RALSTON, Neb. (AP) — Young immigrants who want to learn English are getting help from other students in Ralston who also struggled to learn the language.

17-year-old Perla Anguiano Carrizales enrolled in the English Language Learners program in August 2015.

The Ralston High School student says that a year after she joined, she was getting good grades. She hopes to get a college scholarship and wants to be a nurse, and is also now helping other students with their English.

Perla and three other students volunteer with the program, which has seen a steady increase in participation.

There are usually 13 to 16 students in the district’s beginner class, which is a joint effort with Papillion-La Vista Community Schools. There were 25 students at the end of November.

AURORA, Colo. (AP) — Authorities have confirmed that a body found in an icy pond in suburban Denver is that of a 6-year-old boy who apparently wandered off from his home on New Year’s Eve.

An autopsy performed Wednesday showed David Puckett didn’t suffer any traumatic injuries. But the coroner’s office said additional tests were needed to determine exactly how he died.

Police are also still investigating what led up to his death. They have previously said they don’t suspect foul play.

Dozens of law enforcement officers and volunteers searched for him after his family reported him missing Saturday. The pond in the park near his home wasn’t searched until Tuesday when a dog picked up a scent there.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Police say officers have arrested a man suspected of setting a fire at a Lincoln veterinary center.

Investigators also are checking into whether the man was involved in several other arsons in the north Lincoln neighborhood.

The 43-year-old was arrested Tuesday night on suspicion of arson and burglary at Pet Care Center in the Belmont area. Online court records don’t show that he’s been formally charged yet. No staffers or animals were injured by the pet center fire set Sunday evening.

Authorities say the five other fires under investigation include two at Belmont Baptist Church on Oct. 3 — one early in the morning and another late that night.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Authorities suspect a fire at a veterinary center could be the sixth arson since October in a north Lincoln neighborhood.

The latest fire in the Belmont area occurred at Pet Care Center of Lincoln on Sunday evening. No injuries to staffers or any animals have been reported. Police say a security video shows someone in the building before the fire started. Veterinarian Amy Walton says another fire occurred at the center on Sept. 19. A fire inspector blamed floodlights being too close to a soffit, but Walton is suspicious.

Authorities say the other fires under investigation include two at Belmont Baptist Church on Oct. 3 — one early in the morning and another late that night.

No arrests have been reported. But police did release the above images on Tuesday.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Residents just south of Omaha are concerned that a highway project from Bellevue to Plattsmouth will create long-lasting issues.

The Highway 75 construction involves bridge and pavement work to create a four-lane expressway and realign several roads to provide access to new interchanges.

Residents in neighborhoods south of Omaha have had two entry points from the highway for years. But the intersections will be closed, and a single access road being built to the north will become the only way in and out of the area.

Resident Sarah Hirz says she’s worried about access to the neighborhoods, particularly for first responders and snow removal.

Nebraska Department of Roads spokeswoman Vicki Kramer says the department and Sarpy County will provide emergency access through a locked gate.

AURORA, Colo. (AP) — Police in the Denver suburb of Aurora are searching for a 6-year-old boy who is believed to have wandered away from his home on New Year’s Eve.

The FBI and other law enforcement agencies were helping search for David Puckett on Monday by going door-to-door within 2.5 miles of his home. Bloodhounds are also searching for him.

Police say foul play isn’t suspected, but they’ve asked for help to find David as quickly as possible partly because of coming cold weather.

His mother says he was only wearing a light jacket. On Sunday night, she issued a tearful appeal for people to help find him.

Previous searches aided by a bloodhound and a helicopter didn’t turn up any clues.

Police say David has wandered off before.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — A Nebraska man accused of threatening to stab someone with a syringe that he said held HIV-tainted blood has pleaded guilty to a reduced Iowa robbery charge.

Court records say 35-year-old Jeshua Divis, who lives in Omaha, pleaded guilty Thursday in a Council Bluffs courtroom and was sentenced to time served.

Divis had been convicted of robbery in March 2015. His conviction was overturned and he was granted a new trial after he challenged his conviction. He said some of the evidence against him should not have been allowed at trial and that his attorneys were ineffective.

Prosecutors say Divis told a woman at the Ameristar Casino in Council Bluffs in November 2014 that he’d inject her with the tainted blood if she didn’t hand over her money.

NIOBRARA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a Crofton man has been fatally injured in a Knox County crash.

The accident occurred early Monday morning on Nebraska Highway 12. The Nebraska State Patrol says 55-year-old Kevin Jones was headed east when he lost control of his vehicle. It rolled down an embankment and landed on its top.

The patrol says Jones was pronounced dead on arrival at a hospital in Yankton, South Dakota.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Officials say a specialized water tank and the 8.1 million gallons of water it will hold will help keep some University of Nebraska-Lincoln buildings cooler during peak demand.

The $11.9 million tank is being built north of the landscape services building on the university’s City Campus. It’s expected to go online in spring 2018.

Officials say it will supply chilled water for six to eight hours during the hottest parts of each day and replenish itself overnight and on weekends, when energy demands are lower. Engineers say the goal is to cut down energy bills by an expected $850,000 to $900,000 annually.

The tank will function like a battery, holding the water for use in offsetting electricity costs during peak usage times.