WASHINGTON (AP) — More federal money finally is available to fight Zika, and one critical research question is how long to monitor the health of babies born to infected mothers.

Brazilian doctors have counted a small number of babies who at birth had a normal-sized head — apparently escaping Zika’s hallmark birth defect — and only later were found to have health problems.

One researcher says that defect, microcephaly, is only the tip of the iceberg.

A study is underway to help answer how big a risk babies face, and how to monitor them. But more research is needed.

Congress last week passed a budget bill that includes $1.1 billion for additional Zika research and prevention. The money comes months after the Obama administration had requested it.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska state agencies are bracing for a possible budget crunch that could mean less maintenance at state parks, fewer law enforcement officers and a slower response to livestock disease outbreaks.

The potential consequences are outlined in a series of budget requests submitted to lawmakers and Gov. Pete Ricketts, who have said they may have to cut spending as state revenues dwindle.

Ricketts announced in July that he had ordered state agencies to analyze how they would handle an 8 percent budget cut so that he and lawmakers would know where to trim if needed.

Ricketts and state senators say the directive was made in an abundance of caution. No one knows whether revenues will continue to fall short of projections. New revenue estimates will be set in October.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is hosting a series of public meetings to discuss the future of the state’s aquatic resources.

The commission has been developing a road map for the state’s fisheries and aquatic resources and is encouraging the public to participate in the process.

Each of the two-hour meetings begins at 7 p.m. Meetings are set for Monday in Scottsbluff, Omaha and Norfolk; Tuesday in North Platte and Valentine; Wednesday in Kearney; and Thursday in Lincoln.

Meeting locations are available on the commission’s website at https://bit.ly/2djqVUy .

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is seeking the public’s help in tracking new and existing habitat for monarch butterflies.

The commission wants people who plant milkweed to record the information on Monarch Tracker, which is available on the Game and Parks website. That will help the department identify areas where milkweed and other pollinator-friendly flora can be planted, restored or enhanced in the next several years.

Monarch populations are declining, and experts say that’s mostly because of loss of milkweed and habitat. The monarch’s caterpillar stage feeds only on milkweed plants. As adults, they feed on a variety of flowering plants.

Go online at OutdoorNebraska.gov/MilkweedTracker for information about the Milkweed Tracker, to enter planted habitat or to find information about what to plant.

CHADRON, Neb. (AP) — Federal authorities say the remains of a U.S. Marine killed during a World War II battle in the Pacific are being returned to his Nebraska Panhandle hometown for burial.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency said in a news release Thursday that the remains of Sgt. Fae Moore will be buried next week in Chadron.

The agency says Moore’s division encountered stiff Japanese resistance when it landed on the island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert Islands. The agency says Moore died on Nov. 20, 1943.

The remains of Moore and several other Marines were discovered on Betio in what was called the “Lost Cemetery” and were turned over to the agency in July 2015. The agency says scientists used DNA and dental records to identify Moore’s remains.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A new program is teaching Nebraska convicts how to become entrepreneurs and wage-earners upon their release from prison.

The Defy Ventures program currently trains about 1,600 inmates in California and New York.

Ken Stinson, chairman emeritus of Peter Kiewit Sons’ Inc., says charitable foundations will cover the $2.5 million cost of the program’s three-year trial run in Nebraska.

Nearly 80 Nebraska State Penitentiary inmates participated in the program Thursday. It was led by 40 volunteers, including business executives and charitable foundation representatives, a state senator and a former speaker of the Nebraska Legislature.

Defy Ventures founder and CEO Catherine Hoke says the program has kept 95 percent of its graduates out of prison for at least three years after their release. About 30 percent of convicts return to prison within the same period in Nebraska.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska’s corrections director says he’s optimistic the state prisons will become less crowded even though a series of reforms haven’t reduced the inmate population as expected.

Scott Frakes told a legislative committee Friday that the prison system has custody of 5,306 inmates, a decrease of 77 since he became director in February 2015.

Nebraska’s prison population grew 20 percent between fiscal year 2003 and 2013, prompting lawmakers to approve an overhaul package that expanded treatment programs.

Frakes acknowledges the current inmate population fails to meet projections made by the Council of State Governments Justice Center, which predicted it would be closer to 4,800 by now.

Frakes says the department has taken longer than expected to implement some changes, but he believes the department will meet its goal by 2020.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is seeking grant proposals from Nebraska nonprofit organizations to promote fishing by Hispanics.

The Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation’s Vamos A Pescar program aims to educate Hispanic families about fishing through programs, classes and activities in 2017.

Programs to be considered introduce fishing to youths and families, provide hands-on skills development, teach and reinforce water and boat safety and provide conservation and aquatic stewardship activities.

Organizations must contact Larry Pape at Nebraska Game and Parks by Wednesday. Grant submissions are due to Game and Parks by Oct. 31. Email larry.pape@nebraska.gov or call 402-471-5447.

Detailed grant information and applications are available on line at OutdoorNebraska.org/VamosAPescar.

PAPILLION, Neb. (AP) — The state’s Judicial Nominating Commission is seeking to fill a vacancy on the Nebraska Court of Appeals.

The commission is set to meet Nov. 9 in Papillion to hear the qualifications of candidates to fill the vacancy opened by the retirement of Judge John Irwin, effective on Nov. 1.

The public is welcome to attend the hearing and present information concerning candidates for the opening.

Those interested in applying for the position can obtain an application package online at https://supremecourt.ne.gov/5014/judicial-vacancies-and-judicial-nominating-commission-information .

Completed applications may be submitted electronically or by hard copy and must be received no later than 5 p.m. on Oct. 19.