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By Al Stanek
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com

Over 70 area residents joined together in downtown Whitewater Friday, January 21 to demonstrate their support for improvements to the every ten year process that redefines the geographic boundaries of area electoral districts. Similar public events were scheduled in 15 other Wisconsin communities.

Participants heard comments from Whitewater’s State Senator Janis Ringhand, Whitewater’s State Representative Don Vruwink and Walworth County District 3 Supervisor Brian Holt.

Whitewater is currently located on the extreme eastern edge of a Senate/Assembly district and could easily be grouped into a totally different Senate/Assembly district. Vruwink indicated that with an election scheduled in 10 months he has no way to know if he will be able to represent Whitewater in the future.

All three of the elected officials spoke of an increase in the number of convoluted redistricting proposals that appear to be made purely for political reasons and not for improvements in efficiency. Ringhand and Vruwink are Democrats. Holt’s County Board position is nonpartisan.

Ringhand, Vruwink and Holt all pointed to other states that require redistricting to be overseen by independent nonpartisan organizations as opposed to the political party that controls the state legislature at the time that US Census figures are released. The redistricting process is a follow-up step to the US Constitutional requirement that population figures be gathered each ten years with the goal of each vote having an equal value in future local, state and US House and Senate elections.

A group called the “WI Fair Maps Coalition” sponsored the Whitewater event along with similar gatherings around the state. The group’s stated goal is to end “gerrymandering.” The term refers to efforts to manipulate political boundaries to favor one party or group. The practice reportedly dates back to 1812 and has been subject to abuse, to one degree or another, by both modern political parties. Sophisticated computer database capabilities have today made the redistricting process increasingly more sophisticated and easier to manipulate to benefit one political party over the other.

In a related matter, the WI Supreme Court on Wednesday, January 19 heard arguments in favor of competing plans to set political boundaries for the next decade. Wisconsin’s Democratic Governor and Republican dominated State Legislature along with other organizations have provided different updated political map proposals.,

The Associated Press (AP) reports that the Wisconsin Supreme Court court is likely to issue a decision in the coming weeks but also points out that an outstanding federal lawsuit could later delay resolution of the issue. The AP also reports that the US Supreme Court last month rejected an attempt to end that lawsuit but did not indicate if it would consider that lawsuit after the WI court case decision is issued.

“No Time to Die”
Tuesday, January 25, 2022, 1 p.m.
(Action/Adventure/Thriller), Rated PG-13; 2 hours, 43 minutes (2021)

Seniors in the Park projectionist Mark Dorn reports that they have obtained a new projector, “with an incredibly bigger and brighter image.”

Nobody does it better than Bond. James Bond. In his fifth and final outing as 007 (and the 25th film in the series), Daniel Craig plays a retired and world weary Bond who returns to MI6 only to find: he’s been replaced. Nevertheless, he must persevere to thwart a new supervillain (Rami Malek) armed with dangerous new nanotechnology. Also starring Ralph Fiennes (as M), Ben Whishaw (as Q), and Christoph Walz as Ernst Blofeld.

Editor’s note: The following information was provided by the University of Wisconsin System.

Jay O. Rothman will take office as the next University of Wisconsin System President after a unanimous Board of Regents vote on January 21 to offer him the position.

Rothman, 62, is chairman and CEO of the law firm Foley & Lardner LLP in Milwaukee. His appointment begins June 1 and he will earn $550,000 annually. He was recommended to the full Board of Regents by a Special Regent Committee following interviews this week with the committee, chancellors, shared governance representatives, and UW System executive leadership.

“I am humbled by the opportunity to lead the UW System and approach this role with profound respect for the unparalleled role public higher education plays in the lives of our students, alumni, and communities,” Rothman said. “I intend to lead by listening first, so that the experience I have gained over my lifetime in Wisconsin can help us build a great UW System together. This is not an original sentiment, but I want to say it because I believe it: the UW System is our state’s crown jewel, and a vibrant UW System builds a strong Wisconsin.”

“The regents appreciate Jay’s willingness to serve the UW System and the people of Wisconsin,” said Regent President Edmund Manydeeds III, chair of the Special Regent Committee. “I am confident that in partnership with our chancellors, faculty, and staff he will strengthen the UW System for the students and people of Wisconsin we serve.”

“Jay is a servant leader who has chosen to dedicate the remainder of his outstanding career to our students, our faculty and staff, and our taxpayers,” said Karen Walsh, regent vice president and chair of the Search and Screen Committee. “He has the leadership and executive management skills our university system needs. He understands organizations. He builds consensus. He believes in the profound value of higher education.”

Rothman will be UW System’s eighth president, succeeding current interim President Tommy Thompson, who has been in that role since July 1, 2020. Thompson has announced that he will step down on March 18.

Rothman has been chairman and CEO of Foley & Lardner since 2011 and has been a member of the firm’s Management Committee since February 2002. He joined Foley in 1986 and has been a partner since 1994. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Marquette University and a law degree from Harvard Law School.

