BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – A U.S. State Department consultant’s report says Canadian tar sands oil will almost certainly move to U.S. refineries even if a $7 billion pipeline from western Canada to the Gulf Coast fails to get federal approval. The report from EnSys Energy & Systems Inc. says if the proposed Keystone XL pipeline or a similar pipeline project is halted, the oil would still likely move to U.S. refineries by rail, barge or trucks. The report estimates that rail alone could haul 1.25 million barrels of Canadian crude daily by 2030, or nearly twice the amount that would be carried by the pipeline proposed by Calgary-based TransCanada. The report cites North Dakota’s booming oil patch as an example of how railroads can quickly ramp up to meet demand.

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (AP) – A resident was surprised when he found six dozen marijuana plants growing in a windbreak near his rural home northeast of North Platte in south- central Nebraska. They weren’t his plants, Don Haws told the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department on Saturday afternoon, when he reported his discovery.  The North Platte Telegraph says sheriff’s investigators soon made another discovery: A sprinkler system and buried hose led them next door, to Haws’ neighbor Marco Vieyra. The 56-year-old Vieyra was arrested on suspicion of manufacturing marijuana. Vieyra remained in custody on Wednesday, pending $50,000 bail. Online court records don’t list his attorney.

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (AP) – A 26-year-old man has been given 60 days in jail for failing to properly register in Lincoln County as a sex offender. North Platte television station KNOP says David Eyten pleaded guilty on Tuesday. He was given credit for 37 days already served. Eyten had been convicted of sexual assault of a child in Custer County in 2004. Eyten filed late with authorities earlier this year and gave the wrong address when he moved into the Lincoln Connection Homeless Shelter after being released from prison. He’d been serving time for his role in a theft ring in 2010.

Courtesy National Weather Service

Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 83. South wind around 10 mph.

Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 50. South southeast wind between 5 and 8 mph becoming calm.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 83. Calm wind becoming south southeast between 4 and 7 mph.

Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 50. East southeast wind between 3 and 5 mph.

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 77. East southeast wind between 3 and 8 mph.

Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 49.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 77.

McCOOK, Neb. (AP) – Two Nebraska inmates assigned to the Work Ethic Camp in McCook have been arrested after leaving the facility without permission. A camp official told KHGI-TV that 20-year-olds Nicholas Fleuren and Daniel Source-Wade were reported missing late Saturday evening and were picked up Sunday morning in Hitchcock County. Fleuren is serving time for a criminal intent charge out of Douglas County. State records don’t list the length of his sentence. Source-Wade is serving one to two years for burglary and escape out of Douglas County.

MAXWELL, Neb. (AP) – Authorities say a 69-year-old Colorado woman has been killed in an accident on Interstate 80 in western Nebraska.  North Platte television station KNOP reports that the woman was driving west when she lost control over her sport utility vehicle, crashing a little before 3 p.m. Monday. The accident occurred about a mile from Maxwell. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. She was identified as Jane Robertson, of Longmont, Colo. The Nebraska State Patrol says it’s still unclear how many other people were in the SUV, but no other fatalities have been reported.

OGALLALA, Neb. (AP) – Authorities say a lack of oxygen has killed dozens of rainbow trout in western Nebraska’s Lake Ogallala.  Nebraska Game and Parks Commission biologist Darrol Eichner told North Platte television station KNOP there’s a lack of oxygen in water near the lake bottom. Eichner believes the spillway that releases water from Lake McConaughey into Lake Ogallala is the problem. The mechanics of the release mechanism doesn’t allow much air to mix with the water as it is discharged from a gate at the bottom of the outlet chamber. Thus the fish aren’t getting as much oxygen in the water as they need. He says the fish kill has happened four or five times since the early 1980s and usually occurs in in late August and extends into September.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Amtrak is getting ready to resume part of its service between California and Chicago after last week’s derailment in southwest Nebraska. The railroad said Thursday that it would restart service between Denver and Emeryville, Calif., on Saturday, but Amtrak won’t resume carrying passengers across Nebraska and Iowa until sometime later this month. Amtrak says its California Zephyr will depart California on Saturday, and a westbound train will leave Denver on Sunday. Amtrak suspended service after last Friday’s derailment near Benkelman, Neb. Two locomotives and three passenger cars were forced after the rails when the train struck a crane but no major injuries were reported. Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad, which owns the tracks Amtrak uses in Nebraska, is still repairing flood damage near Omaha that forced long detours for Amtrak.

WASHINGTON (AP) – Energy Secretary Steven Chu says Canada’s status as a close U.S. ally may help win approval of a plan to pipe oil from Canada across the U.S. to the Gulf of Mexico. Chu says that importing oil from Canada “is much more comforting than to have other countries supply our oil.” Chu’s comments are the latest signal that the Obama administration appears likely to back the 1,700-mile pipeline. It would carry crude oil that’s extracted from tar sands in Alberta, Canada, and bring it to refineries in Texas. The pipeline would travel through Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma. Chu says the project “is not perfect, but it’s a trade-off.” The interview with the “energyNOW!” TV show is set to air in mid-September on Bloomberg Television.

Courtesy National Weather Service

After another very warm day today, a strong front will plunge through Nebraska today. As it goes through, scattered thunderstorms can be expected this evening and overnight.

Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 96. North northwest wind between 5 and 8 mph.

Tonight: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 62. Northeast wind between 7 and 16 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 79. Northeast wind between 9 and 16 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph.