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(Fort Healthcare news release) – For over 35 holiday seasons, the response from individuals, organizations, clubs and businesses has made the Fort HealthCare Partners Love Lights Tree project a successful annual event, exemplifying the spirit of giving.

The Love Light Tree was started in 1985. It is heart-felt way to acknowledge loved ones who are still living or those that have passed away. By charging a small fee of $2.00 per light, the Love Light Tree has been raising money to purchase new equipment, education, and services for Fort Memorial Hospital in Fort Atkinson.

A Love Light is a perfect gift, giving you the opportunity to tell someone that they are special while still helping others in your community as well. A donation of $2.00 or more will add a light to one of the trees on the Fort Memorial Hospital grounds during the holiday season, either as a gift to honor someone (colored light), or as a memorial (white light) for someone you care for. Special pledge cards are available upon request so you may notify a person (or a family) that you have purchased a light in their honor. A donation of $25.00 or more will designate you as a Love Light Tree sponsor.

If mailing in a donation, order forms and instructions are available for download on the campaign’s website. Online donations are also encouraged, and those can also be made at FortHealthCare.com/Lovelights. A $5.00 minimum is required for online donations, which is automatically for two names. For online purchases, Honor Cards can be emailed to families to show you’ve made a gift in their honor. To ensure you are properly recognized in this year’s sponsor and donor listings that are published in late December, Fort HealthCare Partners must receive your donation by December 14th.

Kari Behling, Fort HealthCare Volunteer Services Manager states, “As we near the end of 2020, we can’t help but reflect on the many different challenges that our world, our country, and our local community have faced. Even in the midst of challenging times, there have been countless stories of positivity that have emerged. And during the approaching season of thanks and giving, we celebrate those happy stories, as they remind us of how good it feels serve others each and every day.”

Funds raised during the 2020 Love Lights campaign will be used to help subsidize the cost of the CareLine service for those who cannot afford it. CareLine is a medical personal emergency response system allowing subscribers to get emergency help 24/7 at the press of a button. The system gives peace of mind to both the subscriber and their family. Additionally, funds will be used to support several healthcare scholarships for students and healthcare professionals in the area.

Behling notes, “We would like to raise funds for our CareLine Program, because there are people in our community who have chronic health conditions who cannot afford this life saving equipment and service. This money will allow the Partners CareLine Program to provide FREE or reduced rates for qualifying clients to receive the service.  CareLine allows individuals to remain in their homes and avoid losing their independence.”

Behling adds, “Continuing to provide these two important services to members of our community is critical for maintaining our commitment to bettering the lives of our friends and neighbors. To keep these commitments a reality for the families that depend on them, we need your help. Your contribution to these very worthwhile projects will be greatly appreciated by not only the Partners, but also by the many local people who will benefit.”

Love Lights Tree Lighting Ceremony

The Love Lights tree lighting ceremony will take place on Tuesday, December 1st at 6:30 p.m. on the Sherman Avenue lawn in front of Fort Memorial Hospital in Fort Atkinson. Due to social distancing measures that must remain in place, attendance to visitors is limited to those that can watch the ceremony from their cars, listen to it live on WFAW-AM radio, or watch it via Facebook LIVE from any location.

Reflecting on 35 Years of Generosity and Caring

The Partners have sponsored a Scholarship program every year since 1953. Each year in the 1950s through the 1970s, two or three $500 scholarships were awarded to students going into the nursing field. Today, Partners gives $10,000 in scholarship awards to students who are pursuing or advancing their career in most any health care field.

With the ever-growing concern for older people living alone, the Partners started another service to help. In 1984, the CareLine Medical Alarm Service was started (formerly called LifeLine). At the one-year anniversary of this program, they had 23 subscribers using the service. Over the years, the equipment has gotten smaller, and now provides advanced technology such as GPS and fall detection. The program has also gotten bigger, now serving approximately 250 people that have the CareLine system.

As members of the Fort HealthCare Partners organization, Fort Memorial Hospital volunteers are an invaluable resource to the community and a vital part of any healthcare organization. Several important roles fulfilled by volunteers add a tremendous amount of value to Fort HealthCare’s services and directly influence positive patient and guest experiences. Call 920-568-5276 or toll free at 1-800-421-4677 ext. 5276, or visit FortHealthCare.com/Volunteer to learn more. More information and donations for Love Lights can be viewed at www.FortHealthCare.com/LoveLIghts.

