LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Using a drone to spy on neighbors, drop drugs into prisons or harass cows could lead to criminal charges under a new bill Nebraska lawmakers will consider later this year.

The measure would impose new safety and privacy rules on the remote-control flying machines that are now used for dozens of jobs throughout the state.

Sen. Carol Blood of Bellevue says she introduced the bill to protect the public without overregulating drones, the kind of technology she said is critical to the state’s economic growth. The Federal Aviation Administration already oversees drones, but Blood says the agency hasn’t addressed all of the public safety concerns.

The bill would impose restrictions on flying drones near prisons or private property without permission, and using them to harass livestock.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska state lawmakers are once again pushing to reduce prison crowding and employee turnover ahead of a July 2020 deadline that could force state officials to parole more inmates.

Nine senators announced a series of prison measures Friday that they will pursue this year to address crowding and other issues identified in the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services.

One proposal would require the department to create a plan in case it has to release a large number of inmates. Another would continue a state partnership with county jails to hold inmates. Still, another would reinstate longevity-based pay raises for correctional staffers.

Nebraska’s prison system housed roughly 5,200 inmates on Friday in facilities that were designed to hold 3,375.

A prison spokeswoman says the department will review the bills.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Officials say President Donald Trump’s election fraud commission never received any Nebraska voter information before the group was disbanded.

A spokeswoman for Nebraska Secretary of State John Gale said Thursday that the commission last talked with state officials several months ago and hadn’t responded to Gale’s requests for more information.

Gale had said he would fulfill the commission’s request for publicly available information, but only if he received assurances that voters’ information would be protected and not used illegally. He also asked about the status of several lawsuits challenging the commission’s request for voter information.

Trump spiked the commission Wednesday amid infighting and refusals by numerous states to cooperate, but at the same time transferred its mission to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A white supremacist accused of stopping an Amtrak train in Nebraska has been charged with terrorism.

Documents unsealed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Lincoln show 26-year-old Taylor Wilson, of St. Charles, Missouri, is charged with terrorism attacks and other violence against railroad carriers and mass transportation systems.

The eastbound train with about 175 people aboard halted early Oct. 22 in Oxford, Nebraska, about 200 miles (320 kilometers) southwest of Omaha. Court documents say a Furnas County deputy sent to the scene found Amtrak employees holding Wilson. The deputy says Wilson had a loaded revolver, plus more ammunition and a knife.

The court documents show the FBI has evidence of Wilson’s activities with white supremacist groups.

The Associated Press left a message for his attorney in a related case Friday.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska lawmaker is proposing a cap on the salaries of local elected officials after a county board’s members gave themselves several pay raises.

Sen. Justin Wayne of Omaha introduced a bill Thursday that would prevent city councils, county boards and other local governments from paying their members more than twice the annual salary of a state senator. Senators currently make $12,000 a year.

The measure follows the Douglas County Board’s vote last month to give its members a 4 percent annual pay raise over four years. Board members’ annual salaries will increase to $51,879 in 2019, followed by a 4 percent increase each year until the salaries reach $58,356 in 2022.

County board members previously gave themselves raises for 2017 and 2018 that amounted to a 34 percent increase.

KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) — The last of the three teenagers who escaped from the state Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Center in Kearney has been captured in Oklahoma.

Kearney police were notified early Wednesday morning that the 17-year-old was taken into custody in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and a car owned by a Kearney man was recovered.

That teen, another 17-year-old and a 16-year-old fled the center Saturday evening. Authorities say two of them were captured later that night after the stolen car they were in crashed on Nebraska Highway 92, about 2 miles (3 kilometers) east of Ansley. They were treated at hospitals and then returned to the center.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — About half of the more than 3,000 known letters penned by Pulitzer-winning novelist Willa Cather have been compiled, digitized and annotated. And soon, they’ll be available online.

“The Complete Letters of Willa Cather” will be available Jan. 16 through the Center for Digital Research in the Humanities at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Cather graduated from the university in 1895. Her novels told of Great Plains frontier life, and she was awarded a Pulitzer in 1923 for her book “One of Ours.” She died in 1947.

In the letters to friends, family and colleagues, Cather describes her process and inspirations while also expressing frustrations and doubts.

Archive editor Andrew Jewell says new letters will be periodically added to the database over the next few years.

Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) have completed a special enforcement over the holidays focused on removing drunk drivers from the road. The “You Drink & Drive, You Lose” campaign was held in conjunction with dozens of other law enforcement agencies in Nebraska and many more throughout the country.

During the enforcement, which ran from December 15 to January 1, NSP troopers removed 63 drivers from the road for Driving While Intoxicated and four for Driving Under the Influence of Drugs. The campaign included vehicle checks, saturation patrols, and specific enforcement zones.

“Our troopers are dedicated to public safety and campaigns like this over the holiday season demonstrate that,” said Colonel John Bolduc, Superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol. “Removing drunk drivers from the road is an important part of keeping Nebraska roads safe.”

In addition to the drunk and drugged driving arrests, NSP made 102 arrests for drug possession and 28 for reckless driving. Troopers also issued citations for speeding (1,233), driving under suspension (88), no proof of insurance (63), minor in possession (15), open container (25), no seat belt (70), and improper child safety restraint (19).

Troopers also assisted 730 motorists in need of help, many during the frigid temperatures of the final week of 2017.

The “You Drink & Drive, You Lose” enforcement was made possible thanks in part to a grant for $27,320 from the Nebraska Department of Transportation – Highway Safety Office.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska lawmakers will begin their 2018 session with a looming state revenue shortfall that could make it harder to pass new spending measures or tax cuts.

Senators will spend some of the 60-day session debating familiar issues, including proposals to lower income and property taxes. But lawmakers and Gov. Pete Ricketts have said balancing the budget is their top priority during the session that begins at 10 a.m. Wednesday.

State budget officials have said Nebraska faces a projected $173.3 million shortfall in the current two-year budget cycle. The revenue shortfall could force lawmakers to cut services, take from cash funds outside of the general fund, or withdraw money from the state’s emergency cash reserve. Raising taxes is likely off the table because it would face strong opposition.

The Nebraska State Patrol says they will not be releasing any information after a person apparently jumped from the Buffalo Bill Avenue Interstate 80 overpass.

Just after 10:00 a.m., on January 2, law enforcement and rescue personnel responded to the report of someone jumping from the overpass and onto the Interstate.

The Post has confirmed through a law enforcement source that one person did die in the incident, but a spokesperson for the Nebraska State Patrol says they will not be releasing any details at this point.

The NSP says the Interstate was not completely closed during the incident.

If new information becomes available, we will update this story.