LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska State Fire Marshal’s Office is urging Nebraskans to attend a professional fireworks show to celebrate July Fourth instead of shooting off their own fireworks.

The office says much of the state is experiencing extremely dry weather with great potential for fires.

For those who can’t resist putting on their own show, the Fire Marshal’s office says residents should first make sure fireworks are legal in their areas before buying or using them.

The office also offers these tips:

— Never allow young children to play with fireworks.

— Avoid buying fireworks packaged in brown paper, which is often a sign that they were made for professional displays and could pose a danger to consumers.

— Keep a bucket of water or garden hose handy in case of fire.

WAHOO, Neb. (AP) — A 36-year-old Omaha man has been given 20 to 60 months in prison for not paying child support.

A news release from the office of Saunders County Attorney Scott Tingelhoff says William John was convicted of four counts of felony criminal nonsupport.

The office says John owes more than $41,000 in back support.

SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. (AP) — A federal judge says a woman’s lawsuit against the Scottsbluff police chief claiming harassment can continue.

Tamara Villanueva is suing Chief Alex Moreno and the city. She claims she had a relationship with Moreno after she sought police help with a domestic situation, and then Moreno harassed her after the relationship ended.

Local media says U.S. District Judge Richard Kopf  on Monday denied a request by Moreno and the city to dismiss Villanueva’s claims.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The U.S. Forest Service says tougher fire restrictions are planned for the Nebraska National Forests and Grasslands because of extremely dry and hot conditions and the threat of wildfires.

The Forest Service says the entire area is moving into a stage two fire restriction order. That includes no campfires, no explosives, no welding and no smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle or building.

The order covers the Nebraska and Samuel R. McKelvie National Forests and the Buffalo Gap, Ft. Pierre and Oglala National Grasslands, which have been under stage one restrictions since late March.

The Nebraska National Forests and Grasslands are located in central and western Nebraska and western South Dakota. The area is made up of two national forests, three national grasslands and a tree nursery.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A federal appeals panel has upheld the conviction of Lincoln man serving life in federal prison for deali

ng drugs.

Javier Garcia-Hernandez, who has at least six aliases, was sentenced last year for dealing methamphetamine.

There is no parole under federal sentencing guidelines.

Federal prosecutors were able to determine that the 43-year-old Garcia-Hernandez had three prior felony drug convictions from Iowa, South Dakota and Texas, all under different names.

Garcia-Hernandez argued on appeal that evidence seized during a search of his home should have been suppressed, that some testimony should have been excluded at trial, and that there was insufficient evidence to convict him.

A three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected those arguments in an opinion issued Tuesday.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska officials say they’re preparing to implement a state-based insurance exchange if the U.S. Supreme Court upholds President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul.

Republican Sen. Rich Pahls of Omaha says he expects little to change in Nebraska if the high court rejects the law. But a ruling in favor of the law will set up a debate over who controls the mandatory health exchanges, designed as one-stop sites where people in each state can buy health insurance.

Nebraska does not yet have a law setting up a state exchange. But the Department of Insurance has been working on one.

Still, Democratic Sen. Jeremy Nordquist of Omaha says the state hasn’t moved quickly enough. He says officials should hold public hearings to determine how the state should proceed.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — University of Nebraska-Lincoln officials say an assistant professor who went missing in his native China has returned to the United States.

The university announced in a statement Tuesday that Weixing Li was detained for two weeks in China’s Henan Province, about 400 miles southwest of Beijing.

Li told university officials he had borrowed a vehicle from a friend to drive to late father’s hometown, so he could clean his grave. But the friend who loaned him the vehicle had borrowed it from another person Li did not know. Li was stopped at a checkpoint on June 6, and Chinese authorities found pharmaceuticals in the trunk that require a special license.

Li says authorities eventually cleared him of wrongdoing, but then focused on his background. They released him on June 20.