NOTICE: John’s Disposal will be closed on Monday, May 26, 2025, in observance of Memorial Day.
Please note the following route change:
Editor’s note: This press release was provided by the City of Whitewater.
Return to Eastlake: Warhawk Baseball Advances to NCAA World Series after Decisive Game against UW-Oshkosh
Titans force third game, but UWW answers back with a 10-0 shutout to clinch their spot in the DIII World Series for the second consecutive season
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater baseball team will make their return to Eastlake, Ohio after an all-around showcase in a decisive third game against UW-Oshkosh in the NCAA Division III Super Regional in Whitewater, Wisconsin.
The Titans (35-16) forced a decisive third game, after opening the day with a 5-2 victory, but the Warhawks shut-out the Titans in the decision, allowing their bats to get to work with 10 runs on 17 hits.
To open the day, it was a must win for the Titans in the best-of-three series as the Warhawks took the opening game with a dominant 14-1 win, yesterday. Read more…
The Titans got out to an early start on defense, stranding the Warhawks on the corners at the top of the first. UW-Oshkosh was the designated home team per NCAA policy in both games of the day. The momentum shifted into the bottom of the frame as UWO took an early 3-0 lead with an RBI-single and 2-run homer in the first inning.
Eli Frank (Bayport, Wis./Bay Port) closed the gap with a 2-out RBI single in the third, but UW-Oshkosh would make back up the run immediately with a sacrifice in the bottom of the inning.
The Warhawks had eight hits in the early game, but nothing was together. That changed in the 6th, when three consecutive singles ended with an RBI for Darryl Jackson (Milwaukee, Wis./Rufus King). That run cut the lead to just two, where it held until the bottom 8th.
UW-Oshkosh added an insurance run in the bottom of the 8th with a small ball rally. UW-Whitewater couldn’t make up the deficit with their last three outs, setting the stage for the decisive third game at Prucha Field.
The Warhawks batted first again in the third game, and it didn’t take long to get the bats going. The second inning began with three straight singles to load the bases for UWW. However, UW-Oshkosh managed to escape only allowing one run on a sacrifice fly from Jackson.
Andy Thies (Tallahassee, Fla./Lawton Chiles) tacked on another run, hitting his first home run of the day in the top of the 3rd. Dominik McVay (Mineral Point, Wis./Mineral Point) followed it up in the next frame, with his own no-doubter to left field. McVay’s jack scored two, but the Warhawks continued to rally in the top of the fourth. Thies and Frank each hit doubles that bounced high off the outfield wall to score two more as the UWW lead increased to 6-0.
Logan Eisenbarth (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) continued to deal on the mound, putting down nine batters straight. The offense added on two more to help him and the defense out, a sacrifice fly from Matt Scolan (Downers Grove, Ill./South) in the 5th and Andy Thies’s (Tallahassee, Fla./Lawton Chiles) second home run of the game in the 6th.
In the top of the 7th, the Titans got through three outs without allowing a run for the first time since the first inning. Eli Frank (Bayport, Wis./Bay Port) changed that in the top of the 8th with just one swing, hitting the 100th home run of the season for the Warhawk crew.
Eisenbarth was relieved in the eighth and made his way to the dugout under a standing ovation from the Warhawk faithful. Jack Hagen (San Clemente, Cal./San Clemente) picked up where he left off, keeping the Titans shut out in the final two innings of work.
Thies added an insurance run in the top of the ninth, going from second to home on a dropped-third-strike wild pitch.
UW-Oshkosh grabbed their only extra-base-hit of the game in the bottom of the ninth, but a fly out to Scolan in left field secured the Warhawks’ spot in the NCAA Division III World Series for the second consecutive season.
Eisenbarth earned the win on the mound, going 7.0 innings without allowing a run and only three hits. The junior fanned six batters on the way to his 8th victory of the season.
The Warhawks will await word from the NCAA on the seeding for the NCAA World Series. Information will be released via www.ncaa.com/sports/baseball/d3 in the coming days. For the most up-to-date news and stories, visit uwwsports.com or download the Warhawk Athletics App.
