LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Gov. Pete Ricketts’ administration will ask lawmakers to pass a series of measures it says would increase accountability within the Nebraska State Patrol following a series of agency scandals.

The governor’s office released a memo Friday that outlines a series of changes that have already been made in response to revelations that the patrol mishandled internal investigations of trooper misconduct.

Nebraska Chief Human Resources Officer Jason Jackson says the administration will ask lawmakers to increase the oversight powers of the Nebraska Crime Commission. Another proposal would require patrol administrators to disclose to the commission why officers were fired.

The administration also wants to remove internal investigations from the list of items that are subject to collective bargaining. It also plans to request that sergeants be removed from the bargaining unit.

• Daniel William Founds, 31, Arvada CO and Jessica Lynn Moss, 37, Arvada CO

 

• Corey Ryan Bang, 33, North Platte and Concetta Marie Di Silvestre, 34, Venezuela

 

• Jeffrey Alan Gaasch, 45, Hershey and Abbey Gail Wilkinson, 32, Hershey

INDIANOLA, Neb. (AP) — Two people have died in an early morning house fire in central Nebraska.

Authorities responded to the fire about 1 ½ miles south of Indianola shortly after midnight Thursday. Indianola Fire Chief Tom Davidson says the single-story house was engulfed in flames, and firefighters spent most of the day battling the flames.

Davidson says four people lived in the home, and two were able to escape. The Indianola, McCook and Red Willow fire departments all responded to the emergency call.

Davidson says cold temperatures made it difficult to battle the fire. He says flames were coming through the roof of the home.

None of the people inside the house were identified. The Nebraska State Fire Marshal’s Office was requested for a fire investigation.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A group that supports abortion rights has unveiled a new Nebraska license plate to counter a “Choose Life” plate that lawmakers and Gov. Pete Ricketts approved earlier this year.

Planned Parenthood of the Heartland announced Thursday that it has submitted 263 applications for the specialty license plate to the Department of Motor Vehicles, surpassing the state’s requirement of at least 250 applications.

The group says the plates are an opportunity for Nebraska vehicle owners to express their opinion on issues related to women’s health.

The “Choose Life” license plates were commissioned earlier this year despite objections from some senators, who argued that the plates represent a political statement and that state government shouldn’t be taking sides.

The Nebraska State Historical Society says the city of Neligh’s (NEE’-lee’s) downtown district, the Grand Island Historic Downtown District and the Kearney Historic Downtown District have been listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

The society said in an announcement Wednesday that the Neligh district contains 41 contributing resources that demonstrate the commercial development of Neligh from roughly 1887 to 1964.

The Kearney Historic Downtown District contains 99 contributing resources that demonstrate the commercial development of Kearney from roughly 1875 to 1965.

The Grand Island district contains 64 contributing resources that demonstrate the commercial development of Grand Island from roughly 1870 to 1960.

Properties listed in the register are eligible for state and federal tax incentives.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The owners of four now-closed stores that sold millions of cans of beer next to an American Indian reservation are fighting a steep Nebraska tax bill.

The Nebraska Department of Revenue says the stores in Whiteclay owe more than $600,000 in taxes and underrepresented nearly $1.7 million in sales during a three-year period.

The stores are just outside the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, where alcohol is banned.

The owners of the four stores have asked a judge to review the findings. The owners say the review was based on incorrect estimates.

The stores closed in April after the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission denied the renewal of their liquor licenses following concerns that law enforcement in Whiteclay was inadequate to allow beer sales to continue.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A state senator who is running for governor plans to form a new “United Nebraska” party to qualify for the general election ballot.

Sen. Bob Krist will create the party to reduce the number of signatures required to get on the ballot. Krist needs to gather 5,000 signatures as a party-affiliated candidate, compared to 120,000 he would need to run without a party affiliation.

Dan Parsons, a consultant for Krist, says Krist has reserved the name “United Nebraska” and will form a limited liability company to start the process.

Krist was a registered Republican and self-described centrist, but left the party in September. He plans to challenge incumbent Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts, who is seeking re-election in 2018.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nebraskans: Meteorologists say it’s cold now, it’s expected to be cold Friday and maybe even colder over the weekend.

National Weather Service meteorologist Merl Heinlein said a strong shot of arctic air is making a deeper dive than usual into the United States.

The weather service says, for example, that Omaha’s daytime highs likely won’t rise above zero Sunday and overnight lows could dip to 15 degrees below zero (minus 26 Celsius).

The cold snap has set records across the state. Lincoln’s 17 below zero (minus 26 Celsius) Wednesday morning broke its record of 15 below, set Dec. 27, 1924.

The coldest spot in the state Wednesday was Alliance, where the temperature slide to 21 below (minus 29 Celsius), compared with the old record of 13 below (minus 25 Celsius) in 1911.

KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) — Federal authorities have approved SkyWest Airlines as the subsidized service provider for the Kearney airport, but flights won’t begin until fall.

City Manager Mike Morgan announced the U.S. Transportation Department decision on Tuesday. He says the company will use 50-seat jets and operate under the United Express flag for Kearney travelers to and from Denver.

First, though, reconstruction of Kearney Regional Airport’s main runway must be finished. The $12 million project is 90 percent federally paid and is expected to be completed by Sept. 1.

SkyWest also was selected to serve North Platte and Scottsbluff airports, replacing PenAir.

Kearney hasn’t had commercial passenger service since Sept. 10, when Anchorage, Alaska-based PenAir halted flights to some communities in Kansas and Nebraska after filing a bankruptcy reorganization plan.

SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. (AP) — A man has been treated for smoke inhalation after a western Nebraska fire that was blamed on sparks from a wood-burning stove.

Firefighters were dispatched around 2 a.m. Wednesday to the rural home on the northwest side of Scottsbluff. Rural Fire Department Capt. Paul Reisig says the sparks caught carpet and boxes near the stove on fire. He says the stove door hadn’t been closed properly.

Reisig says the two occupants used water and an extinguisher to battle the flames until firefighters arrived. One of the occupants was taken to a hospital for treatment.