NEWS ROUND-UP: Village Takes Untidy Property Owner To Court; DPS Sixth Graders Say No To Drugs

DPS Sixth Graders Say No to Drugs: Congratulations to the Dorchester's sixth grade class (pictured above) for graduating from the DARE program last week. School officials say they are very proud of the students' commitment to stay drug, alcohol, and violence free. The DARE program is a great resource and needed more than ever with today's rampant use of drugs, both soft and hard, throughout an often too-indifferent society. (Here's a local example of what goes wrong with drug use.)

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.

House For Sale: 1013 Sumner Ave.

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:

• TOP-NOTCH SCHOOL: A new K-12 school with some of the state's better educators and the lowest school tax levy in the county. 

• SAFE AND FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE COMMUNITY: With a new water system and sewer system, and a surplus at Village Hall.

• LOWER COSTS: Affordable cost of living with lower property taxes compared to surrounding school districts.

• KEY BUSINESS: Headquarters for one of the state's largest agri-businesses (Farmers Cooperative), and situated on the Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail line and along two major highways.

• GEOGRAPHIC ADVANTAGE: A quick drive to employers in Crete, Milford, Friend and Seward. Just 30 minutes to Lincoln and 10 minutes to I-80. Yet all the advantages of a rural small town.

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.

NEWS ROUND-UP: Tabor Lodge Donates Coats To DPS Students; School Risk Meter Remains Elevated

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?

Show Your Hometown Pride: Give To The Dorchester Foundation Today

A few years back (more than a few, actually), some energetic, forward-looking residents of our community thought Dorchester could use a little boost. They established a non-profit affiliated fund of the Nebraska Community Foundation Fund, and ever since the Dorchester Community Foundation has been a force for positive change.  

As Thanksgiving approaches in the year of the COVID, we are encouraging readers to donate to the Foundation, to give back to Dorchester and its great way of life.

The Dorchester Community Foundation has been instrumental, spearheading various projects since 2007. These include:

• The city park's playground equipment and picnic shelter; 
• Annual scholarships; 
• The Charlie Havlat Memorial sign at the Saline County Museum; 
• Welcome signs along Highway 33;
• The "welcome banners" on the light poles in town;
• The directory at the Dorchester Cemetery; and
• The gigantic splashpad at the Dorchester city park.

Whether you are a Dorchester area resident, a Dorchester alum, or just a friend of the community, consider making a pledge to the Dorchester Community Foundation Fund so it can continue to make needed improvements throughout our village.

Contributions to the Foundation are deductible for income and estate tax purposes.

Whether it's a donation of $25, $50, $100 or more, your generosity will help keep the community momentum going. Click here to donate to Dorchester online.

NEWS ROUND-UP: Donna's Hair Creations Closes Temporarily; Vicky Parks Retires

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.

House For Sale: 805 Jefferson Ave.

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:

• TOP-NOTCH SCHOOL: A new K-12 school with some of the state's better educators and the lowest school tax levy in the county. 

• SAFE AND FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE COMMUNITY: With a new water system and sewer system, and a surplus at Village Hall.

• LOWER COSTS: Affordable cost of living with lower property taxes compared to surrounding school districts.

• KEY BUSINESS: Headquarters for one of the state's largest agri-businesses (Farmers Cooperative), and situated on the Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail line and along two major highways.

• GEOGRAPHIC ADVANTAGE: A quick drive to employers in Crete, Milford, Friend and Seward. Just 30 minutes to Lincoln and 10 minutes to I-80. Yet all the advantages of a rural small town.

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.

Can Small Towns Be Cool?

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?" 

The answer: Of course, small towns can be cool. But to earn the title of "cool," it takes some work by community residents.

According Dave Ivan of Michigan State University Extension, small towns can be cool if they are willing to follow some common success themes. Here they are:

1. Strong Engagement Between Citizens, Community Organizations And Local Government. For example, in St. Joseph, Mich., approx. 8,000 in population, city leaders hold neighborhood town hall gatherings in backyards all across town. They also produce a unified community calendar and hand-deliver it to residents. Coopersville, Mich. uses its town entry sign to salute a different non-profit, business person, and teacher each quarter.

2. Local Entrepreneurial Investment. Ivan said this is often initiated by a local entrepreneur and then served as a tipping point to get others to invest. In New Carlisle, Ind., Bill Owens expanded a floral shop into gifts, a furniture store, and transformed the community into a regional destination. This can also be a community initiative, such as economic gardening to grow entrepreneurs, where you may have village staff used to make things work for business. In Ord, Neb., they developed a wealth transfer plan to strategically fund their community economic development initiatives. By asking people to give 5% of their estate back to the community, they now have $8.5 million in hand or in pledges.

3. Willingness To Change. This may be the hardest part for many towns. These new opportunities may require changes in all sorts of local laws, including zoning. 

