Daily Minute: Man cited for deadly collision; Lincoln facing 1st hard freeze; Lincoln Southeast game canceled

Good morning, Lincoln. Here's what you should know today.

Man cited for deadly collision

A 50-year-old Lincoln man has been cited in connection with the death of a Ceresco police officer who was fatally injured when his cruiser was struck during a routine traffic stop in April.

Officer Ross Bartlett was in his parked cruiser on the shoulder of U.S. 77 about 2 miles south of Ceresco in Lancaster County around April 12 when Tony Pierce's Ford F-150 struck him from behind.

According to the accident report, Pierce was operating his cellphone at the time of the crash. If convicted of motor vehicle homicide while reckless or willful reckless driving, Pierce could get up to three years of imprisonment.

Lincoln facing 1st hard freeze

Much of the state is in a freeze warning Wednesday from 1-9 a.m., with temperatures forecast to drop to 28 degrees in Lincoln and as low as 26 degrees elsewhere.

The National Weather Service said the cold will be enough to damage crops and sensitive vegetation and also cause damage to unprotected pipes.

A warm front will move into the area on Wednesday, which will send temperatures into the mid to upper 70s starting Thursday. But the front also will produce higher wind speeds, which will greatly increase the fire danger.

Lincoln and other parts of the state are in a red flag warning from 1-7 p.m. Wednesday, which means fire danger is high. The fire danger lessens but continues on Thursday, with a fire weather watch in effect from 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

Lincoln Southeast game canceled

And, Lincoln Southeast won't play football this week .

The Knights, scheduled to play Omaha Benson on Thursday, saw that game called off after Benson announced it was canceling the rest of its season due to low participation numbers.

Benson was on a 17-game losing streak before the cancellations. Benson lost by 40 points earlier this season to Lincoln High, which ended last week's game against Millard South at halftime, facing a 63-0 deficit and dwindling numbers.

Benson and Lincoln High's forfeitures have reignited the debate on the gap between the haves and the have-nots in Nebraska's largest classification.

That's it for Wednesday, Oct. 16. Stay in the know with Lincoln's longest-standing news source at JournalStar.com and we'll see you back here tomorrow.