SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A historian thought gigantic sculptures of significant Western figures might bring more people to the Black Hills of South Dakota and ran it by an artist in 1924.

Sculptor Gutzon Borglum told the historian to think bigger. Three years later, he began carving four presidents’ faces into the granite pinnacles.

October marks 75 years for the Mount Rushmore National Memorial, which is a muse for political cartoonists and makes frequent cameos in movies. It’s also a big draw for tourists, with about 3 million people visiting each year.

To celebrate the milestone, the National Park Service held events during the summer in connection with its own 100th birthday.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A prominent Nebraska businessman who built Crete Carrier into one of the nation’s largest privately owned trucking companies and played a significant role in the state’s Republican party has died.

Duane Acklie was 84 when he died Saturday. His son-in-law, Tonn Ostergard, who is Crete Carrier’s CEO, said Acklie’s funeral will be held Thursday at First Plymouth Church in Lincoln.

Acklie was a key fundraiser for Republican candidates and served in behind-the-scenes roles in the party. He also led state and national business organizations.

Crete Carrier began in 1966 with six leased trucks hauling dog food from a plant in Crete, Nebraska. Initially, Acklie was a lawyer advising the company’s founder, but he later bought the trucking firm in the early 1970s.

Today, Crete has 5,000 trucks and 13,000 trailers

PERU, Neb. (AP) — Three men were injured in stabbing incident in southeast Nebraska involving Peru State College students.

The Nemaha County Sheriff’s office said the incident happened around 10:15 p.m. Saturday.

Two of the men were transferred to a Lincoln hospital for treatment while the third victim was treated and released.

Authorities didn’t immediately identify the victims or explain what led to the dispute.

COLUMBUS, Neb. (AP) — Columbus police say they no longer plan to offer voluntary ride-alongs for civilians, at least for now.

The police department made the decision in after learning its insurance provider put a suspension on the rides.

Columbus Police Capt. Chuck Sherer says most people interested in riding with an officer are from the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Columbus class, the department’s Citizen’s Police Academy and criminal justice programs through Central Community College.

The department averaged 16 ride-alongs annually in 2014 and 2015, but only eight this year.

Sherer says he has to deny all requests until the suspension is lifted.

AURORA, Neb. (AP) — A central Nebraska man accused of hiring someone to kill his wife is asking a judge to dismiss one of the charges against him.

Robert S. Honken is charged with two felony counts of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. Authorities say he made arrangements with Derrick Shirley of Bradshaw to kill his wife. Both men were arrested Feb. 29.

Authorities say a concerned citizen notified them that Honken had contacted him with a request to kill his wife. During a recorded police call, Honken allegedly said he wanted his wife “out of the way” and admitted he had previously hired another person, Shirley, to do the job.

Honken is seeking to have one of the charges dismissed, saying it constitutes double jeopardy.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Authorities have arrested a Lincoln woman on suspicion of setting a car on fire.

29-year-old Gabrielle Loving is accused of setting fire to a car that she believed belonged to a former boyfriend.

Authorities say the blaze caused about $7,000 in damages.

Loving told police she had nothing to do with fire, but police say her daughter told a school counselor that her mother admitted to the crime and that her clothes smelled like smoke.

According to a police affidavit, Loving’s daughter said her mother told her to put the clothes in a neighbor’s trash can and instructed her about what to say if police asked her about the incident.

Online court records did not list an attorney for Loving in the case.