News

Congratulations to Dante Baker, Alex Clarksen, Charlotte Hajewski, and A’lani Ross, who performed at the WSMA High School State Honors Music Project concerts in Madison, Wisconsin, at the Overture Center Thursday night, October 24.

This year, almost 1,500 student auditions were performed for the privilege of being one of the 429 students selected for membership in the five prestigious High School State Honors ensembles. This year, Whitewater High School had four musicians perform at the concert.

High School State Honors students attend an intensive four-day summer camp with the conductor of their ensemble. In addition, 32 of Wisconsin’s finest music teachers volunteer time as section coaches, coordinators, and administrators during the June summer camp and at these October concerts. Working together, they engaged in holistic lessons that incorporated several aspects of the programmed repertoire far beyond the musical, such as history, theory, style, composition, text, and culture. They connected with composers, worked with coaches and peers in daily sectionals that focused on technique and skill, and rehearsed as a full ensemble in preparation for this concert.

Music teachers, parents, administrators, and WSMA staff contribute time, expertise and encouragement for every student involved in the State Honors Music Project. Young musicians selected for these ensembles discover new levels of individual and group performance. Most importantly, the effort and dedication required of each Honors participant results in a lifelong memory of initiative, achievement and commitment to excellence as musicians and as our future leaders. Mr. Sam Averill and Ms. Mackenzie Gehrke are the proud instructors of these fine students.

Article and Photos Submitted by Greg Stewart
Whitewater High School Teacher
gstewart@wwusd.org

Editor’s Note: The following was provided by the Whitewater Kiwanis Breakfast Club.

The Whitewater Kiwanis Breakfast Club is selling florist-quality, red and white poinsettia plants for $20. Orders are due November 19, and the plants will be available December 6-8.

Whitewater Kiwanis Breakfast Club Co-President Corey Davis said, “We are delighted to be able to sell florist-quality poinsettias again this year, with the funds helping children in our community and the world as well as brightening your holidays.” 

If you would like a plant, please contact any Kiwanian, contact Al Stanek at albertstanek@gmail.com, or call Jerry Grant at 262-473-2214.

Whitewater Kiwanis is a group of dedicated volunteers who help both children of the Whitewater community and the world. Over the past several years the club raised funds to make possible the recent installation of the city’s first piece of inclusive playground equipment, a We-Go-Round, in Starin Park.  Annual donations are also made to provide shoes and winter clothes for students, as well as support for organizations such as the Whitewater Food Pantry, Bethel House, The Community Space, and the Whitewater Youth Soccer Club.

If you have an interest in helping youth in Whitewater, you can check out Whitewater Kiwanis on Facebook and join our Club by contacting Corey Davis at davisc@uww.edu.

Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to improving the world one child and one community at a time.

Ferradermis took 17 members, including 6 freshmen, to the Roboteer Rumble FIRST Robotics offseason competition at Tremont High School in Tremont, Illinois from Friday, October 25 through Saturday, October 26. Thirty-five robots from 4 states took to the field for one last 2024 competition, the 10th of the year for Ferradermis. With so many experienced members unavailable to travel over the weekend due to athletics and family commitments, the event was a great opportunity for new students to step into new roles. This opportunity doubled, when at the last minute, Ferradermis was invited to bring its second robot to compete as well.

Chief Lee the Tangerine, the team’s regular season bot which competed in Houston earlier this year wore the team’s official 6574 bumpers. Creamsicle, the team’s summer project bot wore 9998.

Tangerine #6574 Drive Team:

• Driver: Preston Miller
• Operator: Margaret Brown
• Human Player: Zoe Olson/Emilie Bruns
• Technician: Nina Heim
• Drive Coach: Chacha Binagi/Mark Zimmermann
• Alliance Selection Reps: Rae Breisath, Cyrus Hudec, Cooper Housel

Creamsicle #9998 Drive Team

• Driver: Ace Hudec
• Operator: Carson Miller
• Human Player: Emilie Bruns
• Technician: Sam Raupp
• Drive Coach: Chacha Binagi/Mark Zimmermann
• Alliance Selection Reps: Andrew Zimmermann, Chacha Binagi, Letty Trautman
  

Videographer: Belle Cohen
Head Scouts: Rae Breisath, Andrew Zimmermann, Cyrus Hudec
Scouts: Jayden Keher, Eli Gonsior, Letty Trautman, Emilie Bruns, Sam Raupp, Cooper Houselz

Creamsicle finished the day ranked 28th and did not make it into the playoff round. However, it did achieve the goal that the team had set for it at this competition. It proved it was able to feed game pieces to other robots from across the field. The feeding strategy is something that developed over the course of the regular season as alliances learned they could be more proficient scorers if one bot was strictly providing a supply of game pieces near the two main field elements instead of having all three alliance robots run back and forth across the field.

