Associated Press

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Union Pacific plans to borrow some ideas from other major freight railroads as it works to improve its own operations.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Omaha Public Power District ratepayers could see up to $200 million in savings if the utility's board adopts a new, more aggressive approach to decommissioning a nuclear station.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Health officials say more cases of the West Nile virus are being found in Nebraska this year, especially on the eastern end of the state.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska lawmakers are hunting for new revenue sources to pay for a small-town revitalization program that restores historic buildings, recruits new business and promotes communities, but recent state budget cuts could pose a major challenge.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Sen. Ben Sasse (sas) says he sees himself as an "independent conservative who happens to caucus with the Republicans."

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Democratic presidential prospect Cory Booker is planning to headline a state Democratic banquet in Iowa next month, raising the New Jersey senator's profile on the heels of his spotlight role in Supreme Court confirmation hearings.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa is challenging city ordinances that prevent homeless people from asking for money in public places saying the local laws are unconstitutional.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Federal Communications Commission says nearly 9,000 rural Nebraska homes and businesses will be getting access to high-speed internet for the first time.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska judge has dismissed a lawsuit that sought to keep a Medicaid expansion measure from appearing on the November general election ballot.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Republican governors of Nevada, New Mexico and Kentucky and Nebraska's GOP lieutenant governor are wrapping up a brief trip to Tokyo to meet with their Japanese counterparts.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A Native American tribe is still planning to open a casino on the Iowa-Nebraska border despite a pending legal challenge from both states.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Gov. Pete Ricketts says a trade deal between the United States and Mexico is critical to Nebraska's economy, particularly in agriculture.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A new website makes it easier for birders to learn about Nebraska's birds.

SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. (AP) — A group of Nebraska residents is proposing a $45 million aquatics and events center in Scottsbluff.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska lawmakers are looking for new ways to fight a fast-spreading tree species that crowds out other plants, destroys valuable ranchland and threatens the Great Plains from Texas to the Dakotas.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A coalition of Nebraska state education groups is pledging to lead efforts to ensure that all students are welcomed and treated with respect in the wake of racially charged incidents at school sporting events.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — University of Nebraska-Lincoln officials say Delta Tau Delta fraternity is being investigated following a hazing complaint.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — State officials say an insect that's killed millions of ash trees in the U.S. has been found further west into Nebraska.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska is in line to get a $36.2 million refund from the federal government as part of a lawsuit that said a fee on the state's Medicaid program was unconstitutional.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Omaha World-Herald is eliminating 23 positions from its staff, including 10 employees who were laid off.

NEBRASKA CITY, Neb. (AP) — Officials have closed a state recreational area along the Missouri River in southeastern Nebraska because of flooding.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Officials have announced a $6.5 million statewide commitment to improve stroke response and care in Nebraska.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha-based company has agreed to pay a $500,000 fine levied by federal regulators citing spill protection violations at production facilities in Iowa, Nebraska and Minnesota.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful Jane Raybould has released a new statewide television ad highlighting her work in her family's grocery store chain.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Two groups will study how the University of Nebraska-Lincoln got on a national group's censure list and research ways the university could be removed from it.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The water levels will be lowered at two Nebraska state parks as part of projects to improve the areas.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Parts of Missouri are so dry that corn crops are suffering and hay for cattle is in short supply, as water becomes increasingly scarce.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The economy is expected to continue growing slowly in rural parts of 10 Plains and Western states, but the ongoing trade disputes remain a concern.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A proposal for a giant chicken farm has been advanced by the Lincoln-Lancaster County Planning Commission.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Groups that want to legalize casinos at Nebraska horse racing tracks are teaming up for another effort.