News

City of Whitewater Urban Forestry Commission – Monday @ 5:30 p.m.
Agenda includes Discussion and possible action on a education piece for the Whitewater Banner why
the Bradford pear should not be used in plantings and the environmental impact of planting them.
Discussion and possible action on the use of Tree Sale funds to pay to remove Bradford Pear trees from the city landscape & replace with alternatives. Discussion and possible action on what to do with wood from Territorial Oak.
Discussion regarding having controlled burns in city parks.
Cravath Lakefront room 2nd floor 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 click the link below to join the webinar:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88529480331?pwd=O8ujJsf9tOZN1D7fN1iypKnAZjOmXS.1
Meeting ID: 885 2948 0331
Passcode: 648772 —
One tap mobile
+13126266799,,88529480331#,,,,*648772# US (Chicago)

Whitewater Unified School District School Board – Monday @ 6:30 p.m. – CLOSED SESSION
Whitewater High School Library
534 South Elizabeth Street, Whitewater, Wisconsin
6:30 p.m.
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6:30 p.m. via Zoom Online
– URL: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89239395241?pwd=b77pMwExa5beQEErRpDWYD4BB6dfNc.1
– Passcode: 307067
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– Dial-in: 1-312-626-6799
– Webinar ID: 892 3939 5241
– Passcode: 307067
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Closed Session
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7:00 p.m. via Zoom Online – OPEN SESSION

Agenda (Click on “meetings” in upper right corner)
– URL: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88976820391?pwd=wFHrfZ1QIAYMfXKahhMmIBa140ZZpI.1
– Passcode: 171688
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– Dial-in: 1-312-626-6799
– Webinar ID: 889 7682 0391
– Passcode: 171688
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City of Whitewater Finance Committee – Tuesday @ 5:00 p.m.
Agenda includes Review of Sample Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Analyses Presentation from Ehler’s Inc.
on sample Tax Increment Financing analyses conducted in other Wisconsin communities.
Whitewater Municipal Building City Manager’s Conference Room, 312 West Whitewater St.
*In Person and Virtual
Tuesday, August 26, 2025 – 5:00 PM
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: You are invited to a Zoom webinar!
Join from PC, Mac, iPad, or Android:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87134989060
Phone one-tap:
+13126266799, 87134989060# US
Join via audio:
+1 312 626 6799 US
Webinar ID: 871 3498 9060

Community Meeting for a Discussion of Common Code Enforcement Violations – Thursday @ 5:00 p.m.
Where: City of Whitewater Municipal Building, Community Room 1st Floor
Conference Room, 312 W. Whitewater St., and virtually
Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
https://meet.goto.com/488521845
You can also dial in using your phone.
Access Code: 488-521-845
United States: +1 (646) 749-3122
Get the app now and be ready when your first meeting starts:
https://meet.goto.com/install

Copper bracelet and copper enameling workshops are being offered at Wisconsin Makers in September. Leani Schoor will lead “Make Your Own Copper Bracelet” on Monday, Sept. 8, at the nonprofit makerspace in Whitewater. The cost is $20 and includes a bracelet to take home. In addition, she will teach “Copper Enameling for Beginners and Beyond” on Monday, Sept. 15. The fee is $25 and includes a copper dish. Copper enameling is a traditional technique that involves fusing powdered glass to a copper surface at high heat to create a permanent, colorful coating.

Both workshops will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. at Wisconsin Makers, 200 E. Clay St., Whitewater. Payment may be made at the workshops, which are geared toward ages 10 and up. Register by calling Schoor at (608) 421-4078 or emailing her at leanischoor@gmail.com.

Schorr earned her Bachelor of Science degree in art education and master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from the
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. She taught art at Jefferson High School for 38 years. The owner of Studio 2154 in Madison, Schorr teaches wet and needle felting, beadwork, glass fusing, cement yard art, ceramics, copper enameling, metal work and quilting.

Located at the corner of East Clay and Wisconsin streets in Whitewater, Wisconsin Makers is a makerspace that creates an affordable, collaborative and educational environment. The facility houses machine, welding/fabrication, electronics, automotive, 3-D printing, laser engraving and woodworking shops. It also offers pottery, ceramics, metal art, quilting, fabric arts, matting/framing and more.

