A 62-year-old Minnesota man is dead he fell nearly 35-feet at an ethanol plant near Sutherland.

On Wednesday, at around 2:21 p.m., deputies with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office responded to Midwest Renewable Energy, just east of Sutherland, after it was reported that a male subject had fallen from some scaffolding.

Witnesses on scene provided first-aid until Sutherland Rescue arrived and transported the man to Great Plains Health in North Platte, where he was pronounced dead.

Chief Deputy Roland Kramer says Charles Danielson, of Buffalo Lake, MN, was working on some scaffolding about 35-feet in the air when he fell.  Kramer said Danielson was wearing a safety harness but, for some reason, it had been temporarily unhooked.

The case remains under investigation, but Kramer said it appears to be accidental in nature at this time.

The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office is investigating after a body was found in the Nebraska Public Power District canal near the Gerald Gentleman Power Plant, south of Sutherland.

According to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were called to the plant at around 2:15 p.m., on Wednesday, after they were informed that a body had been found in the canal leading to the plant.

Deputies responded and were able to secure the body and remove it from the canal.

Chief Deputy Roland Kramer says the body is that of an unidentified male and an autopsy will be conducted.

According to Kramer, deputies found tire tracks leading into the canal upstream from where the body was found.  The Lincoln County Dive Team will attempt to locate the vehicle on Thursday.

This is a developing story and will be updated when more information is available.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska is inching closer to ending enforcement of a federal law that bars people with felony convictions from receiving food benefits from the government.

Senators advanced a measure 31-5 Wednesday to opt out of the restriction that leaves these individuals the only group ineligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Supporters say the ban creates a barrier to successful re-entry and hurts children and family members who rely on felons for basic needs.

But opponents say these individuals are likely to reoffend, and the measure would directly finance drug dealers.

The 1996 law allows states to opt out, and 18 others have done so, including Nebraska’s neighboring states Iowa, Kansas and South Dakota.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A bill that would relax weight and load restrictions for farm equipment on Nebraska’s roads has won first-round approval in the Legislature.

Senators advanced the bill Wednesday with a 39-0 vote.

The proposal would exempt tractors, combines, fertilizer spreaders and other heavy farm implements from the restrictions on the state’s roads. Some producers have complained that the current rules haven’t kept pace with modern farm equipment, which is larger and heavier than in the past.

Weight and load restrictions would remain in place for bridges.

The Nebraska Farm Bureau Federation and the Nebraska Cattlemen Association have identified the bill as one of their top priorities in this year’s session.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A woman who says she was sexually assaulted by a jail guard who was later imprisoned for having sex with inmates is suing the former guard, Phelps County and several county officials.

The lawsuit was moved to federal court Tuesday from Phelps County. In it, the woman says she was repeatedly sexually assaulted by Louis Campana while she was in the jail in 2012 on bad check charges.

The Associated Press generally does not identify people who say they’ve been sexually assaulted.

Campana pleaded no contest in 2013 to two counts of sexually abusing an inmate. He was sentenced to 20 months to four years in prison.

He has since been released and is a registered sex offender. A phone number for Campana could not be found Wednesday.

KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) — A Kearney attorney has been named a district judge in Nebraska’s 9th Judicial District.

Gov. Pete Ricketts’ office says he selected John Marsh to replace Judge John Icenogle, who retired.

The 57-year-old Marsh is a partner at Knapp, Fangmeyer, Aschwege, Besse & Marsh in Kearney and has been deputy Buffalo County public defender since 2007. The governor’s office says Marsh also has been Dawson County attorney, a deputy Lincoln County attorney and an associate in the law office of Louie Ligouri.

Marsh earned his bachelor’s from Hastings College and holds a law degree from the University of Nebraska College of Law.

The 9th Judicial District covers Buffalo and Hall counties, with the primary office in Kearney.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts says he’s still confident lawmakers will debate property tax reforms this year, even though a legislative committee hasn’t yet voted on his signature proposal.

Ricketts reiterated Tuesday that he’s open to changes to his property tax package, but he says lawmakers need to take some action this year.

One of the two bills introduced on the governor’s behalf hasn’t yet moved out of the Revenue Committee. Committee members met again on Tuesday but still have not settled on a proposal. They’re scheduled to meet again on Thursday.

Committee members are considering whether to provide additional state aid for every student in Nebraska on the condition that local school boards use the savings to lower property taxes.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The University of Nebraska is gaining support for its plan to reduce the number of leadership candidates who are revealed to the public during a search.

Lawmakers voted 36-1 Tuesday to advance a measure by Gretna Sen. John Murante that would require the university to name only a single finalist for key administrative positions. The finalist would be subject to a 30-day public vetting period.

Current statutes require the university to disclose application materials for four finalists.

Supporters say the open search puts the university at a disadvantage compared to its peers, because the best candidates are already working at top institutions and don’t want news of their job search going public.

Opponents say taxpayers have the right to know which candidates are being considered.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska senators are backing alternatives to traditional health care, including the option for patients to pay practitioners directly for consultations and physicals rather than through insurance.

Lawmakers voted 38-0 Tuesday to advance a measure by Omaha Sen. Merv Riepe, a former hospital administrator, to outline how direct primary care agreements are handled in Nebraska.

Supporters say the agreements minimize regulations and promote better relationships between practitioners and patients.

Riepe says the option does not stand in the way of expanding Medicaid, but offers an alternative for a small niche in the market.

Sen. Kathy Campbell of Lincoln says because direct primary care agreements do not constitute insurance, individuals would likely need additional health coverage to comply with federal requirements.