The year of the COVID was a challenge.
As the new year approaches, here's to hope. Here's to courage. And here's to better days ahead.
We wish our readers a happy, heathy 2021 filled with peace, prosperity, and positive perspective.
Colonel Potter always says it best.
According to public documents, the Village of Dorchester's cash reserve for fiscal year 2020-21 is significantly lower compared to the past two years.
The village's official budget form shows the 2020-21 budgeted cash reserve -- as approved by the village board -- at $83,610 or roughly 6% of the village budget. This compares to a cash reserve of more than $844,000 last fiscal year and more than $900,000 for fiscal year 2018-19.
Dorchester's girls basketball team picked up its third victory of the young season on Thursday night, Dec. 17, beating the Osceola Bulldogs 44-26.
The contest was not close after the half, when DHS commanded a 24-10 lead.
The Lady Longhorns were led by Jacee Zoubek, who poured in 27 points. Other scorers included: Novak 9, A. Zoubek 3, Schweitzer 3, Kotas 2.
The girls team, now 3-2, are preparing for the Dec. 28-29 Weeping Water Holiday Tournament.
Meanwhile, the DHS boys basketball team did not fare as well this week, dropping their contest against Osceola 54-35.
Leading scorers for the Longhorns in the loss were Blake Hansen with 12 and Kohl Tyser with 10. Other scorers included: Tachovsky 8, Ladely 4, Cerny 1.
The boys squad, 2-2 on the season, are also preparing for the Weeping Water Holiday Tourney.
Grandparents May Now Attend School Activities: Dorchester school officials report that the Nebraska School Activities Association has revised its COVID-19 guidelines for winter activities, which run until Jan. 4. DHS will continue to utilize the guest/pass system it currently has in place (fan attendance limited to households of participants), but it will now include grandparents. This will apply to the home basketball games vs. Osceola this Thursday, Dec. 17.
Friend Students Getting a Greenhouse: The Friend Public School Board of Education recently approved the purchase and construction of a greenhouse to be built on or near its grounds. We share this only because we think more young people today need to be instilled with basic survival skills, and we commend this thoughtful action by the Friend school board.
Leading Candidate for Stupid Thief of the Year: The Crete News reports that a 21-year-old Crete man has been charged with felony theft after allegedly stealing thousands of dollars in lottery tickets from the Lincoln gas station where he worked. Odds of winning: 1 in 250,000. Odds of going to prison: better than winning the lottery.
TIME Picks Biden, Harris as Persons of the Year: In the year of COVID-19, after more than 300,000 Americans have died with the disease (not necessary from it), TIME magazine has selected Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as its "persons of the year." As health care workers fight daily on the front lines -- resulting in the majority of them contracting the disease -- TIME's selection of two longtime, wealthy politicians during a time of major human suffering and political division is an insult. And that's the way it is.
Times Is Now on Parler: The Dorchester Times has been on Facebook and Twitter for years. We're now on Parler as well. Check it out. The newer social media platform is gaining popularity because it does not censor content. (Facebook has tightened it algorithms, limiting our audience reach as the company relies increasingly more on advertising. So far, we've been impressed with Parler's format, which is less clunky and cluttered than Facebook.)
The Dorchester area has plenty of movers and shakers. 
Pracheil Elected Chair of Village Board: Andrea Pracheil was elected chair of the Dorchester village board by her fellow board members at the board's December meeting on Dec. 7. Matt Scholz has been elected chair pro tem, meaning he will be in charge of meetings when Pracheil is not present. The village board has also assigned its members to key oversight posts in the following areas of village business: Parks (Sarah Wenz), streets (Roger Miller), sewer/water (Pracheil), cemetery (Scholz), electricity (Miller), buildings (Kelly Vyhnalek), and safety (Wenz). Gloria Riley was reappointed as town clerk and treasurer. (We would post minutes from the meeting, but they haven't been updated online since September.)
DPS COVID-19 Risk Remains Moderate: Dorchester Public School's COVID-19 risk meter remains at the "moderate" level, despite school case numbers being very low. This is because Saline County's overall risk remains in the red zone, as determined by local public health officials. The school reminds parents that they will be contacted if their child(ren) is/are deemed to have been in close contact with a positive individual.
