News

The winners of the Jefferson County “Deck the House” contest were recently announced.
Three winners from each participating community were named, one for each of three categories: most elegant, best holiday spirit and Clark Griswold, where “any color lights, props, inflatables, roof top and yard décor that can be seen from outer space fits,” according to the official voting form.

Winners in Whitewater were:

Most elegant: 190 Locust Lane
Best holiday spirit: 1127 W. Walworth Ave.
Clark Griswold: 216 S. Locust Lane

Winners in Cambridge, Fort Atkinson, Ixonia, Jefferson, Johnson Creek, Lake Mills and Watertown may be found here. Here’s a link to the house map.

Coincidentally, (or perhaps not surprisingly), Matt Wojtkunski wrote to the Banner to say that his street, Locust Lane, has a few houses lit up in a row, and his home is animated to music. The show runs from 4:30ish to 10 p.m. Tune to 88.5 FM. “We love the holidays and enjoy doing something like this for the community,” Matt wrote.

Also, here are pictures that Paul Jhona sent of the roof at Standard Process in Palmyra.

Joy to the world! Wishing you a peaceful and pleasant day. Thanks for reading the Banner.

Editor’s note: The Banner appreciates having permission to use the above image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay.

The Whitewater High School Music Masters Ensemble, directed by Karen Tordera, presented their Music Masters Showcase on December 17 at the high school. The event included solos and small ensemble performances as well as songs sung by the entire ensemble. Photos are courtesy of Tom Ganser.

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

Bird Global, the company that operates the electric rental scooters in Whitewater during warmer months, on December 20 voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to undergo restructuring to strengthen its balance sheet in preparation for the sale of its assets. The company’s primary lenders are providing an additional $25 million debtor-in-possession funding for operations in the meantime. According to seekingalpha.com, the company has been experiencing falling sales, and in spite of aggressive expense reductions has been unable to achieve profitability. This week the company assured the city that it expects to continue fulfill its commitments and to resume normal operations in the spring, although Bird acknowledged in a November public statement that there was substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern. Apparently it was after that announcement was made that the company agreed to a “stalking horse bid” in which lenders provided a floor for the company’s value in the hope that other prospective owners offer a higher bid. In its communication to the city, Bird indicated, “We expect Bird to emerge from this restructuring process in 90-120 days with a strengthened financial position that will allow us to invest more significantly in our operations, employees, and the communities we serve for years to come.”

Jimmy Gilman, Bird’s government partnerships manager, wrote, “Our commitment to the City, local workforce, and riders remains unwavering and we expect that this restructuring will allow us to continue investing in hardware and technology and to continue building on our success in the City.” 

In response to Bird’s message, City Manager John Weidl stated, “The City of Whitewater acknowledges Bird Scooters’ recent announcement regarding their financial restructuring. We remain focused on the provision of uninterrupted services in our community. Bird’s assurance of maintaining their operations during this period is important to us, as we continue to prioritize diverse, accessible, and sustainable transportation options for our residents, such as scooters, golf carts, UTVs, and our shared ride program with Brown Cab. We look forward to our ongoing partnership with Bird and their contribution to our City’s transportation network.”

Our thanks to Steve Watson for another beautiful and informative nature submission.

— 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. Thanks for thinking about this!

Updated on 12/24/23 at 1:00 a.m. to reflect the passing of James D. Allen.

The following three seats on the Common Council will be up for election on April 2, 2024. Candidate information was provided by City Clerk Karri Anderberg.

Aldermanic District 2 (Wards 9 & 10) – Currently held by Lukas Schreiber, who has filed a certificate of noncandidacy. Orin Smith, 901 W. Starin Rd., #502A, has filed nomination papers.

Aldermanic District 4 (Wards 6, 7 & 8) – Currently held by Jill Gerber, who had not filed a certificate of noncandidacy by Thursday morning, December 21. Since that notice was due to be filed by that date if an incumbent does not plan to run, it is likely that Gerber intends to run, but The Whitewater Banner has not received a response to its email inquiry to her.

Brian Schanen, 441 S. Buckingham Blvd., has submitted nomination papers for District 4.

Council Member at Large – Was held by the late James D. Allen, who passed away unexpectedly on or about December 23. See this article.

Greg Majkrzak, 1294 Tower Hill Pass, has submitted nomination papers for the at large seat.

Persons who may be interested in running for a Common Council seat may find information about the process here. Nomination papers must be submitted by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, January 2. If there are more than two candidates for any seat, a primary will be held on February 20.

