News

You are invited!  Monday, April 21 at 12:30 p.m. at Seniors in the Park Building   504 W. Starin Rd.   

                                               Learn how to be a Dementia Friend

       Visit the monthly meeting of Dementia Friendly Community Initiative (DFCI)

Dementia Friends is a global movement that is changing the way people think, act and talk about dementia.  By helping everyone in a community understand what dementia and how it affects families, each of us can make a difference for people touched by dementia.  A little understanding and support can make a big difference in their lives. And yours!

You become a Dementia Friend by attending a one-hour information session to learn about living with dementia and the simple things you can do to support someone living with the disease.  It’s not a training session.  You’ll learn what dementia is, what it’s like to live with the disease and some tips for communicating with people who have dementia.  You don’t need to know someone with dementia to become a Dementia Friend.

Please join the Dementia Friendly Community Initiative committee (DFCI) on Monday, April 21 at 12:30 at the Starin Park Community Bldg. at 504 W. Starin Rd.   You will view an informative PowerPoint and join a short discussion.  Following the information session, you are invited to visit all or part of the monthly meeting of DFCI at 1:30 p.m. to learn of the many ways we are working toward our goal of a dementia-friendly Whitewater.

Watch this short trailer to see what you will learn from the Dementia Friends presentation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7z9YFe3jzCk

This article is submitted by Dementia Friendly Community Initiative, a program of Whitewater Seniors in the Park, with goals of educating the community about dementia and supporting caregivers. 

https://www.whitewater-wi.gov/447/Dementia-Friendly-Community-Initiative

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

Turnout for the Spring General Election on April 1 was strong. There were 1.8 million votes cast in the state’s last Supreme Court race in 2023. More than 2.3 million people voted in Tuesday’s contest. There are approximately 3.8 million active registered voters in the state, so the turnout was approximately 62%. Turnout in the City of Whitewater was 3767 voters out of 6442 registered voters, for a turnout rate of 59%. The Armory polling place had 1700 voters, the University polling station, 903 voters, and 1162 people voted either by absentee or in-person early voting. There were 473 election day registrations. Last year’s presidential primary in April turned out only 1560 voters.

As shown in the charts below, the school district referendum enjoyed much more support in the city than in the towns. Similarly, the preferred candidates for the school board were different between the two populations.

Whitewater Unified School District Referendum

	City vote	%	Towns vote	%	Total	%
YES	2097	61%	1092	41%	3189	52%
NO	1357	39%	1576	59%	2933	48%
	3454		2668		6122

Whitewater Unified School District School Board

	City vote	Towns vote	Total
Jennifer Kienbaum	1527	1026	2553
Miguel Aranda	1680	861	2541
Nick Baldwin	1189	1299	2488
Wayne Redenius	891	1188	2079

As is generally the case, the city’s results were outliers compared with the counties in which Whitewater is located. City voters favored the candidates who were elected by the statewide vote.

Justice of the Supreme Court

	City of Whitewater	Jefferson County	Walworth County	State
Susan Crawford	68%	47%	44%	55%
Brad Schimel	32%	53%	56%	45%

Superintendent of Public Instruction

	City of Whitewater	Jefferson County	Walworth County	State
Jill Underly	65%	43%	42%	53%
Brittany Kinser	35%	57%	58%	47%

Constitutional Amendment

	City of Whitewater	Jefferson County	Walworth County	State
YES	54%	67%	71%	63%
NO	46%	33%	29%	37%

“Anora”

Tuesday, April 8, 1 pm 

(Comedy/Drama/Romance)

Rated R (sexual content/nudity/language); 

2 hours, 19 minutes (2024).

Winner of five Oscars including Best Film, Director, Actress and Screenplay. 

Anora, a young sex worker from Brooklyn, NY, lives a Cinderella story when she hooks and impulsively marries the Russian son of an oligarch. When the news reaches Moscow, her fairytale begins to unravel, as his parents race to New York City to get the marriage annulled.

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/

Sen. Mark Spreitzer and Rep. Brienne Brown Announce Budget Listening Session in Whitewater

Senator Mark Spreitzer (D-Beloit) and Representative Brienne Brown (D-Whitewater) announce a listening session in Whitewater to discuss Wisconsin’s 2025-27 State Budget or any other state issue.

“The 2025 budget presents new opportunities to invest in our state’s priorities. Governor Evers proposed a budget that will help our kids stay safe and get a quality education, keep taxes low for middle class families, and make meaningful steps to cut costs for all Wisconsinites. I hope that residents will attend these listening sessions to hear about the budget process and share their thoughts about the Governor’s budget proposal,” said Sen. Spreitzer.

