OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Omaha Police say a couple that was found dead in their home last week died from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Mark and Phyllis Duranski were found Friday after 73-year-old Phyllis Duranski failed to meet friends at a concert.

Officers found 63-year-old Mark Duranski dead in the master bedroom upstairs. Phyllis Duranski was found dead in an upstairs bathroom.

Investigators determined that the couple left a car running in the attached garage, and that was the source of the carbon monoxide. The car ran out of gas in the garage.

GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (AP) — Firefighters working on steep hillsides are chopping down trees and searching for hotspots as they battle a wildfire that’s blocking an entrance to Yellowstone National Park.

Wildfire managers say their top priority is clearing a highway in the area and protecting campgrounds, buildings and archaeological sites. They’re also making sure there are no flare-ups or falling trees that could cause injuries or death.

Strong winds blew down several trees Saturday, blocking some roads. Travelers have been warned to be cautious on area roads that are still open around the park.

The fire that began last month is blocking Yellowstone’s south entrance near Jackson, Wyoming. The park also has entrance stations in Montana and near Cody, Wyoming.

Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks and Bridger Teton National Forest all have area closures in effect, but both national parks are open to visitors.

SOUTH SIOUX CITY, Neb. (AP) — South Sioux City officials have given final approval to the sale of a seven-acre tract that will become the future site of a $3.75 million renewable fuels power plant.

The proposed 3-megawatt plant will be built by Kentucky-based Green Star Energy Group and bring 15 jobs to the northeast Nebraska community. The plant will run on wood waste and is projected to provide about 8 percent of the city’s electricity.

Green Star is purchasing the site for the plant, located in South Sioux City’s Roth Industrial Development Park, from South Sioux City’s Community Development Agency for $140,000.

City Administrator Lance Hedquist says construction will likely begin next spring and is slated to be complete by July 1, 2018.

BELLEVUE, Neb. (AP) — Health officials in eastern Nebraska have confirmed this year’s first case of rabies in Sarpy and Cass counties.

The Sarpy/Cass Health Department announced Friday that a bat found in Bellevue, south of Omaha, was infected with rabies.

Rabies is a viral disease transmitted through the bite or scratch of an infected animal that affects people. It is almost always fatal if not treated before symptoms appear.

Symptoms in animals include general sickness, swallowing problems and excessive drooling, slow and unusual movement, no apparent fear of humans and aggression.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Seven people have applied to fill a southeastern Nebraska district judgeship left vacant earlier this year when Judge Jeffrey Funke was appointed to the state Supreme Court.

Those applying for the 2nd Judicial District bench include Julie Bear and Nathan Cox, both of Plattsmouth; Jennifer Huxoll, of Palmyra; David Partsch, of Nebraska City; Paul Payne, of Dodge; Michael Smith, of Springfield; and Margaret Zarbano, of Omaha.

The district consists of Cass, Otoe, and Sarpy counties. The primary place of office is Plattsmouth.

The Judicial Nominating Commission will hold a public hearing at the Cass County Courthouse on Sept. 15, when it will review all the applicants.

NIOBRARA, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has planned several events at Niobrara State Park in northeast Nebraska next month.

On Friday the National Park Service will present a program about the Missouri National Recreational River and its history as a park.

The next day there will be a bison cookout and a program of stories and songs about the Plains pioneers.

On Sept. 4 there will be a naturalist program on sidewalk chalk art and interactive activities for children at an educational trailer.

Organizers have scheduled the Night Owl 5K Run/Walk for Sept. 10. The race begins at 8 p.m. Registration is $25. Register by calling 402-857-3373.

The park sits west of Niobrara in Knox County. A park entry permit is required.

Call 402-857-3373 for more information.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP)€”–Police have identified a woman killed this week in a two-vehicle crash in Lincoln.

Police say 82-year-old Donna Thoman, of Lincoln, died in the 8:15 a.m. Thursday crash at the intersection of West O and NW 40th streets near the Lancaster County Jail.

Officials say Thoman’s car and a truck collided at the intersection. Police say Thoman died at the scene.

The driver of the truck was taken to a hospital with injured not believed to be life-threatening.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Supreme Court has, for the first time, ruled that a city may challenge the annexation of land outside its borders if the move infringes on the city’s future growth.

The ruling Friday comes in a lawsuit the city of Springfield filed against the neighboring city of Papillion, which last year annexed an area to its west. Springfield sued, arguing that some of that land had been designated in 1995 as an area of future grown for Springfield.

A Sarpy County District judge dismissed the lawsuit, finding that Springfield didn’t have standing to bring the suit.

But the high court says Springfield can continue with its lawsuit because a 1994 state law allows municipalities to identify land as part of their future growth, giving Springfield standing in the case.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Supreme Court has upheld the conviction of a man for a 2012 drive-by shooting that killed a 16-year-old Omaha girl.

Tracy Parnell was convicted in April 2015 for the shooting that killed Eriana Carr and injured Nakia Johnson. Parnell was sentenced to life in prison for the murder count and up to 170 years for attempted murder and various weapons counts.

On Friday, the state’s high court rejected Parnell’s arguments that he should have been granted a new trial and that his threats toward one of the victims should not have been allowed into evidence at his trial.

Police say Parnell threatened Johnson at gunpoint days before the shooting, because she had invited a rival gang member to the apartment she shared with Parnell’s girlfriend.