UPDATE: Latest Update From National Weather Service

Winter Weather Advisory in effect from Saturday until Sunday, 12:00 AM CST. Source: U.S. National Weather Service. (Click here for more.)


* TIMING...PERIODS OF LIGHT SNOW ARE EXPECTED INTO THIS EVENING
BEFORE MOVING OFF TO THE EAST BETWEEN 9 PM AND MIDNIGHT. GUSTY
NORTHWEST WINDS WILL DEVELOP THIS EVENING AS WELL...CAUSING SOME
REDUCED VISIBILITIES IN BLOWING SNOW.


* ACCUMULATIONS...ADDITIONAL SNOW AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES ARE
POSSIBLE...BRINGING TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS INTO THE 2 TO 4 INCH
RANGE.


* IMPACTS...SNOWFALL WILL CAUSE VISIBILITIES OF A MILE OR LESS AT
TIMES AND MAY CREATE HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS. IN
ADDITION...AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW WILL DEVELOP FURTHER IMPACTING
TRAVEL.


PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...


A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW MEANS THAT PERIODS OF SNOW
WILL CAUSE PRIMARILY TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR SNOW
COVERED ROADS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES...AND USE CAUTION WHILE
DRIVING.

Dorchester Offers 3 State-Licensed Child Care Facilities

Nebraska law requires any individual who provides child care to four or more children from different families at any one time to become licensed. That's according to a call we made to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

It matters who provides child care for your kids. So we conducted a search of licensed child care facilities in Dorchester.  (If you don't live in Dorchester, but you'd still like to see which providers are licensed in your Nebraska community, click here and see the listings by zip code.)

According to DHHS records updated on Nov. 7, 2014, there are three child care facilities in Dorchester that are licensed with the state.  Here they are:

• BRIGHT BEGINNINGS (903 Stephens)
• Operated by Steph Q. Brandt (402-843-6388).  Licensed since 2009.
• Open Monday through Friday.  Hours 6 a.m. until 5:30 p.m.
• Child capacity: 12 (ages 6 weeks through 13 years old)
• Accepts child care subsidies through DHHS? No

• DORCHESTER COMMUNITY PRESCHOOL (506 West 9th Street)
• Administered by Doris J. Broz (402-946-2066).  Licensed since 2008.
• Open Monday, Wednesday, Friday.  Hours 8 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.
• Child capacity: 12 (ages 3-6)

• TINY TREASURES (708 Stephens)
• Operated by Angela Renee Cecrle (402-946-6211). Licensed since 2007.
• Open Monday through Friday.  Hours 5 a.m. until 6:30 p.m.
• Child capacity: 12 (ages 6 weeks through 13 years)
• Accepts child care subsidies through DHHS? Yes.

Dorchester Foundation Chicken/Burger Luncheon This Sunday

The Dorchester Community Foundation will host a grilled chicken and hamburger feed/fundraiser this Sunday, Nov. 16, at the Legion and Community Hall from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.  

The lunch will consist of a grilled half-chicken or juicy hamburger, with a choice of mashed potatoes and gravy/potato, salad/chips, baked beans, roll, dessert and drink.

A free will offering is requested.  

The Community Foundation has funded several projects in recent years, including the city park shelter and the the "Welcome to Dorchester" sign along Highway 33. This dinner will help fund the new street light banners that will soon go up.

This is a tremendous opportunity to give back to Dorchester.  It's also a good opportunity to connect with residents, alumni, students and many others.

What if you want to donate to the Dorchester Community Foundation, but can't attend the lunch this Sunday? Why not send in a donation? Or give online?

Contributions to the Foundation may be made any time. Checks -- payable to "Dorchester Community Foundation Fund" -- should be sent to: Dale Hayek, 652 County Road 1200, Dorchester, NE 68343.

To donate online, simply click here.

The Dorchester Community Foundation Fund is a non-profit subsidiary of the Nebraska Community Foundation, so all donations are tax deductible.

Dorchester's Marital Success Six Times Better Than U.S. Average

According to ABC News, the current divorce rate in the United States is more than 40%. The average length of a marriage that ends in divorce is about seven years. 

But in Dorchester, people take their vows and promise of "until death do us part" much more seriously.

The U.S. Census Bureau reports the latest data on marital status among current Dorchester residents:

• Never married: 22.1%
• Now married: 64.2%
• Separated: 0.0%
• Widowed: 6.7%
• Divorced: 7.0%

A 7% divorce rate in Dorchester compared to the nation's divorce rate in excess of 40%.  That's pretty remarkable -- and that's a good thing, especially if children are involved, since more evidence is showing the long lasting and damaging effects of divorce on kids.

