Dorchester Baseball, Softball Sign-Up Is Monday, 6 P.M.

Counting down the days until spring? 

Here's a sign that warmer days are fast approaching.

On Monday night, March 1, at 6 p.m. in the Dorchester School cafeteria, baseball and softball sign-up will be held.

All Dorchester area boys and girls (ages 6-15) are encouraged to join the team and be part of Dorchester's proud baseball and softball traditions.

If you cannot make the Monday night sign-up, you'll have until March 15 to get registered.

For questions on girls softball, call Brent Zoubek at 402.418.1019 or email brent.zoubek@dorchesterschool.org.

For questions about boys baseball, call Julie Behrens at 402.826.7260 or email julie.behrens4@gmail.com.

NEWS ROUND-UP: COVID-19 Variants, DVFD Meal, Pitch Nights At Legion Hall

U.K. Variant is Here: KFAB reports that Nebraska’s first case of the U.K. variant of COVID-19, known as B.1.1.7, has been confirmed in Douglas County. Health Director Dr. Adi Pour said. “This strain is more easily transmitted, but the available vaccines have shown to be effective against it.” This strain is expected to be the dominant strain in Nebraska by the end of March or first week of April.

Area Risk Meters Are at 'Moderate': The COVID-19 risk meters for Dorchester Public School and Public Health Solutions (serving Saline County) are both currently at the "moderate" level. Things look positive as trends improve, but that could change as variants spread or if people let down their guard.

DVFD Serving Brisket Sandwich Meals: Next Saturday, March 6, the Dorchester Volunteer Fire Department will be serving brisket sandwich meals to go. Meals will be served from 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. and can be picked up at the fire station. This is a free-will donation event. Call 402-946-4641 to place an order, or text 402-826-7346.

Pitch Nights at Dorchester Legion: The Dorchester American Legion will be hosting five-point pitch card nights on Monday evenings. The games will begin at 5 p.m. Munchies and refreshments will be served. This event is open to everyone, so come on down.

Anti-Wind Bill Introduced in Legislature: State Sen. Tom Brewer, a western Nebraska Republican and decorated war veteran, has introduced a bill to force counties to enact zoning regulations before authorizing wind energy projects. According to News Channel Nebraska, LB 424 would help control the development of wind energy projects that Brewer says have torn the fabric of communities. He even mentioned the division in Saline County caused by the roughly 100 wind turbines scattered across central and western portions of the county.

DHS Girls Conclude Season; Boys Prep For Meridian In Sub-District

(Update 2-22-21: The DHS boys lost their sub-district contest to Meridian, 42-48. The team concludes its season at 5-17.) 

Earlier this week, the DHS girls basketball team saw their 2020-21 campaign come to a close, falling to Lincoln Parkview Christian, 31-34, in the sub-district D2-2 tournament at Exeter.

Unfortunately for the Lady Longhorns, this was seen as an upset considering DHS had defeated Parkview by double digits earlier this month.

The girls finished the season well above .500 with a 13-9 record.

The Lady Longhorns will lose valuable seniors to graduation, as the Orange and Black Attack now looks to several young players to take control next season under the tutelage of Coach Brandon Bruha.

Meanwhile, the Dorchester boys team concluded their regular season this week, falling to Exeter-Milligan 31-51. 

The good news is DHS (5-16) will play 1-19 Meridian on Monday, Feb. 22 in the D2-2 sub-district at Diller-Odell High School. Smart money is on the Longhorns. 

Longtime DPS Teacher Doris Kohout Passes

Doris Jean Kohout, 90, was born on a farm five miles northeast of Wilber on June 11, 1930 to Edward and Blanche (Koci) Hronik and passed away on Feb. 16, 2021 at the Wilber Care Center.

Her education started at five when she entered first grade at District 4.  She only spoke Czech since that’s what her parents spoke at home, but quickly learned English with the help of her Czech teacher. She graduated with the Crete High School Class of 1947. Then Doris attended 12 weeks of summer school at Peru State College and received her teaching certificate and taught for three years. On Nov. 21, 1950 she married Adolph J. Kohout, Jr. at the Grace Methodist Church in Crete.  They lived on the farm ¾ mile north of Saline Center Hall. They had two children, Marilyn and Marvin. She returned to teaching in 1957 and continued her education and received her Bachelor’s of Education from Doane College in 1971. She taught twelve years in rural Schools’ Districts 9, 4, 94, 32 and 57 and in 1970 she taught at Dorchester Public Schools as a Kindergarten teacher for two years and 21 years with first graders, retiring in 1993 after a 35-year career. 

