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Do you plan to take an international trip? Is your current passport about to expire? Or, are you applying for your first passport? Well, look no further than your local Post Office.

The Whitewater Post Office will host a Passport Event on Wednesdays through September 26, 2018 from 8:30 A.M. to 7:00 P.M. “This is a great opportunity for Whitewater residents planning to travel outside the United States to apply for a passport without making a reservation,” said Whitewater Postmaster Sherrie Benes.

In addition to the familiar passport book, travelers can also apply for a passport card, which may be used for land and sea travel only between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Bermuda or the Caribbean region. The wallet-size passport card is a less expensive alternative for those who travel to these destinations, but it is not available for international travel by air.

To apply for a passport book or passport card for the first time, applicants need proof of U.S. citizenship in the form of their birth certificate issued by the city, county or state, or a certificate of citizenship or a naturalization certificate.  Applicants will also need a valid form of photo identification, and they must submit a photocopy of that identification, such as a current valid driver’s license, government ID or military photo ID. There will be passport photo service available at the Whitewater Post Office.

For first time applicants, the fee for a passport book is $110.00 to the Department of State with an acceptance fee of $35 to the Postal Service. The Acceptance fee for an adult passport card is $35.00. An expedited process is also available for an additional fee. Passport applications for both the book and the card require a 2 x 2 photograph in color, which can be taken at the Passport Event for $15.00. The application fee for minors under the age of 16 is $80 for a Passport Book and $15 for a Passport Card, and the Acceptance Fee is $35.

“We’re here to help our customers as they prepare to travel the world,” added Benes.  “We make getting a passport easy and convenient with a one-stop shop solution,” she explained.

Customers can learn more about passport application costs and save time by downloading forms and scheduling an appointment at select Post Offices at www.usps.com/passport. U.S. citizens may also obtain passport information by phone, in English and Spanish, by calling the National Passport Information Center toll-free at 1-877-487-2778. For the latest information on passport deadlines and other travel requirements established by the U.S. Department of State, go to www.travel.state.gov. Travelers can check the status of their passport applications online at: http://travel.state.gov/passport/status/status_2567.html.  

The groundbreaking at the site is scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday, September 11.

Collaboration and creativity are driving the plans for the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Community Engagement Center and a new hotel on the city’s west side.  The site, located at 1260 W. Main St. (former Sentry Grocery Store), will soon undergo a major redesign that will include the construction of a privately owned and operated 70-room, Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott hotel on the south side of the property. The existing 52,000-square-foot building to the north, which previously housed the former Sentry grocery store, is being leased to the university and will be transformed into a state-of-the-art UW-Whitewater Community Engagement Center — a hub for faculty, staff, students and community members to engage in community-based learning, projects, and research.

For more information, 

From UWWSports.com:

The No. 12 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football team used an early surge Saturday afternoon to defeat Concordia Moorhead (Minn.) 24-6 in a non-conference affair in front of 8,168 fans at Perkins Stadium.

The Warhawks (2-0 overall) tallied 24 first-half points and didn’t look back. Defensively, the team held the Cobbers (1-1) to 173 total yards, including 96 on the ground, to help avenge a loss last season against Concordia in Moorhead.

Senior quarterback Cole Wilber finish 20-of-28 passing with 223 yards and two touchdowns. Senior wide receiver Mitchell Dess contributed five receptions for 77 yards and one score, and sophomore wide receiver JT Parish posted four catches for 65 yards and one touchdown.

Sophomore running back Alex Peete ran for a career-high 104 yards on 19 carries and opened scoring with a six-yard touchdown run midway through the first quarter.

Junior linebacker Jacob Erbs paced the defense with eight tackles, and senior linebacker Bryce Leszczynski collected seven tackles, including 1.5 for a loss, and one forced fumble. Senior defensive lineman Harry Henschler registered five tackles, including 2.5 for a loss, and one forced fumble.

The Warhawks conclude non-conference action next Saturday, Sept. 15, when they host Middle Georgia State at 2 p.m. A pregame concert featuring Kinfolk will begin at noon in the Perkins Stadium parking lot.

From maxpreps.com:

Big Foot won the last time they faced Whitewater, and things went their way on Friday, too. Big Foot blew past Whitewater 48-18. Big Foot was expected to win, but the margin was definitely larger than the state rankings had forecast.

The win bumped Big Foot’s record up to 1-3. Whitewater is still searching for that first win as they fell to 0-4.

Whitewater will face off against McFarland next week.

For video highlights, head over to the recap at MaxPreps.com. 

From Coach Nelson: 

On Saturday, the Whippets won the Edgerton Quad Championship. Three out of the four teams were playing with replacements at different spots due to ACT testing, which led to some imbalances in competition at times. Whitewater had Hailey Murphy filling in for their two single’s player Hannah Delaney. The Whippet player was able to play solid tennis throughout the day winning all three matches by 7-0 scores.

Whitewater had a few key highlights throughout the day at different spots. Hailey Murphy, playing her first ever varsity tournament, was pretty worn out by the end of the day, but also quite happy with her play. She played solid tennis, keeping the ball in play and hustling for everything. In her final match of the day she had taken a 3-0 lead in the second set, before losing the next four. She was able to regroup and take the next three games to win the match.

