$50 Reward For Lost Black And White Cat

The Times has learned of a lost cat and a Dorchester family is now asking for help to get it back to its owner.

Jerry Pierce e-mailed the Times to say that his son's cat got away last Friday evening.

Accord to the description we received, the cat is a black and white, male adult.  

Because the cat is frightened and in unfamiliar territory, he will probably be hiding.  So Dorchester residents are asked to check their yards in places he might hide.  

The Pierces are offering a $50 reward for information that leads them to getting the cat back.  

If you have information on this lost black and white cat, call the Pierces at (402) 946-2164.  

DHS Girls Basketball Team Shooting For Even More Success In 2016-17

Dorchester's Lady Longhorn basketball team is entering a new season with big expectations.

Last year, DHS went 12-10 to wrap up the year with a winning season.  The Lady Longhorns want to improve on that foundation this season.

Under now-veteran coach and DHS alum Brandon Bruha, the Dorchester girls will return some key players, including seniors Jacee Weber and Bailey Velder, as well as junior Makenna Bird.

DHS will also be introducing some younger talent into this year's lineup, insiders say.

(UPDATE 12/1: The DHS girls' basketball team made the contenders list for the preseason Class D2 rankings by the Lincoln Journal Star.  Click here to see the rankings.  In Class D1, Friend is No. 2.  In Class B, Crete is a contender.)

The team will tip off at 6 p.m. this Friday at home against Meridian to open the 2016-2017 campaign. 

Dorchester Girls 2016-2017 Basketball

12/02/16  Meridian  

12/06/16  Diller-Odell  

12/08/16  Exeter-Milligan

12/09/16  @ BDS

12/13/16  @ Harvard

12/15/16  Osceola

12/29-12/30 (To Be Determined) Weeping Water Holiday Tournament Weeping Water

01/03/17  College View Academy

01/05/17  Sterling

01/10/17  @ Friend

01/12/17  @ East Butler

01/13/17  @ High Plains Community  

01/17/17  Cross County

01/20/17  @ Shelby-Rising City

01/21-01/27 (To Be Determined) Crossroads Conference Tournament @ York

01/31/17  Parkview Christian

02/02/17  @ Nebraska Lutheran

02/03/17  Giltner

02/07/17  @ Hampton

02/10/17  @ McCool Junction

SPORTS ROUNDUP: DHS Volleyballers Get Recognized By Lincoln Newspaper

Here's what's trending at the Times:

• Jacee Weber Earns Spot on LJS All-State Team:  DHS senior Jacee Weber was named to the Lincoln Journal Star's second team for Class D2.  Weber has committed to playing volleyball next season for Division II Wayne State.  Weber was also named to the first team of the Crossroads Conference, while DHS senior Maru Ruiz earned honorable mention all conference.  DHS freshman Abby Plouzek received honorable mention from the LJS for her volleyball efforts.

• Dustin Nelson Named First Team For District:  Milford-Dorchester's Dustin Nelson was named first team all district for his play on the gridiron this season, showing that Dorchester students can indeed play Class C1 football.

• Tim Havlat, Ridge Hoffan Receive One-Act Play Honors:  Tim Havlat and Ridge Hoffman put the spotlight on DHS' drama program recently when they received superior ratings at the Crossroads Conference one-act performance.  (We know this isn't necessary a sporting activity, but we wanted to recognize DHS' budding talent on the stage.)  For more, see the Friend Sentinel's stand-alone photo with caption by clicking here.

• Junior High Basketball Tourney Is Dec. 3:  This Saturday, Dec. 3, Dorchester will host a junior high boys and girls basketball tournament.  The public is encouraged to attend this special event and cheer on the up-and-coming Longhorn athletes.

DHS Boys Basketball Team Tips Off Friday Night

Basketball season begins this week.  The Dorchester boys team will tip off for the first time this season on Friday night, Dec. 2, at 7:30 p.m. at home against the Meridian Mustangs.

Last season, a very young DHS team concluded its campaign with only a handful of wins, as DHS boys athletics continued to suffer from low participation numbers and small class sizes.

This year's Longhorns boys squad looks to build a strong foundation for the future, according to insiders.

Stay tuned all season long to get the latest Dorchester sports news.  

