LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts has signed into law a measure that will offer state employees additional health care options.

The Legislature passed the measure 42-2, and Ricketts signed it Friday.

State employees will be able to opt into the Direct Primary Care pilot program and pay one recurring fee for a variety of primary care visits. Insurance could also be purchased to cover additional services, like hospital visits.

The pilot program begins in 2019 and will run through 2021.

The measure also allows insurance companies to incentivize patients to shop around to find the lowest cost for upcoming procedures.

Supporters say direct primary care allows doctors and patients to form better relationships and take control of their health care.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Advocates for low-income families in Nebraska are criticizing proposed changes to the federal Farm Bill that would require food-stamp recipients to find a job or attend job-training classes.

Advocates say an estimated 176,000 Nebraska residents receive food assistance from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

They say more than 75 percent of the state’s recipients are children, and 27 percent are in families which have people with disabilities. Additionally, they say recipients most commonly work in service, office or production jobs with wages below the state average.

James Goddard of Nebraska Appleseed says the bill would result in drastic cuts to SNAP and take food away from thousands who struggle to afford basic meals.

Congressional Republicans who drafted the legislation say it’s designed to help people recover from hard times.

The North Platte Public Schools Foundation is pleased to announce a new scholarship opportunity for North Platte Public School seniors. The Engdahl family has established the Jeff Engdahl memorial Golf Scholarship in memory of their son Jeff, who died in March after a courageous battle with cancer.

The Jeff Engdahl Memorial Golf Scholarship will be awarded to a high school senior boy or girl who has lettered in Golf and plans to continue his or her education.

Jeff was a 1990 graduate of North Platte High School who had an incredible passion for golf. He excelled at both the high school and college levels. The family wishes to award this gift to a student who possesses the same talents, passion and drive that Jeff had for the game.

This year’s recipient is Kyle Zimbelman, son of Nicki Henry and Douglas Zimbelman, who plans to pursue his education at the University of Nebraska and play collegiate golf.

Through the generosity of many donors, the North Platte Public Schools Foundation provides more than $330,000 in scholarships annually for graduates of North Platte High School. If you have any questions regarding scholarships at the North Platte Public Schools Foundation or would like to make a donation to the Jeff Engdahl Memorial Golf Scholarship, please contact the Foundation at 308-696-3325 or visit our website at nppsf.org

ALLIANCE, Neb. (AP) — The former president of a Nebraska Panhandle seed company has been sentenced to prison for embezzling more than $800,000.

Court records say 52-year-old Bradley Hansen was given concurrent sentences of 10 to 18 years at a hearing Monday in Box Butte County Court in Alliance. He’d pleaded no contest to sole counts of theft and forgery after prosecutors dropped other counts.

Nebraska State Patrol investigators that Hansen had deposited into his own account dozens of checks written to Prairie Sky Seeds Inc. of Hemingford, totaling nearly $803,000. He’s required to pay more than $400,000 in restitution and give up his ownership interest in Prairie Sky.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An enlisted man who admitted killing a colleague at a U.S. Air Force base near Omaha has been sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole.

The Air Force said the sentence handed down Wednesday in a U.S. District Court in Omaha included a dishonorable discharge for Airman 1st Class Timothy Wilsey, of Valdosta, Georgia. On Thursday he pleaded guilty to premeditated murder for the slaying of Airman 1st Class Rhianda Dillard on Aug. 1, 2016, at Offutt Air Force Base. She joined the Air Force after graduating high school near Biloxi, Mississippi.

Wilsey was arrested in Emporia, Virginia, 11 days after the slaying. He said in a journal found when he was arrested that he had “a hunger, a thirst, a craving” to kill people.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A bill that would allow higher speed limits on Nebraska state highways has won final approval in the Legislature, but it won’t apply to Interstate 80.

Lawmakers passed the measure on a 44-1 vote Wednesday. They previously stripped out language that would have allowed speeds of up to 80 mph on portions of the interstate.

The current proposal would raise the speed limit to 65 mph on four-lane highways, up from the current 60 mph. Other expressways and freeways could see their limits increase to 70 mph, up from 65 mph.

The Department of Transportation would set the limits. Sen. John Murante, of Gretna, the bill’s sponsor, says it would streamline Nebraska’s roadways.

Opponents voiced traffic safety concerns. The bill now goes to Gov. Pete Ricketts, who has endorsed it.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska lawmakers have passed a bill that would remove state licensing requirements for residents who massage horses, cats, and dogs.

The measure passed 46-0 Wednesday.

The bill was originally aimed at horse massage, a common practice throughout the country to relieve tension for high-performance horses and increase their range of movement.

Sen. Mike Groene, the bill’s sponsor, says it will remove employment barriers for rural Nebraskans. Nebraska has no licensed horse massage therapists, which Groene attributes to burdensome licensing requirements.

Nebraska previously required equine massage therapists to be a veterinarian or a licensed human massage therapist with additional training. Violators faced high fines and potential prison time.

Lawmakers say they saw no reason to regulate dog and cat massage, either.