Working With Students Is Best Plan For Rejuvenating Dorchester

We've heard it for years, for decades.  Dorchester has lost too many businesses, too many

young people.

Of course, Dorchester isn't the only community in Nebraska experiencing so-called "out-migration" and the loss of businesses over the decades.  An overwhelming majority of Nebraska's 570 communities have experienced the same thing to a lesser or greater degree, depending on their location.

Fortunately, the situation for many communities has begun to turn around.  And it's happening because leaders and educators in Nebraska's rural communities are focusing on the next generation.

According to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Extension, research shows that if by age 10 or 11 a child has had a positive experience in his/her community, that child is more likely to stay or return to his/her hometown.  This is further proof why young people -- not just high schoolers and middle schoolers, but also grade schoolers -- must be encouraged to be a part of community's affairs and future planning.

It's time to get serious; it's time to think outside the box.

We're not sure how many Dorchester teachers or school officials read this blog.  But for those who do, we'd like to point out the success experienced in Ord, Neb. and Valley County.  

About 10 years ago, when Ord started recognizing lasting effects of population loss from the 1990s, leaders got together and agreed that one of the best ways to revitalize the county would be to connect students to the local business community early on.  With a focus on entrepreneurship and a commitment to its youth, one of the most successful ways Valley County illustrates this economic revival is through the annual Entrepreneurship Investigation (ESI) Camp.  With curriculum developed by UNL and Nebraska 4-H, ESI Camp hosts 20-25 students from Valley County and surrounding communities. 

Don't think it can work? Valley County was the only rural Nebraska county that had experienced growth in the 25 and under population, according to the 2010 census.

An entrepreneurship camp for grade schoolers. What a great idea -- and one way Dorchester could rejuvenate its own business district.  After all, kids come up with some of the most creative ideas.  Their optimism and energy run circles around most adults over 30.

Watch how Valley County has rallied to engage its students by clicking here.

Don't Forget The Value Of Livestock

Sure, it's harvest time and there is a lot of cash in those corn fields and soybean acres.  
But let's not forget how much economic strength lies in the surrounding feedyard and livestock lots.

Last week, a group of three dozen young livestock producers from across southern and central Iowa embarked on a two day bus trip to Nebraska sponsored by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach’s Beginning and Young Livestock Producers Network.

One of the group's first stops was Dorchester's Weber Feedyards.  When groups from outside our state travel here to inspect our local livestock facilities, that's a positive sign that producers in our area are doing something right.

According to a new UNL report, "Nebraska's uniquely intertwined agricultural economy, although still the engine of the state's economy, may not be operating to its full potential."

Saline County has nearly 26,000 head of cattle and more than 28,000 hogs. And we hope that number only grows -- for the sake of our farming community.  

Ethanol was booming ten years ago. Today, we know ethanol is not nearly as promising due to production efficiency and consumer preferences for regular gasoline.  Feeding domestic livestock is still the most profitable sector for our area farmers.  

Even the Nebraska Corn Board, when it isn't busy airing ethanol commercials, admits that "livestock production is the engine that powers state’s economy. It is a more than $7.5 billion industry that is fundamental to the well-being of Nebraska – and contributes in some way to the financial health of every Nebraskan."  

Saline County has been designated one of Nebraska's "livestock friendly counties."  We need to encourage more livestock producers to expand or relocate in our surrounding countryside.  If they did, our schools would see a boost in students and revenue; area businesses benefit; and any resident who pays property taxes would realize some relief in the pocketbook.

Dorchester's Family Ties To The AL Baseball Championship

Dorchester has strong family ties to this year's Major League championship series in the American League between the Baltimore Orioles and the Kansas City Royals.

One of the star pitchers for the Orioles, Kevin Gausman, traces his family roots back to Dorchester.  His grandfather, Clarence, and father, Clair, were both athletes at Dorchester; it's only fitting that Kevin is wearing the mighty Orange and Black in the Major Leagues.

Those who knew Kevin's dad, Clair, during his days at Dorchester can tell you he was serious on the field, too.  A 1969 DHS graduate, and known by his Longhorn teammates as "Gomez," Clair was a key part of the 7-1 football team in 1968.  He was all-conference for the 18-4 DHS basketball team in 1969, helping to ensure the squad finished No. 6 in the state his senior year.

Clair would go on to graduate from Nebraska Wesleyan University, and earn graduate degrees from the University of Northern Colorado and the University of Denver. Clair served as president of the Colorado Football Officials Association and the Colorado Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame. Many Dorchester residents know Clair made the big time by officiating Division I college football for 25 years -- working in the Western Athletic Conference, Mountain West Conference, Big 12 Conference and Conference USA. He was selected to referee 14 bowl games. 

Today, Clair is a retired educator with the Cherry Creek, Colo., School District and is now owner of Windmark Centennial Insurance. Clair and his wife Jo live in Centennial, Colo. 

