NORFOLK, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission says a slowly-growing mountain lion population is suspected of killing some of the state’s also-thin bighorn sheep herds.

Mountain lions are strongly suspected of having killed five bighorns between June and March, and nine since 2015, in western Nebraska.

Sam Wilson, the commission’s carnivore program manager, told commissioners Friday at a Norfolk meeting that he’s “very concerned about this.”

Nebraska started reintroducing bighorn sheep in 1981. Most of the five herds suffer setbacks from disease and poor lamb survival.

Mountain lions are native to Nebraska, but were eliminated by the end of the 1800s. Cougars from neighboring states started returning in the 1990s, and there are small breeding populations at three western Nebraska sites.

GERING, Neb. (AP) — A 28-year-old Gering man has agreed to plead guilty or no contest to charges of sexually abusing a 10-year-old girl in a plea agreement with prosecutors.

Celestino Aguayo had been charged with first-degree sexual assault of a child and other counts. In a deal with prosecutors, the charges have been changed to third-degree sexual assault of a child and attempted sexual assault. He faces up the five years in prison when he’s sentenced June 1.

Police say the girl told investigators last year that Aguayo had fondled her and sexually assaulted her on other occasions.

Police learned of the assault when the girl’s family contacted authorities last May.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A survey of turkey hunters this fall shows they were mostly satisfied with their Nebraska hunting experience.

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, which conducted the survey, says the questionnaire was open to 2016 fall turkey hunters. Of the 1,114 responses, 63 percent responded that they were satisfied with their hunting experience and 98 percent replied they would hunt in Nebraska again during the fall season.

The survey indicated that 20 percent of nonresident hunters were former Nebraska residents who continue to return to hunt. Colorado and California sent the most nonresident hunters to Nebraska for the season.

Overall, the counties where hunters reported harvesting most of their turkeys were Dawes, Red Willow, Custer, Buffalo and Lincoln.

The commission says 4,868 turkeys were killed during last fall’s hunting season.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska’s largest refugee resettlement program will be able to keep its Lincoln and Omaha doors open thanks to a donation by a couple who advocates for refugees.

The donation by Donna and Coyner Smith will sustain Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska offices there for at least another year.

The Smiths say their compassion grew after hosting five years ago a teenager whose mother, a doctor from Afghanistan, was dying of cancer. While Leemah Nasrati was born in the U.S., she says four of her relatives were refugees after fleeing Afghanistan in the 1990s.

The couple donated the undisclosed amount after reading about the program’s cutbacks, which were triggered in February by President Donald Trump’s limitations on how many refugees can enter the country.

TECUMSEH, Neb. (AP) — State prosecutors say the cellmate of a man fatally attacked last week at a state prison has been charged in the case.

The Nebraska Attorney General’s Office said in a news release Friday that 39-year-old Patrick Schroeder has been charged with first-degree murder and use of a deadly weapon in the death of 22-year-old Terry Berry Jr.

Investigators with the Nebraska State Patrol say Berry and Schroeder were the only occupants in the cell at Tecumseh State Correctional Institution where Berry was found unresponsive April 15. Berry was taken to a Lincoln hospital, where he was declared brain dead Monday and taken off life support Thursday.

An autopsy found that Berry had been strangled.

Schroeder is serving a life for the 2006 killing of 75-year-old Pawnee City farmer Kenneth Albers.

The North Platte Public Schools Foundation held an “Art Showcase” in conjunction with their annual Education After Hours on April 7, 2017.

Over 30 artists participated in the event.  Community members, local students, teachers as well as NPHS Alumni artists from as far away as North Carolina and South Dakota answered the call to donate their artwork to raise money for the foundations Prepared to Learn Fund.

“I wanted to try something a little different than your typical Silent Auction this year” Said Executive Director Jodi Howard.  “The whole idea of Education After Hours is to celebrate public education in North Platte.  My hope was that with the School Spirit theme, those who purchased the items would take a little North Platte School Spirit back to their home or work place.  “I was just thrilled with the turnout and the variety of items that were donated” she said.

Pat Milne of North Platte was awarded the People’s Choice “Best of Show” for the Art Showcase.  His painting of a close up of a Bulldog was a crowd favorite.  His painting was auctioned off at the event and is now proudly displayed at the McKinley Education Center.

The art auction raised nearly $3000 for the North Platte Public Schools Foundations’ Prepared to Learn program which is designed to provide immediate assistance to students in need of schools supplies, eyeglasses, necessary shoes and medical needs that help them be successful in the classroom.

• Jon Dru Hongsermeier, 28, Sutherland and Andrea Madonna Cuddy, 29, Sutherland

 

• Brandon Marshal Briones, 30, Healdsburg, CA and Tesla Raye Ronje, 26, North Platte

 

• Bret Thomas Collins, 33, North Platte and Katheryn Marie Perry, 31, North Platte

 

• Eric Raye Winder, 36, North Platte and Rebecca Ruth DeBoard, 36, Hutchinson KS

 

• Bryce Mitchell Huebner, 27, Hershey NE and Whitney Marie Gayman, 26, Hershey

 

• Jordan Daniel Tjaden, 22, North Platte and Ellen Florence Chamley, 24, North Platte