DHS Boys Basketball Team Suffers First Loss: The Dorchester boys basketball team struggled last night (Friday, Dec. 11) in its first road contest of the season. DHS fell to Bruning-Davenport/Shickley by a score of 38-13.
DHS Girls Drop Two This Week: The DHS girls basketball team lost its two contests this week. On Thursday, Dec. 10, the DHS girls dropped its game against Exeter-Milligan 35-17, despite being led by Jaycee Zoubek's nine points. The Lady Longhorns then fell to BDS last night (Friday, Dec. 11) by 52-26. DHS was again led by Jaycee Zoubek, who scored 11.
Consumer Alert - Fake N95 Masks: In this era of COVID-19, be careful who you're buying masks from. Federal authorities seized over 100,000 counterfeit N95 masks from a warehouse in El Paso, Texas. The masks looked exactly like N95s produced by 3M.
No Thanks to You, Andrew: One hundred fifty-four years ago this month, in December 1866, Congress overrode President Andrew Johnson's veto of a resolution that named Nebraska as the 37th state. It is the only time in the nation's history that a statehood measure became law despite a president's veto. It makes us wonder why Nebraska has a Johnson County or anything else named after Andrew Johnson.
More Legal Actions Coming Against Messy Property Owners?: Tonight (Monday, Dec. 7) at the Dorchester Volunteer Fire Department Hall, the Village of Dorchester board will hold its December meeting at 7 p.m. There's speculation that the board could take further action to crack down on negligent property owners following last month's legal victory. In late November, a resident in the northwest quadrant of town pleaded guilty to violating Dorchester's ordinances prohibiting neglected or littered properties.
No Fireworks Stand in 2021?: It was brought to our attention that at a recent Village of Dorchester board meeting this fall, the Dorchester 4th of July Committee informed board members that there were no plans to have a fireworks stand in town next year. This would mark the first time in many years there would be no official town fireworks stand. A victim of COVID or a lack of community support, it seems.
Zoubeks Named to All-State Volleyball Team: Dorchester volleyballers Jacee Zoubek and Abigail Zoubek have been named to Lincoln Journal Star's honorable mention list for Class D-2's all-state team. Congrats to these Lady Longhorns.
Dorchester Native Lorene (Divoky) Trachta Passes at 92: Dorchester native Lorene Edna Trachta of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, passed away Wednesday, Dec. 2. Lorene was born Feb. 26, 1928, in Dorchester, the daughter of Albin and Helen (Srajhans) Divoky. See her obituary here.
Dorchester High School basketball is off to a great start as both the girls' and boys' teams opened their 2020-21 campaigns with victories on Friday evening.
The Longhorn boys rocked Meridian 54-32 in the season opener. At halftime, DHS commanded a 26-10 lead and never looked back.
Senior Kohl Tyser led the Longhorns with 24 points. Other scorers for DHS included: Ladely 3, Brummett 6, Hansen 13, and Tachovsky 8.
The Lady Longhorns also won by a comfortable margin, 42-27. At halftime, DHS had already put the game away, leading 31-6.
The girls will face a big challenge on Thursday, Dec. 10 as Exeter-Milligan comes to town. The Timberwolves are already 2-0.
The boys will next be in action on Friday, Dec. 11, hitting the road to take on the always-tough BDS (Bruning Davenport Shickley).
See the DHS boys' full season schedule here.
See the DHS girls' full season schedule here.
***
Keep in mind these guidelines if you plan to attend any winter sporting events at DHS this season. Fans are required to wear face coverings at all times (must cover the nose and mouth), and capacity restrictions will be in place. Of course, restrictions are subject to change based on the COVID-19 risk.
A smarter option, especially for older fans, might be to watch the the Dorchester's home contests by using DHS' Striv streaming channel.
Dorchester Takes Resident to Court for Untidy Property: The Village of Dorchester is starting to crack down on messy property owners with legal action. The Times has learned that a resident in the northwest quadrant of town has pleaded guilty of violating Dorchester Municipal Code 4-302. According to our research, that ordinance prohibits unkempt properties with overgrown vegetation and/or weeds, litter or other problems. It's good to see Dorchester leaders enforce the village rules. (Although we'd also like to see the town ordinances posted electronically on the village government's website so that residents have easy access to town code.)
Baby Barley is Dorchester's Newest Resident: On Nov. 20, Sam and LJ Barley welcomed into the world their second child -- a boy named John Brady. Congrats to the Barley family.
