News Briefs: Wind Farm In Saline County's Future?

• DHS Alum Matt Carroll To Start For Peru State: According to the Nebraska City News Press, former DHS Longhorn is slated to start for Peru State College this year on the football team's offensive line. Peru State is coming off last year’s 6-5 team. According to the preview released as part of the school’s media guide, the key to the success of the Peru State offensive team will come down to the line. Carroll, a sophomore, will play at the right tackle position.

• Area Accident Claims Life Of Milford Teen: An auto accident on a gravel-road intersection near Dorchester took the life of one Milford teen and seriously injured another. According to the Lincoln Journal Star, killed in the crash was Zach Blowers, 15, of Milford. Two others, 15-year-old Richland Walker of Milford and 47-year-old Robert Haufle of Crete were hospitalized with serious injuries. The crash involving Blowers and Walker, sophomore members of Milford’s football squad, happened just before 5 p.m. Walker’s 1989 Chevrolet pickup collided with a 2002 Dodge pickup at an intersection two miles northwest of Dorchester. Haufle was driving the Dodge that also held his wife, Arlene, and two children. Friday evening in Milford, more than 100 students attended an impromptu prayer service for Blowers and Walker on the school’s football field. Blowers’ funeral will be Tuesday.

• Wind Energy Pitch Presented To Saline County Residents: Last Thursday evening at Saline Center, a representative from the nation’s largest wind energy development company pitched the creation of a wind farm in central Saline County to a group of about 50 landowners, according to the Lincoln Journal Star. A development manager for Denver-based Renewable Energy Systems Americas Inc., explained to his audience that his company has been looking at the development of wind energy resources in six Saline County townships for the past year. The Journal Star article reports that it would be feasible, company representatives said, to build an 80-turbine wind farm in central Saline County, altering the appearance and economy of the county and generating up to $12,000 per year per a wind turbine for landowners. Thursday night's pitch from RES, which also developed Nebraska's largest wind farm, near Ainsworth, was the second such proposal the county has heard in the past month, said Randy Pryor, a University Of Nebraska extension educator in Saline County, and also a local land owner. District 32 Sen. Russ Karpisek of Wilber said landowners need to make sure they know what they're getting into before they sign any contracts. A bill (LB629) passed in 2007 by the Nebraska Legislature, makes it easier for private companies to work with the Nebraska Public Power District to develop wind energy. Pryor doesn't deny the prospect of the wind farm is exciting."It would totally change the way the middle of Saline County would look," he said. "That would be the largest project in the state."

Help Wanted: New School Move Is Next Week

All able-bodied area residents are needed to help prepare the new school building for the upcoming school year.

As of this writing, Dorchester school staff plans to move supplies and equipment into the new school next Tuesday and Wednesday, Sept. 2 and 3, as well as Friday, Sept. 5.

According to Superintendent Brian Redinger, the help of district patrons, parents, alumni, students (grades 6-12), school staff, and any other adults would be tremendously appreciated.

If you are able to help with this historic event, plan to be at the school around 10 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 2. Several volunteers will be needed, Redinger says, due to the large amount of items that will be unloaded from a semi-trailer.

Volunteers will be needed Wednesday, Sept. 3 -- also a 10 a.m. start -- only if there are still items left to unload from the semi-trailer.

Many volunteers will again be needed 8:30 a.m. Friday, as items will be moved from the new wrestling room to individual class rooms. Plans are being made to provide volunteers with lunch. Volunteers are also encouraged to bring brooms to help sweep sidewalks and the new parking lot.

For more information on how to help with the new school move, call the school at (402) 946-2781.

The Times has also learned that at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 10, the a ribbon cutting ceremony will be held to commemorate opening of the new school and renovated DPS campus.

Times' Ten Day Challenge: Support The DHS Booster Club

Can you spare $1 a day for the next ten days?

