LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska political campaigns are trying to lock in as many early votes as possible in the weeks before next month’s election as county officials prepare to launch early in-person voting on Monday.

Voters have started returning absentee ballots in the mail, and leaders of some of the state’s major campaigns are intensifying their push with a flurry of phone calls and mailings.

Lancaster County Elections Commission Dave Shively said his office has already received requests from campaigns and political parties for lists of voters who have requested but not yet returned an absentee ballot. His office started mailing ballots on Oct. 3 and is started to see some returned.

Nearly 208,000 Nebraska voters cast an early ballot in 2012. That accounted for more than one-quarter of the roughly 804,000 votes.

CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) — The average price of gasoline in the U.S. has risen four cents over the past two weeks to $2.29 a gallon for regular grade.

Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg said Sunday that retailers and refiners have upped their prices in response to a rise in the cost of crude oil.

Gas prices are up 13 cents over nine weeks.

The Lundberg Survey found the average price of midgrade gasoline was $2.56 a gallon while premium was $2.78.

The highest average price for regular gas in the contiguous U.S. was $2.80 in San Francisco. The lowest was $1.97 in Tucson, Arizona.

The average price for diesel in Friday’s survey was $2.42, up three cents.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Uncertainty about Cabela’s future has already slowed the housing market in the outdoor retailer’s hometown of Sidney, and that is likely to intensify now that the company agreed to be bought by rival Bass Pro.

The sharp drop in housing demand in the western Nebraska town of about 7,000 is a sharp contrast to what residents were used to before Cabela’s started reviewing its strategic options last year.

Last week’s $4.5 billion deal to sell Cabela’s raises questions about the roughly 2,000 people the company employs in Sidney even though Springfield, Missouri-based Bass Pro pledged to maintain significant operations there.

Kevin Ross with Asmus Brothers Realty in Scottsbluff says the departure of a large number of people will depress Sidney’s real estate prices.

KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) — Kearney could become home to a new whitewater park if some local residents have their way.

The Kearney Whitewater Association has met with a design firm and city officials to see where a park could be built.

Whitewater parks can be used for surfing, racing and kayaking, among other activities. The firm S2O Design has identified three possible locations in Kearney that are considered ideal.

Scott Shipley, the firm’s founder and lead engineer, says the park could draw visitors from nearby Interstate 80 and students from the University of Nebraska at Kearney.

Kearney Whitewater Association says the meeting with city officials with constructive, but some questions remain. The group is working to raise money for the project and hopes to meet with landowners.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Supreme Court has upheld a lower court’s dismissal of a killer’s motion for post-conviction relief, rejecting an array of arguments presented by Dominick Dubray.

Dubray was sentenced in 2012 to two life terms, plus another 30 to 40 years for weapons convictions, for the February 2012 stabbing deaths of 22-year-old Catalina Chavez, of Alliance, and 42-year-old Mike Loutzenhiser, of Scottsbluff. Their bodies were found in Dubray’s house. Prosecutors said Dubray stabbed the two after becoming enraged during a domestic dispute with Chavez.

Dubray argued in his appeal that the lower court erred when it dismissed his petition for post-conviction relief without an evidentiary hearing. The state’s high court said Friday that Dubray did not meet the benchmarks necessary for such a hearing.

BROKEN BOW, Neb. (AP) — Residents of Broken Bow are set to celebrate the 100th anniversary of a downtown bandstand that has seen the likes of Theodore Roosevelt and William Jennings Bryan.

The festivities will take place Saturday.

Broken Bow City Administrator Brent Clark says the celebration seeks to elicit a sense of nostalgia and history. Events include a craft and food bazaar. Former Nebraska state Sen. David Landis will re-enact a speech by former U.S. Sen. George Norris.

The bandstand will be dedicated at 3 p.m. by Mayor Cecil Burt.

Clark says the bandstand is important to residents because it’s at the center of many memories.

A 20-year-old North Platte man is facing charges after a domestic disturbance which allegedly involved threatening a 19-year-old female with a knife.

On October 6, at around 11:42 a.m., officers responded to the report of a domestic disturbance in the 400 block of West First Street.

The first officer to arrive on the scene listened at the front door and heard a female stating that she was going to leave.  He then heard a male, later identified as Erik Kelso, tell her that she was not going to leave.

The officer continued to listen and heard the couple mention a knife several times.

According to Investigator John Deal, other officers arrived and the decision was made to enter the apartment.

After gaining entry, officers detained Kelso and recovered an open pocket knife laying on the ground near him.

After interviewing both subjects, Deal says officers determined that the female victim was attempting to leave when Kelso grabbed the knife and held her against her will.

Kelso was placed under arrest and charged with domestic assault, use of a weapon to commit a felony, felony terroristic threats and false imprisonment.

He was jailed at the Lincoln County Detention Center.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Gov. Pete Ricketts and state business officials are traveling the state for a series of events to celebrate manufacturing in Nebraska.

Ricketts is scheduled to visit Hastings, McCook, and Omaha on Friday with members of his administration and the president of the Nebraska State Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Ricketts will visit with Hastings Middle School and High School students who participated in the governor’s Developing Youth Talent Initiative. In McCook, he’s expected to attend a luncheon sponsored by Valmont Industries and Mid-Plains Community College partners.

In Omaha, he’s scheduled to participate in an “I Make America” event hosted by CLAAS Global Sales.

Cinda Baker of Cinda’s Accents in North Platte, Nebraska took a First Place Title and the People’s Choice Award for “PRINT” Framing Competition in the Mountain and Plains Chapter of the Professional Picture Framers Association Regional Competition. This Chapter serves 5 states; Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Wyoming, and Nebraska. The Print Competition for this year is a themed challenge called “Grandma’s Buttons”, featuring 7 vintage buttons as the subject matter.

Both the PRINT Framing Competition and OPEN Framing Competition are held at the chapter level and must pre-qualify by winning 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or Honorable Mention at this level for advancement to the International Framing Competition.   The international competition will be held at the West Coast Art and Frame Expo in Las Vegas in January of 2017. Cinda’s Accents has qualified for the international competition in both categories.

Descriptions and photos of the two entry pieces will not be posted at this time, as it would disqualify the entries for competing in the International Competition.

Cinda’s Accents was established in 1991 and after 25 yrs continues to bring new and exciting framing designs and boutique selections to the North Platte area!

To learn more about Cinda’s Accents and unique products and services, please visit www.CindasAccents.com.