LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Some Nebraska National Guardsmen have been playing “the enemy” during war games in Sweden.

The 60 or so members of Yutan-based E Company, 134th Infantry Regiment are among the more than 1,300 U.S. troops taking part in Aurora 2017, which Swedish military officials say is their largest military exercise in more than 20 years. The more than 20,000 military members involved also include troops from Denmark, Finland, France and other countries.

Capt. Joshua Metcalf is a former commander of E Company, and he says the Nebraskans won’t be claiming any victories on the simulated battlefields. He said most of the exercises are designed so “the good guys win and the bad guys lose.”

The men of E Company are expected back in Lincoln by Saturday.

AINSWORTH, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a pilot killed in a northern Nebraska plane crash was from Wisconsin.

Brown County Attorney David Streich has identified the man as 69-year-old Robert Cook. He lived in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and also owned land in Brown County.

The plane took off Saturday morning from Ainsworth Regional Airport in Brown County. Authorities say the wreckage was found Saturday evening, just a few miles from the airport. The crash cause is being investigated.

Cook was alone in the plane.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The former CEO of Goodwill Omaha who was forced out last October in a salary scandal says in a lawsuit that the charity owes him more than $1 million.

Frank McGree said in a lawsuit filed Monday that the Goodwill board has refused to pay his $550,000 severance. That amounts to two years of base pay, and he says the board agreed to the severance even if his departure was involuntary.

It’s been widely reported that McGree resigned, but the lawsuit says he was “terminated without cause.” He and his attorneys didn’t immediately return calls Wednesday. Goodwill board chairman Mark Stokes declined to comment.

The lawsuit also says McGree is owed around $500,000 in retirement benefits.

The World-Herald’s original investigation showed McGree received total compensation of more than $933,000 in 2014 and 13 Goodwill executives were paid more than $100,000, reducing the amount of money available for job training programs.

CHADRON, Neb. (AP) — Volunteers are being sought for Chadron State Park’s second annual Bioblitz on Friday and Saturday.

During a bioblitz the volunteers become “citizen scientists” and work with biologists to record all plants and animals they can find in certain areas. By running programs for a continuous 24-hour period, organizers hope to get an accurate snapshot of the wildlife present in the area at that time of year.

The Bioblitz will run from 11 a.m. Friday to 11 a.m. Saturday, with the second day’s activities beginning at 7 a.m. There also will be information sessions about bighorn sheep, cougars and Nebraska’s endangered species.

Participants are encouraged to bring dishes for the potluck dinner at 6 p.m. Friday.

For additional information, contact Amber Schiltz at [email protected] or 402-310-6137.

During the month of September, the North Platte Police Department and Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office have investigated several burglaries of storage units.

Authorities say arrests have been made but it is believed that numerous other units have been burglarized and haven’t been discovered or reported. NPPD is in possession of property believed to be stolen but they are unable to identify who the owners are.

Investigator John Deal says suspects have been cutting the locks off of the units then replacing them with new padlocks to make it look as if the unit hasn’t been tampered with.

Deal says if you have a storage unit, police are requesting that you check it to ensure your property is still in place.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska lawmakers say they’re looking to reduce or repeal a tax on business and farm property in next year’s legislative session.

Sens. Jim Smith of Papillion and Curt Friesen of Henderson expressed interest in the idea Tuesday at a forum sponsored by the Platte Institute, a think tank that advocates for lower taxes and fewer regulations.

The personal property tax generates revenue for local governments by taxing tangible property owned by businesses such as computers and mechanical equipment. Farmers pay the tax when they upgrade farm machinery.

Smith says the tax could benefit rural and urban Nebraska and help unite lawmakers who have been at odds over tax policy.

Legislation to repeal the tax could still face opposition from advocates who say it would shift the tax burden onto homeowners.

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (AP) — North Platte Airport officials have joined officials in Kearney and Scottsbluff in recommending that SkyWest Airlines provide federally subsidized service to Denver.

The North Platte Airport Authority board voted Monday to recommend the St. George, Utah-based airline to the U.S. Transportation Department. Five other airlines also had submitted bids.

If the airports’ selection of SkyWest is approved, the airline would replace PenAir for flights under the federal Essential Air Service program. The Anchorage, Alaska-based carrier filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization plan in August and ended operations for Nebraska and Kansas earlier this month.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts and first lady Suzanne Shore are touting the benefits of local services to keep children out of the child welfare and juvenile justice systems.

Ricketts said Monday that the state relies on local groups to connect families to the services they need and prevent children from going into state custody. Child advocates and others gathered at the Capitol to recognize the ongoing efforts.

Jennifer Skala, a senior vice president at Nebraska Children and Families Foundation, says the groups are trying to draw attention to the need for prevention through an initiative dubbed “Bring Up Nebraska.”

Shore says she wants Nebraska’s emphasis on local services to become a model for the nation.

Nebraska had roughly 5,000 children and youths in out-of-home care as of March 31.

KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) — A man who admitted starting a fire at a Kearney woman’s apartment has been sent to prison.

Court records say 31-year-old Clifford Sellers was sentenced Friday in Buffalo County District Court to two to eight years. He’d pleaded guilty to arson after prosecutors dropped a burglary charge. No one was injured in the Jan. 22 blaze.

A state psychiatric evaluation recommended that Sellers receive mental health treatment in prison.

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. (AP) — The Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha is hoping to survive the next round of military base closures with two new projects.

The Pentagon has given about $1.2 billion to the construction of a new headquarters for the U.S. Strategic Command at the base. Design work has begun on a second project meant to improve an 11,700-foot (3,566-meter) runway that’s expected to cost between $50 million and $100 million.

The Pentagon has long wanted base closures in hopes of reducing overhead costs.

The U.S. Senate included a provision to study more base closures beginning in 2019 in the defense authorization bill passed last month. If the House agrees to it, the closings could follow in the early 2020s.