As the #10 ranked team after qualifications, Tangerine’s alliance representatives gratefully accepted an invitation from Team 3397, the Robolions from St. Louis, MO to join their #3 seeded alliance. Our alliance’s second pick was Team 112, Plus One from Arlington Heights, IL. Team 4096 CTRL-Z from Champaign, IL rounded out the 4-team alliance.

The alliance did not make it very deep into the playoffs as all of our alliance partners experienced problems with their robots during matches. Overall, the trip was a great learning experience for all of our members, and with over 100 competition matches on its record, Chief Lee the Tangerine will now retire to be used only for demonstrations.

The team submitted nominations in advance for Chacha Binagi as Outstanding Robotics Student and Head Coach Mark Zimmermann as Outstanding Robotics Mentor. Zimmermann and former Ferradermis mentor Allison Conrad, who now mentors the team from Muskego High School, were named the two Outstanding mentors for the event.

Ferradermis will now focus on training and outreach events until the kickoff of the new season on January 4. Watch for news from the FIRST Lego League teams at Washington, Lincoln, Lakeview, and the Middle School, as well as the new FIRST Tech Challenge Team at the Middle School, as they will both be competing this fall and winter.

Article and Photos Submitted by Laura Masbruch
Whitewater High School Robotics Advisor
lmasbruch@wwusd.org

Editor’s note: The Whitewater Banner does not necessarily post all notices of gatherings where a quorum of council and/or committee members may be present, as long as no action will be taken.

City of Whitewater Urban Forestry Commission – Monday @ 5:30 p.m.
Agenda
Cravath Lakefront room 2nd floor 312 West Whitewater St
*In Person and Virtual
Citizens are welcome (and encouraged) to join our webinar via computer, smart phone, or
telephone. Citizen participation is welcome during topic discussion periods.
Topic: Urban Forestry Commission
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82948501460?pwd=l9Lndio7GYohm0mMXg9a6sFLnZ7JBa.1
Meeting ID: 829 4850 1460
Passcode: 212599
Or dial:
+1 312 626 6799 US

Whitewater Unified School District Annual Budget Hearing – Monday @ 5:45 p.m.

Whitewater High School Library
534 South Elizabeth Street, Whitewater, Wisconsin
5:45 p.m.
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5:45 p.m. via Zoom Online
– URL: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85782823820?pwd=LL9I9ngH588YLmUWsaBt5PCrwjFR2A.1
– Passcode: 949460
———————————————–
– Dial-in: 1-312-626-6799
– Webinar ID: 857 8282 3820
– Passcode: 949460

Whitewater Unified School District School Board Regular Meeting – Monday @ 6:15 p.m. (CLOSED SESSION)
Whitewater High School Library
534 South Elizabeth Street, Whitewater, Wisconsin
6:15 p.m.
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6:15 p.m. via Zoom Online
– URL: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84566437470?pwd=JpfnoJYSdUVXk4Fv4YaZou0qzsQWmY.1
– Passcode: 511610
———————————————–
– Dial-in: 1-312-626-6799
– Webinar ID: 845 6643 7470
– Passcode: 511610
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Closed Session: Agenda – Adjourn into closed session, (Action Item) pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 19.85(1)(f), considering financial, medical, social or personal histories or disciplinary data of specific persons, preliminary consideration of specific personnel problems or the investigation of charges against specific persons except where par. (b) applies which, if discussed in public, would be likely to have a substantial adverse effect upon the reputation of any person referred to in such histories or data, or involved in such problems or investigations, specifically, to discuss contract updates and non-certified employee termination.
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7:00 p.m. via Zoom Online (OPEN SESSION)
Agenda (Click on “meetings” in upper right corner) includes WUSD Strategic Planning & Scorecard Review, Middle School (Informational),Transfer – ADMINISTRATION – Associate Principal at the Middle School to ADMINISTRATION – Principal at the Middle School effective July 1, 2025, Approval of the 2024/2025 Whitewater Unified School District Tax Levy and 2024-25 annual budget.
– URL: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87107415224?pwd=TnFUaWhpMEFpNXZNajhVTDhhTE4zdz09
– Passcode: 317163
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– Dial-in: 1-312-626-6799
– Webinar ID: 871 0741 5224
– Passcode: 317163

