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Statement from UW System President Tommy Thompson
MADISON, Wis. – Sept. 3 —University of Wisconsin System President Tommy Thompson today issued this statement:
“Effective today, UW-Whitewater Chancellor Dwight Watson has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation into a complaint. We will have no further comment on this personnel matter at this time. UW-Whitewater Provost Greg Cook will serve as leader of the university until the complaint is resolved.”

Banner update: Per Jeff Angileri, Director of University Communications, Dr. Greg Cook’s title was previously Interim Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, but he is now serving as Interim Chancellor.

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1061 W. Blackhawk Dr. (Right behind Pizza Hut)
Sat Sept 5 at 10-5   
We have crafts, med size dog kennel, book case, jewelry, men/women clothing, 10 gal fish tank, jewelry, plant stands and much more

It is with a heavy heart that I tell you Sunny got lost today. I was walking into Whitewater High School and she got spooked by the clicking of the door along with the commotion of it opening. She flew in circles around my head chirping and crying but she couldn’t figure out how to descend. When she flies at home she always lands on her cage or me (usually the top of my head) or hits a wall or ceiling and flutters down. Panicking she circled higher and higher until I couldn’t see her anymore. I lost her visually after about 10 minutes (I don’t know; it felt like a lifetime) and spent the next three hours looking for her until I had students to teach. Please keep an eye out if you live in the Whitewater area.

She responds to Sunshine but is afraid of most people (cockatiels form pair-bonds). If you see her please call me right away and I’ll come get her. She wants to come home, but is lost and doesn’t know how.

651-796-8628

A very special thank you to my amazing WW family. My coworkers are honestly the best, most supportive, caring people and I am especially grateful for them today

(Whitewater Unified School District letter to parents – September 1)

Dear Families:

Yesterday, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) took a number of steps that will allow us to provide breakfast and lunch at no charge to students.  This is an extension of the program that allowed us to provide meals mid-March through mid-July.

The free meals, which includes breakfast and lunch, are available for pick up at each of our five schools between 12:30 and 1:00 pm on school days.  Meals are not available on Monday, September 7.  These meals are available for all children up to age 18 even if not enrolled in our district and students enrolled in school if over age 18.

Students learning in person and eating breakfast and lunch at school will also receive free meals.

Families requesting free to-go meals do so via our online ordering system. Navigate to our COVID-19 webpage (https://sites.google.com/wwusd.org/wusd-covid-19/food-service) and click the order now button.  Please review the pick up location and other ordering details.

You may order and pick up meals for one or more days per week.  For example, you could order meals and pick them up each day of the week.  Or, you could order all meals for the week on Monday, for example.  In this situation, you would be receiving all the same meal items.

Orders for pick up the following day must be submitted by 10:00 am the day before.  For example, when ordering a meal for pick up on Thursday, you must submit your order by 10:00 am Wednesday.

USDA indicates the free meals will be in effect through the end of the calendar year but could end sooner if funding is exhausted.

Sincerely,
Lisa Griep
Food Service Supervisor

—

Estimadas Familias:

Ayer, el Departamento de Agricultura de los Estados Unidos (USDA) tomó una serie de medidas que nos permitirán proporcionar el desayuno y el almuerzo sin costo alguno a los estudiantes.  Esta es una extensión del programa que nos permitió proporcionar comidas desde mediados de marzo hasta mediados de julio.

Las comidas gratuitas, que incluyen desayuno y almuerzo, están disponibles para ser recogidas en cada una de nuestras cinco escuelas entre las 12:30 y la 1:00 p.m. en días escolares.  Las comidas no están disponibles el lunes 7 de septiembre.  Estas comidas están disponibles para todos los niños hasta los 18 años, incluso si no están inscritos en nuestro distrito y los estudiantes inscritos en la escuela si son mayores de 18 años.

Los estudiantes que aprendan en persona y que desayunen y almuercen en la escuela también recibirán comidas gratis.

