HASTINGS, Neb. (AP) — A 75-year-old Hastings woman has pleaded not guilty to motor vehicle homicide in the September death of a woman who was hit in a city crosswalk.

Marylin Gish filed a written plea of not guilty earlier this week in Adams County Court. The plea was accepted by the court Thursday, and a pretrial hearing has been set for Feb. 21.

If convicted of the misdemeanor county, Gish faces up to a year in jail.

Police say Gish was driving a pickup that turned onto the street 72-year-old Joyce Schiffler was crossing when Schiffler was hit Sept. 7. Gish told police she didn’t see Schiffler, who was flown to a Lincoln hospital, where she died.

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LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The CEO of a company that wants to mine rare metals in southeast Nebraska has told shareholders he remains hopeful the company can start construction before the end of 2017.

NioCorp Development CEO Mark Smith made the statements Friday at the company’s annual shareholder meeting in Denver.

NioCorp wants to build a mine and processing facilities on land near Elk Creek to extract and process niobium, scandium and titanium — rare metals used in a host of manufacturing and other industries. Elk Creek is about 70 miles southeast of Lincoln.

The company has estimated the mine would produce pre-tax cash flow of $438 million a year, employ 300 people and have a lifespan of more than 30 years.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Children’s Hospital and Medical Center has broken ground on a $450 million, 10-story clinical facility in the heart of Omaha.

Officials broke ground Thursday on the front lawn of the existing hospital at 82nd Street and West Dodge Road — one of the city’s busiest intersections.

The new Hubbard Center for Children — named for the lead gift donated by the Theodore F. and Claire M. Hubbard Family Foundation — will add about 500,000 square feet to the hospital. The current hospital measures 225,000 square feet, not counting attached specialty clinics.

The center will include more than 70 inpatient beds, with space for more as needed. Construction is expected to start in the spring and be completed in early 2021.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A 29-year-old Omaha man has been charged with a felony count after prosecutors say he drove to Lincoln to have sex with someone he thought was a 14-year-old girl.

Jonathan Lemon has been charged with enticement by electronic communication device. He appeared in court Thursday and was released from jail on $5,000 bond.

Officials say that on Nov. 22, an undercover Nebraska State Patrol investigator responded to a Craigslist posting by a man seeking to have sex with a virgin. Officials say the investigator pretended to be a 14-year-old girl and arranged to meet Lemon in Lincoln. He was arrested Tuesday when he arrived for the meeting.

Lemon could not be reached Friday at a home number listed for him.