LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A prairie dog management law criticized by Nebraska wildlife advocates could be in jeopardy.

Nebraska lawmakers voted 32-12 on Wednesday to advance a bill that would repeal the 2012 law.

The law gives counties the option to control the spread of black-tailed prairie dogs when a landowner’s neighbors complain. Only Sheridan County has taken advantage of its provisions. The animals are an ecologically important native species that some ranchers view as pests.

Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha says he introduced the repeal measure because the current law is too vague and runs afoul of property rights.

Black-tailed prairie dogs are widespread in parts of northwest Nebraska, where they dig holes in ranchland. Wildlife groups support the repeal, while counties and ranching groups oppose it.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — One Nebraska senator says a measure prioritized by the Nebraska attorney general could undo years of efforts to decriminalize victims of sex trafficking.

A legislative committee heard public testimony Wednesday on the bill that would allow courts to mandate treatment options for juveniles who have been trafficked. Currently courts cannot enforce prescribed treatment, such as mental health services.

Committee member Omaha Sen. Bob Krist worked on earlier legislation that kept victims from being classified as criminals and out of a juvenile justice system that he says is unprepared to address their specific needs. He says he worries even rehabilitative detainment worsens trauma by treating victims like criminals.

Advocates of the bill by Sen. Jim Scheer of Norfolk say many juveniles who have been trafficked flee centers or foster homes within hours.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A bill to increase allowances for blind, elderly and disabled Nebraska Medicaid recipients has cleared a first-round vote in the Legislature.

Lawmakers voted 29-12 to advance a measure by Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks of Lincoln that would increase the monthly amount from $50 to $60.

Opponents call the measure piecemeal Medicaid expansion and say lawmakers should instead use the money for tax cuts.

Advocates say the rate that hasn’t been adjusted for inflation in 30 years, and the bill will allow disabled recipients to buy clothing and toiletries.

Pansing Brooks says the debate lasted longer than she expected. She says opponents used the bill as a rallying cry to set a “fiscally conservative tone” for the session.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — About 100 Omaha businesses and organizations have signed a pledge with the Human Rights Campaign to advance workplace equality for Nebraska’s LGBT community.

According to local field organizer Drew Heckman, 113 local businesses have signed the pledge which is a part of its “Equality is Our Business” campaign. The campaign is targeting states like Nebraska, Arkansas, Mississippi and Alabama that do not have statewide regulations to protect workers from discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation.

According to a Human Rights Campaign survey, more than 40 percent of LGBT Nebraskans say they have experienced harassment at work.

Groups that pledge receive stickers and invitations to educational programs sponsored by the advocacy group.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A new survey report says the average value of Nebraska’s agriculture land dropped 3 percent in the past year.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln report released Wednesday says that as of Feb. 1, the land value was $3,210 an acre, compared with the 2014 average of $3,416.

In the report, university Extension educator Jim Jansen says “bearish comments reported by survey participants” on cropland values reflected the decline in grain prices.

And he says land used for the cow-calf industry rose in value or held steady “due to a strong return in that market over the last one to two years.”

The survey respondents included real estate salespeople and brokers, appraisers, bankers and mortgage experts.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraskans whose relatives were murdered are calling on lawmakers to abolish the death penalty, saying it prolongs the suffering of victims’ families and wastes tax dollars on endless appeals.

Relatives rallied at the Capitol on Wednesday came in advance of a legislative hearing on a bill to end capital punishment.

Miriam Thimm Kelle, whose brother James Thimm was murdered by Michael Ryan at a farm near Rulo in 1985, says the death penalty has distracted from the needs of victims’ families.

The repeal bill was introduced by longtime Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha, who has fought for nearly four decades to end capital punishment.

Of the 33 Nebraska inmates sentenced to death since 1973, three have been executed.

NEW YORK (AP) — McDonald’s plans to announce it will start using chicken raised without antibiotics important to human medicine and milk that is not treated with rbST, an artificial growth hormone.

The announcement comes as the fast-food giant struggles to shake its junk food image amid intensifying competition from smaller rivals positioning themselves as more wholesome alternatives.

McDonald’s has long battled negative perceptions about its food, but the issue has become a bigger vulnerability as more people shift toward options they feel are made with natural ingredients.

The “clean label” movement has prompted companies across the industry to purge ingredients with unrecognizable chemical names from their recipes, even while standing by their safety.

McDonald’s has been struggling to boost sales and saw customer visits to U.S. stores decline two years in a row.

Former Lincoln County District Court Judge, John Murphy, has died at the age of 67.

According to family members, Murphy and his wife were returning from a trip to California when he became ill.  He died Monday in a Santa Fe, New Mexico hospital.

Murphy had reportedly suffered from heart and other health problems in recent years.

Murphy became the Lincoln County Public Defender in 1981, and was appointed as a District Judge, in Lincoln County, in 1983.

Murphy was known as a judge who was not afraid to make his opinion known.

He retired in 2010, after a failed attempt to remove him from the bench, and moved to Omaha.

Murphy is survived by his wife, Marie, and three sons, Timothy, Patrick and Daniel.

 

• Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 28. Wind chill values as low as zero. Northwest wind 8 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph.
• Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 5. Wind chill values as low as -4. Northwest wind 9 to 14 mph becoming light and variable. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.
• Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 45. Wind chill values as low as -4 early. South southwest wind 5 to 11 mph.
• Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 19. West wind 6 to 9 mph.
• Friday: Sunny, with a high near 58. West northwest wind 9 to 13 mph.
• Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 24.
• Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 57.
• Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 27.

 

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska is the only state to deny driver’s licenses to youths who were brought into the country illegally as children, and could remain so if Gov. Pete Ricketts mirrors the policies of his predecessor.

Lawmakers heard nearly three hours of supportive testimony in a legislative hearing Tuesday for a bill by Sen. Jeremy Nordquist of Omaha. It would allow driver’s licenses for qualified youths who were granted deferred-action status under an Obama administration policy.

Advocates call the bill common sense for public safety and employment.

Former Gov. Dave Heineman announced in 2012 that Nebraska would not issue driver’s licenses to the youths. Ricketts has said he opposes taxpayer dollars for individuals who have entered the country illegally.