Doris enjoyed her retirement, working on her family genealogy, sewing and quilting for her family, gardening, especially flowers that would bloom all summer, raising chickens, ducks, geese and even tried raising turkeys. Her pride and joy were her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

She was a member of ZCBJ-WFLA Saline Center Lodge #389, receiving her 50-year membership pin in 1991, Saline County Educational Association, Dorchester Education Association, Eastern Nebraska Reading Council, Blue Valley Quilt Guild, and a 4-H leader for many years.

She is survived by her daughter Marilyn (Owen) Jensen and son Marvin (Lorraine) Kohout, four grandchildren, and six great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband Adolph, sister Betty Favre, and brother Robert Hronik.

A visitation will be held Wednesday, Feb. 24 from 1-7 p.m. at Kuncl Funeral Home in Wilber. Family will greet friends from 5-7 p.m. The service will be held the following Wednesday, March 3, at 10:30 a.m. at the funeral home. The service will be livestreamed and can be accessed via the Facebook icon at the bottom of our website homepage. Memorials have been established to the Doris Kohout Memorial Scholarship Fund at the Dorchester Public School. You can leave condolences here.

Farmers Cooperative Has Seven Job Openings In Dorchester

Looking for a good job (let's call it a career)? One that isn't in Lincoln? 

Farmers Cooperative currently has seven open positions in Dorchester. 

According to the agri-business' website, here are the open positions that are based in Dorchester:

• Commercial Truck Driver
• Custom Applicator
• General Application
• Maintenance and Millwright Specialist
• Refined Fuels Delivery Driver
• Service Station Manager
• Summer Internship

You can see all these job openings here.

With sales of nearly $800 million, 60 locations, and 600 employees, Farmers Cooperative is a full service supply and marketing cooperative. It's also one of the largest cooperatives in the nation, according to the National Cooperative Bank Co-op 100 list.

For a full history of Farmers Cooperative, see this well-done history brochure.

DHS Basketball Teams Pick Up More Victories; Preparing For Sub-Districts

It's mid-February and basketball season is winding down. At Dorchester High School, the girls basketball team is preparing for its sub-district contest this Tuesday, while the boys team will play its final regular season game Friday.

The Lady Longhorns won their last five of six games to conclude the regular season with a solid 13-8 record. On Feb. 5, DHS whipped up on Giltner 51-20. Last week, the girls squeaked past Hampton 55-54, only to lose a 34-35 heartbreaker to McCool Junction a few days later.

This Tuesday, Feb. 16, the Lady Longhorns take on Parkview Christian (8-12) in the Class D2-2 sub-district tournament at the Exeter-Milligan School (in Exeter). It's win or go home for both teams.

Meanwhile, the boys basketball team picked up a win this past week, beating Hampton 36-40 in a road contest. The Longhorns, now 5-15 on the year, will take on Exeter-Milligan (6-14) in Dorchester.

Go 'Horns!

National Weather Service: -40 Degree Wind Chills Possible Through Tuesday

For those who are not tuned into local news, the National Weather Service has issued wind chill advisories and watches from now through midnight Tuesday, Feb. 16. Meanwhile, a winter weather advisory goes into effect tonight.

Here is what weather officials are saying for today, Saturday, Feb. 13:

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 9 PM CST SUNDAY... ...WIND CHILL WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM LATE SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING... 

Over the next few days, until Tuesday morning, wind chills of -20 to -30 degrees are expected. Even colder wind chills are possible Monday and Tuesday, possibly as cold as 40 below.

Stay tuned to Dorchester-area weather via our trusted sources at AccuWeather.

Developing...

NEWS ROUND-UP: Vaccine Registry Open For Residents 65 And Older

Here's How To Get On The COVID-19 Vaccine Waiting List: Are you 65 or older and want to get your COVID-19 vaccination shot? Nebraska's Department of Health and Human Services has created this COVID-19 Vaccine Registration Portal, where you can get your name on the waiting list. Meanwhile, the COVID-19 risk meter for Dorchester and the surrounding area has dropped to "moderate" (yellow). The Dorchester Public School risk meter is also at the yellow level.

This Winter is Seventh Snowiest on Record (So Far): 10/11 Weather reports that our area has seen around 4.5" of snow today (Sunday) -- making for around 10" for the two day total. That takes the area's seasonal snow total to 43.1" -- the most snow the Lincoln area has ever received through today's date -- and the winter of 2020-21 is now up to the seventh snowiest season on record.

Dorchester Legion Serving Lunch This Valentine's Day: From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Dorchester American Legion will welcome lovebirds (and everyone else) on Valentine's Day, which is Sunday, Feb. 14. The Legion will be serving up Windsor loin pork chops, scalloped potatoes, dinner roll, salad, and a flower for the ladies. $14.95 a dinner. Drink specials will be served until 5 p.m. Profits will support the Legion. (You can RSVP at the Legion's Facebook page.)

