A monthly economic index for nine Midwest and Plains states rose above a growth neutral level last month, pointing to slow growth for the region over the next three to six months.

The Mid-America Business Conditions index hit 53.2 in January, up from 49.5 in December and 48.0 in November.

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss oversees the survey, and he noted that the region’s manufacturing sector “moved sideways to slightly down” over January.

The survey of business leaders and supply managers uses a collection of indexes ranging from zero to 100. Survey organizers say any score above 50 suggests growth while a score below 50 suggests decline for that factor.

The survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.

Add the tenacious snow-loving wolverine to the list of species imperiled by climate change.

Federal wildlife officials on Friday will propose Endangered Species Act protections for the rare animal in the lower 48 states — a step twice denied under the Bush administration.

The Associated Press obtained details of the proposal in advance of Friday’s announcement.

The wolverine joins the polar bear, three seal species and several other animals that government scientists say are threatened with extinction as warmer temperatures shrink their habitats.

There are an estimated 250 to 300 wolverines in the contiguous U.S. — in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and Washington.

Officials say reintroducing the animals to Colorado could make them more resilient.

Environmentalists want to use the wolverine’s plight to leverage tighter restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions.

A northeast Nebraska man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend and her new husband has pleaded not guilty.

The pleas were entered on Wednesday for 33-year-old Matthew Hinrichsen in Antelope County District Court.

Hinrichsen has been charged with arson, two weapons counts and two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of 25-year old Victoria Lee and her husband, 30-year-old Alex Vargas.

Investigators found the couple’s bodies on Dec 8 in a burned-out mobile home near Ewing. Authorities say the couple were shot before the mobile home was set on fire.

A Kearney man has been arrested on several charges, accused of shaking his girlfriend’s 5-month-old daughter.

The Kearney Hub reports that 22-year-old Trey Tickle faces four felony counts of intentional child abuse and a drug possession charge.

Authorities say the infant was treated in early December for vomiting and again Jan. 4. The baby was taken to an Omaha hospital for treatment, and doctors there concluded that her injuries were consistent with shaken baby syndrome. The doctors also said the girl had tested for ingestion and exposure to methamphetamine.

The child’s mother, Brittney Schlund, faces two counts of felony child abuse.

Public phone listings for the two couldn’t be found. Their attorneys didn’t immediately return calls Friday from The Associated Press.

Lincoln police say three homeless men now face felony forgery charges after agreeing to cash fake checks in exchange for money, a hotel room for a night and food from McDonald’s.

Lincoln Police Officer Katie Flood says the homeless men got caught up in a nationwide scam where thieves make bogus checks and then recruit transients to cash them.

Police arrested 54-year-old Paul Edward Bellow on suspicion of two counts of forgery on Tuesday. The other two suspects haven’t been arrested yet.

The three homeless men cashed five checks worth $21,138 at two Security First branches last Friday.

Investigators haven’t identified the group that recruited the homeless men the day before. The nationwide scam originated with gang members in Atlanta.

School emergency drills have moved beyond the duck-and-cover exercises of the Cold War era. Today’s drills practice brace students for the presence of armed intruders.

The shooting of 20 first-graders and six adults in Newtown, Conn., has school administrators reviewing and practicing their own emergency plans.

Most states began to require district emergency management plans after the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo. Data compiled by the Education Commission of the States shows preparations vary widely.

On Wednesday, an intruder drill at Cary-Grove High School in Illinois featured the sound of gunfire from a starter pistol.

An October drill at Howe Hall in South Carolina saw victims fall with fake wounds.

Nebraskans from Lincoln and Milford will have their mugs featured on cans of sauerkraut after being picked as winners in a contest.

The Lincoln Journal Star reports that Mike Marlar, of Lincoln, will appear on labels of Frank’s sauerkraut later this year. Marlar says he discovered the contest last summer on the company’s website and decided to enter.

His wife, Debbie, took a few photos of him posed with a can of Frank’s on his bicep, a la Popeye.

He will join a Milford family who also will grace the labels this year. Jeremy Kohout and Kohout’s young sons will be featured, with Kohout balancing a can on an accordion and his sons playing a set of drums in the background.

Stress, anxiety and panic attacks are on the rise at many U.S. high schools, due to heightened academic expectations and troubles at home made worse by the shaky economy.

So some schools are trying unconventional methods to help students cope. Those methods include homework-free nights and the teenage equivalent of “recess” at a small but growing number of schools across the country.

At Prospect High School in suburban Chicago, counselors are using a “therapy dog,” an 18-month-old golden retriever named Junie.

The staff there says Junie helps lighten the mood and, in more severe cases, aids them in calming students who are having panic attacks. Guidance counselor Lynn Thornton says they’re seeing more students who are having to be hospitalized because of anxiety and depression.