(AP) — Officials say the fund drive has passed $21,000 for the Buffalo County Korean War Hero Flight.

The trip will be June 4-7 for 25 Korean War veterans from Buffalo County and their escorts. The travelers will head to Omaha on June 4, stay the night and fly to Washington, D.C., on June 5 so they can see the memorials and other sites in the nation’s capital. They will fly back on June 7.

All expenses are paid for the veterans, including meals, hotel rooms, flights and bus rides.

The trip is expected to cost $55,000 to $60,000.

(AP) — Nebraska community groups and insurers are seeing a last-minute surge in consumers who want to beat the federal deadline to sign up for health insurance.

A spokesman for Community Action of Nebraska in Lincoln said Monday that his office has been booked solid with appointments for the last three weeks. Workers expect another full day before the midnight deadline to enroll through the new federal marketplace.

In Omaha, employees at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska were also busier than usual. Company spokesman Andy Williams said Monday that a waiting area for customers was filling up fast.

Many Nebraskans trying to sign up were experiencing technical problems with the federal enrollment website, healthcare.gov.

(AP) — The number of acres devoted to corn is expected to shrink about 4 percent this year as farmers devote more of their land to soybeans.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture released its annual forecast Monday of what farmers plan to plant.

The USDA says it expects 91.7 million acres of corn to be planted this year, down from 95.37 million acres last year.

The number of acres devoted to soybeans is expected to grow about 6 percent to 81.5 million acres from last year’s 76.5 million acres.

Iowa farmer Ray Gaesser says farmers are responding to predictions for tight soybean supplies and relatively high crop prices.

Gaesser, who serves as president of the American Soybean Association, says demand for soybeans is clearly high going into this year.

A 17-year-old North Platte boy is facing a felony charge after he fought with his mom and police.

According to Officer Rodney Brown, officers responded to the report a an uncontrollable juvenile in the 800 block of South Belmont at around 6:40 pm on Sunday.

The boy’s mother reported that her son became angry after being told he could not use the car.  In response, the teen allegedly threw his mom’s phone against the wall, causing damage to both the phone and the wall.

He then left the residence, according to Brown, and drove away in the car without the mother’s permission.

Moments after officers left, the mother advised that the boy had returned home on foot and stated that he had left the vehicle parked at an unidentified location.

The mother again called police and stated that the boy was claiming he was going to assault responding officers and not go willingly with them.

Staying true to his word, when officers returned, a struggle ensued.  During the struggle, the boy and two officers fell off the porch and onto the ground.  Brown said both officers were injured.

Police were eventually able to subdue the boy and transport him to the Lincoln County Detention Center.

Brown said the boy attempted to damage the patrol car’s windows and interior during transport, and continued to fight with police and jail staff once at the jail.

In the end, the boy was charged with two counts of felony assault on an officer, resisting arrest, criminal mischief, disturbing the peace, unauthorized use of a vehicle and being an uncontrollable juvenile.

The Post is choosing not to name the boy pending the filing  formal charges by the Lincoln County Attorney’s Office.

• Today: A chance of rain and snow before 1pm, then a slight chance of snow between 1pm and 2pm. Patchy blowing dust after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a temperature falling to around 36 by 1pm. Windy, with a northwest wind 18 to 23 mph increasing to 29 to 34 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 45 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
• Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 23. Blustery, with a north northwest wind 19 to 29 mph decreasing to 6 to 16 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 38 mph.
• Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 48. Breezy, with a northeast wind 7 to 12 mph becoming southeast 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 28 mph.
• Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 27. East wind 11 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph.
• Wednesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 46. East wind 9 to 13 mph.
• Wednesday Night: A chance of rain and snow. Cloudy, with a low around 31. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
• Thursday: Rain and snow likely. Cloudy, with a high near 40. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Wind Advisory

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
415 AM CDT MON MAR 31 2014

...STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS TODAY...

.WINDS WILL INCREASE THIS MORNING...WITH STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS TO
CONTINUE THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. WIND SPEEDS OF 30 TO 35 MPH ARE
LIKELY WITH GUSTS TO 55 MPH AT TIMES. THE WINDS WILL SUBSIDE THIS
EVENING.