And be sure to support the Longhorns!

DORCHESTER BOYS 2016-17 BASKETBALL

12/02/16 Meridian

12/06/16 Diller-Odell

12/09/16 @ BDS 

12/13/16 @ Harvard

12/15/16 Osceola

12/29-12/30  (To Be Determined)  Weeping Water Holiday Tournament

01/03/17 College View Academy

01/05/17 Sterling

01/10/17 @ Friend

01/12/17 @ East Butler

01/13/17 @ High Plains Community

01/17/17 Cross County

01/20/17 @ Shelby-Rising City

01/21-01/27   (To Be Determined)   Crossroads Conference Tournament @York

02/02/17 @ Nebraska Lutheran

02/03/17 Giltner

02/07/17 @ Hampton

02/10/17 @ McCool Junction

02/17/17 Exeter-Milligan

Sunday Shopping Spree Awaits At Dorchester FBLA's Holiday Vendor Gathering

Dorchester's Future Business Leaders of America chapter will be hosting a Holiday Vendor Extravaganza at the Dorchester School Gymnasium this Sunday, Nov. 27, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.  

The event is intended to raise money for Longhorn students who attend the National FBLA Conference. 

There will be dozens of vendors at this huge event, making it the perfect venue to find high quality and unique Christmas gifts for your friends and loved ones.

For those who are unfamiliar, the FBLA is a nationwide career and technical student organization.  Established in 1940, FBLA is non-profit organization of high school ("FBLA"), middle school ("Middle Level"), and even college ("PBL") students, as well as professional members ("Professional Division"), who primarily help students transition to the business world. 

FBLA is the largest student-run organization in the United States.  It is also one of the top 10 organizations listed by the U.S. Department of Education.

Dorchester's FBLA charter has been active for 25 years.  While participation numbers in some other DHS activities have declined, DHS' FBLA membership today claims around three dozen students -- impressive for a Class D school.

Over the years, Dorchester has become a force to be reckoned within the FBLA universe and its statewide competitions. Last year, Dorchester took second place at the Nebraska FBLA competition for the Market Share Award, for example.

In the 2010-11 school year, Dorchester's Jessica Hansen was elected as Nebraska's FBLA state secretary.  Other Dorchester alumni have served as state FBLA officers over the years.

The Dorchester community can be proud of its FBLA chapter and should support its FBLA members by attending this Sunday's Holiday Vendor Extravaganza at the Dorchester School.

Well-Paying Jobs Now Available In Dorchester

Need a job? 

Know someone who's looking for a job? We have good news.

One of Nebraska's largest ag cooperatives, Farmers Cooperative currently has three open positions right here in Dorchester. (Farmers Cooperative has over 40 locations across southeast Nebraska and Kansas.)

Benefits include but are not limited to health care, retirement, paid vacation, clothing allowance, personal time off and an annual discretionary bonus plan.

One full-time position at Farmers Cooperative in Dorchester is the position of accounts payable/accounts receivable (accounting degree preferred).

Other full-time openings in Dorchester include agronomy billing/accounting, as well a scale operator.  

Click here for information on these full-time Dorchester jobs.

All applications should be sent to Taylor in Dorchester by e-mailing Taylor at Tcollins@farmersco-operative.com.

If you want to find work outside of Dorchester, you'll be glad to know there are more than 300 available jobs currently listed in the Saline County.  That is according to our search on NEWorks, a jobs listing site maintained by the Nebraska Department of Labor.  

Click here to see a list of available career opportunities in Saline County right now.

Election Results From Last Tuesday

It's been a week since the general election of 2016, and local voters still don't know the full results of the race for Dorchester School Board.

The reason? Write-in votes take longer to certify.

Readers will recall that the school board has three seats open -- those of retiring board members Lindsey Zoubek, Mark Bors and Brad Havlat.  

The two candidates who filed in time appeared on the ballot: Neal Pavlish and Mike Hatfield.  Both Pavlish and Hatfield will be on the school board in 2017.

Two others, Donald B. Hoffman and Kelli Schweitzer, were write-in candidates.  Combined, Hoffman and Schweitzer garnered 197 votes.

