Previously it was announced that the final Christmas tree collection, without an appointment, would take place on Tuesday, January 9. Brian Neumeister, streets superintendent, told the Banner that, due to the weather forecast, it is uncertain as to whether the collection will be performed tomorrow. Due to this uncertainty a Christmas tree collection will be scheduled for Tuesday, January 16. After that date residents will need to call the Department of Public Works at 262-473-0560 before Tuesday at 5 a.m. to schedule a brush pickup.
Trees that have been flocked or contain wire will not be collected. Please place these trees for collection by John’s Disposal on the second Thursday of the month, your bulk pick up day.
By Lynn Binnie Whitewater Banner volunteer staff whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
Update 1/9 @ 4:20 p.m. – The Weather Service expects an additional 3-5″ of snow for the Whitewater area. The Winter Weather Warning continues until 3 a.m. Also, see the bottom of this post for two additional anticipated systems later in the week.
As of Tuesday morning’s 10:00 briefing, the National Weather Service Milwaukee/Sullivan Weather Forecast Office is predicting that the Whitewater area’s total snow accumulation will be in the range of 6-10″. Accumulation this afternoon may be up to 1″ per hour at times. Anyone who is going to be shoveling is advised to be very cautious, as moving the wet, heavy snow puts quite a toll on the body and can contribute to a heart attack. In the evening the snow is expected to change over from the wet, compacted snow to a more dry, fluffy snow.
Two more rounds of snow are in the forecast, for Wednesday night and Friday to Saturday.
Wednesday Night
Light powdery snowfall expected late Wednesday evening into early Thursday morning.
1-2 inches of snowfall is expected across southern Wisconsin
Next System This Weekend
Another potentially potent system for Friday into Saturday
System could bring several inches of moderate to heavy snowfall
Uncertainty in system track (small shifts will influence potential weather impacts)
Much colder air expected to move in behind this system for Sunday into Monday
Editor’s note: Updated on 1/9 at 11:30 p.m. to add two WUSD notices.
City of Whitewater Spring Election Candidates/Ballot Draw – Monday @ 5:30 p.m. Agenda: Ballot draw for at large Common Council seat Whitewater Municipal Building , Community Room 312 West Whitewater St., Whitewater, WI 53190 *In Person and Virtual Please click the link below to join the webinar: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/8140860175pwd=1jukmOSlmqORjlLSd0Dp2SWEiCbp0A.lTocz9sieOBVSfZ5 Passcode: 503011 Or Telephone +1 312 626 6799 US Webinar ID: 814 0860 1750
City of Whitewater Plan & Architectural Review Commission – Monday @ 6:00 p.m. Agenda includes Conditional Use Permit for sign package for Starbucks, Public Hearing Regarding Consideration of a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) to allow for zero lot line condominiums on Meadow View (off Indian Mounds Parkway), Possible Consideration and Approval of the Preliminary Plat and Possible Consideration and Approval of Final Plat for Meadow View project. Whitewater Municipal Building Community Room, 312 West Whitewater St. *In Person and Virtual Citizens are welcome (and encouraged) to join our webinar via computer, smart phone, or telephone. Citizen participation is welcome during topic discussion periods. Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone. https://meet.goto.com/997301941 You can also dial in using your phone. Access Code: 997-301-941 United States: +1 (224) 501-3412 Get the app now and be ready when your first meeting starts: https://meet.goto.com/install
City of Whitewater Ethics Committee – Tuesday @ 5:00 p.m. Agenda includes executive session to Consider complaints against elected officials, possibly followed by open session. Whitewater Municipal Building Community Room, 312 West Whitewater St., Whitewater, WI 53190 *In Person and Virtual Citizens are welcome (and encouraged) to join our webinar via computer, smart phone, or telephone. Citizen participation is welcome during topic discussion periods. Please click the link below to join the webinar: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83773150974?pwd=XQN0MAk3BjZ01oMA9ldLdLvXMFjn8g.zHzIaEt32XxXnX Sl Passcode: 195569 Or Telephone: +1 312 626 6799 US Webinar ID: 837 7315 0974 Passcode: 195569
WUSD Notices
Members of the Whitewater School Board will be attending the WUSD Unplugged session at Lincoln Elementary on Wednesday, January 10, 2024 beginning at 4:00 p.m. A quorum of the School Board may be present; however, the Board will not be conducting any business during the event.
Whitewater School Board members and other Whitewater Unified School District officials will be attending the Crossing Guard & Bus Driver Appreciation Breakfast at Whitewater High School on Thursday, January 11, 2024. A quorum of the School Board may be present; however, the Board will not be conducting any business during this event.
