Elizabeth Katzman (left) and Hannah Hoffmann, both of Whitewater, made a special delivery to members and leaders of the Stone School 4-H Club to celebrate June Dairy Month. Katzman – who will be a senior at Whitewater High School – serves as president of the club, while Hoffmann – a recent Whitewater High School graduate – serves as secretary.
| SEOC marks 100 days of activation, accomplishments essential to statewide efforts |
| MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today applauded the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) on their diligent response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as June 21 marked the 100th day that the SEOC has been activated in response to the pandemic. This is the longest continuous activation in Wisconsin history. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) working alongside Wisconsin Emergency Management (WEM) staff, all state agencies, the Wisconsin National Guard (WING), Epic, Exact Sciences, and nonprofits such as the United Way and the Salvation Army successfully implemented a state coordinated effort to flatten the curve and box in the virus. “The hard-work of the SEOC early on in the pandemic was vital in protecting the health and safety of Wisconsinites,” said Gov. Evers. “On behalf of the state, I would like to thank all those committed employees that work diligently to ensure our communities are safe, our frontline workers are protected, and that Wisconsin continues to remain prepared to battle COVID-19.” Some of the SEOC’s notable accomplishments involve preparing for outbreaks by increasing hospital and lab capacity, acquiring and distributing personal protective equipment (PPEs) and other necessary supplies, ramping up testing infrastructure, expanding the contact tracing system, providing the public with COVID-19 updates, and ensuring the state safely reopens. Through the funding provided to Wisconsin under the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the SEOC strategically directed funds toward programs and initiatives that address some of Wisconsin’s most urgent needs caused by the pandemic including a $1 billion investment in testing, contact tracing, operations, and response, a $100 million investment for long-term care, home- and community-based providers, and a $200 million investment aiding local governments in their COVID-19 response. In addition, the SEOC mobilized more than 3,800 WING citizen soldiers and airmen to serve as poll workers in the April 7 election, operate a state warehouse to receive and transport PPE, train temporary nursing assistants, and conduct a flyover salute to the state’s healthcare workers. As of today, the Wisconsin National Guard alone, has collected more than 145,000 specimens at 190 testing sites in approximately 55 counties across the state. Collectively, the SEOC took Wisconsin’s lab capacity from the ability to perform zero COVID-19 tests in early march to the current daily capacity to perform 17,668 tests. As of June 21, Wisconsin has now tested 491,702 people. While these are among just some of the responses led by the SEOC, these major accomplishments have been instrumental in the statewide efforts to slow the spread of the virus and get back to our Wisconsin way of life. For up-to-date information about Wisconsin’s COVID-19 response, visit the DHS COVID-19 webpage.We encourage you to follow @DHSWI on Facebook, Twitter, or dhs.wi on Instagram for more information on COVID-19. |
On June 17, Al Hutchison (center), President of the UW-W Community Optimist Club, presented a check for $500 for the Whitewater Food Pantry to Co-Managers Barb Quast (left) and Pat Chaput (right).
Mr. Hutchison indicated that the donation was made possible by the sponsors and 23 teams that participated in the Optimist Club’s 7th Annual Trivia Night on February 21.
Photo by Marjorie Stoneman, Whitewater Banner staff
Carol McCormick writes, “Mom and three kits taking advantage of an early mulberry season. Her other two didn’t make it to the picnic on time! A family of five is not unusual, but the first time for us on Trippe Lake.”
Carol McCormick’s description of the second photo, which she titled Living in Harmony: “Just a follow up from the fox sighting. A young fox in the woods willing to share mulberries with a sandhill crane. Neither was intimidated by each other. Nice to see!”
— Our thanks to Ms. McCormick for sharing these special photographs with us.
— Our Readers Share: We hope that you might have something that you’d be willing to share. Anything that’s been created by someone else should, of course, be credited, and you should ask their permission if you’re able. We cannot post copyrighted material without permission. We can’t guarantee that we’ll have space for all submissions, and contributions will be subject to editorial board approval. The one definite exclusion is anything politically oriented. We will assume that you’re willing for us to include your name as the submitter unless you indicate that you prefer to remain anonymous. Send to whitewaterbanner@gmail.com or click on “submit a story” near the top right of our homepage. Thanks for thinking about this!
