Airfare Deals For Lincoln, Grand Island Airports

Natives of Dorchester, DHS alumni and other friends of our community are routinely returning to the area to visit, catch up, remember days gone by and take part in Dorchester's many events and activities. The Times wants to help them return more often and help them save a little of their hard-earned cash.

Many Dorchester visitors who reside further than 200 or 300 miles away typically fly into Omaha, most likely because it is perceived that Omaha's Epply Airport always offers the cheapest flights. However, the Times has found great deals can be found for flights into Lincoln's municipal airport, as well as the Grand Island airport.

A quick search on Airfare Watchdog found round trip tickets for as low as $49 from Phoenix into Grand Island. The same search showed flights into Lincoln from Denver for only $200. Not only are these good deals, but the drive time from Lincoln to Dorchester is considerably less than from Omaha. That means more time to spend with friends and family.

Go to Airfare Watchdog's Web site by clicking here.

With all the upcoming Dorchester activities and attractions -- the DHS alumni tournaments, DHS alumni banquet, the annual Fourth of July celebration, and more -- we wanted to pass this along.

Lady Longhorns Lose Close Contest In CRC Semifinals

The Lady Longhorns basketball team fell Thursday night in the semifinals of the Crossroads Conference Tournament, losing to No. 3 seed Osceola 36-28 at the York City Auditorium.

DHS trailed by only two points going into the fourth period and dominated Osceola inside the paint. But the Lady Longhorns struggled from the free throw line, while Osceola hit timely buckets.

The York-News Times covered the game and reports that in the fourth stanza, Dorchester shot 2-8 from the charity stripe, hurting DHS' chances to play in the CRC championship.

Senior Karmen Lawver led the Longhorns (7-9) with nine points. Other DHS scorers included Havlat (6), Behrens (7), Springer (5), and Hewitt (1). See the York News-Times story right here.

Longhorn Wrestlers Ranked No. 10 In Nebraska

More congratulations are in order for the grapplers of DHS.

According to the latest Lincoln Journal Star rankings for Class D wrestling teams, Dorchester has moved into the state's top 10. DHS is ranked No. 10, while Amherst, Palmer and Howells maintain the top three spots. Meanwhile, neighboring Friend is No. 7 and nearby Sutton is No. 8.

As for individual wrestlers, in the 119 lb. category, DHS' Jeremy Inderlied is ranked as the No. 6 wrestler in Class D. Senior Adam Kahle is No. 4 in the 145 lb. weight class and veteran grappler Russell Barak is No. 4 in the 189 lb. class.

Thanks to loyal reader "CJ" for sending this our way. As he said in his e-mail, DHS has a wrestling program to be reckoned with. Now the rest of the state has been put on notice.

DHS Girls Playing In CRC Semifinal Contest

The Lady Longhorns have demonstrated steady improvement with every game and appear to be peaking in the final stretch of the season. Because of their stepped-up play, the DHS girls -- now 7-8 on the season -- have earned a spot in Thursday night's Crossroads Conference basketball tournament semifinal in York. The game will tip off at 6 p.m. at the York City Auditorium.

On Monday and in the first game of the girls' CRC, Dorchester handily beat Shelby 45-29. DHS' Malinda Havlat scored nine points to complement Charity Springer’s 19. On Tuesday, the ladies of DHS came out of the gates in fine fashion and beat a solid No. 2-seed Exeter-Milligan team by a tally of 37-20. Havlat lead all scorers with 13 points, while Karmen Lawver also reached double-figures with 10 points.

We wish the Lady Longhorns the best of luck in the CRC semifinal. To see or purchase photos from the CRC tournament, click here.

Ten Ways To Help Our Local Economy

Times are tough, economically. Many are tightening their belts, whether or not they have been directly affected by the sluggish economy.

In a hard economy, the best place to begin the rebound is at home. By helping your local economic system, you can support your neighbors, friends, family members and yourself. While some think it takes major dollars to support the community economy, just a few minor adjustments will allow you to make a big impact.