We challenge Dorchester residents, parents, alumni and friends of the community to make a $10 contribution to the DHS Booster Club by month's end. If the Booster Club receives more than $500 by Sept. 1, the Times will contribute an additional $50, above and beyond the contributions of our individual staff members. (UPDATE: 8/25, 10 a.m. -- Former DHS principal and teacher Terry Gautreaux has pledged to match the Times' $50 contribution if the $500 goal is reached.)

The DHS Booster Club is comprised of Dorchester supporters of all DHS sports teams who work to raise money for much-needed supplies, equipment, uniforms, and/or capital items beyond what the school budget can provide. Through such financial support, the Booster Club enriches DHS' extra curricular activities for both students and community members.

Your small donation will remind our Longhorn youth that we support their extra curricular efforts. Your contribution will remind DHS students it is a privilege and an honor to represent one's school and to wear its uniform. Your $10 contribution will remind all Dorchester youth that self-motivation, the desire to excel, good health habits, and interscholastic competition are critical to the overall educational experience.

Regardless of a student's athletic talents, the lessons on leadership and self-improvement learned through school activities last a lifetime. Just as true, a student will always recall the level of support shown by fellow community members during his/her school days.

Before Sept. 1, we hope you will take a moment to send your $10 (or more) contribution to:

DHS Booster Club

506 W 9th St., Box 7

Dorchester, NE 68343

DHS Fall Sports Preview Aug. 29

Get ready for the red carpet roll out of the 2008 DHS teams, Longhorn fans!

The Dorchester Booster Club is sponsoring the annual fall sports preview next Friday, Aug. 29, at Nerud Field. According to DHS Athletic Director Scott Pohl, the festivities will kick off with the Booster Club offering a tailgate meal starting at 6 p.m. Cost is only $3.

The DHS volleyball coaches will introduce the 2008 Lady Longhorns at approximately 6:30, followed by the football coaches' introduction of the 2008 Longhorn gridiron team. A scrimmage of the football team will be held after the players' introduction.

Instead of bringing a sports drink for admission for the scrimmage -- as has been the tradition in the past -- the DHS Boosters are asking that a donation be given to the new Nerud Field concessions/restroom facility effort. The new facility will be built late this fall.

The DHS Booster Club is also asking any and all community members to join the Club and help support the youth of Dorchester. Those with questions should contact Scott Pohl at spohl@esu6.org.

DVFD Glo-Ball Golf Tourney Sept. 6

Get ready for the second annual Dorchester Volunteer Fire Dept. "Glo-Ball" Golf Tournament.

The tourney is set for the evening of Saturday, Sept. 6 at the Friend Country Club. Cost is $25 per person with two-person teams. The tourney will begin promptly at dark.

Flag prizes and raffle prizes will be awarded.

This is a wonderful and fun opportunity to support the volunteer first responders of our community. Contact the Friend Country Club (402-947-6501) to reserve your spot.

Nerud Field Facility Set For Late Fall Construction

Sources have told the Times that the new sports activity facility at Nerud Field will begin to take shape in late fall, following the last home DHS football game.

The facility will be a 24’ by 40’ building that will include new restrooms and a covered eating area with picnic tables.

As reported by a reader last month, Dorchester citizen Bill Velder is heading the project, a joint venture between the school and village.

Donations are being accepted at the First State Bank, village office, school office and Dorchester Grocery. Those who wish to volunteer their labor or donate cash should call Bill Velder at (402) 946-2491.

