LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Crime Commission is considering a rule change that would make it easier for military police officers to become civilian enforcers of the law.

The proposal would let the state’s four law enforcement academies fast-track certification for former military police officers whose training is consistent with Nebraska requirements.

The proposal would give the state’s police departments and sheriff’s offices another recruiting tool at a sensitive time for law enforcement agencies amid protests over the treatment of minorities.

Lancaster County Sheriff Terry Wagner’s department is trying to find replacements for three deputies who will retire in six months, and he said he favors “anything that helps the process to be a little bit more streamlined.”

Hiring and training new recruits can take up to a year, but the proposed rule change would allow MPs and officers from other states or federal agencies to bypass much of the 16-week training course at the Nebraska Law Enforcement Training Center in Grand Island.

The center trains all Nebraska law enforcement except Lincoln and Omaha police and troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol. Those agencies have their own academies, so they will have to decide how to proceed if the new rules are approved, said Crime Commission Executive Director Darrell Fisher.

A public hearing on the proposal is set for Oct. 14. If the commission were to rule favorably on the proposal, it would require approval by the governor and attorney general to become part of the state’s regulations.

Regardless of military or other outside experience, all hires still would be required to complete training on Nebraska criminal laws and those covering use of force and search and seizure.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A recent death and other problems in Whiteclay are drawing new scrutiny from Nebraska lawmakers, who plan to announce an initiative to address persistent issues when they visit the tiny village later this week.

Senators say they’re looking seriously at ways to improve conditions in Whiteclay, which sells millions of cans of beer each year on the border of South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, where alcohol is banned.

Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks of Lincoln says she organized the trip to show fellow lawmakers the appaling conditions in the ramshackle town.

Lawmakers and officials with the Nebraska Public Service Commission will tour the area on Wednesday.

Whiteclay gained new attention in August following the death of 50-year-old Sherry Wounded Foot, who lived in the reservation village of Porcupine.

CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) — The average price of gasoline in the U.S. has risen four cents over the past two weeks to $2.25 a gallon for regular grade.

Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg said Sunday that retailers and refiners have upped their prices in response to a rise in the cost of crude oil.

Still, the average price per gallon is a dime less than it was a year ago.

The Lundberg Survey found the average price of midgrade gasoline was $2.53 a gallon while premium was $2.74 a gallon.

The average price for diesel in Friday’s survey was $2.40 a gallon.

The highest average price for regular gas in the contiguous U.S. was $2.80 in San Francisco. The lowest was $1.91 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Three people were killed and two others injured in a multiple vehicle crash on Interstate 80 near the Gibbon exit in Buffalo County.

The crash occurred around 4:22 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23, eastbound I-80 (mm 286) one mile east of the Gibbon exit, when an eastbound semi in the driving lane blew a tire as it was being passed by a 2013 Chevy Silverado pickup.

The semi struck the pickup causing both vehicles to go through the median and into the westbound lanes of traffic. The semi, then struck the rear of a westbound semi, before continuing down the westbound lane and striking a 1989 Chevy K1500 pickup.

The impact caused the second pickup to roll into the ditch where it burst into flames. The semi also rolled onto its side and caught fire. The Chevy Silverado pickup came to rest in the westbound driving lane. The second semi involved in the crash was able to continue on, stopping at the Gibbon exit.

The crash claimed the lives of the driver of the of the first semi and the driver and passenger in the second pickup. Due to the fiery nature of the crash autopsies will be required to determine identification. The names of those killed will be released upon completion of autopsies and notification of family.

The driver of the Chevy Silverado pickup, Terry Purcell (M), 60, Carter Lake, Iowa and a passenger Lisa Purcell (FM), 55, Carter Lake, Iowa were both transported by ambulance to CHI Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney with non-life threatening injuries. The driver of the second semi, Jake Hofer (M), 42, Lynden, Washington was not injured.

The crash closed a portion of I-80 for nearly 4 ½ hours.

The Nebraska State Patrol was assisted by the Buffalo County Sheriff’s Office and Fire and Rescue units from Gibbon and Shelton.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska has announced it’s leaving the federal Affordable Care Act’s public insurance exchanges.

The state’s largest health insurer said Friday in a news release that it will leave the government health insurance marketplace effective Jan. 1, citing increased costs and decreased competition and consumer choice as other insurers across the country have bowed out of the exchanges.

Blue Cross Blue Shield says that since it began selling individual plans through the exchanges, “we have lost approximately $140 million.”

Its decision will not affect Medicare supplement or group plans.

With Blue Cross Blue Shield’s exit, only Aetna and Medica Health are left to offer individual policies on the exchange to Nebraskans for 2017.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nine people with ties to the Omaha Tribal Council are accused of using federal money to pay themselves bonuses.

The U.S. Attorney’s office announced Thursday that eight of those charged are current or former council members and one is a tribal employee.

According to an indictment, the defendants paid themselves nearly $389,000 from contract funds with the Indian Health Service that were supposed to be used to provide health care for members of the Omaha Tribe of Nebraska.

Authorities say the bonuses were paid for work council officials they did on a contract dispute with the Indian Health Service.

Omaha Tribal Chairman Vernon Miller, who was not on the council when the bonuses were paid, says the tribe is cooperating with federal authorities. Other tribal officials did not return calls.