Lynn Binnie 
Editor’s note: This article and photo were submitted by Sherry Stanek for the Urban Forestry Commission.
THANK YOU to all who braved the crummy weather last weekend to expand our urban forest with nearly 200 new native trees and shrubs!! Thank you to all of our volunteers who worked and made it happen! We couldn’t do it without you!
Editor’s note: This article and photos were provided courtesy of Liesl Schultz Hying.
Colorful picture books that document and share the journey of each season of the Lincoln Elementary Growing and Learning Garden are now in the Irvin. L Young Memorial Public Library in Whitewater. The books are on the top shelf in the Whitewater Room with the local youth collection. In May, they will be a part of the gardening display in the library.
The garden books feature the students, families and community members tending to the school garden over the past eight years! From the very first seeds planted in the spring, to sunflowers reaching high for the sky to harvesting and tasting tomatoes during recess in September, so much happens in a season of a school garden.
2023 will be Season #9 for the Lincoln School Garden. This week, seeds that can endure the cooler soil and air temperatures will be planted in the school garden. Spinach, lettuce, radishes and more! Then by the end of May, students will be able to taste the food they planted and have tended to.
School gardens encourage healthy eating, connect students to where food comes from, enrich school curriculum, build community and foster inquiry about the natural world around us. Life-long, healthy habits are being learned, hands-on, sensory-enriched learning is happening every day and having great pride for a project all happens in this garden and nature space.
Big thank you to W3 -Working for Whitewater’s Wellness for funding these books for the public library.
Two copies of each book are also in the Lincoln school library for students and staff to check out. These books were funded by the Lincoln Family Teacher Partnership group.
Helping hands are always needed in the school garden. To get involved with the school garden project, please email LINCSgarden@gmail.com.
Shirley Bellrichard age 81 passed away at St. Mary’s Hospital on April 22, 2023, surrounded by her husband and three children. She was born an only child to Charles Glover and Verna Glover, in Janesville, Wisconsin. She married Mark Bellrichard May 11, 1963. They have three children Tina Thatcher, Betsy Jay, and Victor Bellrichard (Aneasa). They are blessed with 15 grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Allen Thatcher, Ryan Thatcher, Trevor Bellrichard, Ty Jay, Thomas, Timothy, Tabitha, Theodore, Tiffany, Theresa, Tobias, Tyler, Titus, Torianna, and Tamariah Bellrichard. Great-grandchild Zoe Bellrichard. She was preceded in death by her parents Charles and Verna Glover, Son-in-law Alfred Thatcher.
She loved spending time with her children and grandchildren. Loved fishing and playing card games and watching old time movies.
Service will be held at First English Lutheran Church, 401 W. Main St., Whitewater, Wisconsin 53190 on May 6, 2023, at 12:00 p.m. with a lunch to follow. A visitation will be held at the church from 11:30 a.m. until the time of the service. Online condolences may be made at www.nitardyfuneralhome.com
League of Women Voters -Whitewater Book Club Meeting #3: Central America’s Forgotten History: Revolution, Violence, and the Roots of Migration by Aviva Chomsky
Part III of our spring book club– Killing Hope of Central America’s Forgotten History will be discussed in person at our final book group meeting on Thursday, April 27 at 6:30 p.m. at Deb Gamble’s home, N7631 Pine Knoll Drive, Whitewater.
This final time together will also be an excellent occasion to discuss our comprehension of our new neighbors. We hope to see you and look forward to your ideas about a subject to pursue this summer. This event is open to the public; all are welcome.
You do not have to have read the book or have been to the two previous meetings to benefit from the discussion. We need your insight as well. Please call Deb at (262)853-1946 or shebagam@gmail.com if you have questions or need directions.
According to a press release from the UW-Whitewater College of Business and Economics, the following lecture has been canceled and will be rescheduled for next year. No reason was provided for the cancelation.
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Bojana Zoric Martinez will deliver the 2023 John Kenneth Kyle Lecture at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 27, 2023 in the Summers Auditorium in the UW-Whitewater University Center. The lecture will be preceded by a reception and refreshments at 5:00 p.m. This event is free and the public is invited to attend.
Ms. Martinez is the Director of the Bureau of Refugee Programs and the Wisconsin State Refugee Coordinator. She will address the impact of the combined dynamics of government policy and support, and nonprofit service provision and advocacy, on refugees in the United States. Ms. Martinez, herself a former refugee, brings both personal and professional insights to the discussion.
