A Sheridan County landowner on March 21 shot a young mountain lion that had approached his chicken coop. The lion did not flee when the landowner walked within 15 yards of it.

The mountain lion was a 30-pound female. No evidence of additional mountain lion activity was found at the time of the incident. The landowner immediately called the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, as required by law.

Landowners are allowed to protect their livestock from predators, including mountain lions.

Anyone with photographs or other evidence of mountain lions should contact Game and Parks.

(AP) — A man has fled to safety from an early morning house fire in southwest Lincoln.

Fire officials say the fire was reported a little after 2:15 a.m. on Monday. Fire Capt. Jeremy Gegg says the fire destroyed one house and damaged another nearby. No injuries have been reported.

The cause of the fire is being investigated.

(AP) — A bill designed to prevent Nebraska county supervisors from making decisions behind closed doors has won first-round approval in the Legislature.

Lawmakers on Monday voted 28-0 on a proposal that would define a quorum as a simple majority of board members. Current state law defines a quorum as a two-thirds majority.

Sen. Russ Karpisek of Wilber says the current law allows four supervisors on a seven-member board to discuss county business in private, without triggering Nebraska’s open meetings law. That majority could then approve measures as a formality during official meetings.

The bill was supported by the Nebraska Association of County Officials, Media of Nebraska Inc., and the Nebraska Press Association.

(AP) — Nebraska authorities are investigating a rollover crash that killed two people over the weekend.

47-year-old Tami Wagner and her passenger, 49-year-old Lisle “Raymond” McGinty were both killed in the crash on Sunday afternoon.

The Pawnee County Sheriff’s office is investigating the accident that was discovered by another driver on a rural road southeast of Lewiston.

Both the victims were from Burchard. Neither was wearing a seatbelt, and they were both thrown from Wagner’s 2007 Pontiac when it rolled over.

(AP) — A 57-year-old Grand Island man has been given 7½ years in federal prison for receiving and distributing child pornography.

James Haugh was convicted in December following a three-day trial in Lincoln’s federal court. He was sentenced last week.

Prosecutors say Haugh received and distributed videos of child pornography on different occasions from Jan. 3, 2009, to Dec. 28, 2012.

(AP) — Possible changes contemplated for Lincoln’s ordinance that bans some clothing donation huts may not persuade a company to drop its lawsuit over the ordinance.

The changes would mandate disclosure on how donated items would be used and whether any of the proceeds would profit some company. The ordinance passed almost a year ago — but not yet enforced — requires that at least 80 percent of the proceeds be used for charitable purposes.

Linc-Drop, which contracts with the March of Dimes to collect clothing, sued the city in July. Linc-Drop says the ordinance violates its First Amendment rights.

Linc-Drop attorneys have said the proposed changes still violate the company’s rights and that the lawsuit would not be dropped.