LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The peregrine falcons that have nested for years on the Nebraska Capitol have moved up to a new home.

Officials say the two abandoned their longtime nesting site outside the 18th floor and have established a new nest in a gutter at the base of the dome. The nest isn’t visible from the FalconCam that’s provided a view of their family life over the years.

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s Joel Jorgensen told the Lincoln Journal Star that observers from the ground have been monitoring the birds’ movements, and it appears Ally has laid more eggs. He says it also appears Ally and her mate, 19/K, are taking turns on incubation duty.

Last year the two abandoned their clutch of five eggs at their former nest.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The National Rifle Association has endorsed Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts in his re-election bid along with Lincoln attorney Bob Evnen for secretary of state and state Sen. John Murante for state treasurer.

The NRA’s Political Victory Fund announced the endorsements Wednesday.

Ricketts, Evnen and Murante all scored high ratings from the group for their support of various gun-related measures. All three are Republicans who will appear on Nebraska’s May 15 primary election ballot.

Ricketts is slated to speak at an NRA leadership forum on May 4 in Dallas along with Vice President Mike Pence, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Texas Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, and others.

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) – Grammy Award-winner and debut “American Idol” winner Kelly Clarkson has been announced as the opening musical act for the Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island later this year.

Clarkson is now a judge on the TV singing contest show “The Voice,” and her hits include “Miss Independent,” ”Since U Been Gone” and “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You).” She’s set to perform on Aug. 24.

Other acts set to perform during the fair include the country groups Old Dominion and Sugarland, 80s rockers Night Ranger and the social awareness group Up with People.

All tickets go on sale Tuesday morning at the Heartland Event Center box office in Grand Island and online at www.StateFair.org .

TECUMSEH, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska agency has ordered state prison management to work with the guards’ union to transition a southeast prison from 12-hour to 8-hour shifts.

The Nebraska Commission of Industrial Relations ruled this month for the Tecumseh State Correctional Institution to make the shift change.

Correctional Services Department Director Scott Frakes implemented the 12-hour shifts at the prison as an emergency measure after an inmate riot in 2015.

The prison still hasn’t returned to 8-hour shifts despite negotiations and agreement with the union, Nebraska Association of Public Employees Local 61.

Prison management will now have to sort out a plan with the union to transition back to shorter shifts in a safe and timely manner.

Department Spokeswoman Dawn-Renee Smith says there aren’t details on when or how the transition will take place.

SUTHERLAND, Neb. (AP) — Preservation groups are discussing how to protect a portion of the Oregon-California Trail in Nebraska during construction of an electrical transmission line.

The proposed 220-mile (350-kilometer) long transmission project would pass through the trail’s rest stop in Sutherland.

The Nebraska Public Power District says the project is necessary to prevent power outages. But the Oregon-California Trails Association and the Nebraska State Historical Society say the line could threaten the remains of travelers who died on the trail.

The graves believed to be near the area haven’t been confirmed.

The power district is looking for ways to avoid disrupting natural habitats or areas of potential historical significance.

Spokesman Mark Becker says the district is considering alternate building techniques, including helicopters to pull the lines instead of taking them over land.

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (AP) — The former director of North Platte’s Housing Authorities has pleaded not guilty to theft and several other charges.

Lincoln County District Court records say 42-year-old Jennifer Smith, of Hershey, entered the pleas Monday. The records also say federal prosecutors may be filing a case against Smith.

The County Sheriff’s Office has been working on the case with state and federal investigators. The case surfaced in February after a bank alerted authorities about suspicious activity with an account.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Lawmakers will not convene for a special session to deal with Nebraska’s property tax system this year because the effort did not receive enough support.

Laura Strimple, a spokeswoman for the secretary of state, says only 14 senators had signed the request by the 5 p.m. Monday deadline. Support from 33 of the chamber’s 49 lawmakers is needed to bring the Legislature into special session.

Sen. Tom Brewer of Gordon proposed the session on April 10 after lawmakers failed to approve tax changes. The session would have been held next week.

Although legislators won’t gather to deal with taxes, supporters of a ballot measure that would cut property taxes are collecting signatures in hopes of putting the proposal on the November ballot.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A Native American tribe is suing Nebraska officials, alleging that state regulation of the tribe’s tobacco production is unconstitutional.

Two subsidiaries of the Winnebago Tribe filed a lawsuit last week against Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson and Tax Commissioner Tony Fulton, the Sioux City Journal reported. The subsidiaries, HCI Distribution and Rock River Manufacturing, argue that tribal commercial activities are protected under federal law and that Nebraska has no regulatory authority over the tribe’s cigarette operations.

The attorney general’s office declined to comment.

The lawsuit alleges that the largest American tobacco manufacturers are pressuring Nebraska and 45 other states to expand their jurisdiction onto Indian reservations. The “Big Tobacco” manufacturers are leveraging a 1998 settlement of lawsuits with the states, according to the tribe’s allegations.

