EXETER, Neb. (AP) — A couple who used to run a gun shop in Exeter have been convicted on tax charges.

Online court records say 46-year-old Robert Androyna and 42-year-old Hope Androyna pleaded no contest on Tuesday to failing to pay sales tax and evading income tax. Prosecutors dropped three other felony charges filed against both Androynas in exchange for their pleas.

The Nebraska Department of Revenue says in court filings that the Androynas took in $3.78 million from their Exeter Arms business from 2009 through 2012. That included nearly $200,000 in local and state sales taxes that the department says they didn’t send to the state.

The state says the Androynas didn’t report profit, income or wages from their business until October 2013, when the Revenue Department was already investigating them.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A 42-year-old Iowa man suspected in a hit-and-run accident has been fatally injured in a north Omaha crash.

Police say Robert Robison, of Carter Lake, Iowa, was pronounced dead at an Omaha hospital after Tuesday night’s accident.

Omaha police say officers were flagged down by someone who reported a hit-and-run on McKinley Street. A sport utility vehicle matching the description provided soon was spotted. Officers lost sight of the SUV but then found it after it had crashed. Investigators say SUV apparently had gone out of control. It clipped a tree and rolled, ejecting Robison.

Police say one of his passengers was hospitalized for minor injuries, and another wasn’t hurt.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska felon who had been released early has lost a court fight to avoid being returned to prison, but he will remain free because he’s been granted parole.

Fifty-seven-year-old Bruce Caton is among dozens of prisoners released early because of miscalculations discovered during a monthlong investigation by the Omaha World-Herald. He argued in his July filing that the Department of Correctional Services had determined that he’d served his full sentence and released him. So, he said, returning him to prison would unfairly apply a new interpretation of the state’s “good time” sentencing provision.

Judge Steven Burns said Tuesday that the correct calculation of the good time law hasn’t changed, so he granted the state’s motion to dismiss the case.

Caton was granted parole in September.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Lincoln Board of Education has received a mixed response from parents about the district’s gender identity training.

About 200 people, including parents, ministers and former students, packed into the board room on Tuesday and filled two other rooms where the meeting was live-streamed on screens.

Before the academic year began, district officials spoke with school leaders to help them better understand issues transgender students face. Handouts were given to teachers that suggested words to replace gendered terms like “girls” and “boys.” School officials have stressed that they were suggestions and not mandates.

Some parents said they felt the training amounted to the district pushing a political agenda. Others said they supported the district’s efforts in informing teachers about issues of gender identity.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Lincoln Children’s Zoo has announced the names of its red panda twins after a nationwide contest.

The zoo has named the cubs Carson and Willa after famous Nebraskans Johnny Carson and Willa Cather. More than 2,000 suggestions were submitted from across the nation in a Facebook contest hosted by the zoo. A Lincoln resident submitted the winning suggestions.

The pandas were born at the zoo in July and now weigh about four pounds. Zoo officials say there are about 200 of the endangered pandas living in captivity in North America.

The zoo closes for the season on Sunday and Carson and Willa likely won’t be on display until the spring.

GREELEY, Colo. (AP) — A faulty boiler used to heat the swimming pool at a recreation center in northern Colorado is believed to be the source of carbon monoxide that sickened 12 people, including at least one child who was hospitalized.

The Greeley Tribune reports that they were exposed to the deadly odorless gas Monday night during an archery practice in the Greeley Recreation Center’s basement.

The wife of an archery club leader, Jim Flores, didn’t feel well and went out to get some fresh air. When she returned, she noticed she barely had the strength to climb stairs. Around the same time, others complained of headaches and nausea, so Flores asked everyone to evacuate.

The Flores’ son, who suffers from asthma, was admitted to the hospital. The others were treated and released.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Superintendents in the Omaha area are studying the effectiveness of the Learning Community and have released a draft of their first joint report.

In 2007, the Legislature created the Learning Community, comprised of 11 school districts, to improve minority and low-income student achievement.

The report called “Learning Community: Time for Change?” says an open-enrollment student transfer system is more costly than before and hasn’t done much to improve socioeconomic diversity in schools. It also questions whether school districts alone can bring about the blending of poor and more affluent students.

But the report also shows strong support to expand early childhood education for students from low-income backgrounds.

The draft doesn’t include concrete recommendations, which officials say will be a part of the final report.

A traffic stop for speeding in a construction zone on I-80 in Lincoln leads to the arrest of an Indiana man and the seizure of 75 lbs. of marijuana.

Just after 6:30 p.m., Monday, October 13, a trooper stopped an eastbound Ford F350 for speeding near the I-80/Highway 77 exit on Interstate 80 in Lincoln. The truck was pulling a trailer loaded with a car.  An NSP canine alerted to the odor of drugs coming from the trailer. A search of the car on the trailer led to the seizure of 75.7 lbs. of marijuana.

The marijuana was concealed in three duffel bags in the passenger compartment and trunk of the car.

The driver of the pickup, Anthony D. Woodruff, 42, of Indianapolis, Indiana, was lodged in the Lancaster County Corrections for Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Deliver

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Court of Appeals has upheld the manslaughter, weapons and drug-dealing convictions of an Iowa man.

Corey Brooks, of Council Bluffs, was sentenced last year to a minimum of 56 years in prison for the convictions, including his role in the September 2011 shooting death of 50-year-old James Asmus.

Asmus was found shot to death in a south Omaha garage. Prosecutors say a plan by Asmus to rob Brooks prompted the shooting.

Brooks appealed, arguing that the trial judge should not have allowed his statements to police to be admitted into evidence. He also argued that his trial attorney was ineffective.

The appeals court found Tuesday that Brooks’ arguments were without merit.