MCCOOK, Neb. (AP) — McCook has ended outdoor watering restrictions on residents and businesses.

The city imposed the restrictions Monday because of a power problem at the city’s water treatment plant.

Throughout the summer residents have been asked to use as little water as possible on their lawns because of the high demands on the water plant.

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OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Several Nebraska cities are seeing an abundance of butterflies.

Nebraska Extension, a branch of the University of Nebraska, received reports last week of at least 100 painted lady butterflies in some Omaha flower gardens. The gardens usually draw only a few dozen.

Extension entomologist Jody Green says painted ladies’ migrations could be 9,000 miles spanning six generations. She says the butterflies found in cities like Omaha and Lincoln may be migrating, or getting ready to lay eggs for the next cycle.

Iowa State University entomologist Royce Bitzer attributes the butterfly boom to the ample rains earlier this year in California, where painted ladies start their migration. The rain resulted in more flowering plants for nectar, which boosted the butterfly population.

Green says the butterflies won’t damage plants or harm humans.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The case is moving forward against a former Omaha police officer charged with felony assault after the death of a mentally ill Oklahoma man who had been shocked with a stun gun.

Douglas County Judge Marcena Hendrix ruled Monday that prosecutors have enough evidence to pursue the case against Scotty Payne.

Mandee Kampbell, who trains Omaha officers on stun-gun use, testified that none of the 12 times Payne used his stun gun was appropriate.

Police video shows Payne using a stun gun June 5 to shock 29-year-old Zachary Bearheels at a convenience store. Another officer is seen punching Bearheels. That officer is charged with misdemeanor assault.

Some blows came after Bearheels was on the ground and not resisting.

Police have said Bearheels fought officers. He died at a hospital.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska State Patrol’s new superintendent was chosen from a field of more than 30 candidates from around the nation.

Harbor Police Chief John Bolduc of San Diego was unveiled last week as Gov. Pete Ricketts’ choice to lead the agency. The governor’s office released the applications of the four finalists on Monday after three inquiries and an open records request from The Associated Press.

In his application letter, Bolduc pitched himself as a “cultural change agent” with management experience from several different law enforcement agencies.

The other finalists were Michael A. Kopy, a staff inspector for the New York State Police’s internal affairs bureau; Nebraska State Patrol Capt. Mike Jahnke; and Nebraska State Patrol Capt. Andrew “Buck” Duis.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska State Board of Education has approved new science standards that will see the state’s public schools teaching climate change for the first time.

The board voted 6-1 Friday to approve the standards. Board member Pat McPherson, of Omaha, voted against the standards after trying unsuccessfully to amend the proposal that would have encouraged teachers to take into consideration students’ views on evolution, religion and climate change.

Under the new standards, students will analyze geoscience data and the results from global climate models to make evidence-based forecasts of the current rate and scale of global or regional climate changes.

The standards, which are updated every seven years, list what students should know in science in kindergarten through high school.

GERING, Neb. (AP) — A former Gering Police sergeant has been charged with three counts of theft, accused of stealing from a program that provides kids with gifts for their family members.

40-year-old Henry Moreno is accused of stealing more than $1,000 from the Shop for a Cop program. Scotts Bluff County Court documents show he’s been charged with three counts of theft by taking, a misdemeanor.

Moreno is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 22.

Moreno resigned from the Gering Police Department last month.

A phone number for Moreno could not be found, and his details of his case, including his attorney, did not appear in online court records.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A new report finds a $1.5 million effort to reduce staff turnover in Nebraska’s prisons produced mixed results, but corrections officials say the problem would have been worse if lawmakers hadn’t approved the money last year.

The report by the Department of Correctional Services shows a combination of successes and failures in the state’s attempts to keep more experienced workers. Corrections officials submitted the report to lawmakers to document how they spent the funding increase from the 2016 legislative session.

Nebraska’s prison system has faced scrutiny following a series of high-profile incidents, including two deadly inmate uprisings in a two-year period and the escape of two inmates. Critics say many of the problems stem from overcrowding and staffing shortages driven by high employee turnover.

CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) — The average price of gasoline jumped in the past two weeks after Hurricane Harvey prompted the closure of refineries.

Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg said Sunday that it was the biggest price hike recorded by the Lundberg Survey since 2011.

But she says whole gasoline prices have started to decline since refineries came back online and she expects prices at the pump will follow.

In the survey on Sept. 8, the average price of regular gasoline was up 30 cents at $2.69 per gallon. That’s 48 cents higher than a year ago.

The average price of diesel jumped 16 cents to $2.73 per gallon.

In the contiguous United States, gas was most expensive in San Francisco at $3.21 a gallon and cheapest in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, at $2.31 a gallon.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A national gathering of moms will bring some high-profile speakers to Omaha later this month.

Former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin will join Missy Robertson from the Duck Dynasty reality show in headlining the list of speakers at the Sept. 23 event.

The event will be held at the Ralston Arena in the Omaha area. And the speakers will be broadcast live online that day.

More details about the event are available online at www.MomsMarchUSA.com.

Officials with the Village of Sutherland have issued of Boil Water Advisory.

A Village news release says, “due to a complete loss of pressure, it is necessary to vigorously boil water for one minute for drinking and cooking or use an alternate source of water until sampling confirms that no further bacteriological contamination occurred.”

Officials say they will test the water and work with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services Drinking Water Program to protect public health.

We will have updates when they are available.