(AP) — A judge has ruled that opponents of the Keystone XL pipeline in Nebraska can proceed with their legal challenge to a state law that paved the way for a new project route.

Lancaster County District Court Judge Stephanie Stacy on Tuesday rejected a motion by Nebraska state officials to dismiss the lawsuit.

The lawsuit filed by three Nebraska landowners asserts that Gov. Dave Heineman’s decision to approve a new pipeline route was rooted in an unconstitutional state law. The law was passed during a special legislative session in 2011 as a way to reroute the pipeline away from Nebraska’s environmentally sensitive Sandhills.

Stacy did not rule on the merits of the case, but said opponents should be allowed to present their evidence and arguments.

(AP) — The Grand Island City Council wants a resident’s profane, anti-government signs removed from his properties.

The council voted unanimously Tuesday to support the city administration’s efforts to have Larry Tourangeau’s signs taken down.

The signs criticize government officials because they refused to indict a former employee of Tourangeau. He erected the signs in 2011, and so far he’s resisted city efforts to eliminate them.

City officials say their efforts are focused on the signs’ violations of building ordinances, not on the harsh criticism they carry.

The signs have been vandalized with red and black spray paint and have been deemed public nuisances.

 

(AP) — A federal judge has signed an order to drop Peru State College, the state of Nebraska and other local officials from a lawsuit in which a mother blamed them in the disappearance of her daughter.

LaTanya Thomas filed the lawsuit last year accusing the college and officials of neglecting to protect her daughter, 19-year-old student Tyler “Ty” Thomas, from fellow student Joshua Keadle, who is in prison for sexual assault in a separate case.

Tyler Thomas has not been seen since Dec. 2, 2010. Investigators believe Keadle was the last person to see her alive.

LaTanya Thomas agreed to the dismissal of the school and other defendants. The lawsuit now proceeds against Keadle, the Nebraska State Colleges Board of Trustees and ten unknown people listed only as John Does.

(AP) — A Native American tribe that has long battled the devastating effects of alcoholism is planning to ask its tribal members whether it should legalize alcohol on its South Dakota reservation.

The Oglala Sioux tribal council voted 9-7 Tuesday to bring the question of legalizing alcohol on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation to a public vote.

Alcoholism is rampant on the reservation because people sneak in beer and liquor from nearby border towns such as Whiteclay, Neb. The question of legalizing alcohol for revenue for the tribe has caused deep division among tribal members.

Alcohol was legalized on the reservation for two months in 1970. It was restored two months later. An attempt to allow it in 2004 died after an outcry.

A date for the vote has not been set.

(AP) — U.S. health officials say doctors should consider giving a daily AIDS drug to another high risk group to prevent infection — people who shoot heroin, methamphetamine or other injection drugs.

A similar recommendation is already in place for gay men and heterosexual couples.

The new advice was triggered by a study done in Thailand. Drug users who took the daily pill were about 50 percent less likely to become infected with HIV than those given a dummy pill.

Drug users represent about 1 in 13 new infections in the U.S. but they account for the majority of cases in Eastern Europe and central Asia.

The research was done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Thai government. The findings were released Wednesday by the journal Lancet.

(AP) — A New Mexico man has been sentenced to six months in federal prison for using homemade instruments to tattoo the letter “I” on the arm of his 3-year-old nephew.

Federal prosecutors say 29-year-old Cruz Tenorio of Kewa Pueblo was sentenced Tuesday. He must serve six months in a half-way house when he’s released from prison.

Tenorio must also pay restitution. Prosecutors say that will ensure the child has access to any needed medical or psychological services, including the removal of the tattoo.

Tenorio pleaded guilty in March to child abuse. The charge stemmed from 2011, when authorities say he tattooed his nephew’s arm using rudimentary and unsterilized tools.

Prosecutors say Tenorio had no formal training and he took no precautions to prevent possible infection.

(AP) — A Phoenix woman is in custody on allegations that she injected her 5-year-old daughter with methamphetamine and amphetamine.

Police say 30-year-old Jacqueline Trousdale is being held on suspicion of child abuse and endangering the life and health of a minor.

A family member called authorities in October, saying Trousdale was doing drugs in front of her two daughters, ages 5 and 6.

Authorities say the girls told police their mother had injected them with drugs, and state Child Protective Services took custody of the children.

Police say a urine sample from the 5-year-old girl last week came back positive for drugs in her system.

Trousdale was found in the Phoenix suburb of Tolleson and arrested.

She was arraigned on the charges Wednesday in a Tolleson court and does not yet have an attorney for the case.

(AP) — Authorities have charged a Fort Hood sergeant with paying for sex with a soldier in a prostitution scheme allegedly arranged by a coordinator of the Texas Army post’s sexual assault prevention program.

Master Sgt. Brad Grimes was charged in military court Wednesday with patronizing a prostitute, conspiring with another soldier to patronize a prostitute, committing adultery and solicitation to commit adultery.

The woman soldier hasn’t been charged.

Fort Hood spokesman Chris Haug says the charges stem from an investigation of a lower-level coordinator of Fort Hood’s sexual assault and harassment prevention program.

In May, the Army said that coordinator is accused of sexual assault and possibly arranging for at least one woman to have sex for money. That soldier is a sergeant first class who hasn’t been charged

(AP) — Authorities are investigating the theft of gasoline from vans with full tanks ready for services at an Omaha church.

Officials at Glad Tidings Church say the four vans were in the parking lot the night before Sunday services. They were discovered the next morning with doors open and gas caps missing. They estimate that 40 gallons of gas was siphoned from the vans.

The church is considering adding more lighting in the parking lot to combat its vandalism problem.

The Nebraska State Patrol, with the assistance from the Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bellevue Police Department, conducted surprise commercial vehicle inspections today, Wednesday, June 12, in Sarpy County.  The surprise inspections target commercial vehicles that might not travel outside the city or pass through weigh stations as part of their regular routes.

During the special enforcement effort, the Metropolitan Aggressive and Prevention Selective (MAPS) Teams conducted 82 inspections, discovered 372 violations, and took 37 vehicles out of service (not allowed to continue on the road).  Vehicles are placed out of service for a variety of reasons relating to bad brakes or tires, or other problems that pose immediate safety risks. No drivers were taken out of service.  Officers issued a total of $ 8,900 in fines.

“The MAPS Team ensures truck operators who rarely leave the city limits are maintaining their vehicles and abiding by safety regulations,” said Colonel David Sankey, Superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol. “While most truck owners and operators share our concern for safety, we know some think they can ignore safety standards as long as they avoid the weigh stations. The MAPS Team extends our reach into cities and towns across the state.”

This was the first MAPS Team event of 2013. More surprise inspections are planned throughout the spring and summer in cities and towns across Nebraska.

The MAPS Team is funded largely by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Troopers check for compliance with federal safety regulations and enforce laws pertaining to weight, size, registration, dyed fuels, and permits associated with commercial vehicles. The MAPS Team was implemented in 1998 and consists of 36 troopers from the Nebraska State Patrol Carrier Enforcement Division. On average, 20-24 troopers work each MAPS event.