Dorchester's Thespian Talent: Dorchester Public School does a nice job utilizing its social media, keeping parents and the rest of the community in the loop. Recently, DPS posted this photo of the junior high theater cast, crew, and sponsors, as well as this shot of the high school's one-act cast, crew, and sponsors. Nice work from these budding actors and actresses.
Dorchester's real estate market is red hot as more people -- especially young families -- are seeking the safety, sanity, affordability, and quality of life in a village of fewer than 1,000 people. Most homes sell within a week to 10 days.
Consider what Dorchester has to offer:
Today we showcase the latest Dorchester home available.
1013 Sumner Ave.: Built in 1915, this gorgeous 4 bedroom, 2 bath home has a large kitchen, which has been updated and leads out to the deck. One of the bathrooms has been redone and has a jetted tub, wood floors throughout the house, all new windows, and sits on almost 1/2 an acre of land, and is right by the school. Come and put your finishing touches to make it your own. Learn more here or call 402-730-9893.
Tabor Donates Winter Coats to DPS Students: Tabor Lodge Post 74 recently donated several winter coats to Dorchester students who might need them. The donation was present to school officials by DHS graduate Twila Papik, pictured in The Crete News clipping above.
Dorchester School 'Risk Meter' Remains at Elevated Stage: Dorchester Public School's risk meter remains at the lowest level of the "elevated" stage. The meter is based on local exposures (potential and confirmed) within the school, as well as the Saline County Risk Dial. Currently, 13 students or staff members are quarantined due to close contact, while no student or staff member is currently testing COVID-19 positive. The school has previously issued these daily home screening tips.
New Dump Hours: Need access to the Dorchester community dump site to get rid of your tree branches and other yard debris? The new hours are Monday and Wednesday, 2-6 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Weather permitting, of course.
Job Opening for Saline County Correctional Officer: Saline County Sheriff’s Office in Wilber, Nebraska is accepting applications for correctional officer. Starting pay rate of $12-$15/hour dependent upon education, qualifications, training and experience increasing to $18.41/hour. Learn more here and apply here.
Saline County Seeks Secretary/IT/HR Professional: The Saline County government has a job opening for an administrative assistant / IT / HR professional. This position performs often highly confidential and professional administrative assistance duties for the board of commissioners. Interested? Email tim.mcdermott@salinecountyne.us
Tough Questions for Coach Frost (and Husker Fans): Following last weekend's embarrassing loss to Illinois, Husker coach Scott Frost blamed lack of enthusiasm. "I would die to go back and play one more time in Memorial Stadium," the former national champion QB said. Decades ago, players like Frost who grew up in the state -- those on scholarship and the walk-ons -- fueled the team's mojo with their love for the program, providing inspiration for kids from Texas, Florida, New Jersey and elsewhere. Could the current slide in the team's enthusiasm be due to the decline in high school football participation across the Cornhusker State as parents for years have placed less emphasis on competition (and, to be frank, masculinity)? Could rebuilding Nebraska's high school football culture be the answer to solving the Husker's on-field woes?
Dorchester Hair Salon Closes Temporarily: This virus from China really needs to be given the boot. Donna's Hair Creation will be closed temporarily, thanks to the coronavirus. A message posted on the business' Facebook page reads: "Due to COVID-19 exposure, we are closing the shop until further notice. Calls are being taken at 402-946-2068. We appreciate your loyalty and pray everyone stays healthy. I will reach out to everyone once it is safe to re-open. Thank you for your continued support of Donna's Hair Creations, your barber of choice for over 30 years!"
DHS' One-Act Play This Saturday: Due to the new health guidelines, there will be two performances of the DHS one-act play this Saturday, Nov. 21. Titled "It's Not You, It's Me," the play -- about dating and breaking up -- will be performed first at 6:30 p.m., with doors opening at 6 p.m. A second performance will be at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $5. Cookies, brownies and mini cheesecakes are on the menu. Masks are required.
Saline County Goes Red for COVID Risk: Public Health Solutions -- the local public health authority for our area -- has raised its risk dial for Saline County and surrounding counties to the "severe" category. Meanwhile, check out this real-time map, which shows the risk level of attending an event in any county in the U.S. (The risk level represents the estimated chance that at least one COVID-19 positive individual will be present.)
