Area Rainfall Totals Over 24 Hours

Our community may soon be renamed Lake Dorchester.  

Several inches of rain have fallen over the past week. Here are the precipitation amounts for our area over the past 24 hours (May 29-30):

Western 4.80" 
Wilber 2.92"
Dorchester 2.42"   
Friend 1.39"
Tobias 0.92"
DeWitt 0.90"

Flood warnings are in effect for both the West Fork of the Blue River north of town, as well as the Turkey Creek basin south of town.  

Both flood warnings are likely to remain in effect for at least the next 24-36 hours.

See the warnings here. See the area radar here.

The picture (left) accompanying this post was taken on the south side of Dorchester on Washington Ave. around 7 p.m. Wednesday. 

The picture above was taken Thursday afternoon.  

We thank the readers who sent them to us at Dorchester.Times@gmail.com.

Here are the rainfall totals since last Thursday (May 25-May 30):

Western 7.21"
Wilber 6.01"   
Western 6.01"
Dorchester 4.88"
Friend 4.05"
DeWitt 3.95"
Tobias 3.94"
Milford 2.94"
Swanton 2.93"

Pictures Of Dorchester Popping Up On Flickr

On the social media website Flikr, a gentleman named Tom, also known as "The Bouncing Czech," has been busy posting his cache of pictures taken in Saline County.  

Several of Tom's pictures include familiar structures in Dorchester, as well as Pleasant Hill, Friend and Crete.  

We thought Times' readers would like to take a look for themselves. See the pictures by clicking here, then clicking on the arrows located at the side of the screen.

Enjoy!

Nearly 1.5" Of Rain Falls On Dorchester Area In 48 Hours

The drought in our area of the state appears to be history, at least for the time being.

Sunday's overnight storm dropped 0.65 inches of rain in the Dorchester Times' rain gauge as of mid-Monday morning, with more expected for essentially the rest of the week.

In Lincoln, this morning's storm brought more than 2.60" according to the Lincoln Journal Star.  

Closer to home, here are the precipitation totals from the last 48 hours:

• Milford 1.82"
• DeWitt 1.63"
• Dorchester 1.34"
• Western 1.21"
• Tobias 1.12"
• Wilber 0.92"
• Friend 0.81"

There were no reports of significant damage from the thunderstorms, but a line north of Lincoln toppled trees and knocked out power to some residents in the Fremont and Omaha areas.

A 50-70% chance of scattered storms is in Dorchester's forecast through Friday.  See the forecast here.

Ron Kahle Funeral Is Monday In Crete

Ronnie L. Kahle, 53, Dorchester, passed on Thursday, May 16, 2013, at his home near Dorchester.  He farmed with grandfather and father east of Dorchester, and also raised livestock and sheep.  

A 1978 graduate of Dorchester Public School, Ron was a life-long member of the Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Crete, where he served as elder.  He also served on Dorchester School Board and coached DHS wrestling.

He is survived by wife, Joyce, Dorchester; children and spouses, Ryan and Svetlana Kahle, Norfolk, Va., Crystal and fiance Aaron Rasmussen, Dannebrog, Adam Kahle, Kearney, Lydia Kahle, Dorchester; three grandchildren, Sonya, Katarina, and Mila Kahle; father, Lloyd Kahle, Dorchester; sisters and brothers-in-law, Linda and Roger Woolsey, Friend, Donna and Brad Havlat, Crete, Connie Jo and Chris Hiegel, Grand Island.

Funeral service: 10 a.m. Monday, May 20, Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Crete. Rev. Nathan Ristvedt. Visitation will be 5-8 pm Sunday, and 1 hour prior to services on Monday, at Bethlehem Lutheran Church. Interment, Dorchester Cemetery. 

In lieu of flowers, memorials directed to Lambs of Christ Preschool at Bethlehem Lutheran Church or to the Dorchester Community Foundation. 

