News

Walworth County Announces Community Testing Event in Delavan

The Walworth County Division of Public Health and Sheriff’s Office are partnering with the Wisconsin National Guard to offer another community Covid-19 testing site.

The event will be held at Phoenix Middle School on Thursday, August 13th and Friday, August 14th from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Phoenix Middle School is located at 414 Beloit St. in Delavan. Arriving as early as possible is encouraged, as occasionally a site will run out of testing supplies before the end of the day.

No appointment is necessary, although pre-registration for the event is encouraged by visiting https://register.covidconnect.wi.gov/. Pre-registration ensures an efficient testing process that produces faster result notification. Two people who pre-registered and tested at the Alliant Center in Madison this past week got their results the next day. Members of the Wisconsin National Guard will administer nasal swab tests and will manage the specimen samples. Those receiving tests will not be charged.

“Many people with COVID-19 symptoms have experienced challenges getting tested. We also know that not everyone who contracts this disease shows symptoms,” said Elizabeth Aldred, Health and Human Services Director. “The primary goal of our public events is to provide easy access to testing for anyone in the community.”

By Jeff Angileri
UW-W Director of University Communications
angilerj@uww.edu

Corey Saffold projects the confidence of one who walks on solid ground.

As a former Madison police officer, current head of safety and security for the Verona Area School District and a Black man who is an authority on police-community relations, Saffold — who is also a criminology major at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater — draws on a solid foundation of experience.

“I’ve always tried to bring my life experiences to add value to whatever situation I am in,” said Saffold, 41, who attends classes online as a nontraditional student at UW-Whitewater on a path to earn a Bachelor of Science.

Now Saffold can add serving as regent on the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents to his life experiences. The UW System, which appoints two student regents — one traditional and one nontraditional — to two-year terms with full duties including voting and serving on committees, selected Saffold in a competitive process. Gov. Tony Evers appointed Saffold, who also sits on the Office of School Safety Advisory Committee at the Wisconsin Department of Justice, on June 1, 2020.

Saffold served as a City of Madison police officer for 10 years, learning about community policing and criminal justice from the inside. For six of those years, he was assigned in public schools. But his path to policing began much earlier, during an encounter with law enforcement as a youth growing up in Milwaukee.

“My influence (to become a police officer) was a detective in Milwaukee who gave me a second chance,” he said. “I realized that I can give people the same opportunity that was afforded to me, which was a second chance and an education.

“When I was a police officer in schools, I would use moments where there were disciplinary matters as an opportunity to educate students,” he explains. “Too often, teenagers can do things that they don’t fully understand the consequences of. Rather than throw the book at them, if they can receive an education about that one thing they did, that can go a long way for everybody in the society.”

That philosophy of personal policing brought Saffold to the UW-Whitewater criminology program to further his understanding of why people step outside the law.

“Was it the environment?” he asks. “Is it a problem with opportunity, joblessness, homelessness, need? Criminology answers a lot of questions for us in terms of human behavior.”

Saffold credits UW-Whitewater for making degrees accessible to nontraditional students through online learning. By anyone’s estimate, he leads a demanding life.

On a recent July afternoon, Saffold was in his office at Verona Area High School. He develops safety training and emergency procedures for weather and all manner of other incidents which might threaten his schools. As a staff member, he attends school board meetings, a recent one lasting until almost midnight. He hires security staff.  At the end of his day, Saffold met with a salesperson outside the school building to discuss equipment options for the school’s utility vehicle.

He is the father of a teenage son who attends high school in Madison and a daughter, 22, who plans to attend law school. Before the pandemic hit, he traveled across the state to speak to groups on police-community relations.

As he begins his second year at Verona, Saffold and his staff will oversee a new high school building of almost 600,000 square feet and a campus that will accommodate up to 2,200 students in addition to the eight other schools they manage.

“I hope to graduate (from UW-Whitewater) next year,” he said. “And this will sound funny, but I don’t really keep track of when I’ll graduate. Working full time, I take classes as I can take them. But after I receive my B.S., I plan to apply for law school at UW-Madison.”

“Right now, I’m doing political science, the Constitution and the police,” he said. “’Policing and the Constitution’ is the name of the class. So that’s perfect. I’m reading case law that I’ve already practiced. I’ve lived this, so it’s quite interesting.”

Saffold embraces his role as the voice of nontraditional students at UW System campuses.

“It is an honor to be on the board and it’s an honor to even be considered,” he said. “Whether it’s a nontraditional student in a rural area who works on a farm or if it’s increasing enrollment for our nontraditional students of color who come out of Milwaukee or Madison, I want to be part of that.”

