LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a woman was injured when a propane tank exploded at her mobile home near Lincoln.

The blast occurred around 7 a.m. Friday at the property, which sits about 2 miles (3 kilometers) southwest of Lincoln city limits.

Lancaster County Sheriff Terry Wagner says 47-year-old Rebecca Daro heard a hissing noise, so she went to check the tank. It had been changed Thursday. It exploded as she got near, burning her face and singeing her hair.

Wagner says the mobile home and another and an outbuilding with three classic cars inside were total losses.

The State Fire Marshal Agency is investigating.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Hundreds of Myanmar refugees were forced to evacuate an Omaha apartment complex last month after the city deemed it unlivable, and now the landlord is telling some former tenants he’ll waive cleanup fees if he can keep their $400 security deposits.

Yale Park Apartments owner Kay Anderson took inventory of damages after refugees fled with what belongings they could carry as electricity and gas were shut off at the Omaha complex. City inspectors evacuated the apartments Sept. 20, citing issues such as unsafe electrical circuits, natural gas leaks and units infested with mice, bedbugs and maggots.

The city cited Anderson for nearly 2,000 building code violations. About 500 refugees were residing in Yale Park Apartments at the time, including about 175 school-age children and dozens of toddlers and babies.

Now Anderson is telling at least two former tenants that they owe fees up to $3,820 for damages such as broken light fixtures, walls that needed painting and ripped screens, according to copies of letters obtained by the Omaha World-Herald.

In a letter, Anderson and his wife, Janae, offered to forgive the damages if the tenant agreed to forfeit their $400 security deposit, as well as $200 in prepaid rent.

Anderson said he’s being more than fair, and that he agreed to return the deposits to tenants who put some effort into cleaning their apartments.

He said the letters weren’t intended to intimidate residents, but to “point out that you’ve got thousands of dollars of damage, but we’ll write it off.”

Advocates argue Anderson is trying to squeeze more money out of residents who lived in substandard apartments.

“They’re condemned buildings,” said Hannah Wyble of Restoring Dignity, the volunteer group that helped tenants file housing complaints with the city that led to inspections last month. “People didn’t have time to clean or make repairs or anything.”

Wyble noted that many of the residents didn’t speak or read English well.

“They were freaking out,” she said. “People are scared because they don’t know. Are they getting a bill?”

According to a recent Facebook post, Lincoln police say nine of their officers have been assaulted in the last three weeks.

Below is the content of the Facebook post describing each incident, along with the original post. Respect the men and women in blue!

B8-096271 –On October 14, shortly before 3 am, a 19-year-old man called dispatch to report an intoxicated person was causing a disturbance at his home. 25-year-old James Ford III was contacted and the officer offered him a ride to help deescalate the situation. Ford refused the ride and continued to cause a disturbance outside the home near 40th and Baldwin. Ford’s bac tested at 0.282 and he was taken into custody to be transported to the Bridge (detox). He began to struggle with the officers. As the officer struggled to handcuff Ford, he spat on the officers face. Ford was eventually handcuffed and arrested for assault on an officer with a bodily fluid.

B8-095940 – On October 13, at 1 am, officers responded to a hotel near 11th and Belmont Ave on report of a disturbance. Officers knocked on the hotel room door and 46-year-old Zachariah Almond answered the door wearing a torn and bloody shirt and officers could see an unresponsive female lying face down on the floor. There was a broken lamp, broken furniture and alcohol containers thrown about. Officers went to check on the female, later identified as, 46-year-old Merri Rederth, and found her eyes were swollen and her mouth was bleeding. Officers tried to assist Rederth to her feet and she began hitting and kicking the officers. Rederth hit one officer in the chest and spat blood on a Sergeant’s face. Rederth was arrested for assaulting two police officers.

B8-096220 –On October 13, shortly after 11 pm, PBA security called LPD regarding a disturbance. A Red Cross volunteer was providing medical attention to a man when 40-year-old Sean Binnick began to interfere. Binnick jumped on the volunteers back as he was attempting to render aid. Security staff pulled Binnick from the scene and held him until LPD arrived. The Sergeant spoke to Binnick and attempted to calm him down but he was intoxicated. Binnick then began punching the sergeant several times. Binnick was arrested for 3rd degree assault on an officer.

