OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Investors might question Warren Buffett’s long-standing aversion to tech stocks after his Berkshire Hathaway bought 9.8 million shares of Apple.

Buffett has always avoided technology companies because he said it was too hard to pick which ones would prevail long term, although he made an exception to that rule to buy a major IBM stake in 2011.

Buffett was also reported to be considering joining a bid to acquire Yahoo. But Buffett told CNBC Monday he would only act as a potential financing partner for Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert’s bid.

Berkshire revealed the new Apple investment Monday in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission detailing a number of changes to its $129 billion portfolio.

The new investment might have been made by Berkshire’s two other investment managers.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Gov. Pete Ricketts is encouraging Nebraska school boards to ignore an Obama administration directive urging schools to let transgender students use the bathroom which matches their gender identity.

The Republican governor on Monday said the directive amounts to “bullying” and noted that it doesn’t carry the force of law. Ricketts made the comments on his monthly call-in show on Lincoln radio station KFOR.

Ricketts says that as a father, he’d be concerned about people of the opposite gender going into the same school bathroom as his children. He also urged Nebraska residents to contact their local school board members.

The guidance does not impose any new legal requirements, but officials say it’s meant to clarify expectations of school districts that receive funding from the federal government.

A North Platte man ended his weekend with three more felonies than he had at the beginning.

At around 7:34 p.m., on May 15, officers responded to a motel in the 800 block of South Bailey Avenue.

Officers made contact with a 47-year-old female who, according to Investigator John Deal, had a bloody nose and injuries to her face.

As officers were speaking to the female, 43-year-old Donald Akers exited the motel room.  Officers asked Akers if they could speak to him but, instead of complying, Akers took off running.

An officer was able to chase Akers down, however, as officers tried to place him in handcuffs, they say fought with officers and resisted.  He was eventually subdued and taken into custody.

Further investigation revealed that the female victim and Akers had gotten into a verbal argument.  As some point, Akers allegedly punched the female in the face several times and slammed her face into a door. He also allegedly placed both hands around the victim’s neck and cut off her breathing.

The victim told officers that she attempted to leave the room, but Akers would not allow her to do so.

Akers was transported to the Lincoln County Detention Center and jailed on charges of felony domestic assault (due to prior convictions), felony false imprisonment, felony strangulation, and resisting arrest.

Police did not comment on the extent of the alleged victim’s injuries.

The Prairie Arts Center wants to give young artists the opportunity to hone their art skills this summer.

The Arts Center will host the “Kids Art Attack” Kids Art Kamp every Wednesday in June, from 10:00 a.m. to Noon.

The Kamp is open to kids entering first through eighth grades, and students will have the opportunity to learn about sculpture, painting, tile art, or will have the opportunity to help create a piece that will hang in the Art Center.

The Kamp is $30 per day or $25 for members.

For registration forms and a complete list of classes, log on to www.prairieartscenter.org.

The North Platte Community Playhouse will continue its tradition of exposing area children to the Performing Arts this summer with two amazing programs, Itty Bitty Stardust Children’s Theatre and The NPCP Summer Children’s Theatre Program.

Itty Bitty Stardust is open to all students who will be entering Kindergarten to students who just finished 2nd Grade.  Registration will be limited to the first 45 students.  The registration fee of $35.00 must be paid when the registration form is submitted.  Auditions will be held June 10th at 6:30 p.m. for those who have registered or are on a reserved list.  Rehearsals will be held on Saturday, June 11th, according to the group the child is assigned.  Rehearsal schedules will be handed out at auditions, and parents should be ready to be flexible on June 11th.  Students must attend all required rehearsals.  A performance will be held on Sunday, June 12th, at 2:00 p.m.  The workshop is directed by Anne Schmit and Donna Pucket.

Brady School Foundation, Prairie Arts Center and North Platte Catholic Schools Endowment-Trust were the top three money raisers on North Platte Giving Day earlier this month.

Donations and cash prizes to nonprofits from sponsors totaled $102,421 benefiting more than 50 local nonprofit causes during the first-ever North Platte Giving Day, reported Eric Seacrest, Executive Director of Mid-Nebraska Community Foundation.

Mid-Nebraska Community Foundation organized North Platte Giving Day to help local nonprofits that provide important services and depend on community support.

“We are very grateful to many donors, cash prize sponsors, media sponsors, participating nonprofits, and also the donation sites that collected donations,” said Seacrest.  “Cash prize sponsors were Great Plains Health, Kwik Stop, U-Save Pharmacy, Pat and Kathleen Keenan, NebraskaLand National Bank, Equitable Bank and First National Bank.”

Cash prizes provided by sponsors were awarded to nonprofits randomly selected from donations during 18 different time periods and to nonprofits with the top three most individual donors of any amount during five different time periods.

The top 25 money raisers on North Platte Giving Day were:

Brady School Foundation Fund  $20,520

Prairie Arts Center  $14,622

North Platte Catholic Schools Endowment-Trust $8,185

North Platte Area RSVP Fund $3,950

Boy Scouts Overland Trails Council $3,525

Lincoln County Historical Museum $3,380

Community Connections $3,252

North Platte Community College Foundation $3,155

Lake Maloney Trail Fund $3,000

Goodfellow Shoe Fund $2,960

Fur the Love of PAWS Rescue $2,696

Connection Homeless Shelter $2,370

Paws-itive Partners $2,220

Bridge of Hope Child Advocacy Center $2,145

North Platte Recreation Center Fund $2,000

North Platte Habitat for Humanity $1,835

North Platte Community Playhouse $1,820

Rape/Domestic Abuse Program $1,775

Nebraska Youth Center $1,715

20th Century Veterans Memorial $1,385

Lincoln County CASA $1,262

Deborah’s Legacy $1,190

Gift of Hope Cancer Foundation $1,145

Legal Aid of Nebraska $1,085

wish i may $1,000

For the full leaderboard list and prize list go to www.NorthPlatteGivingDay.org.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Canadian-based company plans to replace sections of its Keystone pipeline so the company can begin pumping oil at higher pressure.

Some of the sections of TransCanada Corp.’s pipeline didn’t meet federal strength standards, so the company must replace those sections so it can pump oil at higher pressure. TransCanada spokesman Terry Cunha told the newspaper that running at the higher pressure “allows us to be more efficient with our operations.”

The work is scheduled to begin this month and extend through 2017 in Nebraska, South Dakota, Kansas, Illinois and Missouri. The 30-inch pipeline first went into operation in June 2010.

In November President Barack Obama killed the company’s plans to build the Keystone XL pipeline.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Researchers from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln will grow hops at five locations across the state this summer to test the beer ingredient’s potential as a crop here.

Demand for hops is increasing significantly along with the microbreweries that use it. Currently, 98 percent of the hops grown in America are produced in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Michigan.

Associate Professor Stacy Adams says growing hops could give farmers an additional revenue stream alongside their other crops. And hops used to be grown in Nebraska before prohibition.

Hops will be grown at UNL’s East Campus in Lincoln and its Panhandle Research and Extension Center in Scottsbluff. Three cooperating farmers will also try growing hops near Valparaiso, Norfolk and Sutton.

An $83,000 state grant is paying for the project.