4. Actively Pursues Cultural Elements To Economic Development. The most common cultural elements include the arts. In Three Oaks, Mich., the creatives are working to integrate with the existing parades and local celebrations. So it can work.

5. Cultural Efforts Reach Out To Community Youth. New York Mills, Minn., established a cultural center that capitalizes on the natural amenities. 

6. A Deliberate Effort To Engage Youth. There is a continuum of efforts to involve youth. You can do things to youth, or do for youth, or do with youth, Ivan said. It can be tough to get a town moved along the continuum. One idea was to provide disposable cameras to young leaders. Ask them to take pictures of what they like and dislike about the town, and have them present it at a future meeting. 

7. Retaining Youth And Attracting Families. Create economic choices that are appealing to youth. Ord, for example, has a youth entrepreneurship program starting in grade schools. Another town gave high school seniors a mailbox with their name on it, saying: "Brookfield is always going to be your hometown."

8. Conviction That, In The Long Run, You Must Do It Yourself.  Cool small towns cannot wait for an outside savior. Argonia, Kan., lost their grocery store. But they built a community convenience and grocery store. They are now doing spec houses to sell at cost to new families. And if you enroll kids in the school, Argonia will even cover your closing costs. 

The real key to small town success, Ivan says, is strong leadership that is willing to stand up to the CAVE people (Citizens Against Virtually Everything).

New State COVID-19 Restrictions Set For Implementation

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:

• Youth extracurricular activities prohibited below high school level. 
  
  
• Bars go to carry-out, delivery, and drive-through only.
  
  
• Only licensed restaurants can do dine-in. Mask required for public facing restaurant staff. Patrons required to be seated, parties of eight (with six feet of separation), no games, no seating at counter/bars. Patrons can have alcoholic beverage as long as with a meal. Dine-in permitted from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.

• 10-person limit on indoor gatherings, including wedding receptions.

• Attendance at college and high school sports limited to immediate family members.

• At churches, six feet of separation; no passing of items between household units.

• At salons and barber shops, six feet of separation between customers; masks required.

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:

• 14 days of quarantine and have no symptoms (required);

• Wait 3-4 days (earliest) after exposure before testing;

• Get tested if you develop symptoms;

• You can NOT test out of quarantine; and

• TestNebraska offers free tests.

Election Results From Dorchester Area Races

If you want to take a break from the post-election drama that is taking place at the federal level, here's a summary of the local results of the Nov. 3 election.

Saline County Commissioner - Dist. 3

In a race that featured two Dorchester High School alumni of the same era, incumbent Marvin Kohout defeated Gary Veprovsky, 760 to 585. This was a competitive race fueled largely by Veprovsky's disapproval of the wind farm being built in central Saline County.

Dorchester Village Board

Incumbents Matt Scholtz and Andrea Pracheil were uncontested in their efforts to keep their seats on the village board. Scholtz received 193 votes; Pracheil 166.

Dorchester School Board

Incumbents Kelli Schweitzer and Mike Hatfield had no challengers, winning re-election with 411 and 380 votes respectively. Newcomer Shelly Lehr captured a seat on the school board with 341 votes.

For those wondering, President Donald Trump defeated former Vice President (and now President-Elect) Joe Biden in Saline County by receiving more than 80% the number of Biden votes, 3,618 to 1,976. Third District U.S. Rep. Adrian Smith was the county's top vote recipient, capturing 3,750 votes versus U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse's 3,666.

See all Saline County's vote totals here.

Dorchester-Based Farmers Cooperative Now 73rd Largest Co-op In U.S.

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.

See the full listing here.

NEWS ROUND-UP: DHS Football Season Ends; Community Foundation Dinner is Nov. 14

DHS Falls to Red Cloud in First Round of State Playoffs: The Longhorns 2020 football season came to a disappointing conclusion Friday evening, Oct. 30, as DHS fell to Red Cloud in the first round of the Nebraska playoffs for six-man football. The final tally was 50-36. With the game tied 20-20 late in the second quarter, Red Cloud scored 22 straight to put the game out of reach. Blake Hansen threw for 254 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Longhorns. (See the Hastings Tribune summary of the game.) Fans in Dorchester, while disappointed with the loss, say they are impressed by the team's progress from 2018, which marked the first time many Dorchester boys had played competitive tackle football. 

Community Foundation Fundraiser Dinner Set for Nov. 14: On Saturday, Nov. 14, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., the Dorchester Community Foundation Fund will hold its pre-Thanksgiving Windsor Loin/hamburger feed at the Dorchester Legion. Both dine-in and to-go orders are available. If you want to pick up your meal, call in advance to 402-641-0564. This is a free-will offering to raise money for interactive smart boards in DPS classrooms. Donations are accepted anytime; checks can be made payable to the Dorchester Foundation and mailed to: Peg Bergmeyer, 101 Washington Ave., Dorchester, NE 68343.

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.