OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A man accused of robbing and punching a 76-year-old woman at Omaha’s St. Cecilia Cathedral has pleaded guilty.

Online court records say 23-year-old Wayman Clark entered the plea Wednesday in Douglas County District Court. His sentencing on the robbery conviction is scheduled for Aug. 3

Surveillance video of the Aug. 16 crime shows the woman was reading the parish newsletter at the cathedral entrance when two men approached her. One stole her purse and the other punched her in the face, causing the woman to hit her head against the side of a table as she fell.

The other man charged is 21-year-old Larry Leggett. He’s pleaded not guilty to robbery and is due in court Monday for a pretrial conference.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — State officials say an invasive insect that kills ash trees has been confirmed for the first time in Nebraska.

The Nebraska Department of Agriculture says Wednesday the beetle was found in a Pulaski Park tree in Omaha. With Nebraska added to the list, there are now 27 states where the pest has been confirmed since 2002.

Department Director Greg Ibach says the beetle’s presence in the state is not a surprise considering nearby states that already have infestations, including Iowa, Missouri, and Kansas.

The insects are native to Asia and were first spotted in the U.S. in 2002, when they showed up in the Detroit area. Once infected, trees typically die within five years, though healthy trees can be treated to resist the bug.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Lincoln man has been accused of financially exploiting his 85-year-old father-in-law.

53-year-old Melando James was arrested Tuesday and has since been released on bond. He’s charged with abuse of vulnerable adult and theft.

A public phone listing for James couldn’t be found. Online court records don’t list the name of an attorney who could comment on James’ behalf.

An arrest affidavit says police began investigating James in September after receiving information that he may have been transferring to his account money from his father-in-law’s account. The total is more than $8,500. The older man has been in a long-term nursing facility since September.

The court documents say James denied knowing his father-in-law has mental issues.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The second trial has begun in the lawsuit filed against Gage County by people wrongfully convicted in a 1985 rape and slaying.

In his opening statement Tuesday in a federal courtroom in Lincoln, defense attorney Jeff Patterson told jurors that “we’re here to right the wrong of the worst miscarriage of justice in Nebraska history.”

The six people — James Dean, Kathleen Gonzalez, Debra Shelden, Ada JoAnn Taylor, Thomas Winslow and Joseph White — were wrongly convicted in the killing of Helen Wilson in Beatrice and served a combined 77 years in prison before DNA testing cleared them in 2008.

The first trial last year ended in a mistrial.

Known as the Beatrice Six, they’ve argued that Gage County investigators labored to close the case despite contradictory evidence.

NELIGH, Neb. (AP) — Another wind farm has been approved for Antelope County, over objections from some residents.

The county Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to let a Chicago-based company erect 160 turbines near Neligh (NEE’-lee). The company, Invenergy, already operates a wind farm in the Elgin area.

The supervisors imposed several conditions on the project, such as increased setback distances and completion of a noise analysis within 24 months after the structures are erected. Eight turbines in the original proposal were dropped because of potential conflict with flight space around the Neligh airport.

Opponents have cited concerns about noise and sought tighter restrictions on setback distances. People who favored the wind farm have said it could increase jobs and tax revenue and provide clean energy.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A Lincoln man has been sentenced to five years’ probation after pleading guilty to felony theft of more than $37,000 from an Omaha church.

Douglas County District Judge Thomas Otepka ordered 42-year-old Jeffrey D. Bomberger, a former employee at Dundee Presbyterian Church, to pay $6,000 in restitution and receive treatment for a gambling addiction.

Douglas County Attorney’s Office investigator Lance Ivener says Bomberger, the former director of operations at the church, admitted to using the church’s funds to gamble at keno parlors.

In November 2015, church leaders discovered Bomberger was using a church account to purchase credit cards that he said were being used for charitable donations.

Bomberger’s attorney, Jim Hoppe, says most of the church’s losses were covered by insurance.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — State authorities say an Omaha man convicted of killing four people has faked suicide attempts in an effort to get out of solitary confinement.

But the lawyers for Nikko Jenkins disagreed at a hearing Tuesday, saying only doctors for the prosecution have concluded that Jenkins is faking.

The issue Tuesday was whether Jenkins is competent to face a death penalty hearing. Judge Peter Bataillon (buh-TAL’-yuhn) will rule later.

If Jenkins is declared competent, Bataillon will set a death-penalty hearing, the fourth time he has done so. Jenkins would then go before a three-judge panel that will decide whether his crimes merit the death penalty.

Jenkins was convicted in 2014 of first-degree murders for shooting four people over a 10-day period in August 2013, within weeks of leaving prison.

FREMONT, Neb. (AP) — Company and public officials have scheduled several special public meetings to discuss issues surrounding a proposed chicken plant in Fremont.

The meetings on June 20 and 21, June 27 and 28 will include official business regarding annexation and zoning changes. Costco Wholesale and other officials will be on hand to answer questions.

The retailer is working with Lincoln Premium Poultry, a Georgia chicken processor, to build and operate a plant to provide poultry for Costco stores.

Opponents have raised concerns about low wages, corporate livestock ownership and the potential for diseases such as avian flu. They also cite the potential impact on schools, housing and roads. Backers have said the plant would create 1,100 new jobs and provide other financial benefits to the area.

LYNCH, Neb. (AP) — A South Dakota man has died after a crash in northern Nebraska.

The Nebraska State Patrol says the wreckage was found around 5 p.m. Saturday along Nebraska Highway 12, between Lynch and Monowi in Boyd County. The patrol says 74-year-old Verne Grosz, of Scotland, South Dakota, was alone in his vehicle when it ran off the roadway and struck a tree.

The accident is being investigated.