LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Longtime Nebraska prison warden Fred Britten has died following a brief battle with cancer. He was 62.

The Nebraska Department of Correctional Services issued a news release saying Britten died Wednesday.

Britten began his career with the department as a corrections counselor in 1977. He was named the Tecumseh State Prison’s first warden, serving 13 years. In 2013, he returned to Lincoln to serve as warden of the Diagnostic and Evaluation Center, and last year, he also took on the role of warden of the Lincoln Correctional Center. He led both facilities until his death.

The department says Jeffrey Wooten has been appointed interim director of the two Lincoln facilities, and a nationwide search will be conducted to replace Britten.

Britten is survived by his wife Vickie and two sons.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Drought conditions in some areas and weak grain prices are among factors weighing heavily on the rural economy in parts of 10 Plains and Western states.

The overall Rural Mainstreet Index for the region plummeted to 40.7 in July from June’s index of 50. The index ranges between 0 and 100, with any number under 50 indicating a shrinking economy.

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss says July’s was the largest one-month decline recorded in the index since November 2008, which was in the middle of the Great Recession.

The confidence index, which reflects bankers’ expectations for the economy six months out, slumped to 38.4 this month from 48.9 in June.

Bankers from Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming were surveyed.

LEXINGTON, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska woman accused of causing a fatal accident while texting has been sentenced to two years’ probation.

Court records say 19-year-old Hailey Boutin, of Elwood, was sentenced Monday in Dawson County District Court. She’d pleaded guilty to misdemeanor vehicular homicide after prosecutors lowered the charge from a felony.

Authorities say Boutin likely was distracted by a text message on her cellphone Sept. 19, moments before running a stop sign about 10 miles (16 kilometers) south of Cozad on Nebraska Highway 21 and slamming into another vehicle. The impact caused the other vehicle to roll several times, killing a passenger, 59-year-old Mary Robertson, who lived in Cozad. The crash seriously injured Robertson’s husband, 64-year-old Monte Robertson, who was driving.

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — An attorney for a group fighting the Keystone XL pipeline says the organization plans to appeal a South Dakota judge’s decision upholding state regulators’ approval for the pipeline to cross the state.

Dakota Rural Action attorney Robin Martinez said Wednesday that the conservation and family agriculture group plans to raise the issue to the South Dakota Supreme Court. Others could also appeal.

Judge John Brown last month affirmed a Public Utilities Commission decision that was challenged by Native American tribes, landowners and others. Martinez says the high court will have an opportunity to look at issues that affect the pipeline and how the commission operates.

The project would move crude oil from Canada across Montana and South Dakota to Nebraska, where it would connect with existing pipelines feeding refineries along the Gulf Coast.

GERING, Neb. (AP) — National park rangers in western Nebraska are connecting with students in Afghanistan via the internet as a learning opportunity.

Park Superintendent Dan Morford, lead interpreter Lesley Gaunt and Chief Ranger Justin Cawiezel were at the Scotts Bluff National Monument on Sunday to give more than 60 Afghan students a virtual tour through an iPad.

The students from schools in Kabul, Jalalabad and Bamiyan asked about the National Park Service, the economic impact and why people want to see the parks.

The internet connection between the countries was set up by the Lincoln Learning Centers and the U.S. embassy. Scotts Bluff was chosen because it’s a sister park to Band-e Amir, Afghanistan’s sole national park.

COZAD, Neb. (AP) — A former employee who stole from a rural Cozad church has been given three years of probation.

Court records say 34-year-old Candice Hasbrouck was sentenced Monday in Dawson County District Court in Lexington.

She’d pleaded guilty to a felony theft charge after prosecutors reduced it. Prosecutors say she embezzled more than $46,000 from St. John’s Lutheran Church, which she’d served as treasurer since 2009.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A nearly $646,000 federal grant will pay for research into how law enforcement works with rural schools across Nebraska on safety and emergency preparedness.

The research will be led by the University of Nebraska Public Policy Center, working with the Nebraska Department of Education.