Ron Kahle Passes At 53

The Dorchester Times is saddened to report the loss of area resident, farmer and former Dorchester Public School Board member Ron Kahle.

Kahle, 53, had been battling a chronic lung condition for the past two years and had been placed on hospice care in recent weeks.  

Our staff sends our deepest sympathies to the Kahle family on their loss and the community's loss.

Brad Kasl Funeral Is Saturday Morning At School Gym

Bradley Alan Kasl, 40, of Dorchester, passed away suddenly Tuesday, May 14, 2013. Born April 8,1973 to Robert and Marva Kasl. After graduation from Dorchester School and SECC Beatrice, Brad continued to live, farm, and operate a cow-calf operation at the family farm. Brad was united in marriage to his high school sweetheart, Sheri Mares of Friend, on October 23,1999 at Dorchester United Methodist Church.

He was a member of the Dorchester Methodist Church, Sons of American Legion, Z.C.B.J. #74, Tyser Repair bowling team, Fisherman Club, and a past member of Crete Young Farmers. In his youth, Brad played baseball and loved playing Longhorn football, basketball, tuba in the band, and extra curricular activities. He was an active 4-H member where he showed cattle and excelled in tractor driving competitions. He was involved in Boy Scouts where he achieved the rank of Eagle Scout.

Brad was preceded in death by his brother, Robert Wayne Kasl; grandparents, Lumir & Evelyn Hayek, George & Emma Kasl, George & Elsie Sysel, and Adolph & Helen Mares. Brad is survived by his loving wife, Sheri; special pet Abby; parents, Robert & Marva Kasl; parents-in-law, Joseph & Cheryl Mares; sisters and brothers-in-law, Sandy & Chuck Rains, Paul & Jean Essman, Mark & Judy Bors, Nate and Debra Shaw; and numerous nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews.

Services: 10:30 a.m., Saturday, Dorchester School. Visitation: Friday, 9 - 9 at Kuncl Funeral Home, Crete and 1 hour prior to services at the school. Memorials in care of the family for future designation.

Tragedy Hits Dorchester As Brad Kasl Killed In Collision

DORCHESTER, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a 40-year-old man has been killed in a collision between his pickup and a locomotive.

The Saline County Sheriff's Office says the accident occurred around 5:20 a.m. Tuesday at a railroad crossing north of Nebraska Highway 33, west of Dorchester.

The Sheriff's Office identified the pickup driver as Brad Kasl, of Dorchester. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Sheriff's officers and BNSF officials are investigating the crash.

DHS Takes Fourth Place At State High School Journalism Contest

Continuing its long string of excellence in journalism training and practice, Dorchester High School claimed fourth place at the Nebraska School Activities Association state journalism contest Monday at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  

The top 12 places in classes A, B, C, and D selected in preliminary judging were invited to compete in Monday's finals.

The top five squads in the Class D journalism contest were Johnson-Brock 34, Scribner-Snyder 20, Harvard 20, Dorchester 18, St. Mary's 17.

Our congratulations to the budding journalists at DHS!

OUR TAKE: County Committee Shows No Love For Dorchester

This week, the Saline County Visitors Committee reviewed applications for two grant funds administered by the group. The funds -- one for promotion and marketing, and the other for attraction improvements -- are targeted toward increasing tourism in the county. Grant monies are generated by the lodging tax collected in the county.

Ten applications submitted for promotion and marketing funds were approved. A total of $4,125 was awarded to encourage tourism from outside of the area.

Here is a list of who received money for marketing and promotion efforts:

• Saline County Agricultural Society, $500 for advertising various Saline County Fair activities; 
• Western Community Club, $500 toward promotion of the annual Old Settlers’ Picnic;
• Nebraska Czechs of Wilber, $1,000 toward brochures and other advertising for the 52nd annual Czech Festival;
• Crete T.J. Sokols (four events), $400 toward marketing the Terror of 12th Street event, $400 for marketing the Savin’ Sokol Halloween Festival, $400 for promoting the Savin’ Sokol 5K Run event, and $75 for posters to promote a boxing event;
• Tobias Community Club, $150 to advertise the Tobias Fun Fair;
• Friend Chamber of Commerce, $200 to promote the Tri-Community Garage Sale event; 
• Swanton Community Club, $500 toward marketing the Garage Sale Trail event involving five communities.

