LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A 45-year-old man accused of sexually assaulting a 9-year-old girl in Lincoln has been sentenced to 40 to 60 years in prison.

Fidel Romero was sentenced Thursday on a charge of first-degree sexual assault. He must serve about 26 years before he’s eligible for parole.

Romero is accused of sexually molesting the girl over several incidents when he lived in Lincoln. The girl told a counselor at her middle school that Romero began molesting her in 2010.

The Lincoln Journal Star reports (https://bit.ly/1OE5W9B ) Romero was arrested in New Mexico in 2014. He was later brought back to Lincoln, where he pleaded no contest to the charge last month.

A defense attorney says Romero was sexually abused when he was 8 years old, and it could have affected his behavior.

WYMORE, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a storm left hail piled up and limbs and trees knocked down in the southeast Nebraska city of Wymore.

Emergency manager Mark Meints says hail was 2 inches deep in some parts of town after the storm blasted through between 1 a.m. and 1:40 a.m. Thursday. Tree and limbs blocked some streets.

No injuries have been reported. The Norris Public Power District website showed that power had been restored to its Wymore customers.

National Weather Service meteorologist Becky Kern says winds of more than 80 mph lashed the town as well as heavy rain.

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Forecasters say large, damaging hail, a few tornadoes and high winds are possible in parts of the Central Plains.

The Storm Prediction Center said the greater chance for strong storms Thursday afternoon would be in northern Kansas, with a lesser chance from extreme southern Nebraska into the northwestern Ozarks.

Storms are also possible in the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles and far northwestern Arkansas.

Areas south of a cold front should see the strongest surface heating Thursday, increasing the potential for high winds, even for a few hours after dark.

There is a risk of hail and possibly tornadoes early during storm development, with the threat changing to high winds later, according to the forecasters.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The former public address announcer at Nebraska’s Memorial Stadium in Lincoln has pleaded not guilty to theft and other charges.

Fifty-year-old Patrick Combs is accused of bilking hundreds of thousands of dollars from two elderly women. Court records say Combs has waived formal arraignment and asked the court to enter pleas of not guilty.

Authorities say Combs spent about $363,000 of the women’s money on cars, home repairs and gifts. He’s charged with two counts of theft and one count of attempted theft, abuse of a vulnerable adult and unauthorized use of a financial transaction device.

His attorney, Bob Creager, has said police and prosecutors rushed to judgment and filed unfounded charges against Combs. Creager says Combs was a lifelong family friend of one of the women.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A man who marred his ex-girlfriend’s “Happiness is a warm gun” tattoo when he shot her has been ordered to pay $100,000 for her pain and suffering.

Thirty-three-year-old Paul Boye is serving 10 to 15 years for assault stemming from the Feb. 2, 2014, shooting of Andrea Eberspacher. She sued him, and in June he was found civilly liable and was ordered to pay nearly $20,000 for her medical bills. Another trial was set to determine whether he should pay more money for her pain, suffering, inconvenience and loss of companionship.

The Lincoln Journal Star says (https://bit.ly/1L1BN4Y ) a jury awarded her $100,000 on Tuesday.

Her attorney has said an incision made for treatment of her abdominal wounds left a scar that bisected the tattoo.

PILGER, Neb. (AP) — Last summer’s tornado that destroyed much of Pilger has left the village facing an uphill battle in the coming year when it comes to finances due to reduced tax revenue.

But as crews work to replace homes that were damaged in the June 2014 tornado and businesses look to fill the now empty Main Street, the assessed value of property in the community is expected to increase, making Pilger’s future outlook much brighter than the current one.

The tornado destroyed about 40 percent of the homes in Pilger.

The valuation of taxable property in the community stood at more than $10.6 million in 2014. This year, due to the high loss of property, the valuation was more than $7.8 million.

NEBRASKA CITY, Neb. (AP) — A January trial has been scheduled for a 20-year-old man accused of stabbing to death a Nebraska City resident.

Sebastien Hall pleaded not guilty Tuesday to second-degree murder and a weapons charge. The trial is set to begin Jan. 6.

Prosecutors say Hall killed 21-year-old Jacob Adams on July 19. Prosecutors say Adams was fighting with Hall and another man, 22-year-old Dylan Boyle, when Adams was stabbed in the chest and throat. Boyle has pleaded not guilty to an assault charge.

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — Hall County prosecutors say no criminal charges will be filed in the drowning of a 5-year-old Lincoln girl at a Grand Island water park.

Hall County Attorney Jack Zitterkopf said in a news release Tuesday that Nubari Koffree’s drowning has been ruled accidental.

Nubari was with her mother at the Island Oasis Water Park on July 18. The little girl was found in the wave pool area. Grand Island spokeswoman Wendy Meyer says the wave pool operates in 10-minute intervals and was not running at the time of the accident.

Officials have said it was the first drowning to occur in the 21 years the water park has been open.