workLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Labor Department says the state’s preliminary unemployment rate dropped slightly in October to 2.7 percent, reaching a low that hasn’t been seen since 1999.

The department said in a report released Friday that the figure was one-tenth of a percentage point lower than the September rate of 2.8 percent.

The report says the October rate was six-tenths of a point under the year-ago rate of 3.3 percent. The October rate also remained well below the U.S. rate, which dipped slightly to 4.1 percent for the month.

The report says Nebraska nonfarm employment in October was up 10,379 over the year and up 1,624 over the month.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A former Nebraska State Patrol trooper is asking the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to revive his lawsuit against the patrol head fired earlier this year.

Todd Steckelberg, of Omaha, is appealing the dismissal of his lawsuit against Brad Rice. Steckelberg’s attorney argued Thursday before the appeals court that a jury should hear his case, which was dismissed by a federal judge in April.

Steckelberg was a trooper for more than 25 years before retiring last year. His lawsuit alleges Rice created a hostile work environment and passed Steckelberg over for promotions.

Gov. Pete Ricketts fired Rice earlier this year amid allegations that patrol leaders mishandled internal investigations.

The appellate court will rule on Steckelberg’s appeal at a later date.

GERING, Neb. (AP) — A man charged with killing his girlfriend has been convicted of first-degree murder and weapons count.

A Scotts Bluff County jury took three hours Thursday to find 64-year-old Lucio Munoz guilty of killing 48-year-old Melissa May.

Munoz was arrested in early January in Bradley, Illinois after he was charged with murder in an arrest warrant.

May’s body was found the morning of Jan. 3 after officers went to check on her welfare. Authorities say they believe Munoz used a knife to kill May on Dec. 31.

Munoz will face a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment when he’s sentenced on Jan. 4.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Pharmaceutical company Pfizer is demanding that Nebraska return any drugs manufactured by the company or its affiliate that the state plans to use in an execution.

News of the demand, made in a letter from Pfizer to state officials last month, comes after state prison officials announced last week a new combination of four drugs to be used in the execution of death-row inmate Jose Sandoval. No execution date has been set.

The Omaha World-Herald reports that the Oct. 4 letter from Pfizer says the company “strongly objects to the use of its products as lethal injections for capital punishment.”

Officials with the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services and the office of Gov. Pete Ricketts declined to tell the newspaper whether the state had obtained any Pfizer drugs.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — President Donald Trump has chosen Lancaster County’s top prosecutor as Nebraska’s next U.S. attorney.

The White House on Friday announced Trump has nominated Lancaster County Attorney Joseph Kelly to the federal post. Before taking the job, Kelly must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

Kelly is in his second term as Lancaster attorney and previously worked as chief deputy attorney and deputy attorney in Lancaster County.

He received his bachelor’s and law degrees from the University of Nebraska.

If confirmed, Kelly would replace Deborah Gilg, who became Nebraska’s first female U.S. attorney after being nominated by President Barack Obama. Trump’s Justice Department told U.S. attorneys appointed by Obama to resign so the new president could nominate replacements.

KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) — The University of Nebraska at Kearney is offering a new major in cybersecurity.

The central Nebraska college will begin offering the bachelor of science in cybersecurity operations in the spring.

Officials say the demand for cybersecurity is high, and the need is likely only going to grow.

Matt Miller is co-creator of the new major. He says students in the new major will learn how to build computer networks and then learn how to keep them secure.

Student Justin Joyce is excited about the new major, saying he’s always been interested in computer security, noting “it’s always in the news that something got hacked.”

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska officials say the tax package working its way through Congress is creating a great deal of uncertainty for the state budget because it could affect tax collections.

Legislative Fiscal Office Director Michael Calvert told senators Thursday that the state’s finances face a significant risk that can’t easily be predicted.

Nebraska’s tax system is closely linked to the federal system, so changes at the federal level can influence the state’s tax collections. State officials also suspect investors may be reluctant to sell right now because they’re hoping for reduced tax rates on capital gains in the future.

The comments came during a meeting of the Legislature’s Tax Rate Review Committee.

AMHERST, S.D. (AP) — The Latest on a pipeline leak in South Dakota (all times local):

The Sierra Club is urging Nebraska regulators to reject the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline after TransCanada Corp.’s existing Keystone pipeline leaked an estimated 210,000 gallons of oil in South Dakota.

Sierra Club Beyond Dirty Fuels campaign director Kelly Martin said Thursday that the only way to protect Nebraska communities is to “to say no to Keystone XL.”

The commission will announce its ruling on Monday after spending months evaluating arguments for and against the long-delayed project.

President Donald Trump issued a federal permit for the project in March.

TransCanada said that crews shut down the Keystone pipeline Thursday morning after a drop in pressure was detected resulting from an oil leak that’s under investigation in South Dakota.

TransCanada says the safety of the public and environment are the company’s top priorities.

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AMHERST, S.D. (AP) — TransCanada Corp. says its Keystone pipeline has leaked an estimated 210,000 gallons of oil in South Dakota.

The company said that crews shut down the pipeline Thursday morning after a drop in pressure was detected resulting from an oil leak that’s under investigation.

The section of pipe in Marshall County, South Dakota, has been isolated and the company says emergency response procedures were activated.

Brian Walsh, an environmental scientist manager at the South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources, says officials don’t believe the leak has affected any surface water bodies or threatened any drinking water systems.

TransCanada says that expects the pipeline to remain shut down as the company responds to the leak.

The Keystone pipeline is part of a 2,687-mile system that also is to include the proposed Keystone XL pipeline.