M.E. and My Pets posted an announcement on their Facebook page in April indicating that the owners were thinking about retirement and were looking to sell their two stores, one of which is at 147 W. Whitewater St. in Whitewater, with the other being in Fort Atkinson.
In a Facebook post on August 30, the business announced the sale of the Fort Atkinson location, while also indicating that the inventory of the two stores will be consolidating in Fort. The Whitewater store will be closing on September 14. A July, 2024 post stated that the Whitewater store was celebrating its 23rd anniversary.
The August 30 post closed with the message, “We appreciate the support we have received from our Whitewater customers for over 20 years and we hope you will continue to support the Fort Atkinson location. The Fort Atkinson store will be under the new ownership beginning September 16th, and Eric will stay on board until the end of September to help with the business transfer.”
The City of Whitewater is excited to announce a new feature on our municipal website: a dedicated Community page that is designed to host the links to local organizations’ calendars. Currently included are the links are to the city Parks & Recreation Department, the school district, the university, and the Chamber of Commerce. This centralized platform is designed to keep residents and visitors alike informed about activities, celebrations, and gatherings happening throughout our city.
As part of our commitment to fostering a vibrant community atmosphere, we invite local organizations, clubs, and community groups to share their event calendars with us. By featuring your events on our Community page, you can reach a wider audience and ensure greater participation.
How to Get Your Events Featured: To have your calendar included on our Community page, please send your link to Becky Magestro, Chief of Staff, at bmagestro@whitewater-wi.gov. We are looking forward to showcasing the diverse and dynamic events that make Whitewater a special place to live and visit.
Editor’s note: This announcement has been adapted from a press release from the city.
It’s time once again for #FlashbackFriday with the Whitewater Historical Society. For the last summer image from the Scholl collection of glass plate negatives from c.1900 we offer this salute to Labor Day coming up on Monday. Here is a group of men working in a Whitewater area quarry. It may be the one off of Franklin Street, or elsewhere in the area, but it illustrates how hard some c.1900 jobs were. Many of you may remember the 1960s song, “I Fought the Law,” that starts “Breaking rocks in the hot sun. . .” Well, that is what these men appear to be doing. Fortunately, most labor is not as physically demanding today, but all labor is valuable, and we salute all workers on Labor Day!
Join us next week for more from the Whitewater Historical Society.
Editor’s Note: The following was provided by Book Buddies.
Dr. Seuss once wrote, “The more that you read, the more things you will know; the more things that you learn, the more places you’ll go!”
Book Buddies, a fun after-school reading program for all children in the Whitewater community, is back for its 4th straight year! Book Buddies will again be meeting every Monday afternoon from 3:30-4:30 p.m. at First English Lutheran Church (401 W. Main Street) starting September 16 and running through December 2, 2024.
Book Buddies pairs a caring adult with a child in grades Kindergarten through Grade 5. After snacks and a short program, “buddies” read books together working on skills and discussing what they read. Authors, such as Linda Teed, story-tellers like Whitewater’s own Jim Winship, and other guests including Officer Justin Stuppy and his police dog, Tilla, plan to visit our group sharing their unique insights on the importance of reading.
AND EVERYTHING IS FREE! There is no cost for a child to participate and all participants receive a FREE Tee-shirt and a FREE bookbag filled with a new book and other surprises. Snacks are also provided. Books in Spanish and Spanish-speaking helpers are also available.
Book Buddies is extremely grateful to the Whitewater Community Foundation for the Community Action Grant we recently received. Thrivent and the Women of the ELCA at First English Lutheran Church have also financially supported the Book Buddies program.
So, come and join the fun! If you know of a child who would like to participate, contact Barb Penington at bookbuds1@gmail.com or call 262-215-9061 with the child’s name, grade in school, and phone number. Deadline for registrations is Friday, Sept. 13!
Ernest Walter Regelein, 93, Fort Atkinson, formerly of Whitewater passed away on Tuesday, August 20, 2024 at Wellington Meadows in Fort Atkinson.
Ernie was born on March 14, 1931 in Fort Atkinson to Benjamin and Ana (Busche) Regelein. He served his country in the United States Army during the Korean War. Ernie married Mary Clark on March 23, 1985. She preceded him in death on June 26, 1987. He was a home builder and worked for 28 years with the United States Post Office. Ernie also owned and operated the Western Aire Supper Club in Oconomowoc. He was a lover of fine wine, stamp collecting, Owen Gromme prints, gardening, the Milwaukee Brewers. He was known for causing good natured trouble. He was a member of First English Lutheran Church.
