Lynn Binnie

Public Invited to Annual Meeting of the League of Women Voters, Whitewater Area

The Annual Meeting of the League of Women Voters, Whitewater Area will be held on Saturday, May 11 from 9-noon at Fairhaven Fellowship Hall. Featured this year will be a viewing and discussion of the documentary entitled “Race – the Power of an Illusion.”

A short business meeting which includes a summary of the year’s events and the election of a new slate of officers will be held as well. A brunch will be served. The meeting is open to anyone who would like to learn more about the League.

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Morgan Radaj Earns Girl Scout Scholarship

Cristen Incitti, COO of Girl Scouts of Wisconsin – Badgerland, presents WHS senior Morgan Radaj with a Girl Scout scholarship

Morgan Radaj, a senior at Whitewater High School, received the Loretta Himmelsbach Scholarship. This scholarship is endowed by its namesake – a lifetime Girl Scout who led the Black Hawk Girl Scout Council for many years. Loretta established this scholarship to honor a Gold Award Girl Scout who has demonstrated extraordinary commitment to community service, education and the Girl Scout Promise and Law. Morgan earned her Girl Scout Gold Award when she was a freshman in high school (the average age to earn the Gold Award is 17!) Morgan’s ambitious project showcased her leadership skills and involved multiple components to address feeding a hungry world – a key feature of her project was when she organized more than 500 volunteers to pack over 100,000 meals that were shipped and distributed to needy families in Kenya.


Morgan stated, “Girl Scouting shaped me and the foundation of my life and morals. I will always be a Girl Scout. No matter how far I go, I am surrounded all around the world by my sisters. I will forever be a part of that sisterhood of girls who know that the world will never change for the better if we don’t do something about the problems.”


Morgan is among four girls in Badgerland’s 23-county jurisdiction who received a Girl Scout Scholarship this year. Morgan was honored and recognized at the Girl Scout Awards Ceremony in April which also celebrated this year’s Gold Award and Silver Award honorees. “There is something so special when we get to see, in person, the significant impact this organization is making on our girls, and in turn, the impact the girls are making on their communities,” said Girl Scouts of Wisconsin – Badgerland CEO Marci Henderson.

According to a study by the Girl Scouts Research Institute, Girl Scouts who earn the highest awards receive greater lifetime benefits than their peers, reporting a more positive sense of self, more leadership experiences, and greater life satisfaction, life success, community service commitment and civic engagement.
“These girls have risen to high challenges,” Henderson added. “They’ve distinguished themselves through determination and a sincere drive to make the world a better place. They have demonstrated great leadership. They are making a difference. They exemplify what it means to be a Girl Scout.”

Girl Scouts of Wisconsin – Badgerland Council serves more than 7,300 girl members in 21 counties in south-central and southwest Wisconsin, as well as Houston County in Minnesota and Allamakee County in Iowa. The council has service centers in Madison, La Crosse, Platteville and Janesville. For more information click here .

UW-W Chancellor Finalists Named – Community Receptions Scheduled Beginning This Thurs., 5/2

An 11-member search and screen committee, led by Regent Tracey Klein and UW-Whitewater Associate Professor Eric Compas, recommended a list of finalists. The Special Regent Committee determined that the finalists shown below will continue in the selection process.

The four candidates will participate in separate public forums, from May 2-10, offering opportunities for students, faculty, staff, and community members to interact directly with them. There will also be opportunities to provide feedback on the candidates to the search committee.

The Whitewater open forums will be live streamed. Faculty, staff and students who are unable to attend in person will be able to access the livestreams using their NetID and password. Community members can request livestream access here >>

FINALISTS (Listed in the order they will visit campus) All community receptions will be held from 6:00-6:45 p.m. at the Innovation Center at Whitewater University Technology Park.

Dwight C. Watson – Provost & Vice President of Academic & Student Affairs, Southwest Minnesota State University – Community Reception, Thursday, May 2 

Philip K. Way – Provost & Vice President for Academic & Student Affairs, Slippery Rock University – Community Reception, Monday, May 6

Guiyou Huang – Chancellor, Louisiana State University of Alexandria – Community Reception, Tuesday, May 7

Cheryl F. Green- Interim Chancellor, University of Wisconsin – Whitewater – Community Reception, Thursday, May 9

For further information on the candidates and a schedule of the public forums, please click here.

Optimist Club’s Annual Easter Egg Hunt Not Deterred by Weather

Despite Wisconsin’s cold and windy weather, on April 13 from 11:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m., approximately 150 individuals attended the UW-Whitewater/Community Optimist Club’s Easter Egg Hunt located at Whitewater Middle School. UW-Whitewater Student Optimists and service-learning students also helped facilitate the event.

As the event began, the Easter Bunny and McGruff the Crime Dog were ushered in on a Whitewater fire truck and stayed to have fun and take photographs with the children. As soon as the hunt began, the children sprinted to the Easter eggs as fast as they could. This event was aimed towards 5th graders and under, and all the children in attendance were given a goodie bag once they turned in their Easter eggs. Hidden within the goodie bags were a few golden eggs for each age group. If a child found the golden egg, they were given an Easter Basket.

