CHAPMAN, Neb. (AP) — Despite pleas from residents of the tiny central Nebraska city of Chapman, a school board has decided to close the community’s school.

The Northwest school board voted 3 to 3 late Monday on a vote to rescind an earlier decision to close the Chapman school. The board then tied in a vote to ratify the December closure vote.

The tie votes meant the earlier decision apparently will stand.

The board voted again on the matter after hearing more than two hours of testimony, primarily from students, teachers and residents of the 280-person town near Grand Island.

Since the earlier vote, two new members had joined the board.

The move to close the school comes amid declining enrollment and the school’s high cost per student.

FREMONT, Neb. (AP) — The Fremont City Council will consider whether to approve grants to aid Costco’s construction of a $275 million chicken processing plant.

Costco will seek the council’s approval Tuesday night of $1.35 million in economic-development grants.

Costco is working with Lincoln Premium Poultry to operate a plant that would employ up to 1,000 people. Costco has promised that up to 820 of those jobs involve production working paying at least $15 an hour. About 100 supervisory or professional jobs would pay between $45,000 and $350,000 annually.

Costco has agreed to operate the plant for at least 15 years.

Opponents of the plant have filed a lawsuit, saying the facility would hurt air and water quality.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is marking the opening of a food pantry inside the student union on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus.

The Huskers Helping Huskers Pantry Plus will offer food and hygiene items to enrolled students.

University officials were prompted to open the pantry by a survey that showed three of every 10 UNL students reported occasionally worrying about having enough food. About 10 percent say they rarely or never could afford a balanced meal.

At a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Juan Franco noted it was good the university was opening the pantry, but sad that the students need the program.

More than 400 universities and colleges across the country have opened similar pantries.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A new bill in the Legislature seeks to expand early voting opportunities in Nebraska.

The measure introduced Monday by Sen. Tony Vargas would require the state’s three largest counties — Douglas, Lancaster and Sarpy — to operate at least three early voting locations.

It also would extend the hours of all locations to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and set a minimum of eight hours to be open on Saturdays.

Vargas says he’s spoken with residents who say the distance and travel time to their voting location is a barrier to them casting their ballot.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Omaha police are seeking the public’s help as they investigate the city’s first homicide of the year.

Police will say little about the death of 40-year-old Seth Hansen but confirmed it was a homicide.

Officers and medics were called to a west Omaha gasoline station Saturday to check reports of shots being fired.

Hansen, who worked at the gas station and convenience store, was taken to a hospital, where he died.

Police are seeking the public’s help with a reward of up to $25,000 for a tip leading to an arrest.

A prayer vigil is planned outside the gas station Monday.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Officials in Omaha and Council Bluffs, Iowa, are taking different approaches toward handling an expected infestation of an ash tree-killing insect.

Omaha plans to treat up to 5,000 of its 11,000 ash trees and to remove the rest.

In Council Bluffs, officials plant to treat most of the 1,260 ash trees on city property, then evaluate the situation in 10 years. Crews removed 30 unhealthy trees last year and treated 200 trees. Workers will treat about 1,000 trees this spring.

At the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, workers will treat about 10 percent of the 368 ash trees on campus.

Officials must take action because of the emerald ash borer. Since being found in 2002 in Michigan, the insect has killed millions of trees across the country.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A 51-year-old man died a week after choking on a bite of meat at a New Year’s Eve party.

Brian O’Neill died Saturday at the Nebraska Medical Center.

Family members say O’Neill will be remembered as someone who always made others feel important and made family a priority. His wife, Joan, and their twin 20-year-old sons were at the hospital when he died.

O’Neill choked on a piece of meat that became lodged in his airway on New Year’s Eve. Attempts to dislodge the meat with the Heimlich maneuver failed, and a doctor tried unsuccessfully to open O’Neill’s airway with a steak knife.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium says it has set an all-time attendance record.

Zoo officials say visitors in 2016 exceeded 2 million for the first time. The exact number was 2,046,171.

Zoo Director Dennis Pate says several activities during the year helped to attract visitors.

In March, the zoo rescued 17 elephants from Swaziland, Africa in partnership with two other zoos. Six of the elephants have made their home at Omaha.

Other popular attractions included a 28-acre African Grasslands with lions, cheetah, giraffe and kid-friendly interactive activities and an Alaskan-themed splash ground.

Pate says community support allows the zoo to continue its work in conservation and create cutting edge exhibits.

The previous high was 1.7 million visitors in 2014.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — School districts in Iowa and Nebraska are among the 88 across the country to receive federal funding to replace or modify school buses to reduce exhaust emissions.

The Environmental Protection Agency says it is providing $7.7 million to replace or retrofit 401 diesel engine buses to reduce pollutants the agency says are linked to health problems such as asthma and lung damage.

In Iowa, the Bondurant-Farrar district gets $70,000 for three buses, Lawton-Bronson district gets $80,000 for four and Sioux City schools will get $20,000 for one bus.

In Nebraska, Arlington Public Schools and Wahoo Public Schools each get $20,000 for a bus.

Applicants replacing buses with engine model years of 2006 and older will receive rebates between $15,000 and $25,000, depending on the size of the bus.

BEATRICE, Neb. (AP) — A 37-year-old Diller man has been given two years’ probation for punching a resident at the Beatrice facility for developmentally disabled people.

Court records say Shawn Ebeling also was sentenced Thursday to 180 days in jail in 30-day increments. Ebeling’s probation officer can waive the jail time if Ebeling abides by his probation terms.

Ebeling pleaded no contest to attempted abuse of a vulnerable adult. Prosecutors had lowered the charge from a felony in return for Ebeling’s plea.

Another employee of the Beatrice State Developmental Center reported that Ebeling punched a patient Aug. 24, and then manhandled the patient until the patient’s face struck the handle of a fuse box. Ebeling told investigators he got upset when the resident tried to bite him.

Ebeling no longer works at the center.