LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A U.S. Small Business Administration representative says Nebraska small business owners who feel daunted by international markets have thousands of dollars in federal money available to help them.

Regional administrator Patricia Brown-Dixon awarded the state $300,570 in grant money at a ceremony Monday to aid the state’s small businesses in expanding foreign exports.

The money is part of the federal State Trade and Export Program, which Gov. Pete Ricketts says has been used by 62 Nebraska businesses and created over $30 million in exports in the past three years. Brown-Dixon says companies that export are less likely to fail.

Representatives from previous grant recipients say the money has been instrumental in establishing international relationships and translating marketing materials.

A North Platte man has been charged with a felony after he allegedly assaulted a woman in late February.

On February 25, an officer responded to the 2200 block of East 5th Street on the report of an assault.

The woman told the officer that Norman Koch had thrown a 5-gallon bucket at her, causing injury.

Police say Koch and the victim were in a dating relationship.

When the officer arrived, Koch had already left the scene.

On March 4, at around 11:01 p.m., an officer contacted Koch in the McDonald’s parking lot, 1313 South Dewey Street, and took him into custody.

He was jailed and the Lincoln County Detention Center and charged with felony 2nd-degree domestic assault.

LUTHER, Okla. (AP) — A grass fire started by a vehicle accident has spread into woods northeast of Oklahoma City, while shifting winds are making it difficult to fight.

While the fire remains small Monday — only 35 acres — Oklahoma Forestry Services have dispatched bulldozer crews and water-carrying airplanes to keep it from nearby homes.

The Storm Prediction Center warns the fire danger across the High Plains is critical, particularly for Monday afternoon. The area from southwestern Texas to southwestern Nebraska is expecting winds of 20-25 mph, with gusts, and humidity as low as 8 percent. The region has had very little rain or snow in the past month.

A fire near Bartlesville, Oklahoma, has burned 11 ½ square miles, and KOTV in Tulsa showed video of wild horses escaping the flames Monday.

GOTHENBURG, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a 53-year-old driver has been killed in a one-vehicle crash on Interstate 80 in Dawson County.

The Nebraska State Patrol says the accident occurred around 11:20 a.m. Saturday about five miles east of Gothenburg. The vehicle was headed east when it went out of control and rolled, ejecting the driver.

The driver was identified as Jeanette Murrain, of Gothenburg.

CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) — The average price of gasoline has jumped by 7 cents over the past two weeks, to $1.84 a gallon.

Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg said Sunday that despite the increase, the price is 70 cents per gallon cheaper than a year ago.

Lundberg says the moderate price hike is due to growing demand for gasoline across the nation and higher crude oil prices.

In the Lower 48 states, the highest average price of regular gasoline was $2.51 per gallon in Los Angeles. The lowest was $1.33 in Tucson, Arizona.

The U.S. average diesel price is $2.07 per gallon, down less than a cent from two weeks ago and down 96 cents per gallon from what it was a year ago.