LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Police say a Lincoln officer shot and killed a dog after jumped on his chest.

Police Chief Jim Peschong says the shooting occurred Sunday night when Officer Jason Brownell arrived at a northeast Lincoln home to follow up on a hit-and-run accident report. He says Brownell was waiting on the sidewalk when a black-and-white mixed breed dog bolted at the officer and lurched at him, causing him to stumble.

Peschong says Brownell fired his gun twice, striking the dog in the neck and shoulder area. The dog died in the shooting. Brownell sustained a scratch to the back of his neck and marks on his arm where the dog bit and clawed at him.

The owners had the dog for about a week.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say one person has been critically injured in a fire at an Omaha business.

Douglas County emergency dispatchers say the fire started around 11 a.m. Monday at an auto repair garage near the northeast corner of 50th and F streets. Fire officials closed off streets in the area and contained the fire by noon.

Dispatchers say the injured person was taken to Nebraska Medical Center. The name and condition of the person haven’t been released.

The building is owned by A-1 United Heating and Cooling.

The cause of the fire wasn’t immediately available.

BLAIR, Neb. (AP) — Officials say the Fort Calhoun nuclear power plant has been shut down for refueling and maintenance.

The Omaha Public Power District plant was taken offline on Saturday morning. District officials say a third of the fuel assemblies will be replaced. Workers also will perform preventive maintenance, replace equipment and conduct numerous tests on equipment and instrumentation. The plant is expected to be back on regular operation in 45 days.

District officials say a nuclear plant such as Fort Calhoun Station shuts down about every 18 months to refuel. Fort Calhoun, which sits about 20 miles north of Omaha, can provide 478 megawatts of power.

The district has more than 360,000 customers in 13 counties in southeast Nebraska.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A handgun was found in a backpack inside a locker at an Omaha middle school.

Authorities say the unloaded .38-caliber revolver was found last week at Nathan Hale Middle School after a student told a school counselor that a boy had the weapon. It was in the boy’s locker.

The boy told police he found the gun in a garbage can. He was taken to the Douglas County Youth Center.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A bicycle ride in Omaha later this month will raise money for cataract surgeries to fight blindness in the developing world.

The University of Nebraska Medical Center is sponsoring the April 25 bike ride that starts downtown at Miller’s Landing near the Missouri River.

The $20 registration fee for the ride goes to help pay for the surgeries. Last year’s event raised $10,300 for surgeries in Nepal.

The ride begins at 9 a.m. and features routes that are 5, 10, 20 and 40 miles long. More details are available online at www.bikeforsight.org .

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Cities around Nebraska will be celebrating Earth Day this month.

The 24th Earth Day Omaha event will be held on April 18 in Omaha’s Elmwood Park. The event features environmental speakers, live music and scores of exhibiters and demonstrations by local green organizations.

To the south in Bellevue, the Sarpy County Earth Day celebration will be held on April 26 and will include a race and green expo with more than 50 exhibitors.

The city of Lincoln will also hold its Earth Day event on April 18.

Earth Day was founded by Wisconsin Sen. Gaylord Nelson in 1970 after he toured the devastation of the 1969 massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California. On April 22, 1970, demonstrations by an estimated 20 million Americans advocated for a healthy, sustainable environment.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — More than 250 bats are set to be released this week outside the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha.

The Nebraska Wildlife Rehab is planning to release the flying mammals on Tuesday night. Staff with the wildlife organization will have bats on view for the public to get a closer look before their release.

The group takes care of the bats taken during the winter months when they should be hibernating. Most of the bats are brought to them after being discovered roosting inside buildings. The group feeds the bats during the winter, when food is scarce, and releases them in the spring.

Museum officials encourage those attending the free, annual event to bring their own picnic to enjoy on the lawn.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Police say a 14-year-old Omaha boy was seriously injured over the weekend after his minibike collided with a vehicle.

Authorities say the teenager was traveling on his Reaper Choppers minibike Saturday night when he collided with a vehicle.

The teenager, who wasn’t wearing a helmet, was taken to the Nebraska Medical Center. Although his injuries are considered serious, authorities say they aren’t life-threatening. The vehicle’s driver wasn’t injured in the crash.

Police spokesman Sgt. Jason Menning says the minibike isn’t street legal. Menning says it didn’t have headlights, turn signals and taillights. The teenager was ticketed for negligent driving.