LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska secretary of state’s office says ballot-counting equipment used in the May primary has passed an election audit.

The mandatory audit is conducted following each statewide election to confirm the accuracy and reliability of those machines. Secretary of State John Gale said Wednesday that only one issue was detected in Greeley County, not because of the equipment, but because of mistakes made by two voters. Those voters marked their ballots with an “X” instead of filling in ovals as required.

Officials say 36 of the 1,384 precincts in Nebraska were randomly chosen as part of the audit. In those precincts, election officials compared results generated by optical scanning equipment with hand counted ballots.

Dawson Public Power District will have a planned power outage for the village of Brady today, July 20, from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. A transmission line pole was struck by lightning, splitting a large section of the pole vertically. To safely replace the pole, Dawson PPD will need to temporarily shut off power.

Dawson PPD encourages residents to stay cool and hydrated during the summer heat.

“We understand that it is hot today, and we will do our best to change the pole out as quickly and safely as possible,” said Jeremy Kaiser, Manager of Operations.

Residents are encouraged to call Dawson PPD with any questions or concerns at 308-324-2386.

STANTON, Neb. (AP) — An advocacy group fighting against a Canadian-based company’s decision to replace sections of the Keystone XL pipeline in Nebraska has given residents jars to gather soil and water samples from their land.

Bold Nebraska handed out the jars at a meeting in Stanton Tuesday night. The contents residents bring back in the jars will be tested by an independent lab in Omaha.

U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration spokeswoman Angela Pickett says TransCanada is replacing sections of the pipeline that don’t meet current government strength standards just six years after it began operating in June 2010.

TransCanada spokesman Mark Cooper says the Keystone pipeline continues to operate safely, but Bold Nebraska founder Jane Kleeb says Nebraska landowners have no way to verify that.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The parents of a toddler killed by an alligator at Walt Disney World say they don’t plan to sue the theme park resort over the death.

Matt and Melissa Graves of Omaha, Nebraska, said in a statement Wednesday they want to focus on their family’s future health.

A family spokeswoman, Sara Brady, says she couldn’t say whether a financial settlement had been reached with Disney World.

Disney World president George Kalogridis said in a statement the company continues to provide support for the family. He did not elaborate.

Authorities say an alligator pulled Lane Graves into the water June 14. His father, Matt Graves, says a second alligator attacked him as he tried to save his son.

Lane’s body was recovered the next day. An autopsy showed he died from drowning and traumatic injuries.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska farmers are nearly done harvesting the state’s winter wheat, and the corn crop continues to progress.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says at least 75 percent of the winter wheat crop has been harvested with most of the remaining acres sitting in the Panhandle. That’s ahead of the 52 percent average.

And 65 percent of the winter wheat crop is in good or excellent shape.

Roughly 80 percent of the corn crop is in good or excellent shape. And 55 percent of the state’s corn is at the silking stage.

TECUMSEH, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska prison unit that was placed on lockdown after a fight between inmates is resuming its regular operations.

The unit at the Tecumseh State Correctional Center will return to its normal status on Wednesday.

Prison officials say several inmates were involved in the July 14 altercation, and two were taken to an outside medical facility for treatment. One of the assaults involved an improvised weapon.

The living unit was kept on lockdown through the weekend while prison staff interviewed inmates and searched for contraband. No other weapons were found.

Prison officials say about 40 inmates from the unit demanded to know when the lockdown was going to end while at lunch. They agreed to return to the unit after staff members gave them more information.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska prison officials are planning a series of changes to reduce inmate crowding and improve working conditions for correctional employees.

Department of Correctional Services Director Scott Frakes unveiled four initiatives Tuesday in response to prison employee concerns.

Among the changes is a pilot program that will give Tecumseh State Correctional Institution employees more flexibility with work shifts. Frakes says he will work with prison staff members on a schedule that reduces mandatory overtime.

A second pilot at the Nebraska State Penitentiary will create a new class of supervisors intended to increase employee engagement.

Prison officials are also correcting security deficiencies uncovered in an audit, such as aging perimeter fences, and building a temporary housing facility for 100 inmates to ease overcrowding.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska farmers are nearly done harvesting the state’s winter wheat, and the corn crop continues to progress.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says at least 75 percent of the winter wheat crop has been harvested with most of the remaining acres sitting in the Panhandle. That’s ahead of the 52 percent average.

And 65 percent of the winter wheat crop is in good or excellent shape.

Roughly 80 percent of the corn crop is in good or excellent shape. And 55 percent of the state’s corn is at the silking stage.

ORD, Neb. (AP) — A 20-year-old Ericson man has been given two years of probation and some jail time for the crash death of a bicyclist.

Online court records say Tucker Tonniges was sentenced Monday to 30 days in Valley County Jail and ordered to pay a $100 fine. He’d pleaded no contest to misdemeanor vehicular homicide and to careless driving.

The Nebraska State Patrol says 67-year-old Gregory Jensen, of Ord, was riding his bike the night of May 24 along Nebraska Highway 11 in Ord when he was struck by a pickup being driven by Tonniges.