John Kenneth Kyle, a 1922 UW-Whitewater alumnus, established the lecture series to bring outstanding speakers with a strong connection to Wisconsin to the UW-Whitewater campus. This year, the lecture is co-sponsored by the Department of Politics, Government, and Law and the Institute for Nonprofit Management Studies to demonstrate the connections between policy and direct service, and how government and nonprofits work together.
James F. “Jim” Boehning, 76, of Whitewater passed away unexpectedly on Monday, April 24, 2023 at his home.
Jim was born on September 6, 1946 in Elgin, Illinois to Harry “Pete” and Helen (Raddatz) Boehning. On August 15, 1970 he was united in marriage to Linda Stotmeister at First English Lutheran Church in Whitewater and they were happily married until Linda’s passing on December 23, 2018. Jim was a laborer at Lunda Construction and later worked at Wilson Industrial Doors and Nasco.
Jim is survived by his children, Scott (Melba) Garlock of Pleasant Prairie, Robert (Lisa) Garlock of Williams Bay, James (Stephanie) Boehning of Whitewater, Mindy (Scott) Walker of Helenville; grandchildren, Cody, Austin, Brooklyn, Brody, Madison, Scott, Nathan, Jonathan, Tristan; great-granddaughter, Mae; and siblings, Jerry (Cindy) Boehning and Susan Lyons.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Harry “Pete” and Helen Boehning; wife, Linda Boehning; mother and father-in-law, Al and Francis Stotmeister; daughter, Valerie; and granddaughter, Kayla Boehning.
Funeral services will take place at 12 p.m. on Saturday, April 29, 2023 at Nitardy Funeral Home, 550 N. Newcomb St., Whitewater, WI 53190. Visitation will take place from 10 a.m. until the time of service. A burial will follow immediately after services at Hillside Cemetery.
Online condolences can be made at www.nitardyfuneralhome.com
The City of Whitewater Parks and Recreation Department is partnering with the Urban Forestry Commission and the Arboretum at Starin Park (AASP) to host an Arbor Day celebration and the dedication of the Generac Welcome and Education Center on Friday, April 28, 2023, at 10:00 a.m.
The event will kick off with a welcome from John Weidl, Whitewater city manager, followed by Jim Nies with the Urban Forestry Commission, a representative with Generac, and Eric Boettcher with the Parks and Recreation Department. The ribbon cutting and photos will take place around 10:20 a.m. Refreshments and the Arbor Day event will follow.
Located at the south end of the park, the 14-by-18-foot pavilion provides a space for workshops and outdoor classroom activities. The educational programs will connect youth to nature and teach the fundamentals of stewardship and ecology.
As Jim Nies, Whitewater Urban Forestry Commission (UFC) member and retired educator, shares, “The new Generac Welcome and Education Center will increasingly become the gateway to the Arboretum at Starin Park. Individual visits and a variety of educational activities will all start here.”
A special thank you to Generac Power Systems for their generosity in providing grant funds for the materials to build the pavilion and the volunteers who helped construct the welcome center structure.
John Weidl, Whitewater city manager, explains, “In many ways, trees are infrastructure too. They have a life cycle, they have maintenance and replacement cost, and they are critical to the health of any community. On behalf of Whitewater, I’d like to thank Generac and the Urban Forestry Commission for their efforts on this important project.”
The Arboretum at Starin Park is a project of the Whitewater Urban Forestry Commission, a permanent subcommittee of the Whitewater Parks and Recreation Department. The Arboretum at Starin Park aims to restore the beauty, health, and diversity of the woodlands in Starin Park, enhance its role as a vital natural sanctuary, and provide educational programs.
Eric Boettcher, Parks and Recreation Director, shares, “The Starin Park Arboretum continues to develop into something our community can be proud of. This latest addition is another enhancement that will keep visitors coming back to the park. Special thanks to Generac and the Urban Forestry Commission for the continued park enhancements.”
USH 12 is closed between Whitewater and Fort Atkinson for major reconstruction until approximately the end of the year, and now there’s another detour in our immediate area: STH 89 will be closed for construction work from Willis Ray Road to County A in Richmond beginning on May 1, 2023. Local traffic will be permitted. Depending on the weather, the project is anticipated to be completed by mid-summer.
Since the WI Department of Transportation rules require a detour to be posted using U.S. or state highways, the detour would take some drivers considerably out of their way. County Line Road and County Road P run mostly parallel to Hwy 89 from Whitewater to Richmond.
Photos and article by Lynn Binnie