News Briefs: Farmers' Co-op Takeover Will Take Place Sept. 1

• Farmers' Co-0p Will Take Over Countryside Co-op: Earlier this week, the Lincoln Journal Star reported that some Nebraska Tire stores have been closed as their owner, Countryside Cooperative of Firth prepares to be taken over Sept. 1 by Dorchester's Farmers Cooperative. Interim CEO Terry Samuelson said Countryside members voted 92% on July 24 for the co-op to be taken over by Dorchester, a larger cooperative. Meanwhile, Countryside has been downsizing its Nebraska Tire operation. The Nebraska Tire stores remaining are in Firth, Nebraska City, York and Fremont. The rationale behind the merger, Samuelson said, was primarily to be able to address capital needs for agriculture for the future. “Very fine companies are being challenged,” Samuelson said. “When we had corn at $6, approaching $7, it takes three time the amount of capital to do the same amount of business as it did three years ago.” Countryside also owns elevators, fuel and propane stations, feed stores, ammonia plants and other operations at Firth, Pickrell, Princeton, Diller, Cortland, Sterling, Syracuse, Pawnee City, Hallam, Filley and Crete, according to its Web site. Farmers Cooperative of Dorchester currently has operations in 35 other communities in southeast Nebraska and Kansas.

• DHS Alum Nohavec Named As Business Leader: 1989 DHS alumus Kristi Nohavec, now of Lincoln, has been honored with the Midlands Business Journal '40 under 40' award. Nohavec is an architect and associate principal at Clark Enersen Partners, Inc. in Lincoln. Recently, Nohavec designed the new shelter in the Dorchester City Park.

• Baby Holtmeier Newest Member of Dorchester Area Community: Penny (Olson) and Mike Holtmeier of Dorchester are the proud parents of a new baby boy, born Aug. 7 at Saint Elizabeth. Our congratulations to the happy family.

School Update: New Photos Now Online

Thanks to the recent run of dry weather, construction crews working on the Dorchester School renovation project are making solid progress. Work has now begun inside the new school building where the 1928 school once stood.

Ayars & Ayars, Inc. has updated photos of the new facility -- inside and out. We are impressed, as well as a little envious of the Dorchester students who will soon be filling the new classrooms. The new 33,500 square foot addition, which will feature both elementary and high school classrooms, a multi-purpose room with stage, library and administrative offices.

* UPDATE: 8/3 -- According to school administration, the new school year will be begin Sept. 10 for secondary students (grades 7-12) and Sept. 12 for elementary students (kindergarten through grade 6).

Editorial: What's Good Enough For Fairmont...

The Lincoln Journal Star reports that Gov. Dave Heineman has announced $5.1 million in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding for projects in 35 communities across the state.

These grants are distributed as part of the state’s annual allocation of CDBG funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. As the Times has mentioned on several occasions, these grants provide smaller communities like Dorchester an excellent resource to address infrastructure challenges, including the paving of streets.

Point and case: One of the towns receiving CDBG funds is right down the road on Highway 6. Fairmont will receive $20,000 to undertake a streets improvement study. Regardless of where you stand on the issue of paving Dorchester's streets, it is difficult to argue against such a study.

Unfortunately, to our knowledge, the Village of Dorchester has never applied for a CDBG grant. Never. Not once. Nunca. (A little Spanish lingo for some our friends at the Crete News.) At least not in recent memory.

That our local government has never sought to tap this source of federal funding, which is up for grabs, is a shame. There's no other way to put it.

For a community to show progress and improvement, or at least maintain what it has, persistent leadership is required. But so is interaction from the citizenry. When is the last time you have spoken to a Village board member about the needs of our community? The staff of the Times pleads guilty as anyone to inaction on this issue.

So consider this our plea to the Village Board: We ask board members to please seriously explore grant opportunities and other assistance available at the state and federal levels -- for help with streets, water or sewer, or a number of other challenges. One simple call to the Nebraska Department of Economic Development might do wonders. And it won't cost a dime.

Also, a town hall held by board members would provide much needed communication between residents and village leadership. We think such an event in warranted.

In the meantime, we hope that we aren't the only ones sounding this message. We realize our elected local leaders aren't mind readers. Residents of Dorchester need to do a better job communicating.

Czech Days This Weekend

As the first weekend of August approaches, so does the Wilber Czech Days Festival -- perhaps Saline County's most notable event.

Our readers in Wilber tell us that town officials have spent the past few days preparing for the 2008 National Czech Festival, which will be held this Friday, Saturday and Sunday (Aug. 1, 2 and 3).

