GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — In a move intended to boost spending in the central Nebraska city of Grand Island, ammunition company Hornady Manufacturing has issued employee cash bonuses in the form of $2 bills, with a request from management to spend the money in town.

Vice President Jason Hornady said the company recently handed out $61,000 worth of $2 bills to its employees as part of the company’s annual bonus pay.

Hornady says getting 30,500 $2 bills to give to employees takes some doing. He orders the bills from a bank about a month in advance.

Hornady Manufacturing is one of Grand Island’s leading employers with more than 300 people on its payroll.

CEDAR BLUFFS, Neb. (AP) — A man has died in a single-vehicle crash in eastern Nebraska.

The Saunders County Sheriff’s Office says the crash happened Friday evening at the intersection of two county roads near Cedar Bluffs.

Investigators say a large pickup driven by a 56-year-old man failed to stop at the intersection stop sign, left the roadway and ended up in a ditch. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene.

Authorities have not yet released the driver’s name.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha man who spent less than three years in prison for participating in the gang-rape of teenager in 2000 now faces life in prison for sexually assaulting two young girls within months of leaving prison in 2004.

Kelvin Smith was found guilty this week of 11 counts, including first-degree sexual assault of a child and third-degree sexual assault of a child.

Prosecutors say the girls were 9 and 10 when Smith began abusing them in 2004.

He faces up to life in prison, plus 280 years when he’s sentenced on Aug. 11.

Prosecutors say in 2000, Smith was among several men who dragged a 19-year-old woman into an abandoned house in north Omaha and took turns raping her.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Lincoln city officials are replacing their diesel-powered buses with ones powered by compressed natural gas.

The city began the switch on Friday, when officials unveiled five new StarTran buses. The buses are expected to save the city an estimated $1.3 million over their 15-year lifetimes, with reduced maintenance and fuel costs.

Lincoln Mayor Chris Beutler says the buses are quieter and safer, and will produce fewer greenhouse gases than the diesel models.

The first five buses will run on routes through the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus, starting in August. The city will deploy eight more buses over the next two years, with more to come until all of the diesel buses have been replaced.

Each new bus costs about $484,000. The fuel system costs about $35,000.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say the owner of a pickup that killed a 62-year-old Nebraska man reached out to them shortly after the incident and acknowledged through an attorney that he was behind the wheel.

A defense attorney for James Gibbs called Lancaster County Sheriff Terry Wagner two days after the May 29 incident.

According to a deputy’s sworn statement, Gibbs’ attorney acknowledged that the 33-year-old was driving the truck. Attorney Sean Brennan told authorities they could find it at Gibbs’ home in Panama, but said his client would not answer questions.

Authorities say Gibbs owns the pickup that killed 62-year-old Gregory Nicklas. Nicklas was out walking his dog near his home in Hickman.

Brennan was unavailable Friday. Another attorney for Gibbs declined to comment.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A Douglas County Sheriff’s deputy faces a charge of possession of a controlled substance following an investigation by the Nebraska State Patrol.

A news release from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office says Deputy Kristin Jones turned herself in to the State Patrol on Friday and was arrested on the charge.

The release says Jones’ arrest stemmed from a report made by the sheriff’s office in April, when it suspected the 37-year-old Jones — who was assigned to clerical work — had done something illegal. The sheriff’s office then turned the case over to the State Patrol.

Chief Deputy Tom Wheeler says the sheriff’s office is also conducting an internal investigation. He declined to give other details of the investigation.

Jones could not be reached for comment Friday.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities have arrested four teenagers in the slaying of a 23-year-old Omaha man.

Police said in a news release Friday that the boys were ages 13, 15, 16 and 17. They’re accused in the fatal shooting of Brandon Wallace, who was found wounded Saturday afternoon on the front porch of his home. He died later at an Omaha hospital.

The Associated Press generally doesn’t name juveniles accused of crimes.

Police say the investigation is continuing.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Supreme Court has dismissed the appeal of a same-sex couple seeking a divorce in Nebraska.

The decision came in the case of Bonnie Nichols, a Raymond woman who married her long-time partner, Margie, in 2009 in Iowa. Bonnie Nichols filed for divorce last year, but a Lancaster County judge ruled that the court couldn’t grant it without recognizing the marriage.

Same-sex marriages are allowed in Iowa, but Nebraska’s constitution doesn’t recognize them.

The judge issued an order giving Bonnie Nichols 15 days to file an amended complaint, but said the case would be dismissed without the ability to refile if she didn’t.

Nichols instead appealed. On Friday, the high court said that because she appealed from a conditional order and not a final judgment, it lacks jurisdiction.

ASHLAND, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska Game and Parks officials are preparing to dedicate new cabins at Eugene T. Mahoney State Park near Ashland.

The cabins were built with $1 million approved by state lawmakers and Gov. Dave Heineman. Heineman will dedicate the first of the completed cabins during a ceremony at 2 p.m. on Saturday. The public is invited to an open house and trolley car rides from 2:45 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The Game and Parks Commission says Mahoney State Park is one of the state’s top tourist attractions, with more than 1 million visitors a year. The park generates about $6 million in lodging and campground fees, park permit sales and other revenue.

GENEVA, Neb. (AP) — A 23-year-old Geneva man is scheduled to return to court next month to face child abuse charges in the death of his 5-week-old son.

Anthony Long is being held on $1 million bail, charged with child abuse resulting in death and child abuse resulting in injury. His attorney didn’t immediately return a call Friday.

Long was arrested in Omaha on May 31 after the baby was flown there for treatment. Doctors had told officers that the boy had brain injuries consistent with being shaken. The baby died June 3.

A court affidavit says Long acknowledged to investigators that he’d used an open hand to strike the boy a few times on May 31 and previously, because he’d gotten frustrated with the boy while feeding him.