WASHINGTON (AP) – An outbreak of listeria in cantaloupe is now linked to 23 deaths in the U.S., making it the deadliest known outbreak of food-borne illness in more than 25 years. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday that 116 people have been sickened in the outbreak, including those who died. The number of deaths has now surpassed a 1998 outbreak of listeria in processed meats that was linked to 21 deaths. A 1985 listeria outbreak in Mexican-style soft cheeses killed 52 people. The CDC confirmed two more deaths in Louisiana that the state had said it was investigating last week. Other deaths were reported in Colorado, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming. Colorado’s Jensen Farms recalled the tainted cantaloupe last month.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – A representative for a Canadian pipeline operator that wants to run a crude oil line through Nebraska says the concerns now being raised might have been addressed if state senators had spoken earlier. Alex Pourbaix, president of TransCanada Corp.’s energy and oil pipelines, says changing the route now would seriously jeopardize the project. The issue was one of several discussed during a four-hour, closed-door meeting in Norfolk with several state lawmakers. The meeting was organized by Speaker of the Legislature Mike Flood, amid pressure to convene a special session. The pipeline has drawn opposition from those who fear it will leak and contaminate the Ogallala aquifer, which supplies drinking and irrigation water to eight states.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – A group of Nebraska lawmakers will meet with a Canadian pipeline company official to discuss concerns about the proposed route of the Keystone XL pipeline through the state. Speaker of the Legislature Mike Flood and state Sens. Chris Langemeier, Annette Dubas and Kate Sullivan will meet with Alex Pourbaix, president of TransCanada Corp.’s energy and oil pipelines at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday. Flood announced the meeting at a news conference last week, hours after three environmental groups sued TransCanada to halt preliminary work on the proposed 1,700-mile-long oil pipeline. Some lawmakers have called for a special legislative session to address pipeline concerns. The pipeline has drawn opposition from those who fear it will leak and contaminate the Ogallala aquifer, which supplies drinking and irrigation water to eight states.

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (North Platte Post)- A North Platte man has been charged with forgery after allegedly changing the amount on his prescription. An employee at U-Save Pharmacy noticed the discrepancy on 27 year old Jordan Wilson’s prescription note Saturday morning and alerted police. Wilson was arrested and charged with possession of a forged prescription, a Class IV Felony. Wilson is free on bond.

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (North Platte Post)- A North Platte man has been arrested for allegedly choking and stomping on his girlfriend after an argument erupted over a phone call. 20 year old Julius Reed has been charged with third degree aggravated assault, and strangulation, both Class IV felonies. Lt. Rich Thompson with the North Platte Police Department said the woman reported the incident to police at 7 p.m. on Sunday. She had bruises on her neck and shoulder, according to police. Reed was taken into custody after fleeing out the back door of Applebee’s, where he is employed. Police believe that Reed’s manager, Jon Samson instructed Reed to flee. Samson was charged with accessory to a felony, a Class I misdemeanor. Reed remains in the Lincoln County Jail. No bond is set.

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (AP) – The North Platte River has fallen below flood level for the first time since March in North Platte. National Weather Service meteorologist Bill Taylor says the river dropped to 5.66 feet over the weekend, a third of a foot under flood stage. Weather service records say the river peaked at nearly 7.7 feet on June 3 at the U.S. Highway 83 bridge near North Platte’s Cody Park. Flooding was fueled by heavy spring rains and a heavy snowmelt from Wyoming. People are encouraged to register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency by Tuesday’s deadline, even if they haven’t yet detected any flood damage. The damage could show up later. The FEMA phone number is 800-621-3362. The online address is www.disasterassistance.gov.

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (AP) – A North Platte man faces a second escape charge after allegedly fleeing a North Platte hospital while in custody. Nineteen-year-old Christopher Herring is serving a 270-day sentence for theft by unlawful taking out of Lincoln County. Herring fled Great Plains Regional Medical Center on Wednesday and was arrested a few hours later. It wasn’t clear why he had been at the hospital. Court records show Herring was charged with escape, attempted assault and criminal mischief. Herring was also charged with escape in August for failing to show up to serve his sentence at the Lincoln County Detention Center. A message left Saturday by The Associated Press with Herring’s attorney wasn’t immediately returned. Herring is due in court on Thursday.

WASHINGTON (AP) – The chief executive of a Canadian company that wants to pipe oil from tar sands in western Canada to the Texas Gulf Coast says he is surprised at the opposition the project has generated. CEO Russ Girling, Calgary-based TransCanada, said Friday he did not expect the proposed Keystone XL pipeline to become a “lightning rod” in the debate over fossil fuels and alternative energy. The company installed a similar pipeline less than three years ago with little opposition.  Environmental activists, religious groups and young people inspired by the protests against Wall Street plan are protesting the 1,700-mile pipeline, which would travel through Montana, South Dakota, Kansas, Nebraska and Oklahoma. The State Department is holding a hearing on the $7 billion project. A decision is expected in December.

 STAPLETON, Neb. (AP) – Firefighters have controlled a wind-blown blaze just miles from the spot near Stapleton where a giant wildfire erupted earlier this week. The new fire began Thursday east of U.S. Highway 83, about seven miles east of where Tuesday’s fire began in west-central  Nebraska. Wind gusts of nearly 60 mph fanned the flames. Officials haven’t released an estimate of damage to farms or fields. No injuries have been reported. Stapleton officials reported Thursday night that the fire had been brought under control. The wildfires that raced through the area Tuesday and Wednesday devoured more than 20,000 acres of farmland and caused millions of dollars in estimated crop and property damage. At least one home was destroyed near Stapleton and at least one person was treated for smoke inhalation.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – Gov. Dave Heineman has appointed an attorney from North Platte as a district judge in central Nebraska. Heineman on Thursday named 58-year-old Richard Birch to the bench in the 11th Judicial District. Birch, who has practiced law for 32 years in Nebraska, replaces Judge John Murphy, who retired earlier this summer. The district covers 17 central and western counties and is based in North Platte.