Every year at this time, Wilber swells to more than 50,000 as folks come from miles around to celebrate their own Czech ancestry or to pay tribute to some of the county's early pioneers. The community of 1,700 has been the Czech capital of Nebraska since 1963 and of the United States since 1987. The festival itself began in 1962.

This year, Czech Days kick off Friday at 5 p.m. with activities such as the Accordion Jamboree, Wilber Czech Dancers, and the Children's Parade.

On Saturday morning, the day's events start with the Duck and Dumpling Run at 7 a.m. Throughout the rest of the weekend, you can enjoy activities for all ages such as the Art Show, dance contest, Czech dinners, museum tours, quilt show, Czech heritage demonstrations, and the sounds of various polka bands.

The parade starts at 2 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. The Miss Czech-Slovak U.S.A. Queen Pageant begins at 7 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday at the Outdoor Theatre. The Czech Historical Pageant is held on both Friday and Saturday evenings. Other activities include the polka mass, talent contest, Czech Museum, kolace eating contest, dancing and much more.

For more information and a full listing of this weekend's activities, visit http://www.ci.wilber.ne.us/.

Time For A Tunnel Walk At DHS?

Recently, one of our readers sent us an e-mail suggesting that Dorchester High School should feature a "tunnel walk" for the Longhorns' football team.

Reader "CJ" wrote: "The Longhorns need to start a new [pre-game] tradition similar to that of the Huskers at Memorial Stadium."

CJ's idea would have music playing over the loud speakers to "fire up" the DHS faithful at home games as the Longhorns make their way from the locker rooms to Nerud Field -- similar to the Huskers' tunnel walk to the old Alan Parsons Project tune "Sirius." CJ said that Longhorn fans could "form a pathway" from the school's north parking lot to the field.

We thought the idea was worth sharing with other Times' readers.

What do you think of CJ's suggestion? Is it worth consideration? And what song would you choose for the DHS "tunnel walk"?

News Update: DVFD Open House & Roast This Saturday

• DVFD Open House On July 26: All Dorchester area residents and vistitors are invited to the Dorchester Fire & Rescue Dept. open house this Saturday, July 26. The DVFD members will be roasting a hog for the event. The event begins at 5 p.m. at the Dorchester Fire Hall. Take a few minutes from your day and say thanks to our volunteer first responders!

• Husker Tire Owners To Merge With Dorchester's Farmers Co-op?: According to the Seward County Independent, Seward's Nebraska Tire closed its doors for good July 17. Terry Samuelson, interim manager for Countryside Cooperative -- parent company for Nebraska Tire -- said the corporate entity is "looking to merge with the Farmers Cooperative in Dorchester, though nothing is final." We at the Times wonder what, if anything, such a merger might mean for Dorchester area residents?

• DHS Featured In Rivals.com: In less than 45 days, the Dorchester Longhorns football team will kick off another season. In an article titled "Big Bruha-ha Building at Dorchester," the renowned sports publication Rivals.com recently previewed the 2008 Longhorns. Huskerland Prep reporter Bob Jensen writes: "With all their skill players back, including an outstanding quarterback, the Dorchester Longhorns need only to develop a line to make some noise in its district race. Co-head coaches Ryan Voelker and Brent Zoubek led the team to the playoffs in 2006 and after a 3-5 season in 2007 look for a rebound next fall, saying the team will strive to maximize its potential, knowing that good things will come if that's the case." The Dorchester Times is predicting a 6-2 regular season for the Longhorns this season. The first game is a home contest against Shelby on Sept. 5.

Construction Boom Continues

In the past year, Dorchester has experienced a construction boom of sorts --a new shelter at the city park; a new school and campus renovation; several commercial building improvements.

This new activity signals positive developments for our community and our citizens' quality of life.

This month, construction crews are putting the finishing touches on the sixth additional silo at the Dorchester Farmers Cooperative elevator -- the economic hub of our town.

