OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The same sex-couples challenging Nebraska’s ban on gay marriage say they’re hurt every day the law remains in effect.

At a court hearing Thursday, the couples highlighted concerns about what would happen if one partner dies or if their adopted child is hospitalized and one parent has no legal rights.

That’s why lawyers with the American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska argued that a judge should block enforcement of the ban immediately. But the judge won’t rule until later.

Assistant Attorney General David Lopez says the court should respect the decision Nebraska voters made to enact the gay marriage ban in 2000.

And Lopez says Nebraska has a legitimate interest in defining marriage as only between a man and a woman because the state wants to promote procreation.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Federal officials say that more than 74,000 people in Nebraska have signed up for health care coverage on the federal exchange.

The second open enrollment period under the Affordable Care Act ended Sunday. At the end of enrollment last year the figure was nearly 43,000.

The national figure this year was around 11.4 million, compared with more than 8 million last year.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska lawmakers are moving ahead with an emergency $7 million cash transfer to prevent the state’s child welfare system from running out of money.

Senators attached the funding measure to a budget bill Thursday and advanced it to a final vote.

Lawmakers railed against the Department of Health and Human Services, saying past administrators denied that they needed help last year when senators asked them.

A department official told lawmakers this week the shortfall was caused by a variety of factors, including higher rates for foster care services, higher-than-expected mileage costs, unpaid bills and the loss of some federal foster care payments.

The federal government demanded reimbursement from the state for child welfare expenses submitted by a private contractor, which weren’t properly documented.

HARRISON, Neb. (AP) — Sioux County commissioners have joined the opposition to a proposed disposal well for fracking water at the south end of the Nebraska Panhandle county.

The commissioners voted unanimously on Wednesday to share their sentiments with the Nebraska Oil and Gas Commission, which has scheduled a March 24 public hearing on the proposal. The commissioners’ letter will echo concerns shared by some people who attended the commission meeting. They cited wear and tear on roads and state highways and potential damage to groundwater. Commissioners in adjacent Scotts Bluff County have sent a similar letter.

Terex Energy Corp., of Broomfield, Colorado, wants to haul the saltwater recovered from oil searches and production in Wyoming and Colorado to a Nebraska ranch about 14 miles north of Mitchell.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A bill to increase the cost of marriage license fees in Nebraska is moving slowly toward a final vote in the Legislature.

Lawmakers gave the measure second-round approval on Thursday after reaching a compromise in a dispute over how much counties can charge for certified copies.

The measure would raise the county fee for marriage licenses from $15 to $25. Certified copies would rise in cost from $5 to $9.

The original bill would have raised the cost of certified copies to $16, but that amount triggered opposition from some lawmakers. Opponents argued those costs add up because married couples are sometimes required to purchase multiple certified copies.

• Today: Partly sunny, with a high near 43. Wind chill values as low as -4. South wind 10 to 13 mph.
• Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 21. Southwest wind 7 to 9 mph becoming west northwest after midnight.
• Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 50. West northwest wind 5 to 8 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon.
• Friday Night: A chance of rain and snow before midnight, then a chance of snow. Cloudy, with a low around 24. East northeast wind 7 to 9 mph becoming north after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
• Saturday: A 30 percent chance of snow, mainly before noon. Cloudy, with a high near 32. North wind 9 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph.
• Saturday Night: A 20 percent chance of snow before midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 9.
• Sunday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 19.

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
524 AM CST THU FEB 19 2015

DEUEL-KEITH-PERKINS-LINCOLN-CHASE-HAYES-FRONTIER-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...CHAPPELL...BIG SPRINGS...OGALLALA...
GRANT...NORTH PLATTE...IMPERIAL...HAYES CENTER...CURTIS...EUSTIS
524 AM CST THU FEB 19 2015 /424 AM MST THU FEB 19 2015/

...ACCUMULATING SNOW POSSIBLE FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY ACROSS
SOUTHWESTERN NEBRASKA...

AN UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM WILL SPREAD SNOW TO A LARGE PORTION OF THE
CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN PLAINS THIS WEEKEND. AT THIS TIME...BASED ON
THE LATEST FORECAST TRENDS...LOCATIONS SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 80
COULD SEE 2 TO 4 INCHES OF SNOW. PERSONS WITH OUTDOOR INTERESTS OR
THOSE PLANNING TRAVEL THIS WEEKEND SHOULD MONITOR THE LATEST
FORECASTS AND STATEMENTS.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Circulating a ballot petition in Nebraska could become easier under several bills presented to lawmakers.

Petition circulators said Wednesday that current restrictions hinder grassroots movements led by citizens, often referred to as the “second house” of Nebraska’s single-chamber Legislature.

A measure by Columbus Sen. Paul Schumacher would allow petition circulators to gather signatures electronically, which he says is a more thoughtful and accessible approach.

North Platte Sen. Mike Groene is pushing legislation to prohibit “blockers” from interfering with petitioners, while allowing petition circulators to be paid by signature, rather than an hourly wage.

Opponents included the League of Nebraska Municipalities and the Secretary of State’s office, which argued that petitions need checks and balances, just like other political processes.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A bill that would require Nebraska voters to show government identification at the polls is all but dead after opponents brought the debate to a sudden and unexpected halt.

Lawmakers voted 25-15 on Tuesday to push the measure to the bottom of this year’s agenda, which effectively guarantees lawmakers won’t return to it this year. The vote came after less than four hours of debate, much sooner than supporters had expected.

Speaker of the Legislature Galen Hadley says lawmakers likely began to suspect the bill wasn’t ready for debate after opponents and sponsors filed numerous amendments to address flaws.

Sen. Tyson Larson of O’Neill, the bill’s sponsor, says he believes the majority of Nebraska’s citizens want a voter ID law. He says he will consider sponsoring similar legislation next year.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — An undercover investigation in Council Bluffs has resulted in the arrests of 14 people on suspicion of prostitution.

The Council Bluffs Police Department says the Southwest Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force staged an undercover operation at a hotel Tuesday. The 14 arrests occurred over a period of more than nine hours.

Police say six men and eight women were arrested. They say both clients and alleged prostitutes were arrested.

Police say the arrests were made as part of an ongoing operation to crack down on prostitution.

Those arrested are Omaha residents, Christopher Graham, Charlicia Hicks, Jessica Walker, TaTiana Davis, Aaron Fellows, Kristina Rolden, Courtney Flower, Ronald Travis, Charlene Michell and Sophia Radja.

Also arrested were Jerome Knoll, of North Platte, Whitney Jones, of Minden, Gary Curtis, of Hastings, Iowa, and Rusty Davis of Marble Hill, Missouri.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A proposal to let Nebraska bars stay open 24 hours a day has died in a legislative committee.

Members of the Generals Affairs Committee voted 7-0 Wednesday to strip the measure out of this year’s alcohol omnibus bill.

Sen. Tyson Larson of O’Neill says he submitted the legislation so businesses could decide for themselves.

The idea drew opposition last month from city officials, law enforcement and groups that fight binge drinking. No one testified in favor of the bill.

Nebraska imposes a 1 a.m. closing time for bars but gives local governments the option to extend theirs to 2 a.m. with a supermajority vote of a city council, village board or county board.

Omaha and Lincoln have allowed bars to close at 2 a.m. since 2010.