Editor’s note: The above article was posted to the UW-Whitewater website.
City of Whitewater Finance Committee = Tuesday @ 5:00 p.m.
Agenda includes Discussion and Direction on the Future of the City’s Shared Ride Transportation Program.
Whitewater Municipal Building Cravath Lakefront
Conference Room, 312 West Whitewater St.,
Whitewater, WI 53190 *In Person and Virtual
Tuesday, May 27, 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: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86897950397
Editor’s note: As of 5/25 the agenda does not include a call-in number.
Whitewater Unified School District Policy Review Board – Tuesday @ 6:40 p.m.
Agenda: animals in classroom for educational purposes
Whitewater High School Library
435 South Elizabeth Street, Whitewater, Wisconsin
Whitewater Unified School District School Board – Tuesday @ 7:00 p.m.
Agenda [click on “meetings” in upper right corner] includes Resolution Establishing Parameters for the Sale of Not to Exceed $15,000,000 General Obligation Promissory Notes, B. Approval of JP Cullen as Construction Management Company for Referendum-related work C. Approval of Building Solutions as District Owner’s Representative for Referendum-related work.
D. Proposal to recruit and retain qualified multilingual educators
Whitewater High School Library
534 South Elizabeth Street
URL: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84293137868?
pwd=NDQvcHdVa0p1MFVqbHVuZU9OTHhQZz09
Open Session via Zoom Online
2025 WHITEWATER UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT RETIREMENT CELEBRATION – Thursday @ 4:00 p.m.
Whitewater School Board members will be attending the 2025 Whitewater Unified School District Retirement Celebration at Willow Brook Golf Course on Thursday, May 29, 2025 beginning at 4:00 pm. A quorum of the School Board may be present; however, the Board will not be conducting any business during the event.
City of Whitewater Police & Fire Commission – Thursday @ 6:00 p.m.
Agenda includes Department Updates to include: Public Safety Referendum Passage, Spring Splash
Overview, PD Evidence/Training Garage, Removal of Public Comment on Social Media and
an Update on the School Resource Officer (SRO) Agreement and CLOSED SESSION, followed by open session, to interview patrol officer candidates.
Municipal Building Community Room,
312 West Whitewater St.
Citizens are welcome (and encouraged) to join our webinar via computer, smart phone, or telephone.
Citizen participation is welcome during topic discussion periods.
Police and Fire Commission Meeting
Please join the meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
https://meet.goto.com/597366141
You can also dial in using your phone.
Access Code: 597-366-141
United States: +1 (224) 501-3412
Walworth County Health and Human Services will host a free film screening of an award-winning documentary about generational substance abuse and poverty.
Further information regarding the film, including a preview, may be found here.
“A Complete Unknown”
Tuesday, May 27, 1 pm
(Biography/Period Drama/Music)
Rated R (language); 2 hours, 21 minutes (2024).
19 year old Minnesota musician Bob Dylan‘s (Timothee’ Chalamet) meteoric rise as a folk singer from bars, to concert halls, to top of the charts. His mystique captures the attention of icons like Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, and Johnny Cash. Nominated for eight Oscars; winner for Best Actor (Chalamet) Screen Actors Guild Award (SAG-AFTRA).
Seniors in the Park is located in Starin Park, 504 W. Starin Road. Although there is no charge to attend, regular participants are encouraged to join Seniors in the Park. The annual fee for residents of the Whitewater Unified School District is $10 and non-residents is $15. The funds support about half of the cost of our front desk staff person for 15 hours per week. The rest comes our of our fundraising monies. If you cannot afford the fee, we have a fund that will cover it for you. Fees are accepted at the Starin Park Community Building or online at https://schedulesplus.com/wwtr/kiosk/
Final arrangements have been made for Memorial Day activities to be held on Monday, May 26th in Whitewater and hosted by American Legion Post 173 and VFW Post 5470.
At 6:00 AM members of the American Legion and anyone who wants to help will gather at the American Legion, 292 S. Wisconsin St., Whitewater to place American Flags along Main Street.