For more information about the makerspace or workshops, contact Chris Spangler at (920) 728-2960.

Ten new faces are joining the Whitewater High School Staff for the 2025-2026 school year, and they are excited to be part of the Whippet Family!

New Whitewater High School Staff Members:

• Mrs. Valerie Alvarez, School Social Worker
• Mr. Kevin Ditter, Math Teacher
• Mr. Aaron Gibbs, Science Teacher
• Ms. Megan Gleisner, School Psychologist
• Mr. Ben Hertel, Counselor
• Mr. Kurt Nickelsburg, Business and Information Technology Teacher
• Mr. Nolan Otremba, Technology and Engineering Teacher
• Mr. Mike Rick, Career and Technical Education Coordinator
• Miss Abigail Sokoloskis, English Intern
• Mr. Gavin Van Epps, Math Teacher

Video and Information Submitted by Laura Masbruch
Whitewater High School Teacher and Banner Volunteer
lmasbruch@wwusd.org

Editor’s note: Apologies for the late posting of this program. Unfortunately, the deadline for registration is shown as Sunday, August 24. Hopefully they might accept a Monday registration. (If one is not sure, perhaps it’s worth risking $20 to get the registration in on time.)

UW-Madison Extension Dairy Program – Calving management practices and Neonate care in dairy cattle.,
Workshop – August 28-29, 2025
By, Alison Pfau and Manuel Pena, UW-Madison Division of Extension – Bilingual Dairy Program

The training of the farm personnel has positive impacts on animal welfare and performance and increases the overall farm profitability. To support dairy farms and their employees, the UW-Extension Dairy program has developed the “Calving management practices and Neonate care in dairy cattle” bilingual workshop. This program will help farm personnel to recognize (1) the imminent signs of birth and calving process, (2) provide guidelines for calving management practices to reduce the prevalence of stillbirth and health issues in cows, (3) be able to determine when first calf heifers or cows need assistance at calving, (4) the importance of calf management and neonate care after calving, and (5) the importance of the transition cow nutrition as a method of disease prevention and welfare. Also, the participants will have a Hands-On demonstration, where they will have the opportunity to practice calving events on a cow model along with learning guidelines for calving management practices. We want to thank Zoetis for sponsoring this workshop and supporting our programs.

The workshop training features Dr. Lautaro Rostoll Cangiano, Assistant Professor in the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, Dr. JP Martins, Assistant professor Department of Medical Sciences School of Veterinary – UW Madison, M.Sc. Manuel Pena, bilingual regional dairy educator from Sheboygan, Dodge, Fond du Lac, and Ozaukee counties, and M.Sc. Alison Pfau, bilingual regional dairy educator from Dane, Jefferson, Rock and Walworth counties.

Join this event in August and take the opportunity to learn from, and discuss with experts during the dates below:

Location: UW Madison extension office Jefferson County- 864 Collins Rd. Jefferson WI. 53549

• August 28th, 2025 – 9:00am-4:00pm – English Session
• August 29th, 2025 – 9:00am-4:00pm – Spanish Session

All attendees are in-person at the location of the event.
There will not be a Zoom option available.

Pre-registration by August 24th, 2025, is required!
Cost: $20 – Includes lunch and materials
For more information and to register for the training, visit:
https://go.wisc.edu/jeffersoncalving2025

For more information, please contact:
Alison Pfau → Bilingual Regional Dairy Educator Dane, Jefferson, Rock and Walworth counties
alison.pfau@wisc.edu
Phone number: 608-220-4779
Manuel Pena → Bilingual Regional Dairy Educator Sheboygan, Dodge, Fond du Lac, and Ozaukee counties.
manuel.pena@wisc.edu
Phone number: 920-449-0725

Updated 8/23/25 8:40 p.m. – Roy Nosek suggested that it should be noted that “those are the original BARR pavers that covered Whitewater Street when I first served on the Common Council and I tried to preserve but were unfortunately removed and replaced with the current concrete street and later squandered at a city summer auction. A picture of a parade down Main Street by Fran Achen used to hang in Jessica’s restaurant and may still.”

