Nebraska state troopers will be at state high school games around the state this fall to promote seat belt use.

The “Friday Night Lights” initiative is intended to help reduce serious injury and fatal crashes involving teenage drivers by showing them what can happen if they don’t buckle up.

Troopers will offer fans at the high school games rides in the patrol’s Seat Belt Convincer, which simulates a low-impact crash.

Teens will also be given the opportunity to take home a T-shirt. During breaks in the games, troopers will catapult T-shirts with a seat belt safety message into the stands.

Date	Location	Time
August 30	Fremont High School Memorial Stadium E. Military & Clarmar Avenue, Fremont Fremont Tigers vs. Lincoln East Spartans Crete High School Simon Field-Doane College Campus 1307 E. 13th Street, Crete Crete Cardinals vs. Ralston Rams	7:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m.
September 6	Fort Calhoun High School 710 N. 15th Street, Fort Calhoun Fort Calhoun Pioneers vs. Syracuse Rockets Seward High School Bulldog Stadium, Concordia College 800 North Columbia Avenue, Seward Seward Bluejays vs. Columbus Discoverers Aurora High School 300 L Street, Aurora Aurora Huskies vs. Alliance Bulldogs St. Cecilia High School 521 N. Kansas Street, Hastings St. Cecilia Bluehawks vs. Centennial Broncos	7:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m.
September 13	Logan View High School 2163 County Road G, Hooper Logan View Raiders vs. Concordia Wilber-Clatonia High School 900 South Franklin Street, Wilber Wilber-Clatonia Wolverines vs. Adams Central Patriots Hampton High School 458 5th Street, Hampton Hampton Hawks vs. Giltner Hornets Hastings High School 1100 W. 14th Street, Hastings Hastings Tigers vs. Alliance Bulldogs Grand Island Northwest High School 2710 N. North Road, Grand Island Grand Island NW Vikings vs. McCook Bison	7:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. 7:00 pm.
September 20	Blair High School Krantz Field 440 N. 10th Street, Blair Blair Bears vs. Beatrice Orangemen Adams Central High School 1090 S. Adams Central Avenue Adams Central Patriots vs. Fairbury Jeffs	7:00 p.m.     7:00 p.m.
September 27	Omaha South High School 4519 S. 24th Street, Omaha Omaha South Packers vs. Millard South Patriots   Fairbury High School Athletic Complex- 1501 9th Street, Fairbury Fairbury Jeffs vs. Fillmore Central Panthers Lawrence-Nelson High School 850 S. Nevada Street, Nelson Lawrence- Nelson  Raiders vs. Kenesaw Blue Devils	7:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m.       7:00 p.m.
October 4	Arlington High School 705 N. 9th Street, Arlington Arlington Eagles vs. Ft. Calhoun Pioneers Minden High School 325 Yates Avenue, Minden Minden Whippets vs. Kearney Catholic Stars	7:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m.
October 11	Fremont Bergan High School 545 East 4th Street, Fremont Fremont Bergan Knights vs. Oakland Craig Knights Gibbon High School 1030 Court Street, Gibbon Gibbon Buffaloes vs. St. Paul Wildcats	7:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m.
October 18	Gretna High School 11335 S. 204th Street, Gretna Gretna Dragons vs. Elkhorn Antlers	7:00 p.m.
October 25	Omaha North High School Kinnick Stadium 8204 Crown Point, Omaha Omaha North Vikings vs. Millard North Mustangs	7:00 p.m.

(AP) — Excited about the new iPhone expected to be unveiled Sept. 10? Apple will now join others in allowing you to trade in your old model.

The company said starting Friday that it would give customers credit for functioning older models at Apple Stores. The credit can be used toward the purchase of a new iPhone, which will be activated in the store.

It didn’t say how much older phones would be worth. But other brokers such as Gazelle.com offer anywhere from $10 for a working iPhone 3G to $350 for an iPhone 5 that is in pristine condition.

Similar trade-in programs are run by retailers including Best Buy, Target and Radio Shack.

A local transient is facing a felony charge after she was caught stealing from the Goodwill Store in North Platte.

North Platte Police responded to a reported theft from the store, located at 102 East William, at around 11:24 a.m. on Thursday.

Upon arrival, Officers learned that a female had taken items and left the store without paying for them.

Officers were given a description of the suspect and made contact with Maxine Chavez near the Motel 6.

