(AP) — Two eastern Nebraska men have been named to fill the two openings on the State Board of Education.

The office of Gov. Dave Heineman said Tuesday that he’d selected Glen Flint, of Springfield, to represent District 2 and John Witzel, of Papillion (puh-PIHL’-yuhn), to represent District 4.

The 57-year-old Flint is a computer programmer at Northrup Grumman. He’s replacing Mark Quandahl, who resigned in late January.

The 62-year-old Witzel is on the board of Educational Service Unit No. 3 and is a U.S. Air Force retiree. He replaces Rebecca Valdez, who resigned in February.

Their terms run through 2016.

(AP) — The Nebraska Court of Appeals has upheld a lower court’s ruling favoring Thayer County in a lawsuit that had sought damages for a fire the plaintiffs say was caused by county officials.

Cecil Hayes, Robert Hayes and Harold Hayes — all owners of property damaged in a March 2009 fire — sued the county in 2011, saying the fire was the result of high winds re-igniting a February controlled burn conducted by county officials.

A Thayer County District Court judge later threw out the lawsuit because it was filed after the two-year statute of limitations. The Hayeses sought a new trial, saying the statute of limitations shouldn’t be used because the county led them to believe the claim would be settled, causing them to postpone filing a lawsuit.

(AP) — A Gretna woman already serving time for tax evasion has been sentenced to more prison.

Caroline Richardson was sentenced Tuesday in Douglas County District Court to 14 to 20 years for unlawful taking. She will be eligible for parole after she serves nearly nine years.

Richardson pleaded guilty earlier this month in connection to the theft of more than $4 million from her former employer, Omaha-based Colombo Candy and Tobacco.

Richardson is currently serving time on tax evasion charges related to the embezzlement. Her sentence Tuesday will run partially consecutive to her first sentence.

(AP) — Authorities in Lincoln are investigating a shooting that riddled a house with more than a dozen bullets.

Lincoln police say the shooting occurred Monday night outside a house on the city’s north side. Several people were inside the house at the time, but no injuries were reported.

The bullets pierced walls inside the house and hit furniture. It also damaged a patio door.

Home resident Henry Bush said he and his family were settling down for the night after a party when the gunfire broke out. Police say they found a dozen shell casings in the alley behind the house.

(AP) — Two former Omaha Tribe of Nebraska officials have pleaded not guilty to theft of tribal funds.

53-year-old Amen Sheridan and 53-year-old Julia Whiteskunk entered their pleas on Monday in U.S. District Court in Omaha. Both are from Walthill. They were indicted in last month on two counts each.

Court documents say the two illegally used $4,000 in tribal housing authority funds as a down payment for a house they bought together in 2009. They also are accused of moving more than $50,000 in restricted housing funds into a tribal account, then issuing a $30,000 check from the account to Sheridan.

Sheridan is a former tribal chairman. Whiteskunk was the executive director of the tribal housing authority.

(AP) — University of Nebraska-Lincoln may cut its pool of money for raises next budget year to help cover a projected shortfall of $4.65 million.

Chancellor Harvey Perlman on Monday released a list of proposed cuts that total about 1 percent of the university budget. Included was $3.2 million from the salary pool, which represents 1 percentage point of what was expected to be a 3 percent increase.

The proposed cuts will go before the Academic Planning Committee for review by faculty members, staff, students and other campus groups.

(AP) — Major water users and regulators in Nebraska would have to come together to develop a water-management plan for each of the state’s river basins, under a proposal in the Legislature.

The bill by Sen. Steve Lathrop would require local and state approval of the plans, which would include input from both surface- and groundwater users. If the goals outlined in the plans aren’t met in 30 years, the Department of Natural Resources would take over basin management.

Lathrop will present his measure to a legislative committee on Tuesday.

Dean Edson, executive director of the Nebraska Association of Resources Districts, says the proposed requirements aren’t feasible because the state doesn’t have enough water to protect the rights of all surface-water users.

(AP) — A group of faith leaders is calling on lawmakers to pass the Wellness in Nebraska Act, which would allow more low-income residents to qualify for Medicaid or subsidized private health insurance.

More than 110 faith groups signed a letter in support of the bill, which lawmakers are expected to debate on Tuesday.

The bill would help an estimated 54,000 Nebraskans enroll in health insurance by mid-2015. Many residents who would qualify have fallen into the so-called “coverage gap,” because their incomes are too high to qualify for Medicaid but too low to qualify for private subsidies through the federal health insurance marketplace.

Gov. Dave Heineman argued his weekly newspaper column that state Medicaid expenses would grow rapidly under the bill and pull money away from other priorities, such as education.

Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol arrested seven people for Driving Under the Influence during high visibility patrols in conjunction with basketball tournaments held across the state, March 13-15.

In addition to the seven people arrested for Driving Under the Influence (DUI), troopers issued 12 Open Container, three Minor in Possession and 70 speeding citations. Motorist assistance was provided to 25 travelers.

Troopers focused on high traffic areas during the special enforcement in an effort to reduce serious injury and fatality crashes, thanks in part to an $11,990 grant from the Nebraska Office of Highway Safety (NOHS).

The following statistics are a reflection of statewide activity by the Nebraska State Patrol during the special enforcement effort.