OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The sister of a man convicted of killing four Omaha people in August 2013 has pleaded not guilty to assaulting a jail guard.

24-year-old Erica Jenkins quipped “not guilty by reason of insanity” when asked for her plea Thursday.

After a brief conversation with her attorneys, she was allowed to change the plea to not guilty.

The felony assault charge accuses Jenkins of hitting a jail guard on Sunday, blooding the officer’s nose. It’s the fourth time that Jenkins has been charged with assault while in jail. Each count carries a penalty of up to five years in prison.

Jenkins was also ordered to stand trial Monday on two counts of robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery and being a habitual criminal.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Omaha police say a motorcyclist is dead following a traffic accident in northwest Omaha.

Police say the motorcycle was traveling west on Maple Street when a car pulled out form a side street.

Police say the motorcyclist swerved around the car and lost control of the bike. Police say he slid along the ground and struck a sign on the center median.

The motorcyclist was taken to an Omaha hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Authorities have not yet released the man’s name.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A judge has denied bond for an 18-year-old man charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death this week of an Omaha jewelry store owner in what police called a botched robbery.

Milton Dortch has also been charged with using a firearm in a felony. Prosecutors say he also robbed a bank in west Omaha on Sept. 13.

The jewelry store shooting occurred Wednesday, when police were sent to JR’s Jewelry & Gifts. The store’s owner, 71-year-old James Minshall, had been shot three times. He was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Prosecutors say Dortch told police he shot Minshall, believing the man was reaching for a gun.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A motorcyclist is in critical condition after a car collision in Omaha caused him to crash through a van window.

Police say 21-year-old John R. Neal, of Omaha, was traveling northbound Friday when his motorcycle collided with a southbound van making a left turn. The force of the collision caused Neal to go through the side window of the van.

Neal, who was wearing a helmet, was taken to a local hospital and remains in critical condition.

The driver of the van, 75-year-old Robert J. Tedford, also of Omaha, was not injured.

Pope Francis has chosen a bishop known as a moderate to replace retiring Cardinal Francis George as head of the high-profile Chicago archdiocese.

The Vatican said Saturday that the pontiff had appointed Monsignor Blase Cupich, 65, a native of Nebraska, for the post that had been held by George, a leading church conservative who is 77 and battling cancer.

NEBRASKA CITY, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska State Patrol will conduct a special enforcement effort this weekend in southeastern Nebraska to coincide with Nebraska City’s popular annual AppleJack Festival.

The festival, which began Friday and runs through Sunday, is expected to draw as many as 80,000 to Otoe County.

During the enforcement effort, state troopers will have an increased presence in Otoe County on Saturday and Sunday.

Patrol Capt. Lance Rogers says there will be a lot of vehicles on the roads in Otoe County this weekend, and the patrol wants everyone to “enjoy themselves in a safe, responsible manner and to abide by all traffic safety laws.”

The special enforcement will be paid for, in part, through a $3,100 grant from the Nebraska Office of Highway Safety.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Supreme Court has suspended the law license of a Lincoln attorney for two years over his mishandling of an immigration case.

The high court said Keith Prettyman’s suspension follows his work in 2010 for a Lincoln marketing company that asked him to handle immigration paperwork for an Indonesian man it wanted to hire. Records show Prettyman falsely told the company that he had filed a petition for worker status for the man. Because of Prettyman’s actions, the man was forced to return to Indonesia.

The court said Prettyman admitted in June to violating his oath of office as an attorney and state conduct rules.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Supreme Court has ordered a new trial for a Lincoln man convicted of attempted sexual assault, saying the trial judge wrongly applied Nebraska’s rape shield law when he refused to allow the alleged victim to be questioned about her relationship with another woman.

The decision Friday came in the case of Curtis Lavalleur, who appealed his 2013 conviction.

Lavalleur’s attorney sought to cross-examine the woman Lavalleur was accused of assaulting about her relationship, saying he wanted to establish a motive for her to falsely report that she had not consented to sexual activities with Lavalleur.

On appeal, Lavalleur argued that evidence of an intimate relationship, by itself, is not within the scope of Nebraska’s rape shield law.

The high court agreed and ordered a new trial.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — More than 20 Persian cats have been removed from an Omaha home.

The Nebraska Humane Society says the cats were taken from the property on Sept. 12. They have been sent to the group’s facility for treatment.

A search warrant filed in Douglas County District Court indicates neighbors had been complaining about a foul smell coming from the home.

Animal control officers reported seeing mashed feces covering the home’s floor. Many of the cats were covered in matted fur.

The owners of the home have been cited on counts of cruelty to animals, unsanitary conditions and harboring too many animals.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Supreme Court has revived a lawsuit against a general contractor over the 2008 death of a worker.

Jose Sanchez Dominguez was attaching roof panels to a Wal-Mart under construction in Omaha when one gave way. He was not wearing a required safety harness and fell 40 feet. Dominguez died at a hospital.

Dominguez’s estate sued. A Douglas County District Court judge later dismissed Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Graham Construction Inc. from the lawsuit, saying neither retained control over the work Dominguez performed for a subcontractor.

On Friday, the state’s high court agreed that Wal-Mart could not be held liable, but said a jury should decide whether Graham Construction had knowledge that Dominguez was not using his safety harness, and could therefore be found liable for his death.