LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha legislator is proposing that Nebraska join 28 other states in making birth control available to more women by expanding access through Medicaid.

A bill by Sen. Jeremy Nordquist would widen eligibility for family planning services to people with family incomes at or below 185 percent of the poverty level. Separately, the bill would spend $1 million over the next two years to expand a federally backed program called Every Woman Matters, which funds breast and cervical cancer screening.

The plan would spend $1.9 million on family planning services, which Nordquist says would save about $13 million in general fund spending in future years.

Opponents say the measure’s savings are hypothetical, and access to contraceptives has not been proven to prevent unplanned pregnancies.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska officials are considering imposing tougher standards for sign language interpreters to make sure the students they are helping understand what’s going on in school.

The interpreter standards haven’t been adjusted in 15 years, but some school officials worry that tougher standards will make it harder to find interpreters.

John Wyvill with the Nebraska Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing says there is a shortage of interpreters, especially in rural parts of the state. But he says the standards should be improved.

Wyvill says most interpreters aren’t bad, but they may omit information or make mistakes that make it tougher for deaf students to keep up.

But some school officials say Nebraska’s interpreters are already well qualified.

CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) — The average price of a regular gallon of gas jumped 13 cents in the past two weeks to $2.20, ending a sustained drop.

Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg said Sunday that a rebound in the price of crude oil caused the run-up at the pump.

However, the price is $1.10 below the mark a year ago, on Feb. 7, 2014.

San Francisco continued to have the highest-priced gas in the Lower 48 states at $2.59 a gallon.

The low average was in Tucson, Arizona, at $1.82. The average price in California is up 9 cents, to $2.53.

Lundberg says pump prices could climb as much as a dime in the near future, unless oil prices show significant declines.

In Nebraska, the average price for a gallon of regular is $2.12.

SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. (AP) — A western Nebraska couple is now facing drug charges after they lost their appeal in a child abuse case.

Carlos and Jennifer Herrera have both been charged with possession of a controlled substance because of what their landlord found in their home.

The couple was arrested last month after the Nebraska Court of Appeals upheld their child abuse convictions.

Scottsbluff Police Capt. Brian Wasson says the couple’s landlord contacted police after finding drug paraphernalia and packaging materials with methamphetamine residue.

In the child abuse case, 37-year-old Carlos Herrera was sentenced to 48 to 60 months in prison. Thirty-one-year-old Jennifer Herrera was sentenced to 12 to 24 months in prison.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Women in Agriculture Conference will celebrate its 30th year with a conference teaching Nebraska women how to improve their farms, ranches and communities.

The event will be held at the Holiday Inn in Kearney on Feb. 26-27.

Speakers will include Rebecca Long-Chaney of Elwood, Neb., Carla McCullough from the Department of Environmental Quality and Madeline Schultz from Iowa State University.

Attendees can also choose from 32 workshops on topics including crops and livestock marketing, estate planning, insurance, agronomy, nutrition, social media, entrepreneurship and disaster preparation.

Registration costs $110, but will increase to $130 after Feb. 13. To register, call 402-472-9053.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Embattled Nebraska State Board of Education member Pat McPherson is again insisting he will not resign, this time following a verbal tug-of-war between his supporters and those who say he should resign over racist comments made in his now defunct blog.

The 17 people who spoke during the public comment period of Friday’s Education Board’s meeting were nearly equally divided in their support for and opposition to McPherson.

Many, including other Education Board members, have called on McPherson to step down following several blog posts referred to President Barack Obama as a “half-breed.”

McPherson, a Republican, has disavowed the posts and said he did not write them. He reiterated after Friday’s public comments that he will not resign.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A new study at the request of Nebraska lawmakers says Nebraska’s attempt to privatize its child welfare system has produced no measurable benefits.

The study compared results achieved by state child welfare workers and by the Nebraska Families Collaborative, the private agency that manages child welfare cases in the Omaha area.

The study found no cost savings and no significant difference in outcomes for children and families.

State lawmakers commissioned the study last year, as part of a bill authorizing the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services to extend its contract with the collaborative into 2015.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Former Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman has been named to the board of directors of Conklin Company, Inc., a manufacturer and direct-sales firm owned by Falls City businessman Charles Herbster.

The company announced Friday that Heineman, who left office last month, will travel the country in his role for various company events.

Herbster is a Republican activist who flirted with a run for Nebraska governor last year, as Heineman was preparing to step down. He opted not to run, and instead bankrolled the gubernatorial campaign of Republican state Sen. Beau McCoy, of Omaha.

The Conklin Company offers has six major divisions: agronomics, animal products, building products, health and home products and vehicle products. Its vice president is Carlos Castillo, who led the Nebraska Department of Administrative Services under Heineman.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Former Nebraska corrections director Mike Kenney is set to retire next month.

Gov. Pete Ricketts announced Friday that Kenney will step down effective March 6. He will remain with the Department of Correctional Services for a transition period to help the new director, Scott Frakes, who started this week.

Kenney became director in September 2013. He spent much of his tenure trying to fix scandals, including the miscalculation of inmate sentences. Many of the problems came to light while he was leading the department.

Kenney’s career in the department began in 1977, and he served in a variety of jobs. In a statement, he says he was honored to serve “even given these troubling times.”