They have three grown children, including Kevin, 23, who is on the mound for the Orioles. 

Kevin attended Louisiana State University (LSU), where he was an All-American.  He was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the first round in 2012 -- fourth overall draft. He signed with the Orioles for $4.32 million on July 13, 2012.  Kevin throws four pitches, all with above average velocity: a four seam fastball at 96-99 MPH (tops out at 100), a slider at 83-86, a splitter at 84-86 and a change up at 84-89, according to Wikipedia.

Kevin and the Orioles will be fighting to keep their season alive, trailing the Royal 0-2 in the ALCS.  The teams will battle Monday evening at 7 p.m. in K.C.

Thanks to two loyal readers for suggesting this news story.

DVFD Pork Roast Set For Tomorrow, Oct. 12

Get ready Dorchester area residents!

It's time for the annual hog roast hosted by the Dorchester Volunteer Fire Department. 

This event is a fall favorite in our community.

The roast will be held tomorrow, Sunday, Oct. 12, at the Dorchester Fire Hall.  The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Help our volunteer first responders raise funds to update the DVFD.  All donations will go toward the purchase of an equipment/water truck.

Please join our brave men and women with the DVFD for a great gathering and a great cause.

Or send your donation to:  DVFD, P.O. Box 36, Dorchester, NE  68343.

Flu Shots Available In Dorchester, Nov. 13 At Church

Plan now to get your flu shots in Dorchester.

On Nov. 13, the Crete Area Medical Center staff will be at the Dorchester Methodist Church from 5:30-7 p.m. to provide flu shots for residents.

If you don't want to wait until Nov. 13, you can schedule a flu shot, as well as a preventative health screening at the Crete Area Medical Center.  Just call (402) 826-7980 for an appointment.

Stay healthy and stay happy.

DHS Homecoming Royalty Crowned, But Longhorns Lose Both VB Games

Last night, Dorchester's homecoming royalty was crowned, as students report having a great time.  

However, the DHS Lady Longhorns fell in both of their homecoming contests, putting a bit of a downer on the evening.

The Lady Longhorns drop to 5-15 on the season.

In the homecoming triangular, Dorchester fell to Class C-2 Cross County, 25-15, 25-20, and lost to Class D-2 powerhouse Exeter-Milligan, 25-18, 25-17.

DHS will get a four-day break before returning to action early next week.

On Tuesday, the Lady Longhorns will host yet another triangular tournament at home, this time against Bruning-Davenport-Shickley (8-10) and McCool Junction (1-19).

Dorchester Soon To Be A Quiet Zone For Trains?

The Times has learned that village leaders have given initial approval to a study that could silence the train horns echoing through Dorchester -- a problem that has worsened in recent years as the Farmers Cooperative has expanded its grain storage capacity.

In July, the Times reported on the blockades occurring regularly at the town's railroad crossings due to stopped train cars, as well as efforts by other communities to quiet trains as they approach crossings.

According to an e-mail sent to the Times, a resident who attended Monday's Dorchester Village Board meeting asked the board to consider imposing a quiet zone for both railroad crossings entering town.  

The resident told the board that Hickman and south Lincoln had created quiet zones, thereby improving the quality of life for residents there.  The resident reportedly complained that his grandchildren were extremely disturbed by the loud horns, and noted that some train conductors blow the horn the entire length of the community, despite moving at a very slow speed.

The e-mail sent to the Times informs us that the town board members who were present agreed to consider a study by an engineering firm to look at the feasibility of making Dorchester a "no horn zone."

The e-mail also notes board members were informed by attorneys that there are many factors to be considered before being designated a no-horn area, such as installing concrete medians at the railroad crossings.

Board members were also told that a study for a quiet zone can be quite expensive.  Our source did not indicate whether or not the Farmers Cooperative may contribute to the cost of the study.

According to the Times' research, Lincoln has four designated quiet zones, which include twelve crossings along the BNSF railroad.

The City of Lincoln's website says a quiet zone is a minimum one-half mile long railroad corridor containing one or more public roadway crossings where train horns are not routinely sounded. All crossings must have flashing lights, gates, and constant warning before a quiet zone can be established. Train horns may still be sounded in the case of an equipment malfunction or if a person or vehicle is near the tracks.

While the railroad is the reason that Dorchester exists today, the Times continues to believe making Dorchester a quiet zone would improve our community's quality of life.  After all, the co-op's expansion over the past decade -- while a positive for Dorchester and its tax base -- is a large reason for the increased duration and frequency of horns sounding at all hours of the night.  A quite zone seems like it would be a "win-win" and a common-sense compromise to a tough situation. 

A big "thumbs up" to the resident(s) who took time to attend the village board meeting this week.  (Our staff members all agree we should have thought of that.)