Vicky Parks Retires From Pinnacle Bank: We're a little late but we wanted to congratulate Dorchester's Vicky Parks on her retirement from Pinnacle Bank after a 30-year career with the financial powerhouse. The ad pictured above ran in The Crete News.
Dorchester's real estate market is red hot as more people -- especially young families -- are seeking the safety, sanity, affordability, and quality of life in a village of fewer than 1,000 people. Most homes sell within a week to 10 days.
Consider what Dorchester has to offer:
Today we showcase the latest Dorchester home available.
805 Jefferson Ave.: Built in 1960, this ranch style home offers two bedrooms and one bath, kitchen, dining and living room combination with fireplace. Full basement (partially finished). Also, central air and an outside deck. New carpet and paint, one stall detached garage, and shed, wood burning fireplace. Must See it before is gone! The roof was new four years ago. Learn more here or call (402) 226-1220.
A few years back, a posting on Small Biz Survival -- a blog dedicated to small and rural business interests -- asked the $1 million question: "Can Small Towns Be Cool?" 
More restrictions are coming if Nebraska's COVID-19 hospitalizations don't slow. COVID-19-related hospitalizations have been growing rapidly each day for weeks, rising from 200 on Sept. 23 to more than 900 now.
Yesterday (Friday, Nov. 13), Gov. Pete Ricketts announced that the state will take a phased approach to public health restrictions based on the percentage of staffed hospital beds occupied by coronavirus patients.
"Our hospitals are in serious condition now," Ricketts said during a news conference.
When 25% (about 1,170) of staffed hospital beds are filled with COVID-19 patients, Nebraska will move to the "red" category of restrictions, outlined in this spreadsheet.
Key changes will include:
Currently, Nebraska is at about 23% (900) of staffed hospital capacity, and the hospitalization numbers continue to rise. An executive order will limit some elective surgeries starting Monday, Nov. 16.
Going forward, a seven-day average at lower percentages will be required for the restrictions to be lowered.
If you have been around those who've tested positive for COVID-19 or are suspected of having COVID-19, here are Gov. Ricketts' reminders for quarantining:
My, how you've grown over the years, Dorchester Co-op.
Nebraska is home to six of our nation's largest cooperative businesses, according to the latest annual report from the National Cooperative Bank (NCB).
Cooperatives are active in many segments of the economy -- energy, groceries, finance, health care. But throughout the Midwest, we tend to associate them with agribusiness.
For the past 30 years, the NCB has released the annual NCB Co-op 100, highlighting America’s top 100 cooperatives. The NCB Co-op 100 ranks the top cooperatives in the country based on revenue.
This year, Dorchester-based Farmers Cooperative, with numerous locations throughout southeast and central Nebraska and northern Kansas, is 73rd on the list. It's a slight drop from last year's No. 70 spot.
Farmers Cooperative reported $783 million in revenues in 2019.
Last year, Allan Zumpfe replaced longtime CEO Ron Velder as chief of the cooperative. Velder retired after 46 years at the "Dorchester elevator," as some local old-timers still call it.
Other Nebraska co-ops that made this year's NCB 100 list: Ag Processing Inc., Omaha, 11th largest; FCS America, Omaha, 24th; Central Valley Ag Cooperative of York, 25th; Aurora Cooperative Elevator Co., Aurora, 59th; and Cooperative Producers Inc., Hastings, 100th.
DHS Alum Gene Sehnert Passes: On Oct. 28, Dorchester native and DHS graduate Gene Sehnert passed away at age 91. Sehnert was the son of Sehnert Garage owners Henry and Vera Sehnert. After working as a for his father for a number of years at the Ford garage in Dorchester, Gene went on to owned and operate Sehnert Welding in Lincoln for 44 years. He is survived by his wife Marilynn, his two children, daughter Jackie (Tom) Lawrence, son Tod (Deb) Sehnert, is brother Jim, 3 grandchildren, 2 great grandchildren, nieces and nephews. See the full obituary.
Dorchester Native Ella Karpisek Passes: Ella Karpisek, 99, of Wilber, passed away on Oct. 22 at the Wilber Care Center, where she had resided for almost 15 years. She was born on January 28, 1921 to Eman and Mary (Kohout) Sysel on a farm near Dorchester. She attended Country School District 71 through the eighth grade and then attended Dorchester High School. See the full obituary.
