(AP) — An Oregon company is recalling about 109,000 cases of refrigerated prepared salads and other ready-to-eat foods because of possible listeria contamination.

The items were produced at Reser’s Fine Foods’ plant in Topeka, Kan., and were distributed across the U.S. and in Canada.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the listeria was detected through microbiological testing by Canadian health authorities. U.S. officials traced the contamination to the Kansas plant.

The Beaverton, Ore., company says the Food and Drug Administration found listeria in the plant and there’s a possibility that items became cross-contaminated.

A list of the recalled products can be found at the FDA’s website, https://1.usa.gov/1cYFy8A . They all have a plant identifier code of “20” after the use-by date.

Reser’s has also set up a hotline at 1-888-257-7913.

(AP) — A federal judge in Nebraska has ordered the state to stop enforcing a law that prevents legal, non-citizens from getting a permit to carry a concealed handgun.

U.S. District Judge Richard Kopf issued the ruling last week after an agreement was reached between the Nebraska attorney general’s office and two gun-rights groups that sued the state.

The lawsuit argued that the law violates the equal protection rights of lawful, permanent residents who would otherwise qualify for a permit.

It was filed on behalf of Carlos Nino De Rivera Lajous, a Mexican man who has lived legally in Lincoln since 1990. Lajous, a member of the Second Amendment Foundation and the Nebraska Firearms Owners Association, applied for a concealed-carry permit in February but was denied.

(AP) — Officials have chosen 21 college-aged Nebraskans to serve on the state’s Agricultural Youth Council, which promotes farming.

Gov. Dave Heineman announced the winners on Wednesday and hailed the new members as future leaders in Nebraska’s agriculture industry.

The council is now in its 43rd year. It helps organize learning experiences for youths on farms, and in elementary and high schools throughout the state. The council also coordinates the annual Nebraska Agricultural Youth Institute, a five-day conference for high school juniors and seniors.

The 2013-2014 NAYC leaderships includes: Emma Likens, Swanton, Head Counselor; Will Miller, Culbertson, Head Counselor; Alyssa Dye, Alliance, President; Lauren Ibach, Sumner , Secretary; Samantha Schneider, Cozad, Vice President of the Communications and Social Media Committee; Trent Mastny, Howell, Vice President of the NAYI Improvement Committee; Michelle Dvoracek, Elba, Vice President of the Promotion Committee; Aksel Wiseman, Hershey, Vice President of the Sponsorship and Alumni Relations Committee; and Larissa Wach, Wauneta, Vice President of the Youth Outreach Committee.

Additional members are: Davis Behle, Kearney; Trevor DeVries, Fairfield; Johnny Ference, Ord; Steven Fish, Imperial; Hannah Gaebel, Ashland; Haley Harthoorn, Ainsworth; Jud Hoffschneider, Arlington; Toni Rasmussen, Albion; Elizabeth Rice, Murray; Railen Ripp, Kearney; Eric Wemhoff, Humphrey; and Morgan Zumpfe, Friend.

 

(AP) — State officials say ranchers in northwest Nebraska fared better than originally thought in the wake of an October blizzard that killed at least 2,200 cattle.

Director of Agriculture Greg Ibach said Wednesday that the region’s economy will recover, and the effect is small relative to Nebraska agriculture as a whole. Ibach says the state worked with rendering facilities and local landfills to help dispose of the carcasses.

The storm in early October dumped several feet of snow on the western Plains, and caused tornadoes in eastern Nebraska, South Dakota and Iowa. Tens of thousands of cattle were killed in western South Dakota.

Gov. Dave Heineman says Congress needs to pass a new farm bill, which previously has made disaster assistance available to compensate producers for their losses.

• Today: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 51. Light and variable wind.
• Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 32. Southeast wind 3 to 7 mph.
• Friday: Sunny, with a high near 64. South southwest wind 5 to 10 mph increasing to 13 to 18 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 28 mph.
• Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 34. South wind 6 to 11 mph becoming light and variable.

(AP) — Gov. Dave Heineman says he’s greatly relieved at a judge’s decision to keep a Nebraska man who killed six people locked in a state mental hospital.

Heineman said Wednesday that the ruling would help ensure public safety. His comments came after 68-year-old Erwin Simants was ordered to stay at the Lincoln Regional Center.

Erwin has lived at the facility since 1979, when he was found not guilty by reason of insanity in the shooting deaths of six members of the Kellie family of Sutherland. Prosecutors say Simants shot and killed Henry and Marie Kellie; their son David; and three of their grandchildren in 1975.

Four experts testified last month that Simants is no longer mentally ill, but the judge ruled that he still might pose a public threat.

(AP) — Reser’s Fine Foods in Topeka, Kan., is recalling about 22,800 pounds of potentially bacteria-tainted chicken, ham and beef products.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced Tuesday that the meat products may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. The meat was shipped to retailers and distributors in 27 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service listed various “sell by” dates for the recalled products.

There have been no reports of illness. Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, an uncommon and potentially fatal disease. Symptoms can include high fever and severe headache

(AP) — Farmers should begin getting payments soon for land set aside in the Conservation Reserve Program.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says it is sending out checks several weeks late because of the partial government shutdown.

About 390,000 farms nationwide have enrolled land in the CRP program covering nearly 27 million acres.

In exchange for an annual rental payment farmers take environmentally sensitive land out of production and plant grass or trees on it to improve water quality, wildlife habitat and prevent erosion.

Payments to corn and soybean farmers enrolled in the Average Crop Revenue Election program will begin going out Thursday. The USDA says 1.7 million farms are enrolled in the program, which provides farmers a revenue guarantee based on market prices and average yields for certain commodities.

(AP) — The University of Nebraska Kearney is hosting a health care symposium focused on the new federal law, health care technology and market forces.

The 2013 Marienau Symposium will take place on Monday and Tuesday in the Ponderosa Room of the Nebraska Student Union.

The free public event will include keynote speaker Thomas Bowden, an attorney and policy analyst with the Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights. Bowden will present a lecture, “Healthcare’s Forgotten Individuals,” at 7:30 p.m. on Monday.

Four panel discussions will examine different issues related to health care.

The event is hosted by the UNK College of Business.