NEWS ROUND-UP: Grandparents Crash Dorchester Elementary

(Photo: Sharon Axline)

Dozens of Grandparents Descend on DPS: Dozens of grandparents of Dorchester's kindergarten and first- through third-grade students took time to visit their favorite kiddos this week. According to school volunteer and town advocate Sharon Axline, the school celebrated Grandparents Day with cookie bars, juice and coffee prepared by DPS staff. Grandparents stopped by the classrooms and participated in reading books and taking part in word games. 

Flu/COVID Shots for Students, Oct. 19: Public Health Solutions, the public health office that services Saline County, will be at Dorchester Public School Oct. 19, offering flu shots to DPS students with consent forms signed by parents or guardians. Updated COVID-19 boosters will also be offered. For questions, call 402-826-3880.

Flu Shots for Adults, Oct. 12: The Dorchester United Methodist Church will be hosting a flu shot clinic Wednesday, Oct. 12, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. The cost for non-Medicare patients will be $37. This clinic is open to the public.

Adopt-a-Door Program is in Effect: Dorchester Public School is re-instituting its Adopt-a-Door initiative in which local businesses (or organizations) greet students on their Monday morning arrival to school. This Monday, Oct. 3, the Dorchester American Legion organizations will be the first sponsor of this year-long tradition. Call the school at 402.946.2781 if your business or organization would like to participate.

Early November is School Lunch Weeks: Parents and grandparents are invited to each lunch with their Dorchester students at the school the first two weeks of November. More information will be forthcoming as that time approaches.

Online Institutions Offering Higher Savings Rates: Times are tough when it comes to making your dollars grow or last longer -- even as artificially low interest rates fade away. At our local bank, a 22-month CD, with a minimum $10,000 deposit, still only earns you 2.25%. Not enough to keep pace with Uncle Joe Biden's 8.5% inflation. We encourage readers to check out online institutions for more competitive savings rates -- as high as 4.25%. Just make sure they're FDIC insured, of course.

DHS Volleyball Team Faces Big Tests In Remaining Contests

Sitting at 12-7 on the season, with just a handful of matches remaining in the regular season, the Dorchester High School Lady Longhorns are about to find out how they stack up against some of southeast Nebraska's top talent.

After taking top prize at the Nebraska Lutheran Invite last Saturday, Sept. 24, DHS was upset by 5-6 Sterling a few days later. 

Then last night, Sept. 29, DHS fell to Class C-2 Shelby/Rising City and Class D-2 Diller-Odell

In order to get back on the winning track, the Orange and Black Attack will need to pass several critical road tests in the next three weeks.

On Oct. 6, DHS travels to Exeter to do battle with Class C-2 powerhouse Cross County (16-2) and Exeter-Milligan (9-6).

Then on Oct. 11, Dorchester will travel to Davenport to take on McCool Junction (4-12) and top-10 ranked BDS (14-3).

On Oct. 15-18, the Lady Longhorns will hit the road yet again for the Crossroads Conference Tournament in York.

Want Dorchester To Keep Its Young Talent? Deshler Shows Us How

Deshler, Nebraska has a population of 747. It has one grocery store and one gas station, and its local high school graduates approximately 18 seniors each spring. In many ways, it's a lot like Dorchester.

Deshler is also the headquarters of international irrigation firm Reinke Manufacturing, which employs a large number (about 600) are residents.

Over the past decade, Reinke has been on a mission to transform Deshler's housing market, since the lack of housing was hurting the company's efforts to attract and retain workforce.

Reinke has been building four-plex apartment units, as well as buying single-family units throughout Deshler -- renting them to employees, who are then given the opportunity to buy the home later on.

Last year, Reinke made its biggest investment in affordable employee housing yet. It purchased an entire motel in nearby Hebron and turned the complex into apartments. The building now houses 40 people, some of them families. 

In addition, the company recently broke ground in Deshler on a two-story, eight-unit housing complex of two-bedroom apartments that will be ready in spring 2023.