The Discover Whitewater Series (DWS): Half Marathon, Half Marathon Team Event, and 5k is excited to announce that registration is now open for its 12th annual race. The upcoming Discover Whitewater Series is set to be held on September 22, 2024. Since its establishment in 2013, the DWS has hosted 11 successful races, raising $274,500 for local charities. The DWS partners with the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and the City of Whitewater to make this race a premium community event. Once again, the DWS plans to host a fun and safe event the entire community can enjoy. This year, the DWS will be maintaining fan-favorite events from years past such as: Kids Korral childcare, Half Marathon Team Event, and its Post Race Celebration at 841 Brewhouse. “We’d like to invite runners of all capacities to join us in our 12th Annual DWS, begin training now and join us for another successful race this year!” said Race Director, Dawson Miller. The DWS is offering an early bird special through the end of the month where registration rates are at their lowest of the year. The DWS team looks forward to another successful race, and is excited to see all the runners come together once again! “The DWS does so much for the Whitewater community, it brings everyone together and I’m thrilled to be a part of it,” said GWC Chairman, Crystal Singer. To get signed up while early bird rates still apply, visit: www.RunWhitewater.com/Register. About the DWS: The goal of the DWS is to promote the City of Whitewater and highlight its greatest features, while keeping everyone in the community active. All the proceeds from the race are donated to five local non-profit partners: Bethel House (which provides interim housing for homeless families), Whitewater LEADS, Working for Whitewater’s Wellness (W3), Whitewater Unified School District and the J-Hawk Aquatic Club. The DWS partners with the city, business community, university and the school district to make this a tremendous event that benefits all who participate. For more information about the race visit www.runwhitewater.com.
By Lynn Binnie Whitewater Banner volunteer staff whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
With a 17-9 win at Lambeau Field over the Chicago Bears on Sunday, January 7, the Green Bay Packers earned a wild card berth in the playoffs. They’ll face the Dallas Cowboys, coached by former Packers’ coach Mike McCarthy, on Sunday, January 14 at 3:30 p.m. at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX. The game will be broadcast on Fox. The Cowboys have won their last 16 games at home.
Reportedly the Packers are the youngest team to reach the playoffs since 1978. They are also currently the youngest team in the league, and Jordan Love is in his first season as full-time starting quarterback. The Packers didn’t make the playoffs with Favre and Rodgers as starting quarterback until year two. Love was quoted as saying after the game, “You want to play in the big-time games when the pressure is on and be able to go showcase what you’re made of. Being on the bench those three years and being behind Aaron [Rogers] and just wanting to be out there so bad, now that I have my opportunity, just make the most of it. Take it and run with it […] It’s definitely something that I was waiting for and dreaming of and it’s definitely everything that it’s living up to be.”
Editor’s note: The following press release was received from the Whitewater Arts Alliance.
Kim Adams has accepted the position as Gallery Director for the Whitewater Arts Alliance. As a lifelong learner and advocate for the arts, she believes that creativity resides in everyone. She enjoys teaching, brainstorming, and collaborating with diverse individuals and teams. With 35 years in higher education, including 32 years at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, she retired as Assistant Director of the James R. Connor University Center in June 2021.
One of the standout achievements in Kim’s career has been her instrumental role in developing and supervising The Center Art Gallery and Roberta’s Art Gallery. Her collaborative efforts with the UW-W Art Department, alongside engagement with student artists, local, regional, national, and international talents, have been pivotal in fostering a vibrant artistic community. Kim has also been actively involved with local organizations such as the Whitewater Arts Alliance, Studio 84, Fairhaven Senior Services, Optimist International, Association of College Unions International and the Whitewater Unified School District, among others.
Kim’s impact extends beyond gallery curation and collaboration. She played a crucial role in the development of the permanent art collection at the UC, orchestrating collaborative projects that bridged the gap between professional artists and students. Her commitment to education and outreach is further exemplified by her involvement in coordinating camps and research during the summer and serving as the Community Outreach Specialist for the Chancellor’s Office in the fall.
As a charter member and three-time president of the UW-Whitewater/Community Optimist Club, Kim chaired Optimist Trivia Night for seven years, raising nearly $90,000. She served as advisor for the UW-Whitewater Student Optimist Club, led service-learning trips, and taught leadership courses during a good portion of her service career. Kim, an eternal optimist, is a creative problem solver and collaborative leader. She resides in Whitewater with her life partner Angie Alesci and enjoys Wisconsin sports, boating, gardening, photography, crafting, singing in her church choir, and exploring the outdoors.
The Greater Whitewater Committee (GWC) is set to host Assistant Vice Chancellor for Enrollment and Retention, Jackie Briggs, as guest speaker at its upcoming monthly meeting in January. Briggs will be discussing UW-Whitewater’s efforts in enrollment and retention. The GWC’s upcoming monthly meeting is scheduled to take place on Thursday, January 11th at 7 a.m. at 841 Brewhouse: 841 E Milwaukee St, Whitewater, WI 53190. The public is welcome to attend this meeting, so that they may get a chance to learn more about the future of the University. If interested in attending, RSVP is required. To reserve your spot, contact Jeff Knight at jpk@knightpublicaffairs.com or 920.728.0662 by Wednesday, January 10th. “We are excited to hear about the efforts in retention and enrollment at the University,” said GWC President, Jeff Knight, “UW-Whitewater’s success is one of GWC’s top priorities.” Assistant Vice Chancellor, Jackie Briggs, has been in this position since May, 2023. Previously, Briggs served as Director of Admissions since 2017 at UW-W, prior to that was the Assistant Director of Admissions at UW-La Crosse. She has more than 16 years of recruitment and retention experience in higher education. Additionally, Jackie received her Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Communication and Psychology from UW-Whitewater along with her Master’s Degree in College Student Counseling and Personnel Services from Bowling Green State University. About the GWC The GWC is an action-oriented group committed to working with citizens, elected officials, and policy makers to identify, craft, and implement a pro-business agenda. Its goals are to advance the economic, educational, and social policies required to energize and secure the Whitewater area’s economic future, as well as protect Whitewater’s quality of life.
