The worst may be over for drivers in Michigan and other upper Midwest states who have been grappling with the highest gasoline prices in the continental U.S.

Analysts said Tuesday a major refinery is back online and another is on track with a major reconfiguration. The refineries’ issues are blamed for high gas prices in the Great Lakes region.

The average retail price of unleaded gas is $4.20 in Michigan, higher than anywhere else except Hawaii.

Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst at GasBuddy.com, says the worst is over and he doubts Midwest residents will continue paying $1 a gallon more than some parts of the country. He says wholesale prices dropped 20 cents per gallon in the last day, which should lower prices at the pump.

(AP) — Kearney-area officials have pledged more than $10 million in direct funding and other benefits to lure a new Central Nebraska Veterans Home to the city.

The city council voted Tuesday to commit $8.5 million in direct funding and utility cost reductions for the project. That’s on top of the $1 million approved by Buffalo County officials, $100,000 from a local economic development council, and $500,000 promised by a local veterans’ memorial committee.

The city is competing for the project with Hastings, North Platte and Grand Island, where the state’s 225-bed veterans’ home has operated for 126 years.

Grand Island has promised at least $3.3 million, and North Platte has committed at least $4 million.

Since its inception in 2006, the Improvement Fund of the North Platte/Lincoln County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau has awarded nearly one million dollars to Lincoln County organizations for brick-and-mortar improvements and expansions to local attractions and visitor services. Due to the overwhelming number of applicants seeking these funds, the North Platte/Lincoln County Convention and Visitors Bureau Advisory Committee has added an intent to apply requirement to the application process.

An “intent to apply” in the form of a letter must be sent to the NP/LCCVB by July 1, 2013, stating an estimate of the amount to be requested in the grant application, the total project cost, a brief description of the proposed project and the organizations involved in the project. Organizations that do not submit an intent to apply will not be eligible for submitting an application for Improvement Funds. Qualified organizations are 501(c)3, not-for-profit, or divisions of local government.

Following a review of the intent to apply, the staff of the NP/LCCVB will schedule a meeting with potential applicants to discuss the project and determine if it is eligible for a “minor grant” application or a “major grant” application.

Minor grants are defined as those in which the entire project has a cost of less than $5,000, or the activity is in the nature of repairs or maintenance to existing facilities. Major grants are those in which the entire project has a cost of more than $5,000, or which involve new construction, whether as a new attraction or visitor service, or an expansion of an existing attraction or visitor service.

The intent to apply must be returned to the NP/LCCVB office byMonday, July 1, 2013. For those projects given approval to submit a full application, the application will be made available immediately upon approval, and the due date will be September 30. Organizations that do not submit an intent to apply or miss the deadline will not be able to submit a grant application for Improvement Funds.

For more information contact Lisa Burke or Muriel Clark at the North Platte/Lincoln County Convention and Visitors Bureau at 315 W. Eugene Ave, 308.532.4729, lburke@visitnorthplatte.com ormclark@visitnorthplatte.com.

(AP) — Seats are now open on a new Nebraska commission to help problem gamblers.

The nine-member Nebraska Commission on Problem Gambling is scheduled to start its work on July 1. Gov. Dave Heineman will appoint its members.

The commission must have one member with medical or mental health expertise, one expert in banking and finance, a legal expert, an education expert, and an expert in data analysis. Two members must be consumers of problem gambling services, and two members will serve as at-large residents to represent the public.

The commission was created under a law introduced by Sen. Bob Krist, of Omaha.

Applications are available on the governor’s website.

(AP) — Former Lt. Gov. Rick Sheehy has agreed to pay a $1,000 fine for improper use of a state cellphone as part of a settlement with the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission.

Commission members voted 8-0 to impose the civil penalty after ruling that Sheehy had used the phone for purposes other than state business. Sheehy’s attorney said Monday that the ruling came late last week.

Sheehy, a Republican, has already reimbursed the state $500 for thousands of calls he had with four women other than his wife on the phone. He resigned in February and bowed out of the 2014 governor’s race after the calls came to light.

Sheehy’s former wife filed for divorce in 2012, and the divorce became final April 30.

(AP) — Nebraska’s net state revenue dipped below projections in May, but is still above the amount expected for the fiscal year that ends on July 1.

The state Department of Revenue reported Monday that net receipts in May totaled $339 million, less than 2 percent below the state forecast of $345 million. Net individual income and sales-and-use tax receipts were above projections, while net corporate and miscellaneous were below.

Net general fund receipts for the current fiscal year were nearly $3.7 billion, almost 8 percent above the certified forecast of $3.4 billion.

The comparisons are based on a forecast by the Nebraska Economic Forecasting Advisory Board in February.

Nebraska State Patrol Investigator Jessica Kitchell took first place honors in the Nebraska Inspector Championships held June 7-8 in Grand Island.

An eight-year veteran of the Nebraska State Patrol, Investigator Kitchell is stationed in Lincoln and assigned to the Carrier Enforcement Division. The competition consists of a personal interview, hazardous materials table top exercise, a level one inspection, motor coach inspection and a cargo tank inspection. The Nebraska Inspector Championships is held each June in Grand Island as a part of the Nebraska Truck Driving Championships.

Investigator Kitchell will now represent the state of Nebraska in the North American Inspector Championships (NAIC) in Salt Lake City, Utah, August 19-23. During the NAIC, inspectors from across North America are tested in a series of timed events, in which they will demonstrate their knowledge of the North American Standard Inspection Program. In addition to the competition, each inspector receives training on the latest safety information, technology, standards and inspection procedures.

The NAIC is held in conjunction with the American Trucking Association (ATA) National Truck Driving Championships.