Dorchester Times: Lincoln Newspaper Features Tuesday's School Vote

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Lincoln Newspaper Features Tuesday's School Vote

The Times is pleased to report that today's Lincoln Journal Star contains a prominent story on this week's voter approval of the $3.98 million Dorchester School renovation plan.

In the article, the Journal Star reports that "Dorchester Public Schools district voters passed a nearly $4 million bond issue Tuesday night, paving the way for renovation of the district’s facilities and new construction." The newspaper reports that the bond issue will allow "an almost completely new high school" and that "work is scheduled to be completed in a year."

Dorchester principal Brian Rediger is quoted in the story, saying: "I’m excited because I can see the benefit to the instructional program for all the kids, and community and school pride, too."

The story continues: "The bond issue will lead to new elementary, junior high and high school additions and demolition of the district’s main building, which was built in 1927 and houses most of its high school classrooms. Other improvements will include a new multipurpose/liberal arts room that can serve as a gym, as well as a new wrestling room and administrative offices.

"The district sorely needed new and renovated facilities, (Rediger) said, partly because of increasing enrollment and an increase in young families in the area.

"To build support for the bond issue, promoters distributed fliers, and the district hosted public meetings.

"And someone, apparently a community member, promoted the bond issue through an Internet blog, Rediger said. He said he didn’t know who administers the blog at www.dorchestertimes.blogspot.com, but he said it provided plenty of fairly accurate information leading up to the bond issue election."

For the record -- and to reiterate a point we have made previously -- the Times never took a position in the school renovation discussion. We did, however, do our best to report the information made available to us. We worked to present both sides of the debate, when possible. And we hope that, ultimately, our stories helped produce better informed discussion among district patrons and decision making at the polls.

** UPDATE: 9/14, 5 p.m. **

The Associated Press also covered the Dorchester School election.

8 comments:

AnonymousSeptember 13, 2007 at 4:42 PM
if we are talking school and community pride, why was the pep rally at school cancelled tuesday??

why do we punish all for a few?
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AnonymousSeptember 13, 2007 at 9:27 PM
And for the record, I reported to the Journal Star that the blog "covered" the news about the bond issue, rather than promoting it. Other than that the story was accurate.

Thanks to the folks at the Times for their efforts. The blog is enjoyable, informative, and an asset to the town.
Thanks,
Brian Redinger
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AnonymousSeptember 14, 2007 at 10:18 AM
Now that the decision to improve the school has been made, it's more important than ever for the citizens to keep an eye on the Legislature. This coming session will be the "last hurrah" for "consolidation crazy" State Senator Ron Raikes, Chairman of his "rubber stamp" Education Committee. He's already tried to introduce bills that will force the consolidation of all school districts with less than 900 students. His bill to consolidate all the K-8 districts was repealed by the voters, and as soon as the foot dragging by the Attorney General and the Dept. of Education stops, they'll be back in business. It wouldn't surprise me to see him try to "go out with a bang" by using the same lies and political games again to push through a bill to force consolidation of ALL small K-12 school districts. Keep your eyes and ears open, and keep the local folks in charge of their local schools.
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AnonymousSeptember 14, 2007 at 8:19 PM
Dorchester voters got 'R' done and I'm proud that we have the vision to see beyond just today. Here's to the future!
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AnonymousSeptember 18, 2007 at 9:23 PM
If you are looking to the future, than maybe you should realize that the future doesn't hold much for this town's future. The only way this town will experience any growth is if the meat packing industry expands - which isn't likely. If it does expand, I'm sure all you "blue bloods" won't be real happy that you built a new school for a bunch of "illegals."
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AnonymousSeptember 18, 2007 at 10:03 PM
Aw shuddup!!!!!!!! Add something constructive or keep your hole closed............ I hope your comments quit getting printed...... I'll bet your not even from Dorchester or have any ties to town ...... if you do you should be ashamed.......
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AnonymousSeptember 19, 2007 at 9:40 PM
old cynical dripard. where is your "constructive" comment? Hmm...don't see one. Do you even realize that "anonymous" isn't a single entity?? You do dorchester education proud. Do you even have teeth?? Are your eyeballs cockeyed you old inbred sheep loving hillbilly????