Here is a look at the results:

Dorchester School Board - Dist. #44

 Mike Hatfield .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .       300    (36.06%)             
 Neal Pavlish  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .        335    (40.26%)          
 WRITE-IN.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .       197    (23.68%)           

It is unknown when the official results of the write-in contest will be announced.  

The Times' unofficial sampling of more than 50 district voters shows Schweitzer with a considerable lead, but we have no way of knowing the accuracy of our survey.

Meanwhile, Dorchester's village board had two of its five seats up for election.  One seat is that of retiring board member Lyle Weber, while the other is that of Matthew Hoffman, appointed to the board last year following the resignation of Brandon Koll.  

Hoffman and newcomer Andrea Pracheil appeared on the ballot and were virtual shoo-in's.  Here's a look at the final results:

Dorchester Village Board Member

 Andrea Pracheil  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .        155   (45.06%)
 Matthew Hoffman  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .     178   (51.74%)
 WRITE-IN.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .         11      (3.20%)

Our thanks to all who had the guts to put their name on the ballot and the willingness to serve. 

NEWS ROUNDUP: Jacee Weber Commits To Wayne State For Volleyball

DHS' Jacee Weber Signs With Wayne State:  It appears Dorchester will soon have another Division II athlete in its ranks.  DHS senior Jacee Weber signed last week to play volleyball for the Wayne State Wildcats.  Meanwhile, Logan Hayek of Wilber-Clatonia committed to Division I Augustana for women's track and field.  To our knowledge, those were the only Saline County Division I or II signings for 2016.

Dorchester Community Foundation Serves Around 250:  We are told that around 250 attended the Dorchester Community Foundation Fund's popular grilled chicken luncheon and hamburger feed this past Sunday, Nov. 13, at the Dorchester Legion and Community Hall.  Funds raised by the Foundation will go to a new splash pad planned for the city park.  Unfortunately, we have no details on the splash pad project or its timeline.  However, we do know that donations may be sent to the DCFF at anytime, made payable to the Dorchester Foundation and mailed to: Peg Bergmeyer, 101 Washington Ave., Dorchester, NE 68343; or Dale Hayek, 652 County Road 1200, Dorchester, NE 68343. Donations are tax deductible.

Need Christmas Gifts? Dorchester FBLA Vendor Gathering Is Nov. 27: Dorchester's Future Business Leaders of America chapter will be hosting a Holiday Vendor Extravaganza in the high school gyms on Nov. 27, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.  The event is intended to raise money for Longhorn students who attend the National FBLA Conference. If you know of vendors, craft booths, or businesses that would like to advertise for the holiday season, please have them contact the school at 402-946-2781. The word is there are already many, many vendors for this huge event.  To purchase a booth space for your business, organization or craft, e-mail Mrs. Lewis at klewis@dorchesterschool.org.

NEWS ROUNDUP: Lincoln Paper Spotlights Crete Vet's Patriotic 1946 Chevy

Here's what is trending in the Dorchester area...

Lincoln Paper Spotlights Crete Veteran And His 1946 Autographed Chevy:  Lincoln Journal Star has featured a Crete veteran,  Sam Aughe, and his unique, patriotic 1946 Chevy Delivery Sedan, covered in some 1,300 autographs by area veterans.  See the story here. 

Community Foundation Chicken/Burger Dinner This Sunday:  The Dorchester Community Foundation Fund (DCFF) is planning its popular grilled chicken dinner and hamburger feed for this Sunday, Nov. 13, at the Dorchester Legion and Community Hall from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.  Profits raised from the dinner will go to a splash pad at the Dorchester City Park.  Donations will be accepted anytime, made payable to the Dorchester Foundation and mailed to: Peg Bergmeyer, 101 Washington Ave., Dorchester, NE 68343; or Dale Hayek, 652 County Road 1200, Dorchester, NE 68343.

DHS Greek Mythology Play Will Be Nov. 19, 20:  It appears Dorchester High School's full play will take place Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. and Nov. 20 at 2 p.m. on the DHS stage.  The play will be "The Greek Mythology Olympiaganza" by Don Zolidis.

