On Saturday, March 12 the League of Women Voters – Whitewater Area sponsored a forum for the candidates who are running for the Whitewater Unified School District School Board in the April 5 election. Four candidates are running for two open seats. All of the candidates participated: Miguel Aranda, Jennifer Kienbaum (incumbent), Joseph Kromholz (incumbent), and Andrea Svec. Approximately twenty people were in the audience. The forum was moderated by Whitewater High School student Alex Martin under the supervision of the League and WHS American Government teacher Greg Stewart.
[From the League of Women Voters’ website] Candidates were asked questions about how to address the needs of English language learners, whether or not the school board should hold listening sessions with the students, if they would support any policy blocking what could be taught in the classroom, how a school board knows if they are achieving their goals, how to address the waiting list for free counseling at the high school, whether or not they would vote to require masks be worn at school, and much more!
The forum was filmed by Whitewater Community TV. You can watch a recording of the forum on Vimeo. The recording will be rebroadcast on Channel 990 during the weeks leading up to the April 5 Spring Election.
It’s Oscars Month and the Seniors in the Park Bijou Theatre will be showing three of the Nominated Films. The Academy Awards ceremony is Sunday evening, March 27. Movie Buff Mark will have movie-related treats at each showing!
“King Richard” Tuesday, March 22, 1 p.m. (Biography/Drama/Sports) Rated PG-13; 2 hours, 24 minutes (2021) The story of tennis Super Stars Venus and Serena Williams and their coach and Father, Richard Williams (Will Smith; Best Actor nomination). Also nominations for Best Supporting Actress (Aunjanue Ellis), Best Original Screenplay, and Best Picture.
It’s time once again for #FlashbackFriday with the Whitewater Historical Society. Happy Belated St. Patrick’s Day!!
It is fitting that this week’s post is a vintage post card showing St. Patrick Catholic Church of Whitewater. Founded in the 1840s by Irish immigrant farmers who settled in the Town of Whitewater, the church grew in the 1860s with an influx of ethnic Irish workers who were employed at the two large factories in town. The current church complex, shown here, was built in 1958 and still serves the congregation today.
Join us next week for more from the Whitewater Historical Society.
By Al Stanek Whitewater Banner volunteer staff whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
Whitewater citizens who were rightly confused about the costs of dredging the city’s two downtown lakes got some much needed clarification at the March 15 Whitewater Common Council meeting.
The dredging of Trippe and Cravath lakes has been completed according to City Parks and Recreation Director Eric Boettcher and the project is expected to come in under budget. There are several options for distribution of the nearly 69,000 cubic yards of dirt that have been deposited in a field just east of the Whitewater University Innovation Center.
Initial bids for the dredging portion of the project came in over budget and were rejected by the Common Council on November 16. The low bid was nearly $2.5 million which was well above the estimated entire project budget of just under $1.5 million. Dredging plans were downsized from the original plan to remove 81,000 cubic yards of material and an area that was thought to possibly be contaminated was avoided which resulted in a much lower $1.1 million cost to dredge and transport the material.
Boettcher also addressed the issue of options for what to do with the huge pile of dirt visible off of Howard Road on the city’s east side. “First of all we have to let the material de-water,” said Boettcher. “After that is complete we can either spread the dirt over the area where it is and possibly other nearby areas,” he added. The option of providing the remaining black dirt to area farmers or citizens is also under consideration.
Common Council members also heard from five area property owners who were concerned about newly distributed property assessment notices. Property owners can discuss the reasoning behind any change in property value with the company hired to do the assessments by scheduling an appointment by calling (920) 749-8098 before April 24. Occasionally this conversation may result in a change being made in the assessment. Ultimately, however, if a property owner objects to the assessment they must file a “Form of Objection” with the Whitewater City Clerk’s office at least 48 hours before a city established “Board of Review” meeting scheduled for Tuesday, April 26 at 6:30 p.m.
Property tax bills mailed out by the City of Whitewater in November of each year represent the total of City, County, School District and Technical College taxes based on the assessed value of each property. The city’s portion of annual property tax bills is determined by a property’s assessed value multiplied by a “mill rate” (cost per thousand dollars of property value) which is not determined until the city formally adopts the next year’s budget. That final city budget is significantly impacted by the amount of state and other financial contributions which are not determined until late in the fall of each year.
Josh Sherman, the designated assessor for the City of Whitewater, told Common Council members that residential and rental units of less than four units generally increased by 7% to 11%. Commercial and larger residential properties are assessed under a unique state driven formula. Sherman indicated that commercial and large residential properties increased by an average of 15%, but were considerably higher in some cases.