Sydney Treder at number 1 singles played one of her smartest matches ever, in her final match against Edgerton. She was very aggressive at the net, yet controlled and efficient.

At number 1 doubles, Odessa Sonn and Sophie Olson continue to improve their game plan and execution. All day the two played mistake-free tennis.

Saturday was a very good day for the number two doubles team of Melanie Reyes and Mariana Cano. The two have run into some very stiff competition the last couple of weeks, so to be able to get back into the win column will do wonders for their growth. All day the two were able to focus on the basics that the team has been stressing in practice and matches, and they were able to make some nice strides in those areas.

Cassidy Laue, at 3 singles, Katelyn Partoll, at 4 singles, and Marissa Mueller and Tessa Papcke, at 3 doubles, were also all 3-0 on the day. There were times when they struggled with the focus but were all able to overcome those moments to bring everything together to pull out the wins.

The Whippets will be back to conference play Tuesday, Sept. 11, at home, against Edgerton.

From Coach Chenoweth:

The Whitewater Boys Soccer team played two non-conference games during this past week. We came into the week knowing both games would be competitive. Like most of the other outdoor sports in the region, we also ended up having to deal with wet weather and muddy fields.

On Tuesday, the Whippets hosted Cambridge-Deerfield United. The Whippets went up early on a play up the left side with good touch passing between Cristian Reyes, Colin Chenoweth and Ignacio Cuevas. Cuevas touched it back to Chenoweth who was then able to connect with Juan Cuellar who beat his man and put Whippets in the lead. Unfortunately, the Whippets gave up 3 goals in the first half on one good cross and two balls that we couldn’t clear in front of our box. We managed to pull one goal back in the second half, but couldn’t capitalize again when Cambridge-Deerfield had to play one man down due to a red card.

Thursday the Whippets hosted the Monroe Cheesemakers. The Whippets got on the board first when we counter-attacked a corner-kick and Shawn Chan scored his first goal of the season. Chan struck again 4 minutes later when he cleaned up a Monroe error at the top of the penalty box. First-half keeper, Sergio Zuniga, and our defensive back line held Monroe scoreless in the first half. Early in the second half Monroe earned a penalty kick, but our second half keeper, Slate Spear, stepped up with a big save. Monroe got a goal off of a long throw-in that we were unable to clear and then it was touch and go as we tried hard to keep the lead. The Whippets went down a man with a red card later in the half but held on for the win.

The Whippets are now 2-2 with a busy week ahead. Monday, we head to Janesville Parker and begin our conference games on Thursday, Sept. 13 as we host East Troy/Palmyra. Then, we are off to a tournament in Milton on Friday and Saturday.

Whitewater 2, Cambridge-Deerfield 3
Whitewater 1 1
Cambridge-Deerfield 3 0

Whitewater 2, Monroe 1
Whitewater 2 0
Monroe 0 1

The University/Community Band is starting up again on Monday, September 10! Rehearsals begin at 6:45 and end by 8:45 pm, and are held in the Greenhill Center of the Arts on the Campus of UW-Whitewater.

Our concert will be Sunday, November 11. If you love to be in a band, this is the place for you!

Questions? Please email Glenn Hayes at hayesg@uww.edu.

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Article by Coach Nelson

The Whippet Girls’ Tennis Team was back in action with a conference meet against Big Foot on Thursday evening.

The weather has been playing havoc with the Whippets’ practice schedule the past two weeks. Coach Nelson was a little worried knowing that the Big Foot coach is a pro at FLAC indoor tennis club and thus their team may have been able to get more practice time in during this last week. It certainly began that way as Whitewater started out very slowly, being down in 5 of the 7 matches and not looking good. Whitewater’s number 1 singles player, Sydney Treder was down 0-4 near the start of her match. Slowly, the girls started to pick things up- winning a few more points, then a few more games, and ended up really turning things around. Whitewater ended up winning 6 of the 7 matches.

Cassidy Laue, at 3 singles, and Katelyn Partoll, at 4 singles, were the most consistent players on the evening. The two of them played very smart tennis throughout their entire matches. They both had some shaky tennis shots to start out as well, but their shot selection got them through the beginning and then they continued to step it up through each and every game.

The weather finally looks like it may allow the Whippets to get in some practice time that is desperately needed, in addition to a quad this Saturday in Edgerton.

November Referendum Addresses WUSD Financial Needs

By Casey Judd, President
Whitewater Unified School District Board

In mid-August, the Whitewater Unified School District board passed a resolution to place an operational referendum on the November 6 ballot. This decision came after an inclusive process to examine and address the district’s financial needs. When considering these needs, it’s important to take a moment to understand how our state’s schools and districts are funded.

In Wisconsin, the amount of money a school district receives is restricted by a revenue limit, also known as a revenue cap. Each district has its own revenue limit based on a number set by the state legislature in 1993. The revenue limit depends largely on a district’s annual enrollment, and the number gets changed every two years according to the state budget. In WUSD, revenue limits dictate the majority of our operational spending.