The following two seats on the Whitewater Unified School District School Board will be up for election on April 2, 2024. The Whitewater Banner did not receive a response regarding candidate status from the District office on December 20, the last day the office was open before winter break. If there are more than four candidates, a primary will be held on February 20. The seats are currently held by the following:

Larry Kachel, who indicated to The Whitewater Banner that he will be running for re-election.

Maryann Zimmerman, who indicated to The Whitewater Banner that she will be running for re-election.

Persons who may be interested in running for a School Board seat may find information about the process here. Candidacy papers must be submitted by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, January 2. The district office is closed for winter break until January 2 at 7:30 a.m.

“Oppenheimer”
Tuesday, December 26, 12:30 p.m.
PLEASE NOTE EARLY START TIME!
(Biography/Drama/History) 
Rated R (sexuality, nudity, language)
3 hours, 1 minute (2023).

The story of American scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer, and his role in the development of the atomic bomb. Stars Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon and Robert Downey, Jr.

Seniors in the Park is located in Starin Park, 504 W. Starin Road. There is no charge to attend. 

Sunday, December 24

We would be honored to welcome you to any of our services on Christmas Eve.

10:00 a.m. – On this, the last Sunday of Advent, we light the fourth candle. Katie Fortney will sing “Some Children See Him” and “Rise Up, Shepherd, and Follow.” Pastor Dan Fahs will bring the message. This service takes place in our upstairs sanctuary. An elevator is available.

4:00 p.m. – We have a children and family worship focus. There will be carols sung and a retelling of the Christmas story that speaks to children of all ages. We will feature our drummers and lift up the spirit of the season! This service takes place in our upstairs sanctuary. An elevator is available.

7:00 p.m. – This will be a more traditional worship service with carols, a wonderful anthem from our choir, and a message from Pastor Dan. We will also light candles in our congregation as we sing about Christ’s birth. This service takes place in our upstairs sanctuary. An elevator is available.

11:00 p.m. – A combination of Bible lessons and carols. We will hear the Christmas story and sing traditional Christmas songs and celebrate communion. As United Methodist pastors sometimes say in our Invitation to the Table, “Christ our Lord invites to his table all who love him, who earnestly repent of their sin, and seek to be at peace with one another.” If you can say you do or have done these three things, you are welcome to receive. The service will culminate with the singing of “Silent Night,” lit by candles. This is a truly moving time of worship that will inspire us as Christmas Day approaches. This service will be held in the chapel on the main floor.

Welcome

You are welcome to come just as you are and be met by God who knows you by name, who loves you and wants to have an ever-closer relationship with you. God made us who we are, and ALL of us are children of God.
To people of all…

• sexual orientations and gender identities
• racial and ethnic backgrounds
• ages and physical/mental abilities
• economic and family status
  …. we welcome and affirm you.
  We are all on a spiritual journey and want all to feel included here.

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

The Whitewater Aquatic and Fitness Center (WAFC) has been operating for three years without the benefit of the necessary agreement between the City of Whitewater and the Whitewater Unified School District (WUSD). The Common Council and the School Board began the negotiation process towards executing a new agreement on March 2, 2023. Although at an October 11 joint meeting both entities expressed the view that an agreement could likely be consummated as soon their respective legal counsels completed their review, it appears that the parties are still not ready to sign what was proposed to be a five year contract.

On December 19 the Banner received from WUSD the press release that is provided below.

WUSD Board Learns of Changes to Aquatic Center Agreement

WHITEWATER, WI — During its December 18 meeting, the Whitewater Unified School District School (WUSD) Board learned of proposed changes to prior publicly negotiated agreements with the City of Whitewater Common Council regarding operations expenses of the Whitewater Aquatic and Fitness Center.

In joint meetings of the WUSD School Board and the City of Whitewater Common Council, the Boards agreed to operations and capital funding responsibilities. Specifically, it was openly agreed that the Common Council would be responsible for operational surplus/deficits and WUSD would add additional funding towards capital maintenance. “The board is disappointed to learn that the city is trying to make material changes to provisions that both boards had agreed upon,” said Board President Larry Kachel. 

The Board is seriously considering seeking arbitration after the new year, should the City of Whitewater Common Council be unwilling or unable to meet with representatives of the WUSD School Board before that time.

The Banner provided the Common Council President, James D. Allen, the opportunity to comment on the WUSD press release. No response has been received. The Banner also reached out to the Office of the City Manager, and the following response was received.

