(AP) — Dawson County officials in western Nebraska have been operating without phone service for three days, and it’s not clear when repairs will be complete.

All the phones at the courthouse and most phones in the sheriff’s office are out of service.

Dawson County Sheriff Gary Reiber says his staff has been relying on cell phones and email to conduct business.

Reiber says a part for the phone system arrived Wednesday morning, but the technician from the Dallas-based company that sold the phone system wasn’t immediately available.

But Reiber says the 911 emergency call center is operating normally.

(AP) — A Utah man has died in an apparent motorcycle accident east of Sidney in the Nebraska Panhandle.

The body of 27-year-old Nicholas Schmit of Grantsville, Utah, was found Wednesday along U.S. Highway 30, about 18 miles east of Sidney.

Cheyenne County Attorney Paul Schaub says it appears Schmit died when the motorcycle he was riding hit a sign.

Residents passing by noticed the body just after 5 a.m. and called police.

Authorities estimate Schmit died at 1:30 a.m.

Electricity has been restored to the central Nebraska towns of Ravenna and Pleasanton after a crop-dusting plane clipped a line and knocked out power.

The Buffalo County Sheriff’s Department says the pilot wasn’t injured and the plane landed safely. The accident occurred north of Pleasanton around 5:15 p.m. Tuesday.

Dawson Public Power District says a transmission switch north of Pleasanton also was damaged.

Nebraska Public Power District spokesman Mark Becker says power was restored to its Ravenna customers by 5:45 p.m. Dawson district spokeswoman Marsha Banzhaf (BAHN’-shahf) says all of its customers in the area had their power back on by 10 p.m.

Summer oil changes will boost more than just vehicle performance this month in North Platte. On June 13^th and 14^th, Mobil 1 Lube Express/Modern Tire Pros at 1402 S. Jeffers will donate $30 from every oil change to the North Platte Public Schools Foundation and the North Platte Catholic Schools Endowment-Trust. This will be the third time that store owner Gary Jones has held an oil change fundraiser in support of local education.

All proceeds generated on Thursday, June 13^th are designated for the North Platte Public School Foundation’s “Prepared to Learn” Program. The Prepared to Learn Program works to remove barriers of learning. Unfortunately, there are students that arrive to school every day that are not prepared to learn in our classrooms. This program is designed to provide immediate assistance to acquire elements crucial to a student’s academic, emotional and social success in a confidential manner. The Foundation works closely with each administrator and counselor in all 13 schools in the North Platte Public School District to identify individual student needs. The Prepared to Learn Program has provided students with eyeglasses, school supplies, clothing, dental needs, transportation to school and beds to sleep on. According to Executive Director Jackie Lucas, “this program has a very personal and important impact on our student’s lives. Prepared to Learn funds give our administrators and counselors a way to reach out and ensure that our students are able to overcome personal obstacles in an effort to be more successful in the classroom. The Foundation relies on the generosity of the North Platte community and businesses to ensure that this 100% donor dependent program continues for our students.”

Proceeds generated from oil changes on Friday, June 14^th will be directed toward the North Platte Catholic Schools “Forward in Faith 2013” campaign for school improvements. Endowment Director Wendy Dodson says, “The Forward in Faith campaign will kick off in August to address pressing facility, technology, and sustainability needs for McDaid and St. Patrick’s Schools. The funds from this event will be some of the first designated toward this important campaign. We are working to build upon the strong tradition of the North Platte Catholic Schools by enhancing our current facilities and growing the Endowment to sustain future growth.”

The two-day fundraising event will run from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. June 13^th and 14^th at Mobil 1 Lube Express/Modern Tire Pros, 1402 S. Jeffers. The Mobil 1 NASCAR and traveling trailer will be on display, and NebraskaLand National Bank is grilling lunch for all who participate. Representatives from both school foundations will be on hand to answer questions and provide additional information about their programs. Jones says he is excited about the opportunity to support local schools and local students. He stresses that customers are not being charged anything extra for an oil change; this is simply an easy opportunity to support these North Platte school systems.