Roy Nosek happened to be downtown when Main Street was torn up for the recent replacement of the lead water lines. He was curious as to what materials might be found in previous layers of the street, so he asked a worker if he could get closer to the hole in order to take a photo. Though the employee didn’t want to take the risk of a resident falling into the hole, he did offer to take a few photos himself, which Dr. Nosek forwarded to The Whitewater Banner.

Director of Public Works Brad Marquardt kindly responded with the following analysis of the layers. “It appears from plans from 1963, the section between Whitewater Street and 2^nd Street was raised.  My guess is that Main Street in these two blocks had an existing section of concrete with the bricks laid on top.  Then in 1963, when the curb and gutter was raised, they decided to just pave over the bricks.  I do not have any plans indicating when the concrete/bricks were installed.”

Our thanks to both Roy Nosek and Brad Maquardt for providing an interesting historic view of our downtown Main Street.

It’s time once again for #FlashbackFriday with the Whitewater Historical Society. This week’s image is of a fine limestone-constructed bridge, probably over Whitewater Creek somewhere. Several of these stone bridges were built in the area around the turn of the twentieth century. Very sturdy for the time, they show great craftsmanship. Unfortunately, these old bridges are long gone. Over time they deteriorated and were not suitable for modern car and truck traffic.

Join us next week for more from the Whitewater Historical Society.

2948GP Whitewater Historical Society

First Fall Hunter Safety Education Course

Sheriff Fell is pleased to announce that the Rock County Sheriff’s Office will offer our third 2025 Hunter Safety Education Course on September 20, 2025, from 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., and September 21, 2025, from 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., at the Edgerton Conservation Club, 900 Stoughton Road, Edgerton, WI 53534. There will be an in-person introductory session on September 9, 2025, from 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., at the Rock County Sheriff’s Office. Students will need to attend all sessions to graduate.

Anyone born on or after January 1, 1973, is required to complete a Hunter Safety Education Course to legally hunt in Wisconsin. Students must be at least 12 years of age.

Hunter Safety Education Course

Session 1: September 9, from 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. @ Rock County Sheriff’s Office
Session 2: September 20, from 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. @ Edgerton Conservation Club
Session 3: September 21, from 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. @ Edgerton Conservation Club

Registration is now open. Complete the online enrollment form to reserve a seat.
https://www.co.rock.wi.us/departments/sheriff-s-office/recreational-patrol/hunter-education
Class size is limited to thirty (30) students. Upon submission of the registration form, the submitter will see an onscreen confirmation message with course information.

The course fee of $10 per student will be collected at the first session. If the student is under 18 years old, a parent/guardian will need to attend the first session with the student. Students will receive course materials at the first session. Please direct any questions to Deputy Michael Borgwardt at michael.borgwardt@co.rock.wi.us.

Editor’s note: This press release was provided by the Rock County Sheriff’s Department. The department has previously indicated to The Banner that participants are welcome from other counties.

Multi-agency Search and Rescue Exercise to Test Emergency Response in Rock and Green Counties

The Wisconsin Air Coordination Group, in partnership with Rock County Emergency
Management, will conduct a comprehensive search and rescue exercise, ACG SARX 25, to test
coordinated emergency response capabilities across Rock and Green Counties Aug. 22-23.

Exercise Scenario
ACG SARX 25 simulates the impact of severe weather causing widespread damage across both counties.
The exercise includes:

• Disaster imagery flights in response to storm damage
• Multi-person search and rescue operations using air and ground assets
• Water rescue response to a boating accident on Lake Koshkonong with a capsized vessel and
  victims in the water
• Technology-enhanced operations, including personal locator beacon activations and drone-
  based search capabilities
• Complex terrain navigation to locate and extract survivors
  Participating Agencies
  Approximately 12 agencies will participate, including:
  Wisconsin Wing Civil Air Patrol, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Wisconsin State Patrol,
  Wisconsin Army National Guard, Wisconsin Emergency Management, Rock County Emergency
  Management, Green County Search and Rescue, Southwest Wisconsin Incident Management Team,
  Salvation Army, and additional public safety agencies.
  