He is survived by his nieces and nephews Jerry Wolfram, James (Rose Schroeder) Wolfram, John (Beverly) Wolfram, Tom (Helene) Regelein, Ray Regelein. He is preceded in death by his parents, wife, brothers Richard (Beverly) Regelein, Harvey (Connie) Regelein, sister Florence (Harold) Wolfram.
A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, September 7, 2024 at 11:00 am at First English Lutheran Church, 401 W. Main St., Whitewater, WI 53190 followed by military rites. Friends may call at the church on Saturday from 10 am until the time of the service.
The family would like to thank Wellington Meadows staff and Rainbow Hospice for the care they provided Ernie. Online condolences may be made at www.nitardyfuneralhome.com
Talen Jourdan (Left) is one of six Whitewater alumni on the U.S. men’s team in Paris; Christine Schwab with her Olympic gold medal in wheelchair basketball from Rio 2016 (Craig Schreiner/UW-Whitewater)
An article by Ben Pickman in The Athletic (a New York Times publication) on August 28 was titled “Welcome to UW-Whitewater, the bedrock of the U.S. Paralympic wheelchair basketball teams.” Excerpts of the story, which is behind a paywall, are shown below.
“The scuff and skid marks help tell the story. Of collisions, of wheelchairs tipping over, of abrupt stops, pivots, and turns. The banners on the walls around the court’s perimeter serve as a complement to those tales — of a World Championships in Amsterdam, of a Parapan-Am Games in Toronto, of the 2012 London Paralympics, of the three women’s and 14 men’s collegiate national titles.
From the outside, the Roseman Building…looks like another indistinguishable administrative hall….But “Roseman,” as its inhabitants call it, is home to some of the best wheelchair basketball players in the United States….It is one of the most understated venues used by high-level athletes.
…As the Paralympic Games get underway in Paris, the core of the U.S. wheelchair basketball program has roots in the school and the Roseman Building.
Of the 12 members on Team USA men’s wheelchair basketball squad, six are alumni of UW-Whitewater, the most of any university. The women’s team has two players, and one alternate, who competed collegiately at UW-Whitewater…Two alums will play for Germany and another is on the Netherlands roster.
That a university with Division III athletics, and a student body of around 11,000 (more than 1,300 of which have disabilities) became a leader in the wheelchair basketball space stems from serendipity.
In the early 1970s, only a few programs provided services to students with disabilities across America. Less than a half-dozen had wheelchair basketball teams.
John Truesdale was working for Wisconsin’s division of vocational rehabilitation when UW-Whitewater received grant money to support students with disabilities. Shortly after, he was brought into the university to address campus accessibility needs, eventually starting the school’s disabled student services office — which then served around 10 students — and its adaptive recreation program.
Truesdale played stand-up basketball recreationally throughout his youth but had no prior coaching experience. Nevertheless, he took over the sideline duties…. A group of non-disabled students practiced with them because they liked the competition. “I really didn’t know anything,” Truesdale said. “It wasn’t anything that I did as much as it was students and staff buying into it because they saw the need.”
The existence of the program was a starting point.
Shortly after the program’s launch, the university rewrote its mission statement and committed to developing and providing services for students with disabilities. Its intentions were clear. Buy-in followed. “Interest spread throughout the entire campus,” Truesdale says. “It was somewhat unique.” Nowadays, more than 12 percent of Whitewater students use the services offered by the center for students with disabilities on campus.
…..Talen Jourdan represents this generation. Jourdan is from nearby Deerfield. He didn’t know much about the program’s history when he enrolled. But he does now. And on top of the tales of those before him, he appreciates that the men’s team has their own locker room, space for chairs, and a weight room.
Jourdan’s hands are full of calluses and his forearms have countless scars because he uses them to help brake. The marks have been worth it. This spring, he learned he had made his first Paralympic team.
While the U.S. women are looking to win their first gold since 2016, the men are seeking a third consecutive title and to complete the first Paralympic three-peat in men’s wheelchair basketball. “It would mean a lot to everybody,” says Jourdan, who graduated from Whitewater in May…“I love playing at Whitewater because everybody knows about wheelchair basketball and the success the program’s had.”
A comment made by a readerof The Athletic:
Bruce G. Thanks for the great article celebrating UW-Whitewater. Both of our boys swam at UWW but went to wheelchair basketball games and had their players come to their meets. I remember watching wheelchair basketball games during tournaments UWW would host and being in awe of the athletes. Our experience at UWW was all athletes from all the sports fully supported each other.
When are the U.S. wheelchair basketball teams in action?
