Dorchester Times

Saturday, November 9, 2024

Sources: Dorchester Area May Be Prime For New Poultry Plant

The Times has learned that a new chicken processing plant could be coming to the Cornhusker State -- and Saline County may be in the mix for this major project.

According to sources, Lincoln Premium Poultry (LPP) -- a Nebraska-based company established in 2016 for Costco -- is now considering a second poultry complex to complement its current site in Fremont.

Since opening in 2019, LPP has created hundreds of direct jobs in its processing plant and across its network of contracted growers. The plant itself employs around 1,000 people, while partnerships with local farms add even more job opportunities, from farm workers to truck drivers and service providers.

The company is now trying to identify interested Nebraska communities that have the capacity to support its next plant.

This publication has often touted the Dorchester area's access to rail (BNFS), highways, and grain storage (Farmers Cooperative) -- and how this advantage could attract major agribusiness and/or manufacturing employers to help grow Saline County (and lower our property taxes).

The proposed complex would be operational by 2030. The project would not only bring new employment opportunities to the Dorchester area, it would also provide new income opportunities for area ag producers.

Farmers, economic developers, and community leaders who are interested in supporting Lincoln Premium Poultry's proposed project can learn more by contacting LPP's Jessica Kolterman at jkolterman@lincolnpremiumpoultry.com or via phone/text at (402) 641-8471.

Friday, November 8, 2024

NEWS ROUND-UP: Dorchester UMC to Host BBQ, Silent Auction

Dorchester UMC to Host BBQ, Silent Auction: The Dorchester United Methodist Church’s annual pulled pork BBQ, set for Sunday, Nov. 17. 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. This is a free-will offering, so please generous. There will also be a silent auction, featuring all kinds of cool items worth bidding on.

New 'Garbage Day' Is Friday: No, this isn't a notice for Trump supporters. The village has contracted with a new garbage service provider, Bel-Con Refuse. If you live in Dorchester, you should have received your new container this week. Starting Nov. 15, the new garbage pick-up day in Dorchester will be Fridays.

Village Board Meeting Is Nov. 13: The Village of Dorchester Board of Trustees will hold their regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 13 at Farmers Cooperative, door No. 2 at 6:30 p.m. The meeting is open to the public.

DHS Fall Sports Season Concludes: Dorchester's fall sports season wrapped up in late October. The DHS volleyball team fell in the second round of sub-districts, dropping three sets to Meridian. The Lady Longhorns comprised an 18-12 record on the season. Meanwhile, the DHS football team went 1-7 once again. The winter sports season tips off Dec. 5 when the DHS girls and boys basketball teams take on the Dragons in Deshler.

Thursday, November 7, 2024

Dorchester Jr. High Will Debut New Play, Nov. 14

Lights, camera, action!

On Thursday, Nov. 14, the Dorchester Junior High Play Department will be presenting "Doc, Doc ... Goose" on the stage in the multi-purpose room at the school.

The performance will begin at 7 p.m.

Here's what we know about the production: When thinking about old-fashioned nursery rhymes, it’s easy to see why Father Goose went to medical school and opened up a clinic in Nurseryland. There’s no “happily ever after” here. These poor nursery rhyme characters have many freak accidents.

This fast-paced drama with slap-stick humor and silly situations, weaves nursery rhymes with modern twists to offer an entertaining evening of drama.

All ages will enjoy this play, which teaches the important message that true beauty comes from the heart.

The cost for admission will be $3 for kindergarten students through adults.

Please join the junior high drama team for a fun evening!

Wednesday, November 6, 2024

Election 2024 Update: Bolton, Smith Elected To School Board

The 2024 general election is one for the history books.

Now that the dust has settled, it's clear that change is coming not only to Washington, D.C., but also to the Dorchester School Board.

Three of six school board seats were on this year's ballot. Incumbent Shelly Lehr was re-elected. Joining her for new four-year terms will be Matt Bolton and Matt Smith, both DHS alumns and board newcomers.

Here are the school board election results:

Meanwhile, there will be no changes coming to the village board.

