News

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

A major windstorm that hit the city at approximately 11 p.m. on Friday has left 1884 customers in the Walworth county portion of the city without power as of 8:45 a.m., as well as 111 in the Jefferson county portion. That represents 33% of the customers in the dark. Several traffic signals are not functioning and some side streets are closed due to large tree branches down.

Fort Atkinson is in worse shape, with 5252 customers reported without power, representing 82% of their customers.

A city crew was out after midnight with a front loader and chipper clearing branches.

Editor’s note: The following is from the Whitewater Police Department Facebook page.

The WPD drone team is officially up and running! Our seven operators received training on Wednesday, and we had our first drone deployment Thursday, in the search for a suspect who fled on foot from a domestic incident.

It’s time once again for #flashbackfriday with the Whitewater Historical Society. The last of our summer street images is this postcard that is dated 1906. It is a lovely look west along Main Street featuring the Birge Fountain, which just celebrated its 120th birthday! Again, note how the trees dominate the image.

The postcard was sent to announce the funeral of someone who had just died. Like text messages today, postcards were often used to send quick messages of interest to people when calling long distance on the phone was very expensive and a letter took more time to write.

Join us next week when we begin a series of photos taken by our late member George Scharfenberg of businesses from the 1990s and early 2000s.

#2278PC, Whitewater Historical Society

A total of 8,625 students received degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison on May 12-13, including students from the Whitewater area.

There were two live ceremonies, on one for undergraduates at Camp Randall and one for all graduate degree candidates at the Kohl Center. Graduating were 6,225 undergraduate students, 1,487 master’s degree students and 913 doctoral candidates.

Keynote speaker Eric H. Holder Jr., the third-longest serving U.S. attorney general in the country’s history and the father of a Badger alumna, praised graduates for grasping the most urgent issues facing America.

“You’re already leading the way,” Holder told them.

Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin said the graduates’ achievements were extra impressive given that most of them were just freshmen when the pandemic hit. 

“You are graduating into a world that looks pretty different than the one you might have planned for when you arrived here,” Mnookin said. “You’ve learned to adapt to monumental change, and that’s about the only thing we know for sure the future will bring – more change, and sometimes unexpected change. Along the way, you’ve learned a lot about what it means to be a Badger.”

Liam McLean, senior class president, offered remarks on behalf of the class of 2023. He recounted how a serious speech and language delay as a child made him the target of relentless bullying. Now, he leans into that experience to help others be heard. 

“Looking back on this, I realized my motivation for becoming the best communicator I could be was rooted in how the speech challenges impacted me,” said McLean, of Fox Point, Wisconsin. 

For more information about UW-Madison, visit http://www.wisc.edu.

Here are the degree recipients from the Whitewater area:

NAME, COLLEGE1, DEGREE1, MAJOR1(S), DISTINCTION (if listed), COLLEGE2 (if listed), DEGREE2 (if listed), MAJOR2 (if listed), DISTINCTION2 (if listed)

Sandy Cohen, Law School, Doctor of Law (Juris Doctor), Law
Caroline Crowley, College of Letters and Science, Bachelor of Arts-Journalism, Journalism, Graduated with Distinction
 Sophia Elworthy, School of Med & Public Health, Master of Public Health, Public Health
 Jaden Henneman, Col of Agricultural & Life Sci, Bachelor of Science-Agricultural Business Management, Agricultural Business Management
 Andrew Marquardt, College of Letters and Science, Bachelor of Science, Psychology
 Connor Steinke, College of Letters and Science, Bachelor of Science with Honors in the Major, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, International Studies, Graduated with Distinction
 Meghan Tracy, College of Letters and Science, Bachelor of Science, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Environmental Studies
 Daniel Trost, Col of Agricultural & Life Sci, Bachelor of Science, Biology

Check out the new Storywalk Book at First United Methodist Church (145 S. Prairie St.).  This book is called Wishes.  “Wishes tells the powerful, honest story about one Vietnamese family’s search for a new home on the other side of the world, and the long-lasting and powerful impact that makes on one of the youngest members of the family.”  We hope you enjoy!

Editor’s note: The following press release was received from the City of Whitewater.

The City of Whitewater is excited to announce that effective July 26, our Whitewater Fire & Emergency Medical Services (FEMS) Department has obtained its Paramedic service license. This significant achievement has been a result of countless hours of hard work and dedication from a team of committed individuals. The City of Whitewater wants to extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone involved in making this long-awaited process a reality. City of Whitewater wants to personally thank EMS Chief, Jason Dean. This is a direct result of his leadership and dedication.

