LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska officials have launched a pilot program to keep more neglected children with their families, as long as steps can be taken to keep them safe.

The program gives parents a chance to avoid law enforcement and the courts if they are deemed a low risk to hurt their children.

Many cases are rooted in poverty, so the alternative response program seeks to connect families with services that provide food, transportation, shelter and other needs. The pilot program was launched Oct. 1 in Lancaster, Dodge, Sarpy, Hall and Scotts Bluff counties, and it could eventually spread statewide.

Thomas Pristow, director of Nebraska’s children and family services division, says keeping the children at home is often less traumatic than removing them from their families.

• Michael Frank Fisher, 59, North Platte and Mary Jane Meyer, 60, North Platte

 

• Corey Lee Hoskins, 25, North Platte and Elizabeth Jane Daigger, 25, North Platte

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A free event next month will examine why agriculture needs to do a better job of explaining its business to others.

Agriculture is growing increasingly complicated, so helping people understand the science of food production is becoming more important.

Agricultural broadcaster Orion Samuelson will lead a panel discussion on the topic on Nov. 6 at the Nebraska Innovation Campus’ Conference Center.

Samuelson is an agricultural reporter on WGN Radio in Chicago who is also syndicated with the National Farm Report.

The discussion will be available online at https://heuermannlectures.unl.edu.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Gov. Dave Heineman and state agricultural leaders are urging Nebraskans to buy E85 fuel the next time they pull up to a gas pump in a flex fuel vehicle.

Heineman touted the blended fuel on Friday during a conference call. E85 is a fuel mix that is 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent unleaded gasoline.

The governor’s office says there are about 180,000 flex fuel vehicles registered in Nebraska. Nebraska is the nation’s second-largest ethanol producer, and is home to 24 ethanol plants that produce nearly 2 billion gallons annually.

The Renewable Fuels Association has developed a “Flex-Fuel Station Locator” app to help drivers locate E85 pumps.

Deer are more active this time of the fall, when crops are being harvested and deer breeding season is in full swing. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has tips to help drivers avoid deer-vehicle accidents and lessen the risk of personal injury or vehicle damage.

— During the breeding season, bucks become more active searching for does with which to breed. Bucks are bolder, less wary and more susceptible to collisions with vehicles. Deer movement peaks each day near dawn and dusk.

— Anticipate the possibility of a deer on the road and plan how to avoid a collision. Be prepared to stop suddenly, but braking too sharply or swerving may cause you to lose control and roll your vehicle.

— Wear your seat belt.

— When driving near shelterbelts, woodlots or creeks, especially during evening or early morning, slow down and watch for deer. Keep your headlights on bright if there is no approaching traffic.

— When you spot a deer, assume there will be others in the same area.

— Deer often seem to be disoriented or confused by headlights. Some react by freezing in the light, some dart into the path of the vehicle and others bolt away. Honk your horn and flash your headlights to frighten deer away. If there is other traffic on the road, activate your emergency flashers and tap your brakes to alert other drivers to the potential danger.

— Many places where deer-vehicle collisions occur are posted with deer crossing signs.

— If a deer is struck, the driver may take possession of it but must contact a Game and Parks conservation officer within 24 hours to obtain a salvage tag.

The Kearney Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are investigating an armed robbery at a Kearney bank.

According to a news release, Kearney Police were called to the Eaton Federal Credit Union, at around 9:22 this morning.

They say the suspects fled on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash, and one suspect was armed with a gun.

The first suspect is a black male, 6’0″ to 6’2″, weighed 175 to 190 pounds, with short hair, and was wearing a black long sleeve shirt and blue jeans.  He also had a blue backpack.

The second suspect is a black male, 5’9″ to 6’0″, weighed 160 to 180 pounds, was wearing a blue long sleeve shirt and blue jeans.

Police say both suspects were wearing white hard hats during the robbery.

If you have any information, contact the Kearney Police Department at 308-237-2104 or Crimestoppers at 308-237-3424.

No injuries were reported.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A newly released report says Nebraska’s preliminary unemployment rate for September was 3.6 percent, matching the adjusted rates for August and July.

The Nebraska Labor Department said in the report released Friday that the rate was three-tenths of a point under the September 2013 rate of 3.9 percent.

The new Nebraska figure remains well below the preliminary national unemployment rate of 5.9 percent in September. The new national rate is two-tenths of a point under the August figure of 6.1 percent and 1.3 percentage points below the September 2013 rate of 7.2 percent.

• Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 65. North northwest wind 6 to 11 mph.
• Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 31. North northeast wind 3 to 8 mph.
• Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 65. South southeast wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph.
• Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 39. South southeast wind 8 to 13 mph.
• Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 74. South wind 5 to 8 mph becoming north in the afternoon.
• Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 39.
• Monday: Sunny, with a high near 74.
• Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low aroun

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (AP) — An 88-year-old Nebraska Panhandle woman has been awarded her 1945 high school diploma during a surprise graduation ceremony.

Gladys Laune donned her North Platte High School blue cap and gown on Thursday, nearly 70 years after her father made her drop out of school. Laune thought she was going to a birthday party for a friend but the celebration was actually in her honor.

Laune says she earned her diploma after dropping out of school but it was never granted.

Superintendent Dr. Larry Ramaekers helped set up the ceremony after being contacted by Laune’s family. He says the school had kept transcript records from the 1940s.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Liquor Control Commission chairman says his agency should have jurisdiction over party buses.

Chairman Bob Batt’s remarks come days after a Nebraska Wesleyan University football player was struck and killed while walking on Interstate 80 near Lincoln after riding a party bus.

Lancaster County officials say a Wesleyan student rented the bus 22-year-old Maury Lorence was riding in over the weekend. Passengers were drinking alcohol on the bus which stopped at a truck stop. When the bus left the truck stop to return to campus, Lorence wasn’t on the bus and got left behind.

The jurisdiction over party buses currently falls under the Nebraska Public Service Commission. Batt says the state’s liquor commission is the right agency to handle them.