City of Whitewater Public Test of Ballot Machines – Tuesday @ 10 a.m. – noon
Whitewater Municipal Building Cravath Lakefront Room, 2nd Floor, 312 West Whitewater St.
*In Person

City of Whitewater Special Finance Committee Meeting – Wed. @ 4:00 p.m.
Agenda includes 2025 Draft Budget Review (3 of 3), City Attorney and Code Enforcement & Zoning Contracts and Job Descriptions, Sick Leave Severance Budget & Policy, and Shared-Ride Budget
Whitewater Municipal Building Cravath Lakefront Room, 312 West Whitewater St.
*In Person and Virtual
Citizens are welcome (and encouraged) to join our webinar via computer, smart phone, or telephone.
Citizen participation is welcome during topic discussion periods.
You are invited to a Zoom webinar.
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86803129460
Or One tap mobile :
+16469313860
Or Telephone:
Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
+1 312 626 6799 US
Webinar ID: 868 0312 9460
International numbers available: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/kYQp6AdD

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

ProPublica, a Pulitzer prize winning nonprofit news organization with the tagline, “Investigative Journalism in the Public Interest,” published an article about Whitewater on their website that was initially titled “The Police Chief and the Immigrant” on October 24. Eventually the headline was changed to “What Happened in Whitewater: How immigration is affecting one small Wisconsin city.” It’s a very lengthy article, with over 5700 words. An audio recording that is provided is over 34 minutes long. Normally The Whitewater Banner would print a few quotes from such a piece, but we are honoring ProPublica’s requirement that their articles only be reprinted in their entirety. Photos, however, could not be reprinted. The Banner has used one of their photos on the homepage under the practice of fair use.

The lead author of the article, Melissa Sanchez, is a Chicago-based reporter who focuses on immigration and low wage-workers.  She is the daughter of immigrants from Mexico and El Salvador, and she speaks Spanish. Sanchez and other ProPublica journalists have visited the city over a dozen times since January, conducting many interviews with city staff, long-term residents and recent immigrants. Police Chief Dan Meyer told The Whitewater Banner that he has spoken with Melissa seven or eight times, and “has nothing but good things to say” about her. She really poured a lot of time into her research and writing the article, he said. Meyer felt that his comments were fairly represented in the article, and that “it’s about as balanced” as could be expected. Undoubtedly readers will have varying opinions, and Meyer expressed his view that “opinions need to get out there to make progress.” The Banner’s Facebook page does allow for comments to be made, with the trust that kindness and civility be evidenced. The ProPublica article may be accessed here.

Background

In December, 2023, City of Whitewater Police Chief Dan Meyer composed a letter to President Biden regarding the challenges faced by our relatively small community in serving the estimated 800-1000 immigrants who had arrived, primarily from Nicaragua, beginning in early 2022. Examples were given of the difficulties the Police Department was experiencing in communicating with this Spanish-speaking population, encountering many unlicensed drivers with fake IDs, and investigating some serious crimes. “None of this information is shared as a means of denigrating or vilifying this group of people,” the letter stated, “We know that challenges will come with the addition of any significant number of people to a City. In fact, we see great value in the increasing diversity that this group brings to our community. We simply need to ensure that we can continue to properly serve this group, and the entirety of the City of Whitewater.” The letter was also signed by City Manager John Weidl and Common Council members.

City staff and officials were shocked by how quickly state and national media picked up the story. A number of journalists have contacted them, and in some cases, even visited the city to develop stories that have sometimes included inaccuracies. A presidential candidate even mentioned the city’s challenges. Little governmental assistance has resulted from the plea, although the city was recently awarded a grant totaling $375,000 over three years to assist with the hiring of three additional police officers.