Now the Times has learned of plans by private citizens to build new restrooms and a concession stand at Nerud Field.

According to sources, the present-day concession shack will likely be moved east of the visitors' dugout and used as a storage facility.

We applaud the individuals who are organizing the Nerud Field modernization project, and we invite them to use the Dorchester Times to inform others how they can assist -- with their time or financial resources -- in this worthwhile effort.

Another Soaker Hits Dorchester Area

The precipitation keeps coming.

Following the rain that fell last night and in the early hours of this morning, the Times' official rain gauge shows just over 3". Some area farms are reporting more than 5".

Small hail and damaging winds accompanied the rain. Estimates on crop and property damage are not yet available. (*UPDATE: 7/16, 7 p.m.* -- According to the National Weather Service, Doppler radar estimates that 2 to 4 inches fell across much of the area from Milford through Dorchester and Crete. The weather service issued flood warnings for the West Fork of the Big Blue River north of town from Thursday afternoon to Sunday afternoon. Minor flooding is expected. Turkey Creek and small streams south of town and in northeastern Saline County are also above flood level as of this writing. At least two trees fell on vehicles in Dorchester. No one was injured.)

The Dorchester area has received about 4.6" this month and approximately 14.1" since June 1.

Youth Football Camp To Be Held July 23 & 24

Ready or not, the new football season is just around the corner. And once again, the coaches at DHS are offering young players in the Dorchester area a chance to improve their gridiron game.

On July 23 and 24, DHS football coaches Ryan Voelker and Brent Zoubek will hold the Dorchester Area Youth Football Camp for boys who are entering grades 5 through 8. The camp will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. both nights.

According to Coach Zoubek, the camp will introduce and reinforce some of the basic fundamentals of football and education of the game through the instruction, discipline, and the fun and enjoyment that the great game offers.

The cost is $15 per player. Both payment and entry form are due no later than the day of camp. Participants will receive a Dorchester Longhorns Football t-shirt.

For more information, or to register, please contact Brent Zoubek at 946-2198 or brentzoubek@hotmail.com or Ryan Voelker at 416-8058 or rvoelker@edu6.com

A copy of the camp entry form can found below:

-------------------------------------------- CLIP HERE ---------------------------------------------

DORCHESTER YOUTH FOOTBALL CAMP

Name: ______________________________________________________

Address: ____________________________________________________

Phone Number: _______________________________________________

Emergency contact and phone number: _____________________________

Grade: ____ Favorite NFL Football Team: ___________________________

Athlete Signature: ______________________________________________

Parent Signature: ______________________________________________

*Please return a.s.a.p. to Brent Zoubek, 1111 Colfax Ave. Dorchester, NE 68343*

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News Briefs: New School Walls Going Up

• New School Walls Going Up: The walls of the new school building are going up where the 1928 school once stood. The picture at the right shows the raising of the first section of the walls. The new school year is expected to start in mid-September in the new 33,500 square foot addition, which will feature both elementary and high school classrooms, a multi-purpose room with stage, library and administrative offices. Photos of Ayars & Ayars' work on the renovation on the west side of the campus can be viewed by clicking here.

• Bruhas Named Pioneer Farm Family: The Shelly Bruha family of Dorchester is one of this year's Nebraska Pioneer Farm Families, according the Omaha World-Herald. The Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben and the Nebraska Fair Managers Association have announced the 185 honorees who will receive the 2008 Pioneer Farm Family Awards, recognize families that have owned a parcel of land for at least 100 consecutive years. Since its inception 52 years ago, more than 7,000 families have been granted this award. The Bruhas will receive their award during the upcoming county fair.

• Saline County Included In CRP Release: The USDA is releasing Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres for livestock grazing in Saline County and other areas recently designated as Presidential Disaster Areas because of flooding. To be approved, CRP participants must write their county FSA office, obtain a modified conservation plan and receive county office approval before beginning to graze. Participants will experience a 25 percent reduction in their CRP rental payments.