SPRINGFIELD, Neb. (AP) — Authorities have released the name of a driver who died under his wrecked pickup after it crashed in Sarpy County.

The crash occurred about 5:40 p.m. Wednesday on Nebraska Highway 50, just north of Springfield. The Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office says the southbound pickup began to slide after the driver hit the brakes. The out-of-control truck crossed the median and the northbound lanes into a ditch, ejecting the driver and pinning him. The truck soon caught fire.

The Sheriff’s Office identified the man as 44-year-old Aaron Scholting, who lived in Louisville (LOO’-iss-vihl).

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska man who has been in prison for more than 39 years could now have a chance at parole after being resentenced.

Bernard Schaeffer was sentenced Tuesday to 70-to-90 years in prison for first-degree murder.

The 56-year-old had previously been sentenced to life in prison for the 1977 killing of Donald Beery Jr. of Grand Island.

Schaeffer was resentenced because of a 2012 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that said juvenile killers couldn’t be sentenced to automatic life terms without parole.

Schaeffer told the judge he regretted killing Beery.

Before Schaeffer could be eligible for release, he will have to serve sentences for three unrelated offenses committed since he has been in prison. Those total between 13 and 42 years.

O’NEILL, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a driver died after her pickup crashed on an icy highway in northern Nebraska.

The accident occurred around 4:15 p.m. Monday, about 2 miles southeast of O’Neill. The Holt County Sheriff’s Office says 45-year-old Kami Sholes was westbound on U.S. Highway 20 when her pickup ran onto ice as she rounded a curve and struck a guardrail on the Elkhorn River Bridge. She was ejected as her truck rolled several times.

The Sheriff’s Office says Sholes was taken to an O’Neill hospital and then transferred to a Sioux City, Iowa, hospital, where she died. She was a resident of Inman.

WINNEBAGO, Neb. (AP) — Authorities have confirmed the death of a man injured by an explosion and fire at his northeast Nebraska home.

The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday that 88-year-old Tony Pycha died Friday at an Omaha hospital. Pycha was found in the wreckage of his home south of Winnebago on Dec. 19.

The Sheriff’s Office and fire investigators say a malfunctioning propane heater caused the blast and resulting fire.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — A former Council Bluffs candidate for mayor has been charged with stealing vending machines in Nebraska.

Online court records say 33-year-old Matthew Hartfield has pleaded not guilty to a dozen misdemeanor counts of theft. His trial is scheduled to begin Jan. 31 in Douglas County Court.

The thefts started occurring in November. Police say sometimes a well-dressed man would enter an Omaha store, measure a machine and take it, saying he’d bring back a larger machine.

The vending machines’ owner estimated his loss at $10,000.

The Daily Nonpareil reports (https://bit.ly/2hRAcrI ) that Hartfield ran for mayor in 2009 and was beaten by incumbent Tom Hanafan.

RALSTON, Neb. (AP) — Young immigrants who want to learn English are getting help from other students in Ralston who also struggled to learn the language.

17-year-old Perla Anguiano Carrizales enrolled in the English Language Learners program in August 2015.

The Ralston High School student says that a year after she joined, she was getting good grades. She hopes to get a college scholarship and wants to be a nurse, and is also now helping other students with their English.

Perla and three other students volunteer with the program, which has seen a steady increase in participation.

There are usually 13 to 16 students in the district’s beginner class, which is a joint effort with Papillion-La Vista Community Schools. There were 25 students at the end of November.

AURORA, Colo. (AP) — Authorities have confirmed that a body found in an icy pond in suburban Denver is that of a 6-year-old boy who apparently wandered off from his home on New Year’s Eve.

An autopsy performed Wednesday showed David Puckett didn’t suffer any traumatic injuries. But the coroner’s office said additional tests were needed to determine exactly how he died.

Police are also still investigating what led up to his death. They have previously said they don’t suspect foul play.

Dozens of law enforcement officers and volunteers searched for him after his family reported him missing Saturday. The pond in the park near his home wasn’t searched until Tuesday when a dog picked up a scent there.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Police say officers have arrested a man suspected of setting a fire at a Lincoln veterinary center.

Investigators also are checking into whether the man was involved in several other arsons in the north Lincoln neighborhood.

The 43-year-old was arrested Tuesday night on suspicion of arson and burglary at Pet Care Center in the Belmont area. Online court records don’t show that he’s been formally charged yet. No staffers or animals were injured by the pet center fire set Sunday evening.

Authorities say the five other fires under investigation include two at Belmont Baptist Church on Oct. 3 — one early in the morning and another late that night.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Authorities suspect a fire at a veterinary center could be the sixth arson since October in a north Lincoln neighborhood.

The latest fire in the Belmont area occurred at Pet Care Center of Lincoln on Sunday evening. No injuries to staffers or any animals have been reported. Police say a security video shows someone in the building before the fire started. Veterinarian Amy Walton says another fire occurred at the center on Sept. 19. A fire inspector blamed floodlights being too close to a soffit, but Walton is suspicious.

Authorities say the other fires under investigation include two at Belmont Baptist Church on Oct. 3 — one early in the morning and another late that night.

No arrests have been reported. But police did release the above images on Tuesday.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Residents just south of Omaha are concerned that a highway project from Bellevue to Plattsmouth will create long-lasting issues.

The Highway 75 construction involves bridge and pavement work to create a four-lane expressway and realign several roads to provide access to new interchanges.

Residents in neighborhoods south of Omaha have had two entry points from the highway for years. But the intersections will be closed, and a single access road being built to the north will become the only way in and out of the area.

Resident Sarah Hirz says she’s worried about access to the neighborhoods, particularly for first responders and snow removal.

Nebraska Department of Roads spokeswoman Vicki Kramer says the department and Sarpy County will provide emergency access through a locked gate.