OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Union Pacific sued an employee union over what the railroad says was its right to fire an engineer who defecated on a train car connection.

The railroad said in its filing last week in U.S. District Court in Omaha that an arbitrator exceeded his authority in overturning the January 2017 firing of Matthew Lebsack. Omaha-based Union Pacific wants the court to reverse the arbitrator’s finding that the firing was “excessive discipline” and that Lebsack should be reinstated.

The arbitrator said the railroad should have required Lebsack to undergo medical and psychological evaluations and then disciplined him if he were found fit for his work.

Attempts by The Associated Press to reach Lebsack and lawyers for Union Pacific and the Sheet Metal Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers-Transportation Division union were unsuccessful.

Lebsack walked past the locomotive cab bathroom on Nov. 20, 2016, when the train was stopped, according to the lawsuit. He left the locomotive and then defecated on the metal knuckle that connected the locomotive to a trailing rail car. He wiped himself and tossed the soiled tissues out a locomotive window before raising a middle finger twice to a locomotive security camera, the lawsuit says.

It also says he later told his manager that he’d left a “present” for his co-workers.

Lebsack acknowledged at a January 2017 disciplinary hearing that what he’d done was unacceptable and that he was willing to accept responsibility for his actions, the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit doesn’t say where the incident occurred.

Governor Pete Ricketts announced that Matt Mason of Omaha has been designated as Nebraska’s next State Poet. The selection process was led by the Nebraska Arts Council, Humanities Nebraska, and the Nebraska Library Commission, a group of state agencies and organizations that together presented finalists to the Governor for consideration. Mason will be installed as Nebraska State Poet 2019-2023 during a ceremony that will be announced at a later date.

“From Willa Cather to Ted Kooser, Nebraska has been home to many talented authors, artists, and poets,” said Governor Ricketts. “As our next State Poet, Matt will help celebrate Nebraska and bring our state together around our shared love of the Good Life.”

The Nebraska State Poet is selected based on artistic excellence and exemplary professionalism demonstrated by significant publications and special honors, an established history of community service in the advancement of poetry in Nebraska, and the ability to present poetry and interact effectively with a public audience.

Mason is executive director of the Nebraska Writers Collective, through which he has run the Louder Than a Bomb: Great Plains youth poetry festival each year since 2011. He is a former board president of the Nebraska Center for the Book and has served as the Nebraska State Coordinator for Poetry Out Loud, a Poetry Foundation/National Education Association program. He also edits PoetryMenu.com, a listing of every poetry event in the state of Nebraska.

Additionally, Mason has won a Pushcart Prize and two Nebraska Book Awards (for Poetry in 2007 and Anthology in 2006) for his own work. He represented Nebraska as a member of six teams at the National Poetry Slam, and he represented the United States as an organizer of the U.S. Department of State poetry programing in Romania, Nepal, Botswana, and Belarus.

“Poetry and poetry advocacy have been my life’s real project, so being honored like this is amazing and humbling,” Mason said. “I hope to get into communities around the state to do readings with authors there. I want to get to the different counties, to the Air Force Base, to different crowds and bring entertaining poetry as well as remind everyone of the poets already there in their communities.”

As Nebraska State Poet, Mason will serve a five-year renewable term as an advocate for poetry, literacy, and literature in Nebraska. His duties will include giving public presentations and readings, leading workshops and discussions, and providing other outreach in schools, libraries, literary festivals, and various venues in rural and urban communities throughout the state.

The position of Nebraska Poet Laureate was established in 1921 when John G. Neihardt, whose most famous work includes “Black Elk Speaks” and “Cycle of the West,” was appointed by the Legislature. In 1982, William Kloefkorn was appointed as Nebraska State Poet by Governor Charles Thone. Kloefkorn served as State Poet for 29 years until his death in May 2011. Twyla M. Hansen, winner of two Nebraska Book Awards and co-director of the website, “Poetry from the Plains: A Nebraska Perspective,” served from 2013-2018.

CAMBRIDGE, Neb. (AP) — A March 4 sentencing hearing is scheduled for two 18-year-olds accused of planning to attack a high school in south-central Nebraska.

