GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — A Grand Island animal advisory board has sent a plan to allow beehives within city limits back to the drawing board.

An initial draft would have allowed one hive for every 1,500 square feet of property. With Grand Island lots starting at 6,000 square feet, the plan would have allowed even the smallest lot to hold up to four hives.

Brian Nilson, vice president of the Nebraska State Beekeeping Association, says most municipalities that allow beekeeping limit hive to two per lot.

As currently proposed, hives would need to be screened behind a 6-foot fence at least 15 feet away from any neighboring property line and at least 50 feet away from any house, excluding the beekeeper’s house.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A 44-year-old Omaha real estate agent accused of running a sports bookmaking operation has been sentenced to three years’ probation for federal tax evasion.

Todd Bartusek had faced up to five years in federal prison when he was sentenced Friday in Omaha’s U.S. District Court. He had pleaded guilty to the count in October.

Prosecutors say an Internal Revenue Service investigation determined that Bartusek worked as a bookie from 2007 through 2010 and didn’t report his income of at least $735,000 from the operation during that time.

U.S. District Judge Joseph Bataillon handed down the probation sentence, in part, because Bartusek had paid the income taxes on the income he had failed to claim.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A driver has died in a midtown Omaha crash that also severely injured her adult passenger, but spared an infant strapped into a car seat.

Witnesses tell police that a car illegally passed several other vehicles stopped at a red light, entered the intersection and was hit by another car passing through the intersection. The impact sent the first car into a tree, killing 35-year-old driver Lerosha Vaneese Forrest. A passenger in Forrest’s car, 43-year-old Ronnie Forrest, was taken to a hospital with severe head injuries.

A 1-month old baby girl in the car was uninjured.

Police say the driver of the other car also was uninjured.

WINNEBAGO, Neb. (AP) — A tribal investigative committee says Winnebago tribal council members have been paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in bonuses and tribal casino gifts — such as free hotel rooms, meals and prepaid debit cards.

The committee issued a 10-page report this week. It also found that council members gave tens of thousands of dollars in loans and grants to tribal members — many of whom were likely voters.

The Winnebago tribal council empowered the special investigation to look into allegations of corruption.

Tribal Chairman John Blackhawk told the Journal Star that the council will examine the report’s findings and decide whether to take action against any tribal employees or council members.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha woman who has been in prison since 2004 for poisoning her sister-in-law’s margaritas has been granted parole.

The Nebraska Parole Board unanimously granted parole to Maureen Plambeck on Thursday.

Plambeck was found guilty of attempted first-degree murder in 2004 after prosecutors said she laced Kris Cerveny’s margarita and watched her drink it up.

Cerveny ended up in a hospital intensive care unit, where she stayed for three days recovering from ingesting more than two times the lethal limit of antifreeze.

Plambeck must attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings while on parole and have a mental health evaluation.

She will be released in April.

BELVEDERE, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha family is suing the school district after they say that their 8-year-old daughter was assaulted by three boys on a Belvedere Elementary playground two years ago.

The Omaha Public Schools, the superintendent, Belvedere Principal Christina Windsor, teacher’s aide Lynn Wray and another unidentified aide are named as defendants in the suit brought by the family.

According to the lawsuit, the third-grade girl was chased and brought down to the ground by three 8-year-old boys during recess. The three of them held her down, covered her mouth and restrained her while one of them straddled her and started to unbutton her shirt. The girl’s nose was bloodied during the struggle.

The family is seeking damages for injury, mental suffering and medical and mental health expenses.

The boys have been arrested and charged with attempted sexual assault

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Lincoln judge has sentenced a Kansas man to nine years in prison for a scam he conducted that targeted elderly people.

U.S District Judge John Gerrard on Friday ordered 53-year-old Thomas Whitlow, of Kansas City, to pay $17,521 in restitution in addition to his prison sentence. Jurors found Whitlow guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in November.

Prosecutors say Whitlow had his wife scour online obituaries and search for phone numbers of the relatives of the dead. Authorities say he then called, claiming to be a family member in need of cash, and had the money wired to him on at least 12 occasions.

Whitlow has denied involvement in the scam. He says he plans to appeal the ruling.

BEATRICE, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska man has been arrested on eight charges after he called 911 complaining that he couldn’t use his cell phone to send text messages.

22-year-old Matthew J. Stevison was arrested Thursday for false reporting, assault of a peace officer, resisting arrest and other crimes.

The Beatrice Police Department says it received a 911 call from Stevison in which he blamed dispatchers for his phone trouble and demanded that they fix it. Officers say they later located Stevison on a bicycle and ordered him to stop and talk.

According to court documents, Stevison then threw his bicycle at one officer and began fighting with others. Records show Stevison said he had overdosed on pills.

Stevison is scheduled to appear in court on March 17.

NEHAWKA, Neb. (AP) — A fire official says a fire destroyed a three-story farmhouse in eastern Nebraska.

The Nehawka Volunteer Fire Department says it took nearly eight hours on Thursday to extinguish the flames that engulfed a farmhouse near Nehawka. Assistant Fire Chief Shane Adams says freezing temperatures, wind and a distant water source hindered rescue crews’ efforts to put out the fire.

Firefighters had to drive tanker trucks to a hydrant located about five miles away because of a limited water supply in Nehawka. He says the cold made it most difficult to fight the flames.

Adams says no one was in the home in the time of the fire. No injuries have been reported.

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — A farm implement plant in Grand Island will be eliminating the jobs of 136 more employees.

CNH Industrial America said in a news release Thursday that the indefinite layoffs result from market conditions and that they will begin in May and be finished by July.

In August the company announced layoffs of 170 full-time company staffers and 68 agency employees, and in May the company said it would cut 200 third-party agency positions.

On Friday CNH North America spokeswoman Kathleen Prause (prows) declined to tell The Associated Press how many workers still would be on the plant payroll after the 136 people are let go. She also would not say whether the plant was still producing combine harvesters and self-propelled windrowers.