GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) – Grand Island is under a judge’s order to appoint a full-time fire chief or an interim by June 11.
Hall County District Judge James Livingston issued the order Wednesday in response to legal action filed by fire Capt. Scott Kuehl, who says it’s a matter of public safety.
The city appointed an interim chief last October, but hasn’t had a chief since February when the timeline for having an interim chief expired.
City Administrator Mary Lou Brown is acting chief. Kuehl’s attorney, John Corrigan, says there’s no evidence she has the credentials to be acting chief.
Corrigan says the city is required to have a full-time chief under state law, and the judge agreed.
City Attorney Robert Sivick is evaluating the order.

SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. (AP) – Authorities say a fire that scorched 40 acres of grassland near Scottsbluff was started when two people burned some shingles they had just taken off a roof and the fire got out of hand.
The fire happened Wednesday afternoon just off a county road.
Scottsbluff Rural Assistant Fire Chief Paul Reisig says it took about two hours to get the fire under control and extinguish it. He says firefighters were able to keep the flames from spreading to a nearby feedlot and communication tower.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – Gov. Dave Heineman has signed five Nebraska child welfare bills into law, calling the measures an important step forward in the state’s effort to improve services.
The governor signed three measures Wednesday that would increase payments for foster care providers, create a state children’s commission, and establish a plan for a web-based child welfare information system.
He signed two other measures last week that would lower caseloads for child service providers and require the Department of Health and Human Services to develop a plan to better serve children.
Heineman praised Speaker of the Legislature Mike Flood and Lincoln Sen. Kathy Campbell for their work with the Department of Health and Human Services. Campbell heads the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – A bill that would resume a state review of the Keystone XL crude oil pipeline has won final approval from Nebraska lawmakers.
Lawmakers voted 44-5 Wednesday to forward the measure to Gov. Dave Heineman, who has said he supports the project.
The measure authorizes the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality to review possible routes through the state and hold at least one public hearing on its evaluation. The department’s findings would be included in a federal review. A federal permit for the proposed transnational pipeline was denied in January.
Opponents say the bill effectively rubber stamps the project through Nebraska. A spokesman for pipeline developer TransCanada says the bill will place the review process in the hands of Nebraskans, regardless of what happens at the federal level.

OSHKOSH, Neb. (AP) – Authorities in western Nebraska say seven horses found dead near Oshkosh earlier this month hadn’t been checked for weeks.
Garden County Attorney Phillip Pierce says the horses died due to dehydration or starvation and weren’t checked for 22 days.
He says the horses were found April 8 near a stock tank after a well had apparently stopped pumping and went dry. Pierce says at least one horse had been dead for several days. He says a neighbor notified authorities.
Pierce says he’s waiting for a report from a veterinarian to verify the cause of death, and charges are possible.

KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) – Buffalo County authorities have approved erection of wind turbines in industrial zones.
The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a zoning amendment that will require special-use permits before the turbines may be built.
The amendment was spurred by a business owner who wanted to put up a turbine to power his facility.
Tim Williams with Buffalo Air Services told the board that safety was a concern for him as a pilot, so he asked supervisors to mandate special markings for the turbine towers.
The turbine planned by Denny Jorgensen will have a red light on the top. Before approving his permit, the board recommended he use a stripe pattern with alternating colors on the base tower to improve its visibility.

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) – Nebraska State Fair officials say an aerial tram will be built on the Grand Island fairgrounds at Fonner Park in time for the 2012 fair.
The Sky Tram will be 40 feet in the air and run more than 400 yards, from the Exhibition Building to the Cattle Barn.
Executive director Joseph McDermott says construction will begin next month.
He says the Sky Tram will be a permanent feature at the fairgrounds but will run only during the State Fair. This year’s fair opens Aug. 24 and ends Sept. 3.
The tram will be owned and operated by Wade Shows, which will be the fair’s carnival provider starting next year.

BELLEVUE, Neb. (AP) – Bellevue police say a woman shot in the head at her mother’s home this week has died.
Police said in a news release that 21-year-old Michala Pomfret died early Thursday morning from her injuries.
Police say her stepfather, 36-year-old Michael Williams, is suspected of shooting her Tuesday morning on the front porch of her mother’s home. Williams and Pomfret’s mother had recently separated.
Soon after the shooting, police found Williams unconscious at his apartment, about a block from where Pomfret was shot.
Williams remains hospitalized with an undisclosed condition, but police say he is expected to survive.