HALLAM, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska Public Power District says it will be converting a unit at one of its coal-fired power plants to burn cleaner-burning hydrogen instead.

The district announced at a news conference Friday at its Sheldon Station near Hallam in southeast Nebraska that the hydrogen would be acquired from a new carbon black plant planned for construction nearby. The hydrogen is a byproduct of the process to make carbon black, which is a fine black powder used to produce rubber, plastics and other products and materials.

Monolith Materials, of Redwood City, California, is partnering with the power district for the project, which officials say will create 100 new jobs.

Scott Holmes with the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department says the project will cut in half Sheldon’s air pollution.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Court officials say Nikko Jenkins, the man convicted of killing four people in separate attacks in 2013, has again mutilated his face.

But he botched his attempt to carve into his forehead the numbers “666” — often viewed as a symbol for the devil. Officials say that because he was looking in a mirror when he carved the numbers, they came out backward.

Jenkins recently referenced the self-mutilation in a hearing, saying he’s not receiving mental illness treatment. He asked Douglas County District Judge Peter Bataillon to order the Nebraska State Patrol to investigate. Bataillon declined.

Jenkins was convicted of four first-degree murder counts last year. His sentencing, which might include the death penalty, has been delayed because of concerns about his competency.

LA VISTA, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska City man accused of stealing sheet metal has been arrested.

The La Vista Police Department says 49-year-old Jimmy Olson is charged with felony theft and carrying a concealed weapon. Officers responded to a report Thursday of a pickup truck hauling a trailer that lost its load, spilling hundreds of pieces of sheet metal into the roadway blocking traffic.

According to a news release, investigation revealed that three of the sheet metal pallets, valued at $6,300, had been stolen from Wright Metal Products in La Vista. Officers connected Olson to the theft.

Authorities say another man is suspected in the robbery, and they plan to issue a warrant for his arrest.

It was unclear Friday whether Olson has an attorney. Online court records don’t yet list the charges.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A 33-year-old inmate no longer faces life in prison for a 1998 Lincoln slaying.

Court records say Jerrold McLeod was 16 when he and 19-year-old Ronald O’Neill broke into an apartment on May 10, 1998, in an attempt to rob a cocaine dealer. O’Neill fired a shotgun blast that killed the man’s 15-year-old son. O’Neill and McLeod were convicted of first-degree murder and given life in prison.

McLeod sought resentencing after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June 2012 that people convicted as juveniles cannot be locked up for life without the chance of parole.

On Thursday, Judge Paul Merritt Jr. vacated the original sentence and gave McLeod to 50 to 75 years in prison, which means he’ll have eight more years to serve before he becomes eligible for parole.

MINOT, N.D. (AP) — An 18-year-old Nebraska man was killed when the motorcycle he was driving collided with a semitrailer in northern North Dakota.

The Highway Patrol says the man from Elkhorn, Nebraska, was riding a motorcycle on a Ward County road west of Minot on Thursday afternoon and failed to yield at an intersection.

The motorcycle driver died at the scene. The patrol did not immediately identify him.

The driver of the semitrailer was not injured.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A judge says a lawsuit may proceed against Lincoln Public Schools over treatment of a 12-year-old boy with autism.

The lawsuit filed two years ago says the boy suffered mental health problems after being kept in a special safe room at school dozens of times during the 2010-11 school year. The lawsuit says his parents were not notified about the boy’s handling, as district policy requires.

The district sought dismissal of the lawsuit, arguing in part that the family didn’t exhaust remedies available through federal special education law.

In ruling last week for the unnamed parents of the boy, Judge Andrew Jacobsen said they should be able to seek compensation in court because there was no remedy for them under the federal law.

BELLEVUE, Neb. (AP) — A Lincoln sex offender has been arrested after authorities say he attempted to entice a Bellevue boy.

The Bellevue Police Department said Thursday that 48-year-old Robert John Heist II is charged with child enticement by an electronic communication device.

Police arrested Heist following a report about a potential child enticement crime last month involving an internet dating site. Undercover communication revealed Heist’s identity and location.

Online court records don’t list an attorney for Heist who could comment on the charges. If convicted, Heist faces up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Heist is a lifetime registered sex offender as a result of convictions in California.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A store owner and his employee have been sentenced in connection with a scheme to buy food stamp cards from homeless people in Lincoln.

40-year-old Jose Banos and 48-year-old Juan Garivay were sentenced Wednesday to probation and 180 days in jail on theft by deception charges.

Authorities say Garivay bought food stamp numbers from people at a Lincoln homeless shelter. Banos then entered them into his store’s credit card machine for hundreds of dollars in fake grocery purchases and took the money for himself and Garivay.

According to court records, the two had been running false transactions since 2010. Garivay’s attorney previously called it a one-time, “unfortunate” incident.

Banos and Garivay have paid $60,000 in restitution. Their jail terms begin April 21.