A 28-year-old Omaha man will spend more than five years in federal prison for his role in a 2011 theft of explosives.

U.S. Attorney Deborah Gilg says Travis McQueen was sentenced Monday to 63 months in prison. He had pleaded guilty to possessing stolen explosives.

In August 2011, 100 pounds of blasting agent, 3,000 feet of detonating cord and two cases of boosters were stolen from the Buckley Powder Company in rural Cass County.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms offered a reward, an anonymous caller suggested that McQueen may have been involved.

Prosecutors say McQueen helped dispose of the explosives in the Missouri River.

Investigators recovered some of the stolen material by dredging the river, and they believe most of the material was thrown into the river.

 A Beatrice man in prison for beating and raping a woman has pleaded not guilty to separate federal child pornography charges.

The Beatrice Daily Sun reports that Joseph Buttercase entered to plea in federal court last Thursday, and his pretrial hearing is set for Feb. 12 in Omaha.

Buttercase is accused of enticing a person younger than 18 to engage in sexually explicit conduct and of transporting child pornography across state lines.

If convicted, the 31-year-old Buttercase could face up to life in prison for manufacturing child pornography. He faces additional time if convicted of transportation and possession of child pornography.

Buttercase is currently serving 26 to 41 years in a Nebraska state prison after being convicted of beating and raping a 29-year-old woman in July 2011.

A 43-year-old driver has been killed in a collision on an icy state highway in central Nebraska.

The Nebraska State Patrol says 29-year-old Chrystal Hopkins, of rural Grand Island, lost control of her sport utility vehicle just after 8 a.m. Monday while driving north on U.S. Highway 281. The vehicle slid in front of an oncoming SUV driven by Robert Guenette, of St. Libory. The accident occurred on the southern edge of St. Libory.

Guenette was killed. Hopkins was taken to St. Francis Medical Center in Grand Island and then released after treatment.

The Boys Scouts of America is considering a dramatic change in its controversial policy of excluding gays as leaders and youth members.

Under the change being considered, the different religious and civic groups that sponsor Scout units would be able to decide for themselves how to address the issue — either maintaining an exclusion of gays or opening up their membership.

The announcement of the possible change came Monday after years of protests over the policy — including petition campaigns that have prompted some corporations to suspend donations to the Boy Scouts.

Under the proposed change, said BSA spokesman Deron Smith, “the Boy Scouts would not, under any circumstances, dictate a position to units, members, or parents.”

Buying health insurance in Nebraska will change starting in October as part of Affordable Care Act. The new law seeks to reduce the state’s uninsured population through an exchange where people can comparison-shop for insurance. Federal officials also are urging states to expand their Medicaid programs, which provide health care to the poor and disabled. Open enrollment begins Oct. 1 for the exchanges, which are expected to be fully operational by Jan. 1, 2014.

Here are answers to a few common questions about the process:

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How many people are uninsured in Nebraska?

At least 217,000 Nebraskans don’t have health insurance. A July report by the University of Nebraska shows that population has surged by 67 percent over the last decade. It’s not clear how many would buy insurance through the exchange, but the outreach efforts to draw more people to the exchange could take a few years.

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How many people in Nebraska are covered by Medicaid, and how many would be covered if it’s expanded?

Roughly 237,000 Nebraskans— about 13 percent of the population — are eligible for Medicaid, according to a December report by the state Department of Health and Human Services. Expanding Medicaid would extend benefits to an estimated 54,000 low-income residents.

Republican Gov. Dave Heineman has said he opposes the Medicaid expansion, but some Republican and Democratic lawmakers in the officially nonpartisan Legislature are pushing to extend coverage to more residents. The federal government would pay the full cost of the new Medicaid recipients for three years, after which time the contribution would ratchet down to 90 percent.

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How will the exchange be set up?

The exchange is designed to serve as a marketplace to help consumers comparison-shop for health insurance and show whether they qualify for income-based federal subsidies. Nebraska has opted to let the federal government design Nebraska’s exchange with input from state officials. The exchanges mostly will serve individuals who buy insurance on their own and small businesses with up to 100 employees.

Heineman said he preferred a federal exchange because it would ultimately cost state taxpayers less. The Department of Insurance estimates that a federal insurance exchange would cost the state $176.6 million between 2013 and 2020, while a state-based exchange would cost $646.6 million. The state-based option would have cost Nebraska more because of the administrative and technology set-up and maintenance costs, according to the governor’s office.

Supporters of the state-based options argued that it would have given local officials greater control, but Heineman said both options were heavily regulated by the federal government.

The Secret Service says one of its canines fell to its death at a New Orleans fundraiser where Vice President Joe Biden was speaking.

Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan says the dog was doing a security sweep Saturday of a parking garage next to the Ritz-Carlton. That’s where Biden was attending a fundraiser for Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu’s re-election campaign.

The Secret Service said the death was a tragic accident. Law enforcement officials aren’t releasing the name or gender of the dog.

The Secret Service in the past has exclusively used Belgian Malinois dogs, which are known for being good workers and for adapting well to new environments. The specially trained canines can be used to detect explosives and firearms.

Iranian state TV says the country has successfully sent a monkey into space in what’s described as another step toward Tehran’s goal of a manned space flight.

Monday’s report said the monkey was sent up in a Pishtam, or Explorer, rocket to a height of 120 kilometers (72 miles). It gave no other details on the timing or location of the launch, but said the monkey returned safely.

Iran has said it seeks to send an astronaut into space as part of its ambitious aerospace program. In 2010, Iran said it launched a rocket into space carrying a mouse, turtle and worms.

The U.S. and its allies worry that technology from the space program could also be used to develop long-range missiles that could potentially be armed with nuclear warheads.

Japan has agreed to ease some of its restrictions on U.S. beef, so exports to the Asian nation may grow.

The Agriculture Department announced the change Monday.

For several years Japan has restricted beef imports only to animals age 20 months or younger because of concerns about mad cow disease.

Starting Feb. 1, Japan will allow U.S. beef shipments to come from cattle up to 30 months old, which is a widely used standard.

Younger cattle are believed to pose less of a risk of carrying mad cow disease, but American officials had repeatedly criticized Japan’s tough 20-month standard.

U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk this change is great news.

Japan banned all U.S. beef imports from 2003 to 2006 after the first case of mad cow disease in America.

The trial of a Missouri man charged with killing a woman in Nebraska more than 20 years ago is scheduled to begin this week.

Forty-six-year-old John Oldson, of Randolph, Mo., is charged with first-degree murder in the slaying of Catherine Beard, a 31-year-old waitress from Ord. She disappeared in 1989. Her remains were found outside Ord in 1992.

Oldson, who used to live in Ord, was interviewed in 1989 but not arrested. He was arrested a year ago in Missouri. Authorities say new evidence and witnesses led to his arrest.

The trial was moved from Valley County to Howard County after the defense requested the change based on pretrial publicity and questionnaires to possible members of a jury. Jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday.