LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska officials are reporting a sharp decline in jobless claims and benefits paid out this year as well as lower unemployment tax rates for businesses.

The state labor department says unemployment benefits paid out in the first nine months of 2016 fell by more than 19 percent, compared to a decline of less than 1 percent nationally. Gov. Pete Ricketts on Wednesday attributed the decline to Nebraska’s first-in-the-nation reemployment program.

Ricketts says the reduction in claims and benefits paid has already resulted in $13.4 million in savings so far this year.

Commissioner of Labor John Albin says Nebraska’s average unemployment insurance tax rate has fallen for the sixth straight year. The average tax rate for 2017 will be 0.75 percent, a decrease of 0.25 percentage points from this year.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (AP) — “Pokemon Go,” the Olympics and the presidential election are among Google’s top trending searches of 2016.

Powerball tops the list. The multi-state lottery handed out a record $1.6 billion prize in January and a $429 million payout in June.

Also in the top 10 are musical icons David Bowie and Prince, who died in January and April, respectively, and Hurricane Matthew, which barreled through the Caribbean and made landfall in the U.S. in October.

Brad Pitt is Google’s top trending actor searched in 2016. Prince Harry’s girlfriend, Megan Markle, trended most among actresses.

Beyonce topped musical searches. She was the most trending artist and her “Formation” was the top trending song in Google searches.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — One of the four Nebraska liquor stores that sell millions of cans of beer near the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation has been sanctioned for selling to a minor.

The Nebraska Liquor Control Commission decided Tuesday to penalize the Arrowhead Inn. The business is expected to pay a $600 fine for the Oct. 1 violation to avoid a 12-day suspension of its liquor license.

A 19-year-old told a Nebraska State Trooper he bought beer at the Arrowhead Inn.

The commission’s Hobert Rupe says the suspension will be considered in the Arrowhead Inn’s license renewal application, but the business’ last violation before this case was in 2010.

The four stores in Whiteclay sold the equivalent of 3.5 million cans of beer last year near the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota.

BEAVER CITY, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska dad has been found guilty of misdemeanor assault for attacking a 17-year-old wrestler who defeated his son during a tournament in Cambridge in February.

41-year-old Stacey Micheel pleaded no contest to the charge last week as part of a deal with prosecutors. Originally, the Ainsworth man had been charged with felony child abuse.

Prosecutors say Micheel grabbed an Amherst High School wrestler by the neck and slammed him to the ground. Micheel told investigators that the teen made a disparaging remark about pinning his son.

Micheel could face up to one year in jail when he’s sentenced on Feb. 9.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska group is working to eliminate what it considers cumbersome job licensing requirements that create a drag on the state economy.

The Platte Institute for Economic Research announced a new campaign Tuesday that will evaluate the nearly 200 occupations in Nebraska that require a license.

The “Strong Jobs Nebraska” campaign features entrepreneurs whose businesses struggled because of state or local regulations. The group includes a banquet hall owner who tried to open a food truck business in Lincoln; a reflexology specialist who chose to work in Council Bluffs, Iowa, instead of Omaha; and a massage therapist who chose Iowa over Nebraska because of regulations.

State Sen. Nicole Fox of Omaha says the group will introduce a reform package in next year’s legislative session

If you’re looking for someplace to charge your Tesla, Gothenburg is the place.

Gothenburg officially welcomed the first operational Tesla charging station in Nebraska last week.

The 8-lane station is located between the Comfort Inn and Suites and the Nebraska Barn and Grill, and was constructed on land donated by Terry Jessen and Diana Unterseher.

The station first opened on December 3, with an official ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by the Gothenburg Ambassadors, on December 7.  Officials say five cars were already plugged in at the time of the grand opening.

According to Unterseher, the station opened just ahead of a similar station in Ogallala.

Tesla says the Supercharger stations can give the vehicles a range of 170 miles in as little as 30 minutes, but the stations are scarce across the midsection of the country.  However, Tesla says there are plans for numerous charging stations across Nebraska and the Heartland.

More information can be found a www.tesla.com.

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (AP) — Investigators are working to determine who shot and killed one of a North Platte couple’s Rottweilers while they were out of town.

The 4-year-old dog named Taylor was shot on Saturday while Michael and Amy Lee were in Lincoln for a work Christmas party.

Taylor and the couple’s other Rottweiler, Sadi, were staying with Michael Lee’s parents for the weekend. Sadi was inside the home when Taylor was shot Saturday morning.

Amy Lee says the dogs had stayed there before without problems although they may have barked more than at home.

North Platte Police Investigator John Deal declined to comment on the investigation.

Amy Lee says investigators took a bullet for evidence and may know who shot Taylor.

A 24-year-old North Platte woman was arrested last Friday after a tipster pointed police to cocaine and pills.

At around 6:32 a.m., an officer responded to a residence in the 1000 block of East Sixth Street on the report of a drug violation.

The officer met with a witness who indicated that there were pills and white powder in a vehicle at that location.  It was determined that the vehicle belonged to Taylor Powell.

Further investigation revealed that the pills were Oxycodone, Hydrocodone, and Zolpidem. Investigator John Deal says the white powder was field-tested and came back positive for cocaine.

The officer made contact with Powell, who was inside the residence, and questioned her.

Following questioning, the officer determined that there was probable cause to place Powell under arrest and charge her with felony possession of cocaine and three felony counts of possession of a legal drug without a prescription.

Powell was transported to the Lincoln County Detention Center and jailed.