Researchers will use Education Department data, crime statistics, census data and survey results from law enforcement and personnel from more than 150 Nebraska schools to examine strategies being used and develop ways to increase engagement and safety.

Mario Scalora is director of the Public Policy Center, and he says rural schools face many of the same safety issues as their urban and suburban counterparts but with fewer resources.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska’s secretary of state wants to know more about how a federal commission plans to use voter information before he provides it.

Secretary of State John Gale sent a letter Monday to President Donald Trump’s election commission seeking more details about how Nebraska voter data would be kept private.

Trump’s commission was formed to investigate allegations of voter fraud in the 2016 elections, but critics say it’s looking for ways to suppress the vote and the requests are an invasion of privacy.

Gale said he hasn’t had any serious concerns about the integrity of Nebraska’s elections since he took office in 2000. Gale, like Trump, is a Republican.

Gale then suggested several things that could be done to improve election security, including giving local election officials access to a database

Columbus, Neb. – The price of copper has been inching up slightly in 2017, and so have copper thefts. Copper theft, done specifically to pick up a small amount of cash quickly, is especially harmful because of the safety risks it creates when taken from electric utility property, such as substations and power poles. The risk can cause fires, explosions, power outages, electric shock, or even loss of life.
In the past week, Nebraska Public Power District has seen a significant jump in thefts of copper from its locked substations. Individuals have entered several substations illegally and have taken grounds, typically an eight inch copper rod used to direct stray current to the ground and minimize equipment damage. There is no way to know by looking at the ground rod and wiring whether it is carrying electricity or not at any given time.
“We are asking the public to be our ‘eyes and ears’ and be on the lookout for the potential theft of copper wiring from transmission poles and substations across the state,” said NPPD Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Tom Kent. “The substations targeted are located in rural areas as opposed to those located in communities. Stealing copper or other metals from substations or electric facilities is a crime.”
Kent explained that copper theft is a significant safety issue for the thieves, but it can potentially cause harm to members of the public and utility workers. Copper thefts can cause power outages that can be inconvenient for customers and costly to business.
NPPD urges anyone who may see suspicious activity at electric substations to contact their local law enforcement agency with a description of the individuals and vehicles involved. Kent emphasized that individuals should not attempt to apprehend the intruders.
He also stressed that NPPD’s service vehicles are well-marked with bright orange bumpers. Other utilities serving specific areas have wording or logos on their vehicles identifying them as an electric utility, too. “The public should alert local law enforcement of any vehicles that are not identified as being from a utility and activities that appear to be unusual, or individuals that appear to be acting suspicious around electric facilities including power line poles,” he added.
NPPD works with law enforcement agencies across the state to make them aware of the signs of potential copper theft and their personal safety when investigating these thefts. Some of the signs of copper theft to watch for include:

· Loose or broken wires;

· Broken utility pole attachments;

· Open gates at unattended substations or holes in the security fence;

· Burn marks on utility equipment; and

· Electrical arcing

A 30-year-old North Platte man is facing charges after he allegedly entered a home, threatened the people inside with a gun and fired the gun into the ceiling.

According to Investigator John Deal, on July 13, at around 11:04 p.m., officers responded to the report of a disturbance that had occurred earlier at a residence in the 900 block of South Tabor Street.

It was reported that Daryl Jones and an unidentified male had arrived at the residence and went inside uninvited.

Once inside, the victims, a 53-year-old male and a 25-year-old female, say Jones and the other man produced firearms.

Deal says, while Jones and the victims were familiar with each other, Jones and the other man were looking for a male subject who was not present at the time of the incident.

Before leaving, the victims stated that Jones pointed the gun at them and demanded to know where the other male subject was, then fired a round into the ceiling of the residence.

During the evening hours of July 15, an officer observed Jones in the passenger seat of a vehicle near H Street and Cottonwood Avenue. A traffic stop was conducted and Jones was taken into custody.

He was jailed at the Lincoln County Detention Center on charges of use of a weapon to commit a felony, discharging a weapon into an occupied dwelling and terroristic threats, all felony charges.

Deal says investigators are still trying to identify the other male subject.