Then, the committee OK'd $4,250 in funding for nine improvement proposals.  They are:

• Crete Heritage Society, $500 toward a new heating and cooling system in the Bickle House; 
• Crete T.J. Sokols, $500 for tuck pointing their building; 
• Saline County Historical Society, $250 toward the purchase of an exhibit case; 
• Warren Opera House in Friend, $500 toward the purchase of reusable holiday decorations; 
• Tobias Community Club, $500 to purchase a welcome sign at the Highway 74 entrance to town; 
• City of Wilber, $500 toward the purchase of Czech language street signs; 
• Wilber Chamber of Commerce, $500 toward expenses of downtown mural replacement; 
• Nebraska Czechs of Wilber, $500 toward replacing windows and the front door of historic Hotel Wilber; and
• American Legion Louis Milan Post 101, Wilber, $500 toward the improvement of camping sites in Legion Park with crushed rock.

Hmmmmm. Now ask yourself: Who's not getting a piece of the pie?

Every Saline County community but Dorchester and DeWitt received funding for their events, even Swanton for promotion of garage sales. 

But Dorchester -- home to the county's biggest Independence Day fireworks show and the county museum -- didn't get a dime.  The historical society did receive $250 for a new display case, but $250 out of nearly $4400 leaves us scratching our heads.

Like Tobias, our community has new welcome signs, but did we get any help from the Visitors Commission? Not to our knowledge.

What happened here? Was Dorchester completely ignored due to lack of representation on the Visitors Bureau Board? Most likely.

Something has to change.  Either Dorchester needs some representation on this committee, or we need to ensure that more applications are submitted for our worthwhile tourism-related efforts and sites.

Current members of the Saline County Visitors Committee are Lorine Mares and Sheryl Kastanek, Wilber; Jim Rischling, Western; and Teri Shestak, Janet Jeffries, Deb Polacek, and Blaine Spanjer of Crete. 

If you'd like to become more involved with the Visitors Committee or learn more about the grant applications, call Deb Polacek, Crete Chamber of Commerce 402-826-2136, or Lorine Mares at 402-821-2304.

DHS Students Raise Nearly $1K For Make-A-Wish

The Dorchester High School Student Council gathered more than 100 people for a wish auction to raise money for Make-A-Wish Nebraska.  

The DHS student raised $930, which will be matched by a corporate sponsor, Trusted Choice.

The Dorchester Student Council is part of the Nebraska Association of Councils, which selects Make-A-Wish Nebraska as its charity of choice each year.

Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the wishes of kids who are facing life-threatening medical conditions to enrich their human experience with hope, strength and joy.  

The Nebraska chapter has granted more than 2,050 wishes since 1983.

DHS Graduation Set For May 11

Next Saturday, sixteen DHS seniors will celebrate their last official day at Dorchester Public School, as they receive their diplomas for their years of studying and hard work.  

DHS' May 11 graduation will begin at 3:30 p.m.

Dorchester's Class of 2013 includes the following members: 

• Eric Bird
• Alyssa Cochnar
• Sebastian Gredenvall (of Sweeden)
• Jacob Hrdlicka
• Jordan Jensen
• Kolton Kaspar
• Chelsea Knorr
• Amber Kobes
• Michael Lee
• Taylor Nelson
• Rick Palky
• Jeffrey Pierce
• Mitzy Reyes
• Niclas Roelen (of Germany)
• Ivan Strilkivsky
• Brooke Zoubek.

Congratulations to the DHS Class of 2013!