HAYES CENTER, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska school superintendent is crediting a driver for evacuating seven students from his bus before it erupted in flames.

Hayes Center Superintendent Tony Primavera says the bus was between rural stops Monday afternoon when the driver smelled what he thought was burning wires. He stopped the bus and got the students off, noticing smoke coming from a control panel to the left of the steering wheel.

Primavera says the driver tried to employ an extinguisher, but the smoke overwhelmed him and the fire broke out. It left only charred wreckage.

The superintendent says no one was injured. Primavera also said Wednesday the driver preferred that his name not be released.

Hayes Center is a village of about 200 residents in southwest Nebraska’s Hayes County.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A Roman Catholic university in Omaha will no longer require most first-year applicants to submit results from the ACT or SAT tests beginning in 2020, in an effort officials hope will improve diversity.

Creighton University announced the test-optional initiative on Tuesday, The Omaha World-Herald reported.

The idea came from discussions among university leaders about enrollment, diversity and inclusion, said Rev. Daniel Hendrickson, the private university’s president.

Some education officials believe standardized testing has inherent biases that hinder students who don’t have access to resources and support, and that tests don’t necessarily predict a student’s success. Some students believe the tests don’t accurately reflect their skills.

“I want us to provide greater access for less advantaged candidates,” Hendrickson said.

For those who don’t submit their scores, the university will review the student’s official high school transcript, personal statement and evaluation from a high school counselor. Students can also submit a resume and a letter of recommendation from a mentor, such as a teacher, coach or counselor.

Applicants required to submit their scores include home-schooled students, direct-entry nursing applicants, students who will play NCAA sports and students who attended high school outside the U.S.

Students who want to include their scores in their applications, regardless of requirements, will still be allowed to do so.

The university will continue to gather test results after students are admitted to monitor how the policy is working.

Other schools have adopted similar optional testing application systems, including the University of Chicago, DePaul University, Arizona State University and the University of Arizona, Hendrickson said.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Gov. Pete Ricketts has appointed a state employee as the next executive director of the Nebraska Crime Commission.

Don Arp Jr. will fill the role vacated by Darrell Fisher, who retired as the commission’s director after 33 years with the state. Ricketts announced the appointment Wednesday in a news release.

Arp has led “operational excellence initiatives” for the state since 2016, first for the Center of Operational Excellence and then for the state’s Division of Children and Family Services. He also worked with the crime commission, the Nebraska State Patrol crime lab and other state agencies to help them improve their performance.

Arp will start in his new job on Feb. 18. He will earn $95,000 a year.

SIDNEY, Neb. (AP) — A new online retailer of outdoors gear has opened for business, owned and operated by former Cabela’s employees.

Highby Outdoors launched its website Monday and is based in Sidney, the home of Cabela’s before being purchased by Bass Pro Shops in a $4 billion deal finalized in September 2017.

Highby Outdoors is owned by former Cabela’s employees Matt and Molly Highby, and he says all of the company’s employees formerly worked for Cabela’s. The new company will sell online only for now but hopes to later add retail locations and catalog operations.

Springfield, Missouri-based Bass Pro Shops had sued the two Highbys, alleging their plans for Highby Outdoors violated noncompete agreements. Bass Pro lost its bid for an injunction to stop the Highby Outdoors launch.

A North Platte man is facing charges after police found him passed out behind the wheel, parked in someone else’s front yard.

At around 4:31 a.m., on Wednesday, an officer on patrol in the 1600 block of West Philip Avenue, observed a vehicle that appeared to have driven off the roadway and had struck a vehicle parked in a driveway.

The officer approached the vehicle and found the 36-year-old male driver unconscious with the car still running.

After attempts to wake the driver up failed, the officer gained entry to the vehicle through the sliding glass window in the back of the vehicle and was able to wake the man.

The officer reported that when the man awoke, he grabbed the wheel, thinking he was still driving. The man was said to be stumbling, slurring his speech and had bloodshot eyes. He also had a baggie containing Ambien and Xanax.

When the officer attempted to administer field sobriety tests, the man refused but submitted to a portable breath test for alcohol, which was negative.

At this time, police say the man began making suicidal statements and it was learned that he had intentionally overdosed on prescription drugs and he stated to police that he planned to drive around until he killed himself.

The man was immediately placed in emergency protective custody and transported to Great Plains Health for observation.

Officer Beth Kerr said he was cited for driving under the influence of drugs, driving under revocation and refusal to submit to a chemical test.

The damage to the vehicles was estimated to be around $1,000. Officer Kerr says the man is a North Platte resident but is currently homeless.

The Post is not releasing the man’s name because of his threats to commit suicide.

CHAPPELL, Neb. (AP) — A murder charge has been filed against a woman accused of stabbing a man outside a mobile home in the Nebraska Panhandle.

Deuel County District Court records say 49-year-old Susan Glenn was charged Friday with first-degree murder and a weapons crime. A woman who answered the phone Tuesday at her attorney’s office said there would be no comment from the attorney. Glenn’s next court hearing is scheduled for Feb. 21.

Glenn had been charged with assault and use of a weapon.

The court records say a witness who’d been standing outside the home talking to Robert Mick on Jan. 13 in Chappell was on the phone with 911 dispatchers when Glenn came out of the residence, stabbed Mick and fled in her car. He died four days later.

The records say she’s acknowledged to investigators that she stabbed Mick.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Backers of an effort to legalize medical marijuana in Nebraska have filed formal paperwork for a statewide ballot campaign.

Nebraskans for Sensible Marijuana Laws submitted their proposed constitutional amendment Tuesday to the Nebraska Secretary of State’s office.

State Sens. Anna Wishart and Adam Morfeld, of Lincoln, are co-chairing the effort to place the issue on the 2020 ballot.

Wishart has introduced a bill that would allow lawmakers to legalize the drug for medicinal purposes, but it faces stiff opposition from state and local law enforcement, Gov. Pete Ricketts and prominent Nebraskans including former Husker football coach Tom Osborne.

Legalization supporters have said they will pursue the ballot campaign if lawmakers don’t pass a measure this year.