To examine ways we can all support the Dorchester area, the Times is featuring a series called, "Ten Steps To Help Our Local Economy." Today, we begin with step No. 1:

1.) Bank Locally

If you decide to save your extra money instead of spending it, then you can help your local economy by depositing the funds into a locally-owned bank, like Dorchester's First State Bank. Doing so not only supports our local economy, but small banks often have great interest rates and better personal service. Community banks like ours in Dorchester focus on the needs of local families, businesses and farmers. Unlike many larger banks that may take deposits in one state and lend in others, community banks channel most of their loans to the neighborhoods where their depositors live and work, helping to keep local communities vibrant and growing. Also, community banks are typically deeply involved in local economic development and philanthropic efforts. Because community banks are themselves small businesses, they understand the needs of small business owners. Support your local bank.

OPEN FORUM: January 2010

It's a new year and time for a new open forum for Times readers. Once again, this is your chance to say something, report breaking news or ask a question, on any issue. Any topic is fair game, although the Times' comment policy still applies. Keep it clean; keep it civil. (Please see the bottom of the left-hand column.)

The Times' Web site is averaging more than 530 hits a day, according to an independent tracking service. That means the Times is the perfect forum to air your thoughts, news tips, announcements, complaints and concerns.

Social experts say that people need three places: the home, the office, and a community hangout or gathering place. With this thought in mind, please consider this Dorchester's community virtual hangout. Go ahead and sound off. We are listening.

Reminder: Jan. 22 Soup Supper and Raffle To Benefit Fisher Family

Plan now to attend this Friday's (Jan. 22) soup supper fundraiser at Dorchester Public Schools, as school leaders seek to help raise money for the Fischer family during the upcoming DHS-McCool Junction boys and girls basketball game.

The soup supper and a coinciding raffle are a joint effort of both Dorchester and McCool Junction schools. Money raised from the event will go towards medical expenses accrued by 13-year-old Gabe Fisher's battle with cancer.

The event will start at 5 p.m. and continue as long as hungry patrons are waiting.

Gabe's mother, Diane, is a faculty member at DPS. See a recent York News-Times story on Gabe -- who was diagnosed this fall with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma -- by clicking here. Everyone from the area community is encouraged to attend Friday's event at Dorchester Public Schools.

Citizen Of The Year: Bill Velder

The Times is proud to name Bill Velder as its "Dorchester Citizen of the Year."

Over the past few weeks, many readers have e-mailed us their nominations for the citizen of the year award. Others submitted their nominations via the comments page to our blog story, originally posted in late December. Every individual nominated was well qualified and deserves proper recognition for their contributions to improve the quality of life in and around Dorchester. Unfortunately, we can give the award to only one person.

We are naming Bill Velder our "Citizen of the Year" based largely on his efforts to coordinate a group of volunteers who came together and made the Nerud Field project a reality in 2009. With much hard work by Velder and many others, the community's football/baseball/softball complex was given an impressive and much-needed makeover, giving community members just one more reason to be proud of their hometown. The completion of the project was certainly one of 2009's highlights.

Under Velder's leadership, the Nerud Field Project Committee gathered financial resources and volunteers who constructed the new 24’ by 40’ concession stand. The first-class facility includes a covered dining area, new restrooms, and iron rail fence and entry gate to the football field. The project started in the autumn of 2008 and was completed in late May of 2009.

We salute Bill on his latest accolade as "Dorchester Citizen of the Year." We also congratulate those who were nominated by fellow residents. Earning honorable mention are: Lyle Weber, Ben Haufle, Brent Zoubek, Scott Pohl, Joyce Karl, Adam Briggs, Rob "Bert" Parks, Carol Olson, Mark Bors, and Ryan Voelker.

In December 2007, our citizen of the year award went to Carol Olson, a tireless volunteer who served as president of the Dorchester Area Community Association and the Dorchester Area Community Foundation. The nomination process was not conducted in 2008.

Former Dorchester Co-op Manager Al Kalkwarf Passes

The Times is saddened to learn about the passing of longtime Dorchester resident and Dorchester Cooperative employee Al Kalkwarf, who passed away Tuesday, Jan. 12, at St. Elizabeth's Hospital. Aside from being a stewalt for the community, Kalkwarf's business acumen helped ensure the long-term survival and success of the co-op. Kalkwarf and his wife, Charlene, only recently moved to Lincoln after calling Dorchester home since childhood.

