LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The number of independents and Libertarians in Nebraska is still climbing while the Democratic Party continues to lose voters and Republican registrations stay relatively flat, according to new state voting data.

Even though it’s dwarfed by the Republican and Democratic parties, the Libertarian Party of Nebraska saw another surge in its membership prior to Tuesday’s statewide primary election. Party officials said the trend is driven by voter disgust with the two major parties, even though Nebraska remains a Republican stronghold.

Libertarian activists have built their coalition mostly from independents and young voters who don’t align themselves with the two major parties, including many who are “fiscally conservative and socially accepting,” said Matt Maly, the party’s vice chairman.

Nebraska had 13,499 Libertarian voters earlier this month, compared to 7,414 in May 2016, according to the secretary of state’s office. Maly said party officials hope that number could reach 20,000 within two years.

“People are fed up with the extremism on both sides,” Maly said. “Most people fall somewhere in the middle, and that’s who we represent.”

The number of Republicans increased to 577,438 this month, up from 564,718 in 2016, but the GOP’s percentage of registered voters has been flat. During that period, the number of Democrats fell more than 4,000 to 355,753.

The number of nonpartisan voters jumped from 233,355 to 252,970.

Maly said his party has focused on small, winnable races that are nonpartisan to help its candidates develop name recognition and experience. The party scored a high-profile victory in 2016 when state Sen. Laura Ebke, of Crete, left the state Republican Party and reregistered as a Libertarian, but her candidacy also illustrates some of the challenges Libertarians face.

Ebke is one of four Libertarian state lawmakers nationwide — the other three are in New Hampshire — and is running for re-election this year in a potentially pivotal race for the party.

She survived a primary challenge Tuesday from a Republican legislative candidate backed by Gov. Pete Ricketts, but faces another Republican in November who received more votes in Tuesday’s election. Because Nebraska legislative races are officially nonpartisan, the two top vote-getters in the primary advance to the general election regardless of their affiliation.

“If we can demonstrate that we can and do win races, it’s going to bring in even more people,” Maly said.

The Nebraska Democratic Party still has work to do to build its membership and won’t come close to matching the number of Republican registrations anytime soon, said Chairwoman Jane Kleeb.

Kleeb said the party’s membership is slipping for a variety of reasons, including younger Democratic voters who are leaving the state and an increase in those who don’t want to associate with either party. Some potential Democrats are also turned off by the turmoil at the national level without considering how local candidates would represent their interests, she said.

But Kleeb said party officials are appealing to potential supporters, especially young people and communities of color who feel neglected. Those voting blocs could play a key role in the future not just in Omaha and Lincoln, but also communities such as Schuyler, Columbus and Grand Island because of their growing Latino communities, she said.

“Communities of color are telling us we’ve taken their votes for granted for too long,” Kleeb said. “The Democratic Party has a lot of work to do to show we’re standing with them.”

Kleeb said local party officials recently received a $50,000 grant from the national party for a “block captain program” to promote Democratic ideals and candidates at the neighborhood level.

The Nebraska Republican Party has seen a slight uptick in its membership since 2010, but its share of total registered voters has remained flat. The party is unlikely to see huge growth in the future because it’s already so dominant and Nebraska has relatively few unregistered voters, said Executive Director Kenny Zoeller.

Zoeller said his party makes a point of hosting conventions in all 93 counties to keep members engaged. Party activists recruit new members by pointing to the state’s low unemployment rate and economic development projects that were launched under Republican leadership, he said.

“We’re primarily focused on delivering our messages of smaller government, lower taxes and less intrusion by the government,” Zoeller said.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — State highway projects are expected to delay travelers in western and southeastern Nebraska.

The Nebraska Transportation Department says work is scheduled to begin Monday on Nebraska Highway 61 in the Grant area of Perkins County. There will be concrete patching, asphalt overlay, and shoulder work.

Traffic will be maintained by lane closures, flaggers, and a pilot vehicle. The work is set to be done by November.

