LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Authorities are investigating five suspected arson fires in a north Lincoln neighborhood.

The latest was set early Monday in the common room of an apartment complex for senior citizens, Aspen Haus. One of the residents suffered cuts to a hand, but she and the rest of the residents escaped.

Damage was estimated $125,000 to the building and $100,000 to the building contents.

Authorities say the fires under investigation have been set since October, including two fires at Belmont Baptist Church on Oct. 3 — one early in the morning and another late that night.

No arrests have been reported.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A man has asked the Nebraska Supreme Court to overturn his resentencing to 90 years to life in prison, saying the new sentence is, effectively, a life sentence that’s unconstitutional in his case.

Brian Smith originally got life for a kidnapping in 1983 that led to the death of Mary Jo Hovendick. Smith was 16 then.

In 2010 the U.S. Supreme Court barred sentencing juveniles to life without parole in nonhomicides. In February a Washington County judge resentenced Smith.

On Monday Smith’s attorney told the Nebraska justices that the new sentence amounted to life without parole, saying Smith was being denied a meaningful opportunity for release, which is prohibited by the 2010 U.S. Supreme Court case.

The state’s high court will rule later.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A 21-year-old northeastern Nebraska man has been killed in a fiery crash involving two semitrailers on U.S. Highway 77 just north of Lincoln.

The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office says Brandon Gerdes, of Osmond, was driving a grain truck south on the highway when he was broadsided by a semi hauling rock.

Investigators say the grain truck rolled onto its side and burst into flames. Gerdes was pronounced dead at the scene.

Officials say the driver of the rock truck, 67-year-old Gary Jacobsen of Garland, was taken to a hospital with critical injuries. Officials say he is expected to survive.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Omaha City Council is considering a proposal to create a nonprofit that would provide subsidies for groups bringing conventions to the area.

The nonprofit would allow the Convention and Visitors Bureau to get around rules that give the public and City Council oversight on how tax money is spent.

Bureau Director Keith Backsen says Omaha has more than $1 million set aside for incentives. Money would move into a separate fund when a group commits to a convention, and the nonprofit would give out the money.

The city’s finance director, Steve Curtiss, says the nonprofit will keep other cities from figuring out how much Omaha subsidizes conventions.

Councilman Franklin Thompson says he’s excited about the proposal but concerned about the lack of transparency.

CENTRAL CITY, Neb. (AP) — Authorities have confirmed the names of two 17-year-old girls who were killed in a Merrick County crash.

Grand Island Senior High School communications coordinator Jack Sheard said Cheyenna Urbauer, of Grand Island, and Shania Rivera, formerly of Grand Island, died in the accident Saturday. Sheard says Urbauer was a senior at the school and says Rivera attended the school before moving and transferring.

Authorities say the crash happened just before 2 a.m. Investigators think the car was eastbound when it ran off the rural roadway. The driver overcorrected, causing the car to roll several times before landing in a roadside ditch.

COLUMBUS, Neb. (AP) — Catholic Charities is closing its Columbus residential treatment facility for people with mental illness and substance abuse issues.

John Griffith is president of Catholic Charities for the Omaha Archdiocese, and he said the organization’s board decided in August to create a transition plan so other providers would have a chance to fill the void.

Griffith says the decision is part of a broader shift by Catholic Charities away from government-funded programs. He says the reimbursement rate from government agencies has not kept pace with the cost of care.

Griffith says the transition is expected to be completed by the end of the year. Outpatient services are still available locally through East Central District Health Department and Colegrove Counseling Center.

ELGIN, Neb. (AP) — A 24-year-old pickup driver has died in a collision with a semitrailer near Elgin in Antelope County.

Authorities say the accident occurred Friday when the eastbound pickup was struck by the northbound truck on Nebraska Highway 14 about two miles north of Elgin.

The pickup driver was identified as Drew Holter, who lived in Elgin. The semi driver has been identified as Roy Rogers, of Clearwater. It’s not clear whether Rogers was injured.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a Texas man has died and a police officer has been injured in a western Iowa crash.

Police say the crash happened Saturday afternoon on Interstate 29 in Council Bluffs, when a vehicle slammed into the back of Council Bluffs police cruiser parked on the side of the interstate. The crash killed 72-year-old Bertram Ellis, of Houston.

Officials say 39-year-old Officer Josh Horner was sitting in his patrol car conducting traffic control when Ellis’ vehicle rear-ended the cruiser. Both men were rushed to hospitals in Omaha, Nebraska, where Ellis died from his injuries.

Officials have not released the medical condition of Horner, a seven-year veteran of the department.

Council Bluffs police are investigating the crash.

CENTRAL CITY, Neb. (AP) — Two teenage girls have died in a rollover crash in central Nebraska.

The crash happened just before 2 a.m. Saturday on a rural road in Merrick County. Investigators believe the car was eastbound when its passenger tires ran off the road. Officials believe the driver overcorrected, causing the car to roll several times before landing in the south ditch.

A spokesman for Grand Island Senior High confirmed that one of the girls was a senior at the school and the other girl had been a former student. The girls’ names have not yet been released.

BEATRICE, Neb. (AP) — Investigators say a 36-year-old man has died in a single-vehicle crash in Beatrice.

Kevin Patterson died shortly after his large sport utility vehicle crashed into a tall embankment at a high rate of speed.

Gage County Sheriff’s Sgt. Brandon Schley says Patterson was driving his Chevy Tahoe northbound on SW 61st when he came to a T-intersection.

Schley says it did not appear that Patterson hit his brakes and was traveling at least 50 mph when he hit the embankment.

Officials say Patterson died at the scene.