Currently, the average age of marriage in Nebraska is 26 -- and the average Nebraska marriage lasts 23 years, when including those ending in divorce.

If you've made it that long, congratulations!

For those of you contemplating divorce, ABC News also reports Nebraska is one of the worst states to undo the knot.  Two reasons? A filing fee of $157 and 420 days to process the divorce.  A year’s residency is required, which is followed by a two-month cooling-off period. 

Books Detail PFC Charles Havlat's Ultimate Sacrifice

The unfortunate story of Dorchester's own Private Charles Havlat is well-known throughout the Saline County area.  Now the rest of the nation is learning about his sacrifice in World War II, as well.

A Dorchester native who was killed by a German soldier in the spring of 1945 while helping to free a monastery in Czechoslovakia, Private Havlat was the last American killed in the European Theater of World War II.  PFC Havlat took a bullet in the head from German soldiers who were unaware that a ceasefire had been declared. 

Private Havlat's death occurred about six hours after the unconditional surrender of the Germans. For more on Private Havlat, click here.

At 34 years old, PFC Havlat was the oldest in his family to serve in WWII, along with brothers Adolph and Rudy Havlat. 

According to a 2005 story by Radio Praha (Czech Radio), PFC Havlat was on reconnaissance in a jeep on May 7, 1945, in southern Czechoslovakia, when his unit was blindsided by a "hail of enemy machine gun and small arms fire from concealed positions in the woods." 

In an interview, his brother Adolph recalled that "Charley fired once at the enemy and then ducked" behind the hood of the his damaged jeep. "But he peeked back up, I guess, at the same position and they apparently had a bead right on him, so ... and he died instantly," Adolph said. "That's what I've been told, anyway."

PFC Havlat's fellow soldiers returned fire until the Germans' radio operator received word nine minutes latter that a cease-fire order and armistice were in effect. Taken captive, the German officer who led the ambush said he did not know that a cease-fire had been declared and apologized for the incident. 

The Havlat brothers were unaware of just how unlucky Charles had been until half a century later, according to the Radio Praha article. "We actually didn't hear about this until about 1995 -- that he was the last killed -- until it was published in the VFW magazine," Adolph said.

Two recent books on the WWII experience document PFC Havlat's sacrifice for his nation. 

One book is entitled "Running Wire at the Front Lines."  

The other book is "Letters from a Soldier: 1941-1945." 

On this Veterans Day, we thought Times readers would be interested in both books, which detail PFC Havlat's last minutes as his unit unknowingly engaged in combat long after a cease-fire had been declared by both sides.

In 2008, the Dorchester American Legion, Post 264, asked the State of Nebraska and the roads department to name the small stretch of Highway 33 between Dorchester and Crete after PFC Havlat. The request was denied.

Thanks to the hard work and determination of Dorchester's American Legion Post No. 264  and the volunteers with the Dorchester Community Foundation, funds were raised to place a state historical marker on the grounds of the Saline County Museum in honor of PFC Havlat and his ultimate sacrifice for his country.

Milford Woman, 30, Dies From Injuries In Nov. 2 Crash

The Associated Press has reported that the Seward County Sheriff's Office says a woman and young mother of four has been taken off life support after being critically injured in a two-vehicle crash that killed another woman.

Deputies say 30-year-old Antoinette Hruby, of Milford, died Saturday after she wasn't able to recover from the Nov. 2 crash on U.S. Highway 6.  They say 45-year-old Kimberly Hawthorne, of Lincoln, crossed the center line and hit Hruby's van head-on.

Hawthorne died at the scene.

Hruby is survived by her four children.

Deputies are investigating the collision.

Brrrrrr! Get Ready For Frigid Temps

Remember the polar vortex that hit last winter? It's back -- and it will open for arctic air to plunge over the most of the United States as the new week progresses.  That's according to AccuWeather.com.

Today's high temperature in Dorchester is forecast to hit 65 degrees.  By mid-week, high temperatures won't be half that.

This week, the harshest cold air will encompass the northern Rockies and Plains. The arctic blast will drop into the northern Rockies on Monday, accompanied by a snowstorm on its leading edge, then will spread across the Northwest and Plains through Wednesday.

Many communities across the northern Rockies and Plains will experience a 20- to 40-degree drop in high temperatures from one day to the next.