In addition to employee housing, Reinke is increasing its presence and education efforts at the local schools in a bid to recruit talent sooner. The company started an employee-taught welding program at Deshler High School, and Reinke offers a similar program to adults through a cooperative effort at a community college.

A Reinke-run middle school program helps students learn to use CNC machinery, with which the company manufactures parts. Through another program at the middle school, the company teaches a class on AutoCAD, software that allows users to create detailed two- and three-dimensional drawings, as well as courses on basic electrical and hydraulics skills.

All of this has earned Reinke national attention. And while capturing the national limelight, Deshler -- and Reinke -- has set an example for similar communities and employers to follow, if they want to retain their young talent.

NEWS ROUND-UP: Longhorn Volleyball, Football Teams Have Momentum

(Photo Credit: Salty and Lit Photography)

Longhorn Football Seeks to Improve to .500: The Dorchester High School football team defeated previously unbeaten Harvard last Friday, Sept. 16. The 24-20 Longhorns victory -- which was kept the Nerud Field crowd on the edge of their seats until the very end -- provided DHS with a happy homecoming and the team's first victory of the season. Now the 1-2 Longhorns hope to notch another win this Friday, facing Meridian (0-3) in a road contest.

DHS Volleyball Now 9-2: Halfway through the 2022 regular season, the Dorchester High School Volleyball team is flying high, having racked up nine wins already this season. Since their last loss on Sept. 8, the Lady 'Horns have breezed past Red Cloud, Nebraska Lutheran, Friend, Harvard, and Osceola. But it should be noted that the last four opponents only have four wins -- combined -- this season. So DHS has been preparing for a more difficult level of play. DHS hosts Class C-2 Shelby/Rising City (9-4) and High Plains Community (10-5) this Thursday, Sept. 22. Then on Saturday, Sept. 24, DHS travels to Nebraska Lutheran for a four-team round robin.

Perez, Duchek Voted Homecoming Royalty: The DHS student body elected Fernando Perez and Jayana Duchek as their 2022 homecoming king and queen last week. Congrats to both Longhorns!

Dorchester's Water Gets OK for Drinking: Dorchester's water is safe to drink. That's the message from village hall, which reports that the community's well No. 5 has been tested and the results came back with no contamination.  Well No. 4 remains turned off due to high levels of carbon tetrachloride -- a chemical that was once widely used as a cleaning fluid in home and industry. Until 1986, the chemical was used as a grain fumigant. 

Free Fall Festival at Saline County Museum Is Saturday: The members of the Saline County Historical Society are working overtime for this Saturday's (Sept. 24) "Living History Day at the Museum." The event will be held at the museum in south Dorchester from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This free, family-oriented event will feature historical skills and demonstrations. Special performances by the Studio C Cloggers and the Junior Czech Dancers. The day will end with an old time tent revival sing along. Food will be available for purchase. Attendees are encouraged to bring their family members, friends, and lawn chair and stay for all four hours. Any donations will go towards new flooring in the main building, according to an email sent to the Times. This is sure to be an autumn highlight.

Mike Reiss, DHS Grad of '75, Passes: Michael Kent Reiss, age 65, passed away Sept. 18. Mike was born August 13, 1957 in Crete Nebraska to Delbert and Irene Reiss. He graduated from Dorchester Public School in 1975. He then started working at Farmland Foods until he joined the U.S. Army in 1978 and was stationed in Germany. In 1980, Mike helped on the farm after his father, Delbert, was in a serious combine accident, which released him from the Army. He then went back to work at Farmland and continued working until he recently retired, for a total of 45 years. A Celebration of Life will be held Saturday, Sept. 24 at 11 a.m. at Kuncl Funeral Home in Crete.

For All Towns In Nebraska: Here's How To Get Your Street Paved

Over the many years the Times has been online, we've consistently heard from Dorchester residents who support paving more of the town's streets.

