(AP) — Gov. Dave Heineman and other agriculture representatives are inviting Nebraskans to celebrate National Agriculture Week.

Greg Ibach, director of the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, says the department is releasing a free, annual magazine that focuses on agriculture from the consumer’s viewpoint, so it is more accessible to people who are not intimately familiar with agriculture.

Heineman and Ibach will travel Tuesday to Valentine, Lexington and Central City. They will be joined by Nebraska Farm Bureau President Steve Nelson and Ronnie Green of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

National Agriculture Week runs from March 23-29.

(AP) — The University of Nebraska Board of Regents on Friday is expected to vote on the appointment of an interim president to replace J.B. Milliken, who is leaving for a job in New York.

The candidate is James Linder, of Omaha, who will not be a candidate for the permanent position. Linder serves part time as senior associate to the president of the University of Nebraska for innovation and economic competitiveness and as president of the University Technology Development Corp.

Linder holds a faculty appointment as professor of pathology and microbiology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. He also is chief medical officer of Roche Diagnostics Hematology of Boston.

Milliken has resigned effective May 2 to become president of City University of New York.

(AP) — Federal regulators have settled a lawsuit filed against former officials of the failed TierOne Bank officials for $6.5 million.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. filed the lawsuit against eight former executives and board members. The FDIC said the eight improperly approved risky loans in Las Vegas that contributed to the bank’s failure. The lawsuit was filed May 31.

TierOne failed in 2010, and the Lincoln-based bank’s assets were sold to Great Western Bank.

The FDIC said the bank extended the terms of its bad loans in ways that concealed its financial situation, and officials ignored TierOne’s own loan policy rules in approving the loans.

The eight had denied any personal liability for the bank’s failure. The settlement doesn’t require them to admit any wrongdoing.

(AP) — A proposal to eliminate Nebraska’s mountain lion hunting season has hit a snag in the Legislature.

Opponents mounted a filibuster on Thursday to try to block the legislation before lawmakers could grant final approval.

The bill has already advanced through two previous votes. Lawmakers moved on to other measures without voting, but are expected to return to it later.

Sen. Ernie Chambers has said he introduced the bill because the state has a duty to protect mountain lions, which are native to Nebraska but were virtually wiped out by settlers. Foes of the measure say the Nebraska Game and Parks Commissions should be able to regulate the population.

Lawmakers approved mountain-lion hunting in 2012, while Chambers was out of office due to term limits.

(AP) — A proposal to ban e-cigarette sales to minors in Nebraska is headed to a final vote in the Legislature.

Lawmakers gave the bill second-round approval on Thursday. The battery-powered devices give users a puff of vapor with nicotine, sometimes with flavors.

Minors who use e-cigarettes and stores that sell them to minors could face a misdemeanor charge for violating the law.

Sen. Russ Karpisek of Wilber, the bill sponsor, says there hasn’t been enough study to know if e-cigarettes are safe. Some lawmakers say they’ve heard from parents who might want to use e-cigarettes to help a child quit smoking.

Two North Platte women are facing a robbery charge after they allegedly assaulted a North Platte woman and stole property from her.

According to Officer John Deal, officers responded to the report of an assault in the 800 block of South Bailey at around 4:29 a.m. this morning.

Officers made contact with a female victim who alleged that at least two females had assaulted her and took her keys and cell phone.

As the officer was interviewing the victim, other officers observed a vehicle, believed to be involved, leaving the area.

The vehicle was stopped and two females, Angelica Gray and Jerrita Running-Enemy, were contacted.

Deal said both matched the description given by the victim and other witnesses.

As search of the vehicle revealed the victim’s cell phone and keys.

Officers determined there was probable cause to arrest both Gray and Running-Enemy.  Both have been charged with robbery and 3rd degree assault.

They are being held at the Lincoln County Detention Center.

Deal said the investigation is ongoing.

A 31-year-old North Platte man is facing felony drug charges following his arrest on an active warrant.

At around 1:09 a.m., on March 20, an officer with the North Platte Police Department saw Ryan Walsh park a vehicle in the 2400 block of East 2nd Street.

Knowing Walsh had an active warrant, the officer made contact with him and placed him under arrest.

A search of Walsh’s backpack revealed several prescription pills that were determined to be Alprazolam.

Walsh was transported to the Lincoln County Detention Center, where a more thorough search revealed a plastic baggie which contained a white powdery substance that tested positive for methamphetamine.

In the end, Walsh was charged with felony possession of methamphetamine, felony possession of Alprazolam and failure to appear.

He is being held without bond.

North Platte Public Schools Associate Superintendent Tami Eshleman and Superintendent Marty Basset have announced the new principal for Osgood and Lake Elementary Schools.

Following an intense interview process with district administrators, an elementary principal, building staff and teachers, Robin Vahle will be recommended to the North Platte Public Schools Board of Education to fill the position.

Vahle has a Bachelor of Arts in Education, and a Masters in Art Education and K-12 Administration, all of which were obtained from the University of Nebraska at Kearney.

She has 15 years of experience as a K-12 Art teacher in Elm Creek.

“Robin is excited for the opportunity to be a part of North Platte Public Schools,” Eshleman said.

Vahle will replace long-time educator and administrator, Dr. Midge Mougey, who will be retiring at the end of the year.

“She [Vahle] will be working with Dr. Mougey through the transition,” Eshleman added.

Vahle has a current Nebraska certification for teaching and administration.

She will be making the move to North Platte with her husband, Mark, and their daughter, Addyson, who will be starting kindergarten in the fall.

• Today: Sunny, with a high near 66. West northwest wind 7 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph.
• Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 28. West southwest wind 7 to 11 mph becoming north after midnight.
• Friday: Sunny, with a high near 50. Breezy, with a northwest wind 10 to 15 mph increasing to 17 to 22 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 31 mph.
• Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 24. North northeast wind 8 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph.
• Saturday: A 30 percent chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 35. East northeast wind 9 to 11 mph.
• Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 20.
• Sunday: A slight chance of rain and snow. Partly sunny, with a high near 43. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

(AP) — Gov. Dave Heineman says he still wants to see a reform of Nebraska’s “good time” law in the Legislature’s efforts to reform state prisons.

Heineman said Wednesday that he viewed the proposal as an important change. The current system automatically gives inmates one day of credit for every day served, effectively cutting their prison sentences in half. The Judiciary Committee advanced its prison reform bill without changes to the “good time” law earlier this month.

Heineman says prisoners should earn good time, rather than automatically receive good time. He backed a proposal that would require inmates convicted of crimes such as murder and sexual assault to maintain good behavior while incarcerated and to participate in rehabilitation programs. That bill is still in committee.