(AP) — The deadline for schools in Nebraska and western Iowa to sign up for the Midwest Spelling Bee is approaching.

Schools that register at www.spellingbee.com before Oct. 15 will get a package of resources to help with their school spelling bees. Included in that is a one-year subscription to Britannica Online for Kids.

The Midwest Spelling Bee competition is planned for next March 15 is part of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. It will be held in Omaha and is sponsored by the Omaha World-Herald.

The World-Herald will contribute $22 to each school’s registration fee to lower the cost to $98.

(AP) — Nebraska’s school aid formula has been panned and praised at a hearing in Hastings.

School officials, lobbyists and other taxpayers attended Wednesday’s hearing by the state Education Committee.

Grand Island Public Schools business director Virgil Harden says the state formula is working as intended, with tax-rich districts getting less aid than those with fewer or lower local sources of tax revenue.

Adams County farmer Doug Saathoff says the funding formula isn’t fair to farmers and ranchers, who carry the local burden. Saathoff says the farmers and ranchers may be rich in land but not necessarily in income.

(AP) — Repeated warnings that antibiotics don’t work for most sore throats and bronchitis have failed to stop overuse. Two studies show doctors prescribed these drugs for most adults seeking treatment at a rate that remained high over more than a decade.

Antibiotics can have bad side effects, including severe diarrhea. Inappropriate prescriptions put patients at needless risk and can cause drug-resistant germs.

Antibiotics only treat bacteria but most sore throats and bronchitis are caused by viruses.

Reasons the drugs are so commonly prescribed include patients’ demands and doctors’ time pressures.

The studies were based on national health surveys from the late 1990s to 2010. The research is being presented Thursday at a medical meeting in San Francisco.

(AP) — A wintery storm carrying blustery winds and heavy snow has been forecast for the Nebraska Panhandle.

The storm is expected to move from Wyoming into Nebraska sometime Thursday night.

The National Weather Service says the snow will limit visibility and fall mostly in higher elevations, with rain possible elsewhere. A snow accumulation of up to 9 inches is forecast for Chadron, compared with 2 inches in Sidney.

Wind gusts of 50 mph could hit whip through some parts of the Panhandle.

An eight-year-old Sutherland boy has tragically died after being run over by a pickup.

The Nebraska State Patrol says Zachery Tyrell was run over by the pickup Wednesday evening around 6:30 p.m.  The Patrol says Tyrell was lying on his stomach on a skateboard traveling westbound on Locust Street when he was struck by the vehicle driven by 55-year-old Bruce Rotert of Sutherland.

The boy was transported to Great Plains Regional Medical Center by ambulance where he was pronounced dead.

Authorities do not believe alcohol or speed were factors in the accident and say no citations were issued.

Sutherland Public Schools say grief counselors will be available for students throughout the day.

 

(AP) — Nebraska Public Power District is helping keep open some Sutherland Reservoir areas that had been closed to the public.

Kirk Nelson, west regional manager of the parks division for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, said the state recreation area is operating as normal.

The recreation area was among about 30 across Nebraska that closed Sept. 16 as part of a plan by Nebraska Game and Parks to reduce more than $30 million worth of backlogged maintenance.

Under the closure, no camping or entrance to buildings was allowed at the Sutherland Reservoir.

NPPD spokesman Mark Becker says the utility owns the reservoir, “and we felt that it should remain open to the public.”

(AP) — A 29-year-old Nebraska Panhandle woman has been charged with extorting money from a man who’s now charged with molesting her 7-year-old daughter.

Jason Frei, of Potter, faces a felony charge of child sexual assault. Authorities say the 55-year-old groped the girl while giving her mother a massage on Aug. 15. The Associated Press isn’t using the mother’s name, in order to protect the girl’s privacy.

The woman later reported the incident. But the Cheyenne County deputy who investigated the case says Frei reported that the woman said she wouldn’t report the molestation if he paid her $20,000. A court document says Frei said he’d paid the woman $10,000 and showed the investigator a bank withdrawal receipt.

Frei’s attorney didn’t return a call Wednesday. The woman’s attorney declined to comment.

(AP) — Nebraska officials say recent flooding in the state may pose serious threats to the quality of private water wells.

The state Department of Health and Human Services says private water wells may need to be tested for bacterial contamination.

Jack Daniel, head of the department’s drinking water and environmental health office, says there are currently no problems with public drinking water supplies.

Daniel says water from private wells in flooded areas should not be considered safe for drinking until they are properly tested. He says possible signs of contamination include cloudiness or a change in taste or smell.

Many people can donate blood, but even healthy donors are sometimes temporarily deferred due to low hemoglobin levels. The American Red Cross recommends eligible blood donors eat a well-balanced diet with extra iron-rich foods prior to their donation this fall.

During the fall, iron-rich produce such as broccoli, kale, sweet potatoes, spinach, apricots and chard are in season and therefore more abundant.

Food can have two types of iron, heme and nonheme. The body can absorb up to 30 percent of heme iron, primarily found in meat, but only 2 to 10 percent of nonheme iron. Foods high in vitamin C, such as leafy greens, peppers and citrus fruits, help with iron absorption.

The Red Cross also recommends iron supplements for regular blood donors after consulting with their personal health care provider or pharmacist. Visit redcrossblood.org/iron to learn more.

Healthy blood donors help patients in need every day. Make an appointment to roll up a sleeve by calling 1-800-RED CROSS or visiting redcrossblood.org.

Upcoming blood donation opportunities:

Arthur County

Oct. 28 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at ArthurHigh School, 111 Marshall St. in Arthur, Neb.

Furnas County

Oct. 17 from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at SouthValleyHigh School, 43739 Highway 89 in Oxford, Neb.

Keith County

Oct. 18 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at CommunityBuilding, 205 N. Oak St. in Paxton, Neb.

Oct. 23 from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at OgallalaHigh School, Sixth and East G streets in Ogallala, Neb.

(AP) — Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman is calling for new property and income tax cuts when the Legislature convenes next year.

The Republican governor argued Wednesday that property tax reductions would benefit rural Nebraskans, who have complained for years about the rates on farms and ranchland. Heineman says lowering income taxes would help urban wage earners.

His comments came in the midst of a legislative review of Nebraska’s tax system, which has included public hearings in Scottsbluff, North Platte and Norfolk. Additional hearings are scheduled in Lincoln and Omaha.

State government has no direct control over property taxes, which are set at the local level. But Heineman says the state could use Nebraska’s property tax credit fund to reduce what property owners have to pay.