In Dorchester, the cold will arrive sometime late Monday or early Tuesday, with Tuesday's high reaching 35 degrees.  We won't see high temperatures much beyond 30 degrees Wednesday and Thursday.

Next weekend won't be too much better, with highs in the upper 30s -- and chances of snow!

Enjoy today.

Polka Party Saturday Night! Be There.

Are you ready to party? To polka?

The Dorchester American Legion will host a polka dance featuring Lester’s Polka Band at 6 p.m. tomorrow night (Saturday) at the Legion Hall.

Donations will be accepted, and chicken or hamburger baskets will be available for sale. 

Proceeds will go to American Legion community projects.  So give generously!

And here's a little trivia for some of you with more curious minds: Polka originated as a Czech peasant dance. Historic folklore has it that a peasant girl named Anna Slezak invented the steps one day for her own amusement.  The word “pulka” is derived from the Czech phrase for “half-step,” which refers to the dance pattern of lightly stepping from one foot to the other.

DHS' V-Ball Coach Ty Praises Efforts Of Lady Longhorns

Even though the DHS volleyball team fell a bit short of a winning season this fall, Dorchester’s head coach has a lot of praise to go around.

The Lady Longhorns' season came to an end earlier this week with a loss to Class D-2 No. 3 Meridian in the opening match of Subdistrict D2-2 play.
  
Overall team growth and outstanding play from players like Jacee Weber, Bailey Velder, Kacey Zoubek, Jessica Kalkwarf and Avery Behrens was the reason Coach Ty Peteranetz felt good about DHS' 2014 campaign.  Peteranetz told the Friend Sentinel that even with an 8-21 record, he was very proud of how hard the girls worked to improve.

Peteranetz said: “They worked so hard in practice, and by the end of the season that was translating beautifully to the court. I’m always sad when the season comes to an end, but maybe more so this year than ever before."

He added: "What’s most exciting is that this is just a foundation for what these girls can do for years to come. The girls that have, so far, been here with me as the head coach have established the expectation that we’ll work to get better. This season established us as a team whose end of the year looks nothing like the beginning. We’re going to continue to work right until the last match.

"These girls are awesome!"

Dorchester Vets Day Program & Supper, Nov. 11

The public is invited to honor our nation's veterans at the annual American Legion Veterans Day Program on Tuesday, Nov. 11, at the Dorchester School at 10 a.m.  

The guest speaker will be Rio Beranek, who serves in the Nebraska Air Guard.  The Junior Axiliary will also take part.

A soup, sandwich and dessert supper will be held at the Legion from 5:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m.  This event is to honor our area veterans.  The supper will be a free-will donation event.

On another note, the District II "Americanism" speech contest will be held Nov. 15 at the Dorchester Legion Hall at 9 a.m.  Students can still take part if they would like to show their patriotism.  

The speech topic is on the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which gave women the right to vote nearly 100 years ago.  Grades 6-8 can read their speech, while grades 9-12 are asked to memorize their presentations.  Call Bob Kasl at (402) 946-6851 for more.  Monetary awards and participation prizes will be given.

Girls Coach Needed For Dorchester Youth Basketball

The Dorchester youth basketball program is in need of a head girls coach for grades 3-4.

According to our sources, there are several parents who are willing to help, but a head coach is needed -- someone who understands the fundamentals of the game.

If you are interested, please call Brent Zoubek at the school at (402) 946-2781.

Meanwhile, coaches are in place for the 2nd-3rd grad boys team, the 4th-6th grade boys team, and the 5th-6th grade girls team.  

All three squads will be starting their practices this month.

UPDATE: 2014 Election Results

It's Election Day in Nebraska and across America.  Here in Saline County, polling sites closed at 8 p.m. 

We believe it's important that local communication sources -- not just the national press corps -- report the results.  After all, elections do impact you, your community, your children and your pocketbook.

Here are the results from races that were on our ballot in Dorchester (last updated Nov. 5, 9:45 a.m.):

• U.S. Senate -- WINNER: Republican Ben Sasse (65%-31%)
• Governor -- WINNER: Republican Pete Ricketts (58%-39%)
• U.S. House -- WINNER: Republican Adrian Smith (75%-25%)
• Nebraska Legislature -- WINNER: Laura Ebke (51%-49%)
• Attorney General -- WINNER: Republican Doug Peterson (67%-33%)
• State Auditor -- WINNER: Republican Charlie Janssen (60%-40%)
• Saline County Offices -- WINNERS: Alan Moore (Sheriff), Deb Spanyers (Treasurer)
• Dorchester Village Board -- WINNERS: L.J. Barley, Dean Pracheil, Todd Jensen
• Dorchester School Board -- WINNERS: Matt Hansen, Steve Vyhnalek, Carol Schnell
• NRD -- WINNERS: Jason Pohlman (57%-43%). Larry Barta (52%-48%).
• NU Board of Regents: WINNER: Rob Schafer (53%-47%).

