LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – A 22-year-old northeast Nebraska man has pleaded no contest to child pornography charges in federal court. The Nebraska Attorney General’s office says Trevor Nichols of Holt County pleaded no contest to four counts of possession of child pornography. Sentencing has been set for Jan. 23. State Attorney General Jon Bruning says Nichols’ plea stems from an investigation of peer-to-peer file sharing conducted by his office’s Rural Cybercrimes Unit. Bruning says the investigation turned-up a variety of sexually explicit images and videos of minors on Nichols’ computer.

YORK, Neb. (AP) – Authorities say an eastern Nebraska man died after he apparently lost control of his pickup truck near York. 22-year-old John McAndrew, of Beaver Crossing, died in the accident early Sunday. The York County sheriff’s office says McAndrew was traveling east on U.S. Highway 34 when his truck crossed the highway into the north ditch, then crossed both lanes into the south ditch. The truck rolled several times and ended up in a soybean field. The accident remains under investigation.

YORK, Neb. (AP) – Authorities say two men have reported seeing a mountain lion near York in eastern Nebraska. The York County sheriff’s office says the sighting was called in Sunday afternoon. The men said they say the mountain lion just east of York, near the Quail Cove Estates property. They also said they found what looked like a den, with tracks to a nearby pond. It’s the seventh reported sighting of a mountain lion in the area since just June. None has been confirmed by authorities.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – Nebraska’s 4.2 percent unemployment rate for September marks the third straight month without a change in the state’s jobless estimate. The preliminary figure released Friday shows Nebraska’s seasonally adjusted rate is about half the national rate, which was 9.1 percent in September. The Nebraska Labor Department says the September 2010 figure for the state was 4.5 percent. The labor report shows two industry sectors experienced job growth during September. Professional and business services added 2,138 jobs, while education and health services added 920 jobs. The unemployment rate in Omaha dropped to 4.4 percent in September from August’s 4.6 percent. In Lincoln, the rate dropped to 3.5 percent from 3.6 percent. The unemployment rates for Omaha and Lincoln are not seasonally adjusted and cannot be compared to the state rate.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Three people charged in the shooting death of a 25-year-old Omaha man have pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges in the case. 21-year-old Marqus Patton, 20-year-old Nicholas Ely and 22-year-old Drake Northrop entered pleas Monday in a Douglas County court. The three are among five people accused in the July 6 shooting death of Christopher Winters in Winters’ apartment. Nineteen-year-old Ryan Elseman also faces a murder charge, as does a 15-year-old girl, who is seeking to have her case transferred to juvenile court. In court documents, police say they believe the five were looking to rob Winters of marijuana and money when he was shot to death.

HASTINGS, Neb. (AP) – Hastings police are investigating the death of a 58-year-old Hastings man whose body was found in a Hastings house. The body was found Thursday afternoon by an acquaintance of the man. Police say evidence found at the scene led officers to believe the man did not die of natural causes. Adams County Attorney Donna Fegler Daiss, who also serves as coroner for the county, says an autopsy has been ordered. The man’s name has not been released pending notification of his family.