As winter approaches, energy prices in Nebraska and South Dakota appear stable, but consumers could still see higher bills if the weather is colder than last year.

Northwestern Energy officials say the price of natural gas remains significantly lower than it has been, so consumers will be able to expect lower utility bills if this winter is mild.

But if more normal winter temperatures return this year, then utility customers will use more energy and see higher bills than last year.

Northwestern’s Bobbi Schroeppel says the utility encourage customers to make their homes as efficient as possible to help reduce their utility bills.

Homeowners are encouraged to install programmable thermostats and add caulk around doors and windows to seal air leaks. Upgrading windows and doors can also reduce energy use.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is seeking applications for the 16th annual Nebraska Young Artist Awards.

The Hixon-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts is sponsoring the awards, which recognize 11th grade students from Nebraska who are gifted in the areas of visual art, dance, music, theatre, film and new media.

To be recognized, students must submit an application and work sample online, along with a recommendation letter from a teacher. Winners will be invited to a recognition ceremony on April 3.

Applications are due by Dec. 14.

Lincoln police have identified the 44-year-old man who was found dead in a field where homeless people are often found.

Lincoln Police Capt. Michon Morrow says Michael Austin’s body was found Friday in a field next to Salt Creek near 25th and Judson Streets.

Police don’t suspect foul play, but they are still trying to determine what caused Austin’s death.

An autopsy was performed Saturday, but the preliminary results won’t be available until Monday.

Omaha’s zoo has attracted more than 1.6 million people this year to set a new attendance record, and it’s not even November yet.

The Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium broke the previous record of 1,602,831 visitors on Friday. The old record was set in 1995.

Zoo officials say this year’s improvements at the attraction helped boost attendance. For instance, the Susanne and Walter Scott Aquarium was renovated before this year, and the guest services building was redone.

There were also a number of significant animal births this year, including baby giraffes, a baby zebra and a baby sea lion.

Police arresting a Tulsa man accused in the brutal beating of a woman found piece of an ear in his pocket.

The injured woman flagged down an officer early Friday outside an apartment complex. She told police that 24-year-old Joseph Sidney Hall Jr. had beaten and held her against her will.

A police report says the victim had bruises on her face, head, torso, arms and legs as well as bite marks, broken ribs and a collapsed lung. Officers discovered the piece of ear as they booked Hall into the Tulsa Jail.

The Tulsa World reports that Hall is held without bond on complaints of domestic assault and battery, kidnapping, maiming and obstruction. Jail records do not list an attorney for Hall.

Police in a Colorado town where the body of a missing 10-year-old girl was found want to question a teenage suspect in two unsolved child enticement cases.

Arvada police spokesman Sgt. Mark Nazaryk Friday says a sketch developed in the September incidents bears some resemblance to 17-year-old Austin Sigg, who’s being held on suspicion of first-degree murder and kidnapping in the death of Jessica Ridgeway.

Nazaryk notes the sketch and Sigg’s mug shot isn’t an exact match.

He also says that investigators are trying to determine if Sigg had access to a royal blue, four-door sedan described by witnesses in both cases.

The September child enticement cases involved a man who tried to lure two boys about the same age as Jessica into a car.

No suspects were identified in those incidents.

A former scoutmaster in North Carolina admits he molested as many as 10 boys in the early 1970s.

The file on Thomas J. Menghi Jr. is just one among thousands of pages on suspected abusers kept by the Boy Scouts of America and released under a recent court order.

He tells The Associated Press he was usually drunk when he had sex with boys in Troop 786 in Fayetteville.

He’s now 69 years old and lives in Monroe, near Charlotte. He says he would like to apologize to his victims and fears going to jail.

Memos in Menghi’s file from 1974 show other scout leaders contemplated whether to report the abuse to the police, but were directed not to by a national official.

There were 2 cases of reported abuse in North Platte and 43 statewide. Not all cases had documentation available including the 2 here in North Platte. The following Nebraska cases contain actual documentation.

1960 Griffin, Raymond G. Omaha Nebraska Troop 313
1960 Griffin, Raymond G. Omaha Nebraska Troop 98
1962 Linder, Alva D. Plattsmouth Nebraska Troop 366
1962 Linder, Alva D. Plattsmouth Nebraska Troop 369
1965 Hauswirth, Norman E. Omaha Nebraska Troop 405
1969 Kalasky, James E. Omaha Nebraska Troop 352 
1971 Latham, Richard William Offutt AFB Nebraska Troop 452

Nebraska lawmakers have scheduled a hearing to address what one senator describes as a pervasive graffiti problem in Omaha.

The hearing is set for 9 a.m. Friday at Metropolitan Community College’s South Omaha Campus.

Sens. Jeremy Nordquist and Heath Mello introduced an interim study this year study to explore ways to fight graffiti. The senators both represent portions of south Omaha, and Nordquist says graffiti remains in a pervasive problem in the city.

Mello says lawmakers will look at the effectiveness of existing penalties for those who spread graffiti.

A former University of Nebraska football player who was paralyzed has moved into a new, barrier-free home with his family.

Budge Porter was paralyzed after suffering a neck injury during spring practice in 1976. He’s worked as a stockbroker but had to quit as his health declined. He and his family have been living in an apartment.

Some friends launched what they called the Budge Porter Project to build the home in Omaha. One donated the land. Another helped secure a loan. Another designed and built the ranch-style home. Subcontractors and suppliers discounted their bills.

Porter and his three children moved in on Thursday.

The home is open for $5 public tours this weekend. The money will go to the foundation to help others acquire barrier-free homes.

A municipal worker in the east-central town of Bradshaw has found a gravestone in the town’s burn pile.

The York News-Times says the worker was moving brush and branches when he spotted the stone.

Bradshaw Cemetery caretaker Bob Goodridge told the York News-Times that he has no idea where the military-style gravestone came from, but he’d like to return it to its rightful place.

The name on it is Lawrence F. Steenson. Other words on it include U.S. Army and World War I. The date of birth is listed as June 20, 1895, and the date of death as March 31, 1978.

Goodridge says the York County Veterans Service office hasn’t turned up any information on the marker yet.

Goodridge can be reached at 402-736-4473.