News

Gov. Evers Orders Flags to Half-Staff in Honor of Former State Rep. James F. Rooney

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers signed Executive Order #261 ordering the flags of the United States and the state of Wisconsin to be flown at half-staff on Fri., May 23, 2025, in honor of former Wisconsin State Rep. James F. Rooney, who passed away on Sat., May 3, 2025, at the age of 89.  “Former Rep. Rooney led an extraordinary life of selflessness, serving his community and our state with humility, perseverance, and compassion over his decades of dedicated public service,” said Gov. Evers. “Kathy and I extend our deepest condolences to Rep. Rooney’s friends, family, loved ones, and the Racine community as they honor his memory and mourn his passing.”  Born in Racine, former Rep. Rooney served in the U.S. Army from 1954 to 1956. In 1972, former Rep. Rooney was elected to serve in the Wisconsin State Legislature, where he represented the 61st Assembly District and the 20th Assembly District for more than a decade. During his time in the Assembly, former Rep. Rooney served on various committees, including the committees on elections, financial institutions, government operations, rules, and more, and he was elected as majority caucus chair in 1983. During the legislative session in 1977, former Rep. Rooney aided in the creation of the Wisconsin Waterways Commission and served as chair of the commission for over three decades. In addition to his life of public service, former Rep. Rooney was also deeply committed to the Racine community, serving as a member of the Racine Yacht Club and the Racine Heritage Museum Board, Racine County highway commissioner and director of public works, chairman of both the Racine County Board of Harbor Commissioners and Racine County Board of Supervisors. Services for former Rep. Rooney will be held on Fri., May 23, 2025, in Racine.

It’s time once again for #FlashbackFriday with the Whitewater Historical Society. This week’s image is a walkway through Hillside Cemetery, c. 1900. Historically, Memorial Day, or Decoration Day as it was known prior to World War I, was a popular day for walking through local cemeteries and laying flowers on loved ones’ graves, particularly the graves of people who died in wars. Today, we still remember and honor those who sacrificed their lives for the country.

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

(555PC, Whitewater Historical Society)

UW-Whitewater at Rock County recognizes students at award ceremony

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater at Rock County recognized more than 60 students at a recent award ceremony to celebrate the 2024-25 academic year.

The following students from your coverage area earned at least one award:

Whitewater, WI: Michelle Abarca, who is enrolled in the Arts and Science degree program and earned the following award(s): First Year Lecture – Promising Students.

Whitewater, WI: Lilith Ashmore, who is enrolled in the Liberal Arts degree program and earned the following award(s): Excellence in Critical Thinking & Engagement in Communication Studies.

Students were recognized by URock faculty and staff members for their work in the classroom and within the campus community.

UW-Whitewater at Rock County held its 2025 spring commencement ceremony for graduates of the College of Integrated Studies on May 20 in the gymnasium of the Wells Cultural Center.

The commencement speaker was Jane Blain Gilbertson, owner and executive chair of Blain’s Farm & Fleet. The company was founded in 1955 and currently employs 5,500 associates in stores throughout Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, and Michigan. A Janesville native, Blain Gilbertson received her Bachelor of Science in Retailing from Miami University. She currently serves as vice chair of the Wisconsin Manufacturing and Commerce Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce and on the board of the Wisconsin Women’s Health Foundation, Janesville Performing Arts Center, and the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce.

The student speaker was Gloria Lara, a Delavan resident and mother of three who is earning her Associate of Arts and Sciences. Her academic goal is to earn a bachelor’s degree in social work followed by a dual master’s degree in social work and public health. She eventually hopes to develop a nonprofit community-based program to support first-generation daughters of immigrants.

During the ceremony, the Outstanding Alumni Award will be presented to Aimee Thurner, who attended URock in 1998. She is the president and CEO of the Greater Beloit Chamber of Commerce, where she has worked for more than 20 years, and serves on the board of directors for Visit Beloit and the Greater Beloit Economic Development Corporation.

The Excellence in Teaching Awards will also be announced at the Rock County campus ceremony.

Learn more about UW-Whitewater at Rock County by visiting uww.edu/rock.

Editor’s note: This press release was received from UW-Whitewater.

The City of Whitewater is excited to announce the selected artists for the 2025 Traffic Box Art Project. This initiative aims to transform ordinary traffic control boxes into vibrant public artworks, celebrating creativity and enhancing the streetscape
of our community.