The parade will form at the Hearthstone Memory Care at Fairhaven parking lot [426 W. North Street] at 10:00 AM and will march off promptly at 10:30 AM concluding at the Downtown Whitewater Armory.
In case of inclement weather, the parade will be canceled but the program will be held at the Armory beginning at 11:00 AM.
Leading the parade will be the color guard of William Graham Post 173 American Legion.
The Whitewater High School Band and the Whitewater Middle School Band will provide music for the parade.
Featured in the parade will be guest speaker Air Force Senior Master Sergeant and American Legion Post 173 Vice-Commander Jessica Kienbaum. Also participating will be American Legion and VFW scholarship winners, Badger Boys and Girls State attendees, the American Legion Americanism award and the American Legion Outstanding Athlete award recipient. Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Whitewater Youth Soccer, and other youth organizations are invited to participate.
Editor’s note: This announcement was provided by Steve Smith.
| Gov. Evers Orders Flags to Half-Staff in Honor of EMS Professionals Who Have Given Their Lives in the Line of Duty |
| MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers signed Executive Order #262 ordering the flags of the United States and the state of Wisconsin to be flown at half-staff on Sat., May 24, 2025, as a mark of respect for the emergency medical services (EMS) professionals who have given their lives in the line of duty. Gov. Evers proclaimed National EMS Week throughout the state of Wisconsin beginning Sun., May 18, and lasting through Sat., May 24, 2025. The governor’s National EMS Week proclamation is available here. “EMS professionals play a critical role in ensuring the health and safety of Wisconsinites across our state, as well as the safety and security of our communities. No matter the emergency or the danger of the situation, we count on first responders to be there and care for us when we need them most,” said Gov. Evers. “National EMS Week is an opportunity for us to reflect on and acknowledge this difficult and even dangerous work and all of the folks and their families who make these daily sacrifices while honoring those who have lost their lives in service of the health and safety of others.” |
Updated 5/23/25 @ 10:23 p.m. to recognize photos by Tom Ganser. Apologies for the omission.
By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
Editor’s note: The school board’s announcement regarding their choice of finalists may be found below the “Meet & Greet” article.
Thirty-one community members and parents attended the “Meet & Greet” for the three finalists for superintendent of the Whitewater Unified School District at the high school auditorium on Thursday evening. Most in the audience stayed for the entire two-and-a-half-hour session. Bios for the candidates were provided in this previous Banner article. The candidates appeared in the order shown above. Each was allotted a forty-five minute period to introduce themselves and answer questions.
Some of the participants had done their homework, bringing prepared questions or even referencing matters that they had found in doing media research. Fiorenza, at the conclusion of her question/answer period, brought up something she thought might be an elephant in the room: why she resigned from her recent employment without landing another job. She stated that she left that district on very good terms but recently having achieved empty nest status, she was ready to take on a superintendency and knew that if she took the plunge she would land such a position.
All of the candidates had a number of positive comments to make about what they had seen and heard in their tours of the buildings earlier in the day. They remarked on the recently passed capital referendum, the increasing focus on tech ed as well as the plan to hire a Career and Technical Education Coordinator, and the 18 pathways that are being developed at the high school. They were also impressed with the ability of students to earn credits through Gateway Technical and UW-Whitewater.
This writer cannot reference who asked many of the questions, but Kelly Davis consistently stated that she has three children in the district and asked each candidate if they would live in the district. While insisting that they would be visible in the community regardless of their residency, neither of the men made a commitment. Fiorenza stated without reservation that she would be living here.
Other comments/questions referenced such subjects as:
– Concerns from students/parents that so much focus is placed on serving students with special needs that others don’t feel that they get the focus that they deserve.
– Would the candidates be open to teachers or parents bringing concerns to them?
– What would they do to stem the tide of open enrollments out of the district?
– Their role with the school board.
– How to reduce bullying, for example on social media.
– Improving teacher retention
– What learnings do they take from the COVID-19 experience? How do they feel about e-learning?