  Public Notice
  This is a training exercise only – no actual emergency is occurring. During the exercise, residents may
  observe increased emergency vehicle activity, aircraft operations, and personnel deployment. Boaters
  may see an increase in rescue agency watercraft and a helicopter on or near Lake Koshkonong – please
  give those training a safe distance. Real emergency services remain fully operational.

Citizens should:

• Refrain from using drones in the exercise area to allow public safety agencies to train safely
• Recognize increased emergency activity as training
• Continue to call 911 for actual emergencies
• Monitor local emergency management communications for updates

“This exercise ensures our multi-agency response capabilities are ready to protect our communities when real disasters strike,” said Rock County Emergency Management Director Kevin Wernet.

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About the exercise: ACG SARX 25 is sponsored by the Wisconsin Air Coordination Group with no federal
grant funding utilized. The exercise follows Wisconsin Emergency Management Homeland Security
Exercise and Evaluation Program guidelines.

Editor’s note: This press release was provided by Rock County Emergency Management. The Banner appreciates having permission to use the image on the homepage by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay.

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

According to online court records, the trial for Chad T. Richards, who is charged with first degree intentional homicide in the shooting death of UW-Whitewater [UW-W] gymnast Kara Welsh, has been rescheduled to begin with jury selection on June 8, 2026. Richards was also a UW-W student and was in a relationship with Welsh. Previously the trial was scheduled to begin on December 15, 2025.

Based on the online record of the status conference which was held on August 19, it appears that a contributing factor to the delay may be the wait for processing of evidence by the state crime lab. District Attorney Zeke Wiedenfeld referred to “conversations with victim’s family and their frustrations with the crime lab and processing of evidence. Email received from the crime lab today stated that the lab portion of the analysis will be done today however the drafting of the report & the peer review will take a couple weeks to complete.”

According to the complaint, Richards, who was 23, and Welsh, age 21, got into an argument on the night of August 30, 2024. He claimed that Welsh grabbed a gun first and he took it away from her, then shot her because he feared for his life.

Richards faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. He continues to be in custody in the Walworth County Jail.

Previous articles related to this subject may be found here and here.

The Walworth County Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) will offer Walk With Ease starting Monday, September 8, at Walworth Memorial Library. Created by the Arthritis Foundation, Walk With Ease is a structured walking program designed to help individuals with arthritis manage their pain and establish daily walking habits. 

Walk With Ease offers support, information, and tools to help participants develop successful exercise routines. Led by certified instructor Rebecca Way, MSW, APSW, the six-week program teaches participants proper stretching and pain management techniques, helping them build stamina and improve their walking pace. The program can be modified to meet participants’ needs, allowing them to develop exercise routines tailored to their unique goals.

“Research shows that walking is good for joints and helps improve heart, lung, and bone health,” says instructor Rebecca Way. “Walking can also help with weight management, which can reduce the risk for arthritis in the knee, heart disease, and diabetes. If you can be on your feet for 10 minutes without increased pain, you will most likely have success with Walk With Ease.” 

The information and strategies taught in the program are based on research and tested programs in exercise science, behavior change, and arthritis management. Updated and evaluated by the Thurston Arthritis Research Center and the Institute on Aging of the University of North Carolina, Walk With Ease is shown to increase balance, strength, and walking pace, as well as reduce the pain and discomfort of arthritis. The program has also been shown to build participant confidence and improve overall health.

Walk With Ease will be held every Monday, September 8 through October 13, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., at Walworth Memorial Library, 525 Kenosha Street, Walworth, WI 53184. Pre-registration is required. This workshop has a suggested contribution of $10. For more information, contact Edie Africano at (262) 741-3309. Always check with your physician before starting any exercise program.

About the ADRC of Walworth County: The ADRC provides information and assistance to older and disabled adults, their friends, family, caregivers, and the public. We can assist by evaluating your current needs and providing options available to meet the needs of your situation. Learn more at www.co.walworth.wi.us/376/Aging-Disability-Resource-Center.