OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska has the fifth-highest birth rate in the nation.

New U.S. Census data shows that Nebraska trails only Utah, South Dakota, Alaska and North Dakota with its birth rate.

Iowa also ranks high with the 14th-highest birthrate in the nation.

In Nebraska, there are 72 births per 1,000 women of child-rearing age.

David Drozd with the University of Nebraska at Omaha says the relatively high birthrate may help Nebraska retain all three of its U.S. House seats when they are redistributed after the 2020 Census.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Conservatives dominate the Nebraska Legislature, but this session much of their time has been spent debating liberal issues.

Lawmakers have been immersed in efforts to legalize medical marijuana, abolish the death penalty and increase fuel taxes while bills calling for expanded gun rights and stricter standards on abortion clinics have been stalled in committees.

Given that the Legislature has 35 Republicans, 13 Democrats and one independent, that is exasperating to some conservatives.

But legislators say votes in the nonpartisan Legislature are hard to predict because new senators tend toward middle ground when confronted by the complexities of issues.

Since parties have more limited influence, senators also say they are more able to vote based on personal convictions.

KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) — Four age division winners have been selected in the 25th Nebraska State Handwriting Contest.

The winner is Noelle Slack, of Kearney, for ages 12 and under. The winner is Hannah Jenkins, of Arapahoe, for entrants age 13 through 16. For ages 17 through 49, the winner is Sheila Sindelar, of Wisner. And for ages 50 and over, Jane McCrone, of North Platte, is the winner.

The Department of Teacher Education at the University of Nebraska at Kearney administered the contest. Contestants were provided text to copy for their entries.

Entries were evaluated for ease of reading, fluent rhythmic movement with technically correct performance of specifications such as the slope, space, size and shape of letters.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska Chief Medical Officer Dr. Joseph Acierno has resigned two days after he survived a difficult confirmation battle.

Acierno turned in a resignation letter Friday to Gov. Pete Rickets. It was effective at 5 p.m. Friday.

Ricketts says he’s sorry Acierno is leaving and says his work helped countless Nebraskans.

Senators voted 34-6 on Wednesday to confirm Acierno one day after rejecting him.

Sen. Heath Mello of Omaha filed a motion to reconsider the vote, arguing that senators should give Acierno a chance under a new governor’s administration.

Some lawmakers say Acierno has been arrogant and blocked reform efforts in the Department of Health and Human Services.

He was appointed in 2013 by then-Gov. Dave Heineman and reappointed by Ricketts in December.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Officials at the Nebraska State Penitentiary say a series of inmate fights have occurred resulting in injuries to two staff members who were treated at a hospital for minor injuries and released.

Acting Warden Robert Madsen says in a statement he placed the prison on lockdown. Public activities including visits and volunteer events have been called off for the weekend.

He says the fights broke out at 7 a.m. Saturday and staff intervened to stop them. Some of the inmates needed medical attention.

Madsen says the prison is secure and an investigation has begun in to the incident.

The prison, located in Lincoln, is the state’s oldest correctional facility. It opened in 1869.

• Douglas Charles Predmore, 49, North Platte NE and LaRae Lynn Richards, 46, North Platte NE

 

• Cody Justin Allen, 25, North Platte NE and Keri Lynn Hasbrouck, 26, North Platte NE

 

• Kevin William Lewis, 25, North Platte NE and Stephanie Lynn Meyer, 20, North Platte NE

 

• Austen Ray-Jeffrey Dircksen, 21, North Platte NE and Kimberly Anne Cook, 20, North Platte NE

 

• Trent Carmen Schomp, 19, Hershey NE and Hope Whitaker Duggan, 19, Hershey NE

 

• Jeremy Michael Hill, 33, North Platte NE and Tiffany LaJean Reckard, 31, North Platte NE

The Nebraska Law Enforcement Memorial, 409 East Fonner Park Road, Grand Island will be the site of the 2015 Nebraska Law Enforcement Memorial Day Ceremony. The public is invited to attend the ceremony which will be held beginning at 10:00 a.m., on Monday, May 11.

One name will be added to the Memorial during the 2015 ceremony. A new addition to the Memorial will also be unveiled. The new feature commemorates law enforcement officers who have passed away while in service but not in the line of duty.

Governor Pete Ricketts and Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson will provide remarks. Representatives from law enforcement agencies across the state, including the Nebraska State Patrol, will be in attendance.

Nebraskans interested in finding out about additional Peace Officer Memorial Day ceremonies in their area should contact their nearest Nebraska State Patrol Troop Area Headquarters or their local law enforcement agency.

Today: A slight chance of showers before 1pm, then a slight chance of showers after 5pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 63. East northeast wind 7 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Tonight: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 8pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 50. East wind 10 to 13 mph.
Saturday: Showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. High near 63. East wind 14 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
Saturday Night: Showers and thunderstorms. Low around 43. Breezy, with an east northeast wind 18 to 23 mph decreasing to 9 to 14 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 32 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%.
Sunday: Showers likely, mainly before 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 51. Breezy, with a northwest wind 21 to 23 mph, with gusts as high as 32 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of rain before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 35. Breezy.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 54.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 33.
Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 64.

Keep North Platte and Lincoln County Beautiful (KNPLCB) and ABC Recycling would like to announce that Lincoln School in North Platte is the winner of the Plastic Recycling Contest among Lincoln County Schools.

A total of 14 schools participated including all North Platte Public Elementary Schools, Brady, Maxwell, Sutherland, and McDaid.  A total of 10,120 pounds of plastic was collected through the event.  Lincoln School in North Platte collected a total of 2,107 pounds of plastic.

The entire event saved 151.8 cubic yards of landfill space, 82.47 barrels of crude oil and save 2530 gallons of gasoline.

On Monday, May 11^th at 2:30 PM, KNPLCB, ABC Recycling and Kildare Lumber will be presenting a bench made of composite wood donated by Kildare Lumber to Lincoln School.

The composite wood is made from recycled plastic.  This is a great way to show the students and participants what the end result might be for the tons of plastic collected.

ABC Recycling will have all of the bales of plastic stacked on a flatbed trailer so that everyone can see the amount of plastic collected in just one month of the competition.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska lawmaker who wants to legalize medical marijuana says his bill would help suffering children, while opponents criticize the measure as too lax.

Lawmakers clashed Thursday over a proposal that would allow doctors to prescribe cannabis to patients with cancer, epilepsy and other chronic illnesses.

Sen. Tommy Garrett of Bellevue offered an impassioned case for the legislation, arguing that advocates may place the issue on the 2016 ballot if lawmakers fail to act.

Opponents say Nebraska shouldn’t legalize the drug just because other states have, and urged lawmakers to consider the possible consequences.

Senators didn’t get to a vote, and could resume debate Tuesday. Some proposed amendments would prohibit smoking the drug and would not allow marijuana to be prescribed for chronic pain.