(AP) — A 50-year-old Richland man faces charges of driving under the influence and texting while driving after his truck hit a natural gas meter at a rural Colfax County residence, prompting an early morning evacuation of the area.

The man hit the Black Hills Energy gas line east of Columbus in eastern Nebraska around 2:45 a.m. Friday.

The punctured gas line began to leak, forcing the evacuation of nearby residences about 45 minutes later, who were not allowed to return until after 8 a.m.

The Colfax County Sheriff’s Office says the driver admitted he was texting an ex-girlfriend when the crash happened. A breath test showed his blood alcohol level at .128, well above the .08 driving limit.

The driver was not injured.

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission plans to burn selected areas in two state parks this month.

The commission says in a news release that the prescribed burns will be carried out in the oak woodlands at Indian Cave State Park at Falls City in southeast Nebraska and at Ponca State Park in northeast Nebraska between March 17 and March 31.

The commission says the fires will be of low intensity and are designed to reduce brush and small tree densities in the woodlands. The intent is to allow new growth of oak trees, increase native wildflowers and enhance wildlife habitat.

(AP) — The Nebraska Emergency Management Agency and others are monitoring rivers in the state for possible flooding as mountain snow to the west begins to melt.

Earl Imler with the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency says the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has notified state officials that the storage capacity in state reservoirs is greater than normal this year. Given that, the corps advised that the massive flooding like that seen in the summer of 2011 along the Missouri River is unlikely.

The corps has scheduled several public meetings in the Missouri River Basin to provide information and updates, including ones on April 8 in Nebraska City and April 9 in Pierre, S.D.

Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman has instructed NEMA to assess the potential for flooding and be ready to respond.

(AP) — Omaha police will have more officers on city streets before and after St. Patrick’s Day to be on the lookout for drunken drivers.

Police say the department received a nearly $22,000 grant from the Nebraska Office of Highway Safety to pay for the enhanced enforcement.

The effort will begin Saturday and run through March 22.

Attached is the press release for the upcoming Increased DUI Enforcement Operations for the St. Patrick’s Day Celebration.

The Omaha Police Department will allocate additional officers throughout the city, with enforcement efforts focused on weekends and the St. Patrick’s Day Celebration on Monday.

(AP) — A Nebraska woman has been cited for suspicion of animal cruelty after being accused of shooting a neighbor’s dog because it barked too much.

37-year-old Jennifer Wylder of Waverly is accused of shooting the 7-month-old dog with a BB in the yard of its home Thursday.

Alison Kleinbeck’s 10-year-old son owns the dog named Rolo, who was found bleeding. A vet later found a BB in the dog’s chest and said it could have killed him if left untreated.

Wylder told deputies she tried to shoot a nearby flower pot to startle the dog so it would stop barking. Lancaster County Sheriff Terry Wagner says Wylder was “beside herself” when she realized she hit the dog.

A phone number for Wylder rang unanswered Friday.

(AP) — An 82-year-old Nebraska woman has been identified as the driver of a vehicle that struck and killed an Omaha cyclist.

Police said Friday that Ruth Jeffers of La Vista was driving the 2002 Ford Taurus that crossed the center line Thursday and struck Jim Johnston, who was biking in the other direction.

Jeffers hasn’t been charged, but the investigation continues.

Johnston was flown by helicopter to a hospital, where the 56-year-old died a short time later. He was the athletic trainer at Millard West High School, where teachers burst into tears during a staff meeting called to announce his death.

Math teacher Seth Turman says Johnston was probably out for his daily ride when he was struck.

A message was left for Jeffers on Friday.

(AP) — Attorneys for Creighton University say they will fight a request for the Omaha school to pay more than $600,000 in attorneys’ fees for a deaf medical student who successfully sued the school for discrimination.

Michael Argenyi (ar-GEN’-ee) sued Creighton in 2009, after leaving medical school when Creighton refused his requests for interpreters — even though he offered to pay for them himself. Last year, a federal judge ruled that Creighton must provide Argenyi with special equipment and interpreters to allow him to finish medical school. The judge did not require the university to reimburse Argenyi for $110,000 he had already spent for interpreters and special equipment.

Last week, Argenyi’s lawyers filed a motion seeking nearly $621,000. Creighton’s attorney, Michael P. Scott, said Friday that the request is excessive.

(AP) — A Lancaster County prosecutor has been selected to fill a district court judgeship opening in Lincoln.

Gov. Dave Heineman’s office announced Friday that Lori Maret was chosen. The opening was created by the retirement of Judge Karen Flowers on Dec. 31.

The two other finalists were Richard Rice and Melanie Whittamore-Mantzios, both of Lincoln.

The governor’s office says the 45-year-old Maret has been deputy Lancaster County attorney since 2002. She was awarded her law degree at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.