LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — An effort to repeal the death penalty in Nebraska has cleared another critical vote in the Legislature.

Lawmakers voted 30-16 on Friday to advance the repeal measure through the second of three required votes, despite a filibuster led by death-penalty supporters.

One final vote is required before it goes to Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts, a death penalty proponent who has promised a veto. If the current support holds, the bill will have a veto-proof majority.

Some lawmakers have argued that Nebraska should abolish capital punishment because it has only wasted money and created a false promise for victims’ families. The state hasn’t executed anyone since 1997, and some prisoners have been on death row for decades.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska high school students will continue to earn the same wages as their adult counterparts after a bill to slash student workers’ minimum wage failed to gain a two-thirds majority in the Legislature.

Senators voted 29-17 on a measure that would have kept the minimum wage for part-time student workers at $8, even after the standard minimum wage increases to $9 in January.

The measure needed 33 votes to pass because it would have modified a citizen-led ballot measure.

Nebraska residents voted to raise the minimum wage last November.

The bill’s sponsor Sen. Laura Ebke of Crete, says she believes public outcry derailed the bill. Ebke does not know whether she will bring a similar measure next year.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska’s state corrections director says a prison struck by a weekend riot will remain under lockdown until the threat of further disturbances has passed.

Director Scott Frakes said in a memo released Friday that the Tecumseh State Correctional Institution’s lockdown will depend on good behavior and how quickly repairs can be made to facilities.

Inmates took control of part of the prison on Sunday. Two inmates were killed. Prison officials have said both men were likely killed by other inmates. Lawmakers said Thursday that fire, water and structural damage from the chaos could total $350,000 to $500,000. Insurance will likely cover the expense.

Some lawmakers have said the upheaval may have stemmed from inmate complaints about a lack of programing. Frakes promised inmates improvements but says they’ll take time.

• Benjamin Lee King, 36, North Platte and Lindsey Donelle Schafer, 37, North Platte

 

• Joseph Lynn Duran,30, Stapleton and Alissa Fern Ione Hodges, 29, Stapleton

 

• Andrew Lee Powell, 24, North Platte and Taylor Renae Shore, 22, North Platte

 

• Justin Dee Herrick, 34, North Platte and Nathalie Ann DeBuc, 31, North Platte

 

• James Andrew Thornburg, 31, Ashby NE and Shaylyn Michele Miller, 35, Hershey

 

• Matthew Alan Welte, 31, North Platte and Amelia Katherine Rundquist, 21, North Platte

 

• Jacob Alexander Bassett, 31, North Platte and Tory LeAnn Marie Kleist, 24, North Platte

 

• Samuel Peter Dunn, 24, North Platte and Shayla Ann Theiler, 22, North Platte

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Supreme Court has affirmed the first-degree murder conviction of a western Nebraska man sentenced to life for killing his girlfriend.

Craig Johnson was sentenced last year for the Dec. 11, 2011, killing of 42-year-old April Smith. Smith was found bound, strangled, beaten and stabbed on her living room floor in the home she and Johnson shared eight miles west of Sidney.

Johnson argued on appeal, among other things, that his trial judge should not have allowed inconclusive DNA testing found at the murder scene into evidence.

On Friday, the high court agreed that the DNA evidence should not have been allowed, but found the error harmless, as prosecutors had more than enough other evidence — including other DNA evidence — to convict Johnson.

(Minden, Neb.)- A traffic stop on Interstate 80 near the Minden exit in Buffalo County led to the seizure of 37 lbs. of marijuana.

Just before 5:00 p.m., Wednesday, May 13, a trooper stopped an eastbound 2005 Chevy minivan for Following Too Close near the Minden exit on I-80.  The trooper was given consent to search the vehicle. The search led to the seizure of 37 lbs. of marijuana. The marijuana contained in 37 packages was concealed in an air compressor in the cargo area of the minivan.

The driver of the vehicle, Raymond A. Perez, 55, Log Lane Village, Colo., was lodged in the Buffalo County Detention Center on a charge of Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Deliver.

Today: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2pm, then a chance of thunderstorms, mainly after 3pm. Some storms could be severe, with large hail and damaging winds. Partly sunny, with a high near 79. Breezy, with an east wind 9 to 14 mph increasing to 19 to 24 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 33 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Tonight: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 11pm, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 3am. Some of the storms could be severe. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 55. Breezy, with a south wind 11 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Saturday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 73. South wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Saturday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 49. South southeast wind 6 to 16 mph becoming west northwest after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 24 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 68. Breezy, with a west northwest wind 14 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 39.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 61.
Monday Night: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 41.
Tuesday: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 56.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska motorists will pay higher taxes at the gas pump to cover road and bridge repairs, despite Gov. Pete Ricketts’ objections.

Lawmakers voted 30-16 Thursday to override the Republican governor’s veto of a 6-cent-per-gallon gas tax increase.

The proposal would raise Nebraska’s total gas tax over four years to 31.6 cents per gallon. The tax would generate an additional $25 million annually for the state and $51 million for cities and counties once fully implemented.

Sen. Jim Smith of Papillion, the bill’s sponsor, says the gas tax is the most effective way to pay for construction work to help improve road safety and the economy.

Ricketts, a Republican, says the vote will hinder economic growth and create a new burden for Nebraskans.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The U.S. Postal Service says there’s been a small rise in the number of mail carriers bitten by dogs.

Linda DeCarlo, the agency’s manager of safety, says 5,767 postal carriers were attacked last year, up from 5,581 in 2013.

She says Los Angeles had the largest number of attacks, with 74, followed by Houston with 62 and San Diego with 47.

The numbers come as programs were announced Thursday for National Dog Bite Prevention Week, which starts Sunday. Officials unveiled videos and tips on staying safe.

Carriers, children and senior citizens are most vulnerable to bites. Doctors say more than half of the 4.5 million people bitten each year are kids.

The American Veterinary Medical Association urges parents to teach their children how to approach and play with dogs.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts says state officials have bought all three drugs required to carry out executions.

Ricketts and Department of Correctional Services Director Scott Frakes announced Thursday that the state now possesses one of the three drugs and will receive the other two in the near future.

The department bought two of the drugs, sodium thiopental and pancuronium bromide, from a company called HarrisPharma.

Ricketts says three of Nebraska’s 11 death-row inmates have exhausted all of their appeals.

The announcement comes one day before lawmakers are scheduled to debate a death penalty repeal measure. The bill won first-round approval with a veto-proof majority in April, but two more votes are required.

Some opponents have argued that Nebraska should abolish capital punishment because the state hasn’t executed anyone since 1997.