LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The American Civil Liberties Union is calling for civil forfeiture reforms in Nebraska to protect innocent people who have had their money or property seized.

A 16-page report from the ACLU requests that Nebraska pass a reform that only allows civil forfeitures if the property owner has been convicted of a crime.

The ACLU says it’s seeing more cases in which people who aren’t charged or do not have a criminal past are having their property taken.

Nebraska is the fifth-largest recipient of federal funds coming from civil forfeiture. The state received about $16.1 million between 2010 and 2014.

The ACLU’s report also suggests that all money forfeited be put into the state’s general fund or earmarked for education.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Officials in a northwest Nebraska county are looking at ways to address aggressive panhandling and other alcohol-related problems in a village known for selling beer on the border of a dry South Dakota Indian reservation.

The Sheridan County Board of Commissioners met with Whiteclay residents and business owners on Monday and will convene again on Nov. 9. The tiny village sells the equivalent of millions of cans of beer each year, mostly to residents of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

Commissioner James Krotz says some business owners have complained about growing numbers of intoxicated people who loiter on sidewalks and urinate and defecate in public. Krotz says he isn’t sure the county can change all the problems in Whiteclay, but officials hope to make the situation safer.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson has announced a new effort to clamp down on human trafficking, stop traffickers and help their victims.

Peterson announced Tuesday that his office and the Salvation Army have received a $1.5 million federal grant for a new state task force to address the problem.

The group will work to spread awareness of human trafficking in Nebraska. It also will help train people how to recognize and respond to cases of human trafficking. The effort will include state, federal and local law enforcement, the court system, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Native American tribes and private groups.

Stephen O’Meara, the attorney general’s human trafficking coordinator, says the task force is part of an effort to be more proactive in stopping exploitation.

CHICAGO (AP) — The American Cancer Society is revising its advice on when women should start getting mammograms and how often.

The updated guidelines recommend annual breast cancer screenings at age 45 instead of 40 and switching to every other year at age 55.

The update moves the society closer to guidelines from an influential task force that recommends starting routine screening at age 50.

It’s not a one-size-fits-all recommendation. Both groups say women’s preferences for when to be scanned should be considered.

The advice is for women at average risk of breast cancer. Doctors generally recommend more intensive screening for higher-risk women.

The update also drops a recommendation for routine physical breast exams by doctors.

The guidelines were published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say Nebraska’s unemployment rate rose to 2.9 percent in September, which means the state no longer has the lowest rate in the nation.

The U.S. Labor Department said in a report Tuesday that Nebraska has the second-lowest figure now, trailing North Dakota’s 2.8 percent. Hawaii and New Hampshire have the third-lowest rate, 3.4 percent.

The Nebraska Labor Department says the state’s preliminary September rate is up a tenth of a point from 2.8 percent in August. The new figure is three-tenths of a point under the September 2014 rate of 3.2 percent.

The new Nebraska figure remained well below the preliminary national unemployment rate of 5.1 percent in September.

A North Platte man is in jail on sexual assault charges after he allegedly admitting to having oral sex performed on him by a young family member.

At around 10:00 a.m., on Monday, an investigator with the North Platte Police Department received a phone call from Leroy Reeves, indicating that he wanted to meet with the investigator.

Police say Reeves indicated that he wanted to confess to a sexual molestation and the officer agreed to meet with Reeves in an undisclosed parking lot.

Upon arrival, Reeves allegedly admitted to having had oral sex performed on him by a then three-year-old family member approximately three years ago, at a residence in the 1700 block of North Madison.

According to police, Reeves agreed to accompany the investigator back to the station, where he was questioned further and placed under arrest.

Reeves was booked into the Lincoln County Detention Center and charged with felony first-degree sexual assault of a child.

The investigation into the matter is ongoing.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska landowners who oppose the Keystone XL pipeline are still trying to overturn a law that allowed the governor to approve the project, even though pipeline developer TransCanada is no longer relying on it.

Pipeline opponents said Monday they’re concerned that companies could use the law in the future to avoid a state commission that regulates pipelines, opting instead for a governor’s review and blessing.

Former Gov. Dave Heineman approved a Nebraska route for the Keystone XL in 2013. But the 2012 law which gave him that power is mired in court, preventing the project from moving forward.

TransCanada says it withdrew its eminent domain claims against landowners and reapplied to the commission. Spokesman Mark Cooper says the company now believes there’s no case to continue challenging the pipeline-siting law.

A North Platte woman has been charged with a felony after she allegedly stole cash from her employer.

According to the North Platte Police Department, an officer responded to the report of a theft at the Cenex gas station, 3002 South Jeffers Street, on the afternoon of October 8.

Management at the store told the officer that their registers were short by approximately $500.00.

After reviewing surveillance footage, it was determined that an employee, Vickey McKinley, had removed the money from the deposit bag and taken it.

On October 16, McKinley met with an officer at the police station and was placed under arrest for the theft of the money.

Investigators say the charge is a Class IV felony because McKinley has multiple prior theft convictions.