Whether or not the nation’s current focus on unity, recovery and stability influenced his appointment to the Board Regents, Saffold calls himself an optimist about the future.

“Black lives do matter, and I want to move beyond just saying that, to put in place actionable items that shape that,” he said. “I want the students to feel like they have a voice in this and to feel like they are listened to. I want to empower and equip our leaders — our chief diversity officers, our student affairs folks — with the resources they need to make sure our schools are welcoming.”

And his optimism extends to the UW System’s ability to navigate the challenges ahead.

“COVID-19 has had an impact on the whole UW System — both financially and on the students. We’re very concerned about the students, faculty and staff and their welfare. Foreign exchange students should be able to stay here to attend school. I’m confident in our president, (former U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services Secretary and Wisconsin Governor) Tommy Thompson. I’m confident that he will successfully navigate the UW System through these waters.”

And he has some words of advice for his colleagues and community.

“Think about your classmate or your colleague or coworker and think of ways to help them. If we all thought of someone other than ourselves to support, then we all would be supported,” he said. “Other than that — be safe.”

MILWAUKEE, Wis. (August 7, 2020) – This past spring, Allison Sedmak of Whitewater, WI, graduated from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wis. Sedmak earned a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences.

Sedmak was one of 2,236 students to graduate from Marquette in May. Marquette University is a Catholic, Jesuit university that draws its more than 11,500 students from all 50 states and more than 84 different countries. Marquette is ranked in the top 10 nationally for job placement.

In addition to its nationally recognized academic programs, Marquette is known for its service learning programs and internships as students are challenged to use what they learn to make a difference in the world. Find out more about Marquette at marquette.edu.

The following persons were either recently charged in Walworth County Circuit Court or recently made their initial court appearance.

Christopher P. Czerpak, 33, W8165 Nature Dr., Whitewater, has been charged with armed burglary, possession of a firearm by a felon, and criminal damage to property involving a residence in Whitewater. If convicted, he faces up to 25 years and nine months in prison and $85,000 in fines.

Jaslyn M. Kunkel, 33, 614 S. Franklin St., Whitewater, has been charged with failure to act to prevent bodily harm to a child allegedly involving a 14-year-old boy. If convicted, she faces up to six years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Ryan P. McKevitt, 36, 542 S. Franklin St., Whitewater, has been charged with OWI (4th) and Operating with prohibited alcohol content (4th). McKevitt was apprehended for drunken driving after he parked with the vehicle’s right front tire on top of the curb in the 500 block of South Frankilin Street in Whitewater at about 9:10 p.m. July 10, according to the complaint. He had a blood alcohol content of .11, failed field sobriety tests, smelled like alcohol and had glassy eyes, according to the complaint. If convicted, he faces up to $10,000 in fines, up to six years in jail, lifetime drivers license revocation with no possibility of occupational license, 1-3 years required ignition interlock device in vehicle.

McKinley Palmer, Aldermanic District 5 councilmember, announced on August 4 that as a result of an impending move outside the district, his last meeting will be on September 1. Applications to fill the seat, which represents all residents who live in the Jefferson County portion of the city, will be accepted until September 10. The successful applicant will serve from September 15 until April 20, 2021, at which time the councilmember elected at the April 6, 2021 election will take office. The person appointed to this interim position may choose to run for a two-year term in that election. Councilmembers are paid $300 per month. In addition to preparation for and participation in two regular monthly council meetings, members are also appointed to serve on other city committees. Residents of the district who may be interested are encouraged to contact City Clerk Michele Smith, msmith@whitewater-wi.gov or 262-473-0102.

NOTICE OF VACANT ALDERMANIC DISTRICT 5 COUNCIL SEAT

The Councilmember Seat for Aldermanic District 5 (Wards 10-12) is currently vacant, and the Common Council of the City of Whitewater is seeking Applications for Appointment from individuals who reside in Aldermanic District 5 (Wards 10-12), and who are willing to serve on the Common Council. Council meetings are held at 6:30 p.m. on the 1^st and 3^rd Tuesdays of each month. Occasionally there are additional meetings. Each Common Council member also serves as a representative to various Boards or Commissions. The Common Council will review Applications from applicants, and will consider appointment of an applicant to the position at their September 15, 2020 council meeting. The appointment will be until the third Tuesday, April, 2021 at which time the councilmember elected at the April, 2021 election will take office. For those unsure of their Aldermanic District, please contact the City Clerk at 473-0102.

An application must be submitted to City Clerk Michele Smith, P.O. Box 178, Whitewater, WI 53190 by 4:30 p.m. on September 10, 2020. The Clerk can be reached by e-mail at: msmith@whitewater-wi.gov or by telephone at 262-473-0102.