In Pawnee County, bridge work is scheduled to begin June 4 on Nebraska Highway 65 south of Pawnee City. The department says motorists will be directed onto a detour during the bridge replacement.

The project is expected to be finished by the end of the year.

LOUISVILLE, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is offering an introductory series to women who want to learn how to shoot and increase their knowledge of handguns.

The June sessions at Platte River State Park is part of the Becoming an Outdoors Woman program. There will be four sessions: June 6, 13, 20 and 27, at $15 a class. Attendance is required at the first two sessions.

Topics include safety, gun handling and range rules. Participants may bring their handguns and ammunition or use those provided.

A park entry permit is required. Go online at Outdoornebraska.org/bow to sign up.

The park sits on the west bank of the Platte River — southeast of Ashland and west of Louisville — and can be reached by taking Exit 426 south off Interstate 80.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska officials are reminding mushroom hunters to get permission from landowners before hunting for morel mushrooms on private land.

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is reminding mushroom hunters to respect landowners by getting permission. Mushroom hunting is permitted on most state park land.

But mushroom hunters should watch out for turkey hunters on state wildlife management areas.

More information for mushroom hunters is available online.

MAY 18, 2018 (LINCOLN, NEB.)  — Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) will be on the lookout for seatbelt violations and other signs of dangerous driving for the two weeks surrounding Memorial Day.

The “Click It or Ticket” enforcement campaign coincides with efforts from other law enforcement agencies around Nebraska, and many more participants around the country. The campaign will run from Monday, May 21, through Sunday, June 3.

“Seatbelt use is a proven way to increase your odds of survival in the event of a crash,” said Colonel John Bolduc, Superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol. “We’re proud to join our colleagues around the country in spreading that message through active enforcement of seatbelt laws.”

This effort will include troopers in all NSP Troop Areas, spanning border to border in Nebraska.

The enforcement effort is made possible thanks in part to a grant for $28,830 from the Nebraska Department of Transportation – Highway Safety Office.

• Alex Gustaf Maline 29, Littleton CO and Alysa Joy Steffens, 25, Littleton CO

 

• Marc Charles Block, 46, North Platte and Mandie Lynn Cartwright, 46, North Platte

 

• Charles Monty Blowers, 23, Gothenburg NE and Corin Rose Pelster, 22, Gothenburg NE

 

• Tyrell Victor Wilson, 25, Sutherland and Kali Rae Blevins, 26, Sutherland

 

• Jack Jacob Brethauer, 48, North Platte and Jennifer Lee Hoaglund, 35, North Platte

 

• John Leslie Young, 52, North Platte and Angela Jean Munsen, 54, North Platte

 

• Zachary Thomas Richter, 23, Lincoln NE and Johnna Kay Halsted, 20, Lincoln NE

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A monthly survey of bankers shows that the economy is slowly improving in rural parts of 10 Plains and Western states.

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss says that while commodity prices have improved recently, they remain below breakeven for a large share of grain farmers.

The overall Rural Mainstreet index slipped slightly to 56.3 in May, up from 53.5 in April. It’s the highest level since July 2013. Any score above 50 suggests a growing economy in the months ahead, while a score below 50 indicates a shrinking economy.

Bankers from Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming were surveyed.

More than one-third of bank CEOs identified rising regulatory costs as the top economic challenge to their operations over the next five years.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha man who has spent years fighting to expand ballot-petition rights in Nebraska announced Thursday he will mount an independent bid for state treasurer while seeking to overturn a law that makes it harder for nonpartisan candidates to run for higher office.

Kent Bernbeck said he will challenge Republican John Murante in the November general election. His candidacy faces long odds, but the veteran direct-democracy activist has filed successful legal challenges in the past to loosen restrictions on citizen-led petition drives.

Murante, of Gretna, defeated former Omaha mayoral candidate Taylor Royal in the GOP primary Tuesday and faced no other opponents.