One resident emailed us, "If we want to grow Dorchester and encourage more people to build here, improve their homes here, and bring more business here, we need paved streets."

He added: "It would sure be nice if we could start the street paving process without waiting another 20 years for the village board to move."

Well, it can be done, according to our research. 

Section 17-510 of Nebraska law says a petition can be started by those who have property next to an unimproved street (meaning gravel or dirt). Note the key word: landowners -- not just residents.

If the petition were signed by enough landowners -- representing at least 61% of the front footage of the property directly abutting the street proposed to be paved -- the governing body (the village board) by ordinance would be forced to create a paving district or districts, barring some loophole -- such as no sewer or water hook-up on that street.

The petition would have to be worded precisely to specify that paving of a certain street or streets is desired.

As it was explained to the Times, a paving district -- or street improvement district -- could take one of many forms. The street improvement district could consist of one street on one block, or comprise the entire town, or anything in between. The smaller the paving district, the better chances of paving occurring.

The process is simple, yet there are many moving parts, according to experts we contacted. For example, the village board would need to levy special assessments on the lots and parcels of land abutting on or adjacent to the paved street to finance the work.  

Special assessments for such projects could be paid over a 15-year period.

To see the section of state law that allows this petition process, click here.

NEWS ROUND-UP: DHS Volleyball Now 6-2

(Photo: Sharon Axline)

DHS Volleyball Aims to Keep Winning Trend Going: One-third of the high school volleyball season has been completed -- and so far, the Lady Longhorns are doing quite well. The Orange and Black Attack have won five of their last six contests. After losing to Giltner on Sept. 8, DHS crushed its opponents, Red Cloud and Nebraska Lutheran, in six straight sets. At 6-2 on the season, Dorchester will now travel to rival Friend (1-7) on Thursday, Sept. 15, and then host Harvard (1-11) on homecoming, Friday, Sept. 16.

DHS Football Seeks Season's First Win: It's been a rough start for Dorchester High School's football team, which dropped its second contest last Friday, Sept. 9, to Red Cloud, 52-14. Now the Longhorns set their sights on 2-0 Harvard for DHS' homecoming contest this Friday. The following week, Dorchester travels to play Meridian (0-2).

Sign Up Now for Women's Volleyball League: The Dorchester women’s three-on-three volleyball league will be starting play soon. Registration for teams is due September 23. Mail or drop off your registration form at Village Hall. The league will run Oct. 2 through Dec. 11. Here is the sign-up form.

New Village Government Website Up and Running: The Village of Dorchester's new website is up and running. But village staff asks for patience as they continue to refine and update it. The site will offer many features, including updates from Village Hall. Residents can even sign up for email or text alerts. Check out the site by clicking here.

Pulled Pork BBQ Set For This Sunday

It's September. And that means it's time for a tasty annual tradition in Dorchester.

Everyone is invited to the Dorchester United Methodist Church’s annual pulled pork BBQ, set for this Sunday, Sept. 18.

All area residents are encouraged to attend the event at 612 Lincoln Ave.

Activities will begin with worship services at 9:30 a.m. Then lunch will be served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

Lunch will feature pulled pork sandwhichs, along with homemade coleslaw, scalloped potatoes, pork and beans, and desserts. 

This is a free-will offering, so please generous.

You can eat inside the church and catch up with friends and family. Or you can drive up for to-go orders.

All Times' readers are encouraged to enjoy this community activity.

FLASHBACK: The 'D' Club -- 61 Years Ago

The "D" Club.  

When we were students at Dorchester High School, we all knew who belonged to that group of individuals -- the standouts who had lettered in their chosen sport or activities. 

For every generation that has roamed the hallways of Dorchester Public Schools, at least in the post-WWII era, the black and tan letter jacket (or D Club sweater) -- emblazoned with the big, bright letter D -- has always commanded respect and admiration.

The photo above is of the 1961-1962 D Club. Notice at that time, the D Club was all male.

That was quite a year for DHS athletics. 