Michele Smith, City Clerk

262-473-0102

MADISON, Wis. (August 6, 2020) – Nearly 8,500 students received degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison during a unique online commencement ceremony on May 9, 2020, including students from your area.

The ceremony, forced online because of the Coronavirus pandemic, was for doctoral, bachelor’s, master’s and law graduates.

Best-selling author James Patterson, the commencement speaker, counseled graduates on persistence and resilience, telling them, “Hey, it’s hard now, but it’s been hard before. When I graduated from college, the war in Vietnam was raging, there was a draft . . . When my dad graduated, he got shipped off to Europe and WW II.”

Chancellor Rebecca Blank praised graduates for the way they handled their unprecedented final semester – in-person instruction ended in March — and she thanked their family and friends for helping them through it all.

Some graduates will face a longer job search than expected, Blank said. Others will face personal pain from unexpected family loss or will end up doing very different things next year than they might have expected.

“But when we are past this crisis, you will also see many new opportunities – opportunities to re-engage the economy, to re-build personal connections, and to figure out how to live together in ways that reduce the threat of future pandemics,” Blank said. “Our world will change permanently because of this global shared experience. Your diploma from this great public university is your ticket to be part of that change.”

In addition to Saturday’s virtual ceremony, numerous famous Badger alumni posted shout-outs on social media, including soccer star Rose Lavelle, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, and Tony Award-winning actor Andre De Shields, who sang a bit for graduates. On May 8, the UW Athletic Department lit Camp Randall and the Kohl Center in red to honor the Class of 2020.

To ease the sting of the last few months, the Wisconsin Union announced it would provide all graduates with lifetime memberships – a first in the association’s more than 110-year history. Additionally, the Wisconsin Alumni Association is giving graduates two free years of membership.

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

Here are the degree recipients from your area:

HOMETOWN, STATE; NAME, COLLEGE, DEGREE, MAJOR(S), DISTINCTION (if listed), COLLEGE (if listed), DEGREE (if listed)

Whitewater, WI

 Mia Bentel, College of Letters and Science, Bachelor of Arts, Computer Sciences
 Shelley Gard, School of Education, Master of Science-Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis, Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis
 Alan Jaime, School of Education, Bachelor of Science-Education, Elementary Education
 Owen Zinkgraf, College of Letters and Science, Bachelor of Science, Computer Sciences, Graduated with Distinction

By Lisa Dawsey Smith
Whitewater Banner staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com

The Common Council met virtually on August 4 in an approximate 2.5 hour meeting, with about thirty citizens participating online or on the phone. Highlights include:

Lakes Drawdown Extended One Year
Eric Boettcher, Parks & Recreation Director, reported on the status of the lakes drawdown, including the installation of three siphons on Trippe Lake in an effort to reduce the depth to the 5-6 foot goal. Although dredging had been scheduled for this coming winter, Mr. Boettcher indicated that the State Department of Natural Resources personnel confirmed that there would be advantages to delaying that work for a year. Ecological benefits would include allowing both lakes more time to eliminate invasive vegetation, providing more head cutting of the channel, and possible increased depth from decomposition. Additionally, this would allow more time for shoreline restoration for land owners. Those attending a recent meeting of those residents were all in favor of the extension, and 76% of those responding to a city POLCO poll answered likewise. Council members voted unanimously to affirm the one year extension in the timeline.

City Manager’s Report
– Cameron Clapper provided a tutorial on how to utilize the state COVID-19 site to find the daily number of positive and negative cases in the Walworth County portion of the city. Positive results have been rapidly rising in recent weeks in Whitewater.
– The reconstruction of Milwaukee Street and of Elkhorn Road is essentially completed. The roundabout has been reconfigured with only one lane.
– Paving has been completed at the Dog Park and Moraine View Park.
– The Amphitheater at Cravath Lake Park is nearing completion, with a grand opening scheduled for September 17.
– Three siphons have been installed at Trippe Lake in an effort to reduce the depth to the 5-6 foot goal.
– The library building is closed; however, outside pickup is available, and residents are welcome to use the WIFI in the parking lot.
– The State Department of Transportation is currently completing the improvements at the Highway 12 and Walworth Avenue intersection.
– The city, the school district, and the university will be participating in an online community forum on Thursday, August 6 at 6 p.m.

Facial Covering Mandate Update
– The Police Chief indicated that after almost four days of the Governor’s emergency order requiring the wearing of facial coverings, although the dispatch center has answered a number of questions, there has not been a single complaint filed. Residents with a concern may call the non-emergency number, 262-473-0555 option 4, and non-urgent questions may be left as a message on the info line at 262-473-1398.
– The Council unanimously passed an amendment to the local ordinance which adopted the following state exemption: “While a single individual is giving a religious, political, media, educational, artistic, cultural, musical or theatrical presentation for an audience, the single speaker may remove the face covering when actively speaking. While the face covering is removed, the speaker must remain at least 6 feet away from all other individuals at all times.

