HASTINGS, Neb. (AP) — The YWCA of Adams County is again helping teens find reasonably priced prom dresses.

The fifth annual Gowns for Good event kicks off this Saturday in Hastings. Public shopping also will be open Sunday, Monday, Friday, Feb. 24 and Feb. 25.

The cost of the donated dresses is $30 apiece. The money collected goes to support local youth programs.

The dress sale is being held in the YMCA’s new building in Hastings. There is a seamstress on site to offer expertise in fits, alterations and any changes to the dresses.

Those seeking more information may call Carissa Uhrmacher at 402-462-8821.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Salvation Army is seeking nominations for this year’s D.J.’s Hero Scholarship Awards.

Several Nebraska high school seniors will be chosen to receive the award, named in honor of the late D.J. Sokol, for commitment to others and to their community.

Nominations must be postmarked by March 5 to be eligible for entry. Forms are available at most Nebraska high school guidance offices, online at GiveSalvationArmy.org or by calling 402-898-5909.

Honorees receive a $10,000 scholarship toward their selected college or university. D.J.’s Heroes will be recognized at the D.J.’s Hero Awards Luncheon on May 8 at CenturyLink Center Omaha.

Criteria for selecting honorees include Nebraska residency, commitment to others and to the community, courage to act independently, the student’s greatest achievement in life and the ability to overcome challenges/adversity.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — About 100 high school students from around the Omaha area will showcase their culinary arts skills at the 13th ICA High School Culinary Invitational.

The competition on Feb. 23 will be held at the Institute for the Culinary Arts on Metropolitan Community College’s Fort Omaha Campus. Teams will compete by preparing three-course meals and presenting them to judges. Students will be recognized for teamwork, excellence in culinary skills and knowledge of the industry.

Competing high schools include Beatrice, Bellevue East, Blair, Burke, Central, Fremont, Kearney, Lewis Central, Louisville, Milford, Omaha Career Center, Papillion-La Vista, Ralston, Roncalli Catholic and The Career Academy.

Scholarships, gift certificates, medals and a trophy will be presented during an awards program.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An eastern Nebraska watershed has adopted new groundwater protections.

The Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District board has adopted a new groundwater plan that limits when farmers can use nonorganic fertilizers and how close certain wells can be to each other.

Officials hope the time restrictions will maximize the uptake of fertilizer during plant growth and minimize fertilizer’s penetration into the soil during fall rains.

The board exempted organic fertilizers, such as manure and sludge from sewage treatment plants, at the request of some livestock producers.

Producers were worried their manure lagoons would reach capacity before manure could be spread on fields, said Paul Woodward, the district’s groundwater management engineer. The plan will work if farmers follow state regulations when applying manure, he said.

“As long as they stay within the guidelines … we feel it is being done correctly,” Woodward said.

The plan also requires that wells that pump more than 50 gallons per minute to receive a permit from the department before construction. Such wells must also be at least 600 feet away from other registered wells.

The new plan will cover all of Douglas, Sarpy, Dakota and Washington Counties and parts of Burt and Thurston Counties.

The department must balance the needs of farmers and the environment, said Jane Griffin, executive director of the Lincoln-based Groundwater Foundation.

“It’s not an easy process,” she said. “Are we making a step forward in protecting our groundwater? Definitely that is the direction we are going. … It doesn’t mean we are eliminating all the risks, but we are making progress.”

Officials hope the rule changes will protect water quality for about 770,000 people. Fertilizers can potentially contaminate groundwater and surface water with nitrates, phosphorous and other substances.

DAKOTA CITY, Neb. (AP) — A second mental health evaluation has been ordered for a man charged with fatally shooting his wife outside a northeast Nebraska police station.

The Sioux City Journal reports that Dakota County Attorney Kim Watson on Friday requested that 41-year-old Bei Sheng Chen be evaluated for the prosecution. That comes two days after his defense attorney filed noted that he intends to use an insanity defense.

Authorities say Chen shot 33-year-old Mei Huang on Sept. 6 in the parking lot of the South Sioux City police station. She died hours later at a Sioux City, Iowa, hospital. He’s pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and other charges.

A judge on Friday set his trial for May. 7.

DAKOTA CITY, Neb. (AP) — A man accused of fatally shooting his wife outside a northeast Nebraska police station intends to use an insanity defense.

Dakota County District Court records say the attorney for 41-year-old Bei Sheng Chen filed notice Wednesday of his intention. A pretrial conference is scheduled Friday. In December a judge approved Chen’s request to undergo psychiatric evaluation.

Authorities say Chen shot 33-year-old Mei Huang on Sept. 6 in the parking lot of the South Sioux City police station. She died hours later at a Sioux City, Iowa, hospital. He’s pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and other charges.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A third man has been charged in the early January shooting death of a U.S. Army soldier who was visiting Omaha relatives for the holidays.

20-year-old Shydale Glass has been charged with being an accessory to a felony and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. Police say Glass hid a gun used in the Jan. 6 killing of 27-year-old Kyle LeFlore outside the Reign Lounge.

Glass was ordered held on $300,000 bail Wednesday.

Prosecutors have charged 27-year-old Larry Goynes and 35-year-old Jason Devers with first-degree murder in the slaying.

GREELEY, Neb. (AP) — A central Nebraska county commissioner has pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor assault.

51-year-old Joseph Leslie, of Spalding, pleaded not guilty Monday to third-degree assault. Leslie is one of three Greeley County commissioners.

A criminal complaint in online court records accuses Leslie of “intentionally, knowingly or recklessly” causing bodily injury to another, or threatening another in a menacing manner on Aug. 21. The victim is listed as Braden Leslie, but documents don’t list the relationship between the two.

Howard County Attorney David Schroeder, who was named special prosecutor in the case, did not immediately return a call Thursday seeking more information, nor did Leslie’s attorney, Mark Sipple of Columbus.

A call to Joe Leslie’s home Thursday rang unanswered.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Authorities have released the name of a garbage truck worker who died in a Lincoln accident.

Police spokeswoman Angela Sands identified the man as 47-year-old James Baker. He was riding outside the Von Bush & Sons truck Thursday morning when it slid on ice and struck a tree, pinning him between the truck and the tree.

The accident is being investigated.

WEST POINT, Neb. (AP) — One of four people charged in the slaying of a northeast Nebraska man has taken a plea deal.

Court records say 42-year-old Becky Weitzenkamp, of Oakland, pleaded guilty to an accessory count after prosecutors dropped an arson charge. Her sentencing is set for June 5.

The records say 49-year-old Jody Olson and his 28-year-old son, Derek, have pleaded not guilty to murder, arson and other charges stemming from the death of 64-year-old Ernest Warnock. His body was found March 11 in the burned rubble of his Rosalie home. He’d been fatally stabbed. Jody Olson’s trial is set to begin July 16. His son’s is scheduled to begin Sept. 17.

The records also say 31-year-old Jenna Merrill has pleaded not guilty to being an accessory. Her trial is set to begin May 8.