DALLAS (AP) — The spike in gasoline prices in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey has hit the accelerator.

The national average for regular was $2.54 a gallon by Friday afternoon, an increase of 18 cents in the last week, according to GasBuddy.

Prices jumped at least 10 cents a gallon in 24 hours in Texas, Ohio, Georgia and the Mid-Atlantic states, travel club AAA reported Friday.

The nationwide average was already higher than most experts predicted as a worst-case scenario when flooding from the devastating storm began knocking out refineries along the Texas Gulf Coast a week ago.

Two of the leading price-forecasting analysts, GasBuddy’s Patrick DeHaan and Tom Kloza of the Oil Price Information Service, now see the national average peaking as high as $2.75 a gallon in the next few days.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Fall turkey season opens later this month in Nebraska.

The commission says hunters may shoot turkeys with a fall turkey or youth fall turkey permit, which allows hunters to take two turkeys starting Sept. 15 through Jan. 31 with either archery equipment or a shotgun.

Fall turkey permits are $30 for residents, $109 for nonresidents and $8 for youth younger than 16, including issuing fee.

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission reminds fall turkey hunters that they are required to wear at least 400 square inches of hunter orange on their head, chest and back when hunting during the Nov. 11-19 firearm deer seasons.

The commission says more than 4,800 turkeys were killed during last fall’s hunting season.

KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) — University of Nebraska Medical Center students and faculty in Kearney will offer free physicals this month for Special Olympics athletes in central Nebraska.

UNMC says students and faculty from its College of Nursing Kearney Division and College of Allied Health Professions in Kearney will offer the free sports exams Sept. 9. The exams are for current and new athletes from the Kearney, Grand Island and Hastings areas who plan to compete in the Special Olympics.

Special Olympics competitions are held throughout the state for regional and state events in September and October.

Pre-registration is encouraged. To pre-register online, visit http://www.sone.org/programs/kearney-medfest.html.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A private company is replacing the Lincoln fire department in responding to falls and other first aid calls inside the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s stadium during football season.

Midwest Medical will replace Lincoln Fire and Rescue under a new agreement starting Saturday. The private provider will render first aid and give minor medical care to fans inside Memorial Stadium.

Lincoln Fire and Rescue officials say money paid to the department for providing standby medical care at games have not covered expenses in recent years. The university says the deal with Midwest Medical will save Nebraska Athletics about $3,600 a game.

Fire Chief Micheal Despain says the department will still provide emergency medical service outside the stadium and will transport patients to the hospital if necessary.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Federal officials are giving people more time to comment on a controversial transmission line that would run through the Nebraska Sandhills.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has decided to extend the comment period by two months, through Nov. 7, on the Nebraska Public Power District’s plan to build the 225-mile long, 345,000-volt transmission line.

The line would start near the Gerald Gentleman Station near Sutherland and extend to a new station near Thedford.

NPPD says the line will alleviate congestion, increase reliability and allow for wind power development.

Opponents say construction will disrupt wildlife and cultural gems, such as wagon ruts from the Oregon and Mormon trails, and that wind farms associated with the proposed line will destroy unspoiled vistas.

Ever wondered how people are rescued from grain bins during an emergency situation? Mid-Plains Community College will demonstrate the procedure at the Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island this weekend.

MPCC’s portable grain bin rescue simulator will be set up from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday just west of the Nebraska Building at Fonner Park.

Tim Zehnder, MPCC Fire Science director, said it’s important for first responders to know about the different types and mechanics of bins and the dangers associated with specific designs.

Understanding what kind of ropes, rigging and equipment to use, how to build a barricade around the victim and how to maintain proper air quality are also key factors in conducting a safe and successful recovery.

The public is welcome to watch the 20-30 minute demonstrations and learn more about the grain bin rescue training that MPCC offers.

More information about MPCC’s Fire Science program can be found at

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Justice is pressing federal regulators to come up with a solution to combat cellphones in the nation’s prisons.

In a letter obtained Thursday by The Associated Press, Assistant Attorney General Beth Williams wrote to the Federal Communications Commission that addressing the security threat posed by contraband cellphones “should be a chief priority” of both Justice and the FCC. It follows an appeal from South Carolina’s prisons director to Attorney General Jeff Sessions in June, beseeching the top prosecutor for help pursuing FCC permission to jam prison cell signals.

Williams says smuggled cellphones enable inmates to continue criminal efforts outside prison and potentially plan insurrections. Telecommunications companies are opposed, saying jamming cell signals could set a bad precedent and interfere with legal cell users nearby.

A North Platte man is facing child abuse charges after he allegedly slapped his friend’s child in the face.

At around 7:30 p.m., on August 30, North Platte police responded to a reported child abuse in the 200 block of South Chestnut Street.

Officers met with a 5-year-old male, his father, and a witness.

Investigator John Deal says it was reported that the child had been playing with a Sharpie-type marker when Michael Nelson told him he couldn’t play with it.

The investigation revealed that Nelson then took the marker and slapped the child in the face with an open hand. Deal said the child had red marks on his face consistent with being slapped.

Deal says Nelson was not the child’s father and lived in a camper parked at the residence.

Officers made contact with Nelson and placed him under arrest for child abuse.

He was jailed at the Lincoln County Detention Center.

 

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A sophomore at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln has resumed recruiting for a conservative group after she says she was berated and intimidated last week by people on campus.

Kaitlyn Mullen of Colorado initially tried to recruit people Friday for the conservative group Turning Point USA, but she says she met resistance from several university faculty and graduate students.

The university released a statement Monday saying the school is “committed to free speech from all viewpoints” and that the campus should “be a place of civil discourse.”

Mullen resumed recruitment outside the Nebraska Union on Tuesday. She says she had more than 60 people sign up as of that morning.

Mullen says she likes Turning Point’s pro-capitalism, anti-big government message. She hopes to start a chapter at the university.

An Iowa woman is facing charges in Lincoln County after she allegedly attempted to steal a vehicle in Sutherland.

On August 29, at around 4:00 p.m., a resident in Sutherland called the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office to report that a female had just attempted to steal her vehicle.

As deputies responded, the victim reported that the female had fled on foot.  However, the victim followed the suspect to a local store and notified deputies of her location.

Deputies arrived and detained the female identified as 42-year-old Lisa Lauder of Des Moines, Iowa.

Lauder was questioned and advised deputies that she had been left in town by her boyfriend and was “just trying to get home.”

It was determined that probable cause existed to arrest Lauder and charge her with attempted theft by taking.  She was jailed at the Lincoln County Detention Center.