Virtual Meetings
In view of the surge in positive COVID-19 cases in the community, consensus was that it was advisable to continue to hold all City meetings virtually. The subject will be revisited at alternate Council meetings.

Racial Justice and Equality Initiatives
A draft ordinance that would establish a new Equal Opportunities Commission was reviewed, with a finalized proposal to be brought to the August 18 meeting.

Upcoming Vacancy in Aldermanic District 5
McKinley Palmer, AD5 councilmember, announced that as a result of an impending move outside the district, his last meeting will be on September 1. Applications to fill the seat, which represents all residents who live in the Jefferson County portion of the city, will be accepted until September 10. Residents of the district who may be interested are encouraged to contact City Clerk Michele Smith, msmith@whitewater-wi.gov or 262-473-0102.

McCullough’s is pleased to announce that as a result of its Maxwell Street Liquidation Sale on Friday 7/31/20, donations were made to the Whitewater Food Pantry in the amount of $2,505.00 and to The Community Space in the amount of $1,383.00. Bob McCullough reported the proceeds were generated by a liquidation sale that invited shoppers to donate $20.00 to either of the above two charitable organizations and, in turn, have an opportunity to select up to $100.00 of merchandise. Additional savings were enjoyed by donating $20.00 for each subsequent $100.00 increment of merchandise. Shoppers were numerous and generous and by the end of the day on Friday, merchandise had been depleted to the extent that the plan for a second day on Saturday had to be cancelled.

McCullough’s is grateful to the community for making this liquidation sale a successful fundraiser. Further, Bob McCullough would like to thank the many customers who have been so supportive during McCullough’s Prescriptions and Gifts’ years in Whitewater from 1981-2020. While the retail pharmacy closed in March following the transfer of prescription records to Walgreens in Whitewater, McCullough’s Long Term Care Pharmacy continues to operate and serves residents in skilled and assisted living.

MADISON, Wis.—The University of Wisconsin System today introduced a new online behavioral health tool, SilverCloud, that offers self-guided programs for anxiety, depression, stress, insomnia, and resilience. The tool is now available to faculty, staff, and students at any time, on any device, and at no cost.

“While the behavioral health of our students, faculty, and staff has always been a high priority for the UW System, the current COVID-19 pandemic has put those needs into even sharper focus,” said UW System President Tommy Thompson. “We are working hard to find ways to provide these vital services to our UW community and this online tool is a great option.”

System experts have been broadly reviewing the behavioral health challenges facing students, the availability of existing services, and the need for additional services. The SilverCloud tool emerged as one of several strategies.

“The Board of Regents has made student behavioral health a top priority,” said Regent President Andrew S. Petersen. “We are pleased that SilverCloud will be available to our students, staff, and faculty during the upcoming academic year, and we look forward to additional recommendations from our campus and System experts.”

In April 2019, a UW System report showed a 55 percent increase in demand for behavioral health support since 2010. That report, in conjunction with other behavioral health indicators, led the System to create three work groups that focused on identifying solutions and approaches to mitigate the growing behavioral health needs of the UW community. One work group reviewed crisis management services for students at risk of suicide or self-harm. A second looked at targeted interventions for vulnerable student populations, including veterans, students of color, and LGBTQ+ students. A third studied ways to foster healthy learning environments. The UW System Board of Regents will receive an update on this work at its meeting in October.

Based on cognitive behavioral therapy principles, the SilverCloud self-guided program allows individuals to manage day-to-day stressors personally and anonymously using interactive content and skill-building tools.

Studies have shown that online cognitive behavioral therapy can provide an effective form of care for those who are highly motivated and experiencing mild to moderate symptoms. The program can supplement traditional therapy or campus mental health services, while some individuals may use it without seeing a counselor at all.

To sign up or find out more about the tool, visit: https://uwsystem.silvercloudhealth.com/signup

The University of Wisconsin System serves approximately 170,000 students. Awarding nearly 37,000 degrees annually, the UW System is Wisconsin’s talent pipeline, putting graduates in position to increase their earning power, contribute to their communities, and make Wisconsin a better place to live. Nearly 90 percent of in-state UW System graduates stay in Wisconsin five years after earning a degree. The UW System provides a 23:1 return on state investment. UW System universities also contribute to the richness of Wisconsin’s culture and economy with groundbreaking research, new companies and patents, and boundless creative intellectual energy.