OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Some Nebraska colleges are offering tuition discounts to students from other states in the hopes of filling classrooms, balancing budgets and expanding programs.

The pool of new high school graduates in the state isn’t expected to grow much in the short term, the Omaha World-Herald reported.

Stagnant or declining state funding and population decline are two trends that will challenge enrollment and aren’t expected to go away anytime soon, said Thomas Harnisch of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities.

Some schools are offering nonresidents lower tuition rates with the hope of boosting enrollment.

Peru State University has been offering in-state tuition to out-of-state students since 2009.

The University of Nebraska at Kearney will offer Colorado and Kansas students who meet admissions requirements resident tuition next school year. The university’s student recruitment from those states has dropped considerably since 2012, said Ed Scantling, UNK’s associate vice chancellor for enrollment management.

University of Nebraska President Hank Bounds said enrollment is important to the university’s budget and encouraged university leaders to find bold and innovative ways of attracting students, Scantling said.

“We felt we have to reach a little further to find kids,” Scantling said.

The Midwest Student Exchange Program has offered nonresidents a rate of 150 percent of resident tuition at participating public colleges in 10 states. Many Nebraska institutions participate in the program, which has been operating for about 25 years.

While Iowa doesn’t participate in the exchange program, the University of Nebraska at Omaha has been offering Iowa students that rate since 2008.

The University of Nebraska at Lincoln hasn’t drastically lowered out-of-state tuition, said Amber Williams, an assistant vice chancellor. The university would rather use scholarship packages to attract out-of-state students, she said.

“We try to look at each student individually and look beyond the numbers,” she said.

SIDNEY, Neb. (AP) — The western Nebraska town of Sidney is working to move forward after last year’s sale of Cabela’s, but it’s still not clear how many jobs will be lost there.

The $5 billion sale of Cabela’s to rival Bass Pro has already had a significant impact on the local real estate market in the town of about 6,700 people that’s some 365 miles (585 kilometers) west of Omaha.

Home prices are falling and the number of listings has grown significantly in Sidney.

Before Cabela’s announced it would explore selling the firm, there were 60 homes on the market in June 2015. After the sale to Bass Pro was announced, that number jumped to 133. Last month, 135 homes were listed for sale.

LEXINGTON, Neb. (AP) — A Gretna man has been imprisoned for causing the Dawson County crash death of a passenger in his car.

21-year-old Elijah Helms was given six to eight years in prison at his sentencing Friday in Dawson County District Court in Lexington. He’d pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide and to driving under the influence, causing serious injury. Prosecutors dropped three related charges.

The crash occurred Oct. 29, 2016, on Interstate 80 near Lexington. Authorities say Helms’ car crossed the interstate median and crashed into an oncoming vehicle. A passenger in his car, 19-year-old Lexa Douglas, of Omaha, was pronounced dead at the scene. Helms, two other people in his car and two in the other vehicle were hospitalized.

AINSWORTH, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a teenage girl died when her car collided head-on with a semitrailer in north-central Nebraska.

The accident occurred around 6:20 p.m. Thursday just east of Ainsworth on U.S. Highway 20. The Brown County Sheriff’s Department says the eastbound car crossed the center line and rammed the westbound big rig.

The girl was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities identified her as 17-year-old Chaeley Ruegge, who lived in Ainsworth.

The truck driver wasn’t injured. He’s been identified as 45-year-old Brian Warren, of Scottsbluff.

The crash cause is being investigated.