Most memorable was the undefeated football team, which some local sports fan say was one of the best (or the best) teams ever to play at Dorchester. The team was led by a very nimble, quick senior Dan Tesar, who held several records at DHS for decades.

Pictured in this photo, from left to right, are: (Top Row) Bill August, Rex Johnson, Marty Kamper, John Howlett, F.C. Green, Gary August and Dale Weber.  (Bottom Row) Duaine Bullock, Larry Jonas, Jack Guggenmos, Mr. Semin, Dr. Drake, Dan Tesar, Doug Sysel and Harold Axline.

Nebraska May Play Big Role In Search For 'Rare Earths'

(AP Photo)

The U.S. faces numerous national security threats today. Among them is our dependence on foreign nations for what is known as "rare earth elements." 

Rare earths are minerals that are essential to the production of military weapons systems, consumer electronics, and countless other advanced technologies. 

Right now, China is the dominant global supplier of rare earths. The communist nation is even mining rare earth minerals in other continents, primarily Africa. 

To meet the security challenges posed by China's control of rare earths, the U.S. must produce these minerals domestically, when possible. 

Nebraska could play a major role in conquering this challenge.

As reported by News Channel Nebraska, NioCorp has begun testing of rare earths extracted from Johnson County. NioCorp says it is developing North America’s only niobium / scandium / titanium advanced materials manufacturing facility co-located with an underground mine. 

Niobium is critical for production of super alloys, which make steel and aluminum stronger for use in military equipment. Scandium has important uses in fuel cells, as well as in ultra-high-performance aluminum alloys. And both are considered among the 50 minerals critical to U.S. security.

Titanium, of course, has the highest strength-to-density ratio of any metallic element.

If NioCorp can extract and separate rare earth elements from ore that it mines from the Nebraska project site -- and do so in a way that is technically and economically feasible -- Nebraska will be on the rare earths map. For now, it’s not clear yet whether there’s enough to be commercially viable.

Because many investors anticipate strong returns from rare earth mining companies, many locals have or are considering investing in the company. Nearly half of NioCorp’s 6,400 shareholders live in Nebraska not far from the project. 

The proposal has received the key state and federal environmental permits it would need, according to the AP.

Stay tuned for this developing story from southeast Nebraska.

NEWS ROUND-UP: Drought, Digs, and DPS Faculty

Drought Worsens In Saline County: Over the last three to four weeks, drought conditions have worsened in areas west of the Mississippi, including Nebraska. Saline County is now in what is considered "moderate drought" and "abnormally dry" by climatologists at UNL, which publishes the National Drought Monitor. Conditions on the ground seem worse than that. While southeast and south central Nebraska have it better than the southwest and northeast corners of the state, rain can't come too soon. As of right now, Sept. 19 is the next better-than-50% chance of rain, according to AccuWeather.

Dorchester Volleyball Now 2-1 On Young Season: The next two weeks will tell us a lot about the DHS volleyball team. After splitting contests at the Palmyra triangular last week (beating Weeping Water but falling to Palmyra), DHS won't face another Class C opponent until Sept. 22. Between now and then, the Lady Longhorns will take on eight Class D opponents, beginning with College View Academy on Tuesday and next-door rival Friend on Sept. 15.

A Look at New DPS Staff: Corey Bird, Jessica Burry, Jill Choyeski, Dawn (Stich) Persing, Elizabeth Feeken, Spencer Kotas, Brandon Sullivan, Raymi Polk, Claire White, and Clint Zaptin. There are many new (and returning) faces among the Dorchester Public School faculty this school year. See them all on pages 8-12 of the latest DPS newsletter.

Nebraska Has Nation's No. 2 Early Childhood Education: According to a comparison by financial website WalletHub, Nebraska has the nation's second-best early childhood education. WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 12 key metrics, including share of school districts that offer a state pre-K program, number of pre-K quality benchmarks met, and total reported spending per child enrolled in pre-K. Call (402) 946-2781 to learn more about Dorchester's preschool offerings.