FRANKLIN, Neb. (AP) — A former Franklin Public Schools teacher accused of sex abuse has been given 60 days in jail and three years of probation.

Online court records say 30-year-old Eric Rybacki was sentenced Monday in Franklin County. He’d pleaded no contest to two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a child.

In January last year, Rybacki was charged with seven counts of sex assault, five of intentional child abuse and nine counts of misdemeanor assault. Those charges later were changed to two charges of child abuse, which were changed later to the two counts of contributing to delinquency.

A court document says several girls reported that between Aug. 13 and Dec. 18, 2015, Rybacki would pick them up or touch them inappropriately. He quit on Jan. 27, 2016.

NEW YORK (AP) — Coming soon to McDonald’s: Fresh beef.

The fast food giant says it will swap frozen beef patties for fresh ones in its Quarter Pounder burgers by sometime next year at most of its U.S. locations. Employees will cook up the never-frozen beef on a grill when ordered.

It’s a major shift for the world’s largest hamburger chain, which has been trying to update its image as more people shun processed foods. It has been tinkering with its recipes, removing artificial preservatives from its Chicken McNuggets and cutting high fructose corn syrup from its bread.

McDonald’s Corp. had been testing fresh beef at more than 400 restaurants in Dallas and Tulsa, Oklahoma, for about a year. The company, based in Oak Brook, Illinois, has about 14,000 locations in the U.S.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A former aide to Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman and U.S. Rep Don Bacon has taken a new job leading NASA’s communications office in Washington.

Jen Rae Wang has been chosen as NASA’s associate administrator for the Office of Communications. Wang previously served as communications director for Heineman and a deputy chief of staff for Bacon. She also worked for the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources and the Platte Institute, an Omaha-based think tank.

Wang will direct NASA’s internal and external communications and serve as a senior advisor to the administration and other executive leaders. She will manage an agency-wide staff of more than 100.

In a statement, Bacon says Wang will represent Nebraska well.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Third-party political candidates could have an easier time getting on the Nebraska ballot under a bill that sailed through a first-round vote in the Legislature.

Lawmakers voted 40-0 on Wednesday to advance a measure that would create a new way for parties to maintain ballot access, allowing them to divert more resources into local races and fundraising.

The bill would allow parties to automatically appear on the ballot if they have at least 10,000 registered members. The Libertarian Party of Nebraska cleared the threshold late last year.

The bill was introduced by Sen. Laura Ebke of Crete, a former Republican who registered as a Libertarian last year. Ebke has said she believes the bill will promote competition and force parties to hone their messages.

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