(AP) — Flight cancellations have become common at Nebraska’s smaller airports, jeopardizing federal funding and forcing residents to drive hundreds of miles to catch a flight.

Cancellations seem routine at the six Nebraska airports served by Great Lakes Airlines: Alliance, Chadron, Kearney, McCook, North Platte and Scottsbluff

The lost flights hurt business in those communities. But Alliance City Manager J.D. Cox says there isn’t much cities can do.

New federal rules that went into effect Aug. 1 has caused a shortage of pilots for Great Lakes and other regional airlines. That’s led to cancellations and frustrated would-be passengers.

Smaller airports must have at least 10,000 annual boardings each year to qualify for federal subsidies. Failure to reach the threshold could cost airports $850,000 in federal funding.

(AP) — The bungled execution of an inmate in Oklahoma is casting new attention on the death penalty in Nebraska, where capital punishment remains on the books but no one has been executed in nearly two decades.

Nebraska’s supply of sodium thiopental, a key lethal injection drug, expired in December, leaving the state with no way to carry out executions.

Some lawmakers believe Nebraska will never again execute an inmate because of the drug issues and expensive legal appeals. The last Nebraska inmate executed was Robert E. Williams in 1997.

Sen. Bob Krist of Omaha supports the death penalty but says the state should stop the expensive process if it can’t execute anyone.

A Department of Correctional Services spokeswoman declined to say whether state officials plan to change their lethal injection protocol.

(AP) — The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has awarded 11 grants totaling nearly $100,000 to promote outdoor recreation and spur tourism and economic development.

Preference was given to campaigns promoting Game and Parks’ public areas and supporting outdoor recreation, conservation and stewardship initiatives.

Grant winners included the Better Ponca Foundation, the Burwell Area/Garfield County Visitors Bureau, the city of Seward and the Southwest Nebraska Resource Conservation and Development District.

(AP) — Nebraska horse owners are being encouraged to watch for signs of a deadly virus because a Kansas horse that had the equine herpes virus participated in a barrel racing event in Lincoln last month.

The state Agriculture Department says no cases of the disease have been found in Nebraska, but horse owners should take precautions.

The virus is easily spread by airborne transmission, horse-to-horse contact and contact with nasal secretions on equipment, tack, feed and other surfaces.

The Kansas horse and a horse from Wisconsin that tested positive for the disease after the event were both euthanized.

• Today: Patchy fog before 11am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 74. East northeast wind 5 to 13 mph.
• Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 48. East southeast wind 13 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph.
• Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 77. Southeast wind 6 to 9 mph.
• Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 50. East wind 8 to 14 mph becoming north northeast after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.
• Wednesday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 69. North northeast wind 10 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph.
• Wednesday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 47. Breezy.

(AP) — Since reopening in March after a two-month closure for remodeling, the archway museum that straddles Interstate 80 in south-central Nebraska has seen a jump in attendance.

The news gives officials with The Archway hope that the attraction will see more visitors this year.

March attendance at The Archway was 15 percent more than attendance recorded in March 2013, and April saw a 30 percent increase from last year.

The museum commemorating the Oregon, Mormon and California pioneer trails has struggled with disappointing attendance since its opening. Nearly 250,000 people visited in 2001, but last year’s attendance was 49,960.

The Archway emerged from bankruptcy in September after it settled more than $20 million in debt with bondholders, vendors and businesses by paying $100,000.

(AP) — Winners have been selected in all four age categories of the 24th annual Nebraska State Handwriting Contest.

Danielle Eidson, of Edison, won the age 12-and-under category. Alayna Whipple, of Arapahoe, won for ages 13 through 16. Amy Denny, of Kearney, won the ages 17-through-49 category. And Frances Wickman, of Eli, won the category for contestants age 50 and over.

The contest was administered by the Department of Teacher Education at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. The judges’ criteria included ease of reading, fluent rhythmic movement and technically correct performance of specifications.

Organizers say a 102-year-old was among the contestants.

(AP) — Nebraska’s new state school security director will be a busy person.

The person hired for the position established by the Legislature this session will recommend minimum standards for school security, assess the security of every public school building, establish tornado preparedness standards for schools and oversee suicide awareness and prevention training.

The state Department of Education will make the hire.

Sen. Rick Kolowski of Omaha, who sponsored the measure that created the new job, says the duties are manageable and that the Legislature can make changes in the future if needed.

(AP) — A Gering man has been arrested following a vehicle crash that injured his 16-year-old son.

The Scotts Bluff County Sheriff’s Office says 38-year-old Timothy Hoffman was driving Thursday morning when he struck a clearly marked construction area in Gering.

Hoffman told authorities he was distracted while talking to his son. Hoffman was arrested on suspicion of driving under suspension. Court records do not list an attorney.

The teen was taken to a local hospital for a non-life threatening chest injury.

• Austin Lee Sauer, 21, North Platte NE and Chrystal Elaine Warwick, 21, North Platte NE

 

• Samuel Austin Miller, 19, North Platte NE and Rachael Nicole Wardyn, 20, Brady NE

 

• Ryan Matthew Bailey, 32, North Platte NE and Ashley Nicole Milton, 27, North Platte NE

 

• Matthew Joseph Pelster, 31, Grand Island NE and Elaine Marie Foster, 28, Grand Island NE

 

• Matthew Robert Sellers, 28, North Platte NE and Kelsey Jo Oosting, 29, North Platte NE