• Today: A chance of rain and snow, mainly before 10am. Cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 52. North northeast wind 5 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
• Tonight: Patchy frost after 4am. Otherwise, mostly clear, with a low around 32. Calm wind becoming south around 6 mph after midnight.
• Saturday: Patchy frost before 10am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 65. Breezy, with a south wind 9 to 14 mph increasing to 16 to 21 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 29 mph.
• Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 41. South southeast wind 6 to 8 mph.
• Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 74. South southeast wind 6 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph.
• Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 50.
• Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 68.
• Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 48.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Canada-based developer of the Keystone XL pipeline has paid $474,000 to secure easements for the pipeline through state-owned school land.

The land is a part of a trust to make money for the state’s public schools.

TransCanada has also agreed to pay $164,000 to farmers and ranchers who rent the public schools trust land to cover loss of crops and forage over three years. In total, the company is spending $638,000.

The easements amount to 54 acres in three Nebraska counties. It’s a small portion of the 1.3 million acres that’s overseen by the Board of Educational Land and Funds.

The state still has the property’s title, but the easements give TransCanada the ability to survey, build and maintain an underground pipeline.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A railroad union has rejected a deal with BNSF that would have allowed one-person crews under certain circumstances.

A unit of the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers union said its members voted the contract down.

The deal would have allowed BNSF to use one-person crews on tracks where a system capable of stopping the train remotely had been installed. The Fort Worth, Texas, railroad says it has Positive Train Control systems installed on about 60 percent of its 32,500 miles of track.

But trains that carry hazardous materials, such as crude oil and chemicals, would have continued to have two-person crews.

BNSF Vice President of Labor Relations John Fleps says the railroad will respect the wishes of union members who decided not to support one-person crews now.

SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. (AP) — Officials from Kearney, North Platte and Scottsbluff airports have scheduled meetings in Denver to talk with two commuter airlines about federally subsidized Essential Air Service.

The officials will meet with representatives of Charter Air Transport and Aerodynamics about flights to and from Denver.

The airlines have proposed serving the routes with 30- or 50-seat planes, much larger than the nine-passenger planes being flown by the airports’ current carrier, Great Lakes Aviation. Great Lakes is expected to bid again to serve the three airports.

A North Platte man is facing charges after a scuffle with his girlfriend ended with a scuffle with North Platte Police.

Just before midnight, on September 10, officers responded to the report of a man assaulting a woman at the intersection of Willow Street and Rodeo Road.

Upon arrival, officers located the suspect, 29-year-old David Barnhill, and a 28-year-old female standing outside of their vehicle.

According to Officer Rodney Brown, officers attempted to subdue Barnhill, who was extremely angry, but he refused to comply and fought with police.

Eventually, officers were able to handcuff Barnhill and place he under arrest.

He was transported to the Lincoln County Detention Center and jailed on charges of resisting arrest, domestic assault and disturbing the peace.

There were no injuries reported to the victim, officers or Barnhill.

 

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska secretary of state says Republican gubernatorial candidate Pete Ricketts can replace former Lieutenant Governor Lavon Heidemann as his running mate on the November ballot.

Secretary of State John Gale said Wednesday that Ricketts can make the switch to Mike Foley after Heidemann resigned from office and withdrew from the race. A judge this week granted a protective order against Heidemann after his sister alleged that he grabbed her wrists and pushed her during a family dispute.

Attorneys for Ricketts’ campaign say Nebraska’s constitution trumps a state law that imposes a September 1st deadline for naming a running mate.

The Nebraska Democratic Party says placing Foley on the ballot would expose the Ricketts campaign to a legal challenge from any Nebraska voter if Ricketts were to win.

WAYNE, Neb. (AP) — The nation’s third LGBT Rural Summit is scheduled for Sept. 19 at Wayne State College in northeast Nebraska.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights will host the summit, in partnership with the National Center for Lesbian Rights, The True Colors Fund, and Wayne State College.

Discussion topics will include life in rural American for lesbian , gay, bisexual and transgender people; and the future of the LGBT movement.

The luncheon speaker will be Michael Barth, who will discuss gender stereotypes.

The event is scheduled to run from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the college’s Gardner Auditorium in the Gardner Business Building.

Contact LGBTRuralSummit@ascr.usda.gov, 202-720-3808 for additional information.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The governor is encouraging Nebraska to fly their flags at half-staff Thursday in observance of Patriot Day.

Patriot Day honors the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist strikes in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.

Gov. Dave Heineman has ordered flags lowered at all state buildings and facilities.

“I hope all Nebraskans join me in remembering those we lost on Sept. 11, 2001, and in honoring their sacrifices,” the governor said.

LEXINGTON, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a man suspected of shooting at Lexington officers has been captured at the U.S.-Mexico border as he tried to return to this country.

Lexington Police Chief Tracy Wolf says 25-year-old Jose Covarrubias, of Lexington, was taken into custody on Monday in Laredo, Texas. Wolf says Covarrubias will be returned to Lexington to face two counts of attempted murder and three weapons counts. Online court records don’t list the name of his attorney.

Police say officers checking on a disturbance on July 30 saw Covarrubias fire a handgun at a woman fleeing a house. The officers say he also fired at their vehicles, and one officer returned fire before Covarrubias fled the scene.

A child was treated at a hospital for a minor injury from an apparent ricochet.

• Today: A 50 percent chance of rain. Cloudy, with a high near 49. East northeast wind 9 to 13 mph.
• Tonight: Rain before 1am, then rain and snow likely. Low around 36. North wind 10 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
• Friday: A chance of rain and snow before 10am. Partly sunny, with a high near 54. North wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
• Friday Night: Patchy frost after 4am. Otherwise, mostly clear, with a low around 34. Calm wind becoming south around 6 mph in the evening.
• Saturday: Patchy frost before 10am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 65. South wind 8 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph.
• Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 44.
• Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 72.