LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Police say a 42-year-old Lincoln man has been charged after accidentally shooting a 12-year-old Fourth of July party.

The man was at a party late Friday night with about a dozen other people at the Lincoln house when his .380-caliber handgun fell out of his shorts pocket and fired.

Police Capt. Jim Davidsaver says the bullet struck the 12-year-old girl in the middle of her back before going out her right shoulder. Davidsaver says doctors expect the girl to survive.

Police cited the man for unlawful discharge of a firearm.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Hundreds of lawmakers from the Midwest and Canada will meet in Omaha this month.

The Midwestern Legislative Conference will host the meeting, July 13-16, touching on future challenges and opportunities for the region. The group is composed of lawmakers from 11 Midwestern states and four Canadian provinces.

Speakers will include Pulitzer Prize-winning author Doris Kearns Goodwin and Joel Kotkin, a leading international authority on economic and demographic trends. Boise State University political science professor Gary Moncrief will discuss the history of state legislatures their current role in society.

The lead host for the event is Nebraska state Sen. Beau McCoy of Omaha, the chairman of the Midwestern Legislative Conference.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A police officer has suffered minor injuries and two men in the vehicle that hit his squad car were also injured when their vehicle crashed a few blocks away.

Omaha police say the two men were in a sport utility vehicle that rear-ended Officer Phillip Hodges’ squad car around 3:40 a.m. Friday in north Omaha. The SUV sped off, with other officers chasing it, before it crashed into a utility pole and another vehicle a few blocks away.

Hodges was treated at an Omaha hospital for minor injuries.

Both men in the SUV were hospitalized, including the man believed to be driving, who was thrown from the vehicle and critically injured. Police say he will be charged once he’s released from the hospital.

WYMORE, Neb. (AP) — City officials say Russell Kirkpatrick no longer is chief of the Wymore Police Department.

A news release signed by Mayor Daniel Guenther says Kirkpatrick’s last day as chief was Wednesday. The release says there won’t be any further comment about the situation, “because this is a personnel matter.”

It’s unclear whether Kirkpatrick resigned or was fired. City offices are closed for the holiday.

The city of around 1,400 people is in southeast Nebraska’s Gage County.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Omaha airport officials say lit sky lanterns that float into the sky are pretty, but they also pose a danger to airplanes.

Tim Schmitt is operations manager at Omaha’s Eppley Airfield, and he says concerns about the colored lanterns rise on the Independence Day weekend. Schmitt said the lanterns can be ingested by aircraft engines or end up littering runways.

Schmitt says that on the Fourth of July last year, airport workers picked up more than 100 of the sky lanterns on the airfield.

Schmitt is asking people not to release the lanterns within five miles of the airport, which sits on the east side of Omaha, next to the Missouri River.

YORK, Neb. (AP) — A man has told York police that he was injured by lit fireworks thrown through an open window of his moving car.

The incident occurred around 11 a.m. Wednesday in the East Hill Park neighborhood.

Police Chief Don Klug says the man reported suffering facial burns. The man says he doesn’t know who threw the fireworks but did notice some children in the area.

Crime Stoppers has offered a reward of up to $100 for information leading to an arrest.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A judge has ordered local and state agencies to turn over documents pertaining to a Nebraska inmate who killed four people just days after being released from prison.

Lancaster County District Judge Stephanie Stacy on Thursday ordered the state corrections department and others to submit remaining documents about 27-year-old Nikko Jenkins. The agencies initially refused the request from a subpoena.

Jenkins was convicted of killing four people in Omaha last year. Prosecutors say he killed the victims just days after being released from prison.

A legislative committee is reviewing Jenkins’ time in prison and the practices in place regarding solitary confinement and mental health treatment. They plan to use Jenkins as a case study on prison practices that may not be working right.

RIFLE, Colo. (AP) — A Western Colorado restaurant doesn’t just allow its customers to openly carry guns. Its waitresses carry loaded weapons right on their hips.

At Shooters Grill in the river town of Rifle, open display of firearms is encouraged. It’s a tribute to Colorado law that allows citizens to carry concealed weapons into willing commercial establishments.

Shooters Grill does. And along with burgers and other fare, the grill hosts training that qualifies customers for concealed carry permits in Colorado and Utah. The $75 price tag includes dinner.

Owner Lauren Boebert said she’s simply allowing customers and employees to exercise their constitutional right.

Jennifer Hope of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America says her group doesn’t encourage people carrying guns “as a public display in places like stores or restaurants.”

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Two people are facing charges after a 13-year-old Omaha girl was injured by a shooting outside the home where she was staying.

Omaha police said the shooting happened around 3:20 a.m. Thursday.

Terije Carter was spending the night at a friend’s house near 40th and Browne streets in northeast Omaha. Witnesses say she was inside when the shooting happened.

The girl’s injuries are not considered life threatening.

Police arrested a 21-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy in the area. They were linked to the shooting after police questioned them.

The two men were arrested on suspicion of first-degree assault and weapons charges.