(AP) — Lawmakers have begun debate on a bill that would end Nebraska’s practice of splitting its electoral votes in presidential elections.

The bill presented Tuesday by Republican state Sen. Charlie Janssen would have Nebraska adopt the winner-take-all system when awarding its electoral votes.

Nebraska split its electoral votes for the first time in 2008, when Barack Obama captured one from Nebraska’s 2nd District on his way to winning the presidency. The bill advanced out of committee last year on a 5-3, party-line vote.

Nebraska has five electoral votes. Three are split based on who won in each of Nebraska’s congressional districts.

Sen. Ernie Chambers calls the bill “strictly and purely partisan,” and promises an eight-hour filibuster.

Lawmakers adjourned for the day without reaching a vote.

(AP) — A Northeast Nebraska man has been sentenced to life in prison for killing his ex-girlfriend and her new husband in December 2012 and setting fire to their trailer.

An Antelope County judge sentenced 34-year-old Matthew Hinrichsen Tuesday on two counts of first-degree murder and two weapons charges.

The Nebraska Attorney General’s office says Hinrichsen received two life sentences for the killings. And he was sentenced to 65 to 80 years on the weapons charges. All of Hinricksen’s sentences will run consecutively.

Hinrichsen was convicted in October of killing Victoria Lee and her husband, Alex Vargas.

Their bodies were found in a charred trailer in rural Antelope County, where the newlyweds were living. Prosecutors say Vargas died from three gunshot wounds, and Lee died of blunt force trauma to her head.

A southeast Nebraska high school teacher is facing criminal charges after being accused of having sex with a male student.

The Nebraska State Patrol arrested 24-year-old Carrie Miller of Tecumseh on Tuesday.

The State Patrol says investigators learned about allegations that Miller was having a sexual relationship with a male student on Monday.

Miller has been teaching Spanish at Johnson County Central High School.

Miller remained in custody Tuesday afternoon. She is facing charges of sexual assault and using an electronic device to entice her victim.

“A Bumper Crop of Fun” is the Nebraska State Fair’s new theme for 2014.

Marketing and sponsorship director, Shaun Schleif said, “Our new theme is a reflection of our renewed mission statement approved by the Board of Directors at their December 2013 meeting.”

The new mission statement is:  The Nebraska State Fair: The nation’s most innovative exhibition focusing on interactive agriculture and educational experiences promoting families, fun, and Nebraska pride.

“The new theme is very forward thinking, while still incorporating the important features that have been part of the Nebraska State Fair’s fabric for the past 145 years,” Schleif said, adding, “This forward thinking involves taking the staples of the fair, and making everything more interactive, fun and technologically advanced.”

The theme logo, designed by Barry Keller of Infuze Creative Marketing incorporates livestock, grains, our agricultural roots and of course the carnival midway.  All are integral parts of creating a one-of-a-kind experience for Nebraska families.

Schleif said, “Our ultimate goal in everything we do is to provide a safe clean family event that allows everyone attending to learn something, see something and experience something new—to create new memories that last a lifetime.  Most of all, we want everyone to have fun.”

The Nebraska State Fair runs from August 22 through September 1, 2014.

(AP) — Pot may be legal in Colorado, but you can still be fired for using it. Now Colorado’s Supreme Court has agreed to review a marijuana-related firing in a case that could have big implications for the state’s pot smokers.

The court agreed Monday to review the case of Brandon Coats, a quadriplegic medical-marijuana patient who was fired from his job at Dish Network in 2010 after failing a drug test. The company didn’t allege Coats was ever impaired on the job.

Dish Network argued medical marijuana use isn’t a “lawful activity” covered by a law intended to protect cigarette smokers from being fired for legal behavior off the clock. A Colorado appeals court agreed last year.

A Supreme Court hearing date hasn’t been scheduled.

(AP) — Pot at the county fair? Why not?

Colorado’s Denver County is adding cannabis-themed contests to its 2014 summer fair. It’s the first time pot plants will stand alongside tomato plants and homemade jam in competition for a blue ribbon.

There won’t actually be any marijuana at the fairgrounds. The judging will be done off-site, with photos showing the winning entries. And a live joint-rolling contest will be done with oregano, not pot.

But county fair organizers say the marijuana categories will add a fun twist on Denver’s already-quirky county fair, which includes a drag queen pageant, tattoo competitions and a contest for homemade robots.

Denver County didn’t have a county fair until 2011. Organizers wanted an urban, hip element alongside traditional fair favorites like a Ferris wheel and cotton candy.

(AP) — Officials are looking for information related to the illegal shooting of a bald eagle in northeast Nebraska.

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission says the adult eagle was reported dead on Jan. 21. It was found near Verdigre, close to the Missouri River.

Officials say the bird had not shown decomposition and there was fresh blood on the beak.

Bald eagles are federally protected. Maximum penalties for violating the law include a fine of $250,000 and up to two years of prison.

Officials say callers who report any information about the shooting may remain anonymous and could be eligible for a reward.

(AP) — Nebraska retailers who specialize in e-cigarettes are supporting a bill that would ban minors from using their products.

The bill drew support Monday from store owners in Omaha and Lincoln and the Nebraska Grocery Industry Association.

Tim Bowen, the owner of Plumes, an Omaha e-cigarette store, says e-cigarettes helped him beat his addiction to cigarettes. Bowen says his store already prohibits sales to minors, but his clerks catch about four a week trying to buy products.

David Holmquist of the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Action Network says research has yet to show whether e-cigarettes pose health risks. Holmquist also raised concerns that e-cigarettes could reverse years of work by advocates to make cigarettes socially unappealing.

E-cigarettes heat liquid and nicotine into a flavored, smokeless vapor.

(AP) — Police say a student is injured after he set himself on fire in the cafeteria at a suburban Denver high school.

Westminster Police Department spokeswoman Cheri Spottke says she doesn’t know if the student made any threats or statements before starting the fire Monday morning at Standley Lake High School in Westminster, northwest of Denver. He was taken to a hospital with unknown injuries.

Spottke says the fire was contained to the cafeteria and was put out by an adult with a fire extinguisher. There also was extensive smoke in the building.

Jefferson County Public Schools spokeswoman Lynn Setzer says Standley Lake High has been closed for the day and students were sent home.

No additional details about the injured student or the fire’s cause were released.

(AP) — A March sentencing hearing has been scheduled for a 27-year-old York woman who’s been convicted in a check fraud case.

Online court records say Cassandra Tritt pleaded no contest to a felony forgery charge after prosecutors lowered the charge. Her sentencing hearing is set for March 24 in York County District Court.

York police were told in November that a man’s checkbook was missing and that checks had been fraudulently written at numerous local businesses. Prosecutors say Tritt forged 29 checks on the account, totaling nearly $1,800.

Prosecutors say Tritt has already paid restitution to the man.