Undefeated Friend Football Team Gets Noticed

Tomorrow's Lincoln Journal Star will run a feature story on the next-door Friend High School football team, which is 9-0 and is heading into the second round of the Class D-1 State Playoffs.

See the story here.

The Class D-1 fifth-ranked Bulldogs will take on Diller-Odell at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

The Journal Star's story features Zemua Baptista, who leads the undefeated Bulldogs with 1,321 yards rushing after going for 201 yards and four touchdowns last week. 

Baptista said the close-knit nature of team makes the hard work seem easier. "It's really upbeat. Every day going to practice, it isn't like a chore. It's like hanging out with our friends," he said. "There's a lot of trust. The kid to the left of me isn't going to do anything I wouldn't be willing to do for him. I'm ready to fight for them."

Saline County Democrats Suffer 20% Voter Decline Since 2004

Since it's Election Day, the Times wanted to take a look at local politics.

For decades, Saline County has been considered one of a handful of Nebraska counties that is heavily Democrat in its politics. 

Ballots in Saline County today showcased seven county-level elected positions -- and all featured a Democrat who was running unopposed.  But Saline County politicians may want to note the dramatic shift that has occurred in the county's political registration.

New analysis by the Dorchester Times, using official information from the State of Nebraska, shows Democrats in Saline County have suffered a 20% decline in the number of registered voters in just 10 years. 

While Democrats currently hold a five percent advantage in Saline County's registered voters (43.5% to 38.1%) over Republicans, that margin is the smallest it has been since the Depression Era.

In 2004, Saline County had 4,286 registered Democrats and 3,177 registered Republicans.  As of today -- Nov. 4, 2014 -- there are 3,437 registered Democrats in Saline County.  All together, there are 7,898 registered voters in the county.

This is troubling news for Democratic partisans since the party has seen a steady decline in Saline County voters over the last decade.  In 2008, when President Obama was elected, there were 3,942 registered Democrats; by 2012, there were 3,576.

Republican voters have mostly held steady since 2004 -- with 3,006 in 2008, 2,975 in 2012, and 3,010 in 2014.

Meanwhile, registered non-partisan voters have seen a bit of an increase, from 1,164 in 2004 to 1,421 in 2014.  There are also currently 30 registered Libertarians in Saline County. 

DHS Volleyball Team's Season Ends

The DHS Lady Longhorns have seen their 2014 volleyball campaign come to an end.

Dorchester fell at Friend in Monday night's Class D-2 Subdistrict tournament to top-seeded Meridian. The state's No. 3 Mustangs (21-6) went 13-2 in October and could be one of the state's hottest teams, regardless of class size.

The Lady Longhorns finish the season 8-21.  

Dorchester saw 19 players donning the orange and black this year -- girls who chose to compete and represent their school.

Most of this year's starters will return next season.  With talent in the freshmen, sophomore and junior classes, combined with more talent coming through the pipeline from the 8th grade, it appears DHS will field a very competitive volleyball team in 2015.

This Week: Planning Commission Meeting, Polka Dance

For those who like to stay active in their community, there are certainly plenty of opportunities on the Dorchester calendar for early November.  Among the upcoming events are:

* Dorchester Planning Commission Meeting: On Wednesday, Nov. 5, the Dorchester Planning Commission will meet at the Dorchester City Hall.  This commission is charged with guiding village efforts to grow and improve quality of life.  Bring your ideas, concerns and opinions on what can be done to move Dorchester forward and better our village.  Commission member Penny Keller has informed us via Facebook this meeting will deal with zoning issues, but that the public is still encouraged to attend.

* Legion Polka Dance: Remember those old polka dances that grandpa and grandma used to attend? They're back for all generations to enjoy.  On Saturday evening, Nov. 8, the Dorchester American Legion will open its doors at 6 p.m. for a old fashioned polka dance.  The dance itself begins at 7 p.m.

Know of other events you'd like area residents to be aware of? Let the Dorchester Times know by sending details to dorchester.times@gmail.com.