Whitewater Unified School District will be closed on Tuesday, January 9, 2024 due to a Winter Storm Warning that is tracking heavy snow that will impact travel during school hours. All before and after-school athletics and activities for Tuesday will also be canceled. Fort Atkinson schools are also closed.
Mark Dorn indicates that the movie at Seniors in the Park will be rescheduled.
Kay Robers indicates that the Community Space will be closed.
All city buildings will be closed, including the Irvin L. Young Memorial Library.
Any further weather closing announcements will be added to this page.
Kickoff for the 2024 FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) Season, “Crescendo,” took place on Saturday, January 6, with a worldwide release of the requirements for a new music-themed game. Twenty-one members of Whitewater High School’s FRC Team Ferradermis traveled to Mukwonago High School for a kickoff event hosted by Team 930, the Mukwonago Bears. They were joined by Team 8701 Graffiti from Greendale, Team 6421 WarriorBots from Muskego, Team 8002 The Knack from Hartland, Team 5148 New Berlin Blitz, and rookie team 9760 from Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Milwaukee.
Twenty-one members of Ferradermis traveled to the Season Kickoff Event in Mukwonago
Kickoff events started with a series of workshops where students could learn about team/task organization, programming, prototyping, FIRST Wisconsin leadership opportunities, CAD, and more. At 11:00 a.m., all participating teams gathered together to watch the worldwide broadcast that would reveal the much-teased game via a game animation. To watch the animation and learn about the game, visit https://youtu.be/9keeDyFxzY4. After a pizza break, teams worked to break down the 150-page rule book individually and then by teaming up with representatives from all of the other participating teams.
The single game piece this year is a 14” diameter orange foam ring, known as a “note” because of its likeness to a musical whole note. The robot must interact with a variety of field elements including the “speaker,” the “amp,” the “stage,” and the “source.” Robots will collect notes from the source and deliver them to the amp and the speaker. The amp has lights controlled by the human player that can signal point scoring in the speaker is amplified for a certain amount of time based on the number of notes in the amp. There are also opportunities for the two alliances playing against each other to use coopertition to reduce the total number of notes needed to earn ranking points. [Coopertition means that teams help and cooperate with each other, even as they compete.] Situations that incorporate coopertition and cooperation are named “melody” and “ensemble” to keep with the music theme. During the end game, the human player will have an opportunity to make a half-court ring-toss that will help increase point values for tasks in the end game.
Maddi and Cosette work with FIRST Wisconsin President Renee Becker-BlauStudents check out the new Game Piece for the 2024 seasonGroups of students from various teams discuss the game rulesMukwonago hosted 7 area FRC teams for kickoffFerradermis members returned to WHS to continue discussing robot designs
Ferradermis members returned to the high school for the remainder of the afternoon on Saturday to discuss their approach to start the season and to start setting specific goals for what their robot will do. They will now begin meeting 20-30 hours per week after school and on weekends to design, manufacture, assemble, wire, program, and test their new robot. They will put their bot on the field for the first time in a scrimmage at Sussex-Hamilton High School on Sunday, February 18, and need to be fully ready for competition before the end of February.
Ferradermis is scheduled to compete in three regional events this year, with each event lasting four days and consisting of 50-60 high school teams. They will be at the Northern Lights Regional in Duluth from February 28 – March 3, at the Wisconsin Regional in Milwaukee from March 14-17, and at the Midwest Regional in Chicago over Spring Break from March 27-30. The team is particularly excited for the Chicago event as it will host teams from 6 countries (Panama, the Czech Republic, Turkey, Canada, the US, and Mexico) and 10 states including Hawaii, California, New York, and Florida. Four teams from each regional will advance to Championships in Houston, Texas in mid-April.
The public is invited to learn more about the team at their Open House at Whitewater High School on Saturday, February 3, between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
Article and Photos Submitted by Laura Masbruch Whitewater High School Robotics Advisor and Banner Volunteer lmasbruch@wwusd.org
Editor’s note: The following press release was received from the Irvin L. Young Memorial Library.
Community members are invited to a presentation by Carol McLernon celebrating the 130th anniversary of the World’s Fair in Chicago, which will be held at the Irvin L. Young Memorial Library on Tuesday, January 9 at 5:30 p.m.
Attendees will learn about Wisconsin’s building at the fair, new foods that were introduced and famous people who attended. Those from Wisconsin included Harry Houdini and Frank Lloyd Wright.
Jennifer Motzko, Head of Archives at UW-Whitewater’s Andersen Library, will also have Exposition items from their collection on display. There is no cost or registration to attend this presentation. The library is located at 431 W. Center St. in Whitewater.
