked with the FBI to verify its systems weren’t hacked after 12 Russian government intelligence officers were indicted.

Deputy U.S. Attorney General Rod Rosenstein announced last week the indictment of Russian officials on charges of hacking into U.S. election-related computer systems two years ago. The indictments allege the officials hacked into computers of an unidentified company that supplied software verifying voter registration information.

Rogers says the Department of Homeland Security confirmed that none of the company’s information was breached.

The company is the largest U.S. maker of voter machines.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Berkshire Hathaway’s stock price is up 4 percent after easing restrictions on buying back its own shares.

The Omaha, Nebraska, conglomerate led by Warren Buffett said Tuesday that after it posts earnings on Aug. 3, it will begin allowing Buffett to buy stock at prices up to the shares’ intrinsic value.

Since 2012, Berkshire has restricted buybacks to prices below 120 percent of the stock’s book value, which is an estimate of the company’s value after liabilities are subtracted from assets.

Given the company’s massive cash pile (Berkshire has hoarded more than $100 billion while Buffett looks for another acquisition or investment) the rule changeups the odds that it will be directed at buybacks.

It will not do so if it would reduce its cash below $20 billion.

CHADRON, Neb. – Nebraska Game and Parks Commission officials have confirmed that a male mountain lion killed a domestic goat near Chadron in Dawes County.

The goat’s owner contacted Game and Parks officials July 16 after finding the dead animal. That day, Game and Parks biologists examined the carcass and its surroundings. The condition of the carcass and presence of nearby mountain lion evidence suggested a high probability that one of the big cats was responsible.

The landowner and Game and Parks officials worked together to identify and euthanize the cat July 17 in accordance with the agency’s Mountain Lion Response Plan. Game and Parks is working with the landowner on practices to lessen the risk of future depredation.

“In Nebraska, people are allowed to protect themselves and their livestock from immediate threats from mountain lions,” said Alicia Hardin, wildlife division administrator for the Commission. “In cases of confirmed depredation, Game and Parks will assist in euthanizing the mountain lion upon the owner’s request.”

This is the fourth confirmed case of livestock depredation in Nebraska by a mountain lion since the species’ confirmed presence in the state in 1991. In addition to the latest case, the confirmations consist of a calf in Blaine County in 2014, a calf in Sheridan County in 2017, and two goats in Dawes County in 2017.

In June, Game and Parks commissioners approved a hunting season for mountain lions in the Pine Ridge that aims to lower mountain lion densities — a response to public concerns and Commission research. The season is scheduled Jan. 1-Feb. 28, 2019.

More information about mountain lions in Nebraska may be found at outdoornebraska.org/mountainlions.

For the third time in less than a month, an NSP cruiser has been hit by another vehicle.

The latest incident occurred in the afternoon hours of Monday, July 16, when a trooper was traveling northbound on Highway 34 near Benkelman when his cruiser was struck by a southbound semi. The trooper did not suffer serious injuries, but the other driver was transported to the hospital. The Dundy County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the crash.

“We want our troopers to safely make it home to their families after each shift, just like we want all drivers to be safe on the road,” said Colonel John Bolduc, Superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol. “Please use caution on Nebraska roads and look out for your fellow drivers.”

Monday’s crash follows two others within the last month. In each of the other cases, the NSP cruiser was stopped at the time of the crash. The latest occurred in the afternoon of Friday, July 13, when a trooper was on a traffic stop on Highway 275 near Beemer.

During the traffic stop, an oncoming vehicle crossed over both lanes of traffic and struck the vehicle that the trooper had stopped. That vehicle then hit the NSP cruiser. The trooper was inside the cruiser at the time and was uninjured, but multiple people in the other vehicles were transported to area hospitals with non-life-threatening conditions. The Cuming County Sheriff’s Office is conducting the investigation of the crash.

The first crash occurred on June 17 when a trooper was stopped at a temporary stoplight in a construction zone on Highway 20 in Cedar County. The trooper was struck from behind by another car. The trooper suffered minor injuries, but the other driver was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The Cedar County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.

“The circumstances in each of these cases may have been different, but they all come with an important reminder that a crash can happen at any time,” said Colonel Bolduc. “Always wear your seat belt and refrain from distracted driving.”

For the third time in less than a month, an NSP cruiser has been hit by another vehicle.

The latest incident occurred in the afternoon hours of Monday, July 16, when a trooper was traveling northbound on Highway 34 near Benkelman when his cruiser was struck by a southbound semi. The trooper did not suffer serious injuries, but the other driver was transported to the hospital. The Dundy County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the crash.

“We want our troopers to safely make it home to their families after each shift, just like we want all drivers to be safe on the road,” said Colonel John Bolduc, Superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol. “Please use caution on Nebraska roads and look out for your fellow drivers.”

Monday’s crash follows two others within the last month. In each of the other cases, the NSP cruiser was stopped at the time of the crash. The latest occurred in the afternoon of Friday, July 13, when a trooper was on a traffic stop on Highway 34 near Beemer.

During the traffic stop, an oncoming vehicle crossed over both lanes of traffic and struck the vehicle that the trooper had stopped. That vehicle then hit the NSP cruiser. The trooper was inside the cruiser at the time and was uninjured, but multiple people in the other vehicles were transported to area hospitals with non-life-threatening conditions. The Cuming County Sheriff’s Office is conducting the investigation of the crash.

The first crash occurred on June 17 when a trooper was stopped at a temporary stoplight in a construction zone on Highway 20 in Cedar County. The trooper was struck from behind by another car. The trooper suffered minor injuries, but the other driver was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The Cedar County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.

“The circumstances in each of these cases may have been different, but they all come with an important reminder that a crash can happen at any time,” said Colonel Bolduc. “Always wear your seat belt and refrain from distracted driving.”

LINCOLN, Neb. – The die-off of white bass May 26 at Lake Maloney was not the result of any infectious diseases, according to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. The cause can be attributed to the fish being concentrated in a localized area of the lake, stress due to spawning and a brief period of poor water quality.

Samples were collected and submitted to a fish health laboratory following the die-off. Results from tissue samples indicated several possible causes, but no single cause could be isolated.

The samples indicated poor water quality could have been a contributing factor in the die-off. The white bass were spawning over an extended time this year due to the unusual weather during their normal spawning period. This would result in the fish expending more energy over a prolonged time, making them more susceptible to any additional stressors, such as poor water quality.