B8-095781 –On October 12, shortly after 4 pm, officers responded to a reports of an intoxicated man yelling at the sky and punching himself. Witnesses tried to talk to the man but grew scared because they said it appeared the man “wanted to fight”. The officer arrived and stepped in between the witnesses and the man, later identified as 36-year-old Laurance Dollison. Dollison was observed punching himself in the face. When Dollison saw the officer, he stood up and told the officer he was going to assault him (in less kind words). Dollison threw a duffel bag at the officer. The officer asked for more units to respond as it appeared Dollison was going to attack him. The officer drew his taser and directed Dollison to get on the ground. Dollison eventually complied and was handcuffed. Dollison then began to use his body weight to resist officers and he spat on the officers face. Dollison was arrested for assault on an officer with bodily fluid.

B8-093842 – On October 6, shortly before 4:30 pm, an officer responded to Super Saver on report of a shoplifter in custody. The officer cited 37-year-old Michelle Alfaro for theft. Alfaro intentionally rammed her cart into the officer causing it to hit his knee. Alfaro was arrested for 3rd degree assault on a police officer.

B8-092958 – 3 Officers were assaulted, one sustained a head and back injury. On October 3, at 11:33 pm, officers responded to reports of a man in the drive thru at McDonald’s 345 West O, drinking alcohol. Officers spotted the vehicle and initiated a traffic stop near 9th and Rosa Parks for multiple traffic violations including no headlights and an improper turn. The driver was identified as 35-year-old Dennis Brewer and show signs of impairment. Brewer was a parole absconder and had a warrant. The officer asked Brewer to step out of the vehicle to conduct a DUI investigation. Brewer became uncooperative and tried to walk away from the officer. Brewer pulled his arms away from the officer and they began to struggle. A second officer arrived on scene and they continued to take Brewer into custody. Brewer was given multiple commands to stop fighting and told he was under arrest but he continued to fight. Brewer reached his hand into his waistband as the officers struggled with him. The officers feared Brewer may be reaching for a weapon. While both officers were on Brewers back, he was able to get to his knee and threw one officer over his head. The officer landed on his head and he began to bleed. Another officer arrived on scene and this struggled continued for approximately 3 minutes until they were able to handcuff Brewer. Brewer was arrested for 3rd degree assault on an officer, felony resist arrest because of a prior conviction, possession of a controlled substance, no headlights after dark, improper turn, no insurance, open alcohol container, and possession of marijuana.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A man accused of shooting an officer during a traffic stop before being shot himself by other officers has been released from a hospital and booked into jail.

Omaha police say 36-year-old John Ezell Jr. was booked Wednesday into the Douglas County jail on suspicion of attempted murder, assaulting an officer and weapons counts.

Police say Ezell was a passenger in a car that fled police on Sept. 11. Once the car was stopped, officer body camera video shows Ezell opening the car door holding a gun and shooting Officer Ken Fortune at point-blank range. The bullet hit Fortune’s radio microphone and entered his shoulder. Ezell was then shot several times by police.

Fortune has since returned to active duty.

OSMOND, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say three students were injured when a semitrailer ran into the rear of their school bus in northeast Nebraska.

The accident occurred around 3 p.m. Tuesday after the bus stopped at a railroad crossing on U.S. Highway 20 near Osmond. The Nebraska State Patrol says the truck struck the bus from behind as the bus began to cross the tracks.

The patrol says three of the 25 students on the bus were taken to Osmond General Hospital, and one of the three then was flown to Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.

The truck driver has been identified as 62-year-old Allen Lambrecht, of Beemer. The bus driver has been identified as 60-year-old Larry Eilers, of Lynch. The patrol says neither was injured.

The crash is being investigated.

SOUTH SIOUX CITY, Neb. (AP) — South Sioux City has sued the owner of the grain elevator that exploded earlier this year.

