GERING, Neb. (AP) — A 24-year-old man who said a drug addiction led him to tie up and rob his grandparents earlier this year has been sentenced to six to 10 years in prison.

Levi Hartman was sentenced in Scotts Bluff County District Court on Monday. Hartman had pleaded guilty in August to attempted robbery in a deal with prosecutors, who had originally charged him with robbery.

Police say John and Marsha Hegwood interrupted the robbery on May 24. Marsha Hegwood told officers that she was sprayed with pepper spray, and John Hegwood says one of the two robbers knocked him down. The other robber turned out to be a 16-year-old.

The Hegwoods were tied up and had two vehicles, cash and credit cards stolen.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska residents can celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at a series of events in Scottsbluff and Grand Island.

The group Humanities Nebraska is hosting the free programs to recognize the contributions of Latinos.

Jose Garcia, a member of the Humanities Nebraska speakers bureau, will present “Nebraska’s Mexican American Legacy” at the Scottsbluff Public Library on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.

The Midwest Theater in Scottsbluff will host a film screening of “Latino Americans: Foreigners in Their Own Land” on Oct. 13 at 7 p.m., followed by a discussion.

The Multicultural Coalition of Grand Island will host a Day of the Dead Festival in the city’s downtown on Oct. 24, from noon to 8 a.m.

The city’s Grand Theater will screen “Latino Americans: Empire of Dreams” at 7:15 p.m. on Nov. 12.

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — Experts say the lack of access to mental health care in rural areas of Nebraska isn’t improving.

The June 2015 Nebraska Behavioral Health Workforce report says there wasn’t a mental health provider in 48 of Nebraska’s 93 counties in 2014. According to the report, roughly 84 percent of psychiatrists are in metropolitan counties.

Dr. Howard Liu, director of the Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska, says rural areas don’t have all the resources to support mental health care. He said the shortage could worsen, with the report showing more than half of the licensed workforce as being older than 50.

National Alliance on Mental Illness Nebraska Executive Director Tom Adams says people in rural areas can have a hard time simply finding others to talk with about mental illness.

October 5

1866 — The Union Pacific Railroad reached the 100th meridian at Cozad.

1916 — President Woodrow Wilson arrived in Omaha to attend an Ak-Sar-Ben festival.

A North Platte woman is facing a sexual assault charge after she allegedly had sex with a teenage boy.

On October 2, at around 7:42 p.m., an officer with the North Platte Police Department met with a concerned parent who believed her 15-year-old son may have had a sexual encounter with a 21-year-old woman.

Officers conducted interviews with the victim and the suspect, Alise Nicole Forbes, and determined that there was probable cause to arrest Forbes.

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

Nebraska law prohibits anyone 19-years of age or older from having sex with anyone under 16.

Forbes is being held on ten percent of $100,000 bond.

Weather permitting, the 3rd and Jeffers Street intersection is anticipated to be closed for eastbound and westbound traffic, as well as pedestrian traffic, on Wednesday, October 7.

The 2nd and Jeffers Street intersection will be opened for eastbound and westbound traffic and pedestrian traffic on this same date, according to the Nebraska Department of Roads.

Motorists are reminded to be extra careful in and near highway work zones, and to buckle up, every trip.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A new state tax credit designed to help renovate historic buildings is seeing a surge in interest from nonprofits and developers.

The Nebraska State Historical Society approved 46 projects this year in Omaha, Boys Town, Columbus, Norfolk and Red Cloud at a total cost of more than $14.9 million.

The agency received 58 applications. Project applicants snagged nearly all of the $15 million that was available this year within the program’s first two months.

The tax credit is helping to convert abandoned Omaha buildings into new apartments, repair old homes at Boys Town and create a National Willa Cather Center in Red Cloud.

Ryan Reed of the Nebraska State Historical Society says the state already has a list of projects awaiting money in 2016.

GERING, Neb. (AP) — A pavement project could hamper travelers on a stretch of Nebraska Highway 71 in the Panhandle later this month.

The Nebraska Roads Department says concrete will be lifted and stabilized in the Gering area. The work is scheduled to begin the week of Oct. 12 and be finished by late October.

Traffic will be maintained, but there will be lane closures and reduced speeds.