LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — New U.S. Census Bureau figures show the loss of population in rural Nebraska may be slowing.

According to the bureau’s 2016 updates to population figures for counties and metropolitan areas, more Nebraska counties are gaining population than a decade ago.

David Drozd, research coordinator for the Center for Public Affairs Research at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, says 30 counties gained population between 2010 and 2016, compared with only 18 from 2000 through 2006.

He says 17 of the state’s 93 counties have lost at least 5 percent of their population in the first six years of this decade, less than half the 39 that did so from 2000 through 2006.

A 30-year-old man is in jail after he allegedly stole a pickup in North Platte.

According to North Platte police, on March 20, at around 11:10 p.m., an officer responded to a residence in the 400 block of South Walnut Street on the report of a stolen vehicle.

The victim told the officer that they had put the keys in the ignition of the pickup and were loading items into it so they could leave.

They stated that when they went inside the residence, they heard the pickup start and leave.

Additional officers responded to the area but were unable to locate the truck.

On March 22, at around 1:00 p.m., a friend of the victim saw the vehicle driving near 4th and Willow Streets.  He contacted police, and an officer was able to locate the vehicle and the suspect, later identified as Daniel Founds, near 10th and Vine Streets.

Investigator John Deal says more officers arrived and Founds was ordered to get out of the pickup but failed to comply.

Deal says officers were eventually able to get the driver’s side door open and remove Founds.  As they did so, Deal says a four-inch fixed blade knife fell from Founds’ waistband.

Additionally, Deal says Founds displayed numerous signs of being under the influence of alcohol, but he refused a breath test.  An open container of alcohol was reportedly found inside the vehicle.

Founds was transported to the Lincoln County Detention Center and charged with felony theft, driving under the influence of liquor, driving under suspension, refusal to submit to a chemical/breath test, open container and carrying a concealed weapon, which was enhanced to a felony to a prior conviction.

According to a Facebook post by the victim, the vehicle sustained some minor damage. The post also showed a picture of the vehicle’s steering wheel which had a written apology from Founds on it.

Jail records do not list a bond amount for Founds.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska senator who fought for decades to abolish the death penalty is trying again, arguing that the statewide vote to reinstate capital punishment doesn’t make it right.

Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha presented his repeal bill Wednesday to a legislative committee. It’s unlikely to pass, but Chambers says a popular vote shouldn’t decide issues such as capital punishment.

Lawmakers abolished the death penalty in 2015, overriding Gov. Pete Ricketts’ veto. Death penalty supporters responded with a ballot petition drive partially financed by Ricketts. Voters overturned the Legislature’s decision and restored the punishment in November.

Nebraska’s corrections department recently changed its lethal injection protocol after years of failed attempts to obtain the necessary drugs. Another bill would let the state hide the identity of its suppliers.

SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. (AP) — One person has been seriously injured in a fire at a Scottsbluff apartment building.

Fire officials say the fire was reported just before 1 a.m. Wednesday, with reports of a person trapped inside. Firefighters who arrived on the scene found flames coming from the first floor.

Scottsbluff police went door-to-door to evacuate all of the residents. One resident suffered burns and smoke inhalation and was taken by ambulance to a Scottsbluff hospital, and then flown to a burn center in Greeley, Colorado.

Five other residents were displaced by the fire and are receiving help from Firefighter Ministries and American Red Cross.

An investigation found that a faulty electrical connection started the fire. The building sustained about $20,000 in damage.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A state senator says Nebraska can promote transparency by barring local governments from using tax dollars to hire lobbyists and requiring elected officials to wait before joining lobbying firms.

Sen. John Kuehn of Heartwell told a legislative committee Wednesday that legislative term limits have led to increased power for lobbyists and a public perception that senators will serve eight years before taking a high-paying lobbying job. One bill he sponsored would require statewide elected officials to wait two years before lobbying and their staffs to wait one year.

Other measures would prohibit political subdivisions from using tax dollars to pay for lobbying and require lobbyists whose clients receive any public money to disclose their full contracts.

Supporters say this will help rural school districts that can’t afford to hire lobbyists.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska lawmakers have moved one step closer to creating a radon task force that would develop minimum standards for new construction projects.

Senators voted 37-0 on Wednesday to advance the bill through a first-round vote.

Radon is a colorless, odorless, radioactive gas that rises out of soil and fills buildings that aren’t properly ventilated. It’s the nation’s second-leading cause of lung cancer, and Nebraska has the nation’s third-highest radon levels.

Sen. Bob Krist of Omaha says he introduced it to start addressing radon’s public health risks. The task force would report its recommendations to lawmakers and the governor by April 15, 2018.

Two more votes are required before the bill goes to Gov. Pete Ricketts.