The lawsuit against Andersen Farms Inc. and Bryce Andersen was filed last week in Dakota County District Court. It seeks reimbursement of more than $120,000 the city says was amassed during its response. The May 29 blast blew a hole in the elevator and injured an employee who died July 9.

Associated Press attempts to reach Andersen were unsuccessful Tuesday.

Fears of the elevator collapsing kept many neighbors away until June 11, when the elevator top was dismantled.

City code cited in the lawsuit says South Sioux City is entitled to reimbursement from the owner of a property that has been deemed unsafe and must be secured.

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — A south-central Nebraska school district has been awarded a $6 million federal grant to help students prepare for postsecondary education.

Grand Island Public Schools announced Monday that the district received the seven-year GEAR UP matching grant. The acronym stands for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs.

The district’s in-kind contributions and partner matches bring the grant’s total impact to more than $13.6 million.

The district’s chief transformation officer, Josh McDowell, says it’s the first GEAR UP grant awarded to a district in Nebraska. He says the grant allows the district to introduce students and families to college readiness as early as middle school.

Superintendent Tawana Grover says the grant will help the district to “create a pipeline of success.”

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Three of nine current and former Omaha Tribal officials who admitted using federal funds to give themselves bonuses have been sentenced to probation and ordered to pay restitution.

The Sioux City (Iowa) Journal reports that former members Mitchell Parker and Amen Sheridan and current member Jeff Miller were given five years of probation at their sentencing Monday in U.S. District Court in Omaha. Parker and Sheridan were ordered to pay more than $13,400, and Miller was ordered to pay more than $40,200. They’d pleaded guilty.

Prosecutors say the former and current officials misused federal funds by awarding nearly $389,000 in bonuses to themselves. Officials say the bonuses were paid from Indian Health Service funds meant to provide health care to members of the Omaha Tribe of Nebraska, who reside on the Omaha Reservation in Macy in northeastern Nebraska and in western Iowa.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say an Iowa man was killed, another was injured and another was suspected of driving drunk in causing a collision on the north side of Omaha.

The accident occurred around 7:30 p.m. Saturday on Nebraska Highway 36 near Glenn Cunningham Lake. Police say an eastbound pickup truck crossed the center line and struck an oncoming vehicle.

The vehicle driver was pronounced dead at the scene. He’s been identified as 21-year-old Joseph Daniels, who lived in Council Bluffs. His passenger was taken to a hospital. He’s been identified as 21-year-old Thomas Greise, also of Council Bluffs.

The pickup driver was arrested on suspicion of vehicular homicide and drunken driving. Court records don’t show that he’s been formally charged. Police say the 28-year-old man lives in Earling, Iowa.

NORFOLK, Neb. (AP) — Teachers in a northeast Nebraska district are using a new instruction model this school year that some education officials say could improve long-term tailored learning.

The Norfolk Public Schools district’s new teaching strategy comes after two years of development, the Norfolk Daily News reported. The model has seven concepts designed to complement each other, such as student-focused instruction and technology integration.

A task force of educators recommended the approach after finding commonalities among established teaching models and incorporating them into their best teaching practices, said Mike Hart, the district’s director of human resources and accreditation.

Teachers are implementing the model in their classrooms by introducing one concept at a time using Google Classroom, a web application that helps educators share files.

The main purpose is to offer support and a shared language for teachers, many of whom were already using most of the recommended concepts, he said.

Hart said the model “has a lot of staying power.”

Chris Mueller, a math teacher at Norfolk High School, is one of the 12 educators who developed the instructional model.

“We’re really not doing anything that’s new,” Mueller said. “(We’re) taking best practices that are research-based to maximize student learning and tweaking them, making them our own.”

He said the biggest change for students is better comprehension, which is reflected in how he ends his lessons.

Mueller now finishes his classes with activities such as having students discuss what they learned with a partner or having them complete quick problems to show they’ve grasped a new math concept.

“Now I close my lesson(s) a little better than I used to,” he said. “I don’t just say, ‘We’re done for the day.'”