Rothman was raised on a small operating farm outside of Wausau where his family raised beef cattle and horses. His parents attended UW-Stevens Point, with his mother receiving her bachelor’s and master’s degrees there. His mother is a retired schoolteacher, and his father was a dentist. He has two adult children. His daughter is a graduate of UW-Madison.

For additional biographical information on Rothman and statements from those who know him, go to: wisconsin.edu/presidential-search-2021/

Manydeeds has asked Mike Falbo, a former regent president, to serve as interim president from March 18 until Rothman takes office June 1. Falbo is a UW-Parkside graduate who served 11 years on the Board of Regents, including two terms as president. He also attended UW-Whitewater before being drafted to serve during the Vietnam War as a combat medic.

A 1971 state law unified two public university systems under a single Board of Regents. The UW System educates approximately 165,000 students at 13 universities across 26 campuses, serves more than 1 million Wisconsin residents through statewide outreach programs, and employs about 39,000 faculty and staff statewide. The total estimated annual economic impact of the UW System exceeds $24 billion.

Statement from UW-Whitewater Interim Chancellor Jim Henderson on announcement of Jay O. Rothman as UW System President

“On behalf of UW-Whitewater, I’d like to offer my heartfelt congratulations to Jay O. Rothman on his appointment as the next president of the University of Wisconsin System,” said Jim Henderson, interim chancellor. “During the interview process, I was extremely impressed by Mr. Rothman’s vision for public higher education in our state – one that is grounded in excellence in every aspect of our respective university missions. As a native of Wisconsin with strong ties to the state, he deeply understands the unique nature of the UW System as an academic, economic and cultural driver of Wisconsin and of our future. At a critical time for higher education, Mr. Rothman is the right person with the right leadership skills to move the UW System forward, to strengthen relationships with all of our constituents, and to build upon our important work on behalf of the people of our state. We look forward to him visiting UW-Whitewater in the future and sharing with him the outstanding story of the Warhawk family.”

By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com

The Walworth County Health & Human Services Department stated in its January 20 weekly report that the county remains in the CDC’s critically high COVID-19 transmission level, along with all other WI counties. The transmission level this week increased to 2226.86 cases per 100,000. Last week’s rate was 1735, and the previous week was “only 686.” Consequently the level has more than tripled in two weeks. Per the CDC website, Jefferson County (2021 cases/100,000) and Rock County (2421 cases/100,000) are in similar situations.

Walworth County statistics as of January 20 can be viewed here. Although it has been indicated that, on average, the Omicron variant of the virus which is now dominating the state is less serious than Delta was, only an average of 7.7% of ICU beds in the county are available. Editor’s note: The ICU availability was initially reported as .077%. It has been corrected on 2/15/22.

Information on testing sites, including at UW-Whitewater, may be found here. As was previously announced on the Banner, the federal government is now mailing four at-home COVID-19 test kits to any residence upon request.

Editor’s note: The following information regarding the work being performed on Cravath and Trippe Lakes was provided by the City of Whitewater.

Work Schedule for week of January 17-21

• Monday & Tuesday 7am – 7pm
• Wednesday – Friday morning 24 hours
• Friday work to finish by 7pm

Prep Week! This week the contractor will be setting the stage for dredging. This includes laying out the wood matting as well as skinning off the snow and vegetation to allow for more frost to set into the lake bed. Our contractor will be working through the night Wednesday and Thursday to remove as much snow and vegetation from the lake bed surface. The colder temperatures through the later part of the week and weekend will allow for frost to work its way down creating a good base to work on. This will reduce the amount of matting needed to perform the project.

Per Lyle Hollingshead, the annual lot owners and directors meetings of the Cemetery Association of Whitewater will be held at Hawk Bowl, 1398 W. Main St., Whitewater on Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. The association is responsible for Hillside and Oak Grove Cemeteries.

Editor’s note: The following information was provided by the Wisconsin Fair Maps Coalition.

“Fair Courts End Gerrymandering” Rally at Whitewater

In-person rally with grassroots advocates and speakers

A local, bipartisan coalition of area residents will host a rally calling for Fair Maps in Wisconsin at Clocktower Triangle in Whitewater on Friday, January 21st at noon.

The rally will begin with a welcome from the SE Region Fair Maps Coalition followed by other speakers. Volunteers will continue the rally after our speakers in order to engage the public on this issue.

“Our goal is to let the Supreme Court know that we, the people of Wisconsin, are watching and we expect them to act in a nonpartisan manner, in the best interest of the people, not politicians, in deciding fair district maps for the next decade,” said Carlene Bechen, Wisconsin Fair Maps Coalition Organizer.

This local rally is one of more than a dozen taking place simultaneously across the state, organized by the Wisconsin Fair Maps Coalition.

By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com

Whitewater’s second Kwik Trip, located at the corner of Janesville Street and Hwy 89, opens on January 20 at 5 a.m. The store’s product and service lines are essentially the same as the one that opened at the roundabout in December. The ribbon cutting is scheduled for Wednesday, January 26 at 11 a.m.

Editor’s note: The image on the homepage is not of this Kwik Trip, but the style is very similar.