Whitewater Arts Alliance Meat Raffle Fundraiser

Event Date: October 27, 2024, 12-3pm (approximately)

Event Location: Second Salem Brewery, 111 W.Whitewater St., Whitewater, WI

Whitewater,WI – The Whitewater Arts Alliance (WAA) will host a meat raffle fundraiser at Second Salem Brewing Co. on Sunday, October 27, 2024, starting at 12:00pm and ending when all prizes have been distributed, approximately 3:00pm.

The meat raffle will take place throughout the Packer game, with numbered paddles sold for $5 each round, with multiple winners called each round. Prizes include locally sourced meat from Little Red Farms in Whitewater and Wilson Farm Meats in Elkhorn, as well as from Aldi in Whitewater. In addition, there will be a 50/50 cash raffle as well as ticketed bucket raffles for goods donated by numerous local businesses and community members. 

All proceeds from the raffle will directly benefit the Whitewater Arts Alliance, supporting their mission to promote and sustain the arts in our community.

About Second Salem Brewing Co.

Second Salem Brewing Company is a brewpub located on Cravath Lake in historic downtown Whitewater, Wisconsin. Back in the early 20th century, Whitewater earned the moniker “Second Salem” from the locals, owing to its association with witch gatherings around the Witchtower (better known as the Starin Park water tower),as well as eerie incidents, mysterious deaths, and other unworldly occurrences in the lake. These intriguing events, along with the distinctive figures and architecture of that era, constitute a shared history that sets our town apart,offering a trove of captivating tales to infuse into our exceptional brews.

The Whitewater Water Tower
By Carol Cartwright

A question about the Starin Park Water Tower will be on the ballot on November 5. Here is some historical background about the water tower.

The Starin Park Water Tower was built in 1889 as part of the first water system built in Whitewater. It was one of the earliest water towers built in the area, has outstanding stone construction and an original tank, and it was the result of an effort to provide better fire protection and pure drinking water in the city.

In June of 1887, the city entertained a proposal from a private company to build a water system. At the time, most communities only considered a water system to provide water pressure for firefighting. In Whitewater, the Whitewater Register printed a lengthy article on the proposal for a water system and promoted an interesting view, citing sanitary reasons for a waterworks. The article stated that micro-organisms were readily found in water samples in town. As an afterthought, the article also mentioned that a water system was necessary for fighting fires and would result in a reduction of insurance rates.

In a second article in the Whitewater Register, the newspaper noted that private wells were the source of much “enfeebled health and shortened life.” Only a very deep artesian well assured pure water, and that “a careful examination of the subject has convinced the city officials that an artesian well is the best source of supply.”

In the spring of 1889, Gray Brothers of Milwaukee began construction on the waterworks system that included a well at the corner of Fremont Street and what is now Starin Road. At about 1000 feet, the workers hit a water supply with enough volume to fill a reservoir and to serve a city twice the size of Whitewater. The supply was submitted for testing at the University of Wisconsin in Madison and pronounced pure. The Gray Brothers then built a pumping works, a reservoir, a tower with elevated tank, water mains, hydrants, and fountains. Upon completion, the city paid the company to operate the system for 25 years.

On October 1, 1889, the waterworks components were completed and tested and found to be acceptable. One aspect of the test was to make sure that a stream of water could be thrown over the roof of the Normal School, located on a hill and the highest building in the city. The test showed that there was enough pressure to send water through 500 feet of hose onto the roof of the building.

The most impressive structure that was built for the water works was the water tower. The octagonal tower was built with limestone walls eight feet thick to a height of 80 feet. A steel tank, 30 feet in diameter and 32 feet tall, was built on top of the tower. The tank was built to hold 200,000 gallons of water, and with the 800,000 gallon capacity of the reservoir, the total supply on hand would equal 1,000,000 gallons, enough to provide excellent water pressure for both everyday usage and for emergency fire-fighting. After the private contract expired, Whitewater citizens voted to purchase and operate the system.

The water tower is an early and fine example of its type of structure. It is architecturally significant for its outstanding stone construction and intact metal tank, but it is also historically significant as the most intact resource related to the development of Whitewater’s waterworks, one of the most important city services ever developed in the community.

Editor’s note: Information regarding the non-binding water tower referendum that’s on the November 5 ballot may be found on the city website here.