WASHINGTON (AP) — Expect insurers to seek significant premium increases under President Barack Obama’s health care law for next year.

A wave of state-level requests will ripple across the country ahead of the political conventions this summer.

Insurers say the law’s coverage has been a financial drain for many of them, and they’re setting the stage for hikes that in some cases could reach well into the double digits.

In Virginia, nine insurers returning to the HealthCare.gov marketplace are seeking average premium increases that range from 9 percent to 37 percent.

The health law’s subsidized insurance markets cover more than 12 million people nationwide. Going into their fourth year, they don’t yet seem to have achieved stability.

The Obama administration says talk of premium increases is premature and overblown.

A pursuit down Interstate 80 in western Nebraska led to the arrest of a man wanted in connection with an April 22 homicide in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Wednesday evening, April 27, the Nebraska State Patrol was alerted by South Dakota authorities that a male wanted in connection with a homicide in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, may be driving a white Oldsmobile 88 heading west on Interstate 80.

Just after 8:30 p.m., a trooper spotted a vehicle matching the description westbound on I-80 near Lodgepole, in Cheyenne County. The trooper attempted a traffic stop of the vehicle. The vehicle stopped briefly at which time two women and an infant got out of the car. The suspect then sped away.

A pursuit ensued continuing westbound on I-80.  During the pursuit the suspect fired shots out of the driver’s side window at the patrol units attempting to stop the vehicle. Troopers did not return fire. The Wyoming Patrol was notified the vehicle was approaching the state line. As the vehicle entered into Wyoming spike strips flattened tires on the vehicle which then came to a stop on I-80 several miles west of Pine Bluffs, Wyoming. The suspect, identified as Jared J. Stone, 21, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was taken into custody by the Wyoming Highway Patrol and lodged in the Laramie County jail.

No troopers were injured in the pursuit which covered approximately 65 miles reaching speeds of up to 100 mph.  The two females and the infant initially let out of the vehicle were released.

“The situation could have had a tragic outcome as this individual was determined to evade authorities at all costs,” said Captain Jamey Balthazor, Commander Troop E- Scottsbluff.  “This was a cooperative effort between various agencies in three states. We are grateful no one was hurt and law enforcement was able to get him off the road and into custody.”

North Platte Community College music students were honored Tuesday during an “End of the Year Concert” in the McDonald-Belton Theater.

Instructors Elizabeth Peters, Carmen Allen, and Ron Daly recognized music ensemble members who will graduate with an associate degree in May.

Those students included: Valerie Most, of Brady, Katie Roessler, of North Platte, Bailey Rickertsen, of Gothenburg and Walker Baird, of Lewellen.

Baird will also be one of the first two students at NPCC to graduate with an Associate of Fine Arts degree.

The following were recognized with individual awards:

Spirit Award – Trevor Pochop, North Platte

Forte Award – Justin Morgan, North Platte

Outstanding Vocalist – Malachi Murtaugh, North Platte

Outstanding Instrumentalist – Walker Baird, Lewellen

Musician of the Year – Katie Roessler, North Platte

Hitchcock County authorities say they are investigating an apparent murder-suicide in the small town of Trenton.

The Hitchcock County Sheriff’s Office says deputies responded to the report of two deceased adult males early on Wednesday morning.

The bodies of the two men will be sent to the Central Nebraska Forensics Center, in Gibbon, where autopsies will be conducted.

The names of the men have not been released pending the notification of family members.

Trenton, population 560, is about 25 miles west of McCook.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Lottery says a Mega Millions ticket sold in Lincoln is worth $1 million to the buyer.

The $1 ticket for Tuesday’s drawing was sold at the U-Stop near 84th and Holdrege on the east side of Lincoln. It matched the five winning white ball numbers of 14, 16, 17, 28 and 48 but not the Mega Ball number of 2. The jackpot Tuesday was $108 million.

Lottery spokesman Neil Watson said Wednesday the winner has not yet stepped forward. Prizes of $20,000 or more must be claimed in person at lottery headquarters in Lincoln. Winning tickets expire 180 days after the drawing.

Officials say the odds of winning $1 million in the Mega Millions game are 1 in nearly 18.5 million.

NEW YORK (AP) — McDonald’s is testing Chicken McNuggets with no artificial preservatives as it works to revive its U.S. business.

The world’s biggest hamburger chain says it began testing the new recipe in about 140 stores in Oregon and Washington in March.

It’s the latest move by McDonald’s as it works to stage a turnaround of its business, which has lost customers in recent years. The company has conceded that it failed to keep up with changing tastes and that it is looking to improve its core menu items.

Last week, McDonald’s said sales rose 5.4 percent at established U.S. locations during the first three months of the year. But the company did not say how much of that came from an uptick in customer visits, versus higher prices.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A group seeking changes to mandatory minimum sentences in drug cases is pointing to the case of a Nebraska man who will begin a 10-year prison term that even a judge calls “absolutely ridiculous.”

Leo Guthmiller, of Lincoln, will begin his drug conspiracy term Wednesday at a federal prison in Springfield, Missouri.

Federal prosecutors say Guthmiller played a significant role in dealing drugs and pointed to his criminal history. Guthmiller’s public defenders say he simply introduced people looking for drugs to those who were selling and that his history amounted to petty crimes all committed to feed his addiction.

Guthmiller’s supporters note he has been clean since his last arrest in 2013.

The judge who sentenced Guthmiller wants Congress to enact sentencing reforms, calling the mandatory 10-year sentence “absolutely ridiculous.”