With many Western states in severe drought and vying for their share of a diminishing amount of water, Nebraska is taking a new tact by trying to divert water from a river it shares with Colorado. The Nebraska Legislature this week approved construction of a $53 million canal in Colorado that would solidify its share of water from the South Platte River that flows through both states.

Some Americans have been stealing toilet paper from Interstate 80 rest stops in Nebraska because of shortages in stores across the U.S. Citing the thefts, the state's Department of Transportation said it will be closing down some rest spots along I-80 when they have no attendant present, according to the Lincoln Journal Star.

Addy Tritt went into her local Payless shoe store in Hays, Kansas, and bought out the store. Then, the 25-year-old donated the shoes. The recent graduate of Kansas' Fort Hays State noticed Payless was going out of business and offered to buy the shoes it had left. Tritt said she spent two hours on the phone with the corporate office and was able to negotiate a deal, paying only $100 for 204 pair of shoes valued at around $6,000.

Call it an act of God — or don't — that a Tuesday snowstorm kept would-be testifiers on a bill requiring "In God We Trust" from filling up the Legislature's Education Committee hearing room. In a marathon 2 1/2-hour hearing, all but two of the dozen people who testified on the first day of committee work called Sen. Steve Erdman's bill (LB73) a naked attempt to inject religion into Nebraska's public school system.

A school principal has been placed on leave after banning certain Christmas decorations, including candy canes because they're shaped like the letter 'J," which stands for Jesus. The principal also banned anything red or green in classrooms because they're the colors of Christmas.

The Federal Communications Commission's repeal of net neutrality rules has received support from the Republican attorneys general of Texas, Arkansas, and Nebraska. The three states filed a brief Friday in the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, urging judges to reject a lawsuit filed against the FCC by 22 other states. The action highlights a partisan split among state attorneys general: states with Democratic attorneys general are fighting to save net neutrality while states with Republican attorneys general are either fighting against net neutrality or standing on the sidelines.

The Nebraska Humane Society said staff had never seen anything like this until KETV NewsWatch 7 showed them the video. Now, there’s a ‘cat chase’ for updates on the feline or someone who may know what happened. “My daughter says, ‘There's a cat on that van,’ and I was like, ‘Oh no, that's a raccoon,'” recalled Ronda Rankin. “When my husband pulls up closer, I'm like, ‘Oh my God, no, that's a cat.’”

Attorneys for a Nebraska death row inmate whose case inspired the 1999 movie “Boys Don’t Cry” say he should be ruled ineligible for execution because he has the intellect of a young child. John Lotter was sentenced to death for his role in the 1993 killings of Brandon Teena, a 21-year-old transgender man, and two witnesses, Lisa Lambert and Philip DeVine, at a rural farmhouse in Humboldt, about 75 miles south of Omaha. Lotter has spent the last 22 years on death row.

As friends and family in Nebraska mourn the death of Sydney Loofe, residents of an Iowa farm town are mystified that a one-time star athlete from there is involved in the tragic and bizarre case. Bailey Boswell, 23, is one of two “persons of interest” being held for questioning in the death of Loofe, who disappeared after going on a date with Boswell on Nov. 15. The date was arranged through the online dating service Tinder.

The details are starting to emerge from a September night when prosecutors say several men took turns raping a woman at a Bellevue house party. One of three men charged with sexually assaulting the woman faced a judge Friday. "This is like my first time hearing this," said neighbor Chaunicy Roddy who lives just feet away from where the reported house party took place. "You don't know like…you could be at that party one time or something and that could happen."

Pipeline plan clears last major regulatory hurdle after vote in Nebraska, but legal challenges and protest likely to follow

About 135 people spoke during the 10-hour meeting, but the overall turnout was lower than expected. Commission staff estimated 270 people took seats in a hall set up with 500 chairs. By Joe Duggan.