LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Jurors are expected to resume deliberations Friday in the second trial of a lawsuit filed against Gage County by people wrongfully convicted in a 1985 rape and slaying.

Closing arguments were made Thursday and deliberations began. The six people — James Dean, Kathleen Gonzalez, Debra Shelden, Ada JoAnn Taylor, Joseph White and Thomas Winslow — were wrongly convicted of killing Helen Wilson in Beatrice and served a combined 77 years in prison before DNA testing cleared them in 2008. They’ve become known as the Beatrice Six.

The first trial last year ended in a mistrial.

Jurors were asked Thursday to award the six at least half a million dollars for each year they spent in prison — more than $37.5 million total.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say two children are safe after being abducted from a home in northwest Omaha.

Omaha police say the children’s mother and three other people barged into the home a little before 6 p.m. Thursday and took the 5- and 7-year-old kids. Police soon shared information with other agencies about a minivan involved, and a Nebraska state trooper later spotted the vehicle on Interstate 80 near Waverly and pulled it over.

The children were found inside, unhurt. Authorities say four adults were arrested.

The names of those involved haven’t been released. Authorities say the children’s mother isn’t supposed to have contact with the children.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says a recent water sample shows the presence of invasive zebra mussel larva in west Omaha’s Lake Zorinsky.

The corps says the larvae are microscopic, and that there is no indication that they are a threat to the dam’s infrastructure.

There are no immediate plans to lower Lake Zorinsky or use any chemicals to treat the lake for zebra mussels.

The small black-and-white striped mussels, native to eastern Europe, are voracious eaters, gobbling up plankton that many native freshwater fish need to survive.

The mussels can also attach themselves to boat motors, bait buckets and dam mechanisms, causing damage to motors and facilities.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Lincoln police say they’ve arrested two southeast Nebraska men on suspicion of selling homemade fireworks.

The two Firth men, ages 38 and 34, were arrested and jailed Wednesday after police were initially called to investigate a possible drug deal.

Police say the 38-year-old sold 40 fireworks for $4 each to another person in the Lincoln Airport Authority parking lot Wednesday afternoon.

During the course of the investigation, police talked to the seller’s neighbor and searched his garage, finding fuses, powder, bottle rockets and nearly 20 homemade fireworks.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Closing arguments are expected to be given Thursday in the second trial of a lawsuit filed against Gage County by people wrongfully convicted in a 1985 rape and slaying.

Both sides wrapped up their cases Wednesday. The six people — James Dean, Kathleen Gonzalez, Debra Shelden, Ada JoAnn Taylor, Joseph White and Thomas Winslow — were wrongly convicted in the killing of Helen Wilson in Beatrice and served a combined 77 years in prison before DNA testing cleared them in 2008. They’ve become known as the Beatrice Six.

Lawyers for them have argued that Gage County investigators labored to close the case despite contradictory evidence. The first trial last year ended in a mistrial.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The second of two men convicted in the drug-related slaying of a man found bound and burned near Gretna in 2012 has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.

35-year-old Joseph Fleming will serve 10 years before he is eligible for parole. His sentence will begin later this year after he finishes a sentence on a gun charge.

Fleming entered a plea agreement for a charge of manslaughter in May in the death of 31-year-old Jose L. Quintero. He was originally charged with first-degree murder and use of a weapon to commit a felony.

Quintero died from neck and head trauma after being beaten with a pipe. He was also stabbed.

The other person charged in the crime, John Meyers, pleaded guilty to the same charge and received the same sentence last week.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — A western Iowa woman has died after being hit by a pickup in Council Bluffs.

42-year-old Sharon Richards, of Council Bluffs, was hit around 10 p.m. Tuesday as she crossed the intersection of 35th Street and West Broadway on the west end of Council Bluffs.

Police say Richards was crossing against the pedestrian crosswalk sign when she was hit. Police say the Omaha, Nebraska, driver of the truck will not face criminal charges.

Richards was taken to an Omaha hospital, where she died Wednesday.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha man accused of causing a crash last week that killed a 16-year-old girl has been charged with motor vehicle homicide and driving under the influence.

Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine said Wednesday that bond has been set at $750,000 for 28-year-old Tyvinn Smith. Smith’s preliminary hearing will be July 18. He faces more than 50 years in prison if he’s convicted.

Tyvinn remained jailed Wednesday and could not be reached for comment.

Kleine says Smith was speeding when he slammed into the back of a car on Sorensen Parkway around 10:45 p.m. Friday, killing Janis Brown and injuring two others.

Kleine says that at the time of the crash, Smith had a blood-alcohol level of .102 and had cocaine and PCP in his system.