Services will be held 10:30 a.m. on Saturday at Kuncl Funeral Home in Crete, with Rev. Roger Wolfe officiating. Interment will be at Lincoln Memorial Park Cemetery. Visitation begins today, Jan. 15, at 4 p.m. at the funeral home. Memorials should be made in care of the family in lieu of flowers.

The following is Al's obituary as it appears on the Lincoln Journal Star Web site:

Alvin Kalkwarf, of Lincoln, formerly of Dorchester, passed away Tuesday at St. Elizabeth's Hospital. He was born to was born to Alvin and Alma Kalkwarf on November 12, 1937 in Friend, Neb. After the death of his mother in 1939, he and his sister were raised by their grandparents in Dorchester. He attended and graduated from Dorchester Public Schools in 1955. After graduating, he joined the Army and served his country for four years. He then returned to Dorchester and worked at and later became manager of the Farmer's Co-op. He was employed there for over 50 years. He married his best friend, Charlene Murphy on August 17, 1968. Together with their son, Gary, they made their home in Dorchester. He and Charlene moved to Lincoln in 2008. He was retired, but still worked part-time for the Co-op. Over the years, they made many trips together and with family and friends. They made many visits to Colorado enjoying time watching their granddaughters grow up. Al and Charlene made one very special trip to Germany to visit the places he spent time at while stationed in Germany. Al was never seen without a smile on his face. He was a friend to everyone he met and he never forgot a face. His granddaughters remember him fondly. They say, "Grandpa could carry on a conversation with anyone -- he could talk to a wall!" Alvin, you are loved by so many and you will be greatly missed.

Survivors: wife, Charlene of Lincoln; son and daughter-in-law, Gary and Wendy Hamilton of Broomfield, Colo.; granddaughters, Jessica and Lauren; sister, Alvina "Babe" Remmers of Cortland; father and spouse, Alvin and Helen Kalkwarf of Crete; half brother, Ardis Kalkwarf of Crete; half sister and spouse, Vicki and Mike Grimes of Lincoln; brother-in-law, Bill Murphy of Phoenix City, Alabama; sisters-in-law and spouses, Lois and Phil Morgan of Lincoln, Mary Ann and George Woolsey of Inland, Neb.; special aunt, Clara Bosak of Seward; nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. Preceded in death by his mother, Alma; nephews, Michael and Douglas Remmers; uncle, Frank Bosak.

Three DHS Wrestlers Ranked By World-Herald

According to the Omaha World-Herald's latest ranking for Nebraska high school wrestling, three Longhorn grapplers are in the top six of their respective weight classes.

• In the 119 lb. class, DHS' Jeremy Inderlied is ranked No. 6 among the state's Class D wrestlers.

• In the 145 lb. class, Longhorn senior Adam Kahle is the state's No. 5 wrestler in Class D.

• In the 189 lb. division, Dorchester's Russell Barak is No. 3 among all Class D wrestlers.

The Times salutes these DHS student athletes. We encourage all Longhorn fans to support this year's hard-working Longhorn wrestling team.

DHS Boys Basketball Team Tops Rival Friend, 53-48

On Tuesday night, in a crowded Dorchester gymnasium, the DHS boys basketball team defeated next-door rival Friend by a tally of 53-48. DHS is in Class D-1, while Friend is in Class C-2.

The Longhorns led the Bulldogs comfortably going into halftime, commanding a 30-20 advantage. Friend managed to cut into that margin in the third quarter, but never succeeded in upending the scrappier DHS squad. Scorers for Dorchester were: Zoubek 7, Lee 12, Palky 5, Walton 8, Kotas 15, and Kalkwarf 6.

Meanwhile, the Lady Longhorns fell to Friend in the night's earlier contest, 55-46. DHS stayed with the Lady Bulldogs throughout the first half, but could not stop three Friend players who scored a combined total of 40 points. DHS' Karmen Lawver lead all scorers with 16. Other Dorchester scorers were: Havlat 9, Carroll 1, Hewitt 2, Springer 10, and Behrens 8.

We urge you to support the Longhorns as the season enters the second half. See the left-hand column of this Web site for a complete tally of the DHS basketball seasons.