As we move forward, FEMS is diligently working on procuring the necessary supplies, obtaining a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) number, and acquiring the required medications to ensure our Paramedic service operates at its full potential. Presently, we have five licensed Paramedics who are in the process of submitting their Local Credentialing Agreements for approval through our Medical Control, under the leadership of Interim Lt. Crystal Griffin.

During the next 12 months, FEMS will be gradually transitioning to a fully operational Paramedic service. Our Paramedics will be informed about the specific skills they are authorized to perform as we equip them with the necessary equipment and supplies. Though the City aims to expedite this process, our top priority remains to effectively and accurately provide this elevated level of service for our department.

The City must commend the enthusiasm and dedication of our Paramedics and support team, who are excited to put their well-honed skills and expertise into practice. However, the City kindly ask for your understanding and patience during this time of transition, as their training and adaptation will require considerable effort and focus.

FEMS will be providing direct communication to our Paramedics regarding the next steps in this transformative journey. As a community, let us rally together in support of the FEMS department, appreciating the invaluable services they provide to keep us safe and protected.

The City of Whitewater provides efficient and high quality services which support living, learning, playing and working in an exceptional community. Visit www.whitewater-wi.gov for community information and updates.

Editor’s Note: The following was provided by Walworth County.

Water lovers of all ages are invited to join the statewide search for aquatic invasive species (AIS) on August 19, 2023. This fun, hands-on effort, known as AIS Snapshot Day, relies on participants to monitor streams, lakes, and wetlands at designated sites across the state, for signs of non-native plants and animals that pose risks to Wisconsin waterways and wildlife.

Volunteers have a choice to register at one of over 20 event locations hosted by local conservation groups, including Walworth County’s Land Use & Resource Management Dept., which will host its own Snapshot Day event on Saturday, August 19, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Participants will meet at Walworth County Government Center, 100 W. Walworth St., Elkhorn, for a brief training before heading out to a handful of locations throughout the County on the hunt for AIS.

“AIS Snapshot Day is a great opportunity for residents to get involved in protecting their local waterways,” says Walworth County Land Use & Resource Management Deputy Director Mandy Bonneville. “The success of this event truly depends on volunteers; we hope Walworth County residents will join us on August 19!”

Coordinated in partnership with UW-Madison Division of Extension, UW-Stevens Point Extension Lakes, River Alliance of Wisconsin, and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Snapshot Day is entering its 10th successful year. Information collected during the event will be provided to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to inform and guide monitoring and response efforts.

“Projects like AIS Snapshot Day are a fun and simple way for volunteers to get engaged and for the local site leaders and DNR to collaborate,” says Maureen Ferry, DNR AIS Monitoring Coordinator. “DNR has a long list of sites with suspected but unverified AIS that AIS Snapshot Day monitoring targets. This increases the chances of volunteers finding a species. Plus, each year, we make new detections.”

Last year over 150 volunteers rolled up their sleeves to monitor more than 234 sites across the state making for a fun and safe event. This is a free event. Recommended for ages 8 and up, minors must be accompanied by an adult. To learn more about the event, visit https://wateractionvolunteers.org/event-page/aquatic-invasive-species-snapshot-day-2023. To register, complete the form at https://forms.gle/D1rRbDSUVKXpdXoF8. Advance registration is requested to help Site Leaders build monitoring plans.

EVENT DETAILS:
AIS Snapshot Day
Saturday, August 19, 2023
8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Walworth County Government Center, 100 W. Walworth St., Elkhorn

Editor’s note: The following press release was received from the Rock County Communications Center.

The Rock County Communications Center is announcing a temporary outage of Text-to-911 Services in Rock County, beginning July 26th, 2023.

Rock County is beginning a readiness testing period to merge our phone system with
NextGeneration911 technology. During the cutover period, the ability to text 911 in Rock
County will be unavailable. The ability to call 911 and the Non-Emergency number (608-
757-2244) will be operational as usual.

The expected completion date is August 17th, 2023. Once all work has been completed
and the systems are functional, information will be shared indicating such.

Sherry Stanek, Chair of Whitewater’s Urban Forestry Commission, recently completed the requirements of the Wisconsin Community Tree Management Institute (CTMI). This innovative training program helps municipal employees and community forestry volunteers develop effective urban forestry program leadership and management skills. Ms. Stanek completed this program as part of the requirements of the $25,000 DNR matching grant received by the city to develop the Arboretum at Starin Park.

Students from twenty-nine Wisconsin communities participated in this training program. Knowledge and skills acquired during six days of intensive CTMI training will help graduates apply resourceful solutions to improve management of municipal trees and green space. Well-maintained trees contribute to increased property values, energy conservation, improved air quality, reduced storm water runoff, improved public health and a better quality of life.

The Community Tree Management Institute is sponsored and developed by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources with assistance from UW-Stevens Point and the City of Stevens Point.