After careful review of numerous inspiring submissions, the following artists have been selected to bring their artistic vision to the city’s traffic boxes:

• Stephanie Krellwitz
• Linda Saumer
• Studio 84 Inc
• Jessica Fuchs
• Judith Perez
• Emma Siskoff (Dolan)
• Kelly Marie Hasknecht
• Kiba Freeman
  
  In addition, the City of Whitewater has designated the following artists as alternates in
  the event that additional opportunities become available:
• Hollyn Peterson
• HG Little
• James Richter
• Brittany McKenzie
  The Traffic Box Art Project is part of the City’s ongoing commitment to public art and community engagement. Artwork installation is scheduled to begin in the coming weeks.

Editor’s note: The above press release was received from the City of Whitewater. The artist applications that were submitted, including examples of their work, may be viewed on this Public Arts Committee agenda.

Moving sale 5/22-24

1672 Mound View Place in Whitewater

Household items, Hide-a-Bed, Lawn chairs, Lawnmower, Drop leaf table and 4 chairs, Dressers, chairs, Holiday decorations and so much more 

… You don’t want to miss out on this one. Weather not an issue. Most items will be inside. 

Thursday from 12 until 5 

Friday 8 until 5 

Saturday will be 8 until 12
all remaining items will be half price!
Moving sale

As a result of a reader’s comment that it’s hard to find garage sales in Whitewater now that we no longer have a weekly shopper, the Banner staff agreed to offer a complimentary “consolidated” garage sale posting that will be published by Thursday morning for the upcoming weekend’s sales. This announcement will only be for garage sales (a sale of miscellaneous household goods, often held in the garage or front yard of someone’s house) in the city and school district boundaries. We will not be accepting, for example, ads for cars or other items that are not part of a scheduled garage sale. There will be a limit of three times per year for a particular property.

Those wishing to place a notice must send the information to whitewaterbanner@gmail.com by Wednesday at 6 p.m. You may include a brief description of the items that are for sale, the hours and days of the sale, and of course your address. If desired you can also include a few photos; we prefer the jpg format if possible.

Superintendent Finalists Meet & Greet for Parents and Community Members

As part of the selection process for the new District Superintendent, the three finalists will spend a day in the district on Thursday, May 22. The day will include a tour of the schools and time to meet with staff and students. Parents, families, and community members will also have an opportunity to meet the candidates in a public session that evening. 

All interested families, parents, and community members are invited to participate in the session, which will take place on Thursday, May 22 from 5:30 to 8:05 p.m. in the Whitewater High School Auditorium. Each of the finalists will introduce themselves and take questions during their individual 45-minute session. 

All district and community participants throughout the day will be able to share their feedback with the board via an online form, available through a link and QR code. The school board will conduct final interviews with each of the candidates that evening.

Bios for the finalists are shown below.

Editor’s note: This press release was provided by the Whitewater Unified School District.

Updated on 5/21/25 @ 8:40 p.m. to add the above map.

County Trunk Highway-A (CTH-A) Pavement Rehabilitation Project
Construction Expected shortly after Memorial Day on CTH-A in the Town of Richmond

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) will start a pavement rehabilitation project on County Trunk Highway A (CTH-A) from County Line Road (Rock County) and South County Trunk Highway P (CTH-P, Walworth County) in the Town of Richmond. This 5.8 mile project includes the following work:

• Replacement of most highway cross-culverts and driveway culverts
• Asphalt pavement removal / milling
• Construction of a new asphalt pavement surface and gravel shoulders
• Lane and shoulder widths will generally remain unchanged
  What to Expect
  Starting shortly after Memorial Day, CTH-A will be closed to through traffic from County Line
  Road (Rock County) to South CTH-P (Walworth County) but will remain open to local traffic,
  businesses and those utilizing the detour for the US12 project.
  
  A posted detour will utilize County Trunk Highway M (CTH-M, Rock County), USH-14/WIS
  11 (through City of Delavan), and County Trunk Highway-O (CTH-O, City/Town of Delavan).
  The detour will ensure that truck traffic and those who are unfamiliar with the area have a safe
  route around the work zone. WIS-89 and other area roads will remain open.
  Although open to local traffic, the road surface may vary during construction until paving. Local
  Residents are encouraged to seek alternate routes where available. Access will be maintained
  for emergency services, postal delivery, garbage collection and school buses.
  Watch for message sign boards for more specific information as it becomes available. The project
  is scheduled to be completed in late Summer 2025. All work is weather dependent.