From the UW-Whitewater Sustainability site
Both the UW-Whitewater campus and City of Whitewater have received designations from the Arbor Day Foundation for our commitment to prioritize and protect trees (Tree City USA, Tree Campus USA). Additionally, UW-Whitewater has received Level II accreditation by Arb Net, the Interactive Community of Arboreta. To honor UW-Whitewater’s Sesquicentennial in 2018, “The Salisbury Idea” was launched in efforts to plant one of every tree native to Wisconsin on campus grounds and create a virtual tour to recognize the unique qualities of each species of tree. As part of this project, a digital map was created to catalog approximately 1,700 trees at UW-Whitewater. The City of Whitewater Urban Forestry Committee engages in activities such as surveying citizens about local trees, nominating notable trees for recognition and protection, and responding to threats from invasive species. The focus on protecting tree resources in Whitewater is truly a joint venture, so we are excited to extend this partnership even further.
In honor of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, the UW-Whitewater Sustainability Office and City of Whitewater are coming together to continue advocating for trees by launching the “50 Trees for 50 Years” campaign in hopes of planting 50 trees throughout the campus and community before Arbor Day 2021. Trees will be planted in city parks, local elementary school grounds, and prominent areas of campus for current and future generations to enjoy. Despite the challenges we face, it is important to keep investing in the health and well-being of future generations and trees offer a variety of benefits that accomplish that goal.
Your financial donations to support these efforts will make a difference by helping us plant an even more diverse selection of trees around our community. All funds raised will be used to purchase trees from a local nursery, labor costs, and plaques for each of the trees planted. It costs approximately $250 to plant one tree and care for it for the first year. We hope to have fulfilled our goal of funding 50 trees over the next year and we plan to host an event, as appropriate to protect public health, to celebrate and recognize all donors before planting the trees.
Tree plantings make great gifts! All donations will receive a digital certificate which can be personalized to include “in memory of,” “in honor of,” or “in support of.” Donations of $250 or more will have the option to select a preferred planting location, tree type, and customized tree plaque. Other donation amounts have additional incentive options including a digital certificate and access to exclusive events.
| Donor Gift | $25 | $50 | $100 | $250 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Digital Certificate | X | X | X | X |
| Exclusive Event: Tree History Tour at UWW | X | X | X | |
| Exclusive Event: Tree Identification Walk | X | X | ||
| Select species of tree sapling | X | |||
| Customized Plaque | X | |||
| Preferred Tree Location | X |
Offline: Checks must be made payable to UW-Whitewater Foundation, Inc. Please include Sustainability Program Support in the memo line of the check, and mail your donation to:
UW-Whitewater Foundation, Inc.
Alumni Center
800 W Main St
Whitewater, WI 53190
Or call 262-472-1105 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CDT to make a credit card gift by phone.
Employer Matching Gifts: Many companies match employee contributions to increase the impact of giving. Check with your employer for current matching gift program information.
The UW-Whitewater Sustainability Office is excited to announce the UW-Whitewater Nature Preserve as a registered Monarch Waystation, or area conversing habitats for monarch butterflies. The campus added nearly 400 milkweed plants to the large-scale prairie restoration plans. These plants were donated by Monarch Watch as part of their program, Bring Back the Monarchs. These essential nectar sources will be enjoyed by hundreds of monarchs later in the summer.
The community is encouraged to enjoy the tranquil walking paths throughout the Nature Preserve and prairie while watching for monarchs in all phases of their life cycle! For more information about this initiative, please visit: http://blogs.uww.edu/sustainability/2020/06/11/uw-whitewater-joins-monarch-watch-and-receives-free-milkweed-for-monarch-waystation/
The Walworth County Fair seems to be one of the few major events that is still scheduled for this summer, September 2-7. The Fair Board applied with the City of Elkhorn for a temporary Class “B” Beer and “Class B” Wine License, indicating that this unprecedented step was necessary due to many events at the fairgrounds having been canceled this year, as well as fair attendance being expected to be down, both due to the COVID-19 virus. The fair has prided itself on being alcohol-free for 170 years.
The Elkhorn City Council denied the permit at its meeting on June 15. However, the matter was reconsidered at a special Council meeting on June 22, with the alcohol permit application being the only item on the agenda. Per The Gazette, the permit was approved on a 4-2 vote, with the restriction that sales are limited to 4:00-9:30 p.m., and the beverages can be consumed only in the horse track and grandstand areas. Five members of the public spoke in favor of the permit, while eleven people spoke in opposition.
For the article in The Gazette, click here.