Furnas County Court records say Joseph Williams, of Oxford, and Aron McMains, of North Platte, pleaded no contest Monday to misdemeanor attempted terroristic threats. Prosecutors had lowered the charges from felony counts.

Court records say Williams, McMains and two 17-year-old boys had been discussing an attack on Cambridge High School for months. When one student transferred to a different school, they tried to recruit another student.

One of the students told police he thought the plan was a joke but wasn’t sure whether the others felt that way.

Both 17-year-olds are seeking to be prosecuted as juveniles.

Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol Bomb Squad have safely disposed of a grenade found in a dumpster in Talmage.

The grenade was found in a dumpster as a home was being cleaned out. The resident of the home had passed away. Those who found the grenade contacted the Otoe County Sheriff’s Office who contacted the NSP Bomb Squad for assistance.

NSP Hazardous Device Technicians safely removed the grenade from the area and destroyed it with a counter charge.

“If you ever find a grenade or other explosive device, call the authorities immediately and do not attempt to move it,” said Lt. Dain Hicks, Commander of the NSP Bomb Squad. “These devices can be extremely dangerous and must be handled by trained experts.”

NSP has Hazardous Device Technicians stationed throughout the state to work with local authorities for this type of situation.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – Authorities say a man convicted of a 1997 Omaha slaying escaped a Lincoln work-release center six days after his victim’s son was killed.

The Nebraska Correctional Services Department says 40-year-old Anthony Gafford left the Community Corrections Center-Lincoln at 6 a.m. Saturday to go to work but never returned. The department’s Laura Strimple said Tuesday that there’s been no change in his escaped status.

Gafford was convicted of second-degree murder and a weapons charge and sentenced to 30 to 50 years for fatally shooting Jacque Holbert in September 1997. Prison records say his scheduled release date is Dec. 11, 2022.

Holbert’s son, 21-year-old Jacque “Jack” Holbert IV, was fatally shot Jan. 20 in Omaha. No arrests have been reported.

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (AP) – Authorities have charged a driver with manslaughter for the death of a pedestrian in North Platte.

Lincoln County Court records say 34-year-old Ryan Baade, of North Platte, also was charged Monday with failing to stop and render aid. He’s being held in the Lincoln County Jail pending $250,000 bail. Court records don’t list the name of an attorney who could comment for Baade. His next court hearing is scheduled for Thursday.

Police say 65-year-old David Kohlmeier was struck while crossing a street around 6:45 a.m. Friday by a vehicle that fled the scene .

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A coalition of major Nebraska agricultural groups has endorsed a proposal designed to lower property taxes and ensure state funding for K-12 schools by raising cigarette and alcohol taxes and eliminating other tax breaks.

Members of the Nebraska Agriculture Leaders Working Group hailed the proposal Monday as “the best bill from which to start.”

The bill would eventually guarantee that all Nebraska schools get at least 50 percent of their basic education funding from the state. Many rural schools currently receive no state equalization aid.

The bill includes some controversial proposals, including the elimination of sales tax exemptions for groceries.

Farm groups and the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Curt Friesen of Henderson, say the bill could change and they’re willing to consider other ideas.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska lawmakers are considering a bill that would let school districts display a poster showing the state’s toll-free child abuse and neglect hotline.

Schools would have the option to place a poster in English and Spanish in an area of the building where it’s likely to be seen. Sen. John McCollister of Omaha presented the measure Monday to the Legislature’s Education Committee.

Schools could also post a link to the poster on their website. The bill would let the Nebraska Department of Education contract with an outside company or group to create the poster.

Department officials say they already have staff members who could create the poster with a minimal increase in expenses.

GOTHENBURG, Neb. (AP) — An economic development organization says it’s under contract to buy the former Baldwin Filters plant in Gothenburg and attract another employer to the city.

Gothenburg Improvement Co. President Nate Wyatt says he can’t disclose the purchase price. The deal is expected to close in late March. The development organization will approach the Gothenburg City Council to request city sales tax revenue to pay for the plant.

Cleveland-based Parker Hannifin announced in October 2017 that its Baldwin filtration products plant in Gothenburg would close and production would be transferred to the company’s plant in Kearney.