DHS Wrestlers Take First At Malcolm Invite

The surging DHS wrestling team on Saturday took first place at the Malcolm Invitational. The Longhorn grapplers beat 13 other squads to capture gold -- including wrestlers in Classes A, B, and C. The DHS team performed well enough to beat second-place finisher Centennial by 54.5 points.

When the dust settled Saturday, team scoring looked like this: Dorchester 179.5, Centennial 125, Malcolm 112, Papillion 108.5, Freeman 103, Douglas County West 100.5, Meridian 87, Palmyra 80, Lincoln Northeast JV 74, Lincoln Pius X JV 37, Southern 29, Lincoln North Star JV 24, York 11, Lincoln High JV 4.

In the 119 lb. class, DHS' Jeremy Inderlied defeated Tyler Guernsey of Malcolm for first place. In the 125 lb. division, the Longhorns' Brandon Schwisow earned gold by beating Cody Keck of Lincoln North Star. DHS' Sid Stern took silver in the 135 lb. class, while Adam Kahle brought home another championship medal in the 145 lb. class. In the 171 lb. division, Longhorn Dave Hochstetler captured a silver, while 189 lb. Russ Barak earned yet another gold.

We tip our Longhorn hats to all the wrestlers of DHS.

DHS Grad Stich Will Present At UNL Horse Conference

According to a news tip sent to the Times, DHS alumna Kelly Stich will be a keynote speaker at the 2010 Horsin' Around conference, scheduled Feb. 6-7, 2010, in Lincoln. The event will feature three presenters, including Stich, to give participants tips for better exhibiting training their horses.

The event will be at the RB Warren Arena in the Animal Science Complex on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's East Campus. The registration closes Feb. 1. Seating will be limited to the first 450 paid registrations and some past conferences have sold out.

Stich, DVM, is board certified in veterinary reproduction with a focus on equine reproduction and is a veterinary chiropractor offering adjustments for horses and dogs. Born and raised in Dorchester, Stich eventually attended the UNL, where she was on the UNL Horse Judging team and taught summer 4-H horsemanship clinics. Stich will share insight on the befits of chiropractic and other therapies for horses in her presentation "Alternative Therapies for a Happier Horse."

The clinic is open to participants of all ages. For more information or to preregister, call Anderson at ( 402 ) 472-6411 or e-mail kanderson1@unl.edu, information is also found at Animal Science Extension Equine pages.

Wanted: Dorchester's Citizen Of The Year Nominations

The Dorchester area has plenty of movers and shakers -- people who improve the quality of life in and around town. Now it's time to call them out. And you have only one more week to do so.

From business owners to school teachers, elected officials to organization leaders, our town and area community are comprised of many people who deserve recognition for their work to improve their neighbors' quality of life.

The Times wants to know which Dorchester area resident has contributed the most to his or her fellow citizens in 2009. Who should be named Dorchester's "Citizen of the Year"? We want your nominations. And tell us why he or she is deserving of the accolade. Nominations may be submitted in the comments section of this story or sent to us via e-mail at Dorchester.Times@gmail.com.

The Times will name its Dorchester "Citizen of the Year" on Jan. 15.

Who's Reading The Times?

(UPDATED -- Jan. 7, 9:49 a.m.) Who reads the Dorchester Times? You might be surprised.

We are always interested to see who is logging onto this Web site because, chances are, they have a strong connection to our community. We are proud that the Dorchester Times has accumulated nearly 169,000 page views since December 2008 -- and almost 3,230 page views over just the past week. Those numbers speak volumes about Dorchester and the special place our town holds in the hearts of many current and former residents.

An ongoing study conducted by our staff finds that in any 24 hour period, the majority of Dorchester Times readers are from Dorchester and elsewhere Saline County, with numerous readers in Wilber, Friend, Western and Crete. But we also found that our loyal readers are widely dispersed throughout Nebraska -- including in the communities of Omaha, Lincoln, Seward, Milligan, Maxwell, Virginia, Denton, Gretna, Shickley, Courtland, Gretna, Jansen, Cordova, Columbus, Hebron, Milford, Hallam, Lindsay, Bruning, North Platte and many other towns in the Cornhusker State.