Sherman explained that changes in property values are determined by actual recent sales of property which, in Whitewater like nearly everywhere else, have generally been coming in well above previous property value assessments. He pointed to the fact that there had not been many commercial and large residential property sales during the past few years which had kept previous years’ commercial assessments relatively steady. Several sales of very large Whitewater residential properties this past year are likely to be the cause of the steep increase according to Sherman.
Theoretically significant increases in both residential and commercial property values should increase the total city’s tax base which, when divided equally among property owners based on the cost per thousand mill rate, should not impact residential taxpayers and landlords owning other than four unit or larger rentals. The disparity between assessment increases for commercial versus residential property is likely to have a significant impact on commercial and large rental property owners.
Larry Kachel, a principal in DLK Enterprises, told Common Council members that an increased tax burden comes at the same time that landlords have been forced to turn to 10 month rental contracts as opposed to 12 month contracts in reaction to the change in demand caused by the reduced number of UW-Whitewater students seeking off-campus housing.
Whitewater/Brodhead, WI – Carrie “Maisie” Condon, age 99, passed away on March 7, 2022 while at her home in Whitewater.
Maisie was born on July 27, 1922 in Stoughton, WI, the daughter of William and Elizabeth (Whaley) Taylor. She married Gurnsey Condon in 1946 in Southern Wisconsin.
Maisie was a member of the Congregational United Church of Christ of Whitewater, the Alpha Club, Federation of Women’s Clubs, Fairhaven Auxiliary, Whitewater Country Club and Women’s Golf Association and the Golden Girls (a group of friends of 60 years and older).
Maisie is survived by two sons, Gurnsey (Noele) Condon of Wisconsin Rapids, WI and John (Terry) Condon of Kissimmee, FL; three grandchildren, Sean Condon of Minocqua, WI, Kristin Condon of Woodbury, MN and Andrew Condon of Pleasant Prairie, WI; two great-granddaughters, Ryan and Devan Condon; one great-grandson, Jude Besl and many nieces, nephews and other relatives and friends.
Maisie was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Gurnsey in 2004 and all of her siblings.
Funeral Service will be at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 24, 2022 at D.L. Newcomer Funeral Home, 1109 East 9th Avenue, Brodhead, Wisconsin, with visitation starting at noon. Burial in Greenwood Cemetery, Brodhead. The Condon family asks that you kindly consider making a charitable donation to UNICEF, Save the Children, or a charity of your choice rather than floral donations. To extend online condolences to the family, please visit: www.dlnewcomerfuneralhome.com.
Dianne Camplin died peacefully on March 10, 2022 at the age of 86 after suffering a stroke in February. A beloved wife, mom, and grandma/Mimi, she was born on June 3, 1935 to Alois and Marianne Mueller. She graduated from Menomonee Falls High School and met her husband, Dave when they were maid of honor and best man in her cousin’s wedding. They married in 1956 when both were attending UW-Whitewater where she was an active member of Theta Sigma Upsilon sorority. Graduating with a degree in elementary education, she spent most of her 27-year teaching career at Rockwell School. She was proud to have taught many 5th and 6th grade students math, science, and how to crochet. Dianne and Dave spent most of their adult lives in Fort Atkinson and moved to Fairhaven in Whitewater in 2016.
Known as “Auntie,” her love of children extended to babysitting in retirement. This began when Dave’s brother, Bill and partner, Kitty moved to Fort. Their children, Satchel and Savannah were Dianne and Dave’s first “grandkids.” She then took care of children of other family friends. These relationships continued years after the babysitting ended.
Dianne retired at 55 and enjoyed leisure life and gardening. She realized her greatest joy at the age of 60 with the birth of their first grandchild, Rivkah soon joined by sister, Shira and then cousin, Parker. Being a grandma was her favorite ‘job.’ She and Dave traveled to Illinois, Iowa, North Carolina, and California to visit, attend school plays, bnot mitzvah, graduations, birthday parties, and celebrate holidays.
Dianne was a member of Bethany Lutheran Church for over 60 years. She was also a member of a ‘Sewing Club’ comprised of several local friends where Dianne perfected the craft of darning socks. After many years, the sewing ceased; however, the gatherings continued with the Fort Pizza Hut $5 all-you-can-eat buffet being a favorite lunch spot.
She will long be remembered for her deviled eggs, Oreo cookie ice cream dessert, chocolate zucchini cake, and her favorite phrase: ‘It is what it is.’
