BLAIR, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say at least a dozen people have been injured by hail that pounded Blair and other cities as wave after wave of powerful thunderstorms moved through the eastern side of Nebraska.

Blair police say nine of those hurt were in a vehicle at a store parking lot when one of the storms hit on Tuesday. The nine were taken to Memorial Community Hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

Hail up to the size of baseballs smashed hundreds of windows on vehicles, homes and businesses throughout the city, and street flooding was reported.

As of 10 p.m. Tuesday, Blair Municipal Airport recorded nearly 3.5 inches of rain from the storms.

STERLING, Colo. (AP) — Investigators have arrested a 19-year-old and his girlfriend on suspicion of murdering his grandparents in Sterling.

Brendan Lee Johnson and 18-year-old Cassandra Ann Reib could face charges of murder, forgery and robbery.

The couple is suspected in the deaths of Charles and Shirley Severance, both 70. The Severances are Johnson’s grandparents.

The body of Charles Severance was discovered in his home May 29. An autopsy showed no evidence of injury or trauma.

Police announced Tuesday that the remains of Shirley Severance were discovered near Sterling, with other remains found in Lorenzo, Nebraska.

Police did not immediately speculate on a motive. The two are scheduled to appear in court for advisement Wednesday.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska civil liberties group is lauding the dismissal of charges against a Lincoln man, who was arrested March 15 for handing out religious pamphlets outside Lincoln’s Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Misdemeanor charges of trespassing and disobeying police orders against 77-year-old Larry Ball were dropped Friday at the request of Lincoln city prosecutors.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska, which has been representing Ball in the case, lauded the city’s move to dismiss. The ACLU says Ball was on a public sidewalk and exercising his First Amendment rights in handing out the fliers.

City prosecutor John McQuinn says the charges were dismissed because Ball had no criminal record and had not been back to the arena.

BEATRICE, Neb. (AP) — A man suspected of throwing rocks at jail windows in Beatrice has told officers he wanted to get the attention of his former girlfriend, who was an inmate.

26-year-old Kaleb Robinson was arrested Friday night and faces charges of criminal mischief and loitering about a penal institution. A public phone listing for Robinson couldn’t be found. Court records don’t list the name of his attorney.

Court records say a Beatrice police officer arrested two males who looked like two seen on surveillance video outside the jail. Officers say one of them, Robinson, said he’d thrown rocks at the jail, hoping to gain his ex-girlfriend’s attention. He also told officers he “knew it was stupid” to do so. Three windows were damaged.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The top bid for a private lunch with investor Warren Buffett is already approaching $400,000, but the bidding often reaches astronomical levels near the end of the weeklong auction.

The winning bids have exceeded $2 million in four of the past six years, and in 2012 the auction winner paid $3,456,789.

The top bid Tuesday morning was $370,100.

Buffett is chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, and the 83-year-old is a prominent philanthropist.

The auction benefits the Glide Foundation, which provides social services to the poor and homeless in San Francisco.

Bidding continues until 9:30 p.m. CDT Friday.

The winner can invite up to seven friends to the lunch. The only topic off limits is what Buffett might invest in next.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A judge has ordered a mental evaluation for a man convicted of killing four people in Omaha last year.

Judge Peter Battailon issued the order Monday for 27-year-old Nikko Jenkins. State psychiatrists will perform the evaluation at the Lincoln Regional Center.

A defense psychiatrist recently filed documents stating Jenkins’s mental state had deteriorated rapidly. The doctor says Jenkins is no longer competent to face a death penalty hearing.

State psychiatrists have said Jenkins is pretending to have a mental illness.

Jenkins is awaiting sentencing for the August 2013 deaths of Curtis Bradford, Jorge Cajiga-Ruiz, Juan Uribe-Pena and Andrea Kruger.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A 25-year-old man has been given six months in jail and five years of probation for the crash deaths of two friends north of Lincoln.

Online court records say Joshua Fagan had pleaded no contest to vehicular homicide after prosecutors dropped another charge. He was sentenced on Monday.

Fagan was accused of drinking alcohol before he began driving with his two friends on April 20 last year. Authorities say Fagan lost control of the car and it rolled on a county road near Branched Oak Lake north of Lincoln.

Chad Spencer and Ryan Bostock were found dead at the scene. Both were 24 years old and lived in Lincoln.

Court records say Fagan had an Illinois license but a Lincoln address.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Lincoln man was armed with an unloaded rifle when he was fatally shot by deputies who forced their way into a Lincoln house to remove him.

Lincoln police say 64-year-old Doug DaMoude had barricaded himself in his former residence on Friday afternoon. He’d broken back into the home after he was evicted.

Lincoln Police Chief Jim Peschong (peh-SHAHNG’) said Monday that locksmiths disabled the locks and deputies rammed into the entryway, where they were confronted by DaMoude. One deputy grabbed the rifle and struggled with DaMoude. Peschong says two other deputies fired five shots, hitting DaMoude four times.

Peschong says DaMoude had written his department and the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office, saying he didn’t recognize their authority and would kill officers if they tried to break into his home.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A long-term plan for supplying Lincoln with water 50 years from now suggests the city develop a well field near the Missouri River more than 40 miles away.

Buying and developing the well field, building water treatment plants and laying pipes to Lincoln could cost $1.2 billion by 2044.

Lincoln’s more than 265,000 residents have been getting their water from a well field on the Platte River, but officials say the city should diversify its water supply to meet its future needs.

Two public hearings are schedule later this month on whether the city should approve the master plan.

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) — A 48-year-old Grand Island man is scheduled to be sentenced next month for trying to kill his estranged wife.

Online court records say Jesus Parra pleaded no contest to three charges and was convicted last week. The three are attempted murder, assault and possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited person. Sentencing is set for July 17.

Prosecutors dropped six other charges in exchange for Parra’s pleas.

In February he’d been declared mentally incompetent and was sent to a psychiatric hospital for treatment. He was to remain there until “the disability is removed.” In April Parra was declared competent to stand trial as long as he continued to take his medication.

Police say he attacked and injured Rosa Olivas de Parra at her home in April 2013.