Parents and other community members who attended were given the opportunity to respond to an online survey regarding what they felt each candidate would have to offer to the district together with any questions they were left with about them. As Fiorenza left the auditorium, the representative of the search firm asked for a show of hands for each candidate to indicate if audience members felt that they were a good fit for the position. It seemed clear that Karns received the most affirmation. The representative opined that the other two candidates received a rather similar number of votes. He also expressed appreciation for the good turnout, which he said was about twice as large as the average such audience, though university towns usually do turn out better. He seemed satisfied that he could tell the board that all the candidates received more than a token number of votes. Geoff Hale, however, asked how many people didn’t vote for any of the candidates, so a new raise of hands was requested. Four hands were observed.
–
Updated 5/23/25 @ 6:55 p.m. to add information regarding ticket prices, parking, etc.
By Broderick Frye
Assistant Sports Information Director
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater baseball team opened up the NCAA Super Regionals with a 14-1 win over UW-Oshkosh on Prucha Field. The Warhawk bats got going early, and the momentum kept carrying through as Aaron Holland (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North) and Adam Cootway (DePere, Wis./Fox Valley Lutheran) both had five RBIs on the day. The Titans had no answer to a complete game win from Cade Hansen (New Braunfels, Texas/Smithson Valley) on the mound.
Head Coach John Vodenlich reached a career milestone with his 800th win (768th at UW-Whitewater). Vodenlich is the second Warhawk coach to reach the 800 win mark in as many days, with Warhawk Softball head coach Brenda Volk reaching the milestone in their own Super Regional win yesterday. Read More…
UW-Oshkosh scored their only run of the day on a wild pitch in the first inning. The Titans rallied two singles with two outs before scoring on the WP.
UW-Whitewater answered back with their own two-out rally, this time with Eli Frank (Bayport, Wis./Bay Port) driving in a run.
The Wahawks expanded their lead with an RBI-single from Holland, followed by a three-run homer from Adam Cootway (DePere, Wis./Fox Valley Lutheran). Cootway’s 18th homer of the season leads the Warhawks and ranks second on the Warhawk Single Season Record list.
The Titans grabbed two singles again in the top of the third, but both were stranded after two consecutive strike-outs from Hansen. The first and third were the only two multi-hit innings for UWO against Hansen.
In the bottom of the 4th, the Warhawks expanded on their lead with a walk and three singles. Holland, Cootway, and Andy Thies (Tallahassee, Fla./Lawton Chiles) all drove in a run during the fourth, with Frank hitting a sacrifice fly to put the Warhawks up 8-1 after four complete.
The batting didn’t slow down from there, with Sam Paden (Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville) hitting a lead-off double to start another 3-run inning in the 5th. Paden’s double and Cootway’s homer from the 2nd were the only extra-base hits of the Warhawks’ 19 total hits. Holland and Cootway both drove in more runs during the frame to put the lead at double-digits, 11-1.
Holland, Matt Scolan (Downers Grove, Ill./South), and Thies completed the third consecutive three-run inning for the Warhawks in the sixth.
With the 13-run lead, the Warhawks defense closed out the game with 9 straight outs. Oshkosh only recorded one hit in the final three frames, but the runner was put out on a double play.
Cade Hansen (New Braunfels, Texas/Smithson Valley) threw his third complete game of the season, but first 9.0-inning one. Hansen allowed only five hits, with one earned run, while fanning seven Titan batters.
The Warhawks and Titans will return to Prucha Field Saturday, May 24 at 11 am for the second game of the best of three Super Regional. If a third game is necessary, the start time will be 45-minutes after game two.
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This Whitewater Banner article provides the story of how UW-W baseball won the right to compete in the Super Regional, which will be held on their home field.
Prucha Field at Jim Miller Stadium
910 W. Schwager Dr.
*NO PETS allowed at Prucha Field per NCAA Policy*
Tickets – Cash only
$10 – Adults
$8 – Seniors / Students
Parking
Lots 22 (nearest Prucha Field) and 24 (next to Perkins Stadium)
NO PARKING IN LOT 11 (by the Williams Center)
More information regarding the teams’ records, rosters and stats may be found here.