By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
lynnbinnie@yahoo.com

The recent tension between the Whitewater Unified School District [WUSD] and the City of Whitewater seemed to have the potential to move to an even higher level as the May 20 Common Council meeting opened. The first item of business was to consider waiving the 72-hour public notice requirement of the Transparency Ordinance in order to add to the agenda a closed session “to confer with legal counsel…related to potential violations of the Wisconsin Open Meetings Law and Wisconsin Public Records Law involving the School District’s handling of the School Resource Officer (SRO) contract process.” Councilmember Neil Hicks referenced the strained relationship between the two entities, and his desire to take steps to move forward in a positive manner as he made a motion to delete the subject from the agenda. His motion carried unanimously. Though ultimately the council declined to respond to the district’s Request for Proposals [RFP] for the SRO program, that decision also was framed in a desire to have constructive dialogue with school officials.

As was previously indicated on The Whitewater Banner, WUSD issued an RFP for its SRO program on May 19, with a deadline for response of May 30. City Manager John Weidl suggested that the council not submit a proposal, citing among other things the unusually short timeline and the irregular nature of the RFP. Council President Patrick Singer indicated that he believes that both the council/police department and school board do wish to continue their long-standing relationship with the SRO program. He moved that the city decline to submit a response to the RFP, reaffirm its April 15 offer of a 120-day extension to the current contract, resubmit the proposed revised agreement for consideration, and request to establish a working group of city and district representatives together with legal counsel of both entities and possibly also the District Attorney. The group would be charged with seeking mutually acceptable resolutions to the areas of concern with the program that the district has identified. The motion passed unanimously.

In other business:

• A motion to adopt the first reading of an ordinance adding stop signs on Walworth Avenue at Prince Street failed for lack of a second. Public Works Director Brad Marquardt had indicated that the intersection does not meet the criteria for a four-way stop in the federal Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices.
• The first reading of an ordinance to change the start time of Common Council meetings from 6:30 to 6:00 p.m. passed.
• Renewal of the mobile home park license for Twin Oaks was approved. The city planner indicated that there has been marked improvement in the response to the correction of code violations.
• The council voted to consider an ordinance to add stop signs on Peck Street at the Whiton Street intersection.
• Several recommendations from the Landmarks Commission regarding the future of the Starin Park Water Tower were approved. The Whitewater Banner will provide details in a future article.

Homeschool families are invited to attend a program featuring Financial Education games on Thursday, May 22. Drop in between 1:00-3:00 p.m. to play fun games that teach kids about financial literacy topics, including needs vs. wants, currency recognition, money math, managing income and expenses, understanding profit vs. loss, what a budget is, and more! Best for ages 5 and up. 

Note that due to library construction, this event will take place at the Cravath Lakefront Community Center, located at 341 S. Fremont Street.

This is a free event and no registration is required. This program was funded in part with the Thinking Money for Kids Grant through the American Library Association and FINRA. Contact Sarah French with questions at sfrench@whitewater-wi.gov or 262-458-2782. Learn more about the games in advance by visiting this link: bit.ly/4j3HDq7

Get ready to be inspired, enchanted, and entertained at the Whitewater Arts Alliance Storytelling Festival!

Join us for a magical weekend celebrating the power of stories — from the heartfelt to the hilarious, the whimsical to the wise. Whether you love to listen, tell, or tap your toes to a tune, there’s something for everyone!

FRIDAY NIGHT | May 30 | 6–9 PM

Cultural Arts Center Gallery, 402 W. Main St, Whitewater, WI

Open Mic Night hosted by the fabulous Karen McCulloch of The Book Teller

6–8 PM: Step up and share your own story, poem, or performance!

8–9 PM: The Bog Bodies take the stage with hauntingly beautiful live music.

SATURDAY | May 31 | 10 AM–3 PM

Flat Iron Park, 402 W. Main Street [The Birge Fountain is located in the park.]

Children’s Tellers Morning (10 AM–12:15 PM)

Emceed by Sarah Beth Nelson

9–10 AM: Noelle + a petting zoo

10–10:30 AM: Caitlin’s puppetry

10:30–11:15 AM: Andreas & Maypole dancing with strolling musicians

11:15–12:15 PM: The unforgettable Mr. Pickles

All Ages Tellers Afternoon (12:15–3 PM)

Emceed by Sarah Beth Nelson

12:15–12:45 PM: Sarah Beth Nelson

12:45–1:30 PM: Bilingual storytelling with Maritza Guerra & Silvana del Val

1:30–2:15 PM: Blake Levinson

2:15–3 PM: Coral Conant-Gilles

Bring a lawn chair, bring your friends, and bring your love for storytelling. This is one weekend you won’t want to miss!

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