GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (AP) – The U.S. Forest Service is considering lifting a two-year closure of caves and abandoned mines in Colorado and several other states after imposing it in an effort to halt a deadly fungal outbreak that affects bats.
The region includes Colorado, South Dakota, Wyoming, Kansas and Nebraska.
In 2010, the Forest Service closed most access to caves and abandoned mines in the region to prevent the spread of white-nose syndrome, which killed millions of bats in the East.
The ban was imposed out of concern that cavers might spread the disease.
Experts say they now know more about the disease and the closures may no longer be needed in some areas.

GERING, Neb. (AP) – A Scottsbluff man convicted of first-degree murder is scheduled to be sentenced.
Daniel Morgan is to appear in Scotts Bluff County District Court on Monday. Morgan was convicted in March of killing Dominic Marquez on May 13 last year.
Defense attorney Jerry Soucie has said the 27-year-old Morgan was acting in self-defense when he went to confront Marquez about harassment, threats and assaults by associates of Marquez since he began dating the mother of Marquez’s child.
County Attorney Doug Warner has said Morgan was armed when he drove to Marquez’s home and had sent text messages that said he was “going after” Marquez.
Warner says the shooting didn’t qualify for the death penalty, which means Morgan will be sentenced to life in prison.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – Gov. Dave Heineman has confirmed he will sign a bill allowing Nebraska to restart its review of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline.
Heineman told reporters Friday that he wanted the oil pipeline project to move forward, as long as it avoids Nebraska’s environmentally sensitive Sandhills.
The bill would authorize the state to continue its analysis of new possible routes. Officials stopped the review after President Barack Obama denied a federal permit for the project.
Heineman has long said he supported the pipeline, but opposed its original route through the groundwater-rich Sandhills.
He made the comment in Grand Island, while urging lawmakers to uphold his veto of a city sales tax bill. Heineman appeared alongside Grand Island Mayor Jay Vavricek, who opposes the sales tax measure.
The bill is LB1161.

SIDNEY, Neb. (AP) – A storm system is expected to bring snow and howling winds to the Nebraska Panhandle.
The National Weather Service says the storming likely will start with rain on Saturday and then turn to snow on Saturday night and Sunday. The service was uncertain about how much snow would accumulate.
Northeast winds gusting to 50 mph are expected as well. The wind-blown rain and snow could make travel hazardous.

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) – Grand Island is under a judge’s order to appoint a full-time fire chief or an interim by June 11.
Hall County District Judge James Livingston issued the order Wednesday in response to legal action filed by fire Capt. Scott Kuehl, who says it’s a matter of public safety.
The city appointed an interim chief last October, but hasn’t had a chief since February when the timeline for having an interim chief expired.
City Administrator Mary Lou Brown is acting chief. Kuehl’s attorney, John Corrigan, says there’s no evidence she has the credentials to be acting chief.
Corrigan says the city is required to have a full-time chief under state law, and the judge agreed.
City Attorney Robert Sivick is evaluating the order.

SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. (AP) – Authorities say a fire that scorched 40 acres of grassland near Scottsbluff was started when two people burned some shingles they had just taken off a roof and the fire got out of hand.
The fire happened Wednesday afternoon just off a county road.
Scottsbluff Rural Assistant Fire Chief Paul Reisig says it took about two hours to get the fire under control and extinguish it. He says firefighters were able to keep the flames from spreading to a nearby feedlot and communication tower.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – Gov. Dave Heineman has signed five Nebraska child welfare bills into law, calling the measures an important step forward in the state’s effort to improve services.
The governor signed three measures Wednesday that would increase payments for foster care providers, create a state children’s commission, and establish a plan for a web-based child welfare information system.
He signed two other measures last week that would lower caseloads for child service providers and require the Department of Health and Human Services to develop a plan to better serve children.
Heineman praised Speaker of the Legislature Mike Flood and Lincoln Sen. Kathy Campbell for their work with the Department of Health and Human Services. Campbell heads the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – A bill that would resume a state review of the Keystone XL crude oil pipeline has won final approval from Nebraska lawmakers.
Lawmakers voted 44-5 Wednesday to forward the measure to Gov. Dave Heineman, who has said he supports the project.
The measure authorizes the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality to review possible routes through the state and hold at least one public hearing on its evaluation. The department’s findings would be included in a federal review. A federal permit for the proposed transnational pipeline was denied in January.
Opponents say the bill effectively rubber stamps the project through Nebraska. A spokesman for pipeline developer TransCanada says the bill will place the review process in the hands of Nebraskans, regardless of what happens at the federal level.

OSHKOSH, Neb. (AP) – Authorities in western Nebraska say seven horses found dead near Oshkosh earlier this month hadn’t been checked for weeks.
Garden County Attorney Phillip Pierce says the horses died due to dehydration or starvation and weren’t checked for 22 days.
He says the horses were found April 8 near a stock tank after a well had apparently stopped pumping and went dry. Pierce says at least one horse had been dead for several days. He says a neighbor notified authorities.
Pierce says he’s waiting for a report from a veterinarian to verify the cause of death, and charges are possible.

KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) – Buffalo County authorities have approved erection of wind turbines in industrial zones.
The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a zoning amendment that will require special-use permits before the turbines may be built.
The amendment was spurred by a business owner who wanted to put up a turbine to power his facility.
Tim Williams with Buffalo Air Services told the board that safety was a concern for him as a pilot, so he asked supervisors to mandate special markings for the turbine towers.
The turbine planned by Denny Jorgensen will have a red light on the top. Before approving his permit, the board recommended he use a stripe pattern with alternating colors on the base tower to improve its visibility.