(AP) - Lincoln County authorities have released the name of a 15-year-old boy who drowned in a lake west of North Platte. The boy was identified as Cody Murphy, of North Platte. The Lincoln County Sh. . .

(AP) - A poll of rural Nebraskans suggests that agriculture is still key to their economic well-being. The 2010 Nebraska Rural Poll was conducted in March and April by the Center for Applied Rural Innovation . . .

(AP) - Nebraskans who wonder about nitrates in their well water are being invited to have it tested free at Husker Harvest Days in Grand Island. A cup of the water is needed for the testing in the Natural . . .

(AP) - Nebraskans who receive economic assistance soon will be able to go online to check the status of their cases and get details about the amount of money they're eligible to receive. A news release fr. . .

(AP) - Three Nebraska meatpackers are headed to trials over how they pay their workers. In separate lawsuits filed in U.S. District Court, Nebraska Beef Ltd. in Omaha, Greater Omaha Packing Co. and the Tyson . . .

(AP) - The state of Nebraska has settled a lawsuit that accused workers at the Beatrice State Developmental Center of waiting five days to report an accident in which the legs of a resident were broken in a fall. . . .

(AP) - Two men on Nebraska's death row for their roles in the 2002 Norfolk bank slayings say prison officials denied them rights guaranteed under a 24-year-old agreement. Eric Vela and Jorge Galindo say in co. . .

(AP) - A Hastings man has been given 6 1/2-to-14 years in prison for assaulting his estranged wife. After a deal with prosecutors, 40-year-old Alan Good had pleaded no contest to several charges. Prosecutors . . .

(AP) - A Nebraska prison inmate who apparently is too ill or injured to pose a threat to anyone soon will be placed on parole. Charles Talley is scheduled to leave prison control on Wednesday, having serv. . .

(AP) - Kite enthusiasts from 14 countries and more than 25 states turned out in central Nebraska this weekend to participate in the 20th anniversary of the Callaway Kite Flight. American Kitefliers Associatio. . .

(AP) - Authorities in Lincoln have released the name of a dead baby who was found with his head in a toilet. The Lancaster County Sheriff's Office on Sunday identified the baby as 10-month-old Chase Lauenroth. . .

(AP) - Three Nebraska programs will receive more than $250,000 in federal grants to boost the economy in rural areas and help support nearly 100 jobs. The USDA Rural Development grants are going to the Cente. . .

(AP) - An insurance company's study shows that Lincoln is one of the safest U.S. cities for drivers. Researchers with Allstate Insurance Co. analyzed two years of internal crash data to calculate the chance t. . .

(AP) - Seven Nebraska businesses will receive a combination of grants and low-interest loans to help them pay for upgrades to more efficient equipment. The USDA rural development grants and loans awarded in N. . .

(AP) - Nearly a dozen states have filed a legal brief in support of Arizona's controversial immigration law. A"friend of the court" brief filed with the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals o. . .

(AP) - Federal education officials say Nebraska will soon receive nearly $59 million that should help protect jobs next school year. U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said Friday that Nebraska was one . . .

(AP) - A Lexington man has pleaded no contest to assault for shooting his roommate and then holding police at bay for four hours. The Lexington Clipper-Herald reported that Daryl Eskridge entered his plea. . .

(NRG)- Sales tax receipts for Kearney continued to buck state and national trends with June numbers this year well above last year's for June. In the monthly City Manager's report, receipts for June of 2010 were just under $8. . .

(NRG)- Federal disaster assistance is being made available to eight additional Nebraska counties that suffered damages during the severe storms, flooding and tornadoes June 1 through August 29, the Federal Emergency Manageme. . .

(NRG)- Fall enrollment at the University of Nebraska at Kearney is 6,753, the highest since 1999 and a 1.5 percent increase over last year's totals. This marks the seventh consecutive year of growth in fall enrollment on the . . .

(AP) - A new nationwide report estimates Nebraska is home to 45,000 illegal immigrants. The data released this week by the Pew Hispanic Center says illegal immigrants accounted for 2.6 percent of the state's . . .

(AP) - A former Nebraska police officer have been given 30-to-60 years in prison for having sex with an underage girl. Larry Williams was sentenced Friday in Buffalo County District Court for first-degree. . .

(AP) - Former Democratic candidate for governor Mark Lakers has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of abusing public records. The plea entered Friday in Lancaster County Court was part of an agreemen. . .

(AP) - Prosecutors have dropped one of two charges filed against a 19-year-old Kearney County woman in the December death of 4-year-old Landon Payne. Kearney County prosecutor Bryan McQuay dropped the cha. . .

(AP) - Nebraska State Auditor Mike Foley is clashing with a state agency that doesn't want to release health care records of about 30,000 state employees and their family members. Director of Administrati. . .