LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – A bill that would encourage film crews to shoot against a Nebraska backdrop has cleared a first-round vote in the Legislature.
Lawmakers advanced the measure (LB863) Monday with a 33-0 vote.
The bill by Lincoln Sen. Colby Coash allows cities to use state economic development money they receive to attract film, television and commercial productions.
Coash says the measure lets film crews avoid the bureaucracy that often comes with larger, state-based film tax credit programs.
He says the bill will also give Nebraska an advantage over other Plains states, which lack local incentives.
Coash introduced the bill in response to a film project in Valentine, which raised questions about whether cities can use their state money for movie productions. City officials approved $5,000 for local businesses that assisted the crew.

BEATRICE, Neb. (AP) – Authorities say two schools and several government offices were locked down after an armed robbery at a pharmacy in downtown Beatrice.
The holdup at Poling Drugs happened Monday morning. No one was hurt, and police continue to search for a suspect.
Police say the man, who was armed with a handgun and wearing a ski mask, demanded drugs and then ran out of the business.
An elementary school and the high school were locked down for about an hour as a precaution. Gage County Sheriff Millard Gustafson says county offices, including the courthouse, also were locked down for a time.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – The Nebraska Republican Party is questioning the legality of U.S. Senate candidate Bob Kerrey registering to vote with his sister’s address.
Kerrey announced last week that he will run for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in Nebraska this year and try to reclaim the seat he once held.
State GOP Chairman Mark Fahleson filed a formal complaint with Douglas County officials Monday because Kerrey doesn’t live with his sister.
Douglas County Election Commissioner Dave Phipps said last week that Kerrey’s registration met state law requirements.
Kerrey is a former U.S. Senator and former Nebraska governor who has lived in New York for the past decade.

KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) – A 29-year-old Oregon man has been arrested on suspicion of possessing marijuana for sale.
A news release from the Nebraska State Patrol says Patrick Ondrozeck, of Bend, Ore., was stopped for speeding on Saturday near the Kearney interchange of Interstate 80 in south-central Nebraska.
The trooper says a state patrol dog indicated there were drugs in the car, so it was searched. Authorities say a total of 40 pounds of marijuana was found in luggage in the trunk and rear seat.
Online jail records say Ondrozeck wasn’t in custody on Monday. A public phone listing for Ondrozeck could not be found. Online court records don’t list the case yet.

 LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – Authorities are investigating the death of a 16-year-old boy who hanged himself at a Lincoln detention center.
Lancaster County Attorney Joe Kelly said the boy died at a Lincoln hospital Friday. The boy hanged himself in his cell last Sunday in what appeared to be a suicide attempt.
State law requires a grand jury to investigate because the boy was in custody when he died.
The teen had been a state ward since last April. He was sent to the detention center because of concerns about drug use and behavior dangerous to himself.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – A 3-month-old boy who was hurt by a falling television in a Lincoln motel room has died.
The boy was injured early Friday at the Economy Lodge and then flown to an Omaha hospital for treatment.
The boy died later at the hospital.
Lincoln police are trying to determine why the television fell on the boy, who was staying at the motel with his mother and two siblings.
The television was an older 27-inch model that was sitting on a dresser.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – Nebraska lawmakers will decide whether to extend a program that lets parents receive welfare benefits for up to three years if they are working to earn a college degree.
Lawmakers are set to vote Monday on a measure by Scottsbluff Sen. John Harms. The bill would allow recipients to count their class and study time toward the work-activity requirements they must fulfill to qualify for public assistance.
Recipients would be eligible if they spent at least 20 hours a week in college, for up to 36 months. Previous rules had given them 12 months to finish a degree while on public aid.
The bill is LB842.