LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Gov. Pete Ricketts and the Nebraska State Historical Society are seeking nominations for the state’s Hall of Fame, whose members are honored with a bust at the Capitol.

The announcement on Wednesday coincides with the 120th birthday of renowned Nebraska writer Mari Sandoz, whose sculpture has been on display since 1980.

Hall of Fame members are chosen every five years, based on public nominations. Nominees must have been dead for at least 35 years and meet other criteria to qualify. Hall of Fame Commission Chairman Ron Naugle says public input is a critical part of the process.

Other Hall of Fame members include Buffalo Bill Cody, General John J. Pershing and the Ponca Indian Chief Standing Bear.

The submission deadline is Dec. 31. More information is available at http://bit.ly/1T6ypGo.

GERING, Neb. (AP) — Forty counts have been filed against a 16-year-old boy accused of secretly recording activity in the girls locker room at Gering High School.

Court records say the boy faces 20 misdemeanor counts of unlawful intrusion and 20 felony counts of unlawful intrusion via photograph. A document says the recordings show the girls “in a state of undress.”

The Associated Press generally doesn’t name juveniles accused of crimes. The Scotts Bluff County attorney has filed a motion to transfer the case to adult court.

Schools Superintendent Bob Hastings says parents of the girls seen in the recordings have been notified, and counselors are being made available to any student affected by the incident.

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• Kelly Patrick Ryan, 51, Eustis NE and Michelle Lynn Thiem, 50, North Platte

• Grant Alexander Whitney Krentz, 30, North Platte and Cathleen Francis Palmer, 24, North Platte

• Katrina Larie Richter, 22, North Platte and Cheyenne Lyn Stewart, 26, North Platte

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has blocked the proposed merger of Staples and Office Depot, saying the government had made the case that the merger had a “reasonable probability” of hurting competition in office supplies.

The injunction issued Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan likely means the last two national office-supply chains will drop their $6.3 billion merger plan. The companies had said they would do so if the ruling went against them.

The Federal Trade Commission has sought to block the merger, contending it would allow the new combined company to dictate the price of supplies, especially for corporate customers that buy in bulk.

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — A state veterinarian has lifted the quarantine at Fonner Park in Grand Island almost a month after three racehorses there tested positive for equine herpes.

Veterinarian Dennis Hughes says Tuesday that the horses were quarantined and monitored for 21 days and no further cases of the virus were confirmed, prompting the end of the quarantine.

The Nebraska Agriculture Department said one of the infected horses was euthanized, but the remaining two received treatment.

When the virus was first detected in April, 750 to 850 horses at the racing venue were not allowed to leave.

Symptoms of the disease include fever, decreased coordination, hind limb weakness, leaning against a wall to maintain balance, lethargy and the inability to rise. The virus cannot be spread to humans.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Those who have testified at a Nebraska Department of Correctional Services hearing on restrictive housing say there are changes needed in the proposed solitary confinement rules.

Former inmates, American Civil Liberties Union officials and state Ombudsman’s office representatives told a hearing officer there are concerns that the 19-page draft policy on segregation is too broad, continues the use of long-term segregation and doesn’t have a timeline or enough detail.

The department developed the rules and regulations after the state passed a law in 2015 requiring a long-term plan for use and reduction of restrictive housing.

Republican state Sen. Paul Schumacher of Columbus introduced the law. He says the proposed regulations have a lot of steps, no appeal process and no real mandate to change what’s going on now.

LEXINGTON, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a 49-year-old Kearney woman has been killed in a south-central Nebraska collision.

The accident occurred around 8:35 a.m. Monday on U.S. Highway 30, about five miles east of Lexington. The Dawson County Sheriff’s Office says a westbound sport utility vehicle crossed the center line and struck an oncoming pickup. The SUV then rolled and came to rest on the passenger side.

The Sheriff’s Office says the driver was pronounced dead at the scene. She was identified as Lisa Antillon. The pickup driver and three other people were taken to a Lexington hospital.