Trump Will End Up With More Than 300 Electoral Votes: Whenever Michigan gets around to confirming its presidential election results, President-Elect Donald Trump will end up with more than 300 electoral votes.  The final tally will be Trump with 306 electoral votes compared to Hillary Clinton's 228.  Not the close election or Clinton blowout the Washington media predicted. By the way, President-Elect Trump won handily in Saline County, beating Clinton 58.5% to 33.5%.  Statewide, Trump easily won 60.3% to 33.9%.

Recognize America's Veterans At Dorchester Legion's Nov. 11 Soup Supper

Come pay tribute to America's veterans tomorrow, Nov. 11, at a Veterans Day soup supper at the Dorchester American Legion Hall.

The supper will be from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.  All are invited!

We also will take this opportunity to pay tribute to Dorchester's August-Vanek American Legion Post #264, the Sons of the American Legion, the Legion Auxiliary and Junior Auxiliary.

Many in our community may not realize that Dorchester's Legion Post is nearing its 97th anniversary.

Following World War I, the veterans of Dorchester wanted to join the American Legion, a national organization for U.S. veterans. State Department Adjutant Frank B. O'Connell of Lincoln presided at the May 24, 1920, meeting to organize a Legion Post in Dorchester. 

The following Dorchester men signed an application for a charter: Claude Kennedy, Frank Mares, William Sanburn, Joe Mateja, Casper Schuerhoff, Frank Grant, Tony Wolfe, Fred Littlefield. Russell Freidell, Frank Kozak, Russell Bruning, Vincent Rogers, Clark West, Cecil Ward, John Cerny, William Johnson, Nels Hansen,Walter Hartly, Albert Peterson, and Ray Ward. 

The charter was presented on August 1, 1920 and filed August 10. 1920. Dr. N.P. Hansen was the first Commander of the Post of the American Legion #264.  The name August was selected for the Post in honor of Ernest R. August who was killed in W.W.I. 

In those early years, the Dorchester Legion was housed in a few different locations.  In 1954, the Post bought a building from W.O. Howlett. This building was remodeled for the use of the Legion. the Auxiliary and also club facilities and dedicated on March 23. 1956. It is still the present Post. 

In January 1955 the Post added another nnme "Vanek" to their Post name honoring Emil Vanek killed in action in the Pacific theatre of action in W.W.II. 

Legion activities throughout the years have been a key part of community life in Dorchester.  Way back in 1922, there was a Model-T Ford raffle drawing.  

In the 1930s and '40s, the Legion held home talent plays.  Legion members built a cabin for the Scouts on the Kenney farm in the '30s.  In 1933, lights and light poles were purchased and erected north of the elevator for all types of softball league games and tournaments.  

By the 1950s and '60s, the Dorchester Legion was sponsoring representatives to attend Boys State -- and later on, Girls State. 

Many community activities have been and are sponsored by the Legion, and its Auxiliary, to serve veterans in need and in final rites for the deceased. 

Ninety-six years have proven that the stronger our American Legion, the stronger and more patriotic our community.

Source: New Lights Could Be Coming To Dorchester Ball Field

Are new baseball and softball lights coming to Dorchester's Nerud Field?

That's the word on the street that we've picked up.

According to the Times sources, the Dorchester Village Board recently moved to apply for a federal grant to help secure funds to provide new ball field lighting.

If true, this would be the first major improvements made to the town's shared football/baseball/softball facilities since 2009.

Nerud Field is named after Miles Nerud, who brought organized little league baseball to Dorchester in the 1950s.  Nerud served as one of the founding fathers of the Seward-Fillmore-Saline (SFS) League in 1957, which is approximately when Nerud Field's current lighting was installed.

Developing..

Congratulations, President-Elect Trump

Back in early May of this year, the Dorchester Times took the rare step of endorsing a candidate in the presidential primary election.  And we endorsed Donald Trump.

Now, half a year later, the nation's citizens have elected Mr. Trump the next president of the United States.

We won't rehash all the reasons why they made the correct choice.  We will, however, rejuvenate an optimistic phrase from years ago: It's morning again in America.

Godspeed, President-Elect Trump and Vice President-Elect Pence.  Both the American people and their government face tremendous challenges.  It will undoubtedly take the country working together, unified as one, to overcome them.