City Manager’s Office Remains Committed to WAFC

Dear Common Council & Community Members,
In response to the recent press release issued by the Whitewater Unified School District (WUSD) regarding the Whitewater Aquatic and Fitness Center (WAFC) agreement, the City Manager is clarifying his stance and actions taken in this matter.

In this context, it’s important to address recent actions by the School Board President. Recently, there were attempts to engage in individual discussions with members of the City’s elected body, outside formal public meetings. When the appropriateness of these private discussions was questioned via email by the City Manager, efforts were redirected toward a public strategy. This public approach, however, appears to misrepresent the sequence of events and the nature of the changes proposed to the WAFC agreement.

A review of the publicly available documents and video very quickly and effectively demonstrates the accuracy of the public negotiations.

On October 11, 2023, at the last joint meeting of the WAFC, which included the full governing bodies of both WUSD and the City, the City Council unanimously voted to approve a version of the WAFC contract. In contrast, the School Board did not, and their President indicated that any modifications from WUSD would be minor. However, as our legal counsel, Mr. Smith has clearly outlined in his memo in the November 7th Common Council packet, the changes subsequently made by WUSD were not minor but substantive, writing: “My recommendation is to come to a fair agreement regarding the scheduling and use of the WAFC, with either party paying for any operational cost overruns it may cause.”

With the City having agreed in its approved document to absorb any financial overages, any further modifications need to be met with additional resources or additional concessions, as outlined in Mr. Smith’s publicly available document to the City Council. In short, the public and WUSD had this information long before the most recent statement by WUSD.

The City Council, after openly reviewing Mr. Smith’s memo, convened in a closed session on November 7 and directed Mr. Smith to engage in negotiations addressing these material discrepancies. This step underlines our commitment to professional, legal mediation, and our responsibility to the City and its taxpayers. It was during this process that the School Board President began to approach individual members of the City’s governing body to discuss portions of the negotiations that were discussed in respective closed sessions as well as items that only would have been carried forward by Mr. Smith to the legal representatives of WUSD.
In light of this, I find it necessary to address the public narrative now being shaped by WUSD.

The City Manager’s office and the staff have always prioritized transparency and accountability. In line with this, my office has released all relevant documents, including those highlighting the initial and significant alterations made by WUSD to the City Council-approved agreement.

As City Manager, I remain focused on navigating these negotiations with the utmost professionalism and diligence and I will continue to provide updates as the City and WUSD work towards a resolution. The Common Council will be reviewing this topic with legal counsel at the January 16, 2024 meeting to try and find common ground so as to put this matter behind us and return to the successful operation of the WAFC.

Regards,
John S. Weidl, City Manager

The Banner provided WUSD School Board President Larry Kachel with the above response from the city manager.

Larry Kachel provided the following response to the Banner: “I just want to get the deal done, and I believe we will, but there has been a small wrench thrown in the works.”

Previous Banner posts on this subject may be found here:

“Aquatic Center Operating & Lease Agreement Negotiations Between WUSD & City Continue” – March 1
“City and School District are on Different Pages as Aquatic & Fitness Center Negotiations Commence” – March 24
WUSD Issues Statement on WAFC Agreement; City Manager Responds – May 15
“Weidl Suggests City Might Discontinue Aquatic Operations & Only Run a Fitness Center” – June 5
“Council and School Board Try Again Monday to Ink a New WAFC Agreement” (Updated) – August 20
“Council & School Board Reach Agreement on New WAFC Contract” – August 29

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

Per Wisconsin Circuit Court Access, Willie Hearn, age 69, of 370 N. Tratt St., #124, was sentenced by Judge David M. Reddy in Walworth County Circuit Court on December 20 as a result of his conviction on October 24 of two felony and four misdemeanor counts arising from the armed robbery of the BP Station, 1138 W. Main Street in Whitewater, on May 19, 2023. The sentence for armed robbery with threat of force was eight years in prison followed by six years of extended supervision. Although additional confinement was ordered for the other five counts, those sentences will run concurrently with the first. The conditions of the extended supervision include maintaining absolute sobriety, no possession of any illegal drugs, shall not be in any establishment where the primary purpose is the sale and/or consumption of alcohol, no dangerous weapons or ammunitions. Hearn will also be prohibited from having contact with the BP Station (doing business as Raceway Food Mart) or their employees, or the victim, Sally Thompson.

Previous reports related to this case may be found in the following Banner posts:
Willie Hearn convicted of armed robbery of BP station. – October 24
Whitewater Police make arrest in BP station robbery – May 19
Whitewater man charged with armed robbery of BP/Raceway Food Mart – May 22