BROKEN BOW, Neb. (AP) — A judge in Custer County has dismissed a pornography case filed against an Aurora man.

Ross Carstensen had been charged with five counts of visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct. Monday’s dismissal was requested by prosecutors. After Carstensen was charged last month, his attorney, Clarence Mock III, said Carstensen would plead not guilty because he was engaged in “legal, consensual adult activity.”

Earlier last month a Hamilton County sexual assault charge against Carstensen was dismissed. The records said information from that case led investigators to the 17-year-old girl involved in the porn case.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say four prison workers were briefly hospitalized after inmate attacks at the Nebraska State Penitentiary in Lincoln.

Nebraska Correctional Services Department spokeswoman Cara Wilwerding said Monday the first attack occurred Saturday around 7:20 p.m. when a prisoner refused to return to his cell and hit a staffer. Another staffer was soon struck.

Later Saturday two more staffers were attacked when they responded to an inmate who needed medical attention.

Wilwerding says all four staffers were released soon after treatment at a Lincoln hospital.

Saturday’s disturbance was at least the sixth reported serious assault of Nebraska prison staffers this year. Authorities also say three inmates have died this year at the hands of other prisoners, including two during the March 2 uprising at the Tecumseh prison.

SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. (AP) — Officials say work is expected to begin soon on reopening Saddle Rock Trail at Scotts Bluff National Monument.

A landslide on the lower trail portion in December 2015 blocked access to the southwest-facing side of the monument.

Experts had advised letting the trail repairs wait at least a year so the soil could stabilize. Monument Superintendent Dan Morford says there’s no sign of weather-induced weakness on the ledge above the trail, where the landslide occurred.

Morford says the goal is have the landslide debris removed and the trail repaired for reopening by July 4.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts and Lt. Gov. Mike Foley have formally announced their bids for re-election.

The Republican duo launched their campaign Sunday at events in Omaha and Lincoln. Ricketts and Foley were elected in 2014 and are seeking a second four-year term in office.

Ricketts has previously said he planned to run for re-election. He has promised to advocate for lower taxes every year he’s in office.

Republican state Sen. Bob Krist has said he may also run for governor.

Nebraska Democratic Party Chairwoman Jane Kleeb says Ricketts has failed to protect working class families on issues that affect their finances.

Ricketts defeated Democrat Chuck Hassebrook in the 2014 general election. The gubernatorial primary is set for May 15, 2018. The general election is scheduled for Nov. 6, 2018.

CHICAGO (AP) — Doctors are reporting unprecedented success from a new kind of cell and gene therapy for multiple myeloma, a blood cancer that’s on the rise. Although it’s early and the study is small, 35 people, every patient responded to treatment and all but two were in some level of remission within two months.

In a second study of nearly two dozen patients, everyone above a certain dose responded.

Experts at an American Society of Clinical Oncology conference in Chicago, where the results were announced on Monday, say it’s rare for any treatment to have such success.

It’s called CAR-T (kar-T) therapy, and involves altering some of a patient’s own blood cells in the lab to contain a gene that targets cancer, and giving them back intravenously.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts is shuffling his staff as an aide switches to a new role on his re-election campaign.

Jessica Flanagain has left her position as the governor’s special adviser to external affairs so she could manage the Republican governor’s re-election campaign. Taylor Gage, the governor’s public relations director, has been promoted to director of strategic communications. Ricketts announced the transitions on Monday.

Before serving as public relations director, Gage worked as Ricketts’ deputy campaign manager. He previously served as political director for U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer’s successful campaign in 2012.

Flanagain worked with Ricketts on messaging, strategic planning and coalition building. She transitioned to the campaign on Friday.