LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – Sandhill cranes are making a rare appearance in Nebraska this winter.
The majestic gray birds with red caps have been spotted along the Platte River west of Grand Island. About 1,000 cranes have overwintered along the river near the National Audubon’s Rowe Sanctuary at Gibbon.
Sandhill cranes normally pass through Nebraska in the fall on their way south. In January, they should be hundreds of miles away where it’s warm.
Ornithologist and author Paul Johnsgard, of Lincoln, says severe drought has devastated the crops in their wintering grounds in Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma.
Kent Skaggs, officer manager at Rowe Sanctuary, says they’ve had cranes since mid-November. He says it’s because of the open water, leftover corn in harvested fields and the mild weather.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – A bill that would have explored the possibility of building a hydroelectric dam on the Platte River is dead.
The Nebraska Legislature’s Appropriations Committee killed the measure Monday after a hearing.
The bill by Omaha Sen. Scott Lautenbaugh would have allocated $2 million to examine the cost and benefits of a dam project in the Platte River valley. But the project likely would have flooded the town of Ashland and thousands of acres of farmland in Saunders County.
Elk Creek Sen. Lavon Heidemann, the committee’s chairman, made a motion to kill the bill. Lincoln Sen. Tony Fulton said the bill was broadly drafted and would take a lot more work to move forward.
Members voted, 6-0, to indefinitely postpone the bill.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – Two Nebraska farm groups have endorsed Gov. Dave Heineman’s plan to repeal an inheritance tax collected by counties.
Leaders from the Nebraska Farm Bureau and Nebraska Cattlemen said Monday the plan would ease the burden on young farmers who receive agricultural land from their parents.
Nebraska Farm Bureau President Steve Nelson says the inheritance tax makes it difficult for new farmers because of the vast expanses of land needed to run an operation, and narrow profit margins.
County officials say the loss of revenue would force them to increase property taxes. Heineman has countered that counties should trim their spending, as the state did when it lost revenue after repealing Nebraska’s estate tax.
Heineman unveiled the plan during his State of the State address to lawmakers.

MCCOOK, Neb. (AP) – A 62-year-old McCook man has been sentenced to 14 days in jail for assaulting his 95-year-old father.
Jon Leitner was convicted of disturbing the peace. Court documents say the original assault charge was reduced at the request of the victim.
Police say Leitner assaulted his father at least three times on Sept. 19. An officer found bruises on the chest of Elmer Leitner and he complained of pain.
Jon Leitner was given credit for eight days served.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – Republican Attorney General Jon Bruning has filed papers to run for the Nebraska U.S. Senate seat held by outgoing Democrat Ben Nelson.
Bruning submitted his papers Monday to the Secretary of State’s office. He repeated his opposition to the Obama administration’s health care law and EPA regulations he says are killing Nebraska jobs.
Bruning has already announced he would seek the seat, and is in a GOP primary race with State Treasurer Don Stenberg, state Sen. Deb Fischer and investment adviser Pat Flynn.
Nelson announced last month he would not seek re-election.
Former U.S. Sen. Bob Kerrey, a Democrat, has said he’s exploring a possible bid.
Bruning has won endorsements from former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Speaker of the Legislature Mike Flood and 27 other current and former state senators.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – Nebraska lawmakers says the state is failing to keep track of important case information about children who are in state custody due to abuse, neglect, and other problems.
Some blame the problem on an outmoded computer system as well as high turnover and overwhelming caseloads. They say it has complicated their efforts to overhaul the state’s child welfare system in the wake of a report that found substantial problems with a privatization effort that began in 2009.
On Thursday, the Health and Human Services Committee will hold a public hearing on a bill that would return many case management duties to state employees.
A Department of Health and Human Services spokesman said agency officials believe the computer tracking system is adequate.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Former U.S. Senator and Nebraska governor Bob Kerrey has found himself in the middle of a tug-of-war between Democrats desperate for him to run for Nebraska’s U.S. Senate seat this year and Republicans just as eager for him to stay out.
Kerrey announced earlier this month that he’s mulling a run to replace U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson, who is not seeking a third term this year.
Since then, Nebraska’s airwaves have been crowded with radio and television ads by conservative groups attacking Kerrey as a liberal and carpetbagger who should stay in New York, where he’s lived for the past decade.
Conservative groups say Nebraska voters need to know what they’d be getting with Kerrey. State Democrats say the ad blitz shows Republicans are afraid of a Kerrey run.

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) – Nebraska State Fair organizers hope they’ll be able to attract an even bigger crowd to Grand Island this year by selling the event to residents of the state’s two largest cities.
This year will be the fair’s third in Grand Island after more than a century in Lincoln. Last year’s fair attracted about 330,000 people.
Nebraska State Fair Executive Director Joseph McDermott said that the marketing budget will increase this year to make sure every corner of the state hears about it, especially people in Omaha and Lincoln.
The fair board met Friday in Kearney. McDermott says fair attendance from eastern Nebraska isn’t as strong as he’d like.