In recent years, state budgets have not increased the revenue limits to keep up with inflation. We’ve also seen a slight decline in Whitewater’s student enrollment. As a result, our revenue limit is decreasing at a rate much faster than our ability to see costs savings due to serving fewer students.

WUSD’s current revenue limit is at the same level as the 2010-11 fiscal year. Over the past eight years, we have seen notable increases in health insurance premiums and other costs related to inflation and investments in technology. Our revenue limit simply has not kept pace.

The district and board have been very conscious of making the most of the money taxpayers have invested in WUSD. We have worked to cut costs in numerous areas. This has included negotiating with health insurers for renewal decreases for the 2018-19 school year, transitioning to self-funded dental insurance, and improving energy efficiency to reduce utility costs.

In 2014, voters in the district approved a four-year operational referendum to increase the district’s revenue limit authority. This has allowed us to maintain programs and services for students and continue our legacy of delivering a top-quality educational experience.

This referendum will expire in June 2019. Now, the board must return to taxpayers for their approval for a replacement referendum.

Working with community members, including our Citizen Finance Advisory Committee, the district and board have developed a solution we believe enables us to maintain and enhance the programs and services available to students now and in the future.

If the November 6 referendum is approved, it will provide four more years of increased revenue limit authority. Funds generated would go toward maintaining targeted class sizes, maintaining student support and mental health services, maintaining instructional and co-curricular programs, and maintaining technology, safety, and facilities infrastructure.

Over the coming weeks and months, community members will have multiple opportunities to take part in this process and make their voices heard. We look forward to engaging in a productive conversation about the future of Whitewater’s public schools.

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Referéndum de Noviembre Aborda las Necesidades Financieras de WUSD

Por Casey Judd, Presidente
Consejo del Distrito Escolar Unificado de Whitewater

A mediados de agosto, el consejo del Distrito Escolar Unificado de Whitewater aprobó una resolución para realizar un referéndum operativo en la boleta del 6 de noviembre. Esta decisión se produjo después de un proceso inclusivo para examinar y abordar las necesidades financieras del distrito.

Al considerar estas necesidades, es importante tomarse un momento para comprender cómo se financian las escuelas y los distritos de nuestro estado.

En Wisconsin, la cantidad de dinero que recibe un distrito escolar está restringida por un límite de ingresos, también conocido como límite de ingresos. Cada distrito tiene su propio límite de ingresos basado en un número establecido por la legislatura estatal en 1993. El límite de ingresos depende en gran medida de la inscripción anual del distrito, y el número se cambia cada dos años de acuerdo con el presupuesto estatal. En WUSD, los límites de ingresos dictan la mayoría de nuestros gastos operativos.

En los últimos años, los presupuestos estatales no han aumentado los límites de ingresos para mantenerse al día con la inflación. También hemos visto una ligera disminución en la matrícula de estudiantes de Whitewater. Como resultado, nuestro límite de ingresos está disminuyendo a un ritmo mucho más rápido que nuestra capacidad para ver los ahorros de costos debido a servir menos estudiantes.

El límite actual de ingresos de WUSD está en el mismo nivel que el año fiscal 2010-11. En los últimos ocho años, hemos visto aumentos notables en las primas de seguros de salud y otros costos relacionados con la inflación y las inversiones en tecnología. Nuestro límite de ingresos simplemente no ha seguido el ritmo.

El distrito y el consejo han sido muy conscientes de aprovechar al máximo el dinero que los contribuyentes han invertido en WUSD. Hemos trabajado para reducir costos en numerosas áreas. Esto ha incluido la negociación con las aseguradoras de salud para la disminución de la renovación para el año escolar 2018-19, la transición a un seguro dental autofinanciado y la mejora de la eficiencia energética para reducir los costos de los servicios públicos.

En 2014, los votantes en el distrito aprobaron un referéndum operacional de cuatro años para aumentar la autoridad de límite de ingresos del distrito. Esto nos ha permitido mantener programas y servicios para estudiantes y continuar nuestro legado de ofrecer una experiencia educativa de alta calidad.

Este referéndum expirará en junio de 2019. Ahora, el consejo debe regresar a los contribuyentes para su aprobación para un referéndum de reemplazo.

Trabajando con miembros de la comunidad, incluido nuestro Comité Asesor de Finanzas Ciudadanas, el distrito y el consejo han desarrollado una solución que creemos que nos permite mantener y mejorar los programas y servicios disponibles para los estudiantes ahora y en el futuro.

Si se aprueba el referéndum del 6 de noviembre, proporcionará cuatro años más de aumento de la autoridad de límite de ingresos. Los fondos generados se destinarían a mantener el tamaño de las clases, mantener el apoyo de los estudiantes y los servicios de salud mental, mantener los programas instructivos y cocurriculares y mantener la infraestructura tecnológica, de seguridad y de las instalaciones.

En las próximas semanas y meses, los miembros de la comunidad tendrán múltiples oportunidades para participar en este proceso y hacer que sus voces sean escuchadas. Esperamos participar en una conversación productiva sobre el futuro de las escuelas públicas de Whitewater.