Timothy T. Brunner, 37, 1380 W Main St # 115, Whitewater, has been charged with maintaining a drug trafficking place as a party to a crime and possession of cocaine, both second and subsequent offense. If convicted, he faces up to seven years and one month in prison and $20,500 in fines.

Oliver D. Carmichael-Grandstrand, 21, 120 S. Prairie St., Whitewater, has been charged with two counts of recklessly endangering safety, carrying a handgun where alcohol is sold, negligent handling of a weapon, possession of a firearm while intoxicated, carrying a concealed weapon, criminal damage to property and disorderly conduct. If convicted, he faces up to 23 years and nine months in prison and $101,000 in fines.

Chad L. Edwards, 61, Beloit, has been charged with felony retail theft from a Walmart store in Whitewater. If convicted, he faces up to three years and six months in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Payton C. Foltz, 18, Watertown, has been charged with possession with intent to deliver THC. If convicted, he faces up to three years and seven months in prison and $10,500 in fines.

Carnel L. Redmond, 36, 157 N. Newcomb St., Whitewater, has been charged with possession with intent to deliver THC, two counts of possession of a firearm while intoxicated, disorderly conduct, two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of THC. If convicted, he faces up to five years and five months in prison and $33,000 in fines.

Martha T. VanZant, 45, Beloit, has been charged with felony retail theft at a Walmart store in Whitewater. If convicted, she faces up to three years and six months in prison and a $10,000 fine.

50 Tickets Available for Each Performance @ $30 – FREE Live Stream Available

(Young Auditorium press release) – Be one of the first to attend a live concert this season at Young Auditorium! We’re reopening our doors for two private, limited-seat, socially distanced benefit concerts to help raise funds for
Whitewater food pantries. Join us as the Irish musicians and dancers of Derek Byrne and Paddygrass bring the
Young Auditorium stage back to life – Saturday, November 14th – 5:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m. shows!

Derek Byrne and Paddygrass are excited to take the stage to perform their energetic mix of Irish, Bluegrass,
and Gospel music. Comprised of some of Wisconsin’s very best Irish musicians and dancers, the band has
generously donated their time and talents so that all proceeds will benefit Young Auditorium and three very
deserving local organizations. Ticket sales up to $3,000 will be matched by our local business sponsors and
donated to three Whitewater food pantries:
Generac – $1,000 to University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Food Pantry
Home Lumber – $1,000 to Whitewater Food Pantry
John’s Disposal – $1,000 to The Community Space Food Pantry

The health and safety of our patrons is of upmost importance. Only 50 seats will be sold to each performance,
and audience members will be required to wear face coverings and follow all university health and safety
guidelines. For those who are unable to attend in person, the concerts will be live-streamed. The live stream
link will be distributed via the www.youngauditorium.com website closer to the date of the performances.

HOW TO PURCHASE?
Currently, these concerts are limited to Young Auditorium Members only. Good news is…becoming a member
is easy! Simply visit the www.youngauditorium.com website and click the ‘Get Involved’ tab. Have your credit
card ready! Purchasing your membership gives you instant presale access…along with some other great
perks!!

PLEASE NOTE: The Member Presale ends on Friday, October 30th. Any remaining ticket inventory will be
released for sale to the general public on Monday, November 2nd via the www.youngauditorium.com website,
in-person at the Greenhill Center of the Arts Box Office, or by calling Ticket Services.
Limited box office hours will be available for phone/in-person orders.
(Monday through Thursday 10:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. / Friday 10:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.)
262-472-2222 — Ticket Services hours are subject to change.

DON’T FORGET: Young Auditorium’s 2020 Digital Fall Season is in full swing! With a wide variety of
entertainment offerings including digital concert and dance offerings, virtual theatre performances, and a
number of FREE special engagements, arts lovers will have no shortage of opportunities to view amazing
artistic content. For a complete listing of Young Auditorium’s 2020 Digital Fall performances, visit
youngauditorium.com today.

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

The U.S. Supreme Court on October 26 sided with our state’s legislature, refusing to allow an extension ordered by a federal judge in the deadline for returning mail-in ballots beyond Election Day. The decision, on a 5-3 vote with three liberal justices dissenting, left in place a lower court’s October 8 decision that blocked U.S. District Judge William Conley’s ruling that would have allowed ballots to be counted as long as they were postmarked by November 3 and received by November 9. A group of voters and disability rights groups, joined by state and national Democrats, had sued the Republican-controlled state legislature in an attempt to get the deadline for the receipt of mail-in ballots extended in view of delays in mail delivery in the midst of the pandemic. Ballots must be received before 8 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3 in order to be counted.