Election Special: Who's Running For School Board, Village Board

The 2016 general election is finally here -- and not too soon for most.

Here's a look at which seats are up locally:  

Dorchester Village Board

Dorchester's village board will have two of its five seats up for election.  

One seat will be that of board member Lyle Weber. Weber, who was elected in 2008, is not running for re-election. 

The other seat up for election is that of Matthew Hoffman, who was appointed to the board last year following the resignation of Brandon Koll.  

Hoffman, Andrea Pracheil, and Gerald Sehnert (write-in candidate) have filed for village board, according to sources who contacted the Wilber courthouse.  Hoffman and Pracheil will appear on the ballot, while Sehnert filed as a write-in candidate, we're told.

Dorchester School Board

The school board has three seats open -- those of current board members Lindsey Zoubek, Mark Bors and Brad Havlat.  None of these incumbents are seeking re-election, we were told in an e-mail to the Times.

It appears the school board race will have some drama, as one seat will be filled by a write-in candidate.

Two candidates who have filed and will appear on the ballot: Neil Pavlish and Mike Hatfield. Two others, Donald B. Hoffman and Kelli Schweitzer, are write-in candidates.

ONLINE POLL: 90% Want A Splash Pad Water Park In Dorchester

More than 90% of respondents to a Dorchester Times poll want to see a splash pad water park in Dorchester.

The Times used this blog as well as social media to solicit the opinions of our readers. The unscientific poll was conducted for five hours (2 p.m. to 7 p.m.) today, Nov. 7. More than 90% of respondents (90.2%) said yes to the idea of a splash pad project in Dorchester's city park. Only five (9.8%) said no to the proposal.

Last week, the Times reported that on possible plans for a water park splash pad for Dorchester's city park. Through e-mail communication, we are told the Village Board has officially given the project its blessing.

We're told a large, private fundraising effort will need to be headed up by the Dorchester Community Foundation if the splash pad is to become reality.

A Nov. 13 chicken and burger dinner will be held at the Dorchester Community Building as a kickoff for this effort.

Earlier today we were asked by an organizer if we would consider conducting an online poll to gauge how much support there is in the Dorchester area for such a project.

We were happy to help.

CONFIRMED: Water Park/Splash Pad Planned For Dorchester

Apparently the news is true. 

Earlier this year, the Times reported that one of our staffers had caught wind of possible plans for a water park for downtown Dorchester. 

Through e-mail communication, this blog has confirmed there have indeed been detailed discussions and plans to pursue such a project, which would be located in Dorchester's City Park.  This would certainly be an entertainment boon for area children and families if the project becomes reality.  

We are told the Village Board has officially given the project its blessing, and that a large private fundraising effort will need to be undertaken by the Dorchester Community Foundation through donations.

Sources tell the Dorchester Times that plans call for a large splash pad-type facility. 

According to several websites we saw, a splash pad has little standing water. Therefore there is no need for lifeguards. Typically there are ground nozzles that spray water upwards out of the splash pad. Typically, there are also many other water features such as a rainbow (semicircular pipe shower) or a tree shower. 

Some splash pads feature movable nozzles similar to those found on fire trucks to allow users to spray others.  The showers and ground nozzles are often controlled by a hand activated-motion sensor, to run for limited time. These splash pads are often surfaced in textured non-slip concrete or in crumb rubber.

Developing...

Our Prediction For First Hard Frost Is Still On Track

Way back on Sept. 22, this blog predicted that the first hard, killing frost wouldn't hit Saline County until Nov. 10, 11, or 12.  

We hate to brag, but it appears we're going to be right.  In fact, some long-range forecasts don't have a killing frost (below 30 or 29 degrees) until Nov. 19 or later!

The prolonged heat and humidity wave that has hit Saline County -- and much of the rest of southeast Nebraska -- throughout the autumn has been a bit surprising. And it has the insects, snakes and rodents -- as well as vegetation -- loving it.

If our prediction holds true, it will set a record for the latest first frost ever recorded in our area.  

The current record for latest first frost for our area is Nov. 7, 1956, as some of our readers might recall.  (Note: The first frost record for Omaha is even later, occurring on Nov. 13, 1915.)

As a point of reference, the average first frost date for our area is Oct. 12.