She is survived by her children, Karen Douglas and son-in-law, Roger Douglas of Walnut Creek, CA; Steve Wolf-Camplin and daughter-in-law, Nicole Wolf-Camplin of Wilmington, NC. Also survived by the loves of her life, grandchildren: Rivkah Wolf-Camplin of Atlanta, GA; Shira Wolf-Camplin of Asheville, NC; and Parker David Douglas of Seattle, WA. She is further survived by Dorothy Thode; Don and Bonnie Camplin; Fred and Ruth Ann Camplin; Bill Camplin and Kitty Welch; and Gene Camplin. She is further survived by nieces and nephews and several dear friends, many of them fellow Fort teachers. Dianne was predeceased by her husband of 64 years, David Camplin in February of 2020 and her brother, Ronald Mueller in 2010.
By Lynn Binnie Whitewater Banner volunteer staff whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
“Whitewater doesn’t need luck” read a fan’s St. Patrick’s Day sign, but the outcome of Thursday afternoon’s semifinal for the women’s basketball DIII championship was a back and forth contest nearly to the final buzzer. At halftime it was UW-W in the lead by 27-25, but the third quarter had Amherst (MA) ahead by 44-41, but the Warhawks pulled off a 55-51 win. UPDATE: In the other Final Four game that followed, Hope College (MI) defeated Trine (IN) by 57-52. It’s a UW-W vs. Hope game on Saturday at 1 p.m. for the national championship. Saturday’s title game will air live on CBS Sports Network and on WKCH radio, 106.5 FM. [Spectrum cable customers with the silver or gold package may find CBS Sports at 306.]
Game Photos (Credit: Dan Hunter, d3photography.com for UW-Whitewater Athletics):
The No. 12 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women’s basketball team erased a deficit through three quarters and took the lead for good midway through the fourth quarter Thursday afternoon in a 55-51 victory against No. 8 Amherst (Mass.) in the semifinals of the NCAA Division III Championship at UPMC Fieldhouse in Pittsburgh, Pa.
With the win, the Warhawks (28-4 overall) advance to the national championship game, which is set for this Saturday at 1 p.m. Central Time against the winner of Thursday night’s Hope/Trine game. Saturday’s title game will air live on CBS Sports Network and on WKCH radio, 106.5 FM. [Spectrum cable customers with the silver or gold package may find CBS Sports at 306.] [As reported above, UW-W will face Hope College.]
In the fourth quarter, a pair of free throws by Aleah Grundahl with 5:42 on the clock broke a 46-46 tie and gave UW-W a two-point lead. She converted a layup on the next possession to force a timeout by the Mammoths (25-4).
UW-Whitewater’s advantage was cut to one at the 2:24 mark before Yssa Sto. Domingo knocked down a 3-pointer from the left wing to make it 53-49 with 2:03 left.
Amherst drew to within 53-51 with just under one minute to play. The two teams traded empty possessions before a foul was committed against Kacie Carollo, who stepped up to the free throw line and knocked down both shots to make it a four-point game with three seconds to play.
The Mammoths missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer, sending the Warhawks and their energetic crowd into a frenzy.
Grundahl led all scorers with 18 points, including 8-of-10 from the free-throw line, and added seven rebounds. Carollo tallied 11 points, nine rebounds and four assists, and Maggie Trautsch tallied 10 points off the bench.
UW-Whitewater held Amherst to 31.3 percent shooting from the floor, including 3-of-17 in the fourth quarter, and knocked down 14-of-16 at the free-throw line on the other end.
Neither team led by more than one possession until the 3:23 mark of the first quarter, when the Mammoths took a 13-9 advantage. The Warhawks scored six of the next eight points as Trautsch tied the game with a driving layup with 2:06 remaining. Amherst held a two-point lead heading to the second.
UW-W started the second quarter on an 8-1 run, capped by Rebekah Schumacher’s 3-pointer with 7:35 on the clock, to take a 23-18 lead. The two teams exchanged buckets before Trautsch gave UW-Whitewater a 27-25 advantage heading into halftime.
Amherst tied the game on a 3-pointer just over two minutes into the third quarter and, after a layup by Johanna Taylor, took a 34-33 lead at the midway point of the period.
The Mammoths’ lead increased to three before the Warhawks rallied with a 6-0 run capped by Carollo’s steal-and-layup with 2:53 left in the quarter. UW-W trailed by three by the end of the period.
Trautsch’s 3-pointer just over three minutes into the fourth tied the game and set up Grundahl’s go-ahead free throws.
