OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Union Pacific wants anyone stuck at a railroad crossing to wait for the train to pass before attempting to cross.

The Omaha-based railroad recently launched a new campaign to remind people that their lives are worth waiting for a passing train.

Federal statistics show that 915 people were killed or injured last year while trespassing on railroad property.

So Union Pacific created a series of videos showing different scenarios of people waiting at railroad crossings. The videos are available online at www.up.com.

VALENTINE, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska game and wildlife officials say an aquatic habitat project that began this spring at the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge will continue this fall and into 2016.

The project addresses the presence of nuisance common carp in the system.

Control structures, berm improvements, fish barriers and dredging were planned at Watts, Hackberry, Dewey, Whitewater, Clear, Pelican and Willow lakes. Work has progressed and construction has been partially completed at both Watts and Hackberry Lakes.

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission says work will continue until the first freeze, then resume as weather permits next spring.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Legislative leaders say ConAgra Foods’ decision to move its headquarters from Omaha to Chicago while cutting 1,000 jobs in Nebraska isn’t likely to spur major changes in the state’s tax policies.

The impending move of the company’s headquarters after nearly a century dealt a blow to the state, prompting new calls for tax reform during the 2016 session to help Nebraska compete with other states.

But key lawmakers say they plan to continue their focus on property taxes, noting that the company’s move was less about taxes and incentives than the need to consolidate its operations to remain competitive.

Sen. Heath Mello of Omaha says the company’s departure serves as a wake-up call that state and local officials need to do a better job following industry trends.

KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) — The future of a halfway house for federal prisoners in Kearney is again in limbo after another nearby halfway house filed a protest to a recently-issued government contract.

Two weeks ago, Louisville, Kentucky-based Dismas Charities was awarded a federal contract to operate a residential re-entry center in Kearney for up to a year. The company was advertising for jobs and preparing its new facility to begin operations on Nov. 1.

But the Kearney Hub reports (http://bit.ly/1NMuQHr ) that the opening has been put on hold after Western Alternative Corrections, a company that runs a similar facility in Hastings, filed a protest to the decision and a stay on the Kearney contract has been issued.

Dismas vice president Steven Vice says his company is hopeful the protest will be resolved quickly.

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (AP) — Despite a lawsuit challenging its funding, a new company is gearing up to begin providing ambulance service to North Platte on Nov. 1.

Two city residents filed the lawsuit in August, weeks after the ambulance service owners received city approval for a $350,000 loan funded through a local sales tax.

The lawsuit says the city failed to give enough public notice, including notice that the loan was going to public employees.

The owners of the ambulance service include Trent Kleinow, the city’s assistant fire chief, and North Platte city attorney Doug Stack.

The ambulance service has filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit.

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska peace and social justice advocacy group is holding its annual conference in Grand Island.

The Nebraskans for Peace 2015 Peace Conference will run all day Saturday at Trinity United Methodist Church.

State coordinator Tim Rinne says more than 100 people are registered for the conference.

While it’s too late to register, Rinne says conference is open to the public. They simply need to bring their own lunch.

The conference will feature a panel discussion on justice for Nebraska’s diverse communities. Panel members include Amy Miller, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union Nebraska; Yolanda Nuncio, immigration specialist with Lutheran Family Services in Grand Island; and Dana Jelinek, executive director of Grand Island Area Habitat for Humanity.

• Emmanuel Gbanja Luke, 35, North Platte and Marleine Emanuel, 35, North Platte

 

• Thomas Lee Williams, 45, North Platte and Julie Ann Wilke, 46, North Platte

 

• John Joseph Van Dyke, 30, Elsie NE and Theresa Anne Montang, 26, Elsie NE

 

• Thomas Howard Jensen Jr, 36, North Platte and Taneha Lynn Feese, 40, North Platte

 

• Martin Edwardo Zuniga, 30, Arnold NE and Jessica Monique Verdugo, 25, Arnold NE

 

• Cody Wesley Rupe, 36, Hershey and Heather Renae McCoy, 29, Hershey

 

• Jared Douglas Thomsen, 28, North Platte and Brittany Joy Barker, 25, North Platte

 

• Andrew Ethan Moore, 32, Maxwell, and Megan Elizabeth Black, 27, Maxwell

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A consultant who worked on Rick Sheehy’s 2014 gubernatorial campaign has agreed to pay a $3,000 fine after he was accused of writing checks from the campaign in violation of state law.

The Accountability and Disclosure Commission approved the settlement Friday with Dean Dennhardt.

According to the settlement, Dennhardt wrote two checks totaling $75,000 to his consulting company and a $1,000 check to the Lancaster County Republican Party. The checks were written days after Sheehy resigned as lieutenant governor in a scandal involving his use of a state cellphone.

Dennhardt’s attorney, J.L. Spray, says the checks were to compensate Dennhardt for his services and to fulfill an earlier pledge to buy a table at a GOP fundraising event. Spray says Dennhardt settled because fighting the allegations wasn’t worth the cost.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A new report says Nebraska students from all races are showing improvement on statewide math and reading tests, as are those from low-income families.

The results were released Friday in the Nebraska Department of Education’s annual State of the Schools report.

The report shows that minority students are closing the achievement gap with white students. According to the report, 85 percent of white students were proficient in reading last year, and 79 percent were proficient in math. The percentages were lower for Hispanic, American Indian, Asian, black and multi-race students, but all of those groups showed greater improvement than white students.

Nebraska Education Commissioner Matt Blomstedt says the state still has work to do to improve student performance and close the achievement gap.