OGALLALA, Neb. (AP) — A 22-year-old Kansas man has pleaded not guilty to vehicular homicide charges for the crash deaths of four Iowa residents in western Nebraska.

Jeser Cisneros-Hernandez, of Liberal, Kansas, entered the pleas Friday in Keith County District Court.

Cisneros-Hernandez is charged with four counts of motor-vehicle homicide, reckless driving and driving left of the center of the road. Prosecutors say hit two motorcycles carrying two people each on July 1 near Ogallala.

Authorities say 54-year-old Sheila Matheny and 61-year-old James Matheny, from Bedford, Iowa, were on one motorcycle. The other riders were 58-year-old Michal Weese and 59-year-old Jerolyn Weese, who lived in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Cisneros-Hernandez’s next court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 8.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — President Donald Trump’s proposed tax plan could have major implications for Nebraska’s tax collections and budget, but state officials say they’re not ready to predict what it might do.

The OpenSky Policy Institute says the changes could result in large increases or decreases in state revenue or cuts to government services. OpenSky Executive Director Renee Fry says there are still a lot of unknowns.

Gov. Pete Ricketts says he’s confident the state can adjust to tax policy changes. He is calling for Congress to do more to reduce taxes.

Sen. Paul Schumacher of Columbus says he’s concerned state lawmakers won’t be able to compensate for a sudden revenue loss because many would be concerned about appearing to raise taxes.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Labor Department says the state’s preliminary unemployment rate remained unchanged in September at 2.8 percent.

The department said in a report released Friday that the figure matched that of August, which was also unchanged from July.

The report says the September rate was half a percentage point under the year-ago rate of 3.3 percent. The September rate also remained well below the U.S. rate, which dipped to 4.2 percent for the month.

The report says Nebraska nonfarm employment in September was up 14,285 over the year and up more than 3,750 over the month.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse is seeking answers from the Department of Veterans of Affairs following reports that VA employees kept a secret waiting list of patients from Nebraska and Iowa that obscured the actual wait times for veterans who sought appointments.

Sasse sent a letter to the department Tuesday after the Omaha World-Herald reported that an audit included whistleblower complaints about unauthorized lists for appointments at the VA’s mental health psychotherapy clinic in Omaha.

VA officials acknowledged the audit’s conclusions but wouldn’t say how many Nebraska or western Iowa veterans were affected. They also declined to say who kept the unauthorized list and why, or say how many employees were involved.

Sasse says the agency’s refusal to answer questions is “unacceptable and must be remedied immediately.”

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has killed a rule designed to protect the legal rights of farmers who raise chickens and hogs for the nation’s largest meat processors.

The rule would have made it easier for farmers to sue companies they contract with over unfair or deceptive practices.

It was rolled out in the final days of Barack Obama’s administration. But the USDA delayed it after President Donald Trump took office. On Tuesday, the agency withdrew it for good.

Farmers who have waited years for the rule are expressing disappointment. Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, an Iowa farmer, accuses the Trump administration of “pandering to big corporations.”

Poultry and pork industry trade groups say the rule would have reduced competition and driven meat prices higher.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska property owners would get $1.1 billion worth of annual tax relief under a proposal that supporters say they’ll push in the Legislature and as an initiative petition drive.

Sen. Steve Erdman of Bayard says a coalition of agricultural, business and homeowner interests crafted the proposal this summer. Erdman says the goal is to provide significant property tax relief, especially on agricultural land.

Erdman says the proposal would provide income tax credits equal to 50 percent of the property taxes paid to school districts. The credits would be refundable.

Erdman intends to introduce the proposal as a bill during the legislative session that beings in January. He expects the coalition to meanwhile launch a petition drive to put the same proposal before voters next fall.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska’s inspector general for corrections is questioning prison workers’ response to a fire started by an inmate.

Inspector General Doug Koebernick said in a recent report that workers at the Tecumseh State Correctional Institution were less than responsive or timely in addressing the inmate’s suspicious behavior and the fire in May.

The report says the inmate was roaming a hallway while another inmate helped him light piles of paper on fire. Koebernick says prison workers only watched when the fire started and then attempted to put it out by spraying a fire extinguisher under a door.

The correctional services director says staff provided timely medical care. He says the delay was primarily the result of miscommunication about who was responding to the fire.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — Cheating by more than a dozen freshman cadets on a test and alleged misconduct by members of the lacrosse team are under separate investigations at the Air Force Academy.

The Colorado Springs Gazette reports the academy says 13 freshmen were accused of cheating on a test of basic Air Force knowledge. The test includes simple questions, some asking cadets to recite quotes and name key military leaders.

Academy spokesman Lt. Col. Allen Herritage said Monday the test consists of questions related to “military history, rank structure and other general knowledge.”

Herritage went on to say he couldn’t divulge any further details because the investigation is ongoing.

Herritage also wouldn’t divulge more information on the investigation into the lacrosse team, but he did confirm an investigation into the team indeed was underway.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Doane University board of trustees says it’s standing firmly behind the school’s president, who’s under fire from some teachers.

The teachers have asked the full faculty council for a no-confidence vote on President Jacques Carter, who’s in his seventh year leading the liberal arts college in Crete. Among their criticisms in a letter to the council, they say Carter has failed to follow through on strategic initiatives and has mismanaged personnel.

On Friday the trustees endorsed the direction of the institution and stated their continued support of Carter. A board resolution also criticized the teachers’ letter to the council, saying it contained inaccurate statements about Carter and the university.

Faculty leaders say the council has not yet moved toward scheduling a no-confidence vote.

DETROIT (AP) — Ford is recalling about 1.3 million 2015-17 F-150 and 2017 Super Duty vehicles in North America because of potential door problems.

The company said Wednesday that in some vehicles a frozen door latch or bent or kinked actuation cable may cause a door to not open or close. If consumers are able to open and close such doors, the door may appear closed, but the latch may not fully engage, increasing the risk for a possible injury.

Ford said it’s not aware of any accidents or injuries related to the issue.

The company’s dealers will install water shields over door latches and inspect and repair door latch actuation cables if necessary free of charge to customers.