Sights & Scenes of City Landscapes Exhibit by Lance Thomas Industrial Artwork @ Roberta’s Art Gallery

They say you can see, but you’re not always really looking. However, with this new exhibit, your eyes will be doing much more than seeing when it comes to Sights and Scenes of City Landscapes by Lance Thomas Industrial Artwork, at Roberta’s Art Gallery.

Roberta’s Art Gallery is hosting Sights and Scenes of City Landscapes by Lance Thomas Industrial Artwork April 23, 2019-May 10, 2019. The gallery will be open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Please join us for a reception  with the artist on Thursday, May 2 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. to learn about his perspective and technique.

Lance Thomas is an industrial photographer from Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Starting his work in 2012 in the city of Milwaukee, Wis., Thomas’s primary focus within his portraits is architectural designs and unique industrial elements. Thriving off of wandering the streets and finding the hidden treasures from town to town, Lance says, “my goal is to showcase the heart of each city I photograph with industrial materials, architectural imagery, and creativity.” Within the exhibit, you will have the opportunity to look into the eye of the camera, and take a closer look at the industrial and architectural jewels and the stories they tell throughout the cities he has traveled.

Roberta’s Art Gallery is a full service gallery that focuses on numerous styles of art exhibits, workshops and works with students and community groups. Art is believed to be a universal language, and being a resource for the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Roberta’s Art Gallery collaborates with students, campus departments, and student organizations.

All exhibits and receptions are free and open to the public, and can be found within Roberta’s Art Gallery located on the first floor of the James R. Connor University Center (UC). If you would like more information, feel free to contact Roberta’s Art Gallery via email ucart@uww.edu or via phone (262) 472-3193. We look forward to seeing you!

Whippet Softball Team Defeats Big Foot

The Whitewater girls’ softball team improved to 8-3 in conference and 9-5 overall with a 10-2 win over the Big Foot Chiefs on April 23.

Whitewater got behind 2-1 after the first inning but pulled away with 5 runs in the third inning and 3 runs in the fourth. Morgan Gransee and Liz Katzman had 2 hits each while Katzman also scored 3 runs. Kailey Ruhl drove in 3 runs while Kiyla Kopecky and Catherine Yang each drove in 2 runs.

Sara Johnson pitched an outstanding game as she gave up only 2 hits while striking out 13 Big Foot batters. Johnson improved to 7-3 on the season.

Next up for the Whippets is a game against Brodhead on Thursday April 25th. This game will be played at Brodhead.

A Successful Sock Drive: 639 Pairs!

Washington Elementary students celebrating wildly successful sock drive

(April 28) Over the past week, Washington Elementary School Student Council students led a schoolwide effort to collect new, adult-size socks for our nation’s servicemen and women through the organization Warmth for Warriors. With an original goal of collecting 100 pairs, our Eagle community buried us with socks! The final tally is 639 pairs of socks! Because of this overwhelming community support, we are pleased to announce that we will also be donating some of the collected socks to local veteran’s organizations. Thank you so much to our generous and compassionate Washington families as well as to others from the Whitewater community!  
Way to Go, Eagles! 

Seniors in the Park Announces Travel Opportunities for 2019-2020

All itineraries are available at http://www.whitewater-wi.gov/274/Events-Travel or at the Community Building in Starin Park.

Toronto and Niagara-on-the-Lake Wine Trail, September 16-20, 2019 – Tour Toronto, stop at the peninsula’s original winery and have lunch, rake a boat ride to the foot of Niagara Falls, visit a Butterfly Conservatory and laugh at the hilarious Oh Canada, Eh? dinner show. Dates are September 16-20, 2019.

Tulip Time on the Rhine, April 5-15, 2020 – FREE AIRFARE for reservations made through May 31, 2019. Travel Preview on Wednesday April 24 at 1:00 pm. Travel through the Netherlands, France, Germany and Switzerland on the Rhine, the longest river in Europe and spend two nights in Lucerne April 5-15, 2020. With Discover More, Active and Plus tours at several ports you have choices on what to do. Includes Air, air transfers, all port charges, tips on the ship, complimentary beverages at lunch and dinner. Staterooms start at $4149.

Virginia Beach Getaway, April 18, 2020 – This trip features an Atlantic Coastal Harvest Food Tour.

Desert Adventure: Dubai and Abu Dhabi, October 15-23, 2020 Tour features Modern and Heritage Dubai tours, Burji Khalifa-world’s tallest building, desert jeep safari, dinner at a Bedouin campsite, a dhou dinner cruise, Abu Dhabi tour, beautiful mosques, marketplaces (souks) and more! Check out this incredible adventure. October 15—23, 2020. .

UW-Whitewater chancellor search panel to conduct interviews

MADISON – April 25 – A University of Wisconsin System search committee looking to replace UW-Whitewater’s chancellor will conduct interviews this weekend in Chicago. The committee plans to conduct interviews in a hotel at O’Hare International Airport on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The panel will end Sunday with a meeting with a special regent committee that will ultimately pick finalists. For more from Minneapolis Star Tribune click here.

From the UW-W Chancellor Search website: “Applicants for the position are currently being reviewed and finalists will be announced the week of April 29th.” For further information on the search click here.