LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska could provide immunity from drug charges for people who seek medical help for opioid overdoses under a bill that has won first-round approval from the Legislature.

Senators voted 35-4 Thursday to advance a measure that would protect people who cooperate with medical professionals from drug or drug paraphernalia charges. Thirty-four other states and the District of Columbia have similar laws.

Sen. Adam Morfeld of Lincoln says he sponsored the bill to make sure people who overdose receive needed medical help. It’s similar to a law he sponsored two years ago that provided legal immunity for underage drinkers who sought help for alcohol poisoning.

The bill also would allow patients to use a non-psychoactive compound found in marijuana if the Food and Drug Administration approves a drug containing it.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska Public Service commissioner says she fears that tens of thousands of emails sent to the elected state board about the Keystone XL pipeline are being treated as spam, rather than as communications sent by people expressing their views.

Commission spokeswoman Deb Collins says the Public Service Commission has received tens of thousands of nearly identical messages sent from the same domain. Collins says the commission is working with the state’s Office of the Chief Information Officer to manage the emails, because the commission can’t determine whether the emails are being sent by the public or are generated by a computer program.

The commission is in charge of reviewing and approving the path where TransCanada wants to construct an $8 million underground pipeline.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A new report says special interests spent a record-high $16.7 million last year on lobbyists, gifts, travel and other efforts to influence elected Nebraska officials.

The report issued Thursday by the group Common Cause Nebraska says the number of paid, registered lobbyists has increased as well, from 351 in 2015 to 364 last year. Spending on lobbyists has risen consistently over each of the last five years.

The biggest spenders over the last five years are the League of Nebraska Municipalities, representing Nebraska cities; Altria Client Services, the corporate parent of tobacco company Philip Morris; and the group Renewable Fuels Nebraska.

Jack Gould of Common Cause Nebraska says lobbyists give special interests an advantage over average citizens because they can drop large amounts of money on entertainment and other perks.

FRANKLIN, Neb. (AP) — A former Franklin Public Schools teacher accused of sex abuse has been given 60 days in jail and three years of probation.

Online court records say 30-year-old Eric Rybacki was sentenced Monday in Franklin County. He’d pleaded no contest to two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a child.

In January last year, Rybacki was charged with seven counts of sex assault, five of intentional child abuse and nine counts of misdemeanor assault. Those charges later were changed to two charges of child abuse, which were changed later to the two counts of contributing to delinquency.

A court document says several girls reported that between Aug. 13 and Dec. 18, 2015, Rybacki would pick them up or touch them inappropriately. He quit on Jan. 27, 2016.

NEW YORK (AP) — Coming soon to McDonald’s: Fresh beef.

The fast food giant says it will swap frozen beef patties for fresh ones in its Quarter Pounder burgers by sometime next year at most of its U.S. locations. Employees will cook up the never-frozen beef on a grill when ordered.

It’s a major shift for the world’s largest hamburger chain, which has been trying to update its image as more people shun processed foods. It has been tinkering with its recipes, removing artificial preservatives from its Chicken McNuggets and cutting high fructose corn syrup from its bread.

McDonald’s Corp. had been testing fresh beef at more than 400 restaurants in Dallas and Tulsa, Oklahoma, for about a year. The company, based in Oak Brook, Illinois, has about 14,000 locations in the U.S.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A former aide to Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman and U.S. Rep Don Bacon has taken a new job leading NASA’s communications office in Washington.

Jen Rae Wang has been chosen as NASA’s associate administrator for the Office of Communications. Wang previously served as communications director for Heineman and a deputy chief of staff for Bacon. She also worked for the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources and the Platte Institute, an Omaha-based think tank.

Wang will direct NASA’s internal and external communications and serve as a senior advisor to the administration and other executive leaders. She will manage an agency-wide staff of more than 100.

In a statement, Bacon says Wang will represent Nebraska well.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Third-party political candidates could have an easier time getting on the Nebraska ballot under a bill that sailed through a first-round vote in the Legislature.

Lawmakers voted 40-0 on Wednesday to advance a measure that would create a new way for parties to maintain ballot access, allowing them to divert more resources into local races and fundraising.

The bill would allow parties to automatically appear on the ballot if they have at least 10,000 registered members. The Libertarian Party of Nebraska cleared the threshold late last year.

The bill was introduced by Sen. Laura Ebke of Crete, a former Republican who registered as a Libertarian last year. Ebke has said she believes the bill will promote competition and force parties to hone their messages.

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LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A new state law will lift licensing requirements for Nebraska banking and credit union executives.

Gov. Pete Ricketts signed the measure Wednesday as part of a larger overhaul of the state’s banking laws. The last major changes were made in 1963.

The bill would allow banks to opt out of licensing their executive officers and credit unions to opt out of licensing their loan officers.

Sen. Brett Lindstrom of Omaha, the Banking, Commerce and Insurance Committee chairman, says the licensing requirement is not imposed on federal banks or bank officers in any other state. He says the measure would also increase oversight of executive officers.

Ricketts touted the measure as a piece of his effort to eliminate regulations. Lawmakers passed it with a 48-0 vote.

UPDATE 3/30/17 11:12 a.m.

The Nebraska State Patrol has identified the suspect in the slaying of John Fratis as 15-year-old Amedeus L. Leroux of Denver, Colorado.  Leroux is still on the run and should be considered armed and dangerous.  If you spot him, do not approach him and call 911.

Authorities investigating an extremely rare homicide in Ogallala have made two arrests.

According to the Keith County Attorney’s Office, 32-year-old Larry Derrera and 28-year-old Raylynn Garcia are in custody on charges of being accessories to murder in the death of 25-year-old John Fratis.

Authorities say Derrerra and Garcia shared a home with Fratis in the 900 block of North Spruce.

Garcia, Derrera, Fratis and an unknown male referred to as Chris, were reportedly consuming alcohol and watching television when Fratis and Chris began fighting.

During the altercation, County Attorney Randy Fair says Fratis was injured.  He was transported to Ogallala Community Hospital where he died. Scanner traffic indicated that Fratis had been stabbed.

An arrest affidavit says Derrera lied to authorities and failed to disclose information pertinent to their investigation.  Garcia, allegedly met Chris at a local convenience store, after finding Fratis bleeding, then gave him a ride to Holyoke, Colorado. Garcia was also accompanied by her two young children. In addition to the accessory to murder charge, both have been charged with child abuse as well.

Law enforcement officials continue to search for the man known and Chris, pictured above, and say he should be considered armed and dangerous.

If you have any information on his whereabouts, contact local law enforcement immediately.