LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Grants are now available for communities that want to plant trees in Nebraska.

The Trees for Nebraska Towns program is accepting grant applications through Oct. 1, and roughly $200,000 is available this year. The program focuses on creating plant diversity and sustainable landscapes.

Grant coordinator Kendall Weyers says Nebraska communities have lost between 30 and 50 percent of their tree canopy to disease, insects, weather and other ailments over the last few decades. The grants seek to replenish those lost trees.

Projects must offer a clear public benefit to qualify, and must be located near or within a community’s incorporated limits. Possible sites include parks, schools, college campuses and courthouses.

 

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a 20-year-old car driver has been killed in a rollover crash on the south side of Lincoln.

The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office says Trevor Underwood, of Eagle, was driving east on Saltillo Road just after 11 p.m. Saturday when he lost control of his car. It rolled after entering a ditch and ejected Underwood.

His passenger was flown to BryanLGH Medical Center West for treatment.

Authorities say alcohol use is believed to have been a factor in the crash.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Health inspectors conducting food checks at the Lancaster County Super Fair this week found food being stored at unsafe temperatures and some unsanitary conditions.

The Lincoln Journal Star reports that the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department inspection inside the fair buildings found corn dogs that weren’t being kept hot enough and meats in malfunctioning coolers that weren’t cold enough.

Joyce Jensen says the food in question was immediately thrown out.

Other violations included flies in food preparation areas, unclean surfaces and inaccurate thermometers, improperly washed fruits and vegetables.

The fair ends this weekend. No food-related illnesses from the fair have been reported.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has scheduled workshops for dove and small-game hunters.

The small-game workshop is set to begin at 9 a.m. on Aug. 25. The dove workshop is set to begin at 6 p.m. on Aug. 29.

Both will take place at the Izaak Walton League clubhouse, which is situated on the southeast side of Lincoln, a half-mile south of Nebraska Highway 2 on 134th Street.

Topics at the workshops will include strategies, equipment and recipes. Participants who bring firearms and ammunition will be able to shoot following each workshop.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An editor at Nebraskaland Magazine has researched and written a guide that focuses on where people can fish in and around Omaha.

The free, eight-page publication is called “Fishing the Metro: A Guide to Omaha’s Lakes and Waterways.” It was written by Nebraskaland associate editor Jeff Kurrus and includes a map and information on restrictions, facilities and the fish types at each location.

The publication was included in the July issue of Nebraskaland. It’s now available wherever fishing permits are sold in the Omaha area and at Nebraska Game and Parks Commission district offices and service centers.

SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. (AP) — An idea begun last year by four people in western Nebraska to feed the hungry is doing just that — to the tune of more than 300 people a week.

Ron McFarland, of Gering says that the idea was born when he and his wife and another couple began talking about want to feed the hungry.

On a cold night in January 2011, the four served their first home-cooked meals from their minivans to 42 hungry people.

They served the meals every Friday night, and more people began to show up.

Now the service, known as The Matthew Project, serves an average of 168 each Tuesday and Friday night from a large truck with the help of 122 volunteer cooks.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Those hoping to make a little extra money by renting out their Lincoln homes during Nebraska football games are in for some bad news.

It’s against city ordinance for those outside the downtown district to rent their homes out on a short-term basis.

City staff looked into the matter after seeing a story about a company that’s listing Lincoln homes for rent during home-game weekends.

Assistant City Attorney Jeff Kirkpatrick says short-term rental falls under the definition of “lodging house” in the city zoning code. The zoning code says lodging houses are allowed only in downtown Lincoln.

Mike Doyle of Rent Like A Champion says that’s too restrictive. Doyle says most communities use a permit system to keep track of short-term rentals.

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — A 27-year-old Grand Island woman has been charged with child sex assault and incest after police say she had sexual relationship with her teenage stepson.

The woman was in Hall County Court on Friday for the charges.

The Associated Press is not naming the woman to protect the identity of her stepson.

Police say the boy was 15 when his stepmother began having sex with him. Investigators say the boy’s father called police to report he had seen his wife having sex with the boy.

The woman’s preliminary hearing was set for Sept. 11. She faces up to life in prison if convicted of the charges.

BELLEVUE, Neb. (AP) — A medical evaluation has been ordered for a man suspected of firing shots from a Bellevue home and holding police at bay for five hours.

The standoff began around 1:30 p.m. Friday when a 30-year-old man barricaded himself inside his home and began firing at police who approached the house.

Police blocked off the neighborhood, and after five hours of negotiation, police used tear gas to force the suspect out of the house, where he was arrested.

No one was hurt by the gunfire.