Las familias que solicitan comidas gratis para llevar lo van a hacer por medio de nuestro sistema de pedidos en línea. Navegue a nuestra página web COVID-19 (https://sites.google.com/wwusd.org/wusd-covid-19/food-service) y haga clic en el botón de ordenar ahora (order now).  Por favor, revisen el lugar de donde se va a recojer y otros detalles de las comidas.

Puede pedir y recoger comidas para uno o más días de la semana.  Por ejemplo, puede pedir comidas y recogerlas cada día de la semana.  O bien, puede pedir todas las comidas de la semana el lunes, por ejemplo.  En esta situación, recibiría todas las mismas comidas.

Los pedidos para recoger el día siguiente deben ser sometidos antes de las 10:00 a.m. del día anterior.  Por ejemplo, si ordena una comida para ser recogida el jueves, debe hacerr su pedido antes de las 10:00 am del miércoles.

USDA informa que las comidas gratuitas estarán disponibles hasta el final del año, pero podrían terminar antes si se agotan los fondos.

Sinceramente,
Lisa Griep
Supervisora del Servicios de Alimentación

Julian Sonn, a Whitewater High School Alum ’16,  graduated in May from MSOE (Milwaukee School of Engineering) with a BS CVE (Civil Engineering).  He also concluded his baseball career at MSOE with a .362/.434/.540.
Julian is working as a Project Engineer at Selzer-Ornst in Milwaukee.

News Release from The SweetSpot – Aug. 31:
Both SweetSpot Locations will Maintain Regular Operations Under New Leadership

As of Monday, August 31st, The SweetSpot is under new ownership.
Jacob Gildemeister and Elena Schleusner purchased The SweetSpot Cafe and Bakehouse
from the previous owners Lacey Reichwald, Karen Moline, and Peggy Race.

“We are so thrilled about this opportunity,” said Lacey Reichwald. “We know that The
SweetSpot is in good hands and will continue to thrive as a community hub under new
ownership. We’re so grateful for the support of our community these past years and we hope
our fans will embrace the new owners with the same support.”

Jake and Elena have owned and operated the Whitewater Cinemas since 2018 and will
continue to operate that business. The new owners are both alumni of UW-Whitewater and
have a strong connection to the Whitewater community. They are eager to take over operations
of The SweetSpot and continue its legacy as a hub for community members, students, and
visitors.

There will be no interruption in business due to the sale. In fact, Lacey says, customers should
hardly notice a change at all. “Elena and I have been working together for a while now, to get
her up to speed. Plus, I’ll be around for further consulting as needed and my mom, Karen, will
still be working for The SweetSpot as a cake decorator.” The hours of operation will be
remaining the same as well.

Any previously placed bakery orders will be fulfilled without change. Karen was joined back in
early July by Ashley Valentine, a cake decorator and friend of the new owners. “It was exciting
and a big relief to learn that Jake and Elena had someone in mind for the bakery side of things.
Ashley has been great to work with. We wanted to make sure that our customers could continue
to get awesome cakes in the future and with Ashley, they will,” says Karen.

Lacey notes that the predicted smooth transition can also be attributed to seasoned Cafe
Manager, Jenna Karsten. Jenna has been with The SweetSpot for six years and has managed
the Downtown location for four. She will be continuing on in her role under the new ownership.
The rest of the 18 current staff members will also remain in their current positions.

“Jake and I couldn’t be more excited for this opportunity,” says Elena Schleusner. “Whitewater
is our home, and we are committed to serving this community however we can. The SweetSpot
is known to be a ‘home away from home’ for many visitors, and we are honored to continue
providing that welcoming space for the community.”