The Dorchester High School volleyball team has concluded its 2020 season, finishing at 13-13 on the year.
Last night, Oct. 26, the Lady Longhorns beat Nebraska Lutheran in three straight sets at the D2-2 sub-district tournament in Exeter.
The scores were 25-18, 25-14, 25-11.
But this evening (Tuesday), DHS ran into a dominant Exeter-Milligan squad, ranked No. 9 in the state in Class D-2.
Exeter-Milligan defeated Dorchester in three sets, 25-21, 25-14, 25-16.
DHS was led by Abigail Zoubek, who had 10 kills and two aces. Jacee Zoubek had two blocks.
The Lady Longhorns played well in 2020, but hit a rough patch in the last quarter of the campaign, losing eight of nine contests near season's end.
Now Dorchester volleyball, led by first-year head coach Bailey Schindler and assistant Bethany Theis, will set its sights on the 2021 campaign with a strong stable young players coming up through the system.
For example, Bloomberg reports that wind turbine blades are filling up landfills since they can't be recycled. So much for "green energy."
But here in Saline County, wind energy is facing an exceptionally large volume of negative press, most of it published at a Facebook page by an anti-wind group called "Concerned Citizens of Saline County."
The page has more than 500 followers at last check. According to its "about" section, "citizens of Saline County, Neb. should be concerned that elected/appointed officials are performing their duties with a conflict of interest, without the safety and health of the citizens as their number one priority, and are not following regulations."
Concerned Citizens of Saline County's wind opposition is being fueled the Milligan 1 Wind project currently underway south and west of Dorchester. The project represents a $350 million investment in Saline County by EDF Renewables North America, which paid an undisclosed amount to acquire the 300MW wind farm last year. (Here's our September 2019 story.)
The social media activity is just the latest opposition to wind turbins in our neck of the woods. Legal action has also been taken against both the county and the wind energy investors.
Developing...
DHS Football Team Headed to Red Cloud: This Friday, Oct. 30, there will be 16 Nebraska high school six-man football teams, including DHS, kicking off Round 1 of the state playoffs. Kickoff will be at 7 p.m. The Longhorns will have to travel however. Dorchester (6-2) is the No. 12 seed and will hit the road to face the fifth-seeded Red Cloud, ranked No. 4 by the Journal Star. DHS appears to have good odds against Red Cloud, which had a noticeably easier regular season schedule than DHS, thanks to the Longhorns' contests against the state's No. 1 and No. 3 teams. In its most recent two games, Red Cloud struggled against a 1-7 opponent and 3-5 Pawnee City, which Dorchester handled a bit better in early September.
DHS Volleyball Will Play for Winning Record This Week: The Lady Longhorns on Thursday beat Class C-2 Tri-County in a home volleyball match-up, topping the Trojans on parents night and senior night. DHS is currently 12-12 on the season. The victory over Tri-County ended a six-contest slide over the past couple of weeks. The Orange and Black Attack will aim to make it a winning season as they enter sub-district play tomorrow, Oct. 26, in Exeter, taking on Nebraska Lutheran (1-24). Good luck to the Lady Longhorns.
We're told that political opinions are like a certain part of the human anatomy: Everyone has them and they all stink.
But the opinions of the far left in this country are especially stinky nowadays.
That's one reason why we are once again endorsing Donald J. Trump for president, just as we did in 2016. (For the record, the staff vote was unanimous, 6-0.)
But providing just one reason for such an important decision is insufficient. That's why we are giving you, our readers, 25 reasons why you, too, should consider voting to re-elect the president. They are as follows:
For these reasons and more, the Times staff is voting for the re-election of Donald Trump on November 3. We hope you will as well.
As reported last Friday, Dorchester High School's football team is 6-1 for the first time since 1999.
And regardless of what happens this week at No. 1 McCool Junction, DHS is going to be in the 16-team Nebraska High School Playoffs for six-man football.
The state playoffs begin Friday, Oct. 30. Show your Longhorn pride by ordering a DHS Football state playoffs t-shirt or sweatshirt.
Deadline to place your order is noon this Thursday, Oct. 22. Click here to see the DHS playoff merchandise and ordering information.
By the way, the Longhorns are No. 10 this week in Journal Star's six-man rankings.