The one and only anonymous
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AnonymousSeptember 19, 2007 at 9:40 PM
I agree with anonymouse...if were looking at are future - than we cant look at are past only the future because thats were are future is and only than can we help are students learn about there future two.
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Dorchester: A Good Little Family Town

Dorchester, Nebraska (est. population 630) is located in northern Saline county. Close in proximity to Interstate 80, Dorchester is only 25 minutes from the state capital of Lincoln (est. population 250,000) and about 55 minutes from Omaha (metro population 725,000).

Dorchester's median resident age is 37 years. In 2005, Dorchester had a median family income of approximately $35,600. The median house value was about $63,000. About 95 percent of Dorchester residents commute to work via Interstate and highways.

The village has a quality public school, which received a $4.1 million expansion and modernization in 2008; it offers a small classrooms and individualized attention. Total enrollment of grades K-12 is around 230-250 students.

Ancestries of the Dorchester area are primarily German (42.4%), Czech (24.9%), Irish (12.5%), English (5.4%), and Dutch (4.9%).

Dorchester Historical Facts

* On July 4, 1871, the railroad reached Dorchester.
* Incorporated in 1881, Dorchester's population grew from 200 to 500 by 1882.
* In 1882, Dorchester had 90 buildings, 35 of which were businesses or public facilities. Brick buildings lined both sides of Washington Avenue for two blocks.
* Dorchester's longest-running newspaper was The Dorchester Star, which was published until the late 1940s.
* By 1889, Dorchester's population is said to have reached 800, while the town housed an opera house, a two-story brick schoolhouse with a bell tower, and four churches.
* By the 1910s, Dorchester had electricity, a water tower and a fire department.
* Dorchester's main arteries, Highways 6 and 33, were graveled in the 1940s.
* Dorchester's first irrigation well was drilled on Chris Weber's farm and rural electrification was finished following WWII.

A Village with History

Dorchester is one of the "alphabet towns" on the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad line built west from Lincoln. The town site was selected for its pleasant location in the northern part of Saline County, about eight miles west of Crete. This situation is an attractive one, being on the level prairie land, midway between the West Blue River and Turkey Creek. The first named stream is three miles north, and the latter about the same distance south from the town. Dorchester was platted in 1870 and incorporated in 1881. The name "Dorchester" came from either for a suburb of Boston by that name or a town in England. No one is sure. Two of the very first settlers were James Seely and Edward McIntyre, who both made Dorchester their permanent home.

Dorchester: In The Beginning

Here is a look at Dorchester around 1890, less than a decade after its official incorporation, as documented by Andreas' History of the State of Nebraska:
* POPULATION: "About 300, and is made up of a substantial and progressive class of citizens, who are moral and industrious. ... The town grew but very little until the year 1879, for the reason that Pleasant Hill, on Turkey Creek, a short distance south, was the county seat and naturally drew a trade for quite a large scope of country."
* BUSINESS: "The business and professional interests of the town are represented by three general merchandise stores, two drug, one grocery, one furniture, two hardware, and two millinery stores, one bank, two restaurants, two hotels, three livery stables, a post office, one newspaper office, two elevators, two lumber yards, two coal yards, two blacksmith shops, two lawyers and four physicians."
* SCHOOL: "The schoolhouse is a good one. The schoolhouse was built in 1872, since which time the public schools have been continually kept up. The present schoolhouse is 24' x 40' in size, two stories high. The school is graded and consists of three departments. The house is found too small, and arrangements will soon be made to increase its size."
* CHURCHES: "There are three substantial churches."
* HOMES: "The residence portion of the village is made up of neat houses of different styles of architecture, but none of them very large."
* NEWSPAPER: "The Dorchester Star, which was established August 21, 1881, by H. C. Bittenbender, who edited it until January 19, 1882, when he sold it to Ryerson & Bullock, the present proprietors. The Star is a bright weekly paper, five-column quarto, in size, and is Republican in politics."