DHS Homecoming Volleyball Contests To Be Streamed Live

The Times has learned that Thursday evening's homecoming volleyball games at Dorchester High School will be streamed live on a website called High School Cube.

Click here to go to the site.

The 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. games at the DHS gym will feature the Lady Longhorns against Nebraska Christian and Parkview Christian.

On Tuesday, the Lady Longhorns captured their fifth victory of the season by beating Parkview Christian 25-2, 25-8, 25-7.

We wish the girls best of luck on homecoming!

Tight Lending Practices Hinder Dorchester Economic Devleopment

You recall Ben Bernanke? The former Federal Reserve chairman? The guy who was in charge of America's entire money supply?

This week, Bernanke told an audience the mortgage market is so tight that even he is having a hard time refinancing his own home loan.  Bloomberg reports that when the audience laughed, Bernanke said, “I’m not making that up. ... I think it’s entirely possible” that lenders “may have gone a little bit too far on mortgage credit conditions."

We relay this story for one reason: the tight lending market is hindering economic development efforts here in Dorchester, it appears.

In recent months, the Times reported on plans to bring a cafe and bakery to Dorchester, as well as a serious attempt to build a bowling alley north of the current location of City Slickers Bar and Grill.

Both reports were accurate, but both have also hit a roadblock when it comes to financing, according to sources. (Note: Neither party was asked for comments by the Times.)

Since the banking crisis of 2008, banks and credit unions have become much more hesitant to lend to any home or business that presents even a small amount of risk.  Record low interest rates don't help, since there's a considerably smaller amount of reward for lenders to do business with borrowers without significant resources.  We can't say we blame the lenders for not wanting to stick their necks out.

This leads us to questions asked in a previous post:

• What is the long-term plan to repair Dorchester's downtown structures? 
• How do we encourage private owners to make the necessary improvements? 
• Does Dorchester need a "building improvement fund" to match the efforts of business owners? 

Maybe the time has come for village leaders -- perhaps the good volunteers at the Dorchester Community Foundation -- to consider establishing a fund to help match the financial efforts of area businesses and entrepreneurs who want to do business in our town. Perhaps create a no-interest or low-interest loan program?

It's worth exploring.

Community Development Workshop Set For Oct. 16 In Kearney

The Dorchester Times has learned about a workshop that includes powerful information to build hope and develop a plan for rural Nebraska communities.

The workshop literature states: "If your community members are interested in creating jobs, sustaining your community’s population, and inspiring others to relocate to your hometown, we have the perfect opportunity for you.  We invite all city council/village board members, chamber/community club members, economic development professionals, as well as the 'movers and shakers' from regional communities to our upcoming event, where we ask you to 'Breathe Life into Your Town.'

"Come learn from Dell Gines, Senior Community Development Advisor, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City-Omaha Branch, as he provides the how-to’s for expanding existing businesses and developing new businesses, and discusses the vital role that community partnerships play in this effort.  Nicole Sedlacek, Director, Holt County Economic Development, will inspire you, with relevant and real world success stories from Holt County, ranging from growing new businesses to bringing young families back to rural Nebraska.

"There is no town too small to benefit from this workshop!  Register today!  The workshop will be held Thursday, Oct. 16 at the Kearney Ramada, 301 2nd Avenue, from 5:30 p.m. until 9 p.m. Cost: $25 per person, dinner included.  To register, e-mail admin@scedd.us or call (308) 995.3190 by Friday, Oct. 10."

Photos Of Homecomings Past On Our Facebook Page

This is Dorchester High School's homecoming week!

The week was kicked off yesterday (Sunday) with a late afternoon pep rally at the Dorchester School, followed by a pancake feed in the school cafeteria. 

On Thursday, Oct. 9, the DHS volleyball team will host 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. games against Nebraska Christian and Parkview Christian, which will serve as the school's homecoming contests. 

The DHS-Milford football game will be at Raymond Central on Friday, Oct. 10.

To celebrate this special week, stay tuned to the Dorchester Times' Facebook page (click here) as we share images of Dorchester homecomings from bygone years.  

Some pictures will be a little more "historic" than others -- but one thing is for sure: All will capture the great times and wonderful memories of homecoming week in Dorchester. 

Sunday Will Kick Off DHS Homecoming Events

With no football team playing at Nerud Field this season, Thursday, Oct. 9, has been designated at DHS' homecoming.

Dorchester's homecoming week will begin tomorrow, Sunday, with 5 p.m. pep rally at the Dorchester School.  

A pancake feed in the school cafeteria will follow from 5:30 p.m. until 7:00 p.m.  Pancakes, sausage, scrambled eggs and juice will be served.  

Dorchester's Farmers Cooperative has generously donated the pancake mix, plates and eating utensils.