The Dorchester Village Board had two open seats, and current board members Nancy Tellez and Tammie Lang sought re-election. No challengers filed to run for the board this year.

Here are Tuesday's election results for village board:

In the presidential contest, President-Elect Donald J. Trump received 3,719 votes in Saline County, more than double the 1,845 received by the Harris-Walz ticket.

Dorchester: A Good Little Family Town

Dorchester, Nebraska (est. population 630) is located in northern Saline county. Close in proximity to Interstate 80, Dorchester is only 25 minutes from the state capital of Lincoln (est. population 250,000) and about 55 minutes from Omaha (metro population 725,000).

Dorchester's median resident age is 37 years. In 2005, Dorchester had a median family income of approximately $35,600. The median house value was about $63,000. About 95 percent of Dorchester residents commute to work via Interstate and highways.

The village has a quality public school, which received a $4.1 million expansion and modernization in 2008; it offers a small classrooms and individualized attention. Total enrollment of grades K-12 is around 230-250 students.

Ancestries of the Dorchester area are primarily German (42.4%), Czech (24.9%), Irish (12.5%), English (5.4%), and Dutch (4.9%).

Dorchester Historical Facts

* On July 4, 1871, the railroad reached Dorchester.
* Incorporated in 1881, Dorchester's population grew from 200 to 500 by 1882.
* In 1882, Dorchester had 90 buildings, 35 of which were businesses or public facilities. Brick buildings lined both sides of Washington Avenue for two blocks.
* Dorchester's longest-running newspaper was The Dorchester Star, which was published until the late 1940s.
* By 1889, Dorchester's population is said to have reached 800, while the town housed an opera house, a two-story brick schoolhouse with a bell tower, and four churches.
* By the 1910s, Dorchester had electricity, a water tower and a fire department.
* Dorchester's main arteries, Highways 6 and 33, were graveled in the 1940s.
* Dorchester's first irrigation well was drilled on Chris Weber's farm and rural electrification was finished following WWII.

A Village with History

Dorchester is one of the "alphabet towns" on the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad line built west from Lincoln. The town site was selected for its pleasant location in the northern part of Saline County, about eight miles west of Crete. This situation is an attractive one, being on the level prairie land, midway between the West Blue River and Turkey Creek. The first named stream is three miles north, and the latter about the same distance south from the town. Dorchester was platted in 1870 and incorporated in 1881. The name "Dorchester" came from either for a suburb of Boston by that name or a town in England. No one is sure. Two of the very first settlers were James Seely and Edward McIntyre, who both made Dorchester their permanent home.

Dorchester: In The Beginning

Here is a look at Dorchester around 1890, less than a decade after its official incorporation, as documented by Andreas' History of the State of Nebraska:
* POPULATION: "About 300, and is made up of a substantial and progressive class of citizens, who are moral and industrious. ... The town grew but very little until the year 1879, for the reason that Pleasant Hill, on Turkey Creek, a short distance south, was the county seat and naturally drew a trade for quite a large scope of country."
* BUSINESS: "The business and professional interests of the town are represented by three general merchandise stores, two drug, one grocery, one furniture, two hardware, and two millinery stores, one bank, two restaurants, two hotels, three livery stables, a post office, one newspaper office, two elevators, two lumber yards, two coal yards, two blacksmith shops, two lawyers and four physicians."
* SCHOOL: "The schoolhouse is a good one. The schoolhouse was built in 1872, since which time the public schools have been continually kept up. The present schoolhouse is 24' x 40' in size, two stories high. The school is graded and consists of three departments. The house is found too small, and arrangements will soon be made to increase its size."
* CHURCHES: "There are three substantial churches."
* HOMES: "The residence portion of the village is made up of neat houses of different styles of architecture, but none of them very large."
* NEWSPAPER: "The Dorchester Star, which was established August 21, 1881, by H. C. Bittenbender, who edited it until January 19, 1882, when he sold it to Ryerson & Bullock, the present proprietors. The Star is a bright weekly paper, five-column quarto, in size, and is Republican in politics."