Beyond our Nebraska borders, we found frequent readers in:

• Missoula, Montana;
• Bowie, Maryland;
• Absecon, New Jersey;
• Newnan, Georgia;
• Paint Bank, Virginia;
• Lanham, Maryland;
• Provo, Utah;
• Owasso, Oklahoma;
• New Britain, Connecticut;
• Birmingham, Alabama;
• Avon Lake, Ohio;
• San Bernardino, California;
• Tucson, Arizona;
• Folsom, California;
• Little Rock, Arkansas;
• Morristown, Tennessee;
• Belleville, Kansas;
• Perham, Minnesota;
• Mountain View, California;
• Houston, Texas;
• Long Beach, California;
• Jamestown, Tennessee;
• Denver, Colorado;
• Richardson, Texas;
• Bloomington, Illinois;
• Saint Louis, Missouri;
• Rochester, New York;
• Colorado Springs, Colorado;
• Aurora, Colorado;
• San Luis Obispo, California;
• Ft Mitchell, Kentucky;
• Davis, California;
• Azle, Texas;
• Atlanta, Georgia;
• Prairieville, Louisiana;
• Brooklyn, New York;
• Charleston, South Carolina;
• Cedar Rapids, Iowa;
• Bentonia, Mississippi;
• Cloverdale, Oregon; and
• Pharr, Texas.
  

We can claim international readership with a fans in the following cities and countries:

• Waterloo, Canada;
• Louth, Ireland;
• Chippenham, UK;
• Sheffield, UK;
• South Korea;
• Paris, France;
• London, UK;
• Toronto, Canada; and
• Dorchester, UK.

We appreciate all our readers, from our next door neighbors to those who separated by hundreds or even thousands of miles. We take great satisfaction in playing a small role to help keep all our friends connected to the wonderful community of Dorchester. May the new year bring bountiful blessings to all of you.

Surveillance Cameras Coming To Dorchester Schools

The campus of Dorchester Public Schools will soon feature surveillance cameras. This news comes following approval by the school board at December's board meeting. The cameras will be installed by a company called Americom, which will also put in a new paging system throughout the campus area.

Other items of note from the December DPS School Board meeting minutes include:

• A proposed timeline has been submitted by school administration on improvements for both the gym and industrial arts building.

• School administration has proposed a timeline to implement goals established by the school's new mission statement.

• Discussion was held on replacing the current mercury lights in the gym with T5 energy efficient lighting. Norris Power will help defray costs.

• Mike Kalkwarf, district parent and patron, presented issues regarding enforcement of the school's rules for extra-curricular activities.
  

The next school board meeting will be Jan. 18 at 7 p.m.

Saline Co. Deer Camp For Female Hunters, Jan. 8-10

The Times has learned that two deer camps for women hunters are being planned by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Both are scheduled for Jan. 8-10. The camps, part of the Becoming an Outdoors-Woman (BOW) program, are designed for women of varying experience levels who want to learn more about deer hunting. Participants will take part in all aspects of the hunt. They will be paired up based on experience level to provide informal mentoring opportunities. The Baxter Deer Camp will take place near Milligan, but in Saline County. A Season Choice Area 20 permit and a habitat stamp are required.

The hunt takes place during the January late antlerless season when no bucks may be taken and only legal firearms may be used. All participants must have proof of successful completion of a hunter education course. Space is limited. To reserve a spot, contact Aaron Hershberger at (402) 471-6144 or aaron.hershberger@nebraska.gov.

Free Grant Writing Courses, Jan. 8

Free workshops on the 2010 Community Development Block Grant application process will be offered soon. Local government officials and their staffs are encouraged to attend.
A Web site for information on proposed objectives and categories is www.hud.gov/offices/cpd/communitydevelopment/library/stateguide/index.cfm.

Nebraska Department of Economic Development staffers will conduct the workshops. The nearest workshop to Dorchester will be Jan. 21, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., at Southeast Community College, Continuing Education Center in Lincoln. Registration is encouraged by this Friday, Jan. 8. The application form is online at www.neded.org/content/view/117/243. Or request it by calling (800) 426-6505.