(AP) — A 22-year-old Gibbon man has been killed and three other people have been injured in a south-central Nebraska traffic accident.

The Buffalo County Sheriff’s Office says the accident occurred around 8:20 p.m. Monday about a mile southwest of Gibbon.

The office says 20-year-old Darienne Newman, of Axtell, was driving with three people when she lost control of her car. It went into a ditch and rolled.

Newman and two passengers were taken to Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney. The sheriff’s office says passenger Steven Kautz was pronounced dead at the scene.

The crash is being investigated.

(AP) — A 36-year-old Kearney woman who hid assets so her mother would qualify for Medicaid has been given probation, some jail time and must pay back $30,000.

Amanda Wilson was sentenced Friday in Buffalo County District Court. She’d been convicted of misrepresentation to gain state assistance.

Wilson was sentenced to five years of probation and three months in jail. Wilson also must complete some group treatment and classes in social values, responsible thinking and financial responsibility.

The Nebraska Health and Human Services Department says in court records that Wilson didn’t report a checking account and property on the Medicaid applications she completed on behalf of her mother, Connie Franks. Officials also say Wilson didn’t disclose a joint account she shared with Franks, who died in December.

(AP) — A University of Nebraska-Lincoln plant expert is urging soybean growers to stay vigilant for stem and root rots, including white mold.

Plant pathologist Loren Giesler says the rots continue to be a problem in Nebraska soybean fields. Giesler says growers have reported white mold in several fields in northern Nebraska.

Giesler says all soybean infections typically start at a node. The cool, wet conditions that occurred during this year’s flowering were favorable for infections and fungus growth.

Giesler says he’s received several calls about whether a fungicide should be applied. He says there’s no good data to know for sure, but there may be some benefit in treating infections that are widespread.

(AP) — An economic index compiled from a survey of business leaders in nine Midwest and Plains states rose slightly last month, the first increase since March.

The Mid-America Business Conditions Index hit 53.8 in August, compared with 53.5 in July.

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss oversees the survey, and he says the results point to growth for the final quarter of this year but at about half the rate of the first quarter.

The survey results are compiled into a collection of indexes ranging from zero to 100. Survey organizers say any score above 50 suggests growth, while a score below that suggests decline.

The survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.

(AP) — A Nebraska lawmaker says he fears more lawsuits will be filed if the state tries to limit groundwater irrigation near the Republican River.

The state has cited drought conditions in requiring extra conservation measures by irrigation districts using surface water and natural resources districts that manage groundwater supplies.

State Sen. Mark Christensen, of Imperial, said more lawsuits “appear pretty likely” if the state limits groundwater irrigation.

The state already has been sued by Kansas over use of the Republican River. A 1943 agreement allocates 49 percent of the water to Nebraska, 40 percent to Kansas and 11 percent to Colorado.

Another lawsuit filed by two groups of irrigators is challenging a plan to pump groundwater into the river to comply with the compact.

• Today: Sunny, with a high near 93. South wind 9 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph.
• Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 63. South wind 13 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph.
• Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 93. South wind 6 to 10 mph.
• Wednesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 62. Southeast wind 6 to 8 mph.

(AP) — Health officials in northwest Nebraska say they’ve found West Nile Virus in a dead bird from Box Butte County, a sign the disease is still present in the area.

It’s the first infected bird found in Nebraska this year.

West Nile is passed through the bite of a mosquito that has picked up the virus by feeding on an infected bird.

Panhandle Public Health District Environmental Health Coordinator Tabi Prochazka says it means the virus continues to pose a risk.

The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services says 22 human cases of West Nile Virus are confirmed in Nebraska this year.

Prochazka says use of mosquito repellant, long-sleeved shirts, long pants, shoes and socks when going outdoors at dawn and dusk help.

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(AP) — A Nebraska Panhandle couple have lost their home and dog to a fire.

Authorities say Vance and Barbara Siedenburg awoke to smoke and flames around 3:30 a.m. Saturday at their rural Scottsbluff house. They fled to a neighbor’s house and called firefighters.

Assistant Fire Chief Paul Reisig of Scottsbluff Rural Fire Department says the house roof was already caving in when firetrucks arrived. Reisig says the total loss is estimated at $450,000.

Deputy State Fire Marshal Mike Turner says the blaze was caused by an electrical problem.

(AP) — Small-town public libraries have until Oct. 1 to submit applications for grants from the Kreutz Bennett Donor-Advised Fund.

The fund was established to provide support for public libraries located in communities with populations of less than 3,000.

The late Shirley Kreutz Bennett, of Lincoln, established the fund through the Nebraska Community Foundation because she wanted to help smaller communities gain better access to knowledge and information.

All grants require a certain level of matching funds and evidence that the project has broad community support. Approximately $70,000 is available each year. Grant seekers are encouraged to review the guidelines and application procedures at www.nebcommfound.org/fund/kreutzbennett.

Earlier this year, grants were approved in Albion, Ashland, Hildreth, Mitchell, Osmond, Valley, Walthill and Wausa.

(AP) — Union Pacific is reminding everyone to be careful around railroad tracks over the Labor Day holiday.

The Omaha-based railroad says it is especially important to be careful at railroad crossings during such a busy travel weekend.

UP’s director of public safety Dale Bray says motorists should always look for trains when they come to crossings.

The Federal Railroad Administration says 271 people died and 930 were injured last year in grade crossing accidents nationwide.