OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska officials have decided to monitor poultry events at county fairs and other venues, but they won’t ban them even though bird flu has been found in the state.

The state Department of Agriculture sent a letter to poultry show organizers after bird flu was confirmed in chickens from two farms in the northeast corner of the state.

Minnesota, North Dakota, Pennsylvania and West Virginia have all banned poultry events because of the bird flu, but several other states, including neighboring Iowa and South Dakota, are allowing events.

Nebraska agriculture officials say they want to be notified about any poultry shows, so they can evaluate the risks. The state is banning any poultry sales east of U.S. Highway 281 and any sales of birds from eastern Nebraska.

MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, Wyo. (AP) — Rangers in Yellowstone National Park have rescued a New York tourist who stumbled backward into a canyon while trying to take a picture.

A statement released Monday says the 71-year-old man tumbled about 25 feet on May 10 before he stopped his fall by bracing his body and feet against a small crevice in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

Two park rangers threw the man a rope that they secured to a tree and a sign. A park rescue team then pulled the man back to the rim using ropes and pulleys.

Officials say the man was extremely lucky that he stopped in the crevice because he was at the top of a 200-foot drop.

The man, whose name has not been released, was treated for a possible hip injury.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Farmers and ranchers in the West’s worst-hit drought regions will receive an additional $21 million to help them save water and soil despite the long dry spell.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the aid Monday. The assistance will go to areas of the West that are rated in the highest categories of drought. That includes parts of California, Kansas, Idaho, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas and Utah.

The aid is meant to help farms and grazing pastures cope with drought through better irrigation, cover crops and other measures.

The money comes from the federal Natural Resources Conservation Service. The conservation agency says it has spent more than $1.5 billion on water-conservation measures for agriculture since 2012.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Eastern Nebraska officials hope the federal government will chip in $10 million to help repair levees that protect an Air Force Base and the surrounding community from Missouri River flooding.

Leaders of the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District recently approved a draft proposal under which the district would repair and maintain 19 miles of levee and fix ailing storm sewers.

They plan to request Air Force officials $10 million in funding for the project, which is expected to cost at least $25 million. The district also is planning to apply for $10 million from a state water fund.

A district official and the Bellevue mayor are flying to Washington, D.C., on Tuesday to pitch the proposal to federal officials.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The developer of a solar energy project planned for land just west of Lincoln has decided to seek federal certification instead of state approval.

Coronal Developmental Services officials hope to speed up the 5-megawatt project by getting self-certification through the Federal Public Utilities Regulatory Policies Act. Coronal attorney Nelson Teague says the group has completed the self-certification process with many projects and is familiar with it.

Executive director Tim Texel of the Nebraska Power Review Board says it’s common for renewable generation facilities with 80-megawatt capacity or less to seek self-certification.

Lincoln Electric System has a 20-year contract to buy power from the project.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A man who wants to open a strip club near Grand Island in south-central Nebraska has sued opponents to his plan and the Hall County Board of Supervisors.

Attorneys for Shane Harrington, of Lincoln, filed the lawsuit Friday in U.S. District Court in Lincoln. He’s seeking $110 million from the board, several named individuals and everyone who signed petitions against his proposal.

Hall County Attorney Jack Zitterkopf had no immediate response Sunday, saying he hadn’t seen the lawsuit.

Harrington’s lawsuit includes allegations of defamation, interference with business relationships, antitrust violations and constitutional violations regarding free speech, equal protection and due process.

Harrington also wants a judgment against restrictions for sexual-oriented businesses in the Hall County zoning resolutions.

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — A motorcyclist has been killed after an accident in Grand Island.

Police say the motorcycle was traveling south on Webb Road on Sunday afternoon when an SUV turning into the parking lot of Skate Island park collided with it. The Grand Island Fire Department said it used the Jaws of Life to remove the motorcyclist from the wreckage.

The motorcyclist’s name has not been released.