LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — One of two inmates who escaped from a Lincoln prison has been given 50 to 80 more years behind bars.

Thirty-seven-year-old Armon Dixon pleaded no contest to escape and assault charges Thursday.

Dixon was already serving 80 to 140 years and 70 to 120 years sentences for crimes he committed in 2009, including two-first degree sexual assaults.

Deputy Lancaster County Attorney Eric Miller, agreed not to file any additional charges in connection to Dixon’s escape in exchange for the plea.

Miller says Dixon and 52-year-old inmate Timothy Clausen hid in the back of a laundry cart to escape last year.

Dixon was caught after assaulting two women in their apartment.

Clausen was caught in Omaha several days after his escape. He’s awaiting trial.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska State Patrol and Nebraska Trucking Association have started a safety project that will put state troopers into commercial trucks.

The association said in a Facebook posting Friday that the statewide Trooper in a Truck project is aimed at addressing unsafe driving in and around large commercial vehicles.

Patrol Lt. Kurt Von Minden says troopers will ride in the cabs and keep watch. When they spot violations such as following too closely or speeding, they will alert nearby troopers in marked patrol cars who will stop the violators for citations or warnings.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a convicted killer imprisoned for more than 40 years and two other ailing inmates have died in custody.

The Nebraska Correctional Services Department says 88-year-old Harold Nokes died Wednesday. He’s been serving two life sentences since 1974 for killing Edwin and Wilma Hoyt, of Culbertson, in 1973. He admitted killing them, cutting up their bodies and dumping the parts in Harry Strunk Lake near Cambridge.

Another convicted killer, 68-year-old Gary Pope, also died Wednesday. He was sentenced to life in prison for the 1979 slaying of Richard Rogers in Saunders County.

The department says 57-year-old Wayne Stark died early Monday morning. He’d been serving three to six years for fourth-offense driving under the influence.

The department says all three men were being treated for long-term ailments.

Winter Weather Advisory until February 24, 6:00 pm

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska’s longest-serving senator is once again trying to outlaw mountain lion hunting, describing the animals as majestic and no threat to humans.

Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha argued in a committee hearing Thursday that lawmakers never should have approved a hunting season in 2012, when Chambers was out of office.

Mountain lions are native to Nebraska, but vanished in the late 1800s after settlers started poisoning and hunting them. Nebraska has four areas where mountain lion hunting is permitted. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission determines which areas can sustain hunting each session.

State officials have estimated that Nebraska has somewhere between 15 and 22 mountain lions.

Opponents of the bill say the hunting season allows officials to regulate the population.