A garage in North Platte was completely destroyed in a Monday afternoon fire, and three people were transported to the hospital.

The North Platte Fire Department responded to the fire at 2001 East 2nd Steet just after 4:00 p.m.

Officials say three people were working in the detached garage when some gasoline spilled and was ignited by a propane heater.

The fire then spread to a home next to the garage.

The three people who were in the garage when the blaze started were transported to Great Plains Health with non-life threatening injuries.  Their conditions are unknown.

The garage and several vehicles were completely destroyed in the blaze and the house sustained significant damage.

The fire was completely under control by 4:35 p.m.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The latest U.S. Supreme Court ruling banning life sentences without the possibility of parole for juveniles is likely to have a limited effect in Nebraska.

That’s because the state Supreme Court had already ruled that a similar 2012 ruling on juvenile sentences should apply retroactively.

Jeff Pickens, who leads the Nebraska Commission on Public Advocacy, said Monday that most of the roughly 25 individuals in the state who would qualify have had their sentences reviewed.

The commission defends indigent people accused of capital crimes and serious violent offenses statewide.

The Nebraska legislature already changed laws to create a sentence of between 40 years and life for juveniles convicted of first-degree murder.

The Nebraska Attorney General’s office didn’t immediately respond to questions about Monday’s ruling.

The number of U.S. children victimized by abuse and neglect increased by nearly 3 percent in the latest annual reporting period, according to new federal data.

According to the report released Monday by the Department of Health and Human Services, the estimated number of victimized children in the 2014 fiscal year was 702,208 — up from 682,307 in 2013.

The report estimated fatalities attributable to child abuse and neglect at 1,580 — up from 1,530 in 2013.

HHS said Rafael Lopez, commissioner of the Administration on Children, Youth and Families, had sought input from child welfare officials in states with the increases in reported abuse and neglect. According to Lopez, the officials cited substance abuse, mental health issues and domestic violence as factors contributing to the increased maltreatment.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Officials say University of Nebraska-Lincoln researchers will lead a $6.5 million study of policies and practices of early childhood education.

They will study how education policies differ in rural and urban areas for children in pre-kindergarten through third grade to learn how educators can close the achievement gap for at-risk students.

The university researchers will focus on education in rural areas, with 10 rural and two urban school districts slated to participate in the project.

Other researchers involved will include some at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; the University of California, Irvine; Ohio State University; the University of Virginia; and MDRC, a policy research center.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska agencies are seeking people for respite care training.

The Munroe-Meyer Institute at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and the Nebraska Health and Human Services Department says people must be 14 or older to attend the eight-hour training sessions.

Respite care can be as simple as spending time with family members, helping with medical care or going shopping.

To become a respite provider, to find out if you qualify for services or to find a respite caregiver in your area, call 1-866-RESPITE or go to https: nrrs.ne.gov/respitesearch.

SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say an 18-year-old Nebraska Panhandle student has died of crash injuries at a hospital in Scottsbluff.

The accident occurred Jan. 17 at a rural intersection about 12 miles southwest of Alliance in Box Butte County. Sheriff Tammy Mowry says a vehicle carrying Duncan Cain and two other Alliance High School students went out of control and rolled, injuring all three — Cain most severely. He was flown to a hospital in Scottsbluff. Box Butte County Attorney Charlotte Hood says Cain died there of his injuries.

The accident is being investigated.

The North Platte Public Schools Foundation has announced that its Executive Director, Heather Halligan, will resign effective next month.

In a news release, the NPPSF announced that Halligan’s resignation will be effective February 15, 2016.

“The past years have been very rewarding and I’m proud to have been a small part of a successful School District dedicated to providing excellence to our students,” Halligan said.

According to the Foundation Board, the search for Halligan’s replacement will begin immediately, and applications are being accepted for the position.  The application period will close at the end of February.

Halligan says she will stay on board to assist with the transition, once a new Executive Director is hired.

Halligan has served as the NPPSF Executive Director since December of 2013.

BIG SPRINGS, Neb. (AP) — A western Nebraska sheriff’s deputy who was shot four times in December by a suspect continues to recover.

Mike Hutchinson’s son, Zachariah, says that his father is off of dialysis and antibiotics, and he is walking on his own.

The Deuel County deputy was wounded Dec. 3 while trying to arrest a suspect in Big Springs.

Authorities said the suspect came out of his home and shot Hutchinson before he ever fired his weapon. Another deputy returned fire and killed 66-year-old Neil Stretesky.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Despite interest from communities across the state and reliable sunrays during peak summer months, Nebraska has shied away from solar power.

A bill proposed in the Nebraska Legislature could make it easier for communities to begin generating their own renewable energy.

The measure by Malcom Sen. Ken Haar suggests the Legislature give $4 million of this year’s general funds for grants of up to $150,000 each to jumpstart cities’ solar projects.

Haar said traditional energy sources like oil and gas receive subsidies and it makes sense to help along renewable energy the same way.

Matt Litt, Nebraska state director of Americans For Prosperity, says the group opposes the bill, saying such government aid amounts to the government picking winners and losers.