DHS Girls Shoot to Win Two-Thirds of Season's Games: After an unexpected early exist from the CRC Tourney on Jan. 23, the DHS girls basketball team has won its last four contests. This week, the Lady Longhorns whipped up on  Parkview Christian, Nebraska Lutheran and Giltner, easily beating all three teams. This week will bring the final two games of the regular season. DHS, now 12-7, would go 0.667 on their 2020-21 campaign by winning the last two games. But they will have to work hard on the road to achieve this feat. On Tuesday, DHS will face 8-10 Hampton. On Thursday, DHS will take on 12-6 McCool Junction.

Dorchester Boys Look to Cap Season With Big Wins: The DHS boys basketball team was able to pull of a close contest with High Plains Community on Jan. 28, winning the road contest 41-40. But since then, the Longhorns have dropped three in a row to set at 4-14 on the year. The boys will travel to Hampton (3-15) this Tuesday, and to McCool (13-5) this Thursday. The final regular season contest for DHS will be at home on Feb. 19 against Exeter-Milligan (6-13).

Our Take on Ben Sasse: U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse, whose finger wagging and smugness would shame even Barack Obama in his prime, has unloaded on Nebraska Republicans -- by video, of course. Sasse, who has spent more time writing books in D.C. than working on legislation, warned that his party must choose between “conservatism and madness.” He also dismissed his critics as being as “angry about life.” Meanwhile, the pious lawmaker offered no similar sermon to the radical left. No mention of the left-wing's obsession with "critical race theory," job-killing climate justice, government-controlled wealth redistribution, crashing the U.S. monetary system, attacks on personal liberties, censorship via big tech and big media, selling out to global elites, or abandoning efforts to curtail China and Iran. Actually, it's Sasse who needs to choose. It's one thing for Sasse to dislike Donald Trump's personality; it's another thing for him to oppose Trump's policies, which worked well, all while giving the other side a pass. The Constitution says Sasse gets a six-year term following his election, but we believe it will be difficult for him to govern if his constituents continue losing faith en masse -- no matter how much campaign cash and media coverage the D.C. crowd gives him.

Real Estate For Sale: 156 Acres Northeast Of Dorchester

Looking to build in the countryside near the West Fork Big Blue River? Or perhaps pick up some additional farm ground?

Dorchester's Novak Auction Service will conduct a land auction on Thursday, March 11 at 7 p.m. for 156.6 acres three miles northeast of town. The land sits just off of Saline County Road BB, as shown on this Zillow listing.

According to the sale bill, the terms of the auction are: 10% down day of the auction, upon signing the purchase agreement. The balance will be due no later than 30 days later. The insurance and closing cost will be split 50-50 between the buyer and the seller.  

Novak Auction Service is offering this farm in several different tracts that if bought by multiple parties will be surveyed and the cost will be split 50-50 between the buyer and the seller. 

Last year's and all prior taxes will be paid by the seller, but 2021 taxes will become the responsibility of the buyer. All other announcements at the auction take precedence over printed advertising.

Fox Business Reports From Main Street Dorchester

You heard it here first.

When President Joe Biden made the conscious decision last month to kill the jobs of thousands of Americans by halting construction on the $9 billion Keystone XL pipeline, the Dorchester Times reported it would have an impact on the economy here in Saline County and the surrounding area.

Now, reporting from main street Dorchester, Fox Business and Lou Dobbs Tonight has confirmed it. (See the 5:00 mark of this video. Also, Fox News has published this article with the Dorchester dateline.)

A report that aired on the network this evening, Feb. 1, discussed the economic ramifications of Biden's move to revoke the pipeline's permit. (Biden was urged to kill the project by those who still have their jobs, such as longtime Democratic fundraiser and environmental activist Jane Kleeb, a resident of Hastings.)

According to the Keystone XL website, the project would sustain about 11,000 U.S. jobs this year alone – including 8,000 union jobs – and generate $1.6 billion in gross wages.

When factoring the jobs that support and supply the pipeline, there are estimates that the jobs killed by Biden's executive order could cost our region of the country hundreds of thousands of well-paying positions. Perhaps even more.

As one Saline County official told us, the county "will definitely feel a hit" from Biden's monarchial decree.

Mike Rowe, the former Discovery Channel star from "Dirty Jobs," told Fox Business that the Biden administration's clean energy push comes as Americans rely on the fossil fuel industry more than ever. As Rowe said, its “not just at the pump. It's not just oil and natural gas or clean versus dirty. It's the yoga pants. It's the plastic on the keyboard.” 

Rowe added that “energy can't be the enemy” in America. “Even if our government turns its back on fossil fuels, the country can't. No matter what we want, we can't do it.” (Even Jane Kleeb -- as she works to destroy jobs and is worshipped by news reporters -- wears and uses fossil fuels daily. But when is the last time she has actually produced a good or commodity for her fellow man?)