Bernbeck is challenging a law introduced by Murante that requires nonpartisan candidates to gather signatures from roughly 10 percent of the state’s registered voters, or nearly 120,000 people, to be included on the general election ballot. The previous threshold was 4,000.

Nebraska’s signature requirement is now among the highest in the country. Thirty-seven states require 10,000 signatures or less.

Murante welcomed Bernbeck to the race and said the competition won’t affect his plans.

“I’ve spent the last year traveling around the state and talking about what my small-business experience and strong conservative leadership can bring to the position,” he said.

Bernbeck said the requirement limits voters’ options and makes it nearly impossible for independent candidates to get elected.

He plans to challenge the law in federal court and said Murante’s “partisan overreach” could cost taxpayers up to $300,000 in legal fees, based on similar lawsuits.

Bernbeck said he’ll bring the lawsuit soon and expects to have a decision by September. He said he has a “high degree of confidence” a judge will reverse the law, and has started collecting signatures to get his name on the ballot. Bernbeck said he’s aiming to collect 5,000 to 6,000 signatures so he’ll qualify if the law is reversed.

Sen. Bob Krist, of Omaha, sought to challenge the law earlier this year when he announced a run for governor as an independent candidate. He initially planned to form his own party to avoid the high signature threshold, but instead changed his registration to Democrat.

Krist won the Democratic party’s primary nomination Tuesday. He had challenged the law in the U.S. District Court in February but dropped the lawsuit when his party affiliation changed.

Bernbeck said he hopes the lawsuit and his campaign will promote accountability and encourage independent candidates to run in future elections.

“I haven’t laid awake in bed the last five years thinking about this job,” he said. “But I think I would do a good job because of my business experience.”

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska’s preliminary unemployment rate for April matched the rate in March and February of 2.8 percent, the state reported Friday.

The Nebraska Labor Department said in a news release that the rate was down a tenth of a point from the 2.9 percent of April 2017. Last month’s rate also remained well below the national figure, which dropped to 3.9 percent from 4.1 percent in March.

“In the last two months, manufacturing has reached pre-recession employment levels,” said state Labor Commissioner John Albin. “Manufacturing is an important component of Nebraska’s economy that accounts for nearly 10 percent of nonfarm jobs.”

Nonfarm employment was 1,026,608, up 7,532 over the year and up 9,737 over the month, the report said. Private industries with the most growth year over year were: manufacturing, up 3,189; leisure and hospitality, up 3,055; and education and health services, up 1,829. Month to month, the largest gains were in leisure and hospitality, up 3,709; mining and construction, up 3,518; and professional and business services, up 1,481.

Iowa, Wisconsin and Vermont joined Nebraska at the 2.8 percent rate for April. Maine recorded a rate of 2.7 percent, and New Hampshire and North Dakota had the same rate: 2.6 percent. Hawaii’s 2 percent was the nation’s lowest rate last month.

The preliminary Omaha-area rate dropped to 2.9 percent from 3 percent in March. The new rate matches that of April 2017. Lincoln’s preliminary rate remained unchanged at 2.6 percent last month and was a tenth of a point higher than the year-ago figure of 2.5 percent. Grand Island’s preliminary rate for April didn’t change either, matching the 3 percent in March but down a half point from the 3.5 percent in April 2017.

The unemployment rates for Grand Island, Lincoln and Omaha have not been seasonally adjusted, so they cannot be directly compared with the state unemployment rate.

Here are preliminary area labor market unemployment rates for April, followed by the March rates:

— Beatrice: 3.1, 3.4

— Columbus: 3.0, 3.0

— Fremont: 2.8, 2.9

— Hastings: 2.9, 3.0

— Kearney: 2.4, 2.3

— Lexington: 2.9, 2.9

— Norfolk: 2.6, 2.9

— North Platte: 2.9, 3.1

— Red Willow: 2.4, 2.3

— Scottsbluff: 3.2, 3.2