On Thursday, the DHS volleyball team will host 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. games against Nebraska Christian and Parkview Christian, which will serve as the school's homecoming contests.

The DHS-Milford football game will be at Raymond Central on Friday, Oct. 10.

MHS-DHS Beats Lincoln Christian, 26-18

In a chilly early October contest in Milford Friday night, Milford-Dorchester opened up a first half lead against a solid Lincoln Christian squad and never looked back.  The combined Eagle-Longhorn squad beat the Crusaders 26-18.

Christian did score first in the opening quarter, but MHS-DHS answered relatively quickly with a 46-yard run.  The Crusaders recaptured the lead in the second quarter, only to find themselves trailing following a long march by MHS-DHS that was capped off by the first extra point of the contest.  

MHS-DHS added another TD and point-after, increasing their lead 20-12 at halftime.  Things got a little tight in the third quarter as the score narrowed to 20-18, but a TD run by DHS-MHS' Havlat ensured a 26-18 victory.

The Milford-Dorchester squad is now 4-2 on the season.  This coming Friday, they will travel to Raymond Central in a 7 p.m. contest, followed by a game in Milford against Lincoln Lutheran on Oct. 17.

DPS Students Demonstrate Academic Skills On Assessment Tests

In recent years, some have criticized statewide and national assessment tests given to

measure the performance of our public schools.  We have never understood this fear of what amounts to a measuring stick to ensure that taxpayers are getting their money's worth -- and that our kids are actually learning in the classroom.

Fortunately, results from Nebraska's most recent student achievement test indicate Dorchester Public School students and faculty are focused on learning and on outperforming their peers.

• According to information from DPS administration, since 2009, Dorchester students have shown an increase in the percentage of students who've demonstrated proficiency on the statewide reading assessment, up from 68% to 83%.  

• Since 2010, DPS student proficiency in math has grown from 74% to 77%, while proficiency in science has average 80%.

• Dorchester's current ACT test scores (used for college admittance) show DHS students have outperformed their Nebraska peers for each subject category on the ACT assessment.  The average composite score for Dorchester last school year was 24.2; compare this to the state average of 21.7.

That's real progress being made in the classrooms of DPS -- even though let's not forget Dorchester has traditionally outperformed many area schools.  Congratulations, Longhorn students and teachers.

Leonard Bartek Passes At 69

Leonard J. Bartek, age 69, of Dorchester passed away on Monday, September 29, 2014. He was born on March 2, 1945 in Staplehurst, Neb. to Jerry and Georgia (Dvorak) Bartek. Leonard joined the U.S. Air Force in September, 1965 and served until February, 1969. He was married to Teresa (Vargo) Bartek on July 11, 1970.

He was preceded in death by father Jerry, mother Georgia, step-mother Bessie, brothers Valerian and Albert, sister Angela Lucas, and step-sister Pauline Nannen.

He is survived by wife Teresa, son Mark, brothers Gerald and Benedict, half-sister Marlene, step-sisters Wilma Chrastil and Evelyn Kasl, step-brother Art Pracheil, and many nieces and nephews.

Memorial Services are Friday, 3 pm, Kuncl Funeral Home, Crete. Cremation; no visitation.

Dorchester Area Receives Up To 5" In 24 Hours

Since yesterday morning, Dorchester has received more than 3.5 inches of rain in gauges in town.  

That's considerably less than the totals reported in parts of Crete and Lincoln, but it's still a sizable amount of precipitation for the end of September.  

Area corn and soybean fields will be wet for days to come.  More rain is possible today and Thursday.

Since Aug. 28 -- just 35 days -- Dorchester and the surrounding area have received around 8.5" to 9" of rain.  

Parts of Lincoln 9 inches of rain in parts of Lincoln.  In Crete, rainfalls topped 6 inches.

Unofficial rainfall totals reported to the National Weather Service included 8.9 inches at the Lincoln wastewater treatment plant, 8.5 inches near West O and 20th streets, and 7.2 inches near 56th and Holdrege streets, according to the Journal Star.  (The LJS photo above is from Holmes Lake in Lincoln.)

Flood warnings are up for several creeks and rivers, including the Big Blue River and Turkey Creek.

Here are the area rainfall totals since Tuesday morning:

Crete (in town) ................................ 6.42"
Dorchester -- 4.5 miles SSE ............ 5.00"
Wilber -- 4.1 W ............................... 4.85"
Western -- 4.4 NNE ........................ 4.40"
Wilber -- 7.0 WSW ......................... 4.31"
Western -- 1.2 SE .......................... . 3.56"
Tobias -- 1.8 E ................................ 3.30"
Dorchester -- 2.1 NW ..................... 3.10"
Friend -- 3.4 E ................................ 2.72"
Friend -- 4.8 SSE ............................ 2.69"
DeWitt -- 0.3 WNW ....................... 1.52"