When contacted by Officers, Chavez was in possession of one of the items taken from Goodwill.  They discovered that Chavez had dropped the other item near Wendy’s.

After recovering the other item, Police placed Chavez under arrest and charged her with Theft by Unlawful Taking.

Because Chavez had prior theft convictions, the misdemeanor charge was upgraded to a felony.

Chavez was jailed at the Lincoln County Detention Center.

Many people view Labor Day as the end of summer and their last chance to travel, hit the beach and fire up the grill. The American Red Cross offers safety tips to help everyone have a safe and enjoyable holiday.

“While many people will spend the Labor Day weekend traveling and spending time with family and friends, no one should take a vacation from safety,” said Tina Labellarte, Region CEO. “It’s still important that people work to remain vigilant on the road, near the water and at cookouts.”

People should follow these safety tips:

Tips for Safe Travel

• ·         Carry an emergency supply kit in your trunk.
• ·         Don’t drink and drive.

• Let someone know your destination, your route, and when you expect to arrive.
• Buckle up and observe speed limits.

Tips for Safe Swimming

• Check weather and water conditions beforehand and throughout the day.
• Always swim with a buddy in a designated swimming area supervised by a lifeguard.
• Provide constant supervision to children in or near the water and always stay within arm’s reach of young children and inexperienced swimmers while they are in the water.
• Young children and inexperienced swimmers should wear U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets.

Tips for Safe Grilling

• Keep the grill away from the house, tree branches, or anything that could catch fire.
• Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
• Keep children and pets away from the grill.
• Never add charcoal starter fluid when coals have already been ignited.

The American Red Cross First Aid App for smart phones and tablets provides users with expert advice on what to do in case of an emergency. This free app is available on the Apple iTunes or Google Play stores and at redcross.org/mobileapps.

For more information on emergency preparedness, go to redcross.org. Additional water safety tips are located at redcross.org/watersafety.

Nebraska Game and Parks commissioners say a tight budget is forcing the temporary closure of nearly 30 parks.

The commissioners said in a news release Friday that the closings will allow the redirection of department staffers to help reduce more than $30 million in deferred maintenance. That also will help the state comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and environmental concerns.

Most of the state recreation areas (SRAs) and historical parks on the list will close Sept. 16 and reopen May 1.

SRAs that will close Sept. 16 and reopen May 1, 2014 are: Blue River, Cheyenne, Conestoga, Cottonwood, Dead Timber, DLD, Keller, Long Lake, Long Pine, North Loup, Olive Creek, Oliver Reservoir, Pelican Point, Riverview Marina, Rock Creek Lake, Sandy Channel, Schramm, Sutherland, Union Pacific, Verdon, Stagecoach, Walgren, and War Axe. Vehicle access to boat ramps will remain open at Riverview, Pelican Point and Sutherland’s Hershey Beach.

(AP) — The Nebraska Department of Insurance has released proposed premium rates submitted under the federal health care overhaul.

The department says the sample premium rates posted on a state website (https://1.usa.gov/19Sw519) are only a preliminary tool for comparison.

Lower-cost options will be available to Nebraskans, but the figures aren’t shown in the 2013-to-2014 comparison sample

Tom Gilsdorf of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska says the comparisons are not apples-to-apples because coverage that will be sold for 2014 is new and must cover a range of benefits that were not covered in the past.

Starting in October, people who don’t have health insurance will be required by the Affordable Care Act to buy coverage.

• Today: Sunny and hot, with a high near 98. East wind 7 to 9 mph.
• Tonight: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 4am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 64. East wind 6 to 9 mph becoming south southeast after midnight.
• Saturday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 96. South wind 5 to 8 mph.
• Saturday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 57. Light and variable wind becoming north 6 to 11 mph after midnight.
• Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 86. North wind 9 to 13 mph.
• Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 58.
• Labor Day: Sunny, with a high near 87.
• Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 63.

(AP) — A Scottsbluff man will serve at least eight years in prison for stealing from two churches in the Nebraska Panhandle this spring.

29-year-old Thomas Wright, Jr. was sentenced to 16 to 20 years in prison, but he will be eligible for parole in eight years.

Wright has admitted to breaking into Immanuel Lutheran Church in Alliance and stealing more than $1,500. He also says he took a money bag from St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Alliance.

In exchange for his guilty pleas, the state did not pursue charging Wright as a habitual criminal.