City of Whitewater Common Council – Tuesday @ 6:30 p.m.
Includes planning for November election, discussion re: virtual vs. in-person meetings, and closed session re: possible purchase of Mound Meadows subdivision
More information
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://zoom.us/j/96751039896
Or iPhone one-tap :
US: +13017158592,,96751039896# or +13126266799,,96751039896#
Or Telephone:
Dial US: +1 301 715 8592: Meeting ID: 96751039896#

City of Whitewater Community Development Authority Special Meeting – Thursday @ 5:00 p.m.
Includes Sale of Vacant Land in Business Park (Lot 3, Certified Survey Map #4555) – to be discussed in closed session but there may be an open session afterwards
More information
Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/651990941
You can also dial in using your phone.
(For supported devices, tap a one-touch number below to join instantly.)
United States: +1 (646) 749-3122 Access Code: 651-990-941#
One-touch: tel:+16467493122,,651990941#

Whitewater Fire Department Board of Directors – Thursday @ 6:30 p.m.
See below

By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com

A primary measure of the spread of COVID-19 in a community is the positivity rate, which is generally calculated as the percentage of people with positive results out of all of the test results that have been reported in the past 7 or 14 days. The Whitewater Unified School District Board has indicated that, based on advice from the Jefferson County epidemiologist, in order for fulltime in-person classes to resume, the blended 14-day positivity rate for Jefferson, Rock and Walworth counties should be less than 8% and continue on a downward trajectory for 14 days. Some school districts have used a target of 5%.

The tables below show both the 14 and 7 day test results for the city and Walworth County. (Only the Walworth County portion of Whitewater can be computed, as the census tract for the Jefferson County portion of the city extends as far as Palmyra.) Although the 14 day positivity rate for the city has declined, unfortunately the trend for the past 7 days has been on the increase.

COVID-19 TEST RESULTS – CITY OF WHITEWATER (WALWORTH COUNTY PORTION)

End Date	# Tests Reported – 14 days	# Positive	Positivity %	# Tests Reported – 7 days	#Positive	Positivity %
8/22	216	27	12.5%	103	6	5.8%
8/29	221	19	7.9%	128	13	9.2%

COVID-19 TEST RESULTS – WALWORTH COUNTY

End Date	# Tests Reported – 14 days	#Positive	Positivity %	# Tests Reported – 7 days	# Positive	Positivity %	% of Those with Positive Results Who Reported being Asymptomatic	Total Deaths
8/22	2386	277	11.6%	1071	112	10.5	11.4%	25
8/29	1972	210	10.6%	901	98	10.9	11.1%	27

UWW has established the following dashboard which provides useful information. It is found at this link.

COVID-19 Dashboard

The COVID-19 pandemic is an ever-changing situation and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater actively monitors and reviews a series of health, safety, and resource metrics to guide decision-making with regard to university operations. These metrics are considered in combination and consultation with recommendations and orders from the state and county health departments before any changes in operations are made.

COVID-19 cases reported to UW-Whitewater

	New cases – Week of Aug. 23-29	Previous week	Cumulative cases since March 2020
Students	5	0	12
Employees	1	1	6
Other	0	0	0

Dashboard is updated daily with available data. Numbers include cases reported through university-coordinated testing, as well as those reported through the COVID-19 Hotline, which may include testing that occurred off-campus through other health clinics/providers. Student employees are counted in the student numbers. The “Other” category is defined as any positive cases reported to UW-Whitewater who are neither students nor employees and may include visitors to the university, contractors or vendors, or others who have been to the university in person.

Regional Metrics

	University Health and Counseling Services 8/16-8/29	Walworth County 8/12-8/25	Rock County 8/12-8/25	Jefferson County
Percent Positive	50% (1 of 2*)	10.95%	4.75%	9.9%
Time to complete contact tracing	100% of contacts are initiated within 48 hours	96% of contacts are initiated within 48 hours	79% of contacts are initiated within 48 hours	Not Available
Healthcare system capacity level	No crisis management of care	No crisis management of care	No crisis management of care	Not Available
Total cases per 100,000	n/a	260	94	220

*UHCS percentage positive is based on PCR testing performed at the University Clinic site of students only.

Additional UW-Whitewater metrics

Capacity for isolating/quarantining individuals on campus

101 of 113 rooms available*

The university is also monitoring the current PPE supply and supply chain, staffing levels across both campuses, and compliance of university safety protocols.

*One room is currently occupied by a general use student, not COVID related.