The Whitewater community is invited to watch and participate in a series of virtual discussions on race, racism, trauma and moving forward.
These powerful and insightful programs, which air live on Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m. in June, include the voices and lived experiences of members of our campus community, and invited guests, as we reflect upon race and racism in America and we search for ways to move the conversation and our society forward. Warhawk participants, and invited guests, share honest, brave and heartfelt comments at a time when we are all learning and looking for constructive ways to live in a fragmented society. The events on June 22 and June 29 will be posted to the Events section of the University Facebook page.
Links to previous videos can be found below:
June 9 – “Today’s Black Students and Professionals: Living in an Environment of Social Chaos” https://uww.webex.com/recordingservice/sites/uww/recording/0fef3daa2af44ae9a3806073df56d412
June 16 – “Racism from a White Person’s Lens”https://uww.webex.com/uww/lsr.php?RCID=f5d94c87c4d24d3990a08e99440d6be7
This powerful and insightful program, which aired live on June 16, includes the voices and lived experiences of members of our campus community as we reflect upon race and racism in America and we search for ways to move the conversation and our society forward. I’d like to thank our Warhawk participants for their honesty, bravery, and heartfelt comments at a time when we are all learning and looking for constructive ways to live in a fragmented society.
Our panelists included:
Many questions from students, faculty and staff were also addressed during the presentation.
For easy reference, timestamps are included below so that you can quickly navigate to topics of interest to you.
0:00—Introduction.
2:25—Why is the Black Lives Matter movement so triggering to white people?
28:03—What is the role of white people in the discussion of policy reform and in changing laws?
39:09—I’m white and not in a position of power to make policy changes, what can I do besides confronting my peers and voting?
45:13—When will [the university] be including cultural competence as a category to be reviewed for performance evaluation of all faculty and staff, for hiring candidates at the university, and for professional development funding?
48:08—Intent vs. Impact and how we can help others learn without getting defensive.
56:18—What changes should we have the City of Whitewater Common Council make?
1:04:00—Discussion on white people and apologizing for slavery.
1:08:55—How do we bridge the nation’s political divide to address these national problems?
1:19:02—Discussion on Blue Lives Matter.
1:21:39—Closing Remarks.
The Irvin L. Young Memorial Library will begin adjusting services, starting June 29. The Library Board of
Trustees strongly supports allowing the Library Director to add in-person services in the Library in
phases, following CDC guidelines, the rules of the City and State, and in coordination with the Bridges
Library System to ensure the safety of staff and patrons. The guidelines for the second phase are as
follows:
Library Patrons are ENCOURAGED to wear a mask or other face covering when visiting the library.
Library Patrons MAY:
Library Patrons MUST: Keep 6 ft of physical distance between themselves and other patrons and/or library staff.
Phase Two In-Person Service Restrictions: Visitors may not stay at the library for more than one hour. All extra chairs have been temporarily removed to reinforce this restriction.
The Library reserves the right to change any of these procedures at any time in response to
changing conditions.
At the May 12, 2020 Walworth County Board of Supervisors meeting, Whitewater resident Al Stanek was appointed to the Wisconsin River Rail Transit Commission (WRRTC).
| Per the WRRTC website, “The mission of Wisconsin River Rail Transit Commission (WRRTC) is to preserve and protect the publicly-owned railroad corridors throughout southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois. Established by Charter in 1982, WRRTC is made of appointed representatives from Crawford, Dane, Grant, Iowa, Jefferson, Rock, Sauk, Walworth, and Waukesha Counties. The Commission collaborates closely with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WDOT) and Wisconsin and Southern Railroad (WSOR) to see that their communities have quality and reliable access to freight rail service. WRRTC helps communities in southern Wisconsin be economically competitive through connection to the national rail system.” The Banner asked Mr. Stanek about the responsibilities of the Commission, and his interest in serving on it, and received the following reply. “I worked in rail and other infrastructure planning for 20 years at the WI Dept. of Transportation and recognize the value of maintaining a rail option for keeping and attracting businesses. Having a rail option keeps transportation costs competitive and is essential for some. The State of WI helps maintain this infrastructure on lightly traveled lines like here in Whitewater just as the state supports roads, airports, harbors and public transportation. The Commission establishes policies for the railroad that runs through Whitewater. Our depot, by the way, is seen as a statewide example of preservation and having a Whitewater representative enhances cooperation with the operator on things like the City Market and other uses of the park like the 4th of July celebration.“ |