BOYD-BROWN-ROCK-HOLT-GARDEN-GRANT-HOOKER-THOMAS-BLAINE-LOUP-
GARFIELD-WHEELER-ARTHUR-MCPHERSON-LOGAN-CUSTER-DEUEL-KEITH-
PERKINS-LINCOLN-CHASE-HAYES-FRONTIER-

INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...SPENCER...AINSWORTH...BASSETT...
ONEILL...OSHKOSH...HYANNIS...MULLEN...THEDFORD...DUNNING...
TAYLOR...BURWELL...BARTLETT...ARTHUR...TRYON...STAPLETON...
BROKEN BOW...CHAPPELL...BIG SPRINGS...OGALLALA...GRANT...
NORTH PLATTE...IMPERIAL...HAYES CENTER...CURTIS...EUSTIS
415 AM CDT MON MAR 31 2014 /315 AM MDT MON MAR 31 2014/

...WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 8 AM CDT /7 AM MDT/ THIS
MORNING TO 9 PM CDT /8 PM MDT/ THIS EVENING...

A WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 8 AM CDT /7 AM MDT/ THIS
MORNING TO 9 PM CDT /8 PM MDT/ THIS EVENING.

* TIMING: WINDS WILL INCREASE THROUGH THE MORNING AND REMAIN
  STRONG INTO THE EVENING HOURS.

* WINDS: WEST TO NORTHWEST AT 30 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 55 MPH
  POSSIBLE.

* IMPACTS: DRIVERS OF LIGHT WEIGHT OR HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES SHOULD
  EXERCISE CAUTION AND BE PREPARED FOR STRONG CROSSWINDS.
  ALSO...BLOWING DUST IN OPEN AREAS COULD CAUSE VISIBILITY
  RESTRICTIONS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WIND ADVISORY MEANS THAT WINDS OF 30 MPH OR GREATER ARE
EXPECTED. WINDS THIS STRONG CAN MAKE DRIVING DIFFICULT...
ESPECIALLY FOR HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES. USE EXTRA CAUTION.

(AP) — As population in many rural Nebraska counties continues to decline, some Nebraska lawmakers are considering ideas to reverse the trend that range from traditional proposals to radical suggestions.

The ideas come amid the latest U.S. Census figures showing population declines in 61 of Nebraska’s 93 counties between April 1, 2010, and July 1, 2013.

What should rural areas do?

Sen. Paul Schumacher of Columbus calls for studying the development of a new city near the interchange of Interstates 80 and 76 in western Nebraska, near the Colorado border.

Sen. Tyson Larson, of O’Neill, suggested reducing property taxes in an effort to entice more people back into agriculture.

Larson says part of the solution could be acknowledging that living in a city like O’Neill has benefits not found in large cities.

(AP) — A Nebraska lawmaker known as a strong gun-rights advocate is pushing a bill that would prohibit governors from restricting guns sales in a state emergency.

The measure by Sen. Mark Christensen of Imperial would prevent governors from limiting the sale or transportation of firearms after a natural disaster. Christensen has picked the bill as his priority for the year, increasing the odds it will get debated before the session ends.

Christensen says he worked on the measure with the National Rifle Association, which has advocated successfully for similar “emergency powers” laws in 34 other states.

States started passing the bills after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, when New Orleans police seized hundreds of guns. Police have said most of the confiscated firearms had been stolen or found in abandoned homes.

(AP) — A new wine festival is coming to Eugene T. Mahoney State Park this spring.

The first Toast Wine Festival is scheduled May 3-4 and will highlight wines from across Nebraska.

Guests may sample wines amid music, food and conversation. The weekend also will include an amateur winemaking competition, unique food pairings, art and jewelry vendors, seminars and trolley tours.

Tickets are $25, $35 or $65. The $35 and $65 tickets include commemorative items and unlimited wine samplings. A limited number of park cabins and lodge rooms are being set aside for guests of the festival. Tickets and more information are available at toastnebraska.com.

(AP) — A central Nebraska toddler remains in critical condition after being accidentally run over by his uncle.

Hastings Police Sgt. Jim Baldwin says 3-year-old Aldo Yoel Ramirez-Lopez was struck Saturday evening in a trailer park.

Baldwin says the boy’s uncle, 21-year-old Miguel Lopez, was parking a Ford Expedition and didn’t see the boy approaching from between several parked vehicles.

The boy’s injuries are life-threatening. He was flown to the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha for treatment.

Police do not believe alcohol was a factor.

(AP) — Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman has vetoed $65 million from this year’s state budget, and is calling on lawmakers to put more toward property tax relief.

The Republican governor announced his line-item vetoes on Saturday.

Heineman called on lawmakers to put an additional $25 million to pay for property tax relief, saying it ought to be a larger priority this year. Lawmakers have already agreed to a $25 million increase in the state’s property tax credit fund, which would increase the total annual amount to $140 million.

Despite the vetoes, Heineman says he agreed with senators on many proposals within the nearly $8 billion, two-year budget.