OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Turning the Creighton University Medical Center into a veterans hospital has surfaced as a new option for replacing Omaha’s aging federal facility.

Rep. Lee Terry, an Omaha Republican, says the option was one of three discussed Tuesday during a meeting between the Nebraska delegation and the head of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Robert McDonald.

Local financing to build the replacement and lease it back to the federal government also was discussed.

Officials say renovating the Creighton hospital would cost about $250 million, compared with the $560 million estimated for a new, replacement facility. Federal funding for the replacement facility remains mired on a list of VA construction projects.

The Omaha hospital serves more than 160,000 veterans in the VA’s Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System.

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — Two people from South Dakota were arrested in Nebraska after a high speed chase through Howard and Hall counties.

30-year-old Lucas Johnson of Mitchell, South Dakota, was arrested in Hall County on Tuesday. He is charged with operating a vehicle to avoid arrest, driving under the influence and refusing to submit to a drug test.

A female passenger in the van with him also faces a similar charge.

Police say the chase started near St. Paul when the driver of a minivan left a gas station without paying. They say the van reached speeds of 105 mph before it crashed near Grand Island.

Johnson also faces a theft charge in Howard County.

He is being held on $15,000 bond. Online jail records didn’t indicate an attorney.

TORONTO (AP) — BlackBerry has launched a new smartphone as the embattled Canadian company tries for a comeback.

Chief executive John Chen unveiled a large-screen, square sized phone called the Passport to a Toronto audience on Wednesday. London and Dubai also hosted launch events. No event was held in the U. S. where analysts say there is little demand or carrier interest.

BlackBerry lost relevance as a dominant smartphone company following the launch of Apple’s iPhone and the introduction of Google-powered Android phones

Chen says the Passport will be available in the U.S. on A&T on an exclusive basis by the end of the year. It is also available for $599 for a limited time on Amazon.

Chen says he expects to release a more popular phone called the “Classic” later this year.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Officials have revoked the child care license of a woman in Omaha following issues over contact with her husband.

The state Department of Health and Human Services said Monday that Michelle Hayes signed two licensing agreements stating her husband, Erron Holley, was not allowed on the premises of her home child care business in Omaha. Holley at the time had a criminal record involving kidnapping and marijuana possession charges.

In August, Hayes reported that Holley physically assaulted her while she was transporting children. He was arrested several days later on a domestic assault charge. Records show Hayes later communicated via phone with Holley, a violation of a protection order filed by Hayes.

The children also reported that Holley had been living at the home and they were fearful of him.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Anti-addiction activists are calling for the Food and Drug Administration’s top official to step down, saying the agency’s policies have contributed to a national epidemic of prescription painkiller abuse.

In a letter released Wednesday, more than a dozen groups ask the Obama administration’s top health official to replace FDA Commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg, who has led the agency since 2009. The FDA has been under fire from public health advocates, politicians and law enforcement officials since last October, when it approved a powerful new painkiller called Zohydro against the recommendation of its own medical advisers.

The new letter is the first formal call for new leadership at the agency over the issue.

Hamburg has supported broad use of the drugs, noting that 100 million Americans reportedly suffer from chronic pain.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Police Department has made a series of nine cartoons and posted them on YouTube to remind students about what do in emergencies.

Each video in the “Really Obvious Preparedness Facts” series is about a minute long, and combined, they have 2,200 views.

The department’s emergency preparedness coordinator, Mark Robertson, said he wanted to create the animations, because he thought it would resonate more with college students than a man in his 50s on camera would.

Robertson narrates each cartoon. He says he tries to add humor similar to the animated show “South Park” to increase the likelihood of them being shared on social media websites.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska organization that gives out financial aid for K-12 students says increased donations have led to more students receiving scholarships.

The Children’s Scholarship Fund of Omaha said it awarded $2.1 million in scholarships this school year, which is up about $300,000 from last year. The organization works with private schools to offer aid to low-income families.

The executive director of the fund says about $550,000 went to 367 new students. She says donations increased by about $400,000 this year.

The fund serves students in private schools throughout the Omaha area and northeast Nebraska.

MANLEY, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska authorities say a woman has been killed and a man has been injured in a highway crash near Manly.

Cass County Sheriff William Brueggemann says deputies responded to the two-vehicle crash on Monday. He says 22-year-old Amanda Hauschild of Weeping Water was driving on Highway 50 when she lost control of her car. They say her car turned 180 degrees and was hit by another car in the same lane. They didn’t say why she lost control.

Hauschild died at the scene. The driver of the other car was flown to an Omaha hospital. His condition is unclear.

Neither was wearing a seat belt.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska authorities say a drunk driver has fatally struck a 57-year-old cyclist.

Lancaster County Sgt. Mike Peschong said Douglas Dalke of Lincoln was attempting to turn when a Chevy Prizm hit him from behind.

He says a 26-year-old Kansas man was arrested and faces a felony charge of motor vehicle homicide and a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol. He hasn’t been charged.

The road was closed for more than four hours while authorities investigated.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Federal safety officials have proposed fining a Kansas-based company nearly $134,000 for what the officials say were welding safety violations in Omaha.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration said Monday that it has cited Watco Cos. Inc., of Pittsburg, Kansas, for three repeat and three serious safety violations. A spokeswoman for Watco told The Associated Press on Tuesday that she couldn’t immediately comment.

OSHA inspectors say Watco let workers enter rail cars to perform repair tasks, including welding, without implementing procedures required under OSHA’s regulations for work in confined spaces.

The agency says a Watco worker had reported suffering respiratory inflammation after doing welding work inside a rail car in Omaha.