Nebraska Secretary of State, John Gale, will tour The Connection Homeless Shelter in North Platte on Saturday.

Gale’s office says the purpose of the visit is to talk about Nebraska’s Address Confidentiality Program.  His wife, Carol, will also present a variety of items created and collected by the Nebraska Legislative League, a group made up of State lawmaker’s spouses.

Gale says Nebraska’s Address Confidentiality Program is designed to help individuals and families who may find themselves in need of services offered through The Connection.  The program created a substitute address to be used by victims of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking.  The address can be used while victims are working with state and local agencies, to provide a level of protection from their abuser.

33 states have Address Confidentiality Programs.  In Nebraska, it is managed through the Secretary of State’s office.  There have been 377 enrolled participants since enrollment began in 2004.  104 of those participants remain active.

Secretary Gale will be at The Connection at 10:00 a.m. on June 8.

(AP) — Cabela’s plans to build new stores in New York, Texas and Massachusetts to sell outdoor gear.

The Sidney, Neb., based company said Wednesday it plans to open stores in Cheektowaga, N.Y., and Lubbock, Texas in 2014. A store is set to open in Berlin, Mass., in 2015.

The Cheektowaga store, near Buffalo, will be the company’s first one in New York.

The Berlin store is near Boston and will be the first Cabela’s in Massachusetts.

These locations are part of the 16 stores Cabela’s plans to open over the next two years. All the new stores use the company’s smaller format designed to fit within a mall or shopping center.

Cabela’s already has 44 stores in the United States and Canada, and it sells products through its website and catalogs.

(AP) — State officials have confirmed 12 cases of a fatal horse disease in northwest Nebraska.

The Nebraska Department of Agriculture said the cases of equine infectious anemia were all found in one horse herd.

State veterinarian Dr. Dennis Hughes says the disease only affects horses, mules and donkeys, and is usually fatal to those animals. No other animals or humans can be infected.

The disease is typically transmitted through insects, such as horseflies or deerflies, but it can also be spread among horses through infected needles. Hughes says infected horses have no treatment options.

Symptoms of the disease include fever, depression, weight loss, swelling and anemia.

(AP) — Nebraska has begun a voluntary firewood restriction as part of its effort to stem the spread of an insect pest that’s killing ash trees.

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission says the spread of the emerald ash borer can be prevented if park users acquire firewood within 50 miles of their destination and burn all their wood. Signs will be posted at all parks.

Park users bringing firewood from other states to Niobrara, Ponca, Eugene T. Mahoney and Indian Cave state parks, as well as Pawnee State Recreation Area, will be asked to exchange their firewood for locally acquired firewood.

The Asian insect has killed more than 50 million trees since it was first detected in Michigan in 2002. The ash borer has been found in northeast Iowa as well.

(AP) — Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman has signed a wind-energy bill that he opposes to prevent the city of Omaha from increasing its local option sales tax.

The Republican governor approved the measure on Tuesday.

The bill is designed to stimulate wind-energy production in Nebraska by offering sales tax breaks to companies that invest at least $20 million in a renewable energy project. Heineman opposed the measure as a tax giveaway to out-of-state companies, but he supported another part of the bill that will rescind Omaha’s ability to ask voters for a half-cent sales tax increase.

Heineman says he would have used a line-item veto to strike the wind-energy portions of the bill, but he can only use that power with budget bills.

(AP) — Sentencing is scheduled in August for the mother and grandmother of a 2-year-old Nebraska boy whose grandfather was convicted of killing him.

48-year-old Nancy Draper pleaded no contest on Monday to felony child abuse. The mother of Joseph Rinehart, 25-year-old Laura Rinehart, pleaded no contest to attempted child abuse. Prosecutors had reduced the charges in exchange for the women’s pleas.

Authorities say the two did nothing to stop the abuse of Joseph by Draper’s husband, 48-year-old Peter Draper, in April last year at the home they shared in Naponee.

Last month Peter Draper was found guilty of two child abuse charges.

Nancy Draper and Laura Rinehart are scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 20. Peter Draper’s sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 1.