Men’s fixtures
Aug 29: vs Spain (10am ET) US 66 / Spain 56
Aug 31: vs Netherlands (9 am CDT) — US 60 / Netherlands 34
Sep 1: vs Australia (3.30am CDT) — “Digital only”
Sep 3: quarterfinals (Begin 6:45 am CDT) Sep 5: semifinals; Sep 7: bronze medal match and gold medal match
Women’s fixtures
Aug 30: vs Germany (9 am CDT) US 73 / Germany 44
Aug 31: vs Netherlands (11.15 am CDT) – Netherlands 69 / US 56
Sep 2: vs Japan (6.45 am CDT) – Broadcast on USA
Sep 4: quarterfinals; Sep 6: semifinals; Sep 8: bronze medal match and gold medal match
How do I watch the Games?
Live coverage of the opening ceremony will be shown on USA Network at 12pm CDT. Then on every sporting day, starting on Thursday, August 29, USA Network will provide coverage of the most exciting events, including live finals. Streaming service Peacock will also broadcast around 1,500 hours across all 22 sports throughout the 12-day event, including the hugely popular ‘Gold Zone’ whip-around show.
NBC will have three primetime windows: Friday, August 30 at 8pm CDT; Sunday, September 1 at 6pm CDT; and Friday, September 6 at 8 pm CDT, while CNBC will present live action each weekend. NBCParalympics.com will have the most up-to-date listings and information for viewers in the States.
The Paralympics YouTube channel will also provide live coverage, replays, highlights, creator content and athlete features.
A comment made by a readerof The Athletic:
Bruce G. Thanks for the great article celebrating UW-Whitewater. Both of our boys swam at UWW but went to wheelchair basketball games and had their players come to their meets. I remember watching wheelchair basketball games during tournaments UWW would host and being in awe of the athletes. Our experience at UWW was all athletes from all the sports fully supported each other.
Person
Team
Role
At UW-W
Jake Williams
USA Men
Player
Former student athlete
AJ Fitzpatrick
USA Men
Player
Current student athlete
Talen Jourdan
USA Men
Player
Former student athlete
John Boie
USA Men
Player
Former student athlete; Current academic advisor
Nate Hinze
USA Men
Player
Former student athlete
Jeromie Meyer
USA Men
Player
Former student athlete
Becca Murray
USA Women
Player
Former student athlete
Lindsey Zurbrugg
USA Women
Player
Former student athlete
Christine Schwab
USA Women
Head coach
Former women’s coach; Manager Learning Communities Program
By Lynn Binnie Whitewater Banner volunteer staff whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
A press release dated August 28 from the Marcus & Millichap commercial real estate brokerage firm indicates that the Whitewater Plaza retail strip property at 1139 W. Main Street has sold for $3,615,000. M&M’s Chicago Oak Brook office had the exclusive listing to market the 1.88 acre property with a 24,211 square foot building. It was indicated that the property is currently 94% occupied, with tenants such as Jimmy John’s, Anytime Fitness, Cozumel Restaurant and Beijing Buffet. Sarah Grace Pugh, public relations specialist for Marcus & Millichap, told The Banner that she was unable to disclose the name of the buyer.
According to the Walworth County website, the tax bill for 2023 was sent to PNL WHITEWATER LLC in Dallas, TX. The estimated fair market value was $2,847,400.
Gov. Evers Order Flags to Half-Staff in Honor of Former State Rep. James Soletski
MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers signed Executive Order #237 ordering the flags of the United States and the state of Wisconsin to be flown at half-staff on Thurs., Aug. 29, 2024, in honor of former Wisconsin State Rep. James Soletski, who passed away on Tues., Aug. 20, 2024, at the age of 75.
“A lifelong Wisconsinite, Representative Soletski was dedicated to serving others and the greater Green Bay area,” said Gov. Evers. “Kathy and I send our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and neighbors during this time of mourning.”
Former Rep. Soletski grew up in New Franken and was a graduate of Preble High School and the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. In 2006, after a career of more than 20 years in the energy industry, Rep. Soletski was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly, where he served for two terms representing the 88th Assembly District. During his time in the Wisconsin State Assembly, Rep. Soletski served as chairperson of the Energy and Utilities Committee, as well as vice-chairperson of the Elections and Campaign Reform Committee and the Consumer Protection Committee.
Services for former Rep. Soletski will be held on Thurs., Aug. 29, 2024, in Green Bay.
Motorists who expected to traverse the intersection of Fremont Street and Starin Road since Tuesday morning have been surprised to find an unannounced road closure. Brad Marquardt, director of public works, provided the following explanation to The Banner: “The intention early yesterday [Tuesday] morning was to remove the existing pavement and place the first lift of asphalt and then open back up to traffic. Close again today to do surface. They ran into some paver problems and with the hot weather did not get the first lift down. Decision was made to leave it closed overnight. As of 11:30 today [Wednesday] they are currently rolling the surface lift and will be opening up the intersection early this afternoon.”
