LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Forest Service has allocated $187,000 in federal grants for volunteer fire departments.

The service announced this week that the U.S. Forest Service is providing the funding. The money will be used for 91 Nebraska community projects through the state’s Volunteer Fire Assistance program.

A state forest service employee says 97 percent of Nebraska’s 490 fire departments are volunteer.

The program allows the service to share up to 50-percent of equipment costs with the fire departments. Common expenses are protective clothing, safety equipment and training.

The service says that rural firefighting needs are much greater than the money made available by the program. Rural fire departments submitted 142 project applications requesting more than $983,000.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska education officials are throwing out the results of statewide writing tests plagued by technological problems.

The Nebraska Department of Education announce Tuesday it would not use the test scores. State officials haven’t decided whether to send the results to the U.S. Department of Education as required by federal law.

Eighth and 11th-graders took an online version of the writing test in February and reported a slew of problems. State officials say at least 1,500 students from 87 districts lost work or were kicked offline. They couldn’t track the total number of students affected.

The state contracts with Minnesota-based Data Recognition Corp. to administer the test. Education officials haven’t determined if they will pay the $177,000 owed for this year’s tests.

A 21-year-old North Platte man is facing a felony charge after he allegedly attempted to steal goods from Walmart.

At around 10:00 a.m., on July 15, an officer with the North Platte Police Department responded to Walmart on the report of two male shoplifters.

Upon arrival, the officer learned that the two subjects had attempted to leave the store with a shopping cart full of merchandise without paying for it.

According to Officer Rodney Brown, the two fled on foot when a store employee asked them for a receipt.

Following further investigation, one of the subjects was identified as Kevin Mendonca.

Police made contact with Mendonca and placed him under arrest for felony shoplifting.  He was processed and released from the Lincoln County Detention Center.

Brown said investigators are still trying to identify the second suspect.

The items in the cart totaled around $560.

A North Platte man has been hospitalized for evaluation following a welfare check gone bad Tuesday afternoon.

At around 3:45 p.m., officers with the North Platte Police Department responded to a residence in the 800 block of North Vine to conduct a welfare check on a 37-year-old male.

Upon arrival, officers observed the man talking to family members in front of the house.

Officer Rodney Brown said the man became very agitated and began yelling.

Brown said the man proceeded to go back-and-forth from inside the house to the porch, and at one point, he brandished a large kitchen knife.

After the man retreated back into the residence, officers began to develop a plan for what was quickly becoming a tense situation.

A short time later, the man walked out of the house, and officers were able to take him into custody without further incident.

Brown said the man was taken to Great Plains Health by police for evaluation.

The case is still under investigation.

SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. (AP) — The Western Nebraska Veterans’ Home in Scottsbluff recently received its fifth deficiency-free survey from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services says in a statement an eight-member survey team from around the country noted no deficiencies during a June survey. The team evaluates life safety, resident care, environment, staff training and development, dietary-food service, banking and billing services for veterans, recreation/activities, medical staff credentialing, social work, and all areas related to quality assurance and care.

John Hilgert, director of the Division of Veterans’ Homes in the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services says it’s unusual to have five no-deficiency surveys.

The state’s Division of Veterans’ Homes includes facilities in Bellevue, Norfolk, Grand Island, and Scottsbluff.

• Today: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before noon. Mostly sunny, with a high near 90. Breezy, with a southeast wind 7 to 12 mph increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 28 mph.
• Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 67. Southeast wind 14 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph.
• Thursday: Mostly sunny and hot, with a high near 97. South southeast wind 11 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph.
• Thursday Night: A slight chance of thunderstorms before 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 68. South southwest wind 7 to 11 mph becoming northwest in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
• Friday: Sunny, with a high near 93. West northwest wind 10 to 18 mph becoming north in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 28 mph.
• Friday Night: A slight chance of thunderstorms after 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 66. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
• Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 92.

SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. (AP) — A jury has returned a guilty verdict in the case of a man charged with armed robbery of a Scottsbluff convenience store in January.

The Scotts Bluff County District Court took just under three hours Tuesday to convict 29-year-old Michael Galindo of the Jan. 15 armed robbery of a Git ‘N Split store.

Prosecutors showed jurors video surveillance tapes from the store and a bank taken on the same day of the robbery. They show clothing worn by the robber is similar to that worn by Galindo in the bank video.

Defense attorney Bill Madelung argued to the jury that “similar” or “kinda like” are not grounds for a conviction beyond a reasonable doubt.

Galindo will be sentenced on Aug. 29.

CHADRON, Neb. (AP) — A mountain lion has been shot south of Chadron after a man observed it crouching in the grass about 20 yards from his home where two young children were on a patio.

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission says in a statement the 5-month-old female mountain lion was shot Saturday.

The man retrieved a rifle from the house and approached the animal, then shot it when it stood but did not flee. The mountain lion weighed about 30 pounds.

As required by law, the man immediately notified authorities after shooting the animal.

The Dawes County Sheriff’s Department investigated the incident and took possession of the animal. It was transferred to Nebraska Game and Parks officials Sunday.

Authorities determined the man acted within the law.

CHADRON, Neb. (AP) — Backyard chicken enthusiasts can now own their own birds in the city limits of Chadron.

The Chadron City Council has given final approval to an ordinance allowing backyard or hobby chickens.

The council has passed an amendment to an existing ordinance regulating animals in the city. It allows residents to keep up to six chickens in an enclosed area that’s at least 20-feet from the sides of the lot. Roosters are prohibited.

A $25 annual fee is required. Renters must have signed landlord approval.

Councilman and veterinarian Dr. John Gamby voted against the change saying it wasn’t needed. He says the ordinance is discriminatory against ducks and other bird species since it addressed only chickens.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — New airport stations designed to serve a firefighting plane in rural Nebraska are now up and running.

The Nebraska Forest Service said Tuesday that the state-contracted plane and crew arrived last week for a two-month stint during the summer wildfire season.

The state forest service recently hired a manager for the single-engine air tanker base in Chadron. Bases are also located in Valentine and Alliance, in addition to a mobile unit. The bases serve as storage facilities for water and flame retardant, allowing the plane to reload and circle back to a fire quickly.

The planes and bases were approved after massive wildfires in 2006 and 2012 that threatened lives and property. Nebraska has not seen any major fires so far this year.