The tobacco companies have threatened to withhold millions of dollars in settlement payments to coerce states to unlawfully regulate tribal tobacco operations, the lawsuit said.

“This attack has damaged our tribal economy and in turn threatens our sovereignty, self-determination and self-governance,” said Winnebago Tribal Chairman Frank White.

The tribe’s economic development branch, Ho-Chunk, operates the Rock River facility that manufactures cigarettes, which are available in more than 25 states and on most reservations across the country.

Federal agents in January raided sites owned by Ho-Chunk and seized records related to the tribe’s tobacco operations. White said the action was sparked by state regulators to leverage an ongoing tax dispute with the tribe.

The cigarette plant has been operating at a reduced output since the raid, said Ho-Chunk spokesman Sam Burrish.

The tax dispute began after the Nebraska Department of Revenue issued tax assessments against some reservation-based cigarette retailers in 2014. The department alleged the retailers made sales that are subject to Nebraska’s cigarette taxes.

HCI Distribution and Rock River disputed over whether the state’s laws apply to their cigarette operations, but negotiations broke down two years ago.

GERING, Neb. (AP) — A nurse convicted in Colorado and Nebraska of groping patients has been sentenced in Nebraska to three years in prison.

45-year-old Thomas Moore was sentenced Tuesday in Scotts Bluff County Court for convictions of three counts of third-degree sexual assault.

Moore had pleaded guilty to the counts earlier this month.

Three women told investigators that they’d been groped or otherwise sexually assaulted by Moore when he worked at Regional West Medical Center in Scottsbluff in 2014 and 2015. Their accusations came to light as Colorado investigators worked cases against Moore in Fort Collins and Greeley. Moore eventually pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 12 years in a Colorado prison.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts isn’t giving up on his push to lower property taxes after his proposal to lawmakers stalled in this year’s legislative session.

Ricketts pledged in an Associated Press interview to keep trying to build a contingent of supporters that’s large enough to overcome senators who oppose it in next year’s session. The governor’s property and corporate income tax package was derailed by a filibuster during the 60-day session that ended Wednesday.

“We’ll continue to look for solutions in the future to build that broad coalition,” Ricketts said.

Supporters of the governor’s plan said it would have eased the tax burdens on farmers who have seen their property taxes spike in recent years and helped businesses by lowering the state’s top corporate income tax rate. Some rural senators said the benefits wouldn’t have come fast enough, while other lawmakers argued there wasn’t a specific way to pay for it in the future.

Additionally, the plan was forced to compete with other property tax bills. One major proposal would have paid for property tax cuts by raising Nebraska’s sales and cigarette taxes, while another would have used more than $1 billion a year in state revenue — roughly one-fourth of the state’s annual budget.

Ricketts, a Republican who is up for re-election in November, said he and the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Jim Smith, of Papillion, tried repeatedly to find common ground with senators.

“It was changed throughout the entire process, and I believe we ended up with a very good bill,” Ricketts said. “We compromised all along the way, but we would not compromise on our principles of not raising taxes.”

He said he opposed the competing bills because one would raise taxes and the other would cause major disruptions in state services, possibly necessitating a tax increase. Because rural senators are now a minority in the Legislature, Ricketts said tax bills will need to provide benefits to rural and urban residents to have a chance at passing.

“If they insist on tax relief for just farmers and ranchers, that bill’s not going anywhere,” he said.

The governor’s proposal would have offered income tax credits to reimburse a portion of the property taxes paid by agricultural landowners and homeowners. Commercial property wouldn’t see any new benefit, but the bill would lower Nebraska’s top corporate income tax rate and pump $5 million a year into job training programs.

Ricketts praised lawmakers on other matters, including their success in balancing the state budget, eliminating some state regulations and raising the speed limit by 5 mph on state highways. He also touted their vote on a measure that will prevent health clinics from getting federal family-planning dollars if they provide abortion services or provide referrals to groups that do.

Sen. Bob Krist, of Omaha, a Democratic candidate for governor, said Ricketts failed to unite urban and rural senators behind major property tax legislation. Krist said Ricketts was trying to blame the Legislature for his inability to pass the bill.

“Frankly, he lacks the leadership skills necessary to move our state forward,” said Krist, a former Republican who frequently clashed with the party.

Ricketts dismissed the criticism as “a purely political attack,” and referred questions to his campaign.

Asked about Krist’s comment, Ricketts campaign spokesman Matthew Trail called them “empty rhetoric.”

“As a senator, Krist hasn’t introduced property tax relief, and the Legislature has failed two years in a row to pass property tax relief measures put forward by the governor,” Trail said.

One of the property tax measures that failed in the Legislature could end up on the November general-election ballot. Sen. Steve Erdman, of Bayard, a Republican who helped launch a citizen ballot drive, said he has seen a surge of voters who want to sign the petition.

“It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced,” Erdman said. “The signature people say it’s one of the easiest signatures they’ve ever asked for.”