LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Valero Energy has temporarily halted production at its ethanol plant in Albion in eastern Nebraska because shrinking margins, due in part to rising corn prices.

Local media says company spokesman Bill Day says a healthy supply of ethanol also played a role in the decision. He says it’s more economical to shut down than to lose money.

Corn prices are on the rise on worries that a hot, dry summer could burden crops.

Day says Valero expects to restart production sometime before the fall harvest, and there are no plans to lay off any workers.

Valero is the second Nebraska ethanol plant to temporarily stop production. NEDAK Ethanol shut down its plant in Atkinson last week to conduct regular maintenance and monitor the corn and ethanol markets.

SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. (AP) — Residents in Scottsbluff and Gering in the Nebraska Panhandle are taking stock of the damage after a storm produced large hail that battered homes and cars.

Local media says the storm hit late Tuesday. Hail shattered windows and dented siding and vehicles.

Jeff Brock of Team Chevrolet in Scottsbluff says even with roofs over most their vehicles, about 50 cars were damaged.

John Massey of the J.G. Elliott Insurance Co. says some commercial properties were damaged by hail, and there are reports of crop damage.

The storm also brought strong winds of 60 mph and heavy rain.

(LEXINGTON)- Construction will begin in Lexington on June 27th on the Hwy 283 Jefferson Street bridge approaches. The work will include removal and replacement of the existing bridge approaches. The viaduct will be reduced to one lane with a 10th width restriction. Traffic will be controlled by temporary traffic signals during construction. Work should be completed early August 2012

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Former Nebraska Gov. Norbert Tiemann, who oversaw the implementation of the state’s sales and income taxes, has died. He was 87.

Tiemann’s daughter, Amy Tipton of Lincoln, confirmed Wednesday that her father died Tuesday night at his home in Dallas, where he had lived for more than two decades. Tipton says Tiemann had battled heart problems in recent years.

Tiemann, a Republican, served one term as governor from 1967 to 1971. As governor, he signed into law a new state tax structure that introduced sales and income tax collections into the state. He was also in office when state aid to schools was enacted, and he signed a bill designating “Beautiful Nebraska” as the state song.

He sought re-election in 1970, but was defeated by Democrat Jim Exon.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Douglas County prosecutors have charged a man with vehicular homicide in a hit-and-run crash that killed a pedestrian in Omaha last weekend. 

County Attorney Don Kleine on Tuesday charged 35-year-old Joseph Brosnihan with motor vehicle homicide while under the influence and leaving the scene of a personal injury accident.

He’s accused of hitting 26-year-old Ashley Rodriguez with his truck early Sunday. She died at the scene.

Kleine says Brosnihan, who surrendered to police, has a prior DUI conviction.

Brosnihan’s case isn’t on the online court system and it’s unclear if he has attorney. His initial court appearance is set for Wednesday.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A 30-year-old woman who repaid most of the money she stole from her employer in south-central Nebraska has been given six months of house arrest.

Christina Srack pleaded guilty in March to stealing over $100,000 from the State Bank of Riverdale between July 2007 and August 2008.

Local media says she was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Lincoln on Monday. She was also ordered to serve a day in federal custody, five years of probation and to pay $2,100 more.

The bank discovered the loss in 2008. Srack was indicted in 2011.

Prosecutors say she diverted most of the money from three customers’ accounts, forged three checks and made two unauthorized electronic payments. More than $99,000 was repaid within two weeks.

NORFOLK, Neb. (AP) — Organizers of a Nebraska airshow say a passenger injured during a hot air balloon ride is an elderly woman whose ankle was broken.

Air show spokesman Christopher Amundson said Tuesday the woman was in good condition. She was riding with another passenger and a pilot Sunday during the Nebraska Airfest and 2012 State Fly-in in Norfolk.

Amundson says the balloon was one of seven that lifted off at 6:30 a.m. Pilots and passengers reported light winds, and the balloons flew north into Pierce County.

Amundson says surface winds then increased to 14 mph, and the pilot began a controlled descent into a field. The balloon’s gondola tipped over when it touched the ground.

The pilot was uninjured, and the balloon was not damaged. The other passenger suffered abrasions.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Archdiocese of Omaha has released final details of a plan to shut down some schools and merge several parishes in east Omaha.

Local Media in Omaha says Archbishop George J. Lucas says the plan, called Promise 2020, is aimed at making sure young people have quality schools and faith-filled parishes for “years to come.”

The plan, released Tuesday, calls for closing three schools and placing five in a regional consortium. Students who currently attend one of the schools slated for closure will be able to attend a consortium school of their choice after the 2012-2013 school year.

The Archdiocese also announced plans to merge several parishes in east Omaha. The plan would reduce from 34 parishes to 26 over five years.

PAPILLION, Neb. (AP) — Authorities are investigating the discovery of a body in a pond at a park in Papillion in eastern Nebraska.

Police say a Schwer Park’s employee mowing around the pond found the body Tuesday morning. Authorities say the body is that of a white man, but they can’t determine an age. An autopsy is pending.

Police believe the body had been in the water for a day or less, but is badly decomposed.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A 19-year-old Lincoln man has made a deal with prosecutors and pleaded no contest to bank robbery.

Local media reports that Trenton Ziegenbein made his plea in Lancaster County District Court. In return, prosecutors dropped a weapons charge.

His sentencing is scheduled for July 24.

Ziegenbein is one of three men who robbed a Great Western Bank branch on March 17.

Two other suspects have been indicted and await further action in federal court.