“The Governor’s budget is the first step in determining Wisconsin’s priorities for the next two years. This is the best time for Wisconsinites to get involved and help us decide which budget items are most important for moving Wisconsin forward. We’re here to amplify your voices and work for you. Please join us in the budget process,” said Rep. Brown.

The details for the Whitewater budget listening session are:
Whitewater Budget Listening Session
Monday, April 7th
6:00 to 7:00 PM
UW-Whitewater James R. Connor University Center
Room 275
190 Hamilton Green Way, Whitewater, WI 53190

Editor’s note: Unfortunately, there is a fee for parking in any of the university lots. In lot 12A, which is closest to the University Center, there are signs with instructions for how to prepay on an app. Alternatively, one may go to the Visitor’s Center on Starin Road, where there is a machine which may be used to pay for parking.

Information on the pay by app may be found here.

Information on using the kiosk at the Visitor’s Center may be found here.

Katherine Staniszewski of Whitewater, WI, has been named to the 2024 fall trimester Dean’s List at Palmer College of Chiropractic’s Main Campus in Davenport, Iowa.

Palmer College of Chiropractic, the first and largest college in the chiropractic profession, has campuses in Davenport, Iowa, and Port Orange, Florida.

It’s time once again for #FlashbackFriday with the Whitewater Historical Society. This week we feature a photo from 1924 of the Knights of Pythias Band. The Knights of Pythias was a fraternal lodge similar to the Masons or Odd Fellows. It originally organized in 1893 in Whitewater but disbanded in 1896. It was revived in 1919 and was a popular organization in the 1920s. In this photo, the young man on the right in the first row is Dean(e) Coburn, father of the late Jim Coburn. The name “Pythias” comes from the ancient Greek story of the friendship of Damon and Pythias, a story that reflects the brotherhood goal of the organization.

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

(5394PC, Whitewater Historical Society)

Al Hutchison, Lanora Heim, Mary Geraghty, Jorge Islas Martinez (L-R)

On March 31st Al Hutchison from the Whitewater Community Optimist Club presented a check for over $2700 to the Whitewater Unified School District Family Emergency Fund.

Submitted by Al Hutchison, President

Legendary. Comedy. Hilarity.

The Second City is celebrating 65 years of legendary laughs! Showcasing some of our audience’s favorite songs, sketches, and characters written on our stages by some of our illustrious alumni, including Catherine O’Hara, Tina Fey, Keegan-Michael Key, Amber Ruffin, Stephen Colbert, Tim Meadows, Bill Murray, Tim Robinson, Joan Rivers, Eugene Levy, Adam McKay and so many more… With material handpicked from our iconic comedy archive and brought to life by our all-star ensemble, see for yourself why The Second City continues to be the world’s most influential name in comedy for sixty-five years and counting.

Friday, April 4, 7:00 p.m., Young Auditorium, 930 W. Main Street, Whitewater

Tickets are $58 and may be ordered here or by calling 262-472-2222 between 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. Tickets will also be available at the door with a surcharge of $2.

May contain adult content.

Unofficial results for the April 1 Spring General Election – only contested elections are shown
* denotes candidate was elected
Results for city and school district races were previously published on The Banner here.

Jefferson County Circuit 1 Judge
*Will Gruber (Incumbent) 17945
John Jack A Chavez 9093

Jefferson County Circuit 2 Judge
*Theresa Beck (Incumbent) 13705
Jennifer L. Weber 12609

Cold Spring Town Board Supervisor 2
*Justin Thorn 180
Yvette R. Loiselle 130

Cold Spring Town Treasurer
*Dawn Millard 208
Allan Wood 84

Hebron Town Board Supervisor
*Matthew Foelker 355
Randy Thorman 253

Palmyra-Eagle School District School Board Member
*Amy Wilde 859
*Michael Eddy (Incumbent) 807
Rachel Kirkley 630

Village of Palmyra Public Safety Referendum
Yes 196
*No 461

Village of Palmyra Trustee
*Thomas Ball (Incumbent) 340
*Stephanie Wallace 310
*Tammie Smith (Incumbent) 277
Scott Deichl 224

Palmyra Town Board Chair
*Frank Sauter (Incumbent) 385
Larry Kau 247

Palmyra Town Board Supervisor 1
*Rob Martens (Incumbent) 340
Bonnie Willson 269

Richmond Town Board Supervisor 1
*Joe Staller 458
Paul McGraw 379

Richmond Town Board Supervisor 2
*Rob Chelminiak 439
Larry Gard 352

The City of Whitewater Lakes Advisory Committee is hosting informational sessions to increase awareness regarding the upcoming City of Whitewater Trippe & Cravath Lake District resolution, which will be presented to the City Council on May 6, 2025.

The final sessions will be held this Saturday, April 5 at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. at the Municipal Building.