Although the deadline to request an absentee ballot is Thursday, October 29 at 5:00 p.m., ballots requested that late are unlikely to arrive in time for a voter to receive the ballot in the mail and return it by mail to be received by November 3. If you have requested a City of Whitewater absentee ballot but have not yet received it, you may wish to contact the office of the City Clerk at 262-473-0102.

If you have already received an absentee ballot, and plan to return it by mail, you are encouraged to do so as soon as possible. Absentee ballots may be returned, 24/7, to the secure ballot box in the 312 W. Whitewater Street entrance to the Municipal Building. That box is emptied every weekday, and will be checked for a final time in the afternoon of November 3. Absentee ballots may also be delivered to your polling place on November 3 before 8 p.m. Wards 1,2,3,4,5,6,10 and 11 will vote at the Downtown Armory, 146 W. North Street.  Wards 7,8,9,13 and 12 will vote in the Kachel Field House on the UWW campus, 907 W. Schwager Drive.

In-person absentee voting at the Municipal Building continues on the following days. There has normally been little or no waiting:
Tuesday, October 27 9am -5pm
Wednesday, October 28 1pm -5pm
Thursday, October 29 1pm -5pm
Friday, October 30 9am -5pm

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

At the regular School Board meeting on October 26, a motion by Jim Stewart to return to full face-to-face instruction in the Middle School and High School effective November 2 was supported on a 5-2 vote, with Tom Ganser and Casey Judd opposed. There was no disagreement that a return to in-person would be preferred in terms of optimal education; the concerns that were expressed regarded whether it was safe to do so in the midst of rising COVID-19 infections in the state and area.

District Administrator Caroline Pate-Hefty had suggested that the alternative to the plan that was ultimately adopted would be continuing with the current hybrid model with Board assessment on January 11 as to whether to make a change on January 25. Dr. Pate-Hefty did not offer a recommendation between the two models. Less than ten people spoke during the public comment period, considerably less than in previous meetings where the instruction model was considered. Several high school students spoke in favor of continuing with the hybrid model which started on October 12, generally expressing that they felt that it represented the best balance of safety and education. It was acknowledged by the school principals that with all the students attending in-person, approximately 60-70% of the classes could not be socially distanced, whereas currently the students in almost all classes are separated by at least six feet. A few parents, including one who had open enrolled her students in another district, spoke in favor of the proposal to return to full face-to-face instruction. It was indicated that a number of nearby districts are already in-person, including East Troy, Elkhorn, Jefferson, Lake Geneva, and Palmyra-Eagle. Fort Atkinson and Johnson Creek have been in-person but are temporarily closed due to COVID-19 infections.

Matthew Sylvester-Knudtson, Director of Business Services, reported that 264 students have open enrolled to other districts as of the third Friday count. This compares with 168 students last year, resulting in additional expense to the district of approximately $850,000. It was hoped that with the return to in-person instruction some parents might choose for their students to return to the district.

Dr. Pate-Hefty reported that there has been a significant increase in attendance concerns for Middle and High School students under both the virtual and hybrid models. Even though these concerns have diminished since going to the hybrid approach, the concerns are still more than double those of last year. Thus far 32 homeless students have been identified in the district, compared with 62 at the end of the last school year, raising concern that many such students may have gone unidentified thus far this year. On an unrelated subject, there have been ten referrals to Child Protective Services. It was indicated that approximately 60% of parents have been transporting their children to school, which is appreciated as it allows for better physical distancing on the buses.

The Board unanimously adopted the proposed budget for 2021 as recommended by Sylvester-Knudtson, as well as a tax levy of $11.10 versus the current year’s $11.50, approximately a 3.5% reduction. Matthew suggested that the reduction was feasible based on a $600,000 surplus in the previous year, which would be directed towards reducing the debt service portion of the levy. In response to a question as to whether it would make sense instead to direct the surplus towards paying down debt, Sylvester-Knudtson indicated that the earliest that any of the debt can be called is 2026, and there is already $5,000,000 in reserve for debt payment.