(AP) — Creators of a new website hope to guide people in discovering ecotourism opportunities in Nebraska.

The site is www.visittheprairie.com and is a window to the Visit the Prairie coalition of the Center for Great Plains Studies at the University of Nebraska, Switzer Ranch and Nature Reserve and the Grand Island Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Nebraska has a variety of these ecotourism opportunities, including river tubing and forest hiking, bird watching and horseback riding.

For a rancher like Sarah Sortum of Switzer Ranch, ecotourism helps keep her family employed on the land. She says it also helps wildlife, habitat conservation and local communities.

 

A North Platte man is facing a child pornography charge over an image posted on his Facebook page.

According to Investigator John Deal, North Platte Police received information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in January, that an individual had uploaded an image of possible child pornography to their Facebook page.

NPPD investigators worked with Facebook, and determined that the image had been uploaded to 57-year-old James Burnside’s account.

A search warrant was obtained for his residence in the 2300 block of West 2nd Street, and it was executed on April 10.

Deal said several items of evidence were removed from the home, and it was determined that there was probable cause to arrest Burnside for possession of child pornography.

Burnside was jailed at the Lincoln Detention Center.

Deal said the investigation is ongoing.

(AP) — Authorities say a 43-year-old Arnold man has been charged for a collision March 18 in Custer County.

William Warren is charged with vehicular homicide. The Custer County Sheriff’s Office says Warren was driving in a snowstorm about five miles north of the Dawson County line on Nebraska Highway 47 when his sport utility vehicle struck a pickup. The pickup driver died. He was identified as 57-year-old Glenn Smith, of Gothenburg.

A public phone listing for Warren couldn’t be found. Online court records don’t list the name of Warren’s attorney.

(AP) — The Nebraska Farm Bureau has announced a new scholarship and loan assistance program to help schools find enough agriculture educators.

The scholarships will be available to students in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s agriculture education program. It will pay $1,200 during a semester of student teaching.

The loan assistance program is for educators with student loans. Those accepted will get help over five years, starting at $500 and increasing each year.

Matt Kreifels with the Nebraska Education Department said on Thursday that enrollment in state high school ag programs is the highest it’s been since the 1950s. But he says that within the past four years, 10 schools had to delay plans to start ag programs because they couldn’t find qualified teachers.

• Today: Sunny, with a high near 75. Light and variable wind becoming south 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
• Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 42. South wind 8 to 13 mph.
• Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 77. West wind 5 to 13 mph becoming east in the afternoon.
• Saturday Night: A chance of thunderstorms before 1am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 1am and 4am, then a chance of showers after 4am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 39. Breezy, with an east northeast wind 11 to 16 mph becoming north northeast 19 to 24 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 33 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
• Sunday: Rain and snow likely, mainly before 1pm. Cloudy, with a high near 39. Breezy, with a north wind around 25 mph, with gusts as high as 33 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
• Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 27. Blustery.

(AP) — Nebraska lawmakers have rejected a proposal to allow roads projects to be financed with bonds.

Lawmakers fell short Thursday of the votes needed for final approval of the measure, which would allow Nebraska to issue up to $200 million in bonds at a maximum fixed interest rate of 5 percent. No bonds could have been issued after June 30, 2017.

Sen. Annette Dubas of Fullerton, chairwoman of the Transportation and Telecommunications Committee, says she introduced it to accelerate work on long-delayed projects.

Several senators expressed opposition to taking on the debt, and wanted to keep the pay-as-you-go system currently used in the state.

(AP) — A measure to address prison overcrowding in Nebraska has been passed by the Legislature.

Lawmakers gave final approval Thursday to a bill that aims to reduce the inmate population by providing more services to those behind bars and diverting nonviolent offenders from the Department of Corrections.

The bill would have the state work on solutions with the Council of State Governments, a national organization that has worked with other states on prison reforms.

Nebraska’s state prisons were at 155 percent of capacity as of March 31.

Lawmakers also gave final approval to a bill for a study of whether to build a facility in Hastings for mentally ill inmates. The facility would provide drug and alcohol treatment as well.

(AP) — Nebraska lawmakers have passed a bill designed to help the state prepare for floods, water shortages and water quality problems.

Lawmakers gave final approval Thursday to legislation that would help local governments and the state pay for water projects, with an $11 million annual appropriation.

Budget bills that were approved this year are expected to generate $32 million for the new water sustainability fund by mid-2015.

The bill by Sen. Tom Carlson of Holdrege would also expand the Natural Resources Commission, from 16 members to 27, to ensure that more major water users are represented. The new commission would include groundwater and surface water irrigators, cities, public power districts and wildlife conservation groups.

(AP) — A bill that would provide millions of dollars in federal and state funding to help elderly Nebraskans stay in their homes has won approval from lawmakers, despite a veto.

Lawmakers overrode Gov. Dave Heineman’s veto on Thursday with the minimum 30 votes required. The proposal would direct Nebraska to apply for a federal grant that would help pay for in-home services. Nebraska would spend an estimated $8.2 million over the next two years, while the federal government would provide $36.4 million.

Sen. Kate Bolz of Lincoln says her measure would help keep more of Nebraska’s aging population out of nursing homes, which ends up being more expensive.

Heineman argued that while the idea is laudable, more of the cost will eventually shift to the state.

A 31-year-old North Platte man is behind bars on a felony charge after he allegedly crashed his car into a local business following an argument.

At around 6:30 p.m., on Wednesday, North Platte Police responded to the report of an injury accident at the intersection of 13th and Miles.

Upon arrival, the officer learned that, following an argument with a female at a residence in the 1800 block of West 13th Street, Fernando Vences got into a black 1990 Chevrolet G20 van and sped off down West 19th Street at a high rate of speed.

Officer Rodney Brown says witnesses told officers that, as Vences tried to turn south onto Miles Street, the driver’s side door became ajar and he fell out onto the street.

The van continued travelling southwest until it finally struck the back of Todd’s Alignment, 1901 Rodeo Road, causing approximately $500 damage to the van and $2,000 damage to the building.

Brown said Vences then fled the scene on foot and was located a short time later in an alley near Sherman Street.

Vences, who suffered lacerations to his arm and back, was arrested and charged with felony leaving the scene of an injury accident and driving under suspension.

He was jailed at the Lincoln County Detention Center.