Jeffrey “Jeff” John Halko, 66, of Whitewater passed away on Sunday, December 5, 2021 at Mercy Hospital in Janesville.
Jeff was born on June 12, 1955 in Chicago to Michael and Marie (Arruda) Halko. He grew up in the Silver Lake area where he graduated from Wilmot High in 1974. Jeff forged lifelong friendships in his youth before leaving the area to hitchhike across the country with new found friend, Rikki, landing in Libertypole/The Gulch, before returning to California. He met and married Cynthia Lamb in 1982, operated his first window cleaning business, Spotless Window Cleaning, in Monterey. They moved their family to LaCrosse, WI where he owned and operated Sunshine Window Cleaning until 1998. Jeff relocated to Elkhorn, WI following his divorce and purchased Picture Perfect Window Cleaning. He soon met and married Colleen Eissens in 2002, who joined him in the window cleaning business.
Jeff loved his work and his customers. When he wasn’t working, he enjoyed singing, playing guitar, dancing, golfing, scootering with his dogs, getting together and catching up with ‘ol friends, making new ones, good conversation and spending time with family. He enjoyed watching Badger football, basketball and volleyball, as well as Packer football.
Jeff is survived by his wife, Colleen Eissens; his sisters Paula Kunz (Bill) and Laura Hart (Larry); his brother Larry Halko; his children Jacey (Lamb-Halko) Bubbers and Caleb Lamb-Halko; his grandchildren Tybalt Barbosa, Cianna Bubbers, Roman Bubbers, and Lannie Bubbers; his stepmother-in-law Rose Eissens; his stepchildren Chloe Barbosa (Jessy), Skylar Gabel-Eissens and Sean Gabel-Eissens; his beloved proteges Joe Oachs, Ryan Boeck and Dave Boeck; his canine kids Simon and KiRa.
He is preceded in death by his parents Michael Halko and Marie Janks, his brother George Halko; his in-laws Alvin Eissens and Alice (Akker) Bolluyt.
Every day presents a new opportunity to choose joy, despite our sorrow. Please join us to celebrate the life of Jeff Halko and the joy he brought to our lives. Please bring your memories, ones that make you smile, laugh and feel blessed to have known a person so full of love, joy and playfulness.
The Celebration of life will take place from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on April 24, 2022 at Evergreen Country Club, N6246 US 12, Elkhorn, WI. An informal service will take place at 2 p.m., with light refreshments and socializing to follow.
Cards may be sent in c/o Picture Perfect, PO Box 112, Whitewater, WI 53190.
On Saturday, March 12 the League of Women Voters – Whitewater Area sponsored a forum for the candidates who are running for City of Whitewater Common Council in the April 5 election. Participating were at-large candidates James “Jim” Allen (incumbent) and Chuck Mills, as well as Jill Gerber (AD4). Approximately twenty people were in the audience. The forum was moderated by League member and UW-Whitewater Professor of History Dr. Karl Brown.
[From the League of Women Voters’ website] Candidates were asked questions about economic development, electronic vehicle charging stations, the city’s response to the influx of immigrants from Nicaragua, the lakes drawdown project, progress on attracting a grocery store, the plans to transform Whitewater’s volunteer fire department into an official city department, the public library’s expansion and renovation project, the increase in the water utility bills, housing, and more!
The forum was filmed by Whitewater Community TV. The recording may be viewed on their Vimeo website. In addition, the recording will be rebroadcast on Channel 990 and in the weeks leading up to the April 5 Spring Election.
Editor’s Note: The following was received from the Walworth County Democrats.
The citizens of Walworth County acknowledge we are part of a global community. We have been watching in anguish the horrific situation exploding in Ukraine and wish we could do something. We are doing something! Join the Democratic Party of Walworth County for a rally to demonstrate our support for Ukraine. Wear Ukrainian colors of blue and yellow and bring signs supportive of Ukraine – no other political themes.
Our featured speaker will be Russian-born Yuri Rashkin, founder of the Rashkin Report and Beloit City Council member. Monetary donations will be collected for UNICEF to support relief efforts in Ukraine; thanks in advance for your support and generosity. Cash only please. This event is open to the public and is family-friendly. For additional information, contact us at 262-427-1250 or walworthcodems@gmail.com.
What: Rally to Support Ukraine
Where: Walworth County Government Center (former County Courthouse), 100 W. Walworth St., Elkhorn
When: Sunday, March 20, 2022 at 1 p.m.
Why: We stand against wars of aggression. We believe in peace. We believe in democracy.
