BLUE HILL, Neb. (AP) — Health officials are investigating an outbreak of salmonella at a care center in Blue Hill in south central Nebraska.

Officials say 17 cases of the illness have been confirmed and two probable or suspect cases have been reported in Blue Hill Care Center residents, staff and visitors.

The South Heartland District Health Department says four residents were temporarily hospitalized after showing symptoms. A visitor was also hospitalized. Director Michele Bever says the first cases were reported in early August, and officials are still looking for the source.

Beaver says Tuesday that they’re looking at food as well as potential exposures from pets.

Salmonella can cause diarrhea, fever and stomach pain. It’s most dangerous to young children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems.

NEHAWKA, Neb. (AP) — Firefighters in an eastern Nebraska village could do little but watch their station burn after a fire broke out inside.

The blaze began around 8 p.m. Monday in the Cass County town of Nehawka.

Chief Sean Huckleberry says all his volunteers stood and watched the flames while waiting for firetrucks from nearby department to arrive.

Huckleberry says most of the department’s firefighting gear and an ambulance were destroyed. It’s not clear yet whether any of the department’s five trucks can be salvaged.

No injuries have been reported. The fire cause is being investigated.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A man paralyzed from the neck down in a 2008 shooting has been sentenced to prison for trying to sell methamphetamine.

Joseph Garza and Paul Deras Jr. were caught trying to sell meth more than a year ago in Lincoln. Deras was sentenced in April.

At a hearing Monday, Judge Steven Burns told Garza that only Garza’s disability distinguished him from Deras.

Burns then said it was his opinion that the disability didn’t merit Garza different treatment, so he gave Garza the same sentence of two to five years given Deras.

Garza was paralyzed when John Le shot him four times as Garza pulled a knife during a confrontation in June 2008. Le is serving a 40-year sentence.

WAHOO, Neb. (AP) — An eastern Nebraska woman faces a charge of abusing a vulnerable adult, accused of looting her father’s bank account.

A news release from the office of Saunders County Attorney Scott Tingelhoff says 61-year-old Cynthia Odermatt  is scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 28 to face the felony charge, which carries a maximum prison term of five years.

The release says a Nebraska State Patrol investigator discovered that Odermatt had taken about $175,000 from her father’s bank account from May 1, 2009, to Dec. 31, 2011.

Odermatt said Tuesday that her 87-year-old father signed loan papers for the money and that she hasn’t had a chance to pay him back yet.

She says her father had a stroke in 2009 but “is doing very, very well.”

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The latest tax valuation of the first Keystone pipeline to cross the state carries a promise of extra revenue for 10 Nebraska counties.

The $538.5 million assessed valuation is nearly four times the previous valuation of $145.2 million.

The latter figure reflects that portions of the project were still under construction when the centrally assessed value was set a year ago by state property tax administrator Ruth Sorensen.

The Keystone pipeline carries crude oil from Canada south through North and South Dakota and Nebraska on its way to Wood River and Patoka in Illinois and to Cushing, Okla.

The second TransCanada pipeline, Keystone XL, is still under review by the U.S. State Department and the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska’s chief medical officer is warning young athletes about the dangers of suffering a concussion.

Dr. Joann Schaefer said Monday that concussions are sometimes more serious than athletes, coaches and parents sometimes realize. Players who have received multiple concussions are more likely to have thinking problems, depression, dementia and other brain-related issues. But she says 90 percent of athletes who experience a single minor concussion usually recover within a few days or weeks.

Short-term symptoms can include headaches, nausea, blurred vision and memory problems.

Nebraska’s Concussion Awareness Act took effect on July 1. The state law requires concussion education for coaches, parents and players.

HASTINGS, Neb. (AP) — Authorities have released the name of a toddler who died after being hit by several vehicles in on a city street in Hastings.

Police say 19-month-old Roy Lagunas Jr. died Sunday night after wandering into the street. The accident happened about 7 p.m.

Police say the boy was hit by multiple vehicles.

The toddler’s death comes less than a month after the death of 2-year-old Tryson Ruff. He died while running out into the street to reach his mother on the other side.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Omaha police are investigating two bank robberies that happened minutes apart.

Authorities say a man wearing a ski mask and armed with a gun robbed a First National Bank branch about 10 a.m. on Monday. He demanded cash and fled on foot.

About 15 minutes later, a man robbed a Wells Fargo bank a few blocks away. Police say he didn’t show a weapon.

A man matching the robber’s description in the Wells Fargo holdup was taken into custody. Police say 48-year-old Jesus Robles, of Omaha, was arrested for robbery, obstructing a police officer and resisting arrest. Robles’ case is not on the online court system and it’s unclear if he has an attorney.

Police don’t believe the robberies are connected. No injuries were reported

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska’s corn crop is still declining as the dry weather continues to plague key farm states.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says in Monday’s weekly report that the state saw some milder temperatures last week, but rain was spotty. The USDA says only 31 percent of the corn is in good or excellent condition. A year ago, it was 76 percent.

Damaged cornfields are being chopped for silage or baled, while a few fields in southeast Nebraska are being harvested.

Soybeans are rated 18 percent in good or excellent condition. That’s well below last year’s 78 percent.

The USDA says most of Nebraska’s pasture and range land is in poor or very poor condition. Some cattle are being rounded up and being fed supplemental feed.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska fans will have to find another way to celebrate the Huskers’ first touchdown.

A nationwide helium shortage has put a 70-year tradition of releasing red balloons after the first score on hiatus.

There will be one last game for the balloons — the season-opener against Southern Mississippi on Sept. 1. Instead of 5,000 balloons, it will be 2,500.

The university’s helium provider doesn’t have a supply, and when helium is available, there are more important users like hospitals.

Nebraska’s athletic department has a few tanks from last year that will fill the balloons for the first game. After that, Nebraska plans to hold one tank back and come up with a way to symbolize the tradition for the rest of the season.