Family members say the uncle of one of the seven victims of a rural Kentucky house fire desperately tried to save them from the burning home.

Laura Cima said Sunday that her husband, Gino, raced to the house Saturday when he heard about the fire, but was too late to save the two adults and five children inside.

Laura Cima said the bodies of the two adults were found just inside a side door, and Gino dragged them out while yelling, “There’s babies in there!” to firefighters outside.

Officials have not identified the victims, but family members say the five children killed ranged in age from 10 months to 3 years. They also say the woman killed was three months pregnant. The seventh victim was a man.

Kentucky State Police said the cause of the blaze was still under investigation. Arson investigators were at the scene, but officials said no foul play was suspected.

A Nebraska lawmaker who took aim at Omaha’s new tobacco tax is working on a deal that would allow the city to continue collecting it, at least until if fulfills its promise to help finance a University of Nebraska cancer research center.

Sen. Bob Krist of Omaha tells The Associated Press he will offer to change his proposal if the city will end the tax after six years, instead of the current 10.

Krist has introduced a bill that would prohibit Nebraska cities from imposing occupation taxes on cigarettes or alcohol, starting in 2015. The bill as-written would force Omaha to raise its $35 million contribution to the cancer center in another way.

The bill is among several tobacco-tax issues lawmakers will consider in a Revenue Committee hearing this week.

Nebraska lawmakers are set to resume debate this week on a measure that would ask voters to approve wagering on prerecorded horse races that are replayed on video terminals.

The debate is scheduled to continue when lawmakers return to the Capitol on Tuesday. Gambling opponents in the Legislature have mounted a filibuster to delay a vote.

Supporters say the proposed constitutional amendment would let voters decide whether “instant racing terminals” should be allowed at licensed horse racetracks. They argue that the measure would save jobs in the state’s horse-racing industry, while generating revenue for the state. Opponents view it as a form of expanded gambling.

If approved by lawmakers, the measure would appear on the 2014 general-election ballot.

A fire caused smoke and water damage to Columbus Family Resource Center and forced the evacuation of its residents.

The fire occurred Saturday morning.

The center is home to nearly 20 entities, including Catholic Charities and the Platte County Food Pantry.

Columbus Fire Chief Dean Hefti says the fire alarm and sprinkler system were activated around 4:30 a.m. after a heater malfunctioned.

Most of the flames were extinguished by the sprinkler system before firefighters arrived, Hefti says, but the third floor had significant smoke and water damage.

The American Red Cross says 14 residents and four Catholic Charities staff members were evacuated.

An elderly Nebraska man has died in a tractor accident.

Local media reports that 80-year-old Virgil Oberg was found dead under a tractor Friday afternoon near Ceresco in southeast Nebraska.

The Lancaster County Sheriff’s office says deputies responding to a 911 call found Oberg pinned under the tractor.

Oberg lived on the property, and officials say it appeared he had been trying to cut down a tree near a creek embankment when the tractor rolled onto him.

A passenger in a car fired on by Omaha police is clinging to life in a local hospital.

Omaha police say the shooting followed an attempt by officers to arrest two people who were in a vehicle in a southeast Omaha parking lot. Police say the suspects refused to follow orders, and when the vehicle began ramming an unmarked police car, an officer fired on the suspects’ car.

Police say the vehicle fled the parking lot and was soon found parked on a nearby street. Investigators say the driver was not found, but a man in a passenger seat was found suffering from a gunshot wound.

The man was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Police planned to hold a news conference Saturday to release more information.

South Dakota Gov. Dennis Dauggard has signed a bill that will allow teachers to carry guns in school, making his state the first to enact such a law since the horrible tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut.

The bill, signed Friday, was pushed by gun-rights supporters who say arming teachers would help prevent tragedies like the one at Sandy Hook Elementary.  The Sandy Hook tragedy left 20 students and six educators dead.

The law will go into effect July 1, and will allow school districts to arm teachers and other personnel.  Supporters say the measure is necessary because not all school districts have the financial resources to hire professional law enforcement officers to be in their schools.

However, the measure has prompted intense debate, as several representatives of school boards and teachers strongly oppose the bill.  They claim the measure would make schools more dangerous, lead to accidental shootings and put guns in the hands of people who are not adequately trained to shoot in emergency situations.

The issue of placing guns in schools has been hotly debated across the nation.  The National Rifle Association proposed installing armed officers or guards in schools across America just days after the Newtown shooting.

Democrats on Capitol Hill in Washington have moved ahead on gun-control legislation, and have introduced an anti-trafficking measure that passed out of Senate committee Thursday.  At the State level, however, Republican-led states have tried to enhance gun-rights protection.

The debate is sure to continue for years, if not decades into the future, but one thing is agreed on by everyone: we must keep our children safe.

A 21-year-old Lincoln man has entered a plea in the case of a road-rage shooting that put a man in the hospital with gunshot wounds.

Brendan Horner pleaded no contest to first-degree assault and possession with intent to deliver.

According to a police report, Horner got out of his van at around 1:30 a.m. on June 13, approached a care behind him and fired one shot at the man in the car.

The victim was hit the victim in the neck and arm and he came to a stop at the next intersection.

According to police, the men had gotten into an argument at a local convenience store earlier in the night.

Then, on June 23, police confiscated Horner’s backpack looking for the weapon used in the crime.  Instead, they found two small bags of cocaine.

Horner turned himself into police the next day.

He will be sentenced in April.

Nebraska lawmakers are returning gay rights issues to the forefront.

Lawmakers will hear testimony on three proposals Thursday that would extend gay rights for employees and families.

Lincoln Sen. Danielle Conrad is offering a bill that would ban businesses from discriminating against current or prospective employees based on their sexual orientation or marital status. The bill would not apply to religious groups.

Sen. Ernie Chambers introduced a similar bill in 2007, but it was killed by a 24-15 vote. Conrad says she thinks it’s a good time to revisit the issue since people are becoming more open to gay rights locally and nationally, especially since the repeal of the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy.

Other bills up for discussion deal with foster care and adoption.