NORDEN, Neb. (AP) — Thousands of acres of north-central Nebraska have been charred by fires that are interfering with canoe and tubing businesses along the scenic Niobrara River.

Firefighters continue to battle the fire Monday.

Access to the Niobrara River has been eliminated downstream of Smith Falls State Park because of the fire, so part of the popular boating area is off limits.

Diane Egelhoff says she and her husband were ordered to leave their Rock Barn Outfitters business on Friday, but they have been back to the site over the weekend to build a fire line and remove their equipment.

Egelhoff says she feels lucky, but she has been praying a lot.

Egelhoff says the fire has approached within a half mile of her family’s land, but hasn’t reached their home or barn.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Omaha police are investigating a fatal shooting, but few details were initially released about the incident.

Police said Sunday that the shooting happened in northeast Omaha around 10 p.m. Saturday.

Officers that responded to the shooting near Florence Boulevard and Sprague Street found a 38-year-old woman with a gunshot wound.

Police say Stephanie Mason-Brown was the victim. She lived at the address where the shooting happened.

Mason-Brown was taken to Creighton University Medical Center in critical condition, and then later died at the hospital.

FALLS CITY, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska mom whose marriage at age 14 generated headlines is trying along with her husband to regain custody of their children.

The 21-year-old Crystal Koso and 29-year-old Matthew Koso were in court last week.

The couple’s three children and one child fathered by another man while Koso was in prison for impregnating Crystal Koso at age 13 have been in state custody since 2010.

The couple drew national attention in 2005 after Crystal Koso became pregnant and they married in Hiawatha, Kan. with her mother’s permission. At the time, such a marriage was allowed with parental consent. The case led Kansas lawmakers to set a minimum marriage age of 15.

Nebraska allows people as young as 17 to marry with parental consent.

COLUMBUS, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Public Power District is asking everyone in the state to try to conserve electricity during the extreme heat forecast for the next several days.

NPPD CEO Pat Pope says the utility is concerned about the added stress on the electrical transmission system, especially in the north-central region.

If residential and business users can reduce their power use during peak times of the morning and evening, Pope says that will help.

If NPPD believes the system will be overloaded by demand, it can interrupt power service for some users. Pope says NPPD used that program last week to reduce the amount of electricity needed.

NPPD provides power to about 1 million retail and wholesale customers in the state.

CHADRON, Neb. (AP) — A new photography exhibit at Chadron State College in Nebraska is offering seldom-seen perspectives on life in Iran.

Administrators at the Mari Sandoz High Plains Heritage Center say the new exhibit will remain on display through Oct. 28. It features 30 works of photography and video by 20 of Iran’s most celebrated photographers.

Sarah Polak, the center’s director, says the exhibit was created to show the humanity behind the political conflicts in the country. She says the images aren’t graphic or explicit, but are different from the displays that the center’s visitors traditionally see.

The Sandoz Center is open to the public from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. It is closed from noon to 1 p.m. each day.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The AARP says Omaha is one of the top 10 places in the country to retire affordably.

AARP The Magazine features a few of the best cheap retirement destinations in its August/September issue.

Omaha made the list because it offers affordable housing, economic stability and a reasonable cost of living. And the magazine says Nebraska’s largest city offers a good mix of quality restaurants and entertainment options.

The other cities on the list are: Eau Claire, Wis.; Gainesville, Fla.; Grand Junction, Colo.; Las Cruces, N.M.; Morgantown, W. Va.; Pittsburgh, Penn.; Roanoke, Va.; San Antonio, Texas; and Spokane, Wash.

BEATRICE, Neb. (AP) — Bruce Vitosh will take over as general manager and chief executive officer of Norris Public Power District on Sept. 1.

He’s replacing Jay Schulz, who has been interim general manager since Kevin Pollard’s retirement in February.

The Beatrice-based district says that before Vitosh was hired in 2008, he worked for Deloitte & Touche in Lincoln as a senior auditor and for American MicroTrace and Neapco Components.

The Norris Public Power